chickenhearted | the dreaded overflow

(from here)

Stop that! Stop laughing!!

[ Waver is red as a beet, both in embarrassment and anger. This is so uncool! ]

It's never going to dry at this rate! [ He's almost complaining just to complain at this point. And it seems like this guy is out of commission with all that laughter. He's never going to get a crystal for Waver is he!? ]

Just... move out of the way! I'll have to do this myself.

Edited 2017-11-27 01:49 (UTC)

[Still sputtering with laughter, Atsushi nevertheless moves out of the way to make more room. Not that it's really necessary, but the guy did tell him to, and Atsushi obeys a little too easily on instinct.]

Ow!

[Just as the other has gotten in, Atsushi, still moving out of the way slowly but surely, steps in something hard. Wow, who would have thought that a public pool would have such a sharp and unreliable floor?! Even if it's a natural pool, that just seems dangerous.

... Wait...]

[ Waver doesn't bother getting undressed since he's already soaked thanks to this guy!! He just hops into the pool as is and grunts a little in discomfort because it still sucks having wet clothes. At least he doesn't have to be embarrassed about his naked scrawny body though...

He almost smirks when Atsushi steps on something, and goes HA like he deserves it, but he refrains. Instead he is more interested in what was stepped on.

... Even if this does kind of feel like swimming in soda and it's not all that bad... ]

Move aside! What did you step on?

Pfffft - wait, you can't get into a pool fully dressed! It's unhygienic!

[He says that, but he can't seem to feel the emotions he should about it, still giggling like an idiot. Until he steps into something sharp, that is.]

I don't know! It was almost like -... [Glass, he wants to say, but doesn't, because the clue he started to get beneath all the bubbles in his brain is finally taking shape.] You think it's a crystal?

[He does move aside, but only to carefully poke around a toe underwater, trying to find the crystal again. With the shimmering of the water, it's not easy to see, but if they know where it is...]

Hang on!

[Forgetting literally everything else that was going on, he ducks under the water to wrench the crystal free from the pool's floor. It's not easy, so when he's getting out of breath, he transforms one arm into a massive tiger paw so he can use his claws to dig it free - and that's how he resurfaces: a scrawny naked young man with one giant white paw holding a crystal.]

Got it! [He looks so happy about it, too, like he's just won a game.]

Yes I can. I already am.

[ So there. Besides, he cares less about being hygienic and more about getting that crystal. And yet his words don't come out as sharp as they're really intended to. He's feeling kind of ... lighthearted. Like they're just two friends hanging out in a bubbly pool. Yeah... ]

It might be a crystal! See if you can find it!

[ He stands nearby, soggy in his clothing and yet finding he doesn't care anymore as he stares expectantly and waits. And waits. And then oh! He's ba—

WHAT IS THAT???? ]

Y-y-your arm!! We need to get out of this water right now! It's turning you into some kind of beast! [ and he's scrambling for the edge of the pool because what the heck! ]

[Atsushi's eyes widen a little at the other's shock. Oh! Of course, it's not like he's got "weretiger" stamped on his forehead. He does usually warn people, but with that bubbly feeling, it just slipped his mind.

So clearly what he should do is apologize - and normally, he would be doing so already, just about begging for forgiveness. But now? Well... That guy was pretty rude to him before, and his reaction is kind of funny. So Atsushi just half-giggles before transforming his other arm, too.]

Oh no, you're right! I am turning into a wild beast! Whatever will I do? Hahahaha...

[The fact that he almost immediately starts laughing does detract from the credibility of his brief stint as an evil genius, but he just can't help it. Regardless, those really are very real, very big white tiger paws he's got from the elbows down.]

[ Waver is frantically trying to get to the edge of the pond to pull himself out of it, mumbling rapidly about various things they could do to solve this problem. ]

...have to look up a spell to reverse this.... unless it's too late and I turn into a beast as well....

[ He's halfway out of the water, weighing probably twice his weight with all of it sucked up into his clothing and thus looking like a drowned rat, when he stops.

...is this guy still laughing??? ]

... Why are you laughing? This is not the time to laugh!

[Atsushi can't seem to stop his giggle fit, doubling over laughing - which is a little awkward with giant tiger paws, but he didn't choose this life.]

I'm sorry! [He's not. Not even a little. He's also still laughing, even as he's apologizing.] It's fine, I promise - look!

[Raising his paws by way of demonstration, he transforms them back to regular (well, scrawny) human arms. At least he's still holding the crystal.]

[ Waver's face is red and turns redder as the laughing continues. Seriously, what is so funny?!

When those arms turn back to normal, his eyes widen and he just stares for a moment. ]

You mean you... [ What?? He's so confused. He has some sort of transformation power? And he tried tricking Waver about it?

Normally he'd sputter and be all bristled and angry, but the effect of the water has his brow twitching for a moment. Then he laughs a little. And a little more. Haha, he overreacted, that's kind of funny. ]

[With the other laughing as well, Atsushi loses all hope of calming down: the other's laughter makes him laugh more, until he's almost hiccuping, running out of air. Doubling over again, he almost loses his footing in the water, swinging his arms wildly to keep his balance - and, God help them, that just makes him laugh more.]

Were-... Weretiger...

[He's trying to explain... sort of.

Augh, he's getting tired from all this laughing... It's that, more than anything else, that has him wade to the shore so he can sit down for a while, putting the crystal down beside him.]

Weretiger? You?

[ He laughs at that, even though in his head he's reeling. Whaaaaaat?! A weretiger? What the hell!?

Waver is trying to climb out of the pool again only so he can stop laughing. ]

I need to...get out of this...water....

[ He eyes that crystal in between laughs, half remembering that that's the reason they're in this mess to begin with. He laughs a little harder, but points at it, trying to catch his breath. ]

Care.... careful... with that!

[Atsushi hums in confirmation, giving a little nod. Sitting down, he lets out a loooong sigh. Ah, that's better. Even if his legs are still dangling in the water, he feels like he can catch his breath this way. Yup, he sure is a weretiger. It feels about the same as sharing his profession.]

"With that"..? Oh. [The crystal. There was something important about it, for sure.] I don't think it requires safe handling. If anything, it should be more careful with us.

[He checks his foot, just in case. As expected, he didn't cut himself, but it sure did hurt. Seeing a small, old scar on his foot sobers him from his giggle fit more than anything else has managed.]

... I guess we should take it to that shopkeeper.

[ Waver manages to get out of the pool with a "phew", lying on his side for a moment to catch his breath before he picks himself back up again. As expected, he's completely soggy. He makes a face of disgust at it before paying attention to the conversation, and that crystal. ]

Well, we don't want to lose it, after all that... [ He for one does not want to get into another giggle fit.

He eyes the other and the way he examines his foot, tilting his head a little. He's curious, but doesn't ask. ]

Yes, we should. [ But, ah... ] Put your clothes back on first!

[... OHGOD HE'S STILL NAKED! Suddenly this is actually embarrassing, where it wasn't before.]

O-Of course! I wouldn't go into a shop naked!!

[Belatedly, he realizes that... there are no towels. Sigh. Should he risk using leaves...? Nah, not after what he's already been through. He'll just shake out his hair as if he's a puppy instead of a weretiger, and be all gross and sticky as he tries to put his clothes on.]

[ Waver is doing his best not to look at the other directly, so he doesn't see anything he regrets seeing.

He's got a good portion of his clothing wrung out when suddenly the weretiger shakes all over him like a dog! Water is everywhere again! ]

H-hey! I just got these dry a little bit!

[ He was not even close to dry. And he turned around to glare, only to be met with nakedness. That quickly turns him around again. ]

J-just stop...messing around!

I'm not messing around! It's not my fault you don't know how to use public baths...

[Because clearly that is the problem here. Never let it be said that Atsushi can't be petty when provoked.

Putting on his clothes while he's wet is much harder than it ought to be, but he manages eventually. Time to be grateful for Wyver weather, he guesses.]

I wasn't about to just get naked for a crystal!

[ Waver can be petty right back. He can be petty all day long in fact.

But he just sits there and waits, arms folded over his soggy-sweatered chest. ]

Are you decent now?

Yes. [NO WAIT his fly..! He rushes to zip up.] Yes!

[Okay, he made it to "decent" in time. Probably. It's funny how he cares, when he doesn't personally consider it strange to get naked at public baths...]

If you weren't ready to make some sacrifices, you shouldn't have set out to find a crystal in the first place. And undressing isn't exactly the hardest thing to do!

Okay, good.

[ He turns around right as the other guy is zipping up his fly, and thinks about commenting but decides to save them both by just not. ]

Sacrificing my dignity wasn't on the table. Anyway, we're both ready now so it shouldn't matter whether I undressed or not!

"We're both ready now"... I did all the work, though.

[Atsushi grumbles, but he can't even make himself very loud about it. God forbid Waver actually argues with him over it.

Anyway, they've both reached their goal. Provided they're willing to share, that is - and Atsushi probably shouldn't be, but he kind of is.]

Then, it's just a matter of taking the crystal to the shopkeeper, I suppose.

... That's-! I didn't mean for it to happen that way!

[ He really didn't. But then the nakedness and the laughing and all that happened and suddenly he ended up kind of useless in this endeavor. He should feel a bit relieved that this guy is willing to share, after all...

His cheeks redden in shame. ]

Y-yeah, that's all that's left.

the dreaded overflow

Atsushi

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what a cute laugh, how dare?

he has his moments

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