Love is a many splendored-- no, it really isn't.

[seadevil]

Who: The crew of the Katabami
Where: Lover's Island
When: 4/25 - the beginning of May
What: Time to get our shard! Not that it's going to be easy.
Warnings: We're making Ragna kiss a rock. What do you think?
Style: Any
Status: Closed to crew

The raging storms surrounding Lover's Island fill the brave crew of the Katabami with dread. A shard waits for them beyond those powerful winds, but to get at it? Well, no one is really looking forward to it...

Comments

[curseking]

[Motochika wouldn't ask if he didn't expect an answer, so Mitsunari goes ahead and gives it, fixing him with another attentive look.]

You appeared flummoxed, and I am not certain why.

[Bluntness must be incurable even by magical love fountains.]

Forgive me, it is none of my concern.

[seadevil]

You just seem a bit unlike yourself, so I was concerned is all. You know how this place tends to mess about with our heads.

[Mitsunari, thankfully, missed out on the time Xun Yu and Gold were possessed by a witch and turned on the crew. Had he been around, no doubt neither of the possessed would have survived long enough to be called to the witch's side.]

Don't worry yourself over it. The only thing we should be worrying about is that shard, eh?

[He claps Mitsunari on the shoulder and grins.]

[curseking]

[He is worried to hear that he's acting unlike himself, but the reassuring grin-and-shoulder-pat combo has a powerful effect. Mitsunari welcomes it, his eyes lighting up with pleasant surprise. As the awestruck moment passes, he nods briskly.]

I understand. I will search for as long as I must until it is retrieved.

[This is certainly an improvement from bruising Motochika's arm like before!]

[seadevil]

[It still seems kind of strange, but Mitsunari seems happy, so he's not going to push it. It's a rare sight indeed, so who is he to put a damper on it? Still, happy or not, any excess energy on Mitsunari's part is, as usual, channeled into being overly serious about everything. He'll probably search until he collapses if no one keeps an eye on him.]

Aye, no doubt you will. Care for some help? Three eyes are better than two, after all.

[curseking]

[To put it mildly, Mitsunari is not a fan of being helped, and he has to stop himself from automatically declining the offer. The prospect of doing something together with Motochika is very appealing, and he is loathe to pass it up, but... he doesn't want to accept help!

He'd...

Actually, he'd rather be the one doing the helping.]

I will offer my assistance to you.

[There. That resolves this non-issue.]

[seadevil]

[Well, at least Mitsunari's pride is functioning normally.]

Suit yourself.

[Motochika deposits his sack of treasure and his anchor in a corner and begins to poke about in the corners of the room. This temple appears not to have the sort of tricks and traps that had built into the ones on Hidden Island, so it's unlikely that some surprise pitfall is going to swallow up his hard-earned spoils. Pity, though, because you can usually figure out where the good stuff based on how many traps are surrounding it.]

I'm content as long as the thing ends up in my hands.

[First. Or second, providing the person who found it first isn't Ragna.]

[curseking]

[Mitsunari will throttle someone if Ragna finds the shard first. And god forbid Ieyasu so much as glance in its direction. What Mitsunari has been hoping for is sole custody of the shard--regardless of who finds it--so he can know with absolute certainty that nothing will happen to it; like getting stolen or broken or dropped into the ocean by mistake or eaten by an armadillo. His wish is riding on this thing.

However, the fluttery, affectionate feeling in his chest has banished any issue he might have had with just letting Motochika have it once it has been found.]

I am content in knowing that it is yours to keep. There is no doubt in my mind you will safeguard it.

[The second they get off this island he is going to be kicking himself so very hard for saying that. He'll also be hoping Motochika's menagerie doesn't have an eye for shiny gems.]

[seadevil]

[Okay, that's definitely a very un-Mitsunari-like thing to say. Motochika pauses in his search to stare at him, utterly baffled.]

Really? I certainly will, but...really?

[It's so strange to hear that it isn't even going straight to his ego like it usually would.]

[curseking]

...?

[Mitsunari shoots him a confused look of his own.]

Yes.

I would never do you the disservice of spouting meaningless flattery.

[Does Motochika think he's acting "unlike himself" again or something? He's still not seeing what about his behavior could possibly be out of the ordinary...]

[seadevil]

[That is the absolute truth, which is what makes it so strange. Mitsunari is the most honest person he'll ever know. He's quite sure of that. Therefore, if everything else about the man seems to be functioning normally, perhaps the sentiment is genuine?]

Well then, I'm honored that you've decided to put your faith in me! That's not something easily earned, after all. I know that well.

[Motochika is beaming now.]

[curseking]

[That's why Motochika found his behavior strange. Why, he hadn't already realized how Mitsunari felt!]

I apologize. My faith in you shouldn't have been left in question.

[He wishes it had not come as a surprise, but Motochika's reaction offsets the encroaching dismay. His smile alone would have been enough to lighten the heaviest of hearts and the darkest of Mitsunari's moods, but more than that, Mitsunari knows for himself how good a feeling it is to learn that someone believes in you. Knowing that he's made Motochika happy makes him happy.

With an air of determination, he continues:]

In the future I resolve to make my feelings clear.

[seadevil]

I appreciate it.

[What else is there to say, especially in the face of such determination. Flustered, Motochika returns to searching the room. Why do shards have to be so tiny? They're never going to find it at this rate. With their luck, someone else has gotten to it first and they're just making fools of themselves.]

I don't suppose you've seen the thing yet?

[curseking]

[Motochika earns himself a curious look (really, what's there to be flustered about, devotion is supposed to be intense!) but his reaction isn't taken as a bad sign.]

Unfortunately, no.

[But the shard won't evade them forever if he's got anything to say about it. He dutifully resumes his own search, taking great care not to overlook anything.

Seeing it fail to turn up in spite of his diligence is starting to worry him. He said he was going to retrieve it for Motochika and damn it, he intends to follow through on that.]

It cannot have been found already...?

[...No, no, impossible. He'll just search harder.]

[seadevil]

It would be just our usual run of foul luck, wouldn't it?

[Motochika kicks the fountain, as if that's going to solve the problem.]

Let us hope it's someone from the crew and we just haven't crossed paths with them yet, if that's the case.

[And let it not be Ragna, please.]