Again, there are spells for that sort of thing, but they're a little pointless considering that a bit of time, ice, heat or hands-on attention will get you the same result.
[Hakuno, no.]
But, I would actually have to ask you to take your shirt off to do it the old fashion way. And either sit or lie down, since you're taller than me.
[He can still drop this. He can say something like, "That's neat," and leave it at that. But this has somehow turned into a game of chicken, even if he's not sure he isn't just playing against himself, so...]
You know, the last time I've ever really been relaxed was centuries ago, so you've got your work cut out for you.
[He takes the cloak off and carefully folds it, then pulls off his shirt and drops it on the floor.]
I'll sit. I'm more difficult to smother that way.
[Even if she gets him to relax she'll never be able to get him to chill, though.]
She was radically less prepared for that than she thought she was going to be, even after making the suggestion in the first place. In her defense, despite seeing him more or less in this state of dishabille way back during their dungeon escapade, she is a very recent member of the 'adults' club, and that fluid stripping motion evokes very recent memories. Or rather, it places Robin very close to those memories, and that just needs to... stop, right now, immediately.
By some miracle, other than a faint touch of color, her expression stays even.]
Right, then, excuse me...
[She sits behind him, one leg tucked beneath her for leverage. After taking a silent, bracing breath, she pokes him between his shoulder blades.]
[She might be able to feel Robin's muscles tensing when she touches his back, and she should definitely be able to see it. It's uncomfortable to trust someone enough to let them get this close to his back, and his whole body reacts unwillingly when it realizes what's going on.
The last time she got this close to him from behind, he lost his temper, but this time he invited her to do it, so the literal least he can do is let her do what she offered to.]
Left, I guess?
[He's getting more and more obvious about the fact that his shoulder's actually in perfect condition. Not that he was really trying in the first place.]
[It will only embarrass both of them if she calls him on this particular bluff, and she's not about to snub a chance to be under his guard and reassert how little she wants to hurt him. She keeps her motions slow and gentle, settling her hands on the muscles—tense as can be, naturally—of his left shoulder.]
Technically I should be using oils, but I figure there's only so far we can stretch your trust in one go, and slathering viscous, scented substances onto your bare skin might be pushing it.
[She's sort of joking, mostly to distract herself from the definition a life by the bow afforded his arms and shoulders. It doesn't really work, so she centers herself with another deep breath and then begins to slowly, firmly knead her fingers into the knots and tension.]
[The way Hakuno meticulously phrased that sentence would be enough to make better men blush.]
Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the idea of smelling like flowers.
[Or whatever it is they scent oils with. He doesn't really know.
Once Hakuno gets started, Robin isn't really sure what to think of the whole thing. The only times he's ever really been touched were for violence or sex, so a situation where neither of those is involved is...for lack of a better word, it's almost anticlimactic. The pressure is almost, but not quite, unpleasant on the knots in his shoulder, almost like the burn after a good stretch or the twinge of fatigue following a day of target practice.]
But you know, a lot of plant oils are poisonous. If you only broke them out occasionally, you could probably avoid suspicion for a while.
...strangely, it's more and more endearing how prepared you always are to be my accomplice for murder.
[Perhaps not the most... functional way to put it, but it's true. She knows Robin, and their relationship, such as it is, has been fraught with death, poison, wounds, threats, arguments, and just as many gradual, warm increases of affection and trust. Giving her advice on how not to get caught while killing somebody over time is his own way of reaching out.
Not normal, by any standard, but neither of them are anything approaching 'normal' either.
So Hakuno just makes a noise of amusement and slides one of her hands up, shifting it to deliver pressure with the heel of her hand.]
Oh, that actually reminds me. I want to avoid repeats, so how about writing up a plant wishlist some time?
...This isn't an admission of guilt or anything, okay? This is just an unrelated statement. I really don't think it's a good idea to go chasing any black markets that might or might not exist.
[That's comforting.]
But I want to get better at antidotes and medicines, so I'll do a little more research into those...I don't like buying plants if I can harvest them instead, so it might be a short list unless you're up for a field trip.
[He certainly doesn't trust anyone but him to harvest plants, because he knows best what he's looking for.]
I figure they might come in handy to fix yourself up if you run out of - ah.
[Hakuno's hand makes its way over an especially tight spot, his shoulder twitching out of reflex. It's painful for a moment or two, but once it lets up as the muscle loosens itself, it's really nice.
If he weren't already pushing his luck, he'd ask her to do the right side too.]
I know, I know, no more shady bar transactions. You made me promise.
[When he got his very nice lock picks.]
I meant more along the lines of field trips, yes. Normal plants are easy to find potted, and I've gotten you seeds, but I figured something a little more... immediately useful might end up more appreciated, in the end.
[She makes a note of that spot and switches back to her fingertips, rubbing small, steady circles until all the tension melts away.]
Gosh, how much aching do you put up with normally?
[He's so used to it he doesn't really notice most of the time.]
I make sure I take care of my mental health, but...
[This is dangerously close to a real conversation, so he sort of trails off. He does the bare minimum to take care of himself, to make sure he's functional enough to fight when he's needed, but any more than that gets ignored in favor of pushing himself as far as he can go. He can't rely on the inherent strength that Heroic Spirits have anymore, after all.]
...You can just do what you want. If you want to feel me up a little more, that's fine by me.
[Shit. That was definitely flirting. She just got a literal tattoo because some other man wanted her to, and he's flirting with her anyway. That's low, even for him.]
[To be fair, that's an entirely different commitment to her. She likes Vietnam too much to ever allow herself to seriously view Gilgamesh romantically. But, naturally, for Robin to know that, they would have to actually talk about feelings.
And that's just crazy talk, is what that is.]
You make it sound like an imposition.
[She's teasing him back rather than replying head on, opting to just start working on the other side.]
[It sure is crazy talk. He hasn't even rightly worked through his own feelings yet; he's definitely not ready to try to figure out what Hakuno's are.]
I'm dead, but I'm not that dead.
[A cute girl giving him a massage is never, ever going to be an imposition, though he's not about to say that so directly.
His right shoulder is a little worse for wear than his left; he's right-handed, after all, so it gets more of a workout every time he uses his bow. It seems like he's in a little more discomfort with this one as a result, though he's trying to keep the noises and the twitching to a minimum.]
Make sure to speak up if it starts actually being painful. It'd be a shame if I bruised up twenty percent of your charm just because you're trying to be 'manly'.
[Ribbing aside, she is taking more care after the first few experimental probes. Muscles aren't something you should necessarily brute force, after all, so she alternates angles and how hard she digs in, keeping an eye out for the bare scraps of reaction he lets slip.]
[He probably would've given his face a higher rating, himself. Even with one eye covered, he was handsome enough to woo village girls who had grown up being told that he was possessed by fairies.
Sarcasm aside, he is sort of curious about it, if only because he's sure it can't be his personality, intentionally crafted as it is to keep people from liking him at all in the first place.]
[Actually, his personality is a solid ten percent. For some reason, she likes his warped sense of humor and their banter has gotten increasingly fun over time.]
It used to be higher, before you started getting stripped in battle. I reassign points as necessary.
So basically since the beginning, since that happened in my first battle here. Unless you're actually the kind of person who checks out the people who are trying to kill you...?
[Gosh, it's almost like she sees something in him that he doesn't, isn't it.]
.......
[She falls silent at that accusation, which could mean anything. But the way her fingers flinch back, brief but noticeable, all but screams 'bull's eye'.]
[It's a short, defensive sound, punctuated by an embarrassingly weak hit to his shoulder blades. All in all, it's pretty much just another part of the massage. If he glances back, however, he'll get to see her ears and cheeks burning.]
I can't help the fact that multiple people who tried to kill me were also very attractive! O-Or that I noticed that fact!
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...Let's say it's the muscle.
[What the hell is he even doing.]
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[Hakuno, no.]
But, I would actually have to ask you to take your shirt off to do it the old fashion way. And either sit or lie down, since you're taller than me.
[Hakuno, no.]
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You know, the last time I've ever really been relaxed was centuries ago, so you've got your work cut out for you.
[He takes the cloak off and carefully folds it, then pulls off his shirt and drops it on the floor.]
I'll sit. I'm more difficult to smother that way.
[Even if she gets him to relax she'll never be able to get him to chill, though.]
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She was radically less prepared for that than she thought she was going to be, even after making the suggestion in the first place. In her defense, despite seeing him more or less in this state of dishabille way back during their dungeon escapade, she is a very recent member of the 'adults' club, and that fluid stripping motion evokes very recent memories. Or rather, it places Robin very close to those memories, and that just needs to... stop, right now, immediately.
By some miracle, other than a faint touch of color, her expression stays even.]
Right, then, excuse me...
[She sits behind him, one leg tucked beneath her for leverage. After taking a silent, bracing breath, she pokes him between his shoulder blades.]
Which side?
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The last time she got this close to him from behind, he lost his temper, but this time he invited her to do it, so the literal least he can do is let her do what she offered to.]
Left, I guess?
[He's getting more and more obvious about the fact that his shoulder's actually in perfect condition. Not that he was really trying in the first place.]
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[It will only embarrass both of them if she calls him on this particular bluff, and she's not about to snub a chance to be under his guard and reassert how little she wants to hurt him. She keeps her motions slow and gentle, settling her hands on the muscles—tense as can be, naturally—of his left shoulder.]
Technically I should be using oils, but I figure there's only so far we can stretch your trust in one go, and slathering viscous, scented substances onto your bare skin might be pushing it.
[She's sort of joking, mostly to distract herself from the definition a life by the bow afforded his arms and shoulders. It doesn't really work, so she centers herself with another deep breath and then begins to slowly, firmly knead her fingers into the knots and tension.]
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Yeah, I'm not thrilled with the idea of smelling like flowers.
[Or whatever it is they scent oils with. He doesn't really know.
Once Hakuno gets started, Robin isn't really sure what to think of the whole thing. The only times he's ever really been touched were for violence or sex, so a situation where neither of those is involved is...for lack of a better word, it's almost anticlimactic. The pressure is almost, but not quite, unpleasant on the knots in his shoulder, almost like the burn after a good stretch or the twinge of fatigue following a day of target practice.]
But you know, a lot of plant oils are poisonous. If you only broke them out occasionally, you could probably avoid suspicion for a while.
[robin]
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[Perhaps not the most... functional way to put it, but it's true. She knows Robin, and their relationship, such as it is, has been fraught with death, poison, wounds, threats, arguments, and just as many gradual, warm increases of affection and trust. Giving her advice on how not to get caught while killing somebody over time is his own way of reaching out.
Not normal, by any standard, but neither of them are anything approaching 'normal' either.
So Hakuno just makes a noise of amusement and slides one of her hands up, shifting it to deliver pressure with the heel of her hand.]
Oh, that actually reminds me. I want to avoid repeats, so how about writing up a plant wishlist some time?
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[That's comforting.]
But I want to get better at antidotes and medicines, so I'll do a little more research into those...I don't like buying plants if I can harvest them instead, so it might be a short list unless you're up for a field trip.
[He certainly doesn't trust anyone but him to harvest plants, because he knows best what he's looking for.]
I figure they might come in handy to fix yourself up if you run out of - ah.
[Hakuno's hand makes its way over an especially tight spot, his shoulder twitching out of reflex. It's painful for a moment or two, but once it lets up as the muscle loosens itself, it's really nice.
If he weren't already pushing his luck, he'd ask her to do the right side too.]
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[When he got his very nice lock picks.]
I meant more along the lines of field trips, yes. Normal plants are easy to find potted, and I've gotten you seeds, but I figured something a little more... immediately useful might end up more appreciated, in the end.
[She makes a note of that spot and switches back to her fingertips, rubbing small, steady circles until all the tension melts away.]
Gosh, how much aching do you put up with normally?
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[He's so used to it he doesn't really notice most of the time.]
I make sure I take care of my mental health, but...
[This is dangerously close to a real conversation, so he sort of trails off. He does the bare minimum to take care of himself, to make sure he's functional enough to fight when he's needed, but any more than that gets ignored in favor of pushing himself as far as he can go. He can't rely on the inherent strength that Heroic Spirits have anymore, after all.]
...Well, I guess you know.
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[Hakuno will fully endorse the emotional exposure of just about anybody other than herself. Most of the time, anyways.]
Yeah, I guess I do.
[Her hands gradually slow to a stop.]
Do I need to ask about the right shoulder?
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[Shit. That was definitely flirting. She just got a literal tattoo because some other man wanted her to, and he's flirting with her anyway. That's low, even for him.]
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And that's just crazy talk, is what that is.]
You make it sound like an imposition.
[She's teasing him back rather than replying head on, opting to just start working on the other side.]
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I'm dead, but I'm not that dead.
[A cute girl giving him a massage is never, ever going to be an imposition, though he's not about to say that so directly.
His right shoulder is a little worse for wear than his left; he's right-handed, after all, so it gets more of a workout every time he uses his bow. It seems like he's in a little more discomfort with this one as a result, though he's trying to keep the noises and the twitching to a minimum.]
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Make sure to speak up if it starts actually being painful. It'd be a shame if I bruised up twenty percent of your charm just because you're trying to be 'manly'.
[Ribbing aside, she is taking more care after the first few experimental probes. Muscles aren't something you should necessarily brute force, after all, so she alternates angles and how hard she digs in, keeping an eye out for the bare scraps of reaction he lets slip.]
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...Twenty percent? What's the other eighty?
[You can't just say something like that and then not tell him what the rest is, Hakuno!]
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[She taps his right bicep.]
Twenty.
[The left one.]
Your face is... well, it used to be fifteen, but recently I had to bump it up to twenty-five.
[He's so pretty, when he isn't covering his eyes. She knows not to push, though, so she tactfully doesn't raise the issue outright.]
...and the remaining thirty-five percent is a secret.
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[He probably would've given his face a higher rating, himself. Even with one eye covered, he was handsome enough to woo village girls who had grown up being told that he was possessed by fairies.
Sarcasm aside, he is sort of curious about it, if only because he's sure it can't be his personality, intentionally crafted as it is to keep people from liking him at all in the first place.]
...Seriously, though, only a fifteen? I'm hurt.
[But joking around this will do for now.]
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It used to be higher, before you started getting stripped in battle. I reassign points as necessary.
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So basically since the beginning, since that happened in my first battle here. Unless you're actually the kind of person who checks out the people who are trying to kill you...?
[He's got her number.]
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.......
[She falls silent at that accusation, which could mean anything. But the way her fingers flinch back, brief but noticeable, all but screams 'bull's eye'.]
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[His tone takes a turn for the incredulous.]
Look, I'm flattered, but think about your priorities once in a while.
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[It's a short, defensive sound, punctuated by an embarrassingly weak hit to his shoulder blades. All in all, it's pretty much just another part of the massage. If he glances back, however, he'll get to see her ears and cheeks burning.]
I can't help the fact that multiple people who tried to kill me were also very attractive! O-Or that I noticed that fact!
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Noticing someone and checking them out are different things, you know.
[He is never going to let her live this down.]
...So, how'd I rank? I must've been in the top five, at least.
[He might not have very many things about himself that he likes, but he knows he's handsome, at least.]
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this isn't a joketag
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i cant believe you just let me leave broken html in there like that
oh oops
i say that like it isn't my fault for breaking the html in the first place
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1/2, we've gone full circle
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1/3
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