2026-03-24: The Color of Warmth
- Log: The Color of Warmth
- Cast: Umie Akabane, Kurou Ryouhara
- Where: Umie's Apartment, Shibuya
- OOC Date: March 24, 2026
- IC Date: October 14, 2012
- Summary: Umie, armed with take-out, sits Kurou down for a talk. In the end, while the issue may not be resolved, Umie finds her own.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Whether Kurou had intended to tell anything to Umie, as Joker said he was bid to, if if he saw no need to (which Umie suspects may be the case here), there may not have even been many moments since then for the time to truly examine and navigate these new sets of complications.
And it's not like Umie has been the stalwart champion of justice, given that she'd come home, see the tea faithfully set out for her whenever Kurou was there, and feel like just having another night where she ignored the issue altogether and pretended Kurou was actually the cousin she sometimes pretended he was, in need of a place to stay. First it'd be recovering from Maria Sakurai's... Palace(???), trying to confront Shiryuu directly, being too emotionally spent after the events at the Sanitarium (nevermind Kurou was also likely dealing with his), rescuing Kazusa Motojima, dealing with Phoenix, and then, when she thought about it--
Oh right, she can't bring it up when Kurou needs to be studying for his midterms!
And now.... it's midterms.
Slipping out of the bathroom, Umie tugs down an oversized sweater over sweat pants, her hair up in a loose ponytail. Colder weather has definitely begun to set in; she can definitely feel it as she walked home from her shift off of Rafflesia.
On the table in front of the TV is some takeout; she had texted ahead of time to see what Kurou wanted. Slipping down with a can of soda, Umie crosses her legs and sets out the food. "How has your first day of midterms gone?"
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou, being Kurou, unfortunately did assume there was little to tell. Umie's connections to Shiryuu had Kurou assuming she understood much. Even without that, Kurou had assumed there was more transparency in the situation. It's an unfortunately easy mistake for someone who's entire life centers around such complications.
He said nothing, made tea faithfully, and tried to continue being a respectful and easy to live with roommate. The only small shifts to his routine came when he spotted Umie across the battlefield in the likes of the Sanitarium: then the quality tea was used, to better revitalize them both after such an exhausting situation.
It did not matter that they were on the same side. He did not ever imagine it would need be discussed.
... Unfortunately, midterms.
As Umie exits the shower, she'll find a cup of tea, made freshly enough to still have steam rising from the green surface.
He holds his own cup, staring past it, and past the TV, and through the walls and beyond Japan itself. Kurou's gaze wanders past physical space and time, and his knuckles lighten as he tightens his grip on his cup.
"Mid... terms..." he mumbles as one might whisper the name of a confounding foe.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Sometimes, that's just how things end up. Umie can't blame Shiryuu for not letting her know; by being completely unaware, there was less chance of his actions affecting Umie, should a connection be drawn between them. And it's not like they have been in public, and even been fighting, on the same side, and....
oh right, yeah, whoops, Umie hugged Shiryuu and was even at a farmer's market with him
Why did she have to develop feelings for the one person that would make her life the most complicated?
Seeing Kurou's distant expression, Umie sighs, snapping her chopsticks apart. "You can always ask me for help, you know. For studying." Sometimes, it can be hard to tell if a reaction like that is due to Kurou being Kurou, or something beyond. For now, she assumes the former. "That's what I do for Amamiya-kun, and I'm more than happy to help you too."
Opening her take-out carton, she picks out some noodles and eats, thinking a little.
Offering a muted but grateful thank you for Kurou's tea, she takes a sip.
"We also... need to talk. About... what Shiryuu did." She hesitates. "... You know that the Phantom Thieves saved my life, right? And the people you fought that night, outside the Sanitarium.... you remember her being with Amamiya-kun way back, right, during the festival?"
Pause. ".... Did you heal okay, after that?"
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou snaps back to this reality with Umie's chopsticks. He holds his warm cup, venturing a sip before aborting it. The only evidence of his forlorn soul is the way his pupils dilate with unfulfilled desire. His tea is still too hot for his own sensitive tongue... He sets it down, and with her return, prepared to enjoy the meal with her. He, habitually, seems to not prefer eating before she is able to sit for her own meal if they are sharing food together.
"I do not wish to intrude on you more than I already have." Kurou looks down, then takes his own share of the order to begin nibbling at his fried rice. 'What Shiryuu did' will require more specifics, and Kurou does not wish to open his mouth and spill more information than Umie has. But the Phantom Thieves, rescuing Umie...
"I see." Kurou looks up from his carton. "I wish I had known that when Amamiya-san was asking me about them..." He taps his chopsticks idly to his lip. "Though I suppose that does not change my answer of appreciating their existence."
But could he have been more enthusiastic about it? Probably not. He's still Kurou.
And that girl...
"Unicorn-san. She is an impressive combatant. I look forward to meeting her on the battlefield again."
But there was a question in there, and Kurou regards Umie for a stretch of silence as he considers Joker's words about how Umie would worry about him, if something should happen...
"... I am no stranger to pain or injury, Akabane-san. I ask that you not let such fears concern you."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"Yeah, this isn't you doing anything wrong with our arrangement; I told you not to bring any Ryouhara business to my doorstep, after all." Umie gingerly sips her tea, realizing, yet again, Kurou has refused to eat before she sat down.
Quiet, a good listener, respectful, keeps his head down, doesn't volunteer information about himself. .... Honestly, she could see him and and someone like Ren becoming friends.
'I wish I had known that when Amamiya-san was asking me about them...' Wait. When did Ren ask Kurou.... oh, right, he would have... since he knows where... Or maybe Kurou stopped by that Triple 7 location again while Ren was on shift. "So, you stopped by the Triple 7 again, I take it?" she asks.
That, or Leblanc... though, if it's the latter, would that indicate that Kurou sought Ren out? But if that was the case, then... is Ren in danger?
But then again, if that was the case, Ren'd already be dead.
Umie, despite herself, stifles a laugh. "Yeah, Amamiya-kun and I are fans of them." In the end, Ren's just a normal kid, Umie theorizes. So it's likely he'll be fine. "I had a positive view of them before that night, too. A group of rebels, fighting against the corruption of society..." She grins, fingers tapping against her teacup.
That could have been a nice place to veer off this path, where Kurou and Umie could tak about the Phantom Thieves, and never think again about what subject brought up.
Just like Ren has nothing to fear from Kurou, unless the wrong person wanted him dead. Then, Kurou would set his opinions aside, and do his job.
.... Like with Minako. "Unicorn-san...?" Umie blinks, then stifles yet another laugh. "You're just as good at nicknames as I am, Ryouhara-kun."
That impulse to follow that train of thought is still there, going far and away from the more difficult issues at hand.
But...
"... I know that." Umie makes a face as she sets down the tea. "It's just... there'll come a day when we'll be on opposite sides. Shiryuu's made it clear that I should stand for what I believe in, but... that same freedom isn't extended to the two of you."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou gives a sharp nod as Umie points out not bringing Ryouhara business in. He has not endangered her, to his knowledge. The Phantom Thieves are her allies, and do not appear to operate with the sort of vengefulness that would cause his association with her to endanger her. If anything, they might mistakeningly attempt to defend her from him.
There would be worse things.
"Ah, no," Kurou corrects. "I was in the area and had a 'house blend' at Leblanc." Kurou attempts his tea again, a small test at first, and then letting a longer sip before responding. "Coffee has... a pleasant aroma to it."
Don't make Umie wait on such inane comments!!
He nods with her own assessment of the Phantom Thieves. "I had concerns about their conviction, but they proved me wrong. I have high hopes about their future progress." Much as Kurou has his own personal issues, his talk with Ren helped him understand they were personal, and largely selfish. That does not make them fade, but it does leave Kurou more thoughtful on how he will advance his own goals.
It is not likely theirs will coincide, given the Phantom Thieves' usual targets, though.
"Unicorn-san," Kurou repeats. "She was able to change Persona, and became a unicorn..." There is a small sparkle in his eye as he says this. Unicorns are beautiful animals... with swords on their heads. But Umie 'compliments' his nicknames, and guilelessly nods. "Thank you."
If Umie should pivot and follow any of these trains of thought, Kurou would be none-the-wiser. He is without any visible distress, sipping and enjoying his meal as his thought get to turn away from midterms. Yet Umie's face changes, and Kurou's shoulders wilt a fraction.
"... You are not incorrect." Kurou's gaze dips briefly before his eyes find Umie's, steeled with his resolve. "But that does not change that he speaks the truth. That is what you must do, regardless."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Ah, Umie, you did it again. Maybe, just maybe, Kurou went to get coffee, because Ren mentioned working there.
Umie's tilts her head, tucking a side bang behind one ear. "It really does, doesn't it? Leblanc has a nice feel to it, too." She's surprised it hasn't driven Ren up the wall when she prefers tutoring him there.
"I wonder what Amamiya-kun'd think of your tea-making abilities," she offers, again distracting herself away from the topic.
Umie lifts up her chopsticks and smiles, her eyelids lowering midway as she looks down at her food. "I wasn't sure if they really existed, to be honest. Like, maybe they just were wishful thinking among a bunch of students dealing with a really shitty situation." Her voice grows hushed. "... So when they came to my rescue, against the Old Maid... a part of me just rode on that, even if I was also scared of the Old Maid coming back to finish me off. I'm not..." She's always been the one who's had to save herself, time and time again.
You couldn't depend, or rely on anyone, outside of yourself.
"... I wish to see them succeed. So, similar to your views on them." Gathering another stick full of noodles, she slurps them up quietly. "I'll just have to double my efforts, to make up for Shiryuu's plans."
How precious, how trite. She won't make Kurou explain what happened, from his point of view; he wouldn't likely see any part of what he did as cruel or unjustified.
"Yes," Umie confirms. "She's one that can do that. Some can, and I'm not sure how, but... I think it has to do with their bonds. Or, maybe, how we're all not the same in how we access our Personas." She brings a hand to her neck, tapping a dark red nail there lightly. "Yours is like Unicorn-san's, isn't it? An Evoker." Just, without a gun, given Kurou's different mental layout.
"I know." She sighs, gazing at Kurou with red brown eyes. "I'll do it, when it comes to it. But... that doesn't mean that I'll kick you out, or that.... I blame you, directly. Even Shiryuu..."
Which...
Huh.
Her gaze lowers, her expression surprised. "I guess that, too, is part of what I believe in, even if it will likely... make me a lot of enemies I'd rather not have."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou nods slowly as if he is digesting Umie's suggestion at the same time he decides he agrees with it. "There was no one else there that day. I found it pleasant..." He pauses, looking into his tea. "... Rain would have been perfect."
That may be the midterms speaking.
"I would like to make him a cup someday. And to listen to whatever he might like to say. I spoke more than I am accustomed when I was there..." Unconsciously, Kurou touches his fingers to his throat. It had felt a little sore after, despite having coffee to wet and soothe it. Ren is an easy person to talk to.
Kurou's gaze locks onto Umie as she describes the situation with the Thieves. So it was the Old Maid who endangered her... Thanks to them, she finds herself safe. Still afraid, though, as Kurou worries some of the victims would be. It's a different situation than the change of heart... but isn't that why Shiryuu did what he did, acting on his own like that, when he should have asked Kurou...?
"You're not...?" She does not finish, and Kurou does not push beyond that. He simply nods again as she continues. "... They are fighting in a dangerous battlefield. They must hone themselves appropriately."
And time will tell whether or not they do. Kurou does not mind being a whetstone, either. Even if it means he must be occasionally cruel... for he could not throw as much cruelty at them as the world inevitably will.
Umie speaks of Wild Cards as a known factor and Kurou tilts his head to learn this. Those who, with bonds, can hold many selves in their soul... Kurou rights him as he responds about his Evoker. "Yes, I believe that is what it is called. I do not quite remember the acquisition..."
But he does have it, this ancient ninkou artifact with its Plume of Dusk.
"If you must kick me out, that is your right," Kurou assures her, voice gone quieter and softer. But to say it's also what she believes in, even if she makes enemies...
...
Kurou sets his chopsticks down gently.
"... Shiryuu-san once told me I should find a person who understands my ways, even if that person might think to kill him. You also deserve such a person. Or people. Not those who would become your enemies for what you believe in. ... There will be many enemies in this world, and maybe one day we will have to face each other. But it will not be because you are my enemy, Akabane-san."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
"I can confirm." Perching her chin on an upright hand, her eyes cast past Kurou to the frosted sliding windows beyond. "It was a late summer rain, with just the right amount of thunder. The sort of day you could fall asleep to, or drink coffee. But." Her smile turns smug as she leans back in her crossed leg position, hands held palm up. "That's a similarity I have with you and Shiryuu: I'm a creature of rain."
But maybe, it's the midterms speaking for Kurou. "Though I wasn't born in Akita, like Shiryuu was." The smug bent of her grin dissolves, as her next sentence turns personal. "Are you from Akita too? Though... I assume not everyone in the family's from one area."
Nor would being born in Akita mean you like the rain, for that matter, but there's so many strange little mysteries about the Ryouharas that she couldn't help but ask.... despite her earlier decree, when Shiryuu had Kurou move in.
That's not as important to Umie, however, as realizing that Kurou may have found potential friendship with Ren. "You're welcome to use the apartment," Umie finds herself saying in her enthusiasm.
Ah, too late. She can't take it back. "... Just... give me a text, if you think I may be coming home. I can always find some errands to do." Ah, no, she should be more direct, Umie thinks. "What I mean to say is... I want you to have that ability, to invite someone over, without worrying about me coming in. Amamiya-kun's a sweetheart, but he's also very private. With one person there... he may open up a lot more."
She's trying to stop herself from smiling like a complete idiot, like she's proud of Kurou, but it doesn't stop herself from feeling that way. "Just... be careful," she murmurs instead. "You probably already account for this, but he doesn't have a Persona. Him being around me has nearly exposed him far more times than I'd like to... the sorts of things we all deal with." She sighs. "... I guess I do feel a little protective of him, in that way."
..... Damn it, Akechi, you were right, all along, if just about that one aspect.
Kurou picks up on that sentence fragment. "... I'm..." She wavers on the word, as Kurou further explains, before she chooses to be truthful. "I'm not one who's used to being saved. That is just the nature of things, when you've been on your own."
To hone themselves... ".... I see." People like Joker and Phoenix would definitely not see it like that, but Umie, with the benefit of freshly prepared tea and takeout, can see the logic.
'If you must kick me out, that is your right.' "No, I won't." Umie shakes her head. "You deserve a place to call home. And besides... I like you being here. I feel better, knowing you have a warm place to come to." She looks to the masks. ".... You probably saw it, but I wore the mask you made for me at the Sanitarium. It protected me." In more ways than one.
The way Kurou talks about Shiryuu... no wonder Phoenix found the two of them perplexing, even manipulative. The high-minded language could easily be twisted, if either of them were the type to be that way.
"Then, on that day, I ask that you extend the same process to me, when that time comes. Hone me, just like you honed the Phantom Thieves."
It would only be fair.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Umie Akabane describes a beautiful, magical moment, and with each word, Kurou's pupils grow a bit larger until his gold eyes become mostly black. His gaze loses focus as his mind's eye is a place with rain and that perfect amount of thunder. He sips his tea, and it almost tastes like coffee.
A creature of rain, indeed.
When Umie asks where Kurou's from, he hesitates, blinking back into awareness. "... I do not think so, given how our respective situations ended up. My apologies, I do not remember my childhood well."
He glances down again. It should be a simple question to answer. Surely he can remember a time he had to write his address, at least... But he sees a tiny hand pressing a pencil to paper and the words snake together into a scribble.
To be allowed to bring Ren to the apartment, though. Kurou perks back up and bows his head. He pauses as Umie reconsiders her words, then nods with more understanding. "... You provide a warm space as always." Even for Ren's preferences, too. "Thank you. I will provide ample warning and be sure to clean up after us."
It is not just the warmth of her home she wants for others, but a safety from the supernatural. Kurou nods slowly with the weight of understanding. "Should a supralunar incident occur, I will prioritize Amamiya-san's awareness and safety. Even if I have shinobi business, I respect this as the price of allowing visitation"
One can hope it won't ever get so serious as that in Umie's little apartment.
... Not used to be saved. Kurou falls silent. The nature of things, when you've been on your own. "... It is," he agrees, very quietly. He does not know what else to say, and finds himself lost admits his own silence, just as Umie had been.
But she is adamant that Kurou should have a home, and his eyes gain a small shine to them, reflecting the light of the TV more than they had moments ago. To like him being here... And the masks, too. He did see it.
"... I am glad that it was able to. A mask deserves such a purpose. And..." Kurou's brow pinches, just slightly, like the words have become difficult. "...It is... a little bit more freedom to stand for what I believe in."
Even if he cannot act directly, as she noted before.
Much as he struggles to say those words, they are themselves a distraction from an even more difficult admission to make. "And..." It is true, quite simply, and without any complication. Why should it be so difficult to say...? "... I like being here, too."
Kurou is much more at ease with her other request. It is comfortable for its familiarity and the confidence in which he can heed her request. He nods without reservation. "It will be done as you ask."
After all, honing a blade is mutually exclusive to ever needing to break it.
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
It's a part of Kurou Umie secretly enjoys, much like how she enjoys watching Shiryuu fiddle with fixing something: it's those moments that stand apart from the quiet, deadly facets they display otherwise.
A creature who likes the rain, rather than one made of it, with a past that remains as vague as fog.
"You can always refuse, you know," Umie says, raising a finger and just on the verge of giving him a playful wink... when Kurou glances down once more with the air of something that feels painfully familiar.
".... It's okay," she tries instead, her voice growing gentle. "You can't live in the past, only the present."
At Kurou's compliment, Umie gives her gold-eyed roommate a half-grin. "What, are you two going to have a party?" She chuckles. "You can't be any worse than the mess my apartment normally is, before you moved in." Or.... can they...?
She'll just have to trust Kurou's word then...!
"Thank you." Is it a bad sign, that Umie's just grown to understand and accept the word 'supralunar' as another word for supernatural without so much as a blink? .... well she can blame Shiryuu for it later!!
It feels too naked to admit that, even to someone who's likely seen and experienced much worse, such as Kurou. In spite of these things, Kurou is still sixteen, an age that should be concerned with midterms, forging friendships, understanding his identity, among other things.
... To have a warm place to be, even if it's rather small. But maybe it's because of that size that it feels that way?
A bit more freedom, to stand for what he believes in.
"You are always free to make more masks, at any time. Especially if you need to feel a little more freedom."
She smiles, getting back to her food. "Just don't let Ren get away with thinking *I'm* a Phantom Thief, if he sees them." It'd be hard to hide her little craft corner each morning, after all, and it's not like he's seen the Phantom Thieves, right? Much less, why in the world would Phantom Thieves have paper maiche masks? She gives Kurou a wink. "It'd be a cute story though, right? To be a fan, and then realize a Phantom Thief had been working with you the entire time~ he'd never see it coming."
Slurp.
"I admit, it would be nice to be able to finally stretch myself out... but I'm not sure if I'd want to handle you before I have to. You're a different person in battle..." She shrugs, shifting to drink her tea. "But... so am I."
Both the Gashadokuro and the Badb are creatures of death and vengance, after all.
"I should ask, on lighter subjects," Umie says, despite not properly broaching it, "with the weather getting colder, is there anything you need to keep warm? It got chilly here when I moved in April, and I imagine it'll be even moreso as it gets later into fall."
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Kurou shakes his head gently at the idea of refusing such a simple question, or maybe he didn't quite hear her as he tries to focus those thoughts. As she comforts him, he looks up again, and he nods. "That... is true." It lifts a small weight, and makes it feel a little less important to try and push past the haze over his mind.
A party? Kurou, worryingly, stops to consider. "... No. I do not believe Amamiya-san and I would enjoy a party between us." They are both the type who needs others to do the partying so they can quietly enjoy the atmosphere.
... It's likely the worst mess that could happen is Kurou accidentally spilling matcha powder. Though no doubt Kurou might be the type to become devastated should he spill it onto something he fears is important and could not clean it well enough.
Yet this warm, little place they share... Is this also freedom? There is a slight sparkle to Kurou's eye as Umie invites him to create more masks. Yes, it is quite likely he will end up doing just that.
"Hmm..." Kurou considers as Umie wishes to avoid being seen as a Phantom Thief. "Amamiya-san might like making masks, if he likes Phantom Thieves." A cute story, though... "In a way, you protect people much like one. So is the story already cute...?"
Nibble.
"Battle is a type of freedom itself. Especially with a Persona. There are things that can be felt in a fight that cannot be felt elsewhere." Kurou may not realize some people do not find this universal, or at least, do not find all of those feelings to be positive things. "Do not squander that freedom. I will be able to survive it."
This could easily seem a statement of overconfidence. The wording is particular: he is not claiming he will assuredly be the victor, only that he will survive.
Even mentioning cold weather has Kurou absently wrapping his fingers around the warmth of his teacup. At first, Kurou begins to shake his head, a polite declination readied on his lips. He stops himself, with all the times Umie has offered her help in sincere desire to see small wishes fulfilled.
It is with a kind of subtle shyness that Kurou looks back up at Umie.
"Would it be all right to... keep one of those furry throws in the living room...?"
That might be a little cumbersome, or throw off her intended decor. But to have a big, fuzzy blanket on hand to burrow into...
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
There are things missing in Umie's memory, shattered like minute shards of glass across her psyche.
Plucking them and reassembling them is only an exercise in blood and tears, and yet Umie keeps doing it, like that little hand in Kurou's memory, trying to write an address.
That moment Kurou uses to consider Umie's question, though... there's some memories Umie would like to not make.
_It's always the quiet ones_!!
"Maybe you just need to throw the sort of party people like you and Amamiya-kun would enjoy," Umie muses, with a half-smile. "Though I suppose that's something that may require more than one act of hanging out together."
If it means Kurou finding some freedom in himself and his friendships, and Ren in finding another friend, well, could Umie really say no?
(.... she swears, she was not this sort of sentimental person when she was merely two years younger. Is this a sign of her senpai nature evolving?!)
"Alright. I'll make sure I keep a few prepared masks around. If you two want to paint a few, I wouldn't mind at all." Ah! Umie makes a show of crossing her arms and making a theatrical laugh, which quickly dissolves into an embarrassed snort. "Thankfully, I prefer being my own sort of menance."
Which leads to...!
".... Perhaps..." Umie pauses over the subject, like she was taking a sip of it like her tea. "That is where Gashadokuro and Badb connect. We fight in different ways, but there is a certain... joy, in how we fight." Her view of Kurou's abilities is limited; she hasn't had to be on the opposite side of a fight from him, just yet. "A young me wondered why a part of me was this dark, violent, loud, decadent thing, but as I grew older, it felt like it could be no one else but the Badb. I imagine... it's like that and Gashadokuro, for you. Something that emerges from the grave, and refuses to back down." She closes her eyes. "I will not waste your kindness, that day, even if I hope it doesn't come."
The shine in her eyes when she opens them admits the other side of that wish: that the Badb in her awaits the day, as well.
There will come a day that Umie will have to come to terms with the cruelties Shiryuu and Kurou have visited on Phoenix and the Phantom Thieves that came to rescue them, but for now, this will have to do, especially as a part of Umie's heart melts at seeing Kurou admit to wanting something.
She asks the question that may have changed so many things, in Shiryuu's eyes.
"What color?" Maybe it will be green or maybe blue, this time, but she'll want to hear it in Kurou's own voice.
<Pose Tracker> Kurou Ryouhara has posed.
Blurry, foggy memories. He does not try very often himself. They are washed away and darkened. He is not sure getting back what lies on the other side of most of them would be satisfying. It is the simple questions that get him.
"... A tea party," Kurou considers aloud, with an entirely straight face. By now, Umie's probably used to him not being a typical teenage boy.
Maybe a tea ceremony is more accurate to Kurou's imagination, who is not, himself, imagining himself at a garden table serving tea to stuffed animals. Rather, this mental image shall be inflicted on those who observe.
Umie offers masks, and Kurou's brow furrows again. "... Mask party." Does that... count as a party...? It may well to someone with Kurou's subdued nature. He leaves his struggling party thoughts to see Umie become theatrical, and Kurou claps his hands together in near silence as a show of wonder.
His sincerity can be awfully childish, this one.
... And it can be brutal, as Umie notes of Gashadokuro. Umie understands the joy, too. Umie and Badb, Kurou and Gashadokuro... He nods. "Yes. Gashadokuro and I... we will not rest. Not until our task is seen through."
A given task in that moment -- in this moment, a promise to hone a blade -- or the task he would stake his life on? Would Kurou himself be self-aware enough to know? Either way, the shine in Umie's eye promises that, though they may not wish such a future... they will find a joy in it.
For now, his capacity for cruelty is pushed aside because... fuzzy blanket.
To be prompted to go as far as to choose the color of such a thing strike Kurou dumbfounded for a small moment. It should not really matter, like the umbrella. Except... perhaps, like the umbrella, it does?
"... Dark red."
<Pose Tracker> Umie Akabane has posed.
Indeed, Kurou is not a typical teenage boy, but that's likely what made her comfortable with the idea of letting her share an apartment together.
A tea party, or a mask party.
"Sounds like a great idea, either way."
It'd be interesting to see what these two move towards, and what they come up with.
Though Umie almost feels embarrassed when Kurou claps for her performance. "... Aha... ah.... You don't have to clap..." It wasn't a serious attempt, Kurou!!
"Your task..." If only Umie could say hers is that direct; it feels more like a reaction to a situation.
She opens her mouth, wanting to ask what his task is, but decides to let that topic sit, for another time.
There are more important matters to attend to, like fuzzy blanket colors.
"A-ha. Have I convinced you it's a good color?" Umie raises her fingernails and wiggles them. "... I'm going to have to switch to using up another one of my bottles of polish, though, so if I can find a blanket in that color, it'll be a good way to remember it..."
Alas, her other bottles of nail polish must be used up before she dare buys another; with newfound freedom comes financial responsibility. (... well, after a few months, it did, anyway, after Umie was forced to consider how much nail polish could actually cut into her tight budget.)
"I'll be on the lookout, though if you see what you want in a store someplace, let me know." She considers. "Or, better yet... I bet Shiryuu knows a few stores. He's a better shopper than I am when it comes...." She ahems, dipping her voice to try to match Shiryuu's tones: "...to the latest technology."
please don't clap kurou she deserves nothing