Fantasy Moments in Time

[Katsuya]

-Chenglei Zhou-
-Underwater cafe-​

Chenglei agreed to the waterway trade, enjoying the ice cream he was eating, suggested that the cities and towns near water should be a good place to start since they are the closet to the ocean. The ice melted, making the jacket wet and he placed it beside him. He felt behind his head again and smiled a bit. The swelling is gone.

As they payed for the fare and got off at the floating market, Chenglei nodded and went to change into his next disguise; as a common traveler as well with a regular blade beside his hip. The blonde waited for the Prince by the bridge where the kids are and waved at him so he'd know where he is.

The blonde now red-head pondered for a moment, sometimes he would hum quietly.

"Oh! Den you should try the different foods here." Chenglei suggested, his natural accent disappearing as to hide it and be another person. "Let's see~ there's..." He showed the Prince the different food vendors, suggesting he shouldn't try the live baby squid ("It's like live octopus. Johnny had to hide all of his in his mouth before releasing them in the waterways." Chenglei chuckled.) then he showed Prince Kenren the parks that were nearby. With time passing by, the dyed red head felt his stomach grumbling and sheepishly smiled at the Prince, now realizing that he might be hungry too.

So he casually tugged on his sleeve lightly to catch his attention away from the odd hanging stingray fishes that are drying up. "There's a secret underwater cafe we can check out. Want to head there to eat?" As they made their way into the now darkened alleyways that Chenglei seem to know how to go through without getting lost, there's a small house that stands in the corner of the waterway street; a white sign that says "Come in" and the dyed red head sighed in relief.

So now after being escorted to the back of the clothing shop, walked down the stairs and passed a bunch of doors, the server showed them their own privet room. Chenglei's eyes widened up a bit from seeing the sturdy glass window-walls with the braces holding it together. He can see the fishes swim by and there's morning glory flowers creeping up the glass walls. A fan by the corner in case they get hot, two pillows for them to sit on, and a low wooden table in the middle of the intimate space. So he just plopped himself on the floor without much fear and grinned when he saw the menu that's on the table for them to order.

"What would you like? I haven't been here yet but I heard that this place existed. Supposedly the glass is enforced with magic so the water can't break in." Chenglei said to the Prince, looking like he wanted to say something but instead just kept his mouth shut with a smile.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-Lydia Dubois-
"A Day Out"
​

The events at the Cromwell Mansion had been shocking, whether it be the fact that they actually saw a ghost and interacted with it, or the fact that the interaction had been short lived. She couldn't really blame anyone for jumping to conclusions where the spirit of Stuart was concerned since it wasn't every day one came across a peaceful spirit and there were more stories involving vengeful spirits than there were ones that were friendly and just wanted companionship.

When Johnny and James both volunteered to stay behind and pay their respects to Stuart, Lydia did as well. It was a sad thing to be an orphaned child and even sadder still, to be orphaned in death.. She wondered what had happened to his parents to keep them separated even in the afterlife and was a bit sad that they hadn't gotten to talk with Stuart more. When they returned to the airship and got cleaned up, Lydia gathered some embroidery thread and wove a friendship bracelet, which she placed on Stuart's grave when everyone returned for the tea party.

Lydia helped Johnny and James search for the books, telling James that she was sure Stuart wouldn't mind because fixing the books up and caring for them was a way for his memory to live on, she then dusted off the Babbity Rabitty book and read a few chapters of it aloud at Stuart's grave before giving one last apology and a farewell.

When they explored on Callie's back, Lydia couldn't help but feel the nostalgia of the first time she had made this sort of trip with James all alone in the Shoflo Ocean, her cheeks red from the memory. It had been before they began their actual relationship, but she couldn't help but think of it as their first date. They had been alone together with no one to chaperone outside of Callie. Even the eeriness of the underwater graves and catacombs wasn't enough to distract her feelings and thoughts from that first undersea adventure and she wore a near constant smile at the thrill of being in the situation again with James, even with the others there.

* * * *
​

Lydia was not a light sleeper. When she slept, she slept hard. It took a lot more than someone sneaking into her room to wake her, Thomas could attest to that since he had sneaked into her room many times during their lifetime in order to play pranks on his dear little sister and was always dumbfounded by the fact that she wouldn't wake up until morning. The first time he had tried pranking her as she slept, he waited around, even going so far as to tickle her feet to wake her just so he could see her reaction. After several hours he had left because he was tired of waiting and he actually wanted to get some sleep. He didn't try waiting for her to wake again and instead just satisfied himself by her reaction the next day.

So, it was no surprise that when James entered and snapped a picture of her while she was asleep, that she didn't wake up. James would have come into a peacefully snoring Lydia. Which in all would seem like a normal scene if it wasn't for the fact that the raven haired girl was hanging upside down off of her bed. She wore a pink frilly nightgown with puffy sleeves and was covered up to her waist by her blankets with one foot sticking out. Her upper half hung languidly off of the bed, one hand on her stomach and the other hand resting on the cascade of silky black strands that flowed from her head across the floor below. She didn't even twitch when the flash went off or at the sound of the picture being taken, which could probably make one wonder if Thomas had ever taken a picture of her in such a state and kept it for blackmail later. It was a good thing she wasn't drooling.

Oblivious to James' early morning activities, Lydia dolled herself up in a way that was obviously excited preparation for potential pictures with her wonderful boyfriend who she didn't know had already gotten a photo op with her. She wore a puffy black skirt that hung to her knees with the same strappy sandals she had worn the previous day and a sleeveless button up top that had a collar which wrapped around her neck and was tied in a big bow. Her hair was parted at the side as she had grown accustomed to wearing it, but instead of pulling it all up in a ponytail, she had left it down and the whole of it was coiled into black springy curls which hung over her shoulders.

She couldn't help but be amused by James' enthusiastic demeanor and couldn't help but giggle as he tugged her about and took all of his pictures, "James! You are going to use up all the film!" she teased. Any time something caught her eye, something she thought worth remembering, she'd ask James to take a picture of them there to preserve the memory and each time she'd huddle sweetly against him, leaning her head against his chest and smiling sincerely, but she did ask him to give her a roll of film so that he wouldn't get carried away and would have a chance to actually take pictures at the museum because she was sure that he'd regret it if he couldn't.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Museum "​

James greeted Lydia with a, "Hello, beautiful!" when they met up. He had used hair gel to tame his messy black hair again and was looking extra sharp with a new set of wizard's regalia he bought yesterday from the same tailor shop Renee had gone to. For some reason he kept smiling at her as though he had some funny secret that he was trying not to show on his face.

He was very happy they were taking pictures, and seemed to like hugging Lydia, ruffling Renee's hair, or doing some weird stunt with Johnny and Serena in all of them while wearing or showing off the strange things they saw in the stalls as they made their way to the museum. It was nice, taking pictures with everyone together, and he felt more close with everybody as they huddled up and asked a passerby to take their photos.

Johnny had gifted Echo with a bouquet of pink roses that morning, hiding the bundle unsuccessfully behind his back when she came down. He liked taking pictures with everyone together the most, and always tried to give someone rabbit ears. He hunted for a high place where they could have a picture with the waterfalls city spread before them, and kissed Echo's cheek as the photo was taken. He told James not to go overboard, and the latter sheepishly gave Lydia one of the rolls.

The Museum had a great view of the huge waterfalls that pumped the water streets of Chingpo. No animals were allowed here, so Butters had to wait outside where he grazed on lush grass. James, grabbed Lydia's hand excitedly and asked if they could see the realistic models of the ancient dwellings of the merfolk first; meanwhile, Johnny waved the two good-bye and asked Echo where she wanted to go.

Katsuya Roleplay Skittle

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

"This is amazing." said Kenren, smiling, tapping on the glass in wonder. He stood and walked around marveling at the underwater view. "They don't need lamps because of the sun . . . Now I wish I had a camera . . ." he muttered wistfully. He sat across Chenglei still looking around, smiling, and distractedly said he'd like one of the secret restaurant's best sellers, "Baked oysters, good for three." It was a platter of the squishy goodness baked with quick melting cheese, lemon, and butter. "Odd that a secret restaurant has a best seller." he chuckled as he went back to watching the fishes.

He noticed Chenglei's expression. "Something on your mind?"

Katsuya
The Story | Characters | OOC
​

 

[Katsuya]

-Echo Muses-
-At the museum-​

Renee left everyone at the museum with Serena in tow, something about checking on Seifer's clothes and the some art supplies she ordered. The violinist followed to check out the different violin strings. "Maybe there's coral wired string here!" She said excitedly before running off, as usual her violin in hand.

Echo waved at everyone as she pondered. A fluffy ear folded back a bit, twitching a few times. Similar to how a person would tap the table with the tip of their finger. She made sure to put the beautiful pink roses in a vase before coming back out and giving Johnny a big kiss.

"Can we go see the zoology part of the museum?" She asked, her ears perked up as she smiled warmly.

Roleplay Skittle Zer0

*******************************

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

"Well we still have enough time to rent one after eating and look around the area." He said quietly, already planning something in his head.

Chenglei's eyes stayed on Kenren while he walked around, hearing his wistful mutterings as his smile grew warm and soft. His tensed shoulders relaxed as he savors the view of the sun shining through the waters and on the Prince as he enjoys himself. Then the dyed red head blinked when Kenren asked and briskly grabbed the menu.

"Uh- no I don't have anything on my mind- I mean I do but-uh-!" The soldier opened the menu and pulled it up to his face, wondering out loud if he should get the baked fish with lemon cream or the Ume since it looks very similar to sea urchin dish back home just with a pink hue instead of the usual purple colored spikes.

Then he chuckled a bit, sounding a bit high for the soldier. "Yes, it's a bit odd that a secret restaurant has a best seller." He cleared his throat and asked if he should get the server back and order their food with tea. The tip of his ears are pink again as the menu wasn't big enough to cover his head even when he had it close to his face. Like he's trying to hide something.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
"Museum"
​

It didn't matter how James wore his hair, Lydia thought he looked handsome either way and she smiled coquettishly when he greeted her, stepping up on her tip toes to gently nuzzle his cheek. Every time he would look at her smiling like he had some secret that he wasn't sharing and Lydia caught him, she'd give him a perplexed look, eventually losing her composure and quickly running her hands over her person, frantically asking if there was something wrong with how she looked and that was why he kept looking at her like that. She touched her hair, smoothing her bangs down pointlessly, adjusting her skirt and her gaze running over every part of her clothing she could see that may have a stain or some imperfection, even asking the girls if they saw anything wrong. She felt horribly embarrassed and even drew a handkerchief from the small draw string bag she had brought along, using it to make sure she didn't have a booger or something in her nose or on her face, a compact mirror brought out shortly after. Yes, Lydia had invested in a hand mirror, something she hadn't carried before, and she used this mirror to make sure she didn't have anything in her teeth and to check to see if the soft pink lipstick she was wearing had smeared or the dark liner around her eyes.

At first in the group pictures with the funny poses and such, Lydia was a little anxious. She hadn't taken any photos like these before, only ever had she been in family portraits or pictures for school when she was younger so she wasn't really sure how to go about it. But she eventually relaxed and got the hang of it, likely with the help of Serena since she was such an extrovert. When Johnny warned James about his film usage and he handed Lydia the roll of film, she just giggled and shook her head, placing the film in her purse.

Lydia cheerfully waved to Echo and Johnny as James urged her towards the realistic drawings, nodding to him enthusiastically, "of course, but only if we can look at the rune stones after!" Lydia had really taken an interest in runes, they seemed to be able to do any number of things and she was eager to learn all of them. She laughed slightly as her feet moved quickly so she could keep pace with James, "you know... wouldn't there still be merfolk settlements out in the water?" she didn't see why there wouldn't be, unless the merfolk all resided within the dryer parts of Chingpo instead of in their more watery homes, the likes of which they were going to view through drawings.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Museum "​

James had immediately showered Lydia with reassurances that there was nothing wrong with how she looked, that she was very pretty and was looking fashionable as always in that way she always seemed to make a black themed outfit elegant.

It turned out that the runes that had allowed the merefolk of old and until now to build wooden dwelling under the water without it rotting, was found in the same area as the realistic models of their ancient homes. They had developed many construction runes since then that allowed metallic structures to last long without rusting in both fresh and salty water.

When Lydia mentioned the merefolk settlements, his face lit up. "Lydia, do you want to go visit one?"

As the minutes passed pleasantly by, James took his time reading everything. The merefolk were famous for making stone tiles and covering their underwater homes with them. They used a strong adhesive made of murtlap sap, burbalop tree amber, and dried kelp to stick the stones in. The adhesive had the consistency of gum, but hardened and changed color when soaked in water. This adhesive is now used industrially all over Midgard.

Merefolk spoke mermish, which sounds normal underwater, but sounds like a screechy wailing banshee above land. They sung wood into shape much like the elves did to make their dwellings.

Roleplay Skittle

* * * *​

In the wildlife section of the museum there were many skeletons of river creatures and the monsters that dwelled in the forests, bogs, and maze of cliffs surrounding Chingpo. There were many large butterflies and giant birds that preyed on them. There was a skeleton of a river dolphin and Johnny marveled that it was colored pink because of the food it ate.

He held Echo's hand as they perused the displays. There were archer fishes that shot out water to make bugs fall, brightly colorful arrow frogs the hippo-folk used to apply to their blow darts to catch prey, and the mighty stuffed model of a sabertooth liger. There were also models of swamp monsters such as a water elemental that covers itself with vines, horned bull-frogs, and a feralligator.

"I wish we had enough time to go on a trip in the wilds, it'd be nice to see all these creatures. Echo, when we're done here, can we go to a zoo?"

Katsuya

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

"We can borrow a camera?" said Kenren, surprised. He was like this sometimes, a noble unaware of the common things in common people's lives. For example, in the past when they first left the Orients to help in the war, he was amazed at instant coffee that didn't require brewing like coffee beans, and would sometimes forget that he needed to pay for something instead of just taking it, or that at some restaurants, when he was in disguise, he needed to bring his food tray himself to the table instead of waiting for a waiter to bring it for him.

"Let's buy one, Chenglei. I've never used a camera before." said the prince thinking back to the time he didn't bother trying because he thought that perhaps that machine was too complex for him to figure out.

He agreed with calling the server, and as they waited for their food to be served, Kenren lounged on his seat, talking about an idea he has of making something out of glass, metal, and wood that can swim under the sea and carry an army underneath the ocean without an enemy knowing it. The Oriental lands being an archipelago, that kind of naval supremacy would give his people an advantage over the other nations. The prince really didn't know when to switch off, even while they were relaxing he was thinking of ways to improve their home country.

When the food came and they started to dig in, the prince asked Chenglei if he wanted to go off by himself somewhere and take a day off. "The instructions I gave you was just a ruse." he said, "I know the kids are out exploring the city, would you like to join them?"

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Echo Muses-​

Echo smiled the whole time she observed the museum's wildlife section, in awe at the giant butterflies with her ears folded back at how huge the bird is. Then she looked at the pink dolphins and giggled. "That's interesting. So for this type of dolphin, they really become what they eat." The fawn listened to Johnny and her ears perked up.

"Of course! I would love to see the zoo." She chirped.

********************************************************************************

-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei chuckled behind the menu at the Prince's amazement, peeking over it to see his expression and grinned. "Yes, we can go buy a camera. I can teach you how to use one if you like." He commented before standing up to call for the server and told him their orders before going back to the private room and sat back down. The soldier payed rapt attention to Kenren's ideas for the navy, nodding on some and shaking his head on others while suggesting his own ideas. He didn't mind of the Prince's choice of topic as he was used to him being a workaholic.

Ash purple eyes looked a bit dazed as he listened on, his cheeks turning pink as once again he looked like he wanted to say something but couldn't. Then he snapped out of it when Kenren asked him. "Ah...well, no I'm fine being here with you, Ken'en." Chenglei said honestly while looking away to stare at the fishes swimming, pink cheeks turned red. Then he coughed in his fist.

"W-would you like to see what other stores and markets are around the area or would you like to go see the park?" Chenglei asked quietly, hair veiling his eyes.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
​

Lydia was visibly relieved by James assurances, but that didn't stop her from paying a little more attention to her appearance than she normally would.

Learning about the runes and how they had been designed inspired her noticeably, as her eyes seemed to light up and enlarge with wonder and new ideas as she examined each carefully. The theory that runes could be created and weren't just age old knowledge that had been past down and could never be altered or created again was inspirational to her and she commented enthusiastically on all the possibilities that inspired, especially for her since she had been as of yet unable to create a spell without word, though she had been able to cast using runework.

"Oh could we?" she beamed as she squeezed James' hand, her toes pressing into the floor as she bounced slightly, her springy curls echoing the motion, "I mean... we don't have long here so would there even be time?"

She was just as quiet and intent with her reading as James, though at intervals, she did wander away from him to investigate any little thing that caught her eye, perusing each exhibit with interest as though she were memorizing every little detail.

Zer0 Katsuya

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

"Both would be wonderful, Chenglei." smiled Kenren, looking relieved. "If we've got the time . . . " he drew out a brass pocket watch and flipped it open. Looking at any clock one could see that there was only two hours left before the luncheon. "I'm going to play hookie with the luncheon, what's important is just the money you donate, anyway." he pocketed it."The only important meetings is the one with the merchant guild and visiting Sun Jing's home. Some of our countrymen are working over seas here for their families and it would be good if we could encourage them someway." he added, locking his fingers together and resting his chin thoughtfully.

The prince loved the baked oysters and offered some to Chenglei, asking him if he could try his dishes. The conversation turned to old sea legends from the Orients and how before in the past he used to go with his sister down the shores at low tide early in the morning to go looking for clams and short-spiked sea urchins they could eat for breakfast.

"Ahhh, I'm full." said Kenren patting his belly, satisfied, as they walked out of the secret restaurant. He had a written napkin on hand and pocketed it after he had a talk with the chef and persuaded him to share the recipe. He went around the streets with the swordsman, pointing at the odd funny things they found there, especially the very-obvious-copy-cat products of original goods. To his surprise there was a stall that sold toys and in one famous section, there was a shelf labeled 'Heroes of Holt', where a very enthusiastic merchant was showing off plushies and action figures of Lydia, Renee, Echo, Serena, James, Johhny, Seth, and a couple of their summons.

Kenren gaped at it.

He stifled a laugh as he went over, clapping Chenglei in the shoulder in his surprise. "Look at this." he showed the swordsman an action figure of Lydia that did not seem like Lydia. She was tall, muscular, and wielding a two-handed hammer. Beneath it was the name, "Lady Deathbane". She was hovering above a deathknight who looked like a knight with a skull helment, and the knight looked like he was blinded by her.

Serena's had her playing the violin and surrounded by blazing fire in the shape of swirling bats; Renee's had her with her wings spread out and her light arrow looking like a goddess of justice; Echo's was . . . well . . .it . . . she looked like a man. A very muscular man with bull horns; Seth was a swordsman for some reason; Johnny was an ice warlock with blue hair and Sorbet behind him; James looked like an old man standing on top of a white flat-fish.

"It's not a flat fish, it's a maori." laughed Kenren. "I'm buying one of everything." he chortled at Chenglei.

Katsuya

- A Day Out -
" James Pendragon "​

James liked listening to Lydia talk. She was smart, but not the intimidating kind of way. Rather it made him want to read up on what she was reading because she makes it sound so interesting.

" Do you want to skip the rest of the museum, Lydia, buy a book about mere-folk runes, grab some snacks and swimming clothes, then visit a settlement?" James checked the tourist's brochure he bought yesterday. "The biggest one is the one right underneath the falls, they call it the Coral Disrict."

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

"Of course, Ken'en." Chenglei had to smile, looking over at the Prince when he mentioned about the important meetings. Then he looked at the sun dial that's at the other side of the room, seeing that it'll be two hours for the luncheon, and shrugged one shoulder.

"Perhaps we can support them by sending items from their families like a care package of sorts. Something that they like to eat like candies or photos and letters from the ones they love." The swordsman suggested more ideas to prince on how to support the men that are working here; from asking them what they needed to simple and endearing ideas that can give them a high moral.

When the food came over, Chenglei nodded and was about to spoon feed him until he froze again, his cheeks turning red and hastily pushed his plate of baked fish with lemon cream towards Kenren. He was unable to look at him for a while as he tried his dish as well. Then when he noticed that the Prince missed a spot of the lemon cream, he leaned over the table and wiped it away with a thumb before licking it off. He didn't think about it much as to him this was normal. The dyed red head sighed in agreement with the Prince, feeling happy with his stomach full among other things...

So off they went to the market area, the swordsman bought a camera without Kenren noticing and looked at the knock-off originals in some of the stalls. Chenglei somehow felt nostalgic when he looked at the fake ivory brushes for women, smiling soft and warm. Then he felt Kenren clapping his shoulder and looked over to see...a very muscular looking Lydia with a huge hammer...

Chenglei just stared at it with wide eyes before looking at the other action figures and plush toys, his smile grew wider and wider. "Ku-! ...Kufufu-!" He coughed into his fist, masking his laughter as he noticed every wrong and funny detail of the kids they are watching over.

"Maybe we should show them these. They're gonna bust a gut or something- What is that?" Chenglei spotted what appears to be another figurine of Johnny in a sheep outift; He looked skittish but with a pink flush on his face, he's only wearing a light pink wool-y looking coat and very very short shorts. Then there's Seth with cat ears and tail, posing like he was about to say 'Meow' with a maid's outfit. James' was much worse; his figurine only had striped tight underwear and his wizard's hat on his old head...he was sunbathing and reclining on a beach chair.

Chenglei bit his bottom lip, his flushed cheeks puffed up as he just stared at the very strange and out of character figurines. His shoulders were quaking. "...That's too much. I can't-! That's too much." He muttered in amusement. Then he spotted sleeping masks with the heroes' closed eyes, shirts with them posing in fighting stances, bathing suits for kids, bed sheets with old man James sleeping ("...Why is that a thing?" Chenglei asked in disturbed wonder.). There's even masks hanging on the wall.

"Oh! Look-! There's a mask with your face..." Chenglei noticed the mask has more of a feminine touch to it with the flower on his head and all instead of the usual black headband and golden tassels hanging on the sides. Then there's his figurine. Kenren looked like a woman with that kimono and his long hair was swirling around him like there was a wind blowing.

"...That brings back memories..." Chenglei muttered, looking at the figurine with a small but nostalgic smile on his face. Then he heard someone very familiar coming towards their way. He looked to his right, spotted her white wings through the small crowd of people, and grabbed Kenren's wrist, swiftly pulling him out of the public view and into an abandoned stand that was close by the toy vendor. The swordsman went under the table, sat on the ground as he tucked Kenren close to his chest and under his chin. Arms wrapped around him loosely with his knees bent up, creating a space for the Prince to sit in between as he listened to the conversation. There wasn't much space for two grown men to hide but Chenglei will have to make due.

"We're lost."

"We're not lost. The market should be around here-"

"So we are lost? That's great." Chenglei can hear her wings moving like they were puffing up.

"Come on-! I bet it's this way-!"

"You said that last time, Serena." Renee and Serena did not move from their spot...which was in front of the abandoned stand the orientals were hiding. Chenglei wanted to groan but kept quiet as the two girls lightly bickered about being lost or not.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

The prince had frozen too when Chenglei was about to spoon feed him, immediately pretending nothing happened as he ate from the fish and didn't speak for a while, pulling up the scarf higher to cover his reddened cheeks. Then he smoothly continued the conversation about what to give to the overseas workers. When the swordsman wiped that smudge off lemon cream though and licked it, an enlivening agitation sparked in Kenren's eyes and he immediately looked away calling the waiter for some more soda.

He went to the bathroom while waiting for the bill and didn't come out for a long time. When he did, he just said, "Oysters didn't agree well with me after all." he patted his stomach, chuckling.

In the Heroes of Holt stall. The prince called out the merchant, scolding him for selling indecent figurines to kids. "And what is this?" he said indignantly showing the effeminate figurine of himself. "The heir of the Chrysanthemum throne does not have long hair nor does he look like a woman. I ought to --- what, where are we going?" he said as Chenglei pulled him aside.

"Chenglei, wait, I'm not comfortable with ---" he started patiently, pulling his hand away, then froze when the swordsman hugged him. Then he heard their voices. He kept silent as the legs of Serena and Renee walked into view and stood right in front of where they were hiding.

Kenren's breathing deepened, became faster. Good thing the market was loud, or Renee and Serena would have heard a breathing table.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

One of the girls sighed in frustration as the other tries to placate her.

His brows furrowed when he heard Kenren's fast paced breathing. So wanting to comfort him somehow, Chenglei lightly gave Kenren a head butt. A small frown appeared on his face as he looked apologetic at the Prince.

"Serena, we're lost! I'm not moving until we know for sure where's the market at." Serena groaned and Chenglei could see one pair of legs stomping away from the other and hearing Serena was asking for directions to the toy vendor. Renee was muttering to herself.

One of Chenglei's hands patted Kenren's back as he payed attention to the seemingly panicked Prince, tilting his head to the side as if asking 'What's wrong?' without saying anything. There's a spark of worry in his ash purple eyes.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

But a hand immediately obscured Chenglei's vision. "Don't. Don't look at me." whispered the prince ever so quietly. He shifted as carefully as he could away from the swordsman, and in the process accidentally nudged an empty soda can sending it rolling, rolling towards Renee's direction.

He swiped, missed, cupping Chenglei's cheeks, he turned his head and pointed at the can rolling away behind the swordsman mouthing, 'Catch it, catch it!'

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei flinched when Kenren covered his eyes, raising an eyebrow when he heard his ever so quiet whisper.

So the swordsman sighed and tries to relax as he hears Kenren's clothes shuffling and then an empty can hit the ground. He blinked rapidly when Kenren uncovered his eyes, cupped his cheeks, and turned his head so he can see a can rolling...

To Renee-!

Without thinking about how his legs twisted and practically wrapped them around Kenren's waist, Chenglei had to swipe at it twice before grabbing the can tightly, crushing it as he retracted his arm ; out of Renee's sight and held his breathe when he heard Renee make a sound...Like whenever she gets curious, letting out a 'Hm?'.

"...Is...Is someone there?" Chenglei, as quietly as he could, moved away from that end, now almost pinning Kenren on the wall as he just stared at the pair of legs bending a bit. He can see her hands on her knees.

"Hello?...Why does it seem like I kno-"

"Renee-! Come on! I know where to go now!" That got Renee to stop coming further down as she stood up straight and he watched that pair of legs walk away.

"Finally! Let's go!" Her footsteps faded away with Serena's, blending with the crowd.

Chenglei let out a sigh of relief as he just plopped his head on Kenren's shoulder, all the tension he had before was let go. Including the crushed soda can in his hand.

"...Why is it that when she's around, there's trouble?" Chenglei muttered to the Prince before tensing up again and sat straight up, bumping his head on the table in the process.

"Ow! Ke-Ken'en? Are you okay? What's the ma-"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

Kenren hugged Chenglei's back so that he wouldn't flat out fall backwards, one hand splayed out under his head. Quietly he pulled him back and Kenren turned his head away as he was pinned to the wall; The prince's heart was beating fast again, and once more his breathing became deep. He was trying to push Chenglei's legs a bit off his waist, and as he heaved ever so slightly, the swordsman's bottom came down a bit for a moment and could feel something hard that definitely wasn't the hilt of the prince's sword, before he successfully lifted him a few inches up; Kenren's cheeks were red and he was closing his eyes, struggling, half burying his face in his scarf.

Immediately, Chenglei's bottom went down again as the prince pressed a hand to his mouth. "Stop. Talking." he whispered, with a face knowing that Chenglei could feel him down there. But he pretended that nothing was off, and just looked away as though listening to make sure Renee and Serena were gone, even though he was so red and could barely steady his breathing.

This man's will power was strong. He took a deep breath, clutching Chenglei's clothes, looked the swordsman in the eye as though he was praying for patience, then said breathlessly, "Chenglei. Please get off me."

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei's cheeks and the tips of his ears turned red when he felt something hard under his bottom, nodding slightly to Kenren's whisper. His dazed eyes looked to the side, listening as well while biting his bottom lip. His heart is beating hard as he gulped.

When he felt the Prince gripping onto his clothes, Chenglei looked back, eyes in contact and it took every fiber of his being to not shudder right now. Then he closed his eyes as that blushed turned a darker hue. "O-Of course. Sorry Ken'en."

The swordsman moved back, unwrapping his legs and got out of the table before sitting away from the Prince. He bent his knees up and curled his arms around to hide his reddened face. Then he took a deep breathe as if to calm down despite the tremors from tension.

"I got a camera." Chenglei mumbled from his position, showing Kenren the camera he bought. He stretched his arm towards him without looking, offering it to him. The Prince can see that his ears are still red.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

"There's nothing to apologize about." said Kenren, as Chenglei got off. He could hear him patting the dirt off his clothes. The camera was lifted off the swordsman's palm. "Our very own camera." he could hear the smile in the prince's voice. "Thanks."

He stood beside the curled up Chenglei and carefully patted cobwebs off his hair and back, then just sat beside him. He sighed, but didn't say anything. If the swordsman sneaked a glance, he'd see the prince with a kind humored look as he gazed at the people passing by the narrow, crowded shop street. He waited until Chenglei calmed down, eventually putting an arm around him and patting his head gently as a gesture that all was alright.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei nodded, wrapping his arm around his knees again when Kenren thanked him. He sat still as he felt him patting his hair and back before hearing him sitting on the ground beside him. After a few seconds, the swordsman sneaked a glance at the prince and he smiled before hiding his face again. It took a few minutes, just a few, for Chenglei to finally calm down and flinched when he felt an arm around him while a gentle hand patted his head.

By then the swordsman did relax and lifted his head up to look at the Prince, smiling sheepishly.

"Thank ya..." He whispered before taking a deep breathe and asked: "So...wanna head ova' tuh da park?"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

"Yes." smiled Kenren, fondly. He ruffled Chenglei's hair playfully before standing up and stretching. "So, show me how this thingamajig works." he said taking out the camera and examining its buttons and flashes. "I heard that developing the pictures in the right potion will make them move, let's get one from the restaurant."

They had their first picture together in that place, their fingers just millimeters from each other. They had to take another the second time because the prince unwittingly opened the case and exposed the film to sunlight. It felt like a date more than anything as they went around the park, tasting those food Chenglei talked about and enjoying the sights. They had a late lunch on the sunny balcony of another restaurant, then arrived late after changing into their royal and military clothes for the meeting with the merchant's guild, but the prince was able to write up trading rights between this city and the orients before it was over --- the people of Chingpo had a fondness for oriental silk and their black pearls, while the prince wanted to learn how they reinforced glass and wood so that it remained sturdy underwater.

Dinner was at Sun Jing's house, the humble home of a potter, but they had the best home-cooked oriental meals the two hadn't tasted in a long time. Before they returned to the warship, the prince had the pictures developed for two copies and he happily perused over all their moving photographs as they rode a light airship which flew them back.

Kenren's favorite seemed to be the one in the park where there was no one to take a picture of them and so they had to huddle close for a selfie. He tucked them in his robes before the airship docked and left the camera in Chenglei's care. "Today was a good day." he said as they walked down the hall and his officers met him to deliver their reports. "Here." he gave him a small pouch after everyone else was dismissed. "Something I just picked up."

If Chenglei looked inside there were spools of decorative thread for his katana..

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

Chenglei chuckled when Kenren ruffled his hair before standing up and stretching too. "Okay, so you press this button to take the shot..."He explained to the Prince of how the camera works, though he had to cough when Kenren exposed the film to sunlight and didn't mind buying another roll or two. Just in case.

After leaving the restaurant, they walked around in the park while Chenglei suggested more food, grinning the entire time as it felt like a date instead of a secret mission to arrive to an important meeting. Of course he wore the fancier version of his uniform and stood beside Kenren the whole time while they discussed about the trade. Then came the dinner at Sun Jing's place, Chenglei thoroughly enjoyed the home cooked meal and complimented him for the delicious dish.

Chenglei happily looked through the moving pictures, smiling warm as he spotted his favorite: the one where they made the most funniest of faces and poses. It's a sight to see; Kenren looking like this instead of the serious face he always put on in front of others.

The swordsman put his copies away in his pocket as they arrived in the warship, standing straight and his smile changed to a flat line when the officers met up with the Prince for their reports; holding onto the camera like it was a normal thing to do. Going back to his suave self again when the officers talked with them.

When the officers left, leaving the pair alone, Chenglei peeked inside of the small pouch and sucked in air. He blinked with wide eyes, looking at Kenren before looking back down at the pouch. The tip of his ears turned pink again as he gently hugged the package to his chest. That happy smile came back.

" Thank ya, Ken'en." After making sure no one was around, including the guards, Chenglei tucked the camera under his arm and gave Kenren an one arm hug with a squeeze before letting go. "Today was a good day." He repeated quietly as he looked at him with dazed ash purple eyes and a small but humbling smile appeared on his reddening face.

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" Kenren Taisho "​

The prince smiled at him happily, eyes searching his face as though memorizing his expression, before heading up the stairs to his chambers. "See you tomorrow, Chenglei." he added then swept up the steps.

That night, as Kenren Taisho sat down on his desk to go over today's reports and get some paper work done, a couple of pictures of him and Chenglei sat on the table, leaning on his lucky cat paper weight. Every now and then he'd look up and smile at them fondly, stretching out a finger to rub the swordsman's cheeks and that mole underneath his lips. He'd often gaze at those ash purple eyes for minutes at a time, before getting back to work, realizing that he had misspelled something for the twentieth time.

Before he dimmed his lights to get ready for bed, he set the picture of Chenglei wearing his brightest smile on his bedside table where a couple of picture frames stood, then sighed as he glanced at the empty half of his bed. He had the best bed in the warship, but as he rested his hands behind his head, he wished for that old straw bed the two of them used to share in that shack with the leaking roof many, many years ago.

Katsuya

 

[Katsuya]

-A Day Out-
-Chenglei Zhou-​

"See you tomorrow, Ken'en."

Chenglei watched Kenren head upstairs, taking a deep breathe and releasing it as if he was fulfilled with something. Then he walked towards his bedroom, closing the door behind him and locking it. Placing the camera and the small pouch on the low desk, the blonde took out the photos and looked over them again with the humbling smile. Then he grabbed two out of the bunch, his favorite and another that only has the Prince admiring something in the park with the gentlest smile to place them near his bed side. He put the others away, wondering if he should buy a scrapbook for them tomorrow.

Then he brought out his sword care kit out and place it on the desk to start cleaning his sword. There were moments where he would chuckle and mutter something to himself before going back to cleaning Kurosaki. When that's done, Chenglei picked up the small pouch and searched around to find the right spool; picking out the decorative string that has dark blues with golden yellow twining together, pinches of red and white are there as well. He untied the red one and carefully placed it in his collection of strings and delicately tied the new one on. He checked on the grip, feeling if it feels right and nodded with a big grin.

Once he finished his usual sword polishing, Chenglei put the items away, tucking the new spools in the kit and laid on his bed, sighing. There are moments where he misses feeling that familiar warmth beside him in his old home as he remembers the old times. He clenched his hand into a fist as he looked at the photos on the bedside drawer. His heart yearned to have those times back, reaching out to the photo with just Kenren and traced his smile and cheeks before sighing.

"I miss you, Ken'en." It was the one thing he wanted to say but couldn't since the underwater restaurant. Since years before today.

Zer0

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
"Museum"
​

"But... didn't you really want to see the museum?" Lydia looked surprised by the suggestion and gestured at the building around them before smiling bashfully, "but... I guess you wanted to see the merefolk exhibit most and what could be better than seeing an actual settlement?!" she held his hand loosely with both of hers, smiling brightly, "let's go!"

Zer0

 

[Zer0]

- A Day Out -
" James Pendragon "​

"Yes, but you want to see a settlement, we can just come back here later." said James and agreed that an actual one was better than a lifeless exhibit.

He bought a pair of shorts and changed into those before joining Lydia in a tourist's bookstore where he bought a book about the history and legends surrounding Chingpo that had beautiful illustrations, a bookmark that had a watercolor painting of a kappa under the sea, and restocked on parchment, ink, and quills.

"I've always wanted to visit a bookstore with you, just looking at the books." he said, smiling nostalgically, swinging her hand. He must have daydreamed this a lot.

After the cashier wished them a good day, it was off to a store where he was beaming a lot as they picked out which food to buy, and curled his arm around Lydia's intimately as they perused the aisles. He bought Bertie Blot's Every Flavored Beans, Kelp Muffins, and some air-tight plastic bags, helping her if she ever needed him to reach up for something on the top shelves. As they were lining up with the other grocers, he hugged Lydia from behind and sniffed her hair, his arms staying that way as she moved forward. "I feel happy we're doing groceries together." he muttered.

Then Callie was summoned at the edge of the water street, where the ethereal manta ray happily ate the cloth James gave her, asking Lydia if she wanted to try feeding her. The summon dove into the deep, and brought the two to the underwater settlement of the Coral District.

Roleplay Skittle

 

[Roleplay Skittle]

-A Day Out-
​

Lydia gave James a slightly sneaky smile, the warmth evident and the sneakiness only appearing in her green eyes as they squinted slightly.

She purchased a one piece swimsuit with a halter collar and an attached asymmetrical skirt that reached to her mid thigh on one side, on the other it barely hung over her hip so to remedy this she bought a black wrap with pink flowers which went nicely with the pale pink and red floral pattern of the swimsuit. She changed into these and put her hair up in a ponytail before meeting up with James again. She had similar ideas when it came to things to buy in the shop, though she also bought a book with images, descriptions, and facts about aquatic life in the area and instead of a bookmark she bought a collection of book clips each decorated by a different breed of fish with the name of the fish written below it and presented them to James as a gift and alternative to marking his book pages with toilet paper.

When James voiced his thoughts on visiting the bookstore with her, she gave him a very pleased smile and tightly hugged him to show how happy that made her without words. It was a funny thing how he always wanted to do things to make her happy and always seemed to think he hadn't already done so through little things like that. It made her happy to know that being with her made him happy.

The assortment of goods in the store was astonishing to her, and she found it difficult not to just grab everything off the shelves just to see what it was like. She ended up choosing a bag of wasabi peas, marshmallows filled with fruit jelly, Mochi, and a round cookie with a spiral design that was glazed and had sesame seeds on it, the last of which she did ask for James' help in obtaining. His expression as he shopped with her caused her to feel timid and embarrassed each time she glanced to him or asked him a question about some product she had never heard of and it didn't occur to her what his beaming gaze meant until she had asked him to get that last bag of cookies and that was when he cheeks flushed red and she covered her mouth to prevent a happy giggle from slipping out. The color of her cheeks only grew brighter once they were in line and James wrapped his arms around her waist. She held the little shopping basket in one hand and put her other on his arm, leaning her head against his arm slightly before whispering back, "me too."

After James summoned Callie, Lydia was very excited about the idea of getting to feed her and clasped her hands together before taking a piece of cloth and respectfully offering it to Callie, thanking her for the last time they had gone on an adventure together and telling her she was excited about this new one. Once they had dove below the surface and approached the Coral District, Lydia looked around with the same awe and wonder that she had when James had taken her with him under the Shoflo Ocean.

Zer0