mykidisthebest

[once the soup is set down he leans in a little to smell it, fidgeting with nervousness to mask his delight]

I want to say it feels out of place in the pasture, but, honestly, it's nice. We haven't really had a break in a while.

[it looks like galbitang and definitely has that savory deep scent one would associate with long-cooked meat and bone broth, but he can tell this was made with pygmidillo rather than beef and obviously the presentation is more fantasy Victorian England than Korean! hmmm]

One would hope for less of a constant onslaught in our futures; or at least a constant onslaught with lower stakes, for the most part.

Edited 2024-10-21 02:46 (UTC)

[oh NO

his face heats up at the realization that it's specifically foods Charon's recognized he likes. it tickles a deep part of him to know he's been seen to this extent. steals a glance at Charon to see if he's also eating before he picks up his spoon to have a taste]

If you're talking broadly about the future, then of course. We don't plan on staying here forever, and it's much quieter on other worlds. Even with crazy events happening every so often, they'd be every few months instead of every few weeks.

[he’s picked up his spoon but he’s watching Lethe like ( ‘-‘ ) before he eats anything

perhaps he’s a little nervous about the reception? hard to tell with him]

Mm. I’m quite looking forward to a more normal pace and round of madness for all of us.

[takes a sip of the soup.

and then another, and another, letting a silence drift over them as he takes a while to just enjoy the food in front of him]

You're going home first, right? Since there are things you still have to handle. But it should be quiet there.

[smiles a little to himself and starts to eat as well]

If we’re picking up where we left off I’ll be on a ship, so it is some rather enforced quiet time—ships are rather better reinforced against boarding by sea monsters than they used to be. I do wonder if the way you’ve changed by body erases the seasickness or if that will still be there to contend with, though.

Sea sickness, huh. I've never heard of an S-Class getting seasick before; it's almost impossible for them to get a cold or a flu either. Unless something on your world dampens your newfound fortitude I'm guessing you'll be fine. I'll have to give you a list of things to look out for.

I’d appreciate that. It seems like it’s going to complicate life far more when we’re no longer under the restrictions afforded by this place.

It's really useful, though! Your body's sturdier, your senses are heightened, you don't get sick as easily, you don't need to sleep as much, and your mental fortitude is much higher! But obviously, through all that, you're still human. It just makes you better at everything.

I've got a set of S-Class scissors, tweezers, and nail clippers I can give to you.

[he is just chattering happily in between eating his soup, but before he knows it the soup is gone]

S-Class scissors…?

[the ghost clears their plates with a little bow as they talk, sliding in a little breather dish; a trio of small dumplings. again a little foreign since they’re filled with crab or scister meat and meadow greens, but the seasoning is reminiscent of mandu

Korean-pasture fusion?]

[he gets a doofy smile on his face as he sees the next dish. god. Charon is a romantic. he has to kill him with something insanely extreme.

relishes every bite of the dumplings]

Mm, scissors, like for cutting your hair. Normal scissors will break if an S-Class uses them. I'm guessing you'll want a good knife, too.

[sweats]

The limit on powers here has truly been preventing some everyday pains, I see. I'll take sourcing them from you gladly, if it's not too much trouble.

It sounds intimidating, but it shouldn't be that hard for you to adjust. Your class also depends on your world, too; if there isn't much mana on your world, your stats might lower you down to A-Class.

But since I live with S-Classes I can get you anything you might need to make it easier. It isn't as much as you might think, just little items for convenience.

…if there’s something my world has no shortage of, it’s magic.

[when the dumplings are done it’s a salad course! this one is simply assorted meadow greens but dressed in a tangy, spicy sauce]

I truly don’t think it’s one of your dungeons, but I should see if something made from monster byproducts there would work similarly. It would at least be an interesting experiment.

Mm, your world has a lot of magic, but I doubt you'd go up to SS-Class just because of that or anything. Your combat skills are low, relatively speaking. Support builds don't tend to end up high rank to begin with unless your skills are really good.

[his bite of the salad is tentative, but he brightens at the flavor]

This is really good...Hmm, I'd also be really curious if monster byproducts did work. We don't have monsters on my world originally so it's hard to compare. I'm sure there's something on your world that you can use, it just has to be strong. I bet we could whittle down some true runes into a nice razor for you.

I was not thinking of being in a higher class...simply that it is likely to have enough magic to sustain me at the levels equivalent to your world, I hope. Even if it does not, though, it is fine; I have lived as an ordinary man long enough that I could not reacclimate to that.

[watching his reaction to the course, humming in satisfaction for a moment]

I'm not sure I'm vainglorious enough to use True Runes for such a purpose, though I'd be lying if the thought of using them as trophies didn't appeal. Perhaps it's the dragon's propensity to hoard.

[laughs into his salad, playfully amused]

It's your propensity to hoard, not a dragon's. You've been in the habit of collecting things long before you ever had the chance to turn into a dragon. Though whether you're a dragon, or an A-Class or S-Class, you're still human. Maybe not as ordinary as you're used to, but undeniably human all the same. There really isn't much to adjust to.

[watches him fondly]

Is there not? There is a lot I don't know about how these transformations change my impulses and thinking; and indeed they have already begun to change it.

But it is not bad, either way. I do not think it was a mistake of the magic here, what it chose to tie into me with the return of my name.

I can't claim to know about every kind of transformation. Especially not the ones from here. So maybe it really is that the magic here thought a dragon transformation was the most suitable skill for you. But typically it isn't that they alter your personality, but that you act different with new kinds of abilities. For example...if you suddenly gain a ton of power and strength, you might feel more reckless because you know you can handle it. A lot of S-Classes are eager to fight each other, but it's not because they're especially prone to fighting. It's just because they're really eager to test their skills against an opponent they're evenly matched against.

For a dragon transformation, it's worthwhile to consider if being a dragon is changing your thinking, or if you're just thinking differently in a different form because it's more suitable. You're more inclined to use the tool you have available to you in any form, like wings and claws and teeth. If you had additional skills you'd probably also make use of them, right?

[the longer he keeps babbling the clearer it is that he's just very interested in this kind of stuff]

[he likes debating with Lethe he's very cute when he's talking out something he's interested in!!!]

Hmm. I'm not sure that's entirely accurate. It's true that I have more confidence in a fight simply due to knowing I likely won't die in a blow, and that I am more inclined to rely on the weaponry of a dragon body than I am a human's. But I also now have urges, needs, that come up at the oddest times, that are not modifications of previously existing behavior. I suppose the line between the two is often blurry, though.

Hmm. That's interesting...the pasture's skills are pretty different from what I'm used to, though, so it isn't too shocking that it's more foreign than what you're used to. Did flying come naturally to you too? A pair of siblings I know back home gained the ability to transform, but the flight didn't come naturally to the one who gained wings. He was struggling with it because his mind is still human, even when he transforms. But if the transformation comes pre-loaded with the instincts for it, I imagine adapting is much easier.

It was some of both. The transformation does not entirely compensate for the disconnect between mind and body, so my initial efforts at getting airborne were...not good. But there was enough instinct of how to move, how to angle and use the wind once I was in a position to, that it was not as though I was entirely newborn to the art, either.

Such instincts dull as I move further along the spectrum from dragon back to human form, but they also are present when I appear human.

Does it bother you? The added instincts, I mean. I'm sure there's a way to compartmentalize them if you wanted to try.

[frowns at the last of his salad a little]

I don’t hate them. But it might be worth learning. I do still have to do my work as a human, after all.

It's still you no matter what, but I do prefer you as a human.

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