*Yoshi-p voice* NIGHTMARE

[humbledsamurai]

WHO: Tsutomu and youuuuu
WHAT: Tsutomu is in the wilderness thanks to the concerning noises he is forming from his night terrors. Perhaps they catch your ear?
WHEN: Sometime after Halloween
WHERE: Somewhere half a day's walk away from the city in the Spring segment, but quicker by airship or teleportation.
WARNINGS: Unsure how much Tsutomu is willing to share of himself to someone he's just met, but if it somehow comes down to it, there could be possible mentions of trauma, abuse, and PTSD behaviors



It starts as whimpers.

A small camp is settled nearby. There's a well built fire pit with a good foundation and surrounded by rocks. Whoever made it clearly has experience with the outdoors. A makeshift tent that's crude yet sturdy lies facing the fire. Next to the tent is a makeshift clothesline, holding up a humble, dampened yukata.

The whimpers grow louder, and turn into concerning groans that can be heard from a distance, likely attracting nearby life or passerbys.

Near the fire are sticks stuck into the ground, sharpened at the tip. One of the sticks has a half eaten fish impaled on it. A meal unfinished. Tsutomu is inside the tent, sleeping atop of a cloth protecting him from the ground. He's wearing his hakama, but his torso is bare, his clothes drying outside. What is he doing here? Why is he out in the wild when a safe and warm apartment waits for him in Nightwake? Why is he so troubled in his sleep?

The groans and whimpers turn into a terrified scream. Tsutomu thrashes about, his eyes kept shut.

Comments

[wsa]

Then the shaking comes more insistent; he's not panicked, but the clear anguish and the heart-wrenching apologies do give him license to rock him just a bit harder. Raising his voice, he calls to the poor man under his hands.

"Please wake up! I've got you! I mean you no harm."

[humbledsamurai]

The corpses close in, shouting abuse after abuse, guilt after guilt. Tsutomu can only watch as they come closer and closer, reaching out to drag him to hell.

A corpse grabs his shoulder. Hard. Tsutomu can feel his body rock back and forth as he cackles. I GOT YOU!

"GYAAAH—" Startled, Tsutomu jolts awake from his nightmare, and jolts once more upward.

His head right in the way of the poor soul looking over him.

[wsa]

The collision of Tsutomu's head into Amahiko's own is something he should have expected. He reflexively jerks away, rubbing at the spot on his jaw where they collided, but that's merely an automatic reaction. His focus is still on Tsutomu.

"Please tell me you're awake," He manages, voice low and maybe a little pained-sounding in the breathiness of it, "You've worried me quite a bit."

[humbledsamurai]

"Ugh..." Tsutomu clings onto his head, feeling a pain radiating in his skull as he blinks eyes eyes into focus. What just happened? Weary, he looks around as his sight slowly clears. Right. His tent. He was sleeping, wasn't he? Looks like the nightmare was enough to wake him up this time.

But...why does his head hurt?

Tsutomu slowly comes to his senses, and his eyes finally land up on the stranger next to him, rubbing their jaw. Wait a sec...

"AAAGHH! The otherworldly sekuhara diplomat or someother!?"

[wsa]

Maybe if he were at home, the usual lights would flick on and he could get on the pole.

But he's not at home, rather in a stranger's tent with a jaw throbbing in pain. He recognizes that Tsutomu is, in turn, recognizing him ... and then he gets his title completely wrong?

"Ah! You must have hit your head much too hard!"

Because why else would he have gotten such a memorable title and occupation wrong?

"I mean you no harm, so please try to catch your breath," He tells him evenly, "Is there anything you need?"

[humbledsamurai]

"I'm fine! Everything is fine! IT'S FINE!" Panicking.

"M-more importantly, why are you here? H-how did you find me? I thought I had myself well!"

[wsa]

"You're alright — please, I don't mean you any harm. It was just that I heard your ... your night terrors as I passed by."

He holds up a hand helpfully, keeping his distance. He means no harm, but how can he properly display that?

"I just want to ensure you're alright. I wasn't looking for you, I just happened to be passing through ..."

Hid* not had oops

[humbledsamurai]

Tsutomu's face, no, his entire head seems to become a tomato.

"Seven hells, you...heard me!? I was that loud??"

Well. With the energy he has, it's clear that he's somewhat alright.

[wsa]

Oh no.

The embarrassment is cute and maybe even kind of sexy, but Amahiko doesn't really address it directly. Instead his expression softens a little, waving a hand as though to say its no bother at all.

"Yes. It's ... quiet out here as well, though. You're not on the run from anyone, are you?"

[humbledsamurai]

"Eh? I..." Tsutomu trails off, hesitant to finish his words. It's not quite that he was on the run, but...

"Well, not exactly. I'm...simply just trying to keep away from others. And I'm sure you just heard why." Tsutomu sighs. Why is he sharing this with a flashy man he barely knows?

"I would simply be disturbing others if I stayed at the apartment I was assigned to."

[wsa]

His brow furrows at that, and he looks back to the entrance of the tent before settling down a little more. Like he's ready for the long haul, a night of keeping this man company. Or something.

"It's not my place to ask the nature of your nightmares ... but there must be something to be done about such a thing." He says softly, looking like he's trying to puzzle out the answer himself. "Maybe you need to be tired out properly."

... Does he mean what his tone suggests?

[humbledsamurai]

"Tired out?"

Tsutomu sighs.

"I've already tried that. I ran for a while and practiced my swordsmanship. It managed to get me to fall asleep but it hasn't stopped the nightmares from happening."

....Why is this man relaxing so casually? He's not planning on staying here is he??

[wsa]

That makes Amahiko sad, and it shows on his face. Looking a little crestfallen, he adjusts himself where he sits. Leaning back on his palms, looking towards the top of the tent with a sigh. The shirt open over his chest and his whole demeanor might make it look like he's ... trying to show off his tits, but really he's just thinking.

"... I have a way to tire you out ... but if similar methods haven't worked before, I'm uncertain."

... How does Amahiko manage to sound so seductive and worried at once.

[humbledsamurai]

SIGH.

"Well..."similar" doesn't mean the exact same, so if you have an idea, I'm all ears."

This was awkward. Tsutomu is trying his best to be polite with this eccentric man, but he was never good at entertaining guests. Which he guesses Amahiko is now??? Tsutomu looks back at the man making himself really comfortable. Even the way he sits back to think is so...

Tsutomu turns red and looks away.

"D-do you have any shame? Close up your shirt..."

TSUTOMU YOU ARE LITERALLY TOPLESS??

[wsa]

Amahiko cocks his head a little at the utterance; he sees it for what it is, though. Sitting upright, then shifting a little closer to Tsutomu, he places his hand on the other man's.

"I was merely worried at your earlier display of distress. I can leave if you'd like to ..." To what, get back to sleep-screaming? He searches, "attempt it again on your own."

Look at him, reading cues.

"Still." He rubs at his own chin in thought, "A night of play always tires me out to the point of peaceful sleep."

[humbledsamurai]

Tsutomu freezes as Amahiko's hand holds his. Even in the darkness of night, he could probably see Tsutomu's skin slowly become tomato. It's sudden and surprising, it's a sensation Tsutomu isn't used to.

Amahiko's hand feels warm, soft, and bigger than his own. This man has been nothing but overbearing on the hyur's senses since he first met the damn weirdo. And yet....Tsutomu can't seem to pull his hand away.

"Play? You mean, like a game? Hmmm...I do suppose playing something mind stimulating like Go or Shogi could probably be something different from rigorous exercise."

It just...goes over his head.

[wsa]

"Ah! So you're familiar with Strip Shogi as well!"

Amahiko claps his hands together; it seems unlikely that Tsutomu brought a board and all, or maybe he's just hiding it very well. But then he pauses, and his voice softens once more.

"Strip Shogi is perfectly fine, of course, but it wasn't quite what I had in mind."

[humbledsamurai]

"Regular Shogi, my lord. Why would I be familiar with strip Shogi?"

Tsutomu twitches and lets out a sigh.

"Well what did you have in mind, then?"

[wsa]

Wait ... Isn't strip Shogi common? Amahiko almost asks about this, but decides to leave that be; there are far more pressing matters than why he should be familiar with strip Shogi. Amahiko moves closer, just a little, reaching out to press his palm to Tsutomu's cheek, thumb passing over his cheekbone.

There's intent there. Maybe it's apparent that its focused on Tsutomu now: that ridiculous sex-charisma now dialed down into an earnest attempt at securing comfort and closeness instead of something like usual. Something far less silly and over the top and ostentatious.

"Could I show you?" He asks, head tilted a little. "I find sometimes words are sometimes insufficient in these matters."

[humbledsamurai]

...The atmosphere changed, somehow. What was exhaustion and Tsutomu trying his best to humor a gaudy man has now turned into...

Seriously, what is this?

It's heavy. Intense. Tsutomu feels his entire body freeze and his heart race. When Amahiko touches his face, a very noticeable heat rises to the samurai's cheeks. Tsutomu sharply inhales and finds himself unable to exhale when he sees the shifting shadow of Amahiko's body become close to his.

That odd aura of his makes Tsutomu's mind race a million malms a second.

Eventually he manages to put two and two together, and he grabs Amahiko's wrist to pull his hand away from his face. He doesn't, however, let go of it.

"L-Lord Tendou! Be there no end to thy teasing? Just how persistent canst thou—"

Tsutomu shakes his head, so caught off guard that he dives into his samurai dialect for a second.

"H-how on earth is something like that supposed to help anyway?"

Even his hands are hot from fluster.