EMPATHEIAS IC CONTACT/APPOINTMENTS POST

[ledbythewind]

This post can be used to thread with or get in contact with Richard at any point when he doesn't have a post up! Just comment here (please use the format [Action], [Voice], etc. to make it clear what type of thread it is) for a thread with him; if it's a continuation of another thread or post, please link that so I remember the context of the thread.

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Voice | August after the event

[stripartist]

[Telepathic knocking at the door.]

[ledbythewind]

[... someone is contacting him. This is decidedly unusual, and after his behavior in the mines, he can't help but be wary about the reasons behind it. He's not at all proud of how he acted, even if he wasn't himself, and the last thing he wants to do is dredge up those memories and emotions again.

Still, ignoring this would be rude, so he takes a deep breath before responding.]

Hello?

[stripartist]

Richard-san? It's Yusuke Kitagawa. Are you feeling any better?

[So much genuine concern is flooding over the connection right now.]

The Polite Prank War™

[pactfulfilled]

((OOC: This is just for the lulz, there's no need to reply to this.))

A promise of revenge, huh? Asbel's never personally engaged in the art of vengeance before, and it's something he's had to give some (not-so-)serious thought to following the knighting ceremony. He'd have liked to have taken it all back, but Richard actually seemed pretty taken with the idea, so he's left with little choice but to rise to the occasion! It's for Richard, after all.

So the next morning, or sometime during the day, that fabled little lion plush will go missing from its usual nesting place and can instead be found peering out of the top of one of Richard's boots.

Yeah. It's on, friend.

First Strike

[pactfulfilled]

To start, Asbel doesn't have much in the way of ideas for getting his revenge, but one afternoon while tidying things up, he does happen to notice that a lot of the books on the shelves have paper covers on them, and that a lot of those are about the same size.

It's an easy task to slip the covers off and switch them with one another. That one about the prince discovering a swan trapped on an enchanted lake? Yeah, it's actually a story about a wandering bard who's down on his luck. And volume 1 of Adventures and Tall Tales of the High Seas? Sorry, it's actually volume 5. Hope you're not worried about spoilers or anything.

Once he's done, Asbel realizes it's the sort of thing that would drive someone like Hubert up a wall, so while he's at it, he'll dust the shelves off too -- except for one little patch where he writes "hi richard" and signs his work with the super mysterious initials "k o d".

The Empire-- er, King Strikes Back

[ledbythewind]

To be honest, that was exactly the sort of revenge that Richard had been expecting from Asbel-- something about as harmless as it comes, because he knows that for all of his friend's talk, Asbel isn't the sort of person to do anything resembling any sort of actual vengeance. In fact, he's a bit surprised that Asbel came up with the idea for something that devious; Asbel is such a straightforward person and so bad at any sort of lies or secrecy that Richard's expectations had run more along the lines of something more... perhaps juvenile is a bit of a strong word, but let's be real, there's still that eleven-year-old kid who climbed in through Richard's window in there somewhere.

Richard, on the other hand, is going to take a more direct approach. Asbel will come out for breakfast one morning to find the table neatly set, complete with two nice, cold glasses of water already poured. Except there's something a bit off about those glasses...

But hey, he's nice enough to have left some clean dish towels on the counter. Never let it be said that Richard is not courteous, even when he's playing pranks on his friends.

12/26

[stripartist]

[It's the day after Christmas when Yusuke finally delivers Richard's present. He's been weird since last night, but Yusuke's not going to let a kiss and a gay panic stop him from giving Richard the art.

It's a drawing of Richard ala a Phantom Thief. It's clear Yusuke took inspiration for Richard's outfit from Western kings, specifically Richard the Lionhearted--his mask is lion themed, there's a lot of royal purple, and he even has a little cape over his non-dominant arm. Codename: Pride. There's also two Persona with Richard in the art. The first is "Arthur", and Yusuke did his best to make King Arthur look like a Persona, with a giant ass sword and crown over a face that's mostly glowing light. The second is "Odin", the sword replaced with giant ass spear and crown replaced with a hat-and-eyepatch over a glowing face.

In the card that came with it, Yusuke explains who Richard the Lionhearted was and who King Arthur and Odin were in the stories.

The card's signed "yours, Yusuke". That may have been added after last night. He'll never tell.]

12/25

[princesswhatshername]

[At Richard's door, he'll find a package! A tin of yummy cookies, polish for his sword, and a hideous hand-knit green scarf with RICHARD in gold letters. Minnie tried.

Card!]

Merry Christmas, Sir Richard! Thank you for all your help during the Knighting Ceremony. ♥

Love,

Princess Minnie Mouse.

[ledbythewind]

[Hideous or not, Richard will treasure that scarf and wear it all the time, because it really is the thought that counts as far as he's concerned.

He appreciates it a great deal, Minnie.]

12/28!! after talking to Yusuke | voice

[purrtagonist]

[SOMEONE IS BLARING THE BANANA PHONE SONG IN YOUR HEAD, RICHARD. ENJOY!!]

[. . . in other words, Akira's trying to get his attention]

Anybody home?

voice (oh lord I'm dying)

[ledbythewind]

[WHAT WHAT IS THAT AWFUL TUNE HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO HIM, AKIRA

THIS IS CRUEL AND UNUSUAL PUNISHMENT

... that he will probably use on Asbel someday but shhh]

Can I help you with something?

[Okay, not the most polite response, but he honestly isn't even sure how to respond to that.]

8)

[purrtagonist]

[YOU DESERVE IT FOR BEING A HEARTBREAKER!!]

So I hear you're stealing kisses from one of my friends.

[well that's. blunt]

[12/30-31] The Bedtime Pact™ Reprise

[pactfulfilled]

[It's well into the night when Asbel climbs down from his bed as silently as possible and sets himself up a spot on the floor again. He's brought plenty of blankets this time (not a bad idea since the chill in the air still hasn't subsided completely). He's not sure it'll help too much, though. Weary and beat-up as he feels, there's no way he can fall asleep anyhow.]

[So instead he stretches out his things near the window, blending into the pattern cast by moonlight on the floor. It's not so bad, honestly. If he tilts his head just right, he can see a patch of sky outside, illuminated and dotted with stars. And so he lays there, imagining what it must be like to float into it all. All told, it's kind of soothing.]

2/14 [Not Here - Action]

[lightthedarkness]

[Waiting on King Richard's doorstep when he gets home are three candygrams that showed up throughout the day. The first is a pink rose with a pink ribbon, the second is a yellow rose with a yellow ribbon, and the last one delivered is a red rose with a red ribbon wrapped around it. There are also three boxes of heart-shaped chocolates with a card. All it reads is:]

- From Yusuke

2/15

[pactfulfilled]

[Rose apple cupcake? Rose apple cupcake. Looks like a yellow rose, tastes like apples. What could be better? Well, maybe one that Tiger Festival isn't trying to hockey around on the kitchen table. Good thing it's in a little takeout case. Probably.]

voice | backdated to whenever the heck Akechi arrived

[stripartist]

Richard?

voice

[ledbythewind]

Yes?

[As far as Richard can tell, this is just the initiation of one of their typical conversations, so the emotions seeping through the connection are warm, affectionate.]

voice

[stripartist]

[Yusuke appreciates the emotions, but he has a goal in mind today.

He flashes up an image of Akechi.]

Avoid this boy, please.

11/18

[pactfulfilled]

[A handwritten letter, left on the kitchen table.]

dear richard,

i know this is sudden, but i've decided to go back to shaarnath and rejoin the ongoing investigation. we hadn't found anything much on the rebels' current whereabouts the last time i was there, however i'm hoping some stones are yet left unturned.

["Stay safe," he almost writes, but instead:]

last night's leftovers are still in the ice box. don't worry, i'll return just as soon as i can.

asbel

11/18

[ledbythewind]

[This... was not at all what Richard was expecting to wake up to, and in truth it's more than a bit unsettling. He's been concerned about his friend ever since he returned; this is just further evidence that something isn't quite right at all, and if Asbel is in Shaarnath, Richard can't even contact him to ask what's going on.

He doesn't like this. He doesn't like this at all. But at the same time, he isn't entirely certain what he can do. He'll give Asbel a few days, but if he doesn't hear anything by then... he just may go after his friend.

For now, however, he'll just feed Tiger Festival and then fix himself a cup of tea, sitting down at the table with the letter clutched more tightly in his hand than is strictly necessary...]

12/24-12-25 wow that was a grand misfire

[pactfulfilled]

[Santa A strikes when no one's watching. He's gotten pretty good at this whole Christmas elf thing, and he waits until he's sure Richard isn't around before setting out a box where he'll find it once he gets back home. (His name's even on the tag, so he'll know it's meant for him!)]

[Thing is...there are numerous boxes planted throughout the apartment and all of them are decoys! All empty of even a trick or a clue. But once Richard gets tired enough, he's likely to find Tiger Festival curled up on a fluffy orange mound that's taken over his bed. Say hello to your brand new car winter pajamas, Richard. Complete with tiger paw slippers with retractable claws. They say anyone whose feet fit inside is guaranteed to have more confidence, but maybe that's just a marketing ploy.]

I brought out my A-game just for you.

[spirialink]

[...Okay, he's 0 for 2 right now on this, but third time is the charm. The direct approach didn't quite work out. So maybe he just needs to be really precise, to make sure his thoughts reach the right person properly!]

Hey... I know it's hard for you right now. Like, really hard. But I can help you feel better. I know I can! I know you didn't... exactly want to do it last time, but it's seriously not good to just let this all build up inside you instead of letting it out.

We can talk it out first, and I'll tell you anything you wanna know first, since this is your first time and all. I don't wanna scare you with more than you can handle. But I promise you, once I'm inside you, you're gonna feel great after it's all over! Just remember what I always say: Kor Meteor doesn't try, Kor Meteor does, and with style, I might add!

[...Someone needs to sit this boy down and teach him not to say the things he says.]

I'm so glad

[ledbythewind]

[This is... a very interesting unintended message. And hey, he himself is engaged, so far be it from him to judge what anyone else here in Verens gets up to during their private time, but...

... okay, so he's not going to judge. No, he's going to do even worse than that.]

I'm flattered, but I'm afraid my partner might have a few things to say about such a proposition. I'm not sure he's the type to share, although perhaps if I told him he could be involved as well...

[Trololololol.]

[spirialink]

[By the third time, Kor doesn't even have it in him to be shocked. He's just embarrassed now. How can he be screwing this up so badly all of a sudden? It's not hard to reach people by amulet, so why's he reaching people he doesn't even know?]

Umm... That wasn't meant for you...

Forward-dated; Post-Drop.

[pactfulfilled]

[Whenever Richard chooses to tidy Asbel's belongings, he might eventually discover a letter, addressed to him, hidden between a small box filled with stones and other small trinkets and the soft blue scarf he wore in colder months. There are others too, from ages ago, mostly addressed to Hubert, but this one in particular seems to be somewhat new, written in Asbel's curly if somewhat messy hand.]

hey richard,

if you're reading this, then i'm guessing you're feeling a little lonely right now. try and stick with it to the end, okay? you know i'm not much with letters, but i hope this will cheer you up even a little.

i can't be sure how things might change in empatheias after i'm gone, but i trust you'll take care of yourself, and each other. remember to eat and sleep properly and don't give ti more than three treats a day no matter how sulky she gets. (okay, okay maybe four.) the sopherias need lots of sunlight and water every other day. and positive emotions, even when it's hard.

but, the real point of this letter is for me to say that i'm grateful for the times we were able to spend together and live together here. it made me realize just how important you, and everyone, are to me, and i wouldn't trade them for anything. i may not remember all this the next chance we meet, but believe me when i say it wasn't for nothing.

a long time ago i decided to believe in you. and i decided that you were worth saving. i want you to believe that, too, and follow the path you choose in life, and never give up on your own happiness.

anyway, in case i never said this: thanks, richard. you know i don't like to rank the people i care about, but between you and me, i can't think of anyone else i'd rather have for a best friend.

you know where to find me. whatever you decide, we'll be here to welcome you back whenever that day comes.

your friend always,
asbel lhant