Seasons Inbox

[forgingfires]

"You have contacted the great Red Son! Leave a message after the beep and keep it brief. If this is about a repair job, state the object and problem."

Comments

[sangreine]

[ Unfortunately this is not the happiest of occasions, but hopefully it'll be helpful in the long term. ]

I got my regains. The journal and the... other thing we discussed. [ It's not as easy to say when she's holding it in her hand. ] Let me know when you have time, I'll bring them by.

[forgingfires]

[It does take an hour to respond, he is not the most dutiful to his phone for all he loves machines.]

I just got back home after a job, so I'm free now.

I know we have a million threads but this is important (and great) (and will be short)

[sangreine]

[ After she and Yuri return from the bottom of the lake, the first thing Saya does is text Red Son. She got something that might prove useful for him, or at least might mitigate some of his problems if he gets suddenly exposed to water. ]

I got you something. The mermaids gave me a bracelet that lets fire burn underwater. Any fire, not just summer magic. Not indefinitely, but the fire burns for quite a while based on my tests. A few hours at least. I thought it might help if you get unavoidably exposed to water.

I had to run an errand for them down there but they gave me an extra one. It's yours if you want it.

[ If there's even the slightest chance it might help him, she wants him to have it. This place is full of unexpected things. (Also she wants him safe(r).) ]

Re: I know we have a million threads but this is important (and great) (and will be short)

[forgingfires]

[oh]

[The response takes a few minutes of him staring at his phone because generally, he just....doesn't get gifts? Not that his parents deny him things, it's just he usually asks for supplies and they deliver, which is wholly different from being thought of and gift obtained of someone's own volition.]

[It's unexpected.]

[It makes a hearth fire warmth in his chest.]

[There was a start of a reply. Then deleted. Then several minutes. Then he manages the words.]

I could appreciate it.

Thank you.

[He's gonna Always Wear It.]

Post amnesia stuff

[sangreine]

[ As she regains her senses, it helps to be around those she cares about, anchoring her mind and feelings. Maybe Red Son also needs to do some scans on her, but primarily she's there because she weaseled her way into spending time with him. She has a matter of weeks left before her hibernation after all. ]

I've been meaning to ask you... with all that happened I didn't get a chance yet. I don't know the details of what happened with Wukong and your family, and I don't need to know, but I know it's complicated. How has it been, having him here?

[ She's asking primarily because she cares, but also to establish boundaries for herself. ]

Re: Post amnesia stuff

[forgingfires]

[There are definitely scans. He needs to know if things changed. If nothing else, it helps track how much time they might really have.]

[There's definitely some nodes getting stuck to her, a few sigils drawn, standard stuff by this point.]

[There is a pause at the sudden question.]

...not as much of a nightmare as it could have been. Infinitely easier with the Noodle Boy, so I know I'm not being taken for a ride.

text; un: King Iggy

[bahahahaha]

Hey, dude! Long time no talk!

I met a few of your friends and they told me that you enjoy racing. One of them mentioned you were busy with a new project right now, but maybe later when you aren't so busy I was wondering if you'd like to hang out and help me see about building a few karts or something to hold a tournament of our own? There hasn't been a whole lotta lively stuff going on, so, what better than a little f r i e n d l y competition between our fellow citizens of this quaint little world that we've found ourselves in?

[ Can you practically hear the sarcasm in the words 'friendly' and 'quaint little world' as you read them, Red Son? At least it isn't directed at him, but rather, most... everyone else that unfortunately happens to coexist with them. ]

Re: text; un: King Iggy

[forgingfires]

A friendly competition?

[....MK probably wouldn't be too upset by something like that. His gang do cause a lot of property damage.]

You know what? That sounds like a fantastic idea. I'm busy with the project for the next month, and I'll probably need the fun distraction when its done.

[Or rather, he thinks he will inevitability fail to beat Saya's clock, but he will be less of a madman on the project and will need something to cheer himself up.]

[sangreine]

[ He said she should stay over more, so that's what Saya's doing. This is why you never invite a vampire into your house. ]

[ As the walks in and dons her crimson slippers, sketchbook tucked in her arm, she pauses as she sees a different dining table and new chairs. What she has to say doesn't have a rush on it. ]

Redecorating? [ That doesn't seem like that kind of thing he'd prioritize, but. ]

[forgingfires]

There was an accident. [Wukong probably didn't intend to break the furniture.]

[Her timing is great as he's working on making lunch, puttering around the kitchen.]

Good afternoon. Just come to spend time with me?

Voice

[tethered_roamer]

I just wanted to check in and say congratulations on having sex with MK. I hope things are happier between you two.

Re: Voice

[forgingfires]

[There is much clattering because he dropped his phone and scrambled it.]

HOW DO YOU KNOW?!

post-masquerade

[sangreine]

[ When she got back from the masque, Venti had vanished. She and Red Son had been speaking every day, multiple times a day, up until then, but a lot changed all of a sudden. First there was Venti's loss, and then there was what happened with MK and the Lady Bone Demon. ]

[ Saya took the opportunity to stall some, telling Red Son that she lost Venti and is being taken care of be Yuri, and that she needs some time to grieve. It was a convenient excuse to avoid getting into what happened, what MK said to her, but there's only so long she wants to let it fester. ]

[ Most of her thinks that Red Son won't be able to forgive her for hurting MK by saying to stay away from her, even if he hurt her worse. She thinks she has a handle on where she stands in comparison to MK. (She's not even sure how much of that she meant. She was hurt, she was furious, and he was laughing at her after using her worst fears against her.) ]

I need you to come by when you can, please. We need to talk.

[ And yeah, it's exactly as serious as it sounds. ]

Re: post-masquerade

[forgingfires]

Didn't we already have a discussion about that particular line?

[Its meant to be teasing. A joke. Because he's both nervous and excited to see that message from her. He's been giving her the space she asked for. Worried when Venti vanished and it was only hearing Yuri was there that he didn't immediately head over himself.]

[But he missed her. He wanted to see her. Figuring things out with MK was going all right so far, but that didn't mean he missed her any less.]

I'll be over soon.

[He wouldn't leave her waiting long, arriving wearing the hairpin and no jacket.]

[Because someone really isn't great at reading the vibes sometimes.]

post-masque, pre-Saya contact

[castaside]

[ Sometime shortly after this sheer stupidity ]

You wouldn't be in the mood for several dozen drinks, would you?

Re: post-masque, pre-Saya contact

[forgingfires]

PLEASE

I am about to claw down my own walls at this rate.

un: gaine, text, a few hours after Lich-kong confrontation

[sangreine]

[ A few hours after this mess ]

I know you're upset, but we still need to talk. When you're ready.

Just so it's not in doubt: I love you.

[ She is prepared to Wait for any reply. ]

Re: un: gaine, text, a few hours after Lich-kong confrontation

[forgingfires]

[It's two hours later.]

[The second of those hours was a lot of start stops of writing.]

Can't I just drown myself in the ocean and be done with it?

couple of days after the full moon

[sangreine]

[ As decided after the lich episode, they've only seen each other sparingly for the last few weeks. Always very much in public, nowhere that there could be even a hint of temptation to be physical, quite by design. Which makes practically since her celebration party nearly a month ago that they've spent any extended time together. They did speak enough times a day, in one way or another... at least until the full moon, when she insisted on going almost totally quiet. She texted him on the mornings after to make sure everyone was safe, and after his affirmative reply they didn't speak again until the next one. She needed that space, and she filled her time with plans. ]

I have a corset for you. And a gem for safekeeping.

Come by when you can. Use the mirror portals if you want to.

[ Her casual tone and an invitation to her room is probably a Good Sign. ]

Re: couple of days after the full moon

[forgingfires]

[He has a special ringtone for Saya. Because he wants to make sure he always responds and he knows he may not always respond to texts right away without a specific reason. But her ringtone?]

[That is immediate.]

[The past several weeks have been texts and calls, even if they were brief. Reassurance that after the Moon, they were fine, there were no other incidents. Thankfully. He made sure she wouldn't feel forgotten, even if they couldn't be together. That also meant being able to respond to her in a timely matter.]

[When he sees the contents though-]

[He sends a thumbs up.]

[Because he's definitely going to use the mirror portals to get there right away. Even the walk in from outside for a fiery teleport feels like too long.]

un: piccione; text

[bluediligence]

[ A day or so after Donnie's (and then Wylan's) arrival, after Korone's had some time to scent mark be scent marked cuddlemonster both him and Eve within an inch of their lives vibe with her datemates and try to destress from the

everything ...

Red Son gets a text. ]

[ Except it's actually multimedia message featuring a variation on the "mother, I crave violence" meme, drawn by Korone, featuring Korone herself, with the text itself reading, "Red Son-san, I crave violence".

AND THEN there's the text: ]

Would you be down for some sparring?

Re: un: piccione; text

[forgingfires]

[At least he's known Mei long enough to recognize a meme. Kind of.]

Huh. I didn't realized birds were so aggressive.

If you're sure.

I assume to shut down anything that gets heated?

after the truthshrooms

[castaside]

[ Red Son knows that Macaque and Wukong were going to talk, since Macaque picked up the mushrooms. So it shouldn't be a great shock when he texts a while later. ]

Still up for a drink or fifty? [ He's still mushroom'd but whatever it's not like he and Red Son aren't honest with each other anyway. ]

Re: after the truthshrooms

[forgingfires]

I have some real good stuff and snacks. No peach flavors though I should find out what is your favorite fruit.

I found a few potential bars. There's a biker bar with country and rock music usually playing, a punk bar with a lot of death metal, and then there's just the deeply dive bar that I think has a lot of criminal activity so there's a lot of loud music and hidden corners.

several days after Wukong's revival

[sangreine]

Are things any better now? I hope so.

[ Obviously Saya knows that Wukong died and about his revival days ago, she can count and she spoke to him. She's more or less used to this process so she's been quiet, giving MK room to have whatever he needed. She'll keep being quiet if she needs to, which is why she opened with that. ]

[ Something happened though, and she's pretty miserable, so if things have calmed down it's probably time to say something. She can feel herself wanting to just avoid the topic and hope it doesn't come up which is a dangerous precedent and a trap she finds too easy to fall into, particularly being used to this kind of loss and that she's been coping with it for over a week by now, but that way lies at the very least a loss of trust and intimacy and more aptly a vicious cycle in which Saya's worries about being disposable are made real before any dimensional forces play their little games. ]

Re: several days after Wukong's revival

[forgingfires]

[He would have definitely messaged Saya about the death, but timey wimey, they'll get to that, but also yes. MK obviously was Far Less Prepared to deal.]

I don't need to make sure MK is drinking and eating at regular intervals, so there's marked improvement. It'll take a bit of time to determine how much is actually better and how much is 'MK Is Fine (tm)', but that isn't a volatile state.

How are you?

!?

[bluediligence]

[ This is not a message.

Or a call. Or an unexpected visitor.

No, this is just a package that's been left on his doorstep: a large, square cardboard box with no addresses written on it, just a tag reading, "To Red Son-san (ᵔ◡ᵔ)" signed with a doodle of a pigeon.

Inside is a solid 50lb cube of space titanium and a hand-written, hand-illustrated booklet describing some of its history and uses in the year 25xx. There are diagrams! Tech specs! It's like a nerdy mini-zine. ]

Re: !?

[forgingfires]

[Its kind of confusing at first until he reads the booklet. Then actually examines it.]

How did you get something like this?!

Delivery

[happydreamed]

[An assortment of homemade baked goods - cookies of various flavors, brownies, cupcakes, the works. Attached is a note that says 'Happy holidays - Kantera'.

There's also a sterling silver dragon necklace set with a red crystal.

Re: Delivery

[forgingfires]

[Please know the next time Kantera sees him, Red Son is absolutely wearing that necklace. He won't wear it as religiously as he does the jewelry from Saya and MK, but its still gonna be A Lot.]

Delivery!

[bluediligence]

[ Red Son receives a box of handmade chocolates, neatly wrapped in crimson paper with a gold ribbon. A card reads,

"Happy holidays, Red Son-san!"

The box itself is pretty luxurious, sturdy and clearly good quality, with a watercolor flame design hand-painted by Korone herself — you can tell because here and there he might spy a subtle watercolor Litten in various poses.

As for the chocolates, there's a few different types! She's paid attention when he visits the coffee shop, and she's picked flavor combinations that she knows he's enjoyed. There's a special section for chilli chocolates, and chocolates filled with chilli caramel — all fiery enough to land a human in hospital, and all with little paper cases so they stand out against the rest.

A card, written and illustrated by hand, shows what each chocolate is. ]

Christmas Day - Delivery

[noodleboi]

[After MK is done exploring his art room, he slips down into the lab. He figures Red Son will be down here eventually. This his why he leaves the gift on the workbench. It is a small box, wrapped in flame patterned wrapping paper. Mk even made sure the ribbon on top looks like a little flame.

Inside is a necklace. Rather than a chain, MK has made it with some sort of soft braided fabric. Careful examination will reveal it to be werewolf fur. For Red Son, he has three charms on his necklace. One is a shiny purple rock that has been formed into a bull shape, a black stone in the form of a fan, and lastly a small monkey holding a bowl made of a white rock. Each are polished to shine and are perfect in shape.]

Re: Christmas Day - Delivery

[forgingfires]

[Of course Red Son finds it eventually. He returns to the workshop regularly to pick up various gifts. There is a lot of care for personal ones, though there's some impersonal for particularly good customers. Keeps them coming back and all.]

[He finds the necklace, looking it over with a growing fond smile.]

[He finds MK, probably when he's making lunch, wrapping his arms around him, burying his face against the back of his neck.]

[He may feel the necklace pressed to his back between their bodies.]

Did you like your present? [He murmurs against his neck, lightly kissing it.]

text (NSFW)

[castaside]

[ Sometime shortly after this interaction following Macaque being shoved up on the Hot or Not post without permission, Red Son will receive an image via text of MK being held to the wall by shadows. The shot is taken from around MK's waist level and is looking up at MK's bare chest and flushed face. MK probably seems a little unfocused, a little distracted, a little extremely teased. ]

In case you wanted proof that I'm living up to my end of the deal. [ Or you know for other reasons. ]

Re: text (NSFW)

[forgingfires]

[Oh.]

[Just going]

[To save that for later, yep.]

I hope you had fun. Noodle Boy certainly seemed to.

[castaside]

[ Shortly after his chat with Korone and Donnie, Macaque finds Red Son in his lab to discuss the pendant situation.. And by "finds" he means "pop up out of nowhere". As you do. Hopefully Red Son isn't handling anything delicate. ]

So.

[forgingfires]

[Honestly, its just him doing maintenance repair job (because the pendant is honestly the One Project he has right now unless I've forgotten something)]

[So he was fixing some kind of appliance when there is suddenly a Voice behind him and he yelps, jerking away, trips over the stool, flips over, and ends up back on his feet.]

....

Must you?

Jan 17th

[bluediligence]

[ tmw you're at work and CANNOT stop turning A Mystery over and over and over in your mind - ]

Hey Red Son-san! Quick question about souls and magic!

theoretically

if someone's worldhopping magic was super safe but relied on already having a tether to each possible destination

could that someone's soul being meatgrinded a few times cause an issue?

academically i think the answer is "YES, IDIOT, YOU JUST ANSWERED YOUR OWN QUESTION" but my gut says "yes but that isn't the diagnosis for this specific example"

Re: Jan 17th

[forgingfires]

Your powers work more on having a phone number than a soul tether. Which is a distinction that is important to keep in mind.

A damaged soul in general can mess up your magic.

After Korone is discharged from the clinic

[castaside]

[ Korone asked Macaque to contact Red Son about what went down with her eye injury, so: ]

Two things.

First, Korone got pretty hurt in a fight out in the segments. She's fine now, she called for me and I got there just in time to save her life, but it was looking bad for a minute. Kantera healed her to the extent he could but he used up his magic, so she might come to you for help with the rest of the facial fractures and such. Give her time though, she needs to get pampered by her partners a little first.

Second, the experience made her decide to go ahead with trying to remove her pendant limiters. She got those memory marbles and she thinks she wants to start there, but I suggested the three of us -- maybe four if her boyfriend doesn't want her out of his sight -- sit down and discuss some plans.

Re: After Korone is discharged from the clinic

[forgingfires]

Well, good on her partners showing up, but seriously, what is Pigeon Girl getting herself involved in?

[He didn't get an update on her love life, okay, the last time they chatted about it, she was in her Autumn estrus.]

[Also he is Very Worried, but that is an easier thing to worry about as he stops getting ready, because he started until he read that last part.]

I do have various spells mapped out. The memories might help to lower the risk, though I'm not sure how much lower I'm going to be able to make it.

[castaside]

Did you tell MK that I was over Wukong? He just unloaded on me about it.

[forgingfires]

I did. Was I not supposed to?

What do you mean unloaded?

February 16, after his fight with MK

[castaside]

[ Macaque isn't sure if Red knows what went down between him and MK or not, and honestly he has no intention of going there. He doesn't want to put Red in the middle, and, difficult though it is to believe given what he said to MK earlier, Macaque doesn't want to hurt the kid worse. ]

[ He wouldn't ask at all, but Korone's pendant project is coming to a head tomorrow and he needs to not have his face hurting. ]

any chance u could do a quic bit of healing or me

[ Yeah, he's plastered. All apologies to the vampire lady's private stock, he only took one but it was enough. ]

Re: February 16, after his fight with MK

[forgingfires]

Of course. I'm in the lab right now.

[He's honestly going to be expecting something minor, But Annoying.]

food deliveries + text

[happydreamed]

[Kantera is mostly letting Macaque handle Red Son for now, but he needs to do a little fussing or he'll be frustrated with himself. So, cooking.

At the moment, cooking means kimchi. On advice of Macaque, he makes both the cold, mild kimchi that's served refrigerated for a shock to the system, and for later when he's feeling better and wants comfort food, ultra-spicy kimchi, both of which are nicely wrapped up and delivered without fanfare.

He also sends a text.]

Thinking of you. Let me know if there's anything else I can do for you, when you're up to answering messages.

Text - Two days after Mac's big bleed

[noodleboi]

I need to ask for a favor. I'm overthinking things. That's why I'm texting.

How much does curing a curse take out of you?

Re: Text - Two days after Mac's big bleed

[forgingfires]

I haven't gotten to fully test it on a bad curse, so undetermined, but I have taken my training seriously, and then we can boost it with touch and the emotions you usually invoke in me.

It also doesn't affect my being present mental state.

Why?