sassymaru | IC Inbox | VICTORY ROAD

Utterly fascinating.

[No, seriously. This kind of strategizing was others' responsibility. Shadowmaru was never really meant to function on the front lines.]

I would hate to face you in combat. You sound like a shrewd adversary, to say the least.

Thank you.

[Mando is immensely pleased by the compliments.]

I haven't been doing the gyms because I'd rather fight on my own than have Pokemon do it for me. But since they won't let me do that [the bastards], I'm going to take on the gyms with my team.

Ah... such a mentality, I can understand.

[There's a reason he's a "Breeder", after all.]

Some of mine would throw a fit, were I to keep them from battle. But for the most part, I prefer not to engage in it. And so do they.

That makes sense.

[Mando looks down at the Growlithe he's still scratching.]

Most of your dogs seem pretty peaceful.

[That Growlithe has all but dozed off, its leg kicking slower and slower while Mando pets it.]

They do prefer play to combat, it's true. My insect on the other hand...

[His Whirlipede is angry at the world and wants to FIGHT.]

I remember your bug!

[Mando twists his head back to meet Shadowmaru's eyes.]

You brought it to the bar once! When you came in dressed like a Twi'lek and then left and came back.

Yes, I -

[Please wait. Processing. He arches an eyebrow right back at Mando's - ah. Right. He has very dark eyes.]

Dressed like. A what?

[Should he be insulted??]

A Twi'lek.

[Oh shit, now he's going to have to describe what a Twi'lek is. Mando suddenly wishes for his helmet back; is there enough space around his eyes for Shadowmaru to see how he's flushing? This is why he always wears a helmet! Totally not for religious reasons! For embarrassment ones!]

They're a group of people from my world. They're, uh... all tall and lean and graceful, and they know it, so, um... they like it show off how pretty they are?

[Just going to pointedly leave out that a lot of them turned to sex work under the Empire.]

And... you assumed I was dressed as one...?

[That eyebrow just crawls higher up. At least he doesn't sound angry? Just a little baffled.]

[There's curiosity there. He also starts to fan Mando a little, with one hand. He looks flushed. Maybe it's too hot in here.]

It looked like a Twi'lek outfit.

[Mando waves one hand helplessly.]

You know... fashionable. Pretty.

[Shadowmaru's hands stop for a moment. Fashionable, he sees, he works hard to be so. But...]

Pretty?

Yeah.

[Where is his helmet? Mando needs his helmet right this instant, because it feels like he's going to light this paper mask on fire with his face.]

Pretty.

Ah...

[Slowly, it dawns on Shadowmaru he's just sort of standing there. Looking at Mando. One of his hands is still in Mando's hair and he slowly lets go. Not entirely sure what to say.]

[Well - logically, yes, he's visually appealing. But that's nothing a human would remark on. Right?]

I - appreciate the... compliment. [He totally nailed it.] You are - appealing visually as well.

[There's a beat of silence, and then Mando starts laughing.]

Thanks. I spent a lot of credits on this armour.

[The moment's passed, and Shadowmaru is left feeling... weirdly disappointed in himself? As much as he does admit, he enjoys the laugh.]

Well, it. Certainly shows. Ah - anyway.

The dye needs to sit for a while now.

[That's what Shadowmaru meant, right? That he likes Mando's armour? That has to be what he meant, it's not like he has any idea what Mando actually looks like! As far as bodies go, Mando is realistic about his appeal: he's settling into middle age, and that's fine. The armour makes up for a lot.]

All right.

[This dye does not smell nice.]

Were you interested in fashion back home, too? Or is that something you found you liked here?

[You have very pretty eyes, Mando. Accept it. And yes, your armor is very nice. But... it's weird. He's not sure if he has the words to explain what's fluttering around in his head.]

[It's too bad there's no one around to ask.]

I took pride in my appearance. But beyond that... not particularly. I did have a delightful fantasy of a scarf in my size, once.

[He'd also been a movie star. So...]

That would take a lot of fabric.

[Mando nods.]

It must be a lot easier to find scarves now that you're this size.

It is, yes. And Olivine tends to be fairly chill in the winters ... a perfect excuse to own so many.

[He pauses, before checking the time.]

Off to the shower with you. Wash it thoroughly, and we'll trim it and dry it once you've finished.

[And after he thinks way too much about that little... moment... there.]

All right.

[That was... faster than Mando thought it would be. Is it normal to be a little disappointed that you didn't get to hang out and chat for longer? Hmmmmm...]

[He carefully takes off the cape he's wearing and heads to the shower. It takes him longer to get in and out of his armour than it does to actually wash all the goop out of his hair. Once he's clean, he inspects his hair in the mirror. It is definitely a different colour, but it's hard to tell much when it's wet. He also takes a few minutes to examine his face. He knows Shadowmaru wasn't calling his face visually appealing, since he's never seen it, but is it a nice face? Hard to tell. Not bad, maybe?]

[Mando shakes his head. What does it matter what his face looks like, no one is going to see it on a regular basis ~~until possibly Season Threeeeeee!~~. He puts the mask back on and pads back to the living room.]

It's a different colour now.

[And while Mando is busy, Shadowmaru... okay, he has things to get ready as well. But also? He chews on a nail. Paces a bit. Trying to figure out just what happened here. Why the moment felt so tense. If "tense" was even the right word for that conversation. He definitely felt something.]

[But there's nothing in his databanks to explain it. Nothing in his experiences to, either. So... he busies himself with tasks, until Mando returns.]

Of course it is. [He's got an eyebrow arched, one hand on his hip. Such a dramatic pose.] That was the entire point of this, wasn't it? Now - let's get it styled.

[And dried. Which will also involve a lot of hair touching, close quarters. Mando's hair will eventually turn into a much shorter version of this. Silver darkening to a deep blue instead of black.]

[Mando, having done some banging across the galaxy, has a better sense of what's transpiring between them. Where he's stumbling is over the fact that everyone he's been with before never questioned his helmet or wanted him to take it off. And, in all fairness, Mando would have never considered removing his helmet for any of them. But he's already playing fast and loose with the rules around Shadowmaru. There's also the fact that he's pretty sure one of the reasons Shadowmaru thinks he's attractive is because of his helmet and armour, which look an awful lot like a robot. On the surface, that's fine, but Mando isn't sure how he feels about someone preferring to imagine he's not flesh and blood. Of course, Shadowmaru hasn't said as much, so maybe Mando is making baseless assumptions.]

[Relationships are hard. It was so much easier to hit it and quit it.]

I didn't think the change would be so dramatic.

[He's not complaining, mind you! Nor is Mando going to fuss at all while Shadowmaru does all the cutting, drying, and styling. In fact, he might lean into the touch a little bit. Turns out having your head touched feels good! Who knew?]

[Intellectually, he's aware humans do the relationship thing. He's seen his fellow BP units do so too, even. But himself? None of the humans of their world had ever sparked that kind of feeling. Neither had any other BP unit. Heck, he'd kept them all at arms' length as much as possible. Mando's probably the only living thing he's spoken to about that horrible defining moment of his life.]

[That counted for something, right? Maybe? He's also never felt so unsure of himself in his life.]

Is... that a bad thing?

[He pauses in his efforts. He's fairly certain Mando isn't upset by the change, but something makes him want to ask. Maybe it's the weird feelings fluttering through the room today.]

No, not at all.

[Mando turns in his chair so he can meet Shadowmaru's eyes.]

I like it. You did a great job.

[And Shadowmaru immediately lights up. Like a Christmas tree. Like a spotlight.]

I... thought it would suit you very nicely.

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singlespacedad - 2023-01-04 10:50 (UTC) - Expand

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sassymaru - 2023-01-05 06:17 (UTC) - Expand