[ A cute babyface, by Axel's estimation, of course. But, good, just like this, it's a simple matter to hold him close.
No curiosity there. Because of everything that had transpired, there'd be a perfect explanation as to why Kogi's would be blank. His eyes gaze on over to the deciphered message with no small amount of interest.
Trust Temenos to be hard at work.
There is, perhaps, a slight pull upwards of his lips. Even if he says for him to take it easy, Axel can never stop being amazed at his work ethic and results. ]
'Heroes sacrifice ability, leave competition.' Right there, I'm sure...or well, have a hunch it means in order to truly leave, we'll all need to sacrifice the abilities we received and leave them behind. 'Control destiny, animals winning' I think doesn't mean to just one team...there could be a way all teams win. 'Murder the trust the public has in them and each other, the more the better', we basically ensure that whatever the case, we stop playing by the rules set by this city.
Then we might find more doors opened to us—that could be a key in finding something else we could use to advantage.
[ i worked so hard decoding this damn cipher in the name of being ic.
temenos follows his train of thought. he traces his fingers thoughtfully over the words as he speaks them, hesitating and listening to digest.
and... ]
... You might be onto something. [ actually. when decoded like that, that makes a lot of sense? it's not an outright compliment because he is immediately on the next train of thought, but from temenos, it's approval for a theory, which may be even rarer. his own thoughts had spiraled into something more pessimistic, unsurprisingly, but temenos's mouth pulls into something more thoughtful, a little frown. ]
...A way to unite all the teams together might be if we all just stopped being on teams. Your note from your adventure on Thursday suggested that the leaders are giving their power to us: if there was a way to stop receiving it, and dissociate ourselves from the identity of being, for instance, 'yellow rabbit', then... perhaps that would benefit our leaders and ourselves in the long run.
[ nothing more heroic than uniting under one banner, after all. ]
[ You know, even if Axel himself is feeling the weight of the situation heavily now more than ever, it never fails that any praise from Temenos lightens him up like a very high-watt light bulb.
Enough that his green eyes brighten a little. ]
A entire operation to unite everyone under one team might sound overambitious, but definitely not impossible. We're all pretty much used to helping each other for whatever reason, and a lot of friendships as well as connections transcend strictly inner teams.
[ Thinking further about what Temenos said about halting the receiving power thing. ]
...Do we know how they're giving powers to us, anyway? I guess we could try to ask them to stop giving 'em? Stuff like that?
[ It sounds like a step in the right direction, and something he might not have considered it if the other hadn't mentioned that, haha. Keeping thoughts and ideas in one's head is good, but speaking them aloud can help really jog the memory in getting things going. ]
Yes... though the question, I suppose, would be 'how'. And that's without complicating it with the return of our deceased, as well. Perhaps we ought to end up as team penguin.
[ that last part is a joke, and comes with a bit of a laugh. his thought bubble shows a mental image of a prinny.... wearing a cowboy hat with poorly painted on abs.
lol. anyway. ]
I'm not sure about how to stop. I'm not sure it would be that easy, but it is fairly clear that they're already losing control of their abilities. [ considering snake was a giant robot at the end of the week. ] But, perhaps Rabbit will be able to enlighten us at some point, if not the others. I'll reach out to Snake, as well, and see what she has to say about it.
Team Penguin actually has a nice ring to it. All for one, one for all.
[ Even if Temenos made it in jest, the red head looks firmly amused in turn. A thought bubble pops up with the same imagine but for some reason has a handlebar mustache too.
...Yeah. ]
I remember speaking to Mousey about it who just told me recently, and mentioned they noticed all the way back in the trial when they tried to pick up Ryuki, so it at least had to be happenin' for awhile. But, hoping Rabbit will, yeah. I'll also check in with Crimson too.
...And speaking of which, Crimson said they can get three tickets to some kinda show next week. Wanna come as one of the attendees?
[ he nods, turning the page to make a couple notes of this conversation and the information axel's offering, looking thoughtful.
though! the show bit has him tilt his head, looking up at axel properly. ]
Mmm? If they'd still offer that to us after... [ everything that happened, he probably doesn't have to finish. ] Then, I suppose...? Did they tell you anything about it?
[ Yay, they got a course of action to take...sounds good for them.
Then, there is a moment of silence as he considers something. ]
Er, well, that was before Lilium got murdered. I should probably check in with them again. [ Sheepish look, because aha. ] Well, before that, they said they got these balcony seats and it was for a show called 'mafia'. It's supposed to be action-packed.
[ He has no idea what it's about, but it sounds cool? ]
[ me like this is just a hint about 3 teams needing to kill still isn't it. temenos has never heard of the mafia though so he just thinks it's a play also. ]
...Hmm. I don't see why not. I've not been to the theater in some time.
[ not since having to fight dulcinea and watching agnea which is a very, very different experience.
satisfied with his puzzle solving, he settles into axel's side a little further. it's like being chosen by a cat - he even yawns a bit, turning to tuck his cheek against him where it's comfortable. despite being a very hard worker, really, he can be a bit lackadaisy, and this is no exception.
... and besides, his shoulder's still sore from having to fire off a gun a bunch. it's been a long weekend. ] Thank you for the invitation, Lea.
[ That'd be kind of hilarious, not even going to lie. But hey, their thoughts are aligned on the matter too so that probably adds even more to the irony of the situation. ]
Then, a time in the theater it is.
[ Sounds like potentially fun! But, now with the other seeming to relax more into things, the red head's expression turns undeniably into something resembling no small amount of satisfaction. He will raise the hand from the other man's shoulder to lightly have his fingers play at light-colored hair strands, before moving it back to where he had it. ]
No problem. We could use a bit of entertainment to ourselves.
[ Axel is looking forward to seeing if Temenos might get surprised and Axel doing the cheesy thing where he lies a hand upon his and to squeeze it reassuringly (he's being a little silly here, though.) ]
[ oh the hairpets are nice actually... you can keep doing that. his own gestures of enjoyment are very subtle, but he slightly turns his head into the pets, eyes falling closed and some of the tension easing out of his shoulders.
he lets him cover his hand, and after a moment, turns his over to offer if axel would like to hold it. alright fine. it's...not like there's anyone else here.... ]
I imagine we will be getting plenty of time to ourselves in the near future.
[ Aren't they just? Axel's more than happy to have provided them (and provide them, for that matter.) The small bits of approval he can witness from those actions are nothing less than noteworthy as always to him.
Even better still when he witnesses the tension drain from him somewhat. And, of course, he's taking the other man up on his silent offer to hold his hand, fingers wrapping around it securely. ]
...Yeah, considering everything, I wouldn't be surprised.
But, at least we do have each other.
[ Axel looking at least somewhere on the bright side even when things are becoming a bit more, well. Filled with a lot of pressure, and everything that entails. But, he will also give the hand a squeeze. ]
[ hand holds it is. and since this is a backtag, axel can see the thought bubble that comes up next to temenos's head, even as he makes a quiet noise of agreement. at least we have each other?
For now.
after all, either of them could be killed at any moment. someone could seek rabbit out as a target, both for the fact that they're adults, and for the fact that they killed. gods only knows if kogitsunemaru told anyone that temenos assisted, either, and he doesn't trust the idea that he didn't.
...but, for now, axel is right. they do have each other.
he gives his hand a little squeeze in return and yawns. ]
[ For a scant moment, Axel's smile fades a little when he hears the thought.
'And that won't stop,' Comes his own thought bubble in turn, in a bit of defiance. He refuses to believe in the reality where they die before they can settle their business. Even if neither of them could prevent anyone else's actions from making that a certainty.
Even if in his heart he has worries too.
But, he will have hope. And believe that it will manifest, until even that is shattered into pieces. Feeling that squeeze, he likes to believe Temenos too has those very same hopes...buried under a sea of cynicism maybe, but hey! ]
Just like we don't have much longer left of the night. Which, speaking of which, do you wanna be carried off to bed?
[ Axel is joking. His injuries this week wouldn't allow that. ]
[ quietly, he likes that about axel. he'd never admit it, but, that hopefulness is the exact kind of positivity that he does actually like. that he admires, sometimes. it was the same way that roi saw the world, and...crick, too.
he huffs a little bit of a laugh at the comment, mouth pulling into a fond smile as he pats his chest with his free hand. ]
Should I be saying that to you?
[ he could not carry him
but temenos does start to get up, stretching like a cat before he rights himself properly - once he's up, he offers axel his hand. ] Come along.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
No curiosity there. Because of everything that had transpired, there'd be a perfect explanation as to why Kogi's would be blank. His eyes gaze on over to the deciphered message with no small amount of interest.
Trust Temenos to be hard at work.
There is, perhaps, a slight pull upwards of his lips. Even if he says for him to take it easy, Axel can never stop being amazed at his work ethic and results. ]
'Heroes sacrifice ability, leave competition.' Right there, I'm sure...or well, have a hunch it means in order to truly leave, we'll all need to sacrifice the abilities we received and leave them behind. 'Control destiny, animals winning' I think doesn't mean to just one team...there could be a way all teams win. 'Murder the trust the public has in them and each other, the more the better', we basically ensure that whatever the case, we stop playing by the rules set by this city.
Then we might find more doors opened to us—that could be a key in finding something else we could use to advantage.
...That's what I think, anyway.
no subject
temenos follows his train of thought. he traces his fingers thoughtfully over the words as he speaks them, hesitating and listening to digest.
and... ]
... You might be onto something. [ actually. when decoded like that, that makes a lot of sense? it's not an outright compliment because he is immediately on the next train of thought, but from temenos, it's approval for a theory, which may be even rarer. his own thoughts had spiraled into something more pessimistic, unsurprisingly, but temenos's mouth pulls into something more thoughtful, a little frown. ]
...A way to unite all the teams together might be if we all just stopped being on teams. Your note from your adventure on Thursday suggested that the leaders are giving their power to us: if there was a way to stop receiving it, and dissociate ourselves from the identity of being, for instance, 'yellow rabbit', then... perhaps that would benefit our leaders and ourselves in the long run.
[ nothing more heroic than uniting under one banner, after all. ]
no subject
Enough that his green eyes brighten a little. ]
A entire operation to unite everyone under one team might sound overambitious, but definitely not impossible. We're all pretty much used to helping each other for whatever reason, and a lot of friendships as well as connections transcend strictly inner teams.
[ Thinking further about what Temenos said about halting the receiving power thing. ]
...Do we know how they're giving powers to us, anyway? I guess we could try to ask them to stop giving 'em? Stuff like that?
[ It sounds like a step in the right direction, and something he might not have considered it if the other hadn't mentioned that, haha. Keeping thoughts and ideas in one's head is good, but speaking them aloud can help really jog the memory in getting things going. ]
no subject
[ that last part is a joke, and comes with a bit of a laugh. his thought bubble shows a mental image of a prinny.... wearing a cowboy hat with poorly painted on abs.
lol. anyway. ]
I'm not sure about how to stop. I'm not sure it would be that easy, but it is fairly clear that they're already losing control of their abilities. [ considering snake was a giant robot at the end of the week. ] But, perhaps Rabbit will be able to enlighten us at some point, if not the others. I'll reach out to Snake, as well, and see what she has to say about it.
no subject
[ Even if Temenos made it in jest, the red head looks firmly amused in turn. A thought bubble pops up with the same imagine but for some reason has a handlebar mustache too.
...Yeah. ]
I remember speaking to Mousey about it who just told me recently, and mentioned they noticed all the way back in the trial when they tried to pick up Ryuki, so it at least had to be happenin' for awhile. But, hoping Rabbit will, yeah. I'll also check in with Crimson too.
...And speaking of which, Crimson said they can get three tickets to some kinda show next week. Wanna come as one of the attendees?
no subject
[ he nods, turning the page to make a couple notes of this conversation and the information axel's offering, looking thoughtful.
though! the show bit has him tilt his head, looking up at axel properly. ]
Mmm? If they'd still offer that to us after... [ everything that happened, he probably doesn't have to finish. ] Then, I suppose...? Did they tell you anything about it?
no subject
Then, there is a moment of silence as he considers something. ]
Er, well, that was before Lilium got murdered. I should probably check in with them again. [ Sheepish look, because aha. ] Well, before that, they said they got these balcony seats and it was for a show called 'mafia'. It's supposed to be action-packed.
[ He has no idea what it's about, but it sounds cool? ]
no subject
...Hmm. I don't see why not. I've not been to the theater in some time.
[ not since having to fight dulcinea and watching agnea which is a very, very different experience.
satisfied with his puzzle solving, he settles into axel's side a little further. it's like being chosen by a cat - he even yawns a bit, turning to tuck his cheek against him where it's comfortable. despite being a very hard worker, really, he can be a bit lackadaisy, and this is no exception.
... and besides, his shoulder's still sore from having to fire off a gun a bunch. it's been a long weekend. ] Thank you for the invitation, Lea.
no subject
Then, a time in the theater it is.
[ Sounds like potentially fun! But, now with the other seeming to relax more into things, the red head's expression turns undeniably into something resembling no small amount of satisfaction. He will raise the hand from the other man's shoulder to lightly have his fingers play at light-colored hair strands, before moving it back to where he had it. ]
No problem. We could use a bit of entertainment to ourselves.
[ Axel is looking forward to seeing if Temenos might get surprised and Axel doing the cheesy thing where he lies a hand upon his and to squeeze it reassuringly (he's being a little silly here, though.) ]
no subject
he lets him cover his hand, and after a moment, turns his over to offer if axel would like to hold it. alright fine. it's...not like there's anyone else here.... ]
I imagine we will be getting plenty of time to ourselves in the near future.
[ considering. it's just the two of them now. ]
no subject
Even better still when he witnesses the tension drain from him somewhat. And, of course, he's taking the other man up on his silent offer to hold his hand, fingers wrapping around it securely. ]
...Yeah, considering everything, I wouldn't be surprised.
But, at least we do have each other.
[ Axel looking at least somewhere on the bright side even when things are becoming a bit more, well. Filled with a lot of pressure, and everything that entails. But, he will also give the hand a squeeze. ]
no subject
For now.
after all, either of them could be killed at any moment. someone could seek rabbit out as a target, both for the fact that they're adults, and for the fact that they killed. gods only knows if kogitsunemaru told anyone that temenos assisted, either, and he doesn't trust the idea that he didn't.
...but, for now, axel is right. they do have each other.
he gives his hand a little squeeze in return and yawns. ]
Yes, that is true. And not much longer left.
no subject
'And that won't stop,' Comes his own thought bubble in turn, in a bit of defiance. He refuses to believe in the reality where they die before they can settle their business. Even if neither of them could prevent anyone else's actions from making that a certainty.
Even if in his heart he has worries too.
But, he will have hope. And believe that it will manifest, until even that is shattered into pieces. Feeling that squeeze, he likes to believe Temenos too has those very same hopes...buried under a sea of cynicism maybe, but hey! ]
Just like we don't have much longer left of the night. Which, speaking of which, do you wanna be carried off to bed?
[ Axel is joking. His injuries this week wouldn't allow that. ]
no subject
he huffs a little bit of a laugh at the comment, mouth pulling into a fond smile as he pats his chest with his free hand. ]
Should I be saying that to you?
[ he could not carry him
but temenos does start to get up, stretching like a cat before he rights himself properly - once he's up, he offers axel his hand. ] Come along.
no subject
...Something tells me you'd have some difficulty with that.
[ A snort leaves him regardless, but...
He reaches to take hold of the hand, fingers wrapping along it, and so begins to come along, straight to their rooms, for a much well-needed rest. ]