Audience: Mahito

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Comments

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[they immediately take a whole-ass step away from him when he says probably.]

It's just not my thing. I like cozy comforts. I like not being outside in the cold and dirt. Had enough of that.

[touchups]

[THAT JUST MAKES HIM BURST INTO LAUGHTER god bless.]

That's fair, I guess! Being inside is pretty nice, too. [He says this and yet he lives in a tunnel.] We haven't made it to your floor yet, right? Do you have cozy things there?

[probe]

Nope, you haven't made it. But uh, yeah, I for sure do. You'll see. No spoilers.

[touchups]

No spoilers! [Echoing back with a little salute...] I hope we get to see it soon! I like cozy places too, even though I think the garden and park and stuff are my favorites so far.

[probe]

I like the park, too. If you see a big doofus pitbull that answers to Mango, give him extra pets for me.

You just like outdoors stuff, huh?

[touchups]

[PERKING UP.]

Okay! I'll go find him later. [Animals are the only living creatures with rights, actually. If only all humans were just big doofus pitbulls...

As for that, he just nods!]

Mm! I was born in the city, but it's never really stress-free there because there are so many humans, you know? But when you're outside, there's a lot of space and nice plants to look at, and tons of different animals.

[probe]

Fair enough! I keep forgetting you think humans are like, stinkmasters.

[they twirl their umbrella absently.] Do you have a favorite animal?

[touchups]

[STINKMASTERS... He snickers because his sense of humor is bad, but doesn't otherwise make any comment. THEY'RE RIGHT! HE DOES!!]

Eh, a favorite? Hm... [Glancing skyward as he considers...] ...I see cats a lot, so I'm pretty fond of them! But out of all the animals I see kinda regularly, maybe birds or deer?

[Such gentle creachurs.]

They have the most useful parts and they're really fun to watch.

[probe]

[you can't just drop "they have the must useful parts" in the middle of that, mahito]

You uh, you know how that sounds right? Oh, yeah, I love deer, they're super cute and also I use their skin as blankets! I fed one once!

[touchups]

[LOOK. HE DOESN'T THINK ABOUT THINGS BEFORE HE SAYS THEM!! He actually looks like he's not expecting their statement, so it appears he did not in fact know how that sounded until it was pointed out...]

Oh... Yeah, I guess it's pretty weird, huh? [YA THINK??] I don't mean it like that! Just - whenever I need to reshape my soul, they've got more to offer than cats. Deer can run really fast, birds can fly! Things like that.

[probe]

Oh. You mean like, transforming or whatever. Do you do that a lot? Turning into animals?

[touchups]

Yeah, that! [BEAMING. At least it's slightly less serial killer-ish...] I do sometimes. It's pretty fun! It doesn't really matter since humans can't usually see me even in this shape, but the world looks different every time you try other shapes out.

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That's true. I've been birds before, that's fun. I was a cat once, too! And a mongoose.

[touchups]

Oh! You can change shape, too? [Perking up!! No one else can do what he can where he comes from, so this is still a novel and exciting experience...]

I wanna try being a cat next... Ah - but I don't know what a mongoose is.

[probe]

I get the idea that it's uh, way more limited than you, but sure. I can transform into an animal for an hour.

You - what do you mean you don't know what a mongoose is?

[touchups]

Oooh, like Lust?

[A little nod. Y'all with your animal hour-powers... ALSO LOOK STOP LET HIM LIVE innate knowledge of animal species is not directly relevant to human v human hatred!!]

I've never heard of it before! What's it look like?

[probe]

A little like that, except it's more like uh, like spell slots rather than boons.

[... a pause, and they reach into their sleeves to produce a little mongoose plush. they hand it to him.]

[touchups]

Spell slots?

[A curious look... Though he's immediately fuckin distracted by this little mongoose plush?? HELLO. His whole expression lights up and he reaches out and takes it very carefully in his demon hands.]

Oh—! Wow, how nice! Are their tails really this big? Hehe, what a cute face, too...

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[waves hand spell slots]

Yeah. They're my favorite, actually. They remind me of my brother.

[touchups]

[DON'T JUST WAVES HANDS SPELL SLOTS ABOUT IT.]

Yeah? What about 'em reminds you of him?

[Gently squishing the tummy of this little stuffed mongoose.]

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[they sound fond as they speak.]

They're snappy and think they're a lot bigger than they actually are? Like a little yappy dog that thinks they own the house. But they've got the power to back it up, if they have to. I've seen them go up against lions and not flinch.

That's kind of how he is.

[touchups]

[That is such a sibling description... The corners of his eyes crinkle with open amusement.]

He sounds like a pretty interesting guy! And you guys sound really close. [Squish squish goes the mongoose. He thinks briefly back on a conversation he had with Gojou once, and wonders what it would be like to feel that kind of bond.]

Once we're done here, you get to go back and see him again, right?

[probe]

[there's a pause, as they stare up at their red umbrella. they twirl it.]

... I hope so. [but they refuse to be melancholy around mahito, so.] Do curses even have things like siblings?

[touchups]

[He gives them a quiet look for a second, but lets the topic drop. Good choice in any case, his curse instincts always kick in around sour emotions...]

Mm? Not really. There's a half-curse that has a ton of brothers, but that guy's an outlier in a lot of ways. [BEING HALF-CURSE AND ALL.] The curses closest to me are more like... comrades! Since we get each other on a level no one else can, you know? But we're all born alone.

[probe]

Makes sense. Me and uh, Despair are sort of like that? Definitely not in the sibling or comrade sense, but in that sort of uh, gets each other on a level nobody else can sort of way.

... How does being a half curse work? [what,]