Something Wicked (Villainous Magical Boy Quest)

You did come here for a reason: to pick up furnishings for Sasori's room. He can't sleep on books. At the very least, you need to pick out a bed. And if there's extra time afterward, you want to gather the materials for making more charms. You can never have too many charms. So you turn away from the commotion in the distance and start looking for a human furniture store. Sasori follows close behind, glancing up from the book he's reading every few seconds. He seems to have figured out how to turn the pages gently by cradling them in the very tips of his claws. It's clearly taking a lot of care not to tear the paper.

That control is impressive, but you think there must be an easier way to let him read.

"Do you want a dendrite?" you ask.

"What's a dendrite?"

You wave the scarves drifting around you pointedly.

Sasori looks up from his book long enough to track the motion. He looks faintly embarrassed. "I didn't know they had a name."

"Well, they do. And they're awesome. So many extra arms!"

He grimaces and turns a page delicately. His tail arches pointedly behind him. "I don't want more limbs. I have enough to keep track of."

"Yeah, but your tail isn't prehensile. Is it?"

That conversation topic lasts for a good ten minutes because, as it turns out, Sasori's tail is slightly difficult to classify. It's definitely bigger and clumsier than most prehensile tails, but it is very flexible and can be used to anchor his position in, say, an arboreal environment. However, it's unclear how much of that anchoring ability comes from the blade sinking into the target and how much comes from the tail itself. He sure can't answer any serious questions about it—he's never really explored how it moves.

Eventually, you spot a chair in a window display and break off mid-sentence.

Sasori follows your gaze. "That does not look comfortable."

"It doesn't, does it?" There's no jelly to speak of. Just plastic, hardwood, and fabric. "How do you even adjust the surface tension?"

Apparently, the answer is that you don't. Shocking, horrifying, appalling.

You go into the store anyway. You're already here, after all.

After going in, it becomes clear that human interior design is, in a word, grounded. Nothing is flying or even floating. You know humans don't have magic, but really? No motors or antigrav set-ups or anything? It's appalling. And all the furniture seems to be subtly misplaced. It's like the designers expect you to be comfortable with feet flat on the ground. That sounds like an excellent way to get calf pain to you. And what if you twitch your toes wrong and sink your claws into the floor?

It's such a bad idea. And Sasori's anatomy is even less suited to standard human furniture proportions than yours is. You aren't covered in hard chitin, after all. When he brushes against cloth-covered plastic by accident, it rips.

Both of you stare at the torn chair back in silence. Then you mutually decide to pretend that didn't happen and go back to touring the store. It's mostly empty, at least, so Sasori can keep his distance from the various items without the risk of bumping into anyone.

But this seems counterproductive since you came here to try and find furniture for him.

"Okay," you say finally, after three circuits through the store. "Is there anything here you like?"

He presses his blue lips together. "It's all… fragile."

"That's fine, I can enchant it later. Just tell me if you like anything."

After a bit more encouragement, Sasori begins to seriously consider the aesthetics of the furniture instead of just the relative stability it offers. He's leaning over a couch, tail twitching, when you notice someone familiar. Across the showcase area, pressing down experimentally on another couch, is Akira. The girl from the park, now dressed in a cozy-looking hoodie and thick leggings. She's staring at the couch with a small frown.

Huh. Small world.

More importantly, she looks like she's also buying furniture—and she might actually know what she's doing. There's an opportunity there. Should you try taking advantage of it?



Pick 1:

[ ] GREET AKIRA

She might know more about human furniture than you and Sasori do. Besides, this might be an opportunity for Sasori to observe a human up close in a relative safe environment. And you have a weird track record with finding hidden power in human teenagers, so if there's anything odd about her, now is a good time to check.

[ ] IGNORE AKIRA

You're here on a mission and you don't have time for socializing. Besides, having a conversation with someone else while Sasori is here, invisible, might lead to him feeling left out. You can muddle through furniture options on your own… you think.

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Short update because I'm tired.