[Open!] Oh the weather outside, is the same as it always is!

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Who: Seto Kaiba & You
What: This is a catch-all for December where I will be adding prompts as the month progresses.
Where: All over
When: Various time periods!
Content Warnings: None currently



The Top-levels will contain the prompts, but I can always add more if you want something specific!

Comments

Merlaut Apartments & Other well-populated locales!

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Kaiba had been so preoccupied with his rigorous training schedule last month that he had somehow neglected to involve himself in the whole lightning rod affixed to the roof deal. Now that he had seen it in action, and it was proven to extend electrical usage for an added hour he was looking on building upon it. The next step seemed logical but there was an issue with the terrain. He could be found examining the setup at the apartments, and out trying to estimate what it would take to set up a network of wires, or chains to run between the various buildings. In theory if they were all connected then it wouldn't matter where the storm was, it would be channeled over the lines and result in slightly more stable electricity.]

It wouldn't be difficult to rig more lightning rods- however the distance between locations is still variable.

[Lamenting this fact as he looked skyward]

If the gaps were extended too far the wires could snap, and anything or anyone in the vicinity could end up electrocuted instead.

[Grumbling to himself he still hadn't quite given it up]

Or would the connection help stabilize the current locations..? [Said doubtfully. It didn't make much sense but when did anything in this place?] Could test it with string first.... The expansion and contraction doesn't seem to have adversely effected the walkway system so I might be overthinking this.

[abeautifulgame]

Considering the distance, you might be better of trying for something like a generator -- or a battery. [something to store the electricity and distribute it, between storms] You'd need one at each location, not to mention a few lighting rods to get it to charge the battery, but ... [but it might be the better option]

[and ohai, Seto. have a Damien standing a few feet behind you]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

I had considered something like that however none of the batteries have been holding a charge any longer than anything else. [Kaiba answered first, before turning to face the other. Building a generator was something he'd actually tried 'months' prior and all that got him was a sneak attack from a ferocious monster. He'd seen considerably less of Damien lately, and he didn't neglect to comment on that fact.]

Guess this means you're still trapped here.

[abeautifulgame]

You've already managed to reinvent the wheel once. [what with making concrete work, here, when this place didn't seem to understand chemistry, at first] Between the two of us, we might be able to figure something out.

[because yes, he is, in fact, still trapped here, along with everyone else. sorry for having a busy couple of months?]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Interest piquing at that lead in, he awaited the words that followed. Yes, it was nice having some acknowledgment for the role he had played in that earlier success, even though Indigo deserved part of the credit. Teaming up was apparently something he was going to have to utilize more often] It would be considerably more convenient than the alternative. [When you're right, you're right. How dare he let this place convince him that something wasn't possible? Since when did he allow anything to do that?] We just have to make multiple attempts until the void gets the idea that it should function.

[Not!apology accepted, since you might have just saved him a considerable logistical headache.]

[abeautifulgame]

[he nods]

We could start with something small, too. [a beat] Something like a potato battery, maybe? [something simple, something repetitive. like you would when trying to teach a small child a new concept]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Maybe that's been part of my problem the entire time.. [He'd started with something more complex with the earlier attempt to make a generator. Instead of starting at 100 he needed to dial back to 10] It couldn't hurt to try. [Unless they managed to get a shock in the progress that was beyond what a potato battery would normally create]

[Giving the other a bit of a stare... Kaiba finally piped up with another question that was on his mind]

What have you been up to lately? [Yes. Small talk. Something he usually tried to avoid but he was genuinely curious in this instance]

[abeautifulgame]

Seeing someone -- a woman. [he pauses, flashing Kaiba a wry smile] That seems to be news. [for all that he really didn't tell anyone that he was dating, when him and Melinoë became a thing. for all that he's not sure when they really did, when that became real for him, beyond just flirting and casual sex]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[The technological side of the conversation temporarily fell away as they started to get caught up on lost time]

[That unexpected answer got a lifting of the eyebrows. Looking briefly to his notes, just to have something else to focus on Kaiba debated what to say] Ah.

[Yes, perfect. Very eloquent, mr. Kaiba. Was Damien waiting for him to ask for clarification or was he going to offer it up on his own?] That would explain ... it. [Kaiba had started seeing someone too] Who?

[abeautifulgame]

Dark haired girl, about yea tall? [he indicates Melinoë's height, about a head shorter than him -- she's 5'10", he's 6'2"] Purple eyes? [might have not looked like that at all, if he ran into her during the shit in Mementos] Her name's Melinoë.

[any of this sound familiar?]

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[As the description was being voiced Kaiba started to consider potential candidates. Dark-haired was already throwing him off, the height and eye color weren't anymore illuminating. Also, how dare you be taller by an inch Damien.] Melinoë? Huh. [Looking considerably baffled that his information network had failed in in this area. I mean sure, it wasn't a legit network- without either satellites or wireless communication but.. how had he missed meeting this person even once?]

Is..... she new? [Clearly, the only explanation. Even if it was in error]

[abeautifulgame]

[if it makes you feel any better, Kaiba, he usually doesn't look his height -- for how he has to stand, to stand comfortably, he loses a few inches]

[but at any rate, he studies him for a moment, trying to decide whether or not he's being facetious, and then huffs out a breath, before shaking his head] No. [a beat] She's been here since the beginning. [and another] Hangs out with that Viridi girl? [maybe that will help?]

Hammerhead Book Stop & Garage

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[It would have been impossible to miss this latest addition to the landscape, as it is literally the only gas station in the area. Kaiba stopped to inspect the pumps briefly but that only results in one of them spurting water over his boots, accompanied by an excitable flopping fish. After grousing about that, he made his way eventually to the library, he was fascinated by the sheer scope of the shelves, and what information the tomes might contain. First he just looked for something that might be useful from an intellectual standpoint, then once he found something about relationships. He swiftly replaced it on the shelf, but didn't move away. He debated cracking it open, but felt like an idiot for considering it. His eyes glanced to one side, and when he didn't see or hear anyone else about, he placed the more difficult book aside and retrieved the one about relationships. After scanning a few of the pages he shook his head.]

What a load...

[Clearly not seeing the merit in this trash. It was all about 'feelings' and how to 'express them' and 'trying to see things from your partner's perspective'. You know, crazy things like that.]

People actually read this nonsense?

[Flipping another page as he caught something about 'having to love yourself before you can love others'. When he stopped leafing through it, it was on a chapter giving a breakdown of what would constitute as a natural progression for a romantic partnership. This part he got a little more invested in... so much so that it wouldn't be hard to sneak up on him]

Merlaut Apartments - Gift Exchange! - OTA but most relevant to Ren Amamiya!

[blue_eyed_obsession]

People actually watch this stuff willingly?

[Kaiba scoffed, unable to fill that question with any more disgust than he already had. Once he stopped the episode of 'overly dramatic teenagers with unrealistic relationship aspirations' otherwise known as 'bubbly hills, 90210' from playing his eyes swept over the mess cluttering up his apartment with disdain.

He didn't know how someone had managed to break in here, or why but when he noticed the video game cartridges scattered across the floor he decided if they left their items in here, they automatically became his personal property. Work before play, always- so first he tidied everything up into neat little piles on his desk. Then he did a quick check to make sure none of the supplies he'd stocked up on were missing, which they weren't so now he could see about putting this console through it's paces.

Picking it up, he turned it over in his hands assessing the condition it was in and whether it required any regular maintenance most owners neglect, he determined it wasn't bad.. but it did. Once he was through cleaning it properly, he set it up and began looking through the stack of games.]

It's such an outdated system.. [Then he shrugged it off, raising his eyebrows briefly before deciding not to extend his complaints. It had been a while since he'd been able to play more than chess, shogi, darts, or pinball so even if it had been an Atari he would have plugged it in. It's not like he had a lot on his plate anyway so he started playing each title in term, proving just why he was the video game champion of the arcade gaming scene before he shifted focus to duel monsters, the colorful sounds of all that 8-bit glory likely carried out into the hallway]

[forethinking]

(Iwai had come over and had his pictures back from Ren's fridge, and Ren now knows that there are belongings scattered around the Void. There isn't much that he owns, but if there is something Ren loves is his TV set... Which makes the 8-bit sound stand out much more to his ears once he stepped outside his own apartment, catching a glimpse of his neighbour on the way out.)

Oh. Those are mine.

(He recognizes from a mile away.)

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[At first, Kaiba doesn't realize he's the one being addressed but a quick glance fills him in on all he needs to know. They appear to be the only ones in the vicinity, still he's not sure what game Ren is playing at at the moment, if the claim is legitimate or not. This wouldn't be the first time the void had given something to the wrong person but that had been confined to intangible things like memories previously...]

How can you tell, from that far away? Do you know how many copies they make of these cartridges in order to see a return on them?

[With a shake of his head, he looks to some of the other titles he's stacked neatly on the table. Amamiya might not be his favorite person, and he has his own secrets to keep but it was still difficult to see him finding the need to lie about something so frivolous as an obsolete system.]

... Has something else happened in the void? [A logical conclusion...]

[forethinking]

(And with that, Ren's eyebrow goes up. Why would he lie? There are several better TVs washing up on the beach daily, but that one, old and dusty, belonged to him and him alone.

Ren could easily name each one of the DVDs, each of the games, but that seemed to be unnecessary with the information he brings.)

Belongings are reappearing. (He says, factually, before shrugging.) I've had something that wasn't mine appear in my room.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

[Well- not-so-dusty now. Some fastidious person wouldn't allow it to remain precisely in that initial state once it appeared in his domicile. You're welcome for the free cleanup.

Could you tell that Kaiba almost asked you to do just that Ren? At least he had enough sense to forego it when he thought more about it.]

Ah. [Well, that answers that.] What appeared in your room? [Still not inviting the other in, but convinced enough that he would be relinquishing the machine at some point]

[forethinking]

Photographs.

(Not Kaiba's, but Iwai's. It was easier to prove as his since he appeared in each and every one of them. He'd still look for the rightful owner, but as it was, Iwai was already in his apartment when he took notice of the photos.)

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Thrilling.

[Barely managing to resist rolling his eyes. Generally, Kaiba liked it when people didn't mince words, but Amamiya was so lacking in details that it forced him to ask follow-ups]

Of what?

[forethinking]

A group of friends. Doesn't concern anybody but the owner.

(Certainly doesn't concern Kaiba. Barely concerns Ren. It just happens to be him who received it other than Iwaizumi. Given their track record, it's not a can of worms Ren wishes to open.

Gestures towards his TV set, he once more turns to Kaiba.)

Something of yours may be around.

[blue_eyed_obsession]

It could have been of literally anything, don't act as if I'm infringing on someone's privacy just for asking.

[That likely answers how Amamiya was able to identify the owner however. If they had only been landscapes or cat photos it wouldn't have been nearly as easy. Iwa was lucky they ended up in Ren's hands and not Kaiba's lbr.

What, is that gesture supposed to be a hint that he wants to collect the set now? Why is this guy so abysmal at using his words?]

Guess I'll find out, assuming it's something easily identifiable. [A beat passes as he waits for something more overt. It's a sort of game in it's own] I didn't know you were into gaming... [Not that he super cared but..]

[forethinking]

Hopefully it is.

(Ren is BAD at words, but most of his friends require very little of those from him. Something about connection makes Ren easy to be understood by his friends, but even so, he remains a polite and friendly presence for those who are still in the process of getting to know him.

To the question, Ren just shrugs.)

It's a fun hobby. May I?

(He isn't intruding Kaiba's space without his say so, after all.)

[blue_eyed_obsession]

Mm.

[Humming an answer to the first part, and mildly considering the possibilities. Not wanting to get his hopes up he stops speculating soon thereafter, besides what he most wants isn't a possession and shouldn't be ensnared here. His brother.]

A hobby..

[Then Ren likely wouldn't pose as real competition. That's a pity for someone who played competitively. Kaiba gave a subdued nod and stepped aside enough to let the other inside. Eh, so much for killing some time.]

[forethinking]

(Ren goes straight to his set, looking at his collection as if it never left his person and gently taking the box of "Featherman Seeker" from the pile to hand Kaiba.)

This one. (He recommends, a small smile on his lips.) You can play them and return it to me later.

(He saw the pristine care Kaiba took with his cartridges, he knows there's some interest there after all.)