↳ park

　　　↳ ᴇɴᴅ ꜱᴇᴀꜱᴏɴ ᴏɴᴇ. ↰

@✧　Ishida Hiroki ‘You are pretty smart.’ Basil awarded with another little ruffle of the tengu’s hair, petting him before pulling back to nod once again. ‘Of course, you can do that. I’m not going to kick you out or make you leave, that would be very rude of me. After your debt is repaid though, because you won’t let me release you, you don’t have to protect me anymore.’ With that, he flashed a light smile. ‘We’re already friends. I would eat your enemies for you.’ He decided after a long moment.

@♆　Basil Hiroki crinkled his nose. "Hmph. I wouldn't be able to force it even if I tried. That's not how feelings work. Birds are pretty smart, you know. I know how feelings work. You can't force someone to feel something. Well...maybe things like anger can be forced. But not nice things like love. Those come from time and learning about the other person. But I already told you, I just want to be allowed to be around you. Even as a friend, or just a bodyguard. That's all I want. Just to be near you. To see you smile and happy and all those nice things."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki Basil inclined his head into a nod as his message was read and interpreted. He moved over, rolling to fix his eyes on Hiroki’s face, as though closely observing his reaction to what the dragon had asked. He seemed satisfied after a moment though and took up the phone to type again. ‘That’s good to know, I was curious. But you’ve got nothing to worry about to be honest, I don’t have affections for anyone, there is nobody else who has those kinds of feelings towards me. It it’s good to know that you wouldn’t try to force it, that’s good.’

@♆　Basil "Ice cream is good. And walking helps with digestion!" Hiroki rolled onto his side to read the phone screen better. The next words made him blink a couple of times before he frowned, though he tried his best not to show it. "I mean...I can't perform a magic spell. I can't make you fall in love with me, or not fall in love with anyone else. It won't be fun at first, I'm sure, but I love you so...I want you to be happy, even if it means the one that makes you happy is someone else. I'd learn to live with it, I think. I'm not sure. I don't think I know how I'll react to a lot of things until they happen."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki His hands resting behind his head, the dragon admired the twisting clouds quietly. ‘I like the idea of getting ice cream. We can walk while we eat it, both would be good.’ The dragon agreed through the text, tangling his fingers in his hair to arrange it some as he laid back. ‘It’s very sweet that you’re so committed to the idea already. I have a question though, but I hope I don’t upset you. What will happen if I fall for someone else? I can’t promise that I won’t. Will you be okay?’ After he’d finished typing, Basil looked up to the sky, squinting up at the bright expanse.

@♆　Basil Hiroki put a hand on his still very flat stomach, stretching out and sighing happily at the feeling of being full, warm, and next to the man he loved. He wouldn't say that last part out loud since he could tell his "in love" comments made Basil a little uncomfortable, and he didn't want that. "Well we can lay here and watch the clouds for a bit. Afterwards we can go on a walk, or go get some ice cream. Or both. Both is also very good." Hiroki smiled, turning his head towards Basil. "Whatever you want. I'm happy just being near you."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki Taking another piece of eel, Basil filled his mouth again, listening to Hiroki’s words and slowly nodding. ‘I hope one day I might be able to return them. It feels unfair to be unable to when you’ve already tried to commit yourself to things like living nearby. Maybe some day. You’re very nice Hiroki, thank you for being a patient little bird.’ After taking a few more bites of the food, the man placed his chopsticks down, sealing up the tubs and placing them in the brown paper bag so that they could take the leftovers later. He then stretched back out on the ground, one hand on his stomach, looking up to the clouds as well. ‘What do you want to do next?’

@♆　Basil The tengu nodded quickly, a smile lighting his features up. "Of course! I don't expect you to return my feelings. I mean...it would be nice, since I'll love you for a very long time. But it means I have plenty of time and lots of patience. But I'll be happy so long as you just let me stay by your side. Even if it's just as friends on your part." Hiroki relaxed his posture completely, unfolding his legs and stretching them out in front of him. He put a hand on his stomach and looked up at the sky. "I think I'm full."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki Basil looked relieved when the creature took his peace offering, shifting to settle cross-legged again, shoulders lowering again. His head slowly dipped into a nod, and he propped his chin on his hand, elbow on his knee to peer across at the tengu as he spoke. ‘I understand. I won’t try to get rid of you anymore. You may stay spending time with me, stay in your nest for as long as you want, the rest of it. I can’t promise to ever return your feelings, and I don’t know how long it will take me if I ever do. But I won’t be rude, and I won’t try to make you leave.’ He typed slowly, picking his words more carefully to avoid upsetting the creature. ‘Does that sound alright to you?’

@♆　Basil Hiroki slowly glanced over and then turned his gaze away again. But after a moment he gave in and leaned over to take the food, chewing on it and relaxing his posture ever so slightly. "Of course it upsets me. You trying to get rid of me like that makes me feel unwanted and useless. It's not a good feeling. I can understand if you don't return my feelings right now, I really do. But just...don't try to get rid of me completely. Please? I won't pressure you to like me back. I just want to be able to love you and protect you." Hiroki's dark eyes were shy. "That's all."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki The dragon huffed silently once again, raising his nose in the air as though the accusations were pure blasphemy and the most offensive thing his ears had ever caught. After a moment though, he sneaked a look at the tengu, and through the little twinge of guilt he felt in his stomach, gathered up another bit of venison and rice and offered it to the bird creature with his chopsticks, waiting for him to eat it. ‘You’re a silly little bird. But thank you for trying to protect me, I won’t try to get rid of you anymore if it upsets you.’

@♆　Basil "You're trying to get rid of me," Hiroki accused in a miffed grumble, crossing his legs and curling in on himself a bit with a pout. "Really, anyone else would probably be delighted to have someone as handsome as me protecting them from outside their window. But no, that does not mean I'll go to someone else because someone else isn't you, and I love you. Not anyone else. And you can't change my mind." He huffed a little and took a rather large bite of eel and rice, shoving it into his mouth and chewing while casting his eyes away from the dragon.

@✧　Ishida Hiroki ‘I’m just pointing out that it might not be the ideal nesting spot. Besides, like I’ve already said, you’re not in any debt to me, but if you’re not able to leave until you’ve paid it off, then I understand.’ Basil’s shoulders heaved in a similar fashion and a silent huff left him. ‘For some things, for sure. But then I guess birds can make their nests out of whatever they want, as long as it works for him. I’m sure different things are more comfortable to make nests from. You can buy bamboo if you want, but I don’t think it would be as good as finding it yourself to use as nesting material.’

@♆　Basil "You're trying to make me nest somewhere else, aren't you? It won't work. If I'm close to you I can protect you better. How am I supposed to protect you if I'm too far away? I can fly pretty fast, but it's not like it's /that/ fast. I can't teleport or travel at the speed of sound." Hiroki shrugged, taking another bite of eel. "Bamboo is the best. It's also sustainable and grows quickly. It can be used for a wide variety of things, and you can eat bamboo shoots. I think it gets looked down on because it's not traditionally used in other parts of the world so they think other wood is better. Though I guess it is too soft for some things."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki The explanation drew a dip of the head from the dragon, and he listened before he typed again. ‘Are you sure the tree outside my room is good enough then? I know it’s quite big and sturdy, and probably camouflaged because it’s facing the house, but are you sure it’s the best one?’ Basil leaned over again, taking some rice to go with his next little piece of venison, swaying slightly to show that he too would be trilling joyfully at the taste of the food if he could. ‘Bamboo seems like it would be a good nest building material. Flexible enough and strong enough.’

@♆　Basil "Oh, I can't shrink. I'm the size I am and that's it. My nest is me-sized. I have mostly hollow bones so I don't weigh enough for it to be a huge problem, though. It just needs to be sturdy enough not to fall apart. But if you weave some branches in it's pretty easy. In Japan we use bamboo for our nests a lot. Here I just kind of use what I can find. Wicker would be nice, probably. Seems pretty sturdy." Hiroki also took a bite of the venison, making a noise of delight. "Big trees are the best because there's enough room for a nest and to still be both shielded from the rain and camouflaged."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki The job didn’t need to be neat to make the dragon more than happy, but he shook his head at the question. ‘It might be different for other dragons, but it tends to be all or nothing. We always get to keep the skin as tough as our hide, but not the other features at will.’ Quick to attack the meat with his chopsticks, Basil happily slid a chunk of the venison into his mouth, complacent and comfortable. ‘My fire can be put out if they don’t let it spread. I have burnt down villages before though.’ This certainly wasn’t as bad as he’d thought it would be. ‘Your nest then, do you have to change to a smaller size for it, or do you make it large enough for you to settle in as you are? And thank you for cutting it up, this is much better.’

@♆　Basil Hiroki nodded with a big grin, wiping his hands down with the wipes, making sure each of the talons on his hands were clean before he sank them into the meat, easily ripping it into smaller pieces, though they weren't very neat. "You can't just change one part of your body? Does that mean if dragons want to fly, you have to be in full dragon form? Well...I mean I guess that makes sense. I'm a crow spirit, god, demon, however you want to translate it, but not an actual crow. You're an actual dragon. That's cool, though. I can't transform into a huge anything. I just have my wings without any of the other stuff. I also can't breathe fire. I can summon it though! But once I do it can't really be put out, so I avoid it." He beamed as he finished, wiping his talons down again before they melted back into his hand. "Not the prettiest job, but it's cut up."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki Basil’s cheeks warmed at the point the other made, and he gave his head a light nod. ‘You have a point. It would be a little gross if I used my teeth there though, and having claws for me means being much much bigger. But you’re right, we’re both predators, we shouldn’t struggle with this.’ He observed the talons curiously, peering over at the tengu for a long time before he blinked his consent for Hikori to continue. ‘It would be much easier than the flimsy little knife, you can go for it. It’ll take less time, too.’ He admitted through the text on his phone screen.

@♆　Basil Hiroki blinked at the food, then at the plastic knife and fork. He eyed them suspiciously before blinking at the dragon. "You're a dragon. And I'm a tengu. Wouldn't it be easier to just..." He lifted his hand, and the tips of his fingers slowly turned black, his nails forming into long, black talons. "I'd wash my hands, of course. But uh...we can try the flimsy little knife too. I'm just saying we're both predators so tearing up meat really shouldn't be an issue." Hiroki rummaged around in his fanny pack that he had slung across his chest, pulling out a pack of wet wipes and some hand sanitizer. "But only if you want to."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki Signalling his approval with another sharp toothed grin, the dragon picked up a blueberry with the chopsticks and popped it into his mouth, before seeing if the meat itself could be tackled without other means. It proved difficult, and Basil twisted back around to the packaging his shoved under his foot so the breeze wouldn’t catch it, rummaging and producing a sharp plastic knife and fork, not of the best quality, but they’d do just fine. He offered both to the tengu as he leaned over to gather some rice and eel for himself, adding it to his mouth, dipping his head enthusiastically in agreement to the bird creature’s happy movements. ‘Cutting it up would be best I think. Could try it with the rice as well, maybe it would be good.’

@♆　Basil Hiroki flashed the dragon a grin. "As much as I can is more than both of these combined. But I'll stop when I'm full, don't worry." The tengu separated some of the eel and picked up the rice with it, taking a bite and humming in delight, moving back and forth a bit to express his happiness. "Better in Japan of course, but still good!" He took the top off of the container of pickled vegetables, eating a carrot and nodding in approval. "Okay. Is the venison soft enough to eat with just chopsticks or a fork? Or do we need to cut it up?"

@✧　Ishida Hiroki Once he’d taken a seat back on the grass, the dragon settled the package between his folded legs so that he could unwrap it and pull out the tub of food, smiling as he did so and pulling the lid off, placing it between them. ‘I can share.’ He typed a moment later. ‘I was planning on taking some and letting you take some of mine anyway, so it would be best if we shared. He split his chopsticks and shifted to hold them properly, settling down at last. ‘Shall we eat? Eat as much as you can.’

@♆　Basil "I can drink it hot all year, but if it's cold I can't have it sweet. A little honey is okay, but I can't stand all the sweet teas some people drink. Gross. Even milk tea is better without any sweetness added." Hiroki grimaced to emphasize his disdain for sweetened tea, handing Basil the other pair of chopsticks. He nodded once Basil showed him the delivery notification, smiling. "Be careful!" He split his chopsticks and rubbed them together to get rid of any leftover wood splinters, tilting his head at the food in Basil's hands as he came back. "Okay. I'm absolutely fine with just laying out the food and sharing. That's how I'm used to eating. But if you prefer us using separate plates without eating from the same containers the whole time, that's okay too."

@✧　Ishida Hiroki The dragon was quick to accept the drink offered to him. ‘I like my coffee and tea cold, but only in the summer. In the winter warm is definitely best.’ He responded, resting his phone on his thigh as he sat up, immediately taking a refreshed sip from the tea and giving his head a nod. ‘I don’t think it works like that either, but it definitely means you get free matcha.’ After nodding a second time, Basil straightened his back, holding his hand out to politely request a pair of chopsticks. How could he steal food from anyone if he hadn’t mastered many ways of eating it? As he did so, his phone buzzed with a notification, and the dragon was quick to respond, placing his drink on the ground and showing his phone screen to show he was running off to get food, before he darted off to collect his own offering of food, eyes glinting hungrily at the package as he returned.

@♆　Basil Hiroki returned with a brown paper bag in his hands and a drink carrier in the other. "Here we go," he said as he sat down happily. handing Basil one of the drinks. "Green tea," he said brightly. "I prefer it warm, but I decided it's warm enough that cold is fine." He beamed as he pulled the food out, though he didn't open it just yet. "Speaking of, Japanese people are kind of strange. When you go to a sushi place, they always have a hot water tap and matcha powder at the table. It's because they believe the matcha will kill or soothe any parasites or bad things that could be in the fish they're eating. I mean it /is/ an antioxidant, but I still don't think it works like that. Oh well. I get free matcha when I go so it's fine." Hiroki shrugged. "You can use chopsticks, right?"

@✧　Ishida Hiroki Basil was about to pout right back at the tengu when the phone started ringing, making the dragon blink once or twice slowly and check his own order, relieved that there was only a few minutes before it would be arriving too. Hiroki would be quick to find he was a pest with food, no matter who it was that he ate with. If he’d steal the member’s of Vos’ food, his new bird friend was no exception. He just wouldn’t eat much, because he had his own coming, and he would also share his own food with the tengu.

@♆　Basil Narrowing his eyes, the younger opened his mouth to say something about the "whoever you get into a relationship with" part but his phone began to rang. Instead he snapped his mouth shut and sent the male a pouty look before he hit the green button on his phone. "Hello? Yes. It's not quite pronounced like that. It's Hiroki, not high-row-key." Hiroki rolled his eyes. His name wasn't even hard to pronounced. "Okay! I'll walk to the gate now. See you soon. Thank you, bye!" Hiroki ended the call, rolling onto his feet. "Food I ordered is here, so I'll be right back," he happily informed the dragon, making his way over to the gate.

@✧　Ishida Hiroki The dragon didn’t look convinced, but he slowly nodded. The creature specialised in this kind of thing. If they got very heavy rain in the winter, he’d just ask Akaedi to let Hiroki sleep on the couch until he could return to his nest. Save the little bird freezing. Basil winced when at the words ‘our relationship’ but slowly nodded. ‘I’m sure whoever you get into a relationship one day will understand that too, you deserve a nice warm bed to sleep in I’m sure. I’m sure they would let you put flowers around to make it smell nice too.’