Deer Country In-Box

[burnitblack]

un: dabi  *cla-chick* ... what?  *growl* [ that would be his omen ] [ contact through his omni stone can be text, audio, or video. contact through his omen can be visual, mental, or physical. ]

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[swellter]

[ She'll stop when she notices Wolf start to head out of the water. She wants to play, not drive him away. Mischief set aside, she'll bump him once or twice with her tail, accidentally, of course.

Shouto doesn't pay much attention to her antics, his attention on Touya as he explains his routine. Shouto follows his finger up to the sapling standing against the elements. ]

I remember that one.

He's also attached to it, more than any other in Trench. It's the one that kept him from turning into a beast after Allen's death. Did it keep Touya from beasthood too?

Do you...

[ He starts, looking at him from the corner of his eye. ]

... use it when you change your bandages?

[burnitblack]

[he only leaves if she gets too splashy. then returns after a few moments. unlike touya, wolf doesn't find an issue with fish, so if one crosses around in the shallows, he'll opt to go after it. not that the ocean in trench has the best... fish to eat, but omens are omens.

the sapling is a stark contrast to everything around it. a glow of light in the darker skies, a patch of sakura pink against the moody backdrop, stretches of green grass and calm breeze on the wind-blown rocks. its withstood a lot and gotten stronger for it, now seeming to not care about the realm around it and stabilized itself into a beacon source of rest way out here.

touya's only come to beasthood twice, once when the butterflies skipped all charging and went straight to monster, and once more when... squid things happened. he has recollections of the butterfly one, turning into that monstrous version of their father. but the latter he has zero memory of and for all he knows, it never happened. 2B knows, however; she killed him.

but that's why touya keeps vigil on the sapling out here and protects it if need be. he wants the purification aspect and calm and he'll fight to keep it, all to avoid ever turning back into that wretched image of endeavor.]

Nah. I still use the tub in that house you first brought me to.

[the one where he let shouto change his staples and bandages. it's actually become a base for him when working on crafting bloodstones. the times he doesn't work on such with shouto. there have been a few... disappearances around it.]

[swellter]

[ Omens are omens, and Kizu does what she wants. When she notices Wolf's tendency to go after the fish that swim a little too close, she opts to stay out of the way observing him. After a while, she'll join him. She doesn't eat, but it's not about the destination but the journey.

Shouto doesn't know why she doesn't eat, but he's never questioned it. He's never questioned why she goes invisible around everyone but Touya and Allen. Or, why Touya isn't close to Wolf like most Sleepers are with their omens? There are things he accepts without question, but there are others he won't let go no matter how hard someone tries to redirect him. The sapling, rising from the dark like a flower in bloom, is one of them.

He slept among its branches for a week, face buried in Kizu's neck when she was larger than he is now, staining her white coat with tears. Death isn't something Shouto knew before Trench. He knew his brother died, but he was so young, kept from his side for so long, to really register the true impact of it.

That's why he's here. To know him. Not as he was, Shouto never knew him back then, but as he is, and like Kizu, it's not the destination that matters to him. ]

Oh. [ He's a little surprised by that statement, enough to tug his focus from the sapling Touya pointed out, and look over at him. ] How often do you change them?

[burnitblack]

[wolf will eat it if he manages to catch it. he'll fry it first, but does tend to derive some stoic entertainment from the hunt. since touya hates fish, there's no bringing any back to his sleeper. he lets kizu join him and ultimately ends up working together to flush a catch towards the shallows for easy access.

touya's lack of closeness with wolf should be easy to know, but given shouto's blase acceptance of things without question, likely he won't be made privy to the reason. it's a simple reason, just not a pleasant one. at least touya's come to find the omen useful and doesn't mind him being out and around while they're at home. or when he's around his brother.

death has been a part of touya's life for years. it no longer phases him. he already died. no one cared. why should he give a shit if someone else ends up dead? their lives passing by him are little more than flames licking up the kindling and turning it to ash. sure, the very first time had been traumatic, but eventually even that burned away to callousness.

the question earns a small shrug and touya uses the toe of his boot to dig into the sand, nudging up a metal disk. looks kind of like a hubcap. but it's broken in half and the design isn't anything unique. not worthwhile to someone here in trench, so he lets it flop back into the sand to be consumed.]

Whenever I need to. Ain't got a set schedule.

[swellter]

[ Kizu joins him in the hunt not long after noticing Wolf's attention on the shifting shapes in the water. They move together, coordinating without words to drive them towards the shallows. The fish are fast in their medium, while they struggle with forms made for land. Many escape their trap, but they manage to round up a decent catch. The snow leopard doesn't join in the bounty, staying back instead with a pleased expression. She enjoys watching others eat, even if she doesn't partake in it herself, the ritual of food preparation is enough to satisfy her. Probably why she doesn't pay attention to her Sleeper or her brother, who's she's less weary towards since their first meeting.

Touya's relationship with Wolf goes completely over Shouto's head. He's more concerned with his brother than his omen, and it's the same with Kizu with Wolf. Her curiosity toward the omen is easy to see in the way she watches him. Shouto is the same way towards Touya. Like omen, like Sleeper. The two are utterly blind, yet manage to see past the surface.

While Kizu occupies herself with Wolf, Shouto keeps his eyes on his brother, patiently waiting for a response. ]

Do you change them all at once?

[ He asks when she spots a small glass bottle buried in the sand with a cork, keeping a beige liquid sealed from the water. Without a word, he veers to the right to tug it free from its sandy enclosure, bending in front of the incoming surf to wash off the sand. Holding the glass vial delicately in his hands, fingers spread, Shouto cleans off the bottle before handing it to Touya for inspection. ]

Is this what you're looking for?

[burnitblack]

[wolf goes for one at a time, though if they manage to score a double on the off chance, he's doesn't turn it down. once a fish is floundering in the shallows, it's only a nudge or two of his paw to knock it up on the beach. before a burst of blue fire blackens the fish. which gets gulped down before it's got any time to cool. wolf doesn't need the food, but he simply likes the reward for the hunt. then again, he is part of touya, so there's little issue about "murdering" prey. at least he eats what he burns. food wise.

touya seems not to mind shouto's attention on him. he's been the point of scrutiny a few times in his life and he can ignore it as easily as he'll kill someone outright for doing it. knowing shouto's along for the day helps, since it's not a random meeting taking him by surprised.]

Only if I have to. I replace the ones that are problems. [whether they've come out, are loose, are tearing, or something else he doesn't want them doing. rather not have his skin flapping around on his muscles, thanks. even if his flames and body heat ensure anything bad that gets inside doesn't stay alive long enough for infection. the seams between healthy and burned skin are the most irksome areas.

touya glances at the bottle shouto offers him and takes it from his hand to inspect it. the label's washed away completely, but the stamp in the glass gives a clear indication of the make and brand. looks like some kind of drink, impossible to tell if it's alcoholic or not. doesn't look like something from earth, but he can tell it's sealed so tightly, the liquid inside is undisturbed by the salty water.]

Nice find.

[swellter]

[ Kizu watches his tactics, following his paw, watching it send the helpless one flying through the air, where it's scorched on the sand for a ready mouth. She understands the call of the hunt, but never the joy of a kill. Maybe that's the difference between them. Still, she mimics his movement and sends a fish through the air, watching it hit the ground but makes no move to chase after it. It's not hers after all.

Shouto watches Touya the way he's always watched him, from afar. This time, no one stops him from joining him. He walks beside him, not realizing he might be looking a little too intently. It's odd that. Few things catch his attention to earn the staring, probably why no one's ever pointed it out.

Pleased with his finding, Shouto slips the small bottle in his back pocket and steps next to Touya to walk beside him. ]

Do you take something for the pain?

[burnitblack]

[once wolf figures out kizu isn't going to eat what she catches, he heads to her catch and fries it before wolfing the burned fish down. it's not a common thing, as many fish don't stray close to the shores of the black beach, and wolf isn't going to walk out into deeper water to find them. but it's something to do while his sleeper does whatever he's doing with his little brother.

touya swings a large, sturdy cloth bag down from his side and pulls it open. the walls of the bag are lined with strips of cloth, sewn into the bag's fabric to serve as holders for whatever he finds. other things just get stuck in there. it's a modified carry-all bag. while shouto takes the bottle and puts it into his back pocket (touya's not going to say that's a good idea, but whatever), he crouches down to inspect another item on the shore. it's a shell, but broken apart... hm.

too wrecked to fix? ... yeah. moving on.]

Don't feel pain.

[swellter]

[ It’s odd, isn’t it? These two omens, so outwardly different, finding their own way of being around each other. Similar to the two Sleepers combing the beach for curiosities. ]

Any?

[ Shouto asks, brows creasing at the comment. All those staples… ]

Doesn’t it hurt?

[burnitblack]

[he would always say wolf isn't him even if the omen's something of a reflection. just because wolf gets along with people a bit better than touya doesn't mean touya will. but he's getting along with shouto right now, so... maybe?]

That's what "don't feel pain" means, Shouto.

[how completely dense can you be?]

[swellter]

Wolf isn't any more like Touya than Kizu is of him. They're a reflection of a soul, not the soul itself. Perspective matters.

Why don't you feel pain.

[ It's not that he doesn't understand. It's that it doesn't make sense. He doesn't think his quirk has anything to do with pain receptors. ]

[burnitblack]

[touya seeks to keep wolf separate from himself regardless, treating him more like a summoned familiar than anything else. a servant, weapon, occasionally a teammate. maybe a pet every now and then...]

Cause I was burned to death, Shouto. What'd Dad not tell ya what happened at Sekoto?

[swellter]

[ In contrast, he's close to his omen, following her lead before the attack that reduced her to her current form. His constant companion, she held sway over him, but even she couldn't stop him from seeking out his only family here. Obstinate, Shouto sought him out, wanting to know him. But this...

He draws a quick breath, stepping back in alarm. At a loss for words, the silence drags on, mind scrambling at the confession and stuttering to a stop. ]

I--

He never... they never...

I didn't know.

[burnitblack]

[touya will never let anyone or anything hold sway over him again. he escaped from that hell and does what he wants when he wants as he wants how he wants for his own damn reasons and no one else's. he cares nothing for anyone or anything enough to allow them to think they can force him into anything. not even all for one could...

shouto's reaction to the information once again makes touya consider the different time periods he and shouto were taken from in their worlds. what his little brother knows versus what he doesn't. it's been a long time since he thought of that. ah well, it doesn't really matte in the long run.

he keeps walking, not bothering to pity or coddle shouto's reaction.]

Not surprisin. Enji always wished I was gone.

[swellter]

[ One escaped. The other molded. Chipped away until he resembled someone else's masterpiece at the cost of his soul. His bland expressions. Why it's so hard to get a rise out of him. It all comes from the same source.

Endeavor never coddled him and after his mother was locked away Shouto stopped seeking out human comfort. Content with the cold inside and out. ]

Why?

[ He asks, utterly at a disadvantage here. No one ever spoke of the oldest Todoroki for as long as he could remember. At least not in his presence. ]

[burnitblack]

[endeavor's precious perfect little puppet masterpiece. crafted from the blood, sweat, tears, time, and existence of the rest of the experiments that came and went before shouto's creation. in some ways, dabi and shouto are similar, but most similarities are fueled by vast differences despite the same source...

human comfort is overrated. it comes with too many risks outside of a quick physical tryst that means absolutely nothing outside of a brief escape from reality. though the cold doesn't bother touya, he still prefers the heat.]

People don't like lookin at failures.

[sensing his brother's lack of knowledge about this, touya has to decide how he wants to navigate or explain. mostly because there's no endeavor here to fuel any deliberate venom. it'd be pointless.]