babermetrics | IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

It's Kuwata Leon . . . did you seriously just call me cute like a cactus?

[There are three levels of wrong to that! He's not sure which one to address first. Probably one of the ones involving him, that seems like a good priority.]

First of all, I ain't "cute"! You've got a really skewed perspective if this's your idea of cute. Cute's for girls!

[And because he knows nothing about Japanese names, he's going to assume 'Kuwata' is his first name...] It's nice to meet you, Kuwata.

[He nods because cacti are absolutely adorable (to him)~] Mn! Your hair is all spiky and prickly like a cute cactus~ ♥

No, it isn't just for girls. I get called 'cute' quite often. [And get mistaken for a girl... anyway, moving on!] And I'm sure you wouldn't have minded being called 'cute' by a girl...

Heh . . . I mean, she'd still be wrong, 'cuz I'm way more cool than cute, buuuut I probably wouldn't argue with her.

[Cute girls can call him whatever they want, seriously. Cactus? Sure, coming from a girl, if she's into that for some weird reason, he's game. But this guy's right that coming from a girl is completely different from coming from a guy, even a . . . girly sort of guy like this.]

Anyway, it's different for you 'cuz you're feminine like that, y'know? I could see you bein' a girl pretty easy, but you'd have to be blind to think I was. Blind and deaf! Nah, I take it back, all five senses! But if you put on a dress, you'd probably confuse at least a few people in this crowd, if you know what I mean.

[He finally rises entirely to his feet and stretches, cracking his neck. It feels good to not be on the floor anymore.]

[He can't help a little chuckle.] You sound just like a friend of mine!

I'm not...! [But then he remembers a certain something...] Well, I suppose it did work at that masquerade. But that's only because neither Castor nor Frau could fit in that dress!

. . . You had to crossdress for a party?

[He assumes, incorrectly, that the guy means here in Cerealia, and the thought of being forced into a dress for some kind of event here makes his blood run cold. Maybe even more than alien creatures roaming around unchecked, honestly.]

I'm not doin' that, no matter what they say! Look, photoshoots are one thing, that kinda thing's completely off the table!

[nods and he doesn't know that Leon thinks he means here...] It was the only way we could get into the masquerade without being caught since our enemies were on the lookout for 3 men travelling together.

[then he realizes] Ah, I didn't mean here... It happened back home.

[Oh. Okay, this sounds like a story, and one just as crazy as all the stuff he's heard about Cerealia.]

So you dressed up as a chick, huh . . . I guess that's pretty smart. Good thing they had a guy like you along, right? What if it'd been three guys like me? You'd be pretty screwed. So, what, you really had to get into that party that bad? Somehow you didn't strike me as that kinda guy, ha ha!

[He knows it's probably got nothing to do with wanting to check out a kegger or whatever, but he can't help but make the joke.]

Yes, it was something that had to be done. [For the greater good and all that, but he'd rather not talk about that anymore. It's bad enough he had to keep telling people he's a boy when he was younger...]

[Nods.] We had to get in to save a friend of ours. [And he doesn't get what Leon seems to be trying to imply.] ...what 'kind of guy'?

The party kinda guy . . . but if you were goin' in for somethin' like that, I guess that explains it.

["We had to sneak in in drag to save a friend and some guys were after us" is definitely not the same thing as being a party guy. He shrugs, hands in his pockets, and trails off into as much thoughtfulness as he ever manages:]

I wonder if everyone here had some crazy kinda life before they showed up.

Oh, I see... [And he kind of misinterprets 'party' since he's never ever been to the kind Leon is probably thinking off...] Well, I don't mind balls and dancing but we don't really have much of those at the Church. We do have birthday parties and celebrations at different festivals but that's about it.

Some crazy kind of life? What was your life like being you came here, Kuwata?

[Balls. The Church. Whatever Leon's life was like, it's crystal clear that it was absolutely nothing like this guy's. He's a church dude? Leon doesn't know anything about that other than vague impressions from the media, but eh . . . they kind of fit, sure. Soft-spoken, seems kinda like a doormat . . .

And you're supposed to confess to them, right? No thanks. The last thing Leon wants to do is discuss his life before Cerealia, and he tenses up noticeably as soon as the question's asked. His shoulders jerk in a shrug that definitely doesn't come off as casual.]

. . . Not that crazy. I didn't mean me, there's totally nothin' that interestin' about where I came from.

[Oh, you would be very much mistaken if you think he can walk all over him, Leon! You don't want to see him when he's angry...

And your reaction is so very, very suspicious! But he's not going to press the issue if you don't want to talk about it.]

I see. Then this place must be a bit of a shock for you.

Yeah, you kiddin'? It oughta be a shock for anyone, no matter how crazy!

[He doesn't know any better than to take Lab at face value, at least not in this; in his own mind, he's gotten away with diverting the topic from anything awkward about his own life, and that's what matters. He lightens immediately, despite his complaining.]

Nothin' can really prepare you for stuff like this, right?

[laughs] That's true.

[then he turns thoughtful] And it seems like this place might be a bit more dangerous than I'd thought it would be... Do you have any way of defending yourself, Kuwata?

. . . Not yet, I guess.

[But that's an awkward topic, too, and his mood visibly drops a little at the particular phrasing of it. What had defending himself gotten him last time, anyway . . . and the truth is, he does have one thing. He has a knife, that apparently came with him from home, and which he'd really rather not make his Thing for self-defense in this place. His lips twist a little, sour.]

You mean like, martial arts, or a gun, or what? Nah, guess I don't.

[What a moody person you are, Leon! And Lab doesn't know all that...]

Yes. I see. [And he drops it at that as it doesn't seem like you want to talk about it.] Well, thank you very much for your help, Kuwata. I guess I should get back to the photoshoot.

IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

Super High School Level Corpse

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