( closed to locktouches )

[hoasen]

[And so is another normal day, or at least as normal as one can have it in a place like Blanc. And by normal, we mean that two of our Heroes now are trapped in a situation where they're out and about on their own mission, and find themselves both lost and nearly depleted of mana. At least they managed to find shelter, a neat looking hut that seems long abandoned, because while all the facilities are there and it provided fresh water, there was absolutely no food.

At least Vietnam packed them some.]

Do you want to taste yourself or should I?

[Unfortunately, the cookies themselves have been processed over and over to the point where eating them does nothing to replenish mana. They may have to go out hunting soon for dinner, after they rest a bit.

Still she holds two up, one that looks like him, the other looking like her.]

Comments

maybe it's maybellene

[hoasen]

Mutual benefits, yes.

[He has a rather comforting mana flow, she figures. Kind of like the calm of the night, in some way. Which totally conflicts with his mouth.

She holds his hand tighter, it's warm.]

A while, this isn't one of the fastest ways to get mana.

l'oreal, because she's worth it

[locktouches]

Oh?

[Well, he can put two and two together to make four.]

So there are other ways.

[He fixes her with a stare, and a rather pointed smile.]

Do they involve sitting a little bit closer, perchance? [With less clothing on, he's guessing.]

OH MY GOD

[hoasen]

[What's this look on his face. She's being serious here!

She sits a little closer, and now with one arm, opens it wide if he wants a hug.]

Yes it does.

[HE'S RIGHT BUT YOU KNOW.]

[hellmo pose]

[locktouches]

[You can't write this stuff. Physical contain to restore mana; it's like the set up to a bad pornography.]

I see. Convenient then, hm?

[But if it gets them back to one hundred per cent again, he's fine. He carefully grips her wrist and gives her a gentle tug forwards; into a hug or a close lean depending on if she catches herself in time.]

So once we're done using our mana for ill, we're all supposed to hold hands and skip down the streets of Blanc together? [Talk about one way to promote unity.]

holy shit truth

[hoasen]

[Niles knows exactly how bad this can get. She's sure he already knows. Look at how he reacts.

She could catch herself in time, but she does know that a full hug would do better than what they have now. So when he does tug her forward, she attempts to wrap her arms around him instead.]

I am unsure why it is the case. It might as well be. [Promoting unity, that is. In very...physical ways. Well, Blanc is a bit like France, anyway.]

[locktouches]

[It's true that it does seem that the closer contact has an amplifying effect on the flow of mana between them. He doesn't outrightly embrace Vietnam in return, but he does rest a hand on the small of her back.]

Most people would just create potions or tablets.

[hoasen]

[The fact that the gestures here are rather nice makes her relax, at least. He's got a rather gentle touch, surprisingly.]

I don't understand why it doesn't work like that here. Fresh food does, to a very small extent.

[locktouches]

Correction then; we hold hands, and skip through the streets of Blanc while eating lunch.

[Funny how that worked out. Maybe it was on purpose? Fostering bonds by forcing them to have close contact with each other for the sake of mana restoration, or something along those lines.]

If it was somehow engineered that way on purpose, then that's surprisingly clever.

[hoasen]

[She nods, though not too much. They're very close now so it's not like she needs to move a lot.]

Is it really that clever? Because we have to be this close?

[locktouches]

Close contact forces a bond. We're tactile by nature, apparently. So abuse that, and bonds formed by physical contact and you've got some sort of clever plan on your hands.

[Something like that.]

[hoasen]

[Now she looks between them, even though the mana transferring through their body feels nice. She knows it could bother them, even though right now it's a necessity.]

It seems to be forced onto us...then does this bother you? I apologise for being this close.

[locktouches]

If it had bothered me, I would have pushed you away instead of pulling you closer.

[He feels more sleepy than bothered or awkward.]

[hoasen]

[Perhaps he should rest, she wonders. They both had long days. Still--]

A-ah, then I am relieved. [She shifts a little.] Your...mana, it feels nice. [Conflicting with his HUGE MOUTH.]

[locktouches]

My mana?

[Niles tilts his head back thoughtfully.]

What does it feel like to you? [He didn't even realise they it could feel like anything.]

[hoasen]

[She thinks on this, how do you put it in words, this feeling? Inside? It's a little bit funny--

Okay I'll be good.]

It feels...a little like the night. Something calming about it. Still.

[locktouches]

Like the night?

[He grins, showing a little teeth.]

Cold, lonely and dark?

[hoasen]

[She immediately frowns.]

No. The night is all encompassing. It's powerful.

[locktouches]

You could say the same about the day, really.

[He shifts a little, leaning back against the wall and shifting Vietnam's weight against him so she's sprawled a little more comfortably in his lap. The wall takes his weight now, and it's fairly comfortable overall.]

Still, I prefer the nighttime. I can't say I dislike that comparison.

[hoasen]

I suppose so...they both have their charms. But differently.

[She tries to move so that not only is she comfortable, but so is he. At least she's small and light, and so she leans closer to his body to let the mana keep flowing. It's getting a bit too comfortable that she is leaning her head just by his neck.]

I do think it suits you too. Not just for nefarious purposes.

[locktouches]

[She's warm and not obtrusive, he can't really complain. And with her moving closer, she's actually placed herself in a much more mutually comfortable position. Absentmindedly, he rubs the pad of his thumb against her side.]

Oh, I think the nefarious purposes suit me very well. But I'll take the calm and quiet of a night as well.

[hoasen]

[This, how his thumb brushes along her side, feels very nice, soothing. She practically melts his arms this way, and by habit starts to respond, moving to smooth her hands over his collar bone.]

I suppose best of both worlds? It's nice and calm right now.

[locktouches]

[Hmm. He can't say he really minds the brush of her fingers against his collar bone. If he's right, he can feel an increase in the mana flow with skin on skin contact. That's something to remember for future encounters.]

I'd say we're both fairly calm, so it's not surprising.

[hoasen]

[He's learning! And she can feel that, a sudden surge of mana. She forgot all about it, just because of how at peace she was for a moment.]

So when you put two level-headed individuals in one room... [Then she laughs, softly.] Although you use such power while misbehaving as well.

[locktouches]

Level headed is a rather large assumption.

[He has his moments.]

How so?

[hoasen]

Alright, one level-headed individual, one selective one.

[Which was what she was trying to prove to him in the first place. She looks up for a moment.]

You speak terrible things so calmly. ["Calmly".]