[closed] Nothing's what it seems to be, I'm a replica, I'm a replica.

[amberdrake]

Who: Amberdrake, Genjo Sanzo
What: Stuff and things.
Where: Drake and Sanzo's current place in Ludmead.
When: Today.
Notes: --
Warnings: --

Braving the trains and then giving massage all day every day one right after the next like he's some kind of massage factory is taking its toll on Drake. He hasn't been sleeping well, despite his excellent company at night, and his reaction time has slowed down juuuust a hair.

Just enough for him to be home during the late afternoon, for once, sitting at the tiny dining table with his head in his hand and an ice pack held against his eye.

Comments

[amberdrake]

Ah, but Drake has long pushed at Sanzo's boundaries. And everyone else's, really, within reason and once he knows how far he can push without adding to old traumas. It's what he does. This is the job of a kestra'chern, even with those who aren't -- strictly speaking -- clients.

Why else is Sanzo able to make contact semi-casually at all? A few years ago, he never reached out to others except in moments of extreme stress.

"Of course, ke'chara," Amberdrake is quite willing to play along, and doesn't react to that briefly-clenched hand at all. "It's still a novel offer, even so, and not something I would take for granted."

[sanzo]

Unsure about how to respond with a Drake in his lap, Sanzo nods awkwardly and sits there like a very bony, monk-shaped lump.

The way they're sitting is disconcertingly intimate, and though they've shared intimacies before, it's no easier now, when there's time and bullshit between them.

"Hn."

[amberdrake]

But Sanzo's hand hasn't moved, so Amberdrake is content to stay where he is for the moment! Sure, the monk has probably just forgot it's there in his awkwardness, but all is well in Drake's world at the moment.

His back and head both hurt a lot less now that he's sitting. Although he does lean forward very briefly--

--to snag the ice pack off the little table and put it back on his eye. Because the swelling is starting to return and it is made of ow.

"So this dojo you found," Drake just keeps on acting like this is just a normal thing he's doing, "does it already have living space, or was it just somewhere people trained?"

[sanzo]

"I think the teacher might have lived there. There's no room for attendants, though."

Sanzo both likes and dislikes servants; the convenience of having pointless busywork done for one is undeniable, but the bullshit that comes along with having them is, too.

In any case, it means that the place isn't be the sprawling complex in Haven, or his temple in the Capital back home.

"It's got a courtyard and four hallways, and rooms off those. No pond, but a sand garden. Wood floors inside, paper panels. None of that gaudy gold stuff like the other place."

[amberdrake]

"Modern plumbing, I hope?" Amberdrake hazards, "although if there isn't, I'm sure we can have it installed."

He is not living with buckets and fire-heated tubs, thank you. If he has to give up having most of his family here, he's going to at least have hot water coming out of pipes. And drains!

Even his little office building in Haven, long before Taiki had fused it with the bathhouse, had had impressive plumbing. It's one of the few off-worlder conveniences that Amberdrake really approves of.

[sanzo]

"I'm not sure. I don't know how much of that this place," Baedal, "Has, though an ofuro and a well aren't so bad."

These are what Sanzo is most used to, and even he can deal with pulling up well water now and then.

[amberdrake]

"Mmhm," Amberdrake quirks an eyebrow... the one over his good eye. The other is covered by his ice pack and the hand holding it on. "I'll take care of that part, then," because while he thinks a soaking tub is a fine thing to have around, having to fill it from a well (and then heat it!) isn't happening.

"Not having a pond is a good thing," he mulls the information over aloud, "with the way reflections work here," ponds are nice and all, but so is having less things crawling into the place.

[sanzo]

"Yeah, but the water masks the noise outside." But Sanzo's expectations have been low, so he doesn't seem too disgruntled.

"Maybe a fall to break up the surface..." If they put one in, anyway.

[amberdrake]

"Maybe," Drake smiles a little wistfully at that, "I'm not sure exactly how it works, this reflections thing. But I can ask around before we get to that point."

Look at them, planning somewhat into the future. But there's no telling how long they're here for, or how long things may stay the same, so they may as well.

And truthfully, guilty as it makes him feel, Amberdrake has a hard time feeling restless about that. He's needed back on his world, to be sure, and he knows Sanzo is needed back on his, but...

But he's had plenty of time being away from the monk with no hope of seeing him again. Ten years is a long time.

Speaking of them being separated again... "I have a bit of an odd request for you, ke'chara."

[sanzo]

"Hm?" Sanzo blinks up at him.

[amberdrake]

"The ring you gave me, it's starting to wear down," Amberdrake lifts his free hand -- the one with the ring -- in illustration. And sure enough, ten years of constant wear has worn down the engraving quite a lot. There's dings and dents in the edges, too, that have smoothed down.

No sign of tarnish, but the ring has definitely aged. Silver can only withstand so much.

"I could be sent back to my world, or you could be sent back to yours, or both, and we may never see each other again," Drake's tone is quite sober, as though he's not sitting on Sanzo's lap for this conversation. "I'm going to want to retire this thing so it doesn't break in five, maybe ten years. Maybe sooner, considering how many crazies I've had to retrieve it from..."

He's getting to a point, eventually!

[sanzo]

"I can just..."

Sanzo has other rings! Refusing to dwell on all the horrible might-be's, he just reaches with his free hand to rummage up a sleeve.

[amberdrake]

"That's not..." Drake actually reaches to stop him, with said ringed hand. "That's not the idea, Genjo."

[sanzo]

"..."

What is it, then? is writ large all over Sanzo's face.

[amberdrake]

"I'd rather it be something that can't be so easily pulled off me or damaged," Amberdrake says, "I... it's a weird idea, I know. But if you drew something on me, or wrote, or whatever you want, we could have it made permanent."

Why yes, he is totally suggesting a tattoo.

[sanzo]

Sanzo blinks up at him. A tattoo? Drake l... likes him so much that he wants to be inked? Permanently?

"...I see."

He's not saying 'no', he's just taken aback. "Is... that normal on your world?"

It'd be just another way in which Drake would be like the rest of his companions, though the marks on their skin are from their youkai heritage.

[amberdrake]

"Not at all," Amberdrake, for once, is the one to slant his gaze away. "It's not an unheard of idea, putting ink under the skin, although rather rare. And this would be considered unconventional, even then."

But how else can it be something more permanent than a piece of jewelry? And harder to be stolen?

This is Drake, too, who has always been unhappy with the idea of being marked -- physically -- by anything, ever since that bullwhip had nearly killed him at fifteen. But he wants this tattoo.

[sanzo]

Sanzo is quiet for a little while. And then, finally--

"Aaa. I'll do it. Do you know what you want?"

[amberdrake]

"I want to leave that up to you," Amberdrake decides to push his luck a little, and reaches to touch Sanzo's cheek again like he did earlier.

"I've been thinking, maybe inner forearm? I'd like it to be somewhere I can easily see it." Which rules out, say, his back. Or even shoulder, if one takes the 'easily' part into account.

[sanzo]

Sanzo doesn't pull away. He's calmer now, despite the weight on him and the hand touching him; while he might always have the impulse to free, he's not on the edge of it like he was only a short while ago.

He does want a smoke more than ever, though.

"I'll think about it, then."

[amberdrake]

Drake lowers his hand soon enough, though only to find Sanzo's free hand and take it, raising it to kiss the back of it. "Good," the kestra'chern is nervous, at the prospect of being marked like that, but he's quite honest about wishing for it, too.

It's not like it would be impossible for a sufficiently psychotic person to take from him; Hadanalith had certainly been eager to bring out the skinning knives... but it wouldn't be anywhere near as fast and easy and tempting for most people. And the ring really is starting to show its age.

Drake doesn't want to be permanently separated at all, of course. But having something of Sanzo like that... it may make it just a tiny fraction less horrible?

[sanzo]

Sanzo lets a pause spin itself out, as he lets Amberdrake's emotions wash over him, accepting them.

"...Off," he grunts after a time. "I need a smoke. You can show me how to fix your back."

The backs of his fingers brush against the kestra'chern's cheek, and then he's trying to rise.

[amberdrake]

Amberdrake just smiles at him and climbs off! "Let's wait on that for tomorrow," he suggests, going back to his tea cup, the ice pack still held to his eye and the surrounding bits of bruised face, "I don't think it would do my eye any favors."

He has a folding massage table, which is the best way for Sanzo to get the right leverage, but sticking his face against the padding... yeah, it can wait. "Not doing three more massages today and a half-dozen tomorrow alone will help somewhat."

Because yes, he meant it about taking a few days off. Nothing like bashing his face up to make him actually stay home for a while! Gesten or Skan would have called him a peacock and said he just doesn't want anyone seeing his plumage bent out of shape.

But in reality, it's as much because he doesn't want the questions as anything. And, yes, for someone who is usually not seen anything short of impeccable even by his own daughter, he just doesn't want to be seen like this in general.

Besides, it makes it harder to seem serene and calm and utterly unflappable when one's face is half purple.

[sanzo]

"...Get some rest, then." Sanzo, freed, digs out his Marlboros and lights up; his inhale and exhale are deeper than usual.

"I'll warm up some leftovers for us or something. And put some of the tea leaves on your eye, it'll help with the swelling."

Monk home remedies! But training to become a Sanzo comes with a lot of bumps, bruises, and -- yes -- black eyes!

[amberdrake]

"You are the expert on these," Amberdrake says it without any irony! He's been Sanzo's Healer for a few years, he knows the monk's skull and ribs better than he knows his own at this point. Black eyes, concussions, broken ribs... you know, mondays back on Haven.

"I bow to your judgement, although not literally," he adds while pulling some of the leaves out of the teapot, which has cooled enough to allow it, "Because that would hurt."

One bow to kiss and make up with the sutra was enough.