kaisou | the gayest video store in all of kaisou

[one: pre-drag competition]

[Belle knows her strengths. She's not one for singing on stage when it isn't for karaoke, and she's not going to fool herself into believing she's any good at celebrity impersonations. Instead, her big idea is to go onstage as Zorro (the silent film edition) and swing around a plastic sword in a swishy, seemingly impressive manner. To that end, when she's not working, she can be seen putting on a clip of a movie swordfight and making her best attempt to imitate it with a ballpen.

Obviously, because Belle's not one for physical activity in general, this is...not going great.]

Wh-Whoa! [Catching herself on the edge of the counter just in time before she trips over herself.] Okay! Okay. Let's just rewind and try that again.

[two: pride month promotion]

[It's Pride month! Which means it's time for the annual Pride display and decorations to go up, which means Belle is carefully arranging some video tapes on a table to look, at a glance, like a rainbow. Eous dutifully hands her a tape.]

—hey, I wondered where But I'm A Cheerleader went! Good job, Eous. [headpat to the Bangboo, and she slots the film right into place. The door creaks open, and she turns and waves at whoever's just come in.] Welcome to Random Play! Just a sec, I'll be right there.

Edited (posted too early) 2025-06-11 13:43 (UTC)

[This has been a long week for Anby. Long lost siblings, fighting gloom monsters, her mentor having a mental breakdown over Mildred, her colleagues mistaking her for smart... it's been a roller coaster.

So when she finally has some down time, of course she decides to locate Random Play. It was her home away from home back in her old life. A place of comfort and solace, full of movies and people she loved

And when she comes in... it bring a smile to her face when she sees how familiar this version of Random Play looks. Sure there's some differences here and there - but the foundation is still there. ]

It's just how I remember it.

[She's going to go head over to the side couch and sit down, just taking a moment to take in atmosphere. To let herself feel like maybe, just maybe, she's home. ]

[Belle puts her movies off to the side for later, then comes over to sit next to Anby. She's missed her, and dearly at that—she's missed pretty much everyone, really, but the Cunning Hares were...she and Wise had been close to them, even with all that debt. Anby is someone she trusts implicitly, even now.]

I did my best, going off memory.

[But it isn't quite the same as it was. That's fine, so long as it's recognizable to the people who once walked the streets of New Eridu.]

You settling in okay?

You did a good job. There's some changes, but it's got the same feeling.

[It's a comfortable feeling. Like finding a trusty old blanket that you haven't seen in awhile]

... I don't know. There's a lot to get used to here. But I'm getting along with my teammates. Most of them are people I've work with before, so that's nice.

If you want, you can come and hang out here any time. Door's always open. [As for her teammates, she raises an eyebrow.] Oh? Tell me about your teammates, are they anything like the Hares?

[She does pause, because...well, now Anby's here, and Belle hadn't said this on the network because it was a public space. Here in the store, it's a little more private, because it's a slow day and the only other person here is Eous, who's taken up Belle's sorting duty with great gusto.

So, softly:] He doesn't hate you. It's not like before, with Soldier 11. He misses you. I didn't get to say it before on the network, because it felt too personal to air out there, but... [A breath.] That fire isn't going to burn him out.

Thanks Manager. That means a lot. [Despite her flat tone, she's sincere. She's really missed this place. At the question she gives a head shake]

No, there's no replacing the Hares. [no one can be replaced] But they're nice. We watch movies and do other stuff together. Asch shared his meal with me because he worries about my diet.

[Which she thinks isn't a big deal, burgers are perfectly nutritious, but it's nice of Asch to fret over things like that.

But then.... Belle brings up Masa-chan. Even without saying his name, she knows she's talking about him. She tenses and freezes a little, her cowardly side bubbling up. She wants to shut down and avoid this subject but... she does trust Belle. They were best friends in the previous life, and this Belle seems so much like the one in her memories. ]

... I know. I went to see him that day at his place. [That alone had been a big move for her. There was every chance she would've refused the offer out of fear.] He's made a nice life for himself. His home was nice, all his animals were sweet, and he's even brighter than I remember him. Even though he's sick, he was so full of life. I'm really proud of him.

[...She hesitates a little, figuring out how to word the unspoken "but"]

But... I don't have anything to offer him but disappointment. He admires and misses his sister Bee from his memories, but... I'm not as impressive as he thinks I am. And I never will be.

He's been through enough without me bringing my failings into his life.

You're welcome. [As for the Hares, she nods. There really isn't any replacing them, and she misses them dearly. She's about to say so when Anby casually mentions Asch and Belle briefly chokes on her shock.] Asch, like—redhead, kinda grumpy, Asch? That's my younger brother! One of them, anyway. I knew he worked in the Black Order but I didn't realize that meant he worked with you.

[Her baby brother!! No she's not still a little peeved about losing her status as the baby of the family, hush.]

Though I'm not surprised he worries about your diet, sometimes he'll cook for us too.

[As for Harumasa...Belle falls quiet for a while, thinking. She knows Anby means it, when she says she's proud of Harumasa. She can see how much she cares for and loves him. She can even sympathize with Anby not wanting to be a disappointment, not wishing to bring her failings anywhere near her brother—Belle herself sometimes wonders what Wise might make of her now.

She shakes her head, though.] Anby...he doesn't care about you being impressive or your failings. He only ever knew me as Phaethon before coming here, and my reputation is a lot bigger than I am. [Kinda literally, she's not that tall.] But I've never gotten the sense he was ever disappointed about it, just...glad to see me.

He has been through a lot, and I understand if you don't want to be a burden to him because of that. But if it helps—you do have something to offer him, and that's just being there. Just being a phone call away. That matters more than you might think.

Yes, Red Asch. [That is his name now. She does seem mildly surprised at that revelation] Is he? Ah, that explains some things. He's a good boy.

[Sure he's grumpy, but he's kind. Anby was fond of little Red Asch.

And she listens to Belle. She really is listening. But she... isn't wholly convinced. Belle has always been a younger sibling, after all. For a moment, she wishes Wise was here. He was the older one, he'd get it. Plus...]

... Being Phaethon isn't really the same as being an older sibling. And I don't know if he cares about Phaethon's fame, considering that one time he tried to arrest us.

[You know, before we all became bros united by the shared bond of trauma, health problems, and ACAB.

Point is, of course Masa-chan would just be happy to see Belle and not care if she lived up to Phaethon's reputation. The guy clearly cared for who the siblings were as people.]

But I get what you're saying. [She takes a breath] I'm going to be on this assignment for the foreseeable future, so.... I'll try to answer the phone.

[She's not making any long term promises for now. She doesn't trust herself to live up to anything like that. ]

[Harumasa has to do some genuinely low hours as a part-timer due to his current health condition. That means he hasn't been around Random Play as often, owing to the commute being pretty hellish if it's a bad day. However, Harumasa still tries to visit Belle if his health allows.

This is one such day as he walks into Random Play just in time to see Belle trip over her own feet while imitating Zoro. Harumasa blinks before grinning.]

Working hard, Manager~?

[He goes to lean lazily against the counter, but honestly it's just a subtle way for him to rest from the brief walk.]

The choreography is deceptively simple just looking at it, right? Looks easy, but it's actually a lot harder to pull execute?

[Belle just slumps against the counter. Ow. Her feet. She makes a face as she nods at Harumasa.]

I thought it'd be easier, but now I can't back out of it. I said I'd be Zorro. [A groan.] Douglas Fairbanks makes this look so easy, ugh. You wanna hang out on the couch? I bought soft pillows.

[She pauses for a long moment, then:]

So, uh. [How does she get into this.] Congratulations on more siblings...? [The congratulations sounds tentative for a reason. She knows it's Anby and she's—a little worried the reunion might've gone less than well. She was there for that time with Soldier 11, she hopes it went better this time.]

He really does. [The second Belle mentions the soft pillows on the couch, his tiger ears and tail immediately pop out. His ears perk forward in attention.] Oh, don't mind if I do~

[Harumasa will take a seat and he looks like a content cat. At least until she 'congratulates' him. For a split second, he winces a little. Taking a quick look around, it doesn't seem like there's anyone else here at the moment. So... he decides he can be a little honest. Although his tone starts off casual and somewhat teasing, it does eventually transition into a more serious one. A sadder one, anyway.]

Thanks~! Kinda wild that in this life Bee's my older sister, huh? ... Though, the reunion didn't go as well as I'd hoped.

[It's pretty clear he looks down, and there's a faint shadow of hurt in his eyes.]

[Belle sits next to him, and just listens. Anby's her friend, but at the same time—she remembers that commission, back then. There's no real surprise on her face, just a sad acceptance and sympathy. She pictures Soldier 11 on the couch, and Anby tentatively reaching for her before her hand dropped.]

Family reunions are never really easy. When there's so many more complicating factors...I'm sorry.

[She puts her hand between them, a silent offering of comfort.]

I have to admit, it's hard to wrap my head around you and Anby being siblings. [Masa-chan is never going to leave her head. It's just in there now, waiting for her to pull it out at the right moment.] She's a good person, but she also...back in the day, she wasn't great at reunions either. There was this person she cared for who hated her for apparently betraying her—Anby just...let her keep believing that. If I'm remembering right, she'd said that so long as the target for that person's hatred was her, then she could take it. She just didn't want the anger to burn that person.

The circumstances here are different, [although she can still see the uncomfortable parallels,] but. I'm not surprised it didn't go as well as you'd hoped.

[Harumasa sees that look on her face and can imagine that this is something that's been the same since their past lives. In a weird way, that does give him some comfort. Mostly because then it feels like he's not alone in this.

He doesn't hesitate to take her hand, though. It helps to have that physical contact, and he never has the heart to deny Belle's sincere offers to help comfort him.

The young man listens quietly as Belle explains in a little more detail. He doesn't need the full nitty-gritty story. At the end of it, Harumasa sighs softly.]

... I know I was cagey about my past in this life, and that I've kinda avoided telling you and Zelos about it since bringing it up that one time. But I still think you should know about it.

[No matter his feelings, Belle's his best friend in both lives. He knows he can trust her.]

I was experimented on by an underground organization known as Krusnik in this life. Ever since I was maybe four years old. It was eerily similar to how it was in my past life, but with one key difference. Instead of having someone like my Master, I had other kids I could socialize with. That's how I came to have a lot of siblings. ... Bee—Anby was one of the older kids I stuck to like glue. Ana's another one.

To make a long story short, when I was about seven Anby just... left one day. That was around the same time I was also wising up to what the adults were actually doing, so when they told us that Anby was a traitor and all these other horrible things... I didn't believe them. The only thing I believed was that she was gone.

[Abandoned. Left behind without a goodbye or a word of explanation all over again. He remembers wondering if there's something wrong with him to make the people he loves like family leave him behind over and over again. It's... a thought that still sticks with him, even though he's tried so hard to untangle that knot of thoughts and emotions in therapy. While now Harumasa has the explanation and knows that it isn't his fault that Anby left, the hurt is still there. And the fear that he might be abandoned again by his loved ones remains as an enormous specter in his heart.]

Anyway, some things happened, and I was moved to a different facility when I was about 15. They wanted to send one of my younger brothers to it, but I had a vision that he would live if he stayed. So I pulled every trick in the book to trade places with him. Not many of the others were going to survive, so I had to do everything I could to save the few that potentially had a future. In a way, I was no different from Anby. I just wanted to protect my family.

That new facility was where I got possessed by Apollo, which was ultimately their goal. They wanted someone with a god possession, and they had me for two more years before Ragna destroyed the place. He helped me out, told me where the nearest city was, and that's about when you and I met online.

[He pauses for a moment.]

... So you can imagine why meeting up with Anby again was such a shock. But I don't think I was prepared to have to basically say I was running out of time in order for her to agree to meet with me in person.

[It feels so manipulative of him, even though that wasn't his intention. He just wanted his big sister to know that fact because she's family, despite everything.]

[Belle listens the whole way through, one hand coming up to her mouth as the horror sinks in. She'd known Krusnik was awful, how people have talked about it have been a dead giveaway, but this is a far more visceral description than any she's heard before. Her heart breaks, not just for Harumasa, but for his family, his siblings, the people he'd loved and lost because of some awful cult's machinations.

(may the creator—)

Her grip tightens a little on Harumasa's hand, as if Belle refuses to allow Harumasa's time to run out. But she nods, unsurprised, because of course it took being told her brother was running out of time for Anby to meet him in person. That tracks.]

...whatever caused her to leave, I know she would've thought it was to protect you. And so was staying away. [What a fun and consistent trait across lives, huh.] She loves you, though. I can tell you that easily. Everything else...

[There's a silence. Then Belle opens her arms. There's not much else she can do now, she knows, than to provide comfort and support, and that she will happily give.]

C'mere. I'm not the best hugger, but Wise used to say I was better at it than he was. [A small smile, tinged with a knowing sorrow.] You kept as many of them safe as you could, Harumasa. That means something. [And she figures Apollo agrees with her on that.]

[Harumasa squeezes her hand back reassuringly. He's still here. He's alive. There's still time to make a difference if one is to be found.

His breath hitches when Belle says that about Anby. It's subtle, but there when one pays attention. It hurts. It hurts to have the idea that Anby stayed away out of love. The adult that he is now understands the complexities and context behind that intention, flawed as it is. But the child he had been doesn't care about that. Little Masa-chan only wants his big sister to stay. Masa-chan doesn't understand why she has to leave him behind even after their reunion. For many long and dark years, Masa-chan has believed something is so fundamentally wrong with him that people will leave him behind without hesitation. Being told now that she's stayed away out of love almost makes it worse, because now Masa-chan has to ask why? Why is he only worthy of love when he's out of her life? Masa-chan just wants to know what's wrong with him.

Breathe.

He's a little surprised by the offer of a hug, but it's Belle's insistence that he did everything he could for those kids and that it means something that has the young man take her up on the offer.

Harumasa hugs her, and for a second he's feeling okay.

Then, his heart feels like it finally shatters from this simple kindness. He sniffs as tears start to pour from his eyes uncontrollably. Harumasa's hug turns from hesitantly gentle to tight, like Belle's his remaining lifeline. His shoulders shake, but it's like he's still holding himself back from sobbing.

For the first time in his life, Harumasa dares to ask Belle the question that's haunted him for so long.]

What's wrong with me, Belle?

belle | ota

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one~

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zelos | ota

viktor | ota

Wanderer | OTA

I

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