Cleaning dirt is beneath me! What would you do if someone asked ya to use yer power to light a damn candle, eh?
[Lazy AND prideful.
He finally takes a cautious few steps toward the river lane, squatting at the edge. It is remarkable, all things considered. Even if this place mostly runs off of bullshit magic, this kind of technology is hardly impossible. It probably doesn't seem like that big of a deal to Bakugo, especially coming from a school that equally has a bunch of crazy accommodations, but every day Chobe's reminded just how far behind he is. It makes him wonder how many more decades he and his brother have to live to be caught up with society. . .
Not that he'll be voicing those deep thoughts, quickly disregarding the thin frown he makes as his mind races, and pivoting to more acceptable conversation. ]
So ya just use it to swim back and forth for exercise, eh? I get it, but given the circumstances that seems akin to a mutt runnin' circles while tied to a stake.
[Then light it when they said they didn't have a match. Then kill them if they revealed they did have a match and were just playing with him. This is the nature of things. Also totally depends on the circumstances of the request.
No, it's not that big a deal for him, but Bakugo's met enough people here who come from an earlier or less developed timeline to understand where Chobe's coming from. Tempting as it is to accidentally bump him into the water. He stays by the controls so he can turn it off when the man's done exploring the water. It races under Chobe's vision, a eternally looping itself like a treadmill of liquid. Unlike the pool in the Talon and Beak, the water here lacks its chemical chlorine scent. Fresh water, because fuck magic needing chemical cleaners in a high rank room.]
No shit, baka. Could say the same shit about push ups and sit ups. Most exercise is repetitive.
[Whether you're jogging down a path, rowing a boat, squatting in place, or pumping iron. Technically you swim against the flow of water, mirroring the treadmill analogy, but Bakugo's not gonna get into that detail with Chobe.]
[That's not the same at all and he knows it. Though, he'd approve of that reactionary logic. Don't waste his time with useless requests, something they both can agree on.
Another small frown, and Chobe reaches down to let the water wash over a hand. Huh, it really is fresh. Chlorine doesn't bother him, but the plant part of his body does still prefer actual clean, fresh water. With so much artificial life in the casino, it's almost odd to feel something authentic. . .well, near authentic. Like everything else, it's manufactured. A device to appease the prisoners. He huffs.]
That's different. You can do that shit anywhere, inside, outside, free, prisoner. Somethin' like this though, like a fucking wheel to placate ya. . .dunno. It makes me sick.
[He can't quite put a finger on why it sits so wrongly with him. Maybe it reminds him of the shallow 'kind' gestures of the tensen. If he ever makes it to such rank, if it's not a jacuzzi or fancy bath, he'll simply note to get rid of it. But ah, there are those pesky intrusive thoughts again, time to change the subject.
By which I mean he lets a vine slink out of his pants leg to whip over and try to drag Bakugo into the water. Should have gotten to him first, hero. ]
[You set yourself up for that one, Chobe. It's not the same, but Bakugo's gonna razz him on it anyways. Set up for him and everything. Some people can get Bakugo to do useless stuff. Like Chobe's leash and collar...
Good thing here's actual clean fresh water in the resort. Plenty in the Vale, some in the cave-like springs, and others in the high-rank rooms for "royal" reasons. Bakugo's not sitting by his endless pool with a cup in one hand and a book in the other for sips. But it's nice not swimming in a bunch of chemicals, despite having done so all his life (unless he's at an ocean, lake, river, whatever). He wonders if Chobe would really react to water like that... putting down roots.]
Uh-huh. [He doesn't believe him. Why?] You must be throwing up every fucking second then.
[No, he understands what the man means. Bakugo's never once forgot all of this is nothing more than a golden cage. Barred, trapped, imprisoning, with endless toys and entertainments trying to make them forget who they were, where they came from, what they want to do beyond the peacock's whims. Like escape.
A hamster in a wheel's not a wrong analogy. And yet, Bakugo picked the wheel because why the fuck not get exercise and make himself stronger, so when he gets off the wheel, he's got KILLER LEGS to kick the ever-living shit out of the peacock's fucking bars!]
Na-?! [Yeah, so remember that little part about leash and collar? Chobe's got a second of satisfaction before *SNAP* said tether goes taut and he's following Bakugo right into the water neck first.
Ready for that the entire time, you dirt-talking bastard.]
[He rolls his eyes at the jab--though truthfully, he probably could, in a way. Or at the very least, use the dirt's tao. There's living tao and the tao of things like rocks and earth, real circle of life shit. Unfortunately, Chobe couldn't care less about that type of training, so he will remain dirt illiterate for now.
And likewise, he could connect with other living beings using his vines and roots but not in a cool, nymph-like way. More like... a gruesome, gore someone through their torso and mix with their tao as they die way. So no, no roots reaching for freshness here. For as much as he plays up being part plant, his body operates mostly as a human's, unless the environment calls for it. And he'd agree with Bakugo's desire to strengthen his body while he bides his time. . .Chobe's learning a lot while here, and and cycling through all sorts of tao. It hasn't been a waste of time.
But speaking of learning things! You'd think he'd learn not to try to pull sneak attacks on Bakugo by now. He's got a stupid grin on his face as he watches the hero get dragged in, only for it to be cut off as he gags, yanked by that damn leash and toppling right on in, too.
Chobe can swim, sure, but he's not immune to panicking. He's scrambling in the water, limbs flailing, along with a flurry of vines that whip out to try and pull him out the water too. If Bakugo's not keeping him in the water, he'll at least manage to scramble back on to the ledge, looking like a wet cat in a spider web made of vines.]
[If they get into a real scrap, he might make Chobe eat dirt in a very literal sense. On purpose, purely as a call back to this conversation right now? Maybe. It'd be fucking hilarious if he did, huh. Bakugo might listen to a talk about tao if Chobe offered, half purely out of the man being open with him (and he's a power/ability nerd). Nah, this guy wouldn't drone on about that kinda training crap.
Good to know his annoying not-friend bastard is more human than plant. Start growing seeds during sex and Bakugo's gonna look at him like a genuine weirdo! Grow seeds during a training spar and his curiosity would pique. Mostly he's seen vines, leaves, and bark, but knows Chobe can pop out flowers if he's in the mood (welcome to more teasing should the explosive blonde see him do it). Gonna taunt him like a middle school bully having all his fun.
Bastard, what kind of idiot did you take him for, thinking you could pull a fast one on him?! His reaction speed's insane (and he knows Chobe well enough by now to expect some shittery). Snarling anger hits the water; smug pride swirls among bubbles and rushing current. HAH! Got him! Fuck, he wishes he could've heard Chobe's stupid gag when he got reverse-fished into the pool. Makes it even better with the man asking for the damn leash at the start of this! Baaaka.
Bakugo slams his arm atop the lane pools side, trying to haul himself out before its current shoves him into the far wall. Bastard, this isn't a fucking lazy river! It's for swimming! Fingers plant and he hauls himself out with a snarl, soaking wet and dripping everywhere. Red eyes blaze over his shoulder, as if he could plow Chobe into the wall with looks alone. Buuut... that pathetic scrambling sight behind him? Fucking wet cat spidering outta there.]
Bleeeh! [Maturity.] Baka! I knew you'd try to pull some kinda shit like that! How's that water taste, Collar Boy?
[He should have known, and honesty he probaby did know, but when you're rotten to your core, one can't help but get up to a bit of mischief. Though honestly, if he had time to think, he'd be annoyed at himself for being so predictable. Gotta work on that, former bandit king.
He scrambles back on to dry land, vines flailing around as if trying to find something to grasp, but as he shakes the excess water from himself while on all fours. . .yeah, that dignity's at the bottom of that artificial river. His leash clanks against the floor as he lays flat, letting his vines calm down and retract back into exposed skin. He mutters against the surface, exasperated. Definitely no tao talks today.]
Baaaka. [Not shutting up on purpose. There's someone else in the resort Bakugo's learned to trust nothing of what he says. Chobe likewise is someone he always has a wary eye on whenever he's with him. Backstabbing? Not in the fatally dangerous way (most of the time) but in other ways, damn right! Sneak strikes, sucker punches, jump. Don't be too down on yourself, Chobe. Half of it's Bakugo's pure reaction speed. The guy can dodge bullets.
Bakugo clicks his tongue in annoyance as he strips his shirt off and wrings it out over the pool. Bastard. Sloggy pants and all go stomping to his room's control panel, keying in two controls. Water slows from gushing stream to bubbling brook to still lapping as its jets ease off. While Chobe's over there shaking himself off like a garden dog monster boy. His leash doesn't help the image at all.]
[That doesn't make sense Chobe!! He slaps a hand against his head, once last knock to get any waters out his ears, and he'll finally push himself off the floor. No amount of shaking is gonna dry him though, so he's just gonna be a soggy plant bastard now.]
If you expected it ya shouldn't have let it happen, punk. Next time I'll drown ya.
[Big words coming from the drowned plant, but he means it. One last vine works to wring out his own shirt, and he slings it over a shoulder, huffing. Or pouting, depending on one's perspective.]
[Calling him out on his bullshit. More water pours from his shirt, crushed in a twisted wring between his hands. Material and fabric threatens to rip (so it seems), then relaxes as he lets go of one side, no worse for wear. Damn thing's going in the dryer soon.]
Che! As if you could hold onto me long enough.
[*ba-krak-Ka-booM!* Bakugo leers over his smoking hand, fingers clawed in a reminder of his own explosions. Not this first time he's broken out of someone attempting to throttle him. If he really wanted to keep Chobe's potential threat down, he'd never have let him in the suite.]
I'll go get a change of clothes. Stay here.
[He's not gonna have Chobe walk his sloggy butt all over his suite.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 7/24/25 01:58 (UTC)[Lazy AND prideful.
He finally takes a cautious few steps toward the river lane, squatting at the edge. It is remarkable, all things considered. Even if this place mostly runs off of bullshit magic, this kind of technology is hardly impossible. It probably doesn't seem like that big of a deal to Bakugo, especially coming from a school that equally has a bunch of crazy accommodations, but every day Chobe's reminded just how far behind he is. It makes him wonder how many more decades he and his brother have to live to be caught up with society. . .
Not that he'll be voicing those deep thoughts, quickly disregarding the thin frown he makes as his mind races, and pivoting to more acceptable conversation. ]
So ya just use it to swim back and forth for exercise, eh? I get it, but given the circumstances that seems akin to a mutt runnin' circles while tied to a stake.
no subject
Date: 7/24/25 03:06 (UTC)[Then light it when they said they didn't have a match. Then kill them if they revealed they did have a match and were just playing with him. This is the nature of things. Also totally depends on the circumstances of the request.
No, it's not that big a deal for him, but Bakugo's met enough people here who come from an earlier or less developed timeline to understand where Chobe's coming from. Tempting as it is to accidentally bump him into the water. He stays by the controls so he can turn it off when the man's done exploring the water. It races under Chobe's vision, a eternally looping itself like a treadmill of liquid. Unlike the pool in the Talon and Beak, the water here lacks its chemical chlorine scent. Fresh water, because fuck magic needing chemical cleaners in a high rank room.]
No shit, baka. Could say the same shit about push ups and sit ups. Most exercise is repetitive.
[Whether you're jogging down a path, rowing a boat, squatting in place, or pumping iron. Technically you swim against the flow of water, mirroring the treadmill analogy, but Bakugo's not gonna get into that detail with Chobe.]
no subject
Date: 7/24/25 04:01 (UTC)Yeah? Well imagine I told the dirt to fuck off.
[That's not the same at all and he knows it. Though, he'd approve of that reactionary logic. Don't waste his time with useless requests, something they both can agree on.
Another small frown, and Chobe reaches down to let the water wash over a hand. Huh, it really is fresh. Chlorine doesn't bother him, but the plant part of his body does still prefer actual clean, fresh water. With so much artificial life in the casino, it's almost odd to feel something authentic. . .well, near authentic. Like everything else, it's manufactured. A device to appease the prisoners. He huffs.]
That's different. You can do that shit anywhere, inside, outside, free, prisoner. Somethin' like this though, like a fucking wheel to placate ya. . .dunno. It makes me sick.
[He can't quite put a finger on why it sits so wrongly with him. Maybe it reminds him of the shallow 'kind' gestures of the tensen. If he ever makes it to such rank, if it's not a jacuzzi or fancy bath, he'll simply note to get rid of it. But ah, there are those pesky intrusive thoughts again, time to change the subject.
By which I mean he lets a vine slink out of his pants leg to whip over and try to drag Bakugo into the water. Should have gotten to him first, hero. ]
no subject
Date: 7/24/25 19:24 (UTC)[You set yourself up for that one, Chobe. It's not the same, but Bakugo's gonna razz him on it anyways. Set up for him and everything. Some people can get Bakugo to do useless stuff. Like Chobe's leash and collar...
Good thing here's actual clean fresh water in the resort. Plenty in the Vale, some in the cave-like springs, and others in the high-rank rooms for "royal" reasons. Bakugo's not sitting by his endless pool with a cup in one hand and a book in the other for sips. But it's nice not swimming in a bunch of chemicals, despite having done so all his life (unless he's at an ocean, lake, river, whatever). He wonders if Chobe would really react to water like that... putting down roots.]
Uh-huh. [He doesn't believe him. Why?] You must be throwing up every fucking second then.
[No, he understands what the man means. Bakugo's never once forgot all of this is nothing more than a golden cage. Barred, trapped, imprisoning, with endless toys and entertainments trying to make them forget who they were, where they came from, what they want to do beyond the peacock's whims. Like escape.
A hamster in a wheel's not a wrong analogy. And yet, Bakugo picked the wheel because why the fuck not get exercise and make himself stronger, so when he gets off the wheel, he's got KILLER LEGS to kick the ever-living shit out of the peacock's fucking bars!]
Na-?! [Yeah, so remember that little part about leash and collar? Chobe's got a second of satisfaction before *SNAP* said tether goes taut and he's following Bakugo right into the water neck first.
Ready for that the entire time, you dirt-talking bastard.]
no subject
Date: 7/26/25 19:40 (UTC)And likewise, he could connect with other living beings using his vines and roots but not in a cool, nymph-like way. More like... a gruesome, gore someone through their torso and mix with their tao as they die way. So no, no roots reaching for freshness here. For as much as he plays up being part plant, his body operates mostly as a human's, unless the environment calls for it. And he'd agree with Bakugo's desire to strengthen his body while he bides his time. . .Chobe's learning a lot while here, and and cycling through all sorts of tao. It hasn't been a waste of time.
But speaking of learning things! You'd think he'd learn not to try to pull sneak attacks on Bakugo by now. He's got a stupid grin on his face as he watches the hero get dragged in, only for it to be cut off as he gags, yanked by that damn leash and toppling right on in, too.
Chobe can swim, sure, but he's not immune to panicking. He's scrambling in the water, limbs flailing, along with a flurry of vines that whip out to try and pull him out the water too. If Bakugo's not keeping him in the water, he'll at least manage to scramble back on to the ledge, looking like a wet cat in a spider web made of vines.]
FUCK!!
no subject
Date: 8/6/25 00:56 (UTC)Good to know his annoying not-friend bastard is more human than plant. Start growing seeds during sex and Bakugo's gonna look at him like a genuine weirdo! Grow seeds during a training spar and his curiosity would pique. Mostly he's seen vines, leaves, and bark, but knows Chobe can pop out flowers if he's in the mood (welcome to more teasing should the explosive blonde see him do it). Gonna taunt him like a middle school bully having all his fun.
Bastard, what kind of idiot did you take him for, thinking you could pull a fast one on him?! His reaction speed's insane (and he knows Chobe well enough by now to expect some shittery). Snarling anger hits the water; smug pride swirls among bubbles and rushing current. HAH! Got him! Fuck, he wishes he could've heard Chobe's stupid gag when he got reverse-fished into the pool. Makes it even better with the man asking for the damn leash at the start of this! Baaaka.
Bakugo slams his arm atop the lane pools side, trying to haul himself out before its current shoves him into the far wall. Bastard, this isn't a fucking lazy river! It's for swimming! Fingers plant and he hauls himself out with a snarl, soaking wet and dripping everywhere. Red eyes blaze over his shoulder, as if he could plow Chobe into the wall with looks alone. Buuut... that pathetic scrambling sight behind him? Fucking wet cat spidering outta there.]
Bleeeh! [Maturity.] Baka! I knew you'd try to pull some kinda shit like that! How's that water taste, Collar Boy?
no subject
Date: 8/9/25 02:26 (UTC)[He should have known, and honesty he probaby did know, but when you're rotten to your core, one can't help but get up to a bit of mischief. Though honestly, if he had time to think, he'd be annoyed at himself for being so predictable. Gotta work on that, former bandit king.
He scrambles back on to dry land, vines flailing around as if trying to find something to grasp, but as he shakes the excess water from himself while on all fours. . .yeah, that dignity's at the bottom of that artificial river. His leash clanks against the floor as he lays flat, letting his vines calm down and retract back into exposed skin. He mutters against the surface, exasperated. Definitely no tao talks today.]
Ya got fuckin' lucky.
no subject
Date: 8/9/25 04:45 (UTC)Bakugo clicks his tongue in annoyance as he strips his shirt off and wrings it out over the pool. Bastard. Sloggy pants and all go stomping to his room's control panel, keying in two controls. Water slows from gushing stream to bubbling brook to still lapping as its jets ease off. While Chobe's over there shaking himself off like a garden dog monster boy. His leash doesn't help the image at all.]
That was all reflex, you sulking shit!
no subject
Date: 8/10/25 17:55 (UTC)[That doesn't make sense Chobe!! He slaps a hand against his head, once last knock to get any waters out his ears, and he'll finally push himself off the floor. No amount of shaking is gonna dry him though, so he's just gonna be a soggy plant bastard now.]
If you expected it ya shouldn't have let it happen, punk. Next time I'll drown ya.
[Big words coming from the drowned plant, but he means it. One last vine works to wring out his own shirt, and he slings it over a shoulder, huffing. Or pouting, depending on one's perspective.]
no subject
Date: 8/10/25 21:18 (UTC)[Calling him out on his bullshit. More water pours from his shirt, crushed in a twisted wring between his hands. Material and fabric threatens to rip (so it seems), then relaxes as he lets go of one side, no worse for wear. Damn thing's going in the dryer soon.]
Che! As if you could hold onto me long enough.
[*ba-krak-Ka-booM!* Bakugo leers over his smoking hand, fingers clawed in a reminder of his own explosions. Not this first time he's broken out of someone attempting to throttle him. If he really wanted to keep Chobe's potential threat down, he'd never have let him in the suite.]
I'll go get a change of clothes. Stay here.
[He's not gonna have Chobe walk his sloggy butt all over his suite.]