kaisou | Whatever’s going on inside your head

Entry tags:

fern,
varian

Whatever’s going on inside your head

WHO: Fern and Varian.
WHERE: The beach!
WHEN: Early July.
WHAT: Two nerds patrol the beach for octopus monsters and get into fireworks shenanigans. Best not-date ever.
WARNINGS: Probably some discussion of violence from teens, and teens playing with fireworks.

[Finn has never been one to sit idly by while there are potentially dangerous monsters about. Fern is... a little less good at that, but he feels like he should be trying regardless, since this universe has been pretty good to him. Besides, he's still a knight and all, and knights are supposed to protect people.

That, and he has a weird, uncomfortable feeling in the pit of his metaphorical stomach at the idea of some (theoretical) evil octopus monster lurking beneath the (not-so) murky waters of the ocean. Lake? Whatever.

He's infinitely glad Varian is coming with him, it reminds him a little of being at home. Finn rarely went on adventures on his lonesome, after all. Plus it's a nice, sunny day out, and he's pretty sure Varian could use a break from all the nonstop sciencing he's been doing. While it's great to see him so passionate about it (actually, it's really awesome, and it makes Fern wish he was that cool), he's noticed that said sciencing tends to take priority over things like eating and sleeping, so... break it is!

Though he can't help but wonder if this is Varian's first time at the beach because oh boy, is he unprepared for it. They're wandering down it, heading towards the boardwalk, and Fern can't help waving a hand at his heavy boots.]

You're gonna be finding sand in those things for like a year, V. You shouldn't have worn 'em.

[Of course he'll always be a proponent of going barefoot, like he is right now. It's way more comfortable, even if it's gotten him kicked out of a few stores.]

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[Varian definitely isn't good at taking breaks from science-ing. If he could, he'd spend all his time science-ing and ignoring things like sleeping and eating, which are, frankly, distractions. Recently, he's noticed that he's feeling really sluggish at night, though. He tends to pass out a lot sooner than he used to when he's trying to pull an all-nighter. He's not sure what that's about.

He also didn't dress for the beach. It's not that they don't have beaches in Corona, of course they do, it's a coastal kingdom, he just... didn't really think about it before he came out. He's definitely regretting coming out in all his steampunk gear now, as he wobbles his way over the sand.

At least the tail is providing a little extra balance. Score one for the tail, he guesses. ]

It's fine, I'll just get some cornstarch or...something. That'll get it all out. Probably.

[He pauses in his wobbly way across the dunes to peer out at the water.]

Well. I can't see any tentacles yet.

[The tail is still a very cute addition, in Fern's opinion, and he's glad it's helping out.

He totally has to raise his eyebrow at the mention of cornstarch.]

Cornstarch? That works?

[Fern rests his hands on his hips, looking around. There are a few people out enjoying the nice weather, and it kind of makes him want to ditch the the patrol and go have fun in the water. He shifts his weight from foot to foot, thinking.]

I don't either. But these things are wily, there could be some gross monster just lurking there in the water out of sight, waiting for some poor sucker to get too close.

[He takes a few steps towards the water.]

C'mon. Take your boots off and let's get closer.

It sure does, it removes the moisture so it makes it harder for the sand to cling to anything.

[Varian's experiences with monsters (at least the literal kind) are pretty much limited to just Zhan Tiri. And while she had tentacles, she was certainly more...direct about her whole attack on the kingdom.]

You think so? I guess you're the expert here. I'll follow your lead here.

[He glances down at his boots, then at Fern as he moves towards the water. After a moment of consideration, he does move to get the things off- hopping awkwardly after him. Logically, reasonably, this looks like they're about to go paddling in the ocean, which would definitely attract monsters, he's pretty sure.

But he also...kind of wants to go paddling in the ocean with Fern. He can't put his finger on it, but it brings that happy, fluttery feeling that's coming more and more regularly as he spends time with the other boy. ]

Uh- y-yeah, okay, sure.

[That's so weird and Fern can only wonder if it'd mean cornstarch everywhere, but he's also not a scientist and it seems like there's a good chance Varian has figured out how to mitigate that. Probably.

Fern will go ahead and wait for Varian to yank his boots off before heading over to the water. Thankfully he stops when they're only about ankle deep in it - while he could go swimming no problem thanks to his clothes being made of grass, he knows Varian isn't dressed for it, so they'll have to settle for this instead.

Which isn't too bad, all things considered. There's a nice breeze, and the water is pleasantly cool, and he's hanging out with a friend instead of being called a demon and chased off. He squints, looking around intently.]

I'm still not seeing anything. You?

[Fern's first error is assuming that Varian has anything figured out.

Still, the water is very nice and being here with Fern is very nice. Varian glances at his feet in the water, then at Fern's little claw feet. There's a passing thought that those are pretty cute and Varian clears his throat a little too loudly.

Oh boy, why does this keep happening?.]

Nope! I don't see anything. Uh. No monsters, anyway. Definitely no tentacles. Maybe the vision was a dud?

[Fern instinctively glances over at the throat clearing, hoping that's an indication that Varian sees something, but he's left disappointed. Nope, nada.

He hums, curling his toes absently.]

Maaaybe. Hmmm. [Glancing around, he spies the boardwalk and perks up.]

Hey, wanna go check over there? We'll have a good vantage point from up on the pier.

[Tragically, there is nothing but Varian's awkward teenage feelings making him more awkward than he thought possible. He turns his head to the boardwalk, raising his eyebrows. ]

You know what? Good idea. It goes out a bit into the sea, too. We can probably see into the deeper parts of the water than we can on the shore.

[He has the brief, insane impulse to take the other boy's hand- something he very almost does, his hand opening and shifting towards Fern...right up until he realises what he's doing and keeps it there, mid-air. It hangs there for a moment before he tries to cover it up as a hand flex but makes a poor job of it.

Smooth.]

Uh- yeah. Let's- let's go.

[That's some good logic right there. Fern nods along thoughtfully, catching the movement of Varian's hand out of the corner of his eyes. Just enough to see it moving, then freezing awkwardly, then flexing even more awkwardly.

Fern glances back over, scrunching his face up in confusion. Okay, weird.]

Great, c'mon.

[He turns and starts for the boardwalk.]

You, um - you okay, V?

[Wow, and he'd thought the movement was so flawless that no one would have ever caught it, wow! As he's quickly catching on that Fern definitely saw that, he laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his head. Oh dang. Oh no.]

Me? Oh yeah. I'm super fine! The finest I've ever been! Nooooo problems here at all.

[That was spoken extremely high-pitched for someone who was, in fact, the finest they've ever been. He clears his throat, trying to focus on the boardwalk.]

How-how about you? Are you okay?

Edited 2022-07-02 16:05 (UTC)

[Fern narrows his eyes. That is the least convincing I'm fine he's ever heard.]

I'm okay, yeah. A little disappointed there isn't some monster I can punch, but okay. Why wouldn't I be okay?

[There's definitely something he's missing here, and he wishes he could figure out what.]

Oh...well, I guess you might get a chance when the spirit gate opens up? That's- that's usually where the monsters are, right? You'll get your chance.

[Varian was not expecting the question and really doesn't have a good answer. His blush deepens as he lets out an over-loud laugh.]

I just...wanted to check on you. Because you checked on me. Because friends do that. They check up on one another, right? Friends do that. [Whyyyyy can't he stop talking.] ...Like, platonically.

[He looks down at the water and genuinely considers just...walking further into the ocean and letting it take him. That might be better than the utter teenage mortification he's feeling right now. Oh no, oh god, who even SAYS that? Platonically. What is wrong with him. Why did he get out of bed this morning? ]

[He nods a little, sorely hoping that's the case. Exploring a human city is cool and all but a good fight is what's helping him not think about things like what's going on back home.

He blinks at that answer. He doesn't think anyone has said 'friends' that many times in one breath before. It feels awkward as heck, and it's making his metaphorical insides twist. Kind of the same way Flame Princess did when they first met and she was mad at him - Finn. When she was mad at Finn.

He chews on his lip and looks away.]

Um. Yeah, platonically. Definitely platonically.

[Oh cool, now he's doing it. His grass twitches and he can feel his face turning several shades of green darker, he's glad they're approaching the pier.]

Well, I'm cool. Haven't been up to the boardwalk yet so that'll be cool to see. Monster or no monster.

[Varian can understand that mindest only too well. Things back home might be fine now, but HERE is difficult and scary. If he focuses on his portal, he can get them out of here and go back to where things make sense.

They're definitely in danger of getting into an awkward feedback loop. He catches Fern's blush and a nervous laugh bubbles out of him. Oh no, oh no, why is this happening? He's so glad they're close to the pier, he can find a distraction from all the awkward bubbling feelings he's trying to not pay attention to up there. ]

Yeah, yeah. I think it'll be interesting to see what they...have there. Maybe they have some interesting stalls?

[ He moves to get his shoes back on, because unlike Fern (and Rapunzel) he's not about to go wandering amongst people barefoot. He has to get out of the water, so he shifts sideways into the sand, trying to hop on one foot to force his clunky boots on. Unfortunately, Varian was not blessed with grace or a semi-decent grasp on balance. He's clumsy and he hasn't really worked out how to use his tail to help him stay upright yet. So with an awkward yelp, he stumbles sideways- luckily Fern is there so he's just gonna latch a hand on the other boy's shoulder to stop himself from stumbling all the way into the water. ]

Ooof- sorry. Sand's uh- really not a good surface to balance on.

Uh huh! Cool stalls!

[He's trying to focus on that in the futile hope that he'll feel less awkward but alas, that is not in the cards today. He pauses so that Varian can get his boots back on, assuming that it'll be a brief stop before they're on the way, but he's underestimating the other boy's sense of balance.

Varian suddenly latches onto him and he jumps in surprise, his grass rustling, but calms down quick enough. He doesn't try to move away, remaining awkwardly sturdy so Varian doesn't faceplant into the water. In fact, he reaches up to grab the other boy's arm and help hold him up.]

Um - no problem. [He's happy to help, he's just blushing even more now. In an attempt to act casual his digs his toes into the sand.] We gotta get you some sandals or something.

Edited 2022-07-05 00:40 (UTC)

[Oh noooooo, Varian's pretty sure he's going to die of embarrassment. Maybe it would have been better if he did faceplant into the water. Maybe it would be less awkward than this. He struggles to get his feet properly under him again, holding onto Fern as he does so- his tail curling around the other boy's waist without him realising it. ]

H-hah yeah. It might make coming here easier if...we do that again.

[Just. Coming to the beach. Together. For no reason. He keeps leaning one hand on Fern- his tail still firmly wrapped around his waist, as he uses the other to pull his boots back on. Once he's managed that, he straightens up again. He's definitely not removed any body parts from Fern yet.]

Okay I think I'm good.

[Ohhhh geez, that sure is a tail curling around him, yessir. If his whole entire body wasn't twisting into a giant pretzel he'd make a smarmy comment about needing to help Varian practice his balance. But it is so all he can do is make a vague, choked noise, turn an even darker shade of green. Even worse, though, is the whole bouquet of flowers blooming on his hat. Cherry blossoms, forget-me-nots, deadly nightshade, wolfsbane, oleander.

It's very pretty, and Fern is horrible embarrassed.]

[Oh- oh. Varian definitely wasn't expecting all the flowers to suddenly bloom out of nowhere. For a panicked moment, he thinks he's somehow done it by being such an awkward disaster with his stupid new plant powers. And then he realises that...no, no, that's Fern.

He doesn't quite realise why Fern is blooming all over the place so he comes to the (wrong) conclusion that it's some sort of stress response. That he's freaked Fern out and now he's sprouting a bunch of flowers- some of which are genuinely poisonous.

So he flushes, pulling back like he's been burned- he gets the tail tangled in some cherry blossom stems as he stumbles backwards, trying to pull himself free. ]

Oh- wow, geez. [Is it possible for someone to blush this much and NOT die? He's not sure!!!] So-sorry. I don't know how I managed that. [He's trying to tug his tail away while simultaneously wanting the earth to swallow him up.] I slipped. Sorry.

[Cool, great, he's just making this situation so much more awkward. Fern knows right away that it's his own body messing things up and blooming like crazy. Varian abruptly pulling away doesn't help much either, and his embarrassment is replaced with shame as he quickly reaches up and starts yanking flowers off of himself.]

It's - it's cool. No big deal. It's my fault! [He's trying to step away now too, hand flailing as he moves to try and unsuccessfully untangle Varian's tail. This is going great! So great!!] My body's just being really stupid, that's all it is.

[Varian sure catches him ripping the flowers out- it's impossible not to, at such close quarters. He waves his hands, both to try to stop Fern from ripping any more flowers off himself and also to stop the self-blaming. ]

N-no no, it's not your fault. My body's being stupid. It's this...this tail it just does what it wants.

[He tries to detangle himself from Fern but the tail is just getting caught in the cherry blossom branches and oh no this is a disaster.]

Don't blame yourself, and I- I like the flowers! They're really...cool.

Edited 2022-07-09 17:32 (UTC)

[With a few bunches of flowers already in his hands Fern pauses, frowning, feeling incredibly stupid. His grass body is awful and he hates when it does whatever it wants, though... apparently Varian is having the same exact issue, just with a tail instead of flowers.

It makes him blush harder and go still, so Varian has a better chance of untangling his tail.]

They aren't cool. They're dumb and a huge, lame pain in the butt. Pretty sure I'm never gonna get full control over 'em.

[After a few awkward tugs and mumbled apologies, Varian manages to pull his tail free. He's blushing pretty heavily at this point, as he tries to soothe the fur on the appendage down so it looks a little less like it literally just got stuck in a bush.

He looks up as Fern puts down the flowers, shaking his head. ]

No, no. They're really cool. I- I mean. I like them...a lot. [Wow, okay, he looks at the ground, trying to will his heart rate to go down.] I don't think they're dumb at all. Be-besides, if I'm not allowed to hate my plant powers, you're not allowed to hate yours. That's- that's the deal, right?

[The relief that Fern feels once Varian's tail is free isn't nearly as strong as he was expecting. It means he can step back a little, but Varian is a huge mess and everything now feels more awkward than ever.

He still has the flowers clutched in his hands, and all the additional stuff growing on himself, and it doesn't feel cool at all.]

Oh. [He huffs a little.] Right, I forgot. Really regretting making that deal right now. I can't argue with you about this, can I?

[Varian's not too pleased he no longer has his tail wrapped around Fern, either. As awkward as it was, it feels...well, emptier now. He tries to focus on the flowers instead, trying to ignore the awkward, flustered feeling bubbling inside him. ]

Nope, you definitely can't. I won't let you forget that one ever. A deal's a deal.

[He rolls his eyes exaggeratedly.]

Ever. Great. Okay, okay. No hating my plant powers, even though it's the right thing to do.

[He drops the flowers onto the ground, dusting his hands off before starting to head up the stairs to the pier.]

C'mon, lets go check this out and I won't pull anymore flowers outta me.

It isn't the right thing to do, and I'll never believe otherwise.

[So there. He follows Fern up the stairs- there's the temptation to reach out and take Fern's hand
again, but he tries to push that down. Nope- they've had enough awkwardness for today. ]

Good, I'm glad. They um- they really suit you. I like the Prunus serrulata a lot.

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not ready dw!!

dw wants them to get together already

it's impatient!!

it's rude

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