OPEN POST II

[formidable]

MUSELIST This a post where I'll RP anything with you! Got a scenario in mind? I'LL DO IT. If you wanna chat IDEAS.GIF, contact me at maiscribbles or my Discord (Maiscribbles#6780). Have at it! ➢ Cool Mood Music No. 1 ➤ Cool Mood Music No. 2

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[takeyourway]

I guess that's one way of putting it...

[He really had to give credit for the others helping him out. After all, he couldn't had survived this far without depending on his friends. His eyebrows rise a little at her sudden boost in optimism. Maybe she was the type who bounced back quickly after stumbling a bit.

Huh. She was looking really spooked a few moments ago. At least I was able to give her a push in the right direction.]

You sure that you'll be okay out there? It's still dangerous for a girl to be wandering around the streets at night, so I can give you a free ride on Byakko if you want.

[emotive]

[(In truth, she's just trying to avoid talking about herself because she's so limited and because in truth she just feels hopelessly helpless and it just the worst...)

Ai brightens up even more when Hiro extends the offer.]

Really? I'll take you up on that then! It's not every day one gets to ride a demon tiger!

[takeyourway]

You heard her, boy. The Ziodyne Express is open for business.

[There's a bit of a delayed response from the demon as he ponders on his Master's weird taste in names. But Byakko leans down proper as Hiro climbs on his back. From there, Hiro will offer his hand to Ai to help her climb on.]

Oh yeah! If you get scared or uncomfortable, then you can hold onto me. I won't tell a soul. 𝅘𝅥𝅮

[He might tease her about it later, though. There was never a dull moment to mess with people.]

[emotive]

Ah. You don't mind?

[She accepts his hand and pulls herself up to climb onto Byakko's back. She's quiet for a second before asking...]

... So that means you don't have a girlfriend, huh?

[Despite how innocuous and innocent it's stated, it's also terribly blunt.]

[takeyourway]

[Now that catches Hiro off guard. He feels his cheeks turning red in embarrassment before blurting out.]

Wha--?! W-Where did that even come from!?

[She's totally right, though. Even before these apocalyptic days, he had never even thought about seriously dating anyone. There were plenty of cute girls in JPs for sure, but surviving with everyone was his top priority right now!]

[emotive]

Ah. Hm. Well.

[She crosses her arms to mull over her own words and his reaction to it.]

... I guess I said that out loud because it seems weird that you'd let someone you don't know very well to hold onto you.

[Is it her lesser skill in Japanese that makes this come across as strange? Is it just her being a goddamn weirdo? YOU DECIDE!]

[takeyourway]

Am I some kind of weirdo magnet? Is this what my life has become now?

[He's openly mulling about this. How many strange people has he encountered these past few days?]

Okay, look. I said that as reassurance if you felt yourself slipping off of Byakko! Whatever's going on in that flighty head of yours... You're just overthinking things!

[He hasn't really answered her question, though.]

[emotive]

Oh... I see! My sister just tells me that sometimes I don't question other people enough so I thought I might just ask. Then again, Lien does tell me I overthink too...

[Ai, normal people don't ask things so casually like that.

In any case, she'll be wrapping her arms around his torso.]

Better safe than sorry! There's no seatbelts after all.

[takeyourway]

[There's almost an exasperated sigh from Hiro as he pats Byakko to start moving. Was she going to be another problem child that would give him headaches in the future?!]

So let me guess... You're the younger sister, aren't you?

[It's said in absolute deadpan. There's a solid line to his logic here!]

[emotive]

Just by a few minutes. How'd you guess?

[Dork.]

We're twins. So I guess if you see someone else who looks similar to me, it's a good chance it's her.

[takeyourway]

Twins, huh? Well, my deduction was simple!

[Puffing his chest with pride, Hiro lifts a finger up.]

The older sibling is always the more responsible one with common sense! And the younger sibling is the one who brings forth trouble like a storm! It's like the unwritten law of the universe for the older sibling to forever be a few steps ahead of the little one.

[It's a proud observation, but he doesn't realize how insensitive it sounds.]

[emotive]

More responsible... Common sense...

[She's muttering under her breath for some reason.

And then she very seriously replies:]

I think you have the wrong idea about her.

[takeyourway]

Huh? Whaddya mean?

[Hmmm... Could this be? Ah, yes! He quickly snaps his fingers.]

Oh, I get it! Is there a sibling rivalry thing going on here? It's totally normal to feel a liiittle jealous of your big sis!

If you feel like venting, though... Then you can lay it all on me. I'm like a safe space wrapped up in a bunnyhood.

1/3

[emotive]

Eh... I don't think I'm jealous of her either, to be honest.

And when you put it that way, I'll be straight with you... She's...

[psychometer]

ACHOO!!

[Somewhere out there, Lien sneezes and just hopes she's not getting a cold in the middle of a hellpocalypse...]

[emotive]

... She's really smart, but really dumb.

[And we all thought Ai was a nice girl...]

[takeyourway]

[So they're both a pair of a weirdos. At Ai's comment, Hiro couldn't help and start laughing. Yes, he's certainly bumped into all kinds of strange people ever since this all started. Sometimes, it give him big headaches... But he never truly hated it. Unlike in the past, Hiro's found that his friend circle has grown bigger than ever!]

Well, it still seems like you look up to her! I might not have a brother or sister, but I know that a bond like that is super important!

[emotive]

Mm. I can't say I really look up to her...

[Ai's really fighting against the idea that her twin is a dependable big sister for some reason. And she even pouts when Hiro starts laughing.]

Argh, it's hard to say. Either way, I really need to find her anyways.

[takeyourway]

Oh, c'mon. If she was really a terrible sister, then you wouldn't be desperate enough to use the power of demons for help.

[He's just calling it how he sees it! Sure, he hasn't met her yet... But Hiro tries to see the best in people. But this sounded more complicated than he thought...]

I've got a best friend who's like that. Not so much that he's dumb, but he comes off as spineless sometimes. Don't let that fool you, though... Once he's backed into a corner, he becomes stronger than anyone! Like a lion who bares his claws!

[emotive]

Family's family, y'know?

[Oh yeah... Here Hiro is helping Ai out and she's barely asked him about his current situation. He did mention that he didn't have siblings... Ai decides to ask.]

Hiro? Your family isn't missing right now are they? I never really asked what your situation was like after the earthquakes.

[takeyourway]

I don't know where they are. I tried calling them, but didn't get any response.

[Compared to the cheerfulness that he had whenever he was talking about Daichi, Hiro's voice sounds rather disconnected from the conversation. Despite how close he was to her, Hiro couldn't had sounded further away.]

My parents and I weren't very close. So who knows if they're even safe... or even alive. I'm more concerned about other people right now.

[That's a little cold, Hiro.]

[emotive]

[She falls quiet again instead of responding right away. Ai can read the mood if nothing else.]

...

[It is troubling how cold it is though. But is she really one to talk?]

It's like that huh.

[Another pause before she continues.]

I'm... I'm worried about my grandma. She's back in Vietnam. She was our actual parent in a way.

[takeyourway]

[He hoped that that didn't come off as heartless. But Hiro had to think about this pragmatically... He could only reach out to those who were in front of him, not those who were out of sight. Plus the bond he had with his parents were almost non-existent.]

Whenever you get back to the hotel, you should try calling her to see if she's safe. These demons are attacking all over the world.

[He couldn't make any promises that she was going to be okay, though. Since Ai was a foreigner, he knew that this whole situation had to be even tougher for her since she was apart from family.]

Did something happen to your actual parents?

[There's delicateness in his voice. This could be a sensitive topic, so he won't tackle it in his usual goofball way.]

[emotive]

She might be okay if our neighbors are looking out for each other. But then again she's always been a tough old lady.

[Surprisingly, her answer about her parents is rather blase.]

I don't know much about them actually and I don't have any memories related to them. Grandma keeps calling them useless on a good day.

[takeyourway]

Oh, good. She might even become a demon tamer. Not like there's an age limit to the role!

[Hiro lets out a big sigh of relief after hearing that. After all, as long as you had a strong will... Then demons seemed to follow you. Or as long as you had enough Macca in your pockets for the devil auctions.]

But hey... I hear you on the whole 'useless parents' thing. Mine's never really paid much attention to me. My dad would usually tell me not to get in mom's way or get annoyed if I came home late. [He felt more like an inconvenience than anything else.] The only thing they seemed to pay attention to was my grades.