linkingup | network; @shizukisoujuurou

If "modern world" means you can't just go sleep in the woods for free, then, yeah. What a pain in the ass. Why does the school get to set your hours?

[ Goddess, what a headache. Who knew mundane problems like school and murder roommates could be so annoying? ]

Doesn't matter. Give me your room number or come by 503. I don't want this creepy fucking thing either. But if you go back on your word about wearing it here, I might change my mind about the burning.

I wouldn't sleep outside in the woods. Even in the mountains we had a cabin to live in. As for the school, it's just the rules. But I think most people live with their parents or get some sort of allowance.

[ he doesn't have that sort of leeway, unfortunately. ]

Fine. I'll come over to your room soon.

Why not? Sounds a lot safer than sleeping under the same roof with a girl who's gonna kill you.

[ Parents? Allowance?? She half gets the vibe and half doesn't. ]

I'll be here, or it will. No one else is going to take this thing, that's for sure.

It’s very different. Even though they may kill me if I make a mistake, it’s easier to follow their rules than to sleep unprotected in the woods. And on top of that, neither of them wouldn’t let anyone else kill me either. So yes, they would kill me if I made a mistake, but I would also have the same chance of dying in alone in the city where I might not be able to afford rent and food or alone in the mountains where I’d have to face off against bears and wild dogs on my own. So I think being with Aozaki and Alice is fine.

[ it takes maybe a few minutes, but eventually, maika will hear a soft knock at her door. ]

Hello. It’s Soujuurou.

Whatever you say, I'd like my chances with the bears, personally.

[ He definitely knows his own situation better... but she's not missing the chance to get in one more kinkshaming for the road.

Still. When he knocks on her door, the answer is pretty prompt. ]

The guy missing his collar? It's open.

[ She goes to grab the offending object from the desk, expecting him to let himself in. It's not like she has a roommate to mind visitors. ]

[ her kinkshaming would be supereffective if he knew a. what a kink is b. what kinkshaming is c. what this kink is in particular.

once she gives him the okay, he'll walk in calmly. ]

Thanks for keeping it safe. I really do appreciate it

[ soujuurou, she literally just said through text that she was gonna burn it, what. ]

[ But she didn't! Not a single singe mark on it! Nevermind that the first words out of her mouth are: ]

You're in luck. Leather doesn't burn so good.

[ Hopefully he's a polite young man who won't make note of the wakazashi in the red scabbard she definitely didn't advertise in her message, sitting beside the collar. She's paying it no mind, anyway. She holds the collar out gingerly, dangling it from her fingers. ]

Sounds like you've got enough problems to deal with as it is. You sure they're not gonna assume you've been running around spilling all their secrets while you've been gone for weeks like this?

[ he is, in fact, a polite young man that won't make note of the wakazashi. though it did catch his eye, he figures that it's none of his business to talk about, and is fine ignoring it for the rest of this conversation. ]

It's possible. [ he nods in agreement. his roommates are unreasonable like that. ] But that'll be a misunderstanding that I'll have to clear up once I'm back.

[ Thanks, Soujuurou... You're a bro. ]

Yeah, not my problem. Got it.

[ And she's really going to stop poking her nose into other people's business for free. Maybe. But she gives the collar one more look of disaste before dropping it into his hand. ]

Well, do what you have to. Or... whatever you're into.

Oh, thank you.

[ he'll take that, holding it in one hand. see? he's not even trying to wear it. but he does tilt his head to the side, his look one of mild confusion. ]

'Whatever I'm into'? What do you mean?

[ He better not! She's still watching with narrowed eyes, like he might suddenly whip it out around his neck after all. ]

Nothing. If you like letting murderous women put a leash on you and train you to heel and do tricks on command... it's none of my business.

[ wow that sure is specific? soujuurou wonders who she could be talking about. ]

All of that sounds really unpleasant. But there’s people that like that? Wow.

[ It's somehow worse that he's saying this with a completely blank expression?? If she glares more, can she get him to crack?? ]

That's exactly what you told me it's for!

Yeah, but I don’t enjoy being choked with it. And I also didn’t say anything about doing tricks. I’m not their dog.

[ never mind that he does most of the housework at their command. he himself doesn’t even realize that that might count. ]

Do you come when they call? Let them order you around, like telling you to wear a collar?

[ That's dog behavior, man. She puffs out a sigh. ]

Well, wouldn’t it be rude to ignore them?

[ this is what he’s worried about?? ]

If you're not gonna shoot them, at least be rude to people who put a collar on you.

[ Goddess. She can see she's going to have to publish a basic life tips manuscript for some people here. ]

That will just end up with me dead. This collar can magically choke me, after all. Aozaki pulls no punches.

[ ...Yeah she's got no answer to that. She keeps telling herself she's going to leave it, but, man. ]

You ever think about just not going back? Stay in this shitty city, take the free rent.

...

[ that does get soujuurou to pause. yes, that sure is an option but... ]

And then what? It wouldn't be any different here than it is over there.

Not any? Who's holding your leash here?

[ ...Although once she says it, it's kind of hard to deny the goddess is holding all of their leashes. ]

The goddess, but that isn't really the problem here. It's a bit more complicated than that.

[ while a normal person would likely consider not being leashed by two crazy witches to be incentive enough to leave, the reality is far different for soujuurou. in his eyes, they are the best option, collar or no collar. ]

...Tell me about it. Nobody here has a straightforward life. [ Including her, but will that stop her from sounding exasperated? No. ] Fuck. No matter where in the universe you go, you carry your problems with you.

[ Or some philosophical cat nonsense like that. ]

I realized that not many people have a straightforward life in the cities. It's full of troubles and strange situations that they can't solve on their own.

[ he sighs softly, mulling over the things he has seen since his descent from the mountains. people facing situations that he couldn't have even dreamed up of back in his former home, good and bad alike. ]

But that's why they depend on each other more, I think. So that they can survive.

And the mountains aren't? They're full of bears. If you can't find food for yourself, you starve, don't you?

[ Well, those are pretty solvable problems, though. She's not disagreeing there... she gives a provisional shrug. ]

Maybe. But when survival is really on the line, I've seen cities turn on each other just as fast.

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emptyself - 2024-09-21 00:14 (UTC) - Expand

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bloodandstars - 2024-09-22 19:27 (UTC) - Expand

network; @shizukisoujuurou

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text -> action.

action!

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wheels back in to stare at this after crimes

isn’t this thread so much funnier now?

STARES INTO THE VOID

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