( oh, cheesy or not, this boy has one thing right: he's made a good first impression on chance.
... not that it's a terribly difficult feat to accomplish, considering how socially starved he is at the moment. but still! his strange day seems to perk up even more as the mere thought of making another friend seeps in. it isn't that the people of nawala are unfriendly, but they're wary of newcomers β and understandably. it takes a little longer for them to warm up to people.
luckily, chance has had a few months to integrate into the community a little better, but he still remembers what it was like at first, even still feels that way sometimes. befriending someone similarly on unsteady grounds is pleasantly easy. )
You could say that, ( comes his laugh of a reply, a quiet thing, hardly self-conscious about it because ... honestly? being himself out in the open is kind of a novelty. his fingers brush dirty blonde hair out of his eyes so it doesn't get stuck in this pseudo-sunscreen, and then he starts to open his shirt, one button at a time. ) I'm okay, though. It's kind of a work in progress. The people here are really nice once they get used to you.
( and it's time to start applying said cream to the pale skin of his chest, apparently very carefully hidden away up until this point considering the lack of redness; he does it slowly, makes sure to be really thorough about it, because if he misses a spot, he's going to be aching like a bitch later. )
[ he isn't naturally shy and did have some acquaintances growing up; having been constantly surrounded by adults has left a few missing links in haru's social skills which hasn't helped him much here, though it hasn't quite worked against him. for the most part, people are understanding. the history of the island's foundation makes it so, even if his own abilities stem more from experimentation than magic.
questions are good and logical. questions are better than outrage and shunning, so he'll answer them as much as his social stamina will allow. kindness and extensions of friendship are even better. chance seems quiet and easy to be around, though haru already knows he will constantly worry about his physical state judging from his sun preparation habits. ]
I've met some friendly people already, though I'm starting to think nosiness is part of the culture here too β [ he cuts himself off to ask another ( probably nosy ) question. ]
Are you ...? [ he has a feeling, instantly imagining brooding young men and weeping young women at their windows, tragic love stories and lots and lots of blood. ] Would you mind if I asked ... ?
( chance is just about down to his ribs with briar's concoction, working slow, steady circles of it against his skin by the time haru's question hits, and honestly? he can't help but laugh β certainly not a cruel thing, just light and airy and amused. )
Oh, I don't mind ... ( considering the onslaught of questions he'd been thrown practically from the moment he stepped foot in the sand for the first time, an interrogation possibly worse than the magazine interviews he'd been subjected to back in his pseudo-idol days. ) I am.
[ jaw slack, he watches in rapt fascination, watching this. vampire work some magical concoction into his skin. he isn't used to it, not yet, watching everything and everyone with wide-eyed wonder. it's more like tourist behavior and all he's missing is the camera strapped around his neck.
at least.... it seems like they don't mind. most of them stare at him with the same curiosity since newcomers don't come so often, especially those who have somehow found out about this island without any established connections to family there. it seems to be a pretty even exchange between parties involved.
at chance's admission, his dopey smile widens with sparkling eyes and he clutches the book between his hands to cover half his face with it. ]
Cool.
[ he almost giggles. almost. he doesn't to maintain a single shred of dignity. ]
I'm β I was born human. As you were, I'm sure. Maybe. [ haru puts his book down finally, setting that aside to fold his hands over his lap. ] I was changed, growing up.
( it's in times like these that chance finds himself grateful to have such sensitive skin, because with the way this boy's smile widens, so bright and genuine in response to something a lot of people have found repulsive, well ... perhaps this cheeks warm a little, disguised entirely by that spread of freckled red across the bridge of his nose.
cool.
at least this purple-haired newcomer seems just about as excited about this place as he is in the kind of embarrassing way that still makes him hide his face behind his sprouting plants in their pots when he takes them for walks into town because he figures they probably like the sun as much as he does; it'll help them to grow as it has for him.
he watches this boy with equal fascination, idly shrugging off his shirt altogether and folding it up to use as a pillow later. this is probably the riskiest thing he'll probably do, but if it doesn't work out for him, it's a risk worth taking. one arm at a time, he applies his sunscreen, nodding while he speaks. wryly: ) Were you bit by a radioactive spider?
[ he clenches his jaw in worry once more skin is exposed and, briefly, haru glances up towards the sun where those rays shine directly over them both. at least the science-minded one can monitor the progress as they go, though he supposes that treating a burgeoning friendship as a science experiment isn't .... great.
it's a pretty new thing for him. he hopes he doesn't make too big a fool of himself as they go along, though he has a feeling that chance won't judge him so much for it. ]
I wish, [ there's a laugh in his voice as he shakes his head. ] I β [ that's when haru hesitates, staring into his lap, at his folded hands, wondering the best way to phrase this. it isn't something he has ever really discusssed with anyone outside of fellow scientists, officials who seemed to matter at the time. ]
( chance has seemingly run out of places to apply his magical sunscreen by now, except β well. his back. but chance isn't nearly bold enough to dare ask a near stranger β a new friend β to do that for him; that's why he is content to re-cap the small container and slide it back into his bag, lay back onto his towel with his folded-up shirt as his pillow.
he can feel the sun, can feel how hot it is as it hits his pale skin, but it's hardly a thought compared to his interest in this boy's story.
and it sounds like quite the story, especially with the way that he hesitates just briefly before continuing. a science experiment. maybe it's not the happiest story β but maybe, if he's lucky, it can have a happy ending. though chance's brow might furrow, he still finds it in him to turn his head back towards him, peek an eye open, and even smile, a soft thing. )
You're here now β maybe that's what matters the most.
[ he isn't sure how to continue, if to continue. but there is something disarming about chance and his gentle nature, something that makes him want to say more even if he ends his chatter there for the time being. and suddenly, that simple response has him all but physically relaxing. it's such a small sentiment of acceptance, but wholly appreciated. ]
I worked very hard to get here, [ he informs him, nodding a few times mostly to himself. ] I had to find a place for. Well, for people like me.
[ he pulls his knees up to his chest, making himself even more compact than he is already. chance smiles and haru finds himself smiling just as widely in return, the corners of his eyes crinkling. it's very, very sweet. ]
I think your efforts will be rewarded, ( chance says with a small nod, turning his head back so he can face the sun once more, feel its warmth spread across his cheeks. ) I know mine have been β and then some.
( it wasn't an easy journey for him to make, either β it took years and years of forced isolation and near-crippling loneliness, his only solace the occasional nighttime walk through the streets of seoul with his hood up, head angled downwards, not daring to make eye contact, too paranoid and worried he'll be revealed. he missed the sun β desperately. nawala had saved him.
[ he's worked so hard to come this far and to make a friend who isn't a lab assistant, to have conversations with someone who isn't his parents. he's not a crier but he wants to yell in relief. it feels good to even feel a sense of understanding with someone who knows what it's like to be different. ]
Chance. I like that name! [ he was once told to repeat someone's name to help you remember it and he certainly doesn't want to forget this one. his first friend on the island. ] I'll remember this one. Not that I'm especially forgetful. I have a pretty good memory, actually, kind of exceptional. I wouldn't call it a photographic memory but β
[ he clears his throat and shakes his head shyly. ] S-sorry.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 28 Apr 2019 18:07 (UTC)... not that it's a terribly difficult feat to accomplish, considering how socially starved he is at the moment. but still! his strange day seems to perk up even more as the mere thought of making another friend seeps in. it isn't that the people of nawala are unfriendly, but they're wary of newcomers β and understandably. it takes a little longer for them to warm up to people.
luckily, chance has had a few months to integrate into the community a little better, but he still remembers what it was like at first, even still feels that way sometimes. befriending someone similarly on unsteady grounds is pleasantly easy. )
You could say that, ( comes his laugh of a reply, a quiet thing, hardly self-conscious about it because ... honestly? being himself out in the open is kind of a novelty. his fingers brush dirty blonde hair out of his eyes so it doesn't get stuck in this pseudo-sunscreen, and then he starts to open his shirt, one button at a time. ) I'm okay, though. It's kind of a work in progress. The people here are really nice once they get used to you.
( and it's time to start applying said cream to the pale skin of his chest, apparently very carefully hidden away up until this point considering the lack of redness; he does it slowly, makes sure to be really thorough about it, because if he misses a spot, he's going to be aching like a bitch later. )
no subject
Date: 29 Apr 2019 15:33 (UTC)questions are good and logical. questions are better than outrage and shunning, so he'll answer them as much as his social stamina will allow. kindness and extensions of friendship are even better. chance seems quiet and easy to be around, though haru already knows he will constantly worry about his physical state judging from his sun preparation habits. ]
I've met some friendly people already, though I'm starting to think nosiness is part of the culture here too β [ he cuts himself off to ask another ( probably nosy ) question. ]
Are you ...? [ he has a feeling, instantly imagining brooding young men and weeping young women at their windows, tragic love stories and lots and lots of blood. ] Would you mind if I asked ... ?
no subject
Date: 4 May 2019 00:40 (UTC)Oh, I don't mind ... ( considering the onslaught of questions he'd been thrown practically from the moment he stepped foot in the sand for the first time, an interrogation possibly worse than the magazine interviews he'd been subjected to back in his pseudo-idol days. ) I am.
( what haru's implying that he is, anyway. the word still feels weird on his tongue, even after all these years. vampire. chance doesn't really feel like one, considering he's never really partaken in any of the clichΓ© activities that he's seen on tv and in the movies. mostly, it's been a lot of loneliness and a hunger that both rumbles in his stomach and burns at his throat. oh, and sunburn. lots and lots of sunburn, considering the care with which he's applying the mixture to the slats of his ribs, down towards his navel. )
I have a feeling you're not entirely human, either, but correct me if I'm wrong.
no subject
Date: 6 May 2019 03:21 (UTC)at least.... it seems like they don't mind. most of them stare at him with the same curiosity since newcomers don't come so often, especially those who have somehow found out about this island without any established connections to family there. it seems to be a pretty even exchange between parties involved.
at chance's admission, his dopey smile widens with sparkling eyes and he clutches the book between his hands to cover half his face with it. ]
Cool.
[ he almost giggles. almost. he doesn't to maintain a single shred of dignity. ]
I'm β I was born human. As you were, I'm sure. Maybe. [ haru puts his book down finally, setting that aside to fold his hands over his lap. ] I was changed, growing up.
no subject
Date: 11 May 2019 17:34 (UTC)cool.
at least this purple-haired newcomer seems just about as excited about this place as he is in the kind of embarrassing way that still makes him hide his face behind his sprouting plants in their pots when he takes them for walks into town because he figures they probably like the sun as much as he does; it'll help them to grow as it has for him.
he watches this boy with equal fascination, idly shrugging off his shirt altogether and folding it up to use as a pillow later. this is probably the riskiest thing he'll probably do, but if it doesn't work out for him, it's a risk worth taking. one arm at a time, he applies his sunscreen, nodding while he speaks. wryly: ) Were you bit by a radioactive spider?
no subject
Date: 12 May 2019 21:26 (UTC)it's a pretty new thing for him. he hopes he doesn't make too big a fool of himself as they go along, though he has a feeling that chance won't judge him so much for it. ]
I wish, [ there's a laugh in his voice as he shakes his head. ] I β [ that's when haru hesitates, staring into his lap, at his folded hands, wondering the best way to phrase this. it isn't something he has ever really discusssed with anyone outside of fellow scientists, officials who seemed to matter at the time. ]
I was a science experiment.
no subject
Date: 23 Jun 2019 20:05 (UTC)he can feel the sun, can feel how hot it is as it hits his pale skin, but it's hardly a thought compared to his interest in this boy's story.
and it sounds like quite the story, especially with the way that he hesitates just briefly before continuing. a science experiment. maybe it's not the happiest story β but maybe, if he's lucky, it can have a happy ending. though chance's brow might furrow, he still finds it in him to turn his head back towards him, peek an eye open, and even smile, a soft thing. )
You're here now β maybe that's what matters the most.
no subject
Date: 1 Jul 2019 20:57 (UTC)I worked very hard to get here, [ he informs him, nodding a few times mostly to himself. ] I had to find a place for. Well, for people like me.
[ he pulls his knees up to his chest, making himself even more compact than he is already. chance smiles and haru finds himself smiling just as widely in return, the corners of his eyes crinkling. it's very, very sweet. ]
I think I like it here already.
no subject
Date: 23 Jul 2019 01:13 (UTC)( it wasn't an easy journey for him to make, either β it took years and years of forced isolation and near-crippling loneliness, his only solace the occasional nighttime walk through the streets of seoul with his hood up, head angled downwards, not daring to make eye contact, too paranoid and worried he'll be revealed. he missed the sun β desperately. nawala had saved him.
nawala has given him a new friend, now, too. )
I'm Chance. What's your name?
no subject
Date: 12 Sep 2019 02:22 (UTC)[ he's worked so hard to come this far and to make a friend who isn't a lab assistant, to have conversations with someone who isn't his parents. he's not a crier but he wants to yell in relief. it feels good to even feel a sense of understanding with someone who knows what it's like to be different. ]
Chance. I like that name! [ he was once told to repeat someone's name to help you remember it and he certainly doesn't want to forget this one. his first friend on the island. ] I'll remember this one. Not that I'm especially forgetful. I have a pretty good memory, actually, kind of exceptional. I wouldn't call it a photographic memory but β
[ he clears his throat and shakes his head shyly. ] S-sorry.