individuates

All of us?

[It's safe for Tamaki, too. If it was just a sting then it would be funny but this actually hurts. It loses its appeal when it would really hurt their friend who has a tendency of grabbing onto them a lot as well.

Hikaru already misses being able to touch Kaoru without much thought. To hold his hand and entwine their fingers. Yes, he can lean his head down onto Kaoru's with that blanket barrier and it isn't like they aren't any less close. Like Kaoru's presence isn't so unmistakably there.

Though he could roll his eyes at the mention of their hypothesis and he does and Kaoru probably knew he did but he says nothing.]

Yeah...[They're stuck in here. In this stupidly small room. But very quickly his thoughts align with his twin's.]

Poor Tono...we'll have to keep him entertained...

[it's the hand-holding, or leaning his head in close to the crook of Hikaru's shoulder, or balancing against each other just so - little instances of contact that looked almost choreographed to outsiders. They had always been completely thoughtless for them and suddenly they suddenly have to be thought about. It's weird under layers of blankets, and there is absolutely no finesse as he leans himself a little bit more against Hikaru. At least they help?]

He'll be in the best company, he'll be fine. But he's gonna need a kigu too - for safety reasons. Zuko too.

[Zuko is definitely the least touchy-feely out of them, but wouldn't it be awful for him to feel left out?]

How long can a storm last, anyway? I mean, it's just weather. It can't be much worse than a typhoon...

[unless it's, like, rainy season over here...]

[People probably do think they plan out everything they do. Maybe some things but they're also just very much in-tune with each other. How they lean against the other is natural because they have always done this. Hikaru is fairly positive they could be well into their late years and still be able to fall into this routine. ]

We should do birds. Our hands can be covered that way. With the wings you know? Zuko's kind of a mystery and I don't have any idea what that guy would want. [They got over their first fight but they still have no idea how to interact with each other. Hikaru doesn't hate him but maybe the problem is that they're a little too similar in the worst of ways.] Tono, though, there's so much we could do with him...

[And none of it very nice or flattering.]

We can always make slits to slip our hands in and out of - if we want to draw, or something. But birds would be fun. Or maybe tanukis?

[or red pandas. He usually gestures when his thoughts start carrying him off - but right now he feels oddly static. Freeing his hands at the moment to gesture, he might forget and touch Hikaru's by accident. So instead he sort of... lightly bounces his shoulder off Hikaru's.

Okay with the layers of blankets that's slightly bouncier than expected, that's a little bit fun.]

Y'know, we should find him something that has tons of stuffing - like a marshmallow man. I wanna see him get jammed in a door at least once.

Tanukis are cute but we can't really go with too much color variation. If we do birds then the options are endless~

[Sure a tanuki doesn't have to be its usual color but it wouldn't look very cute if it was blue or something. Birds can be customized so much!

Hikaru thinks about Tamaki and it comes to him. ] Or he's round enough where he can't get through a door. Remember all those weird mascots we saw...?

[Kaoru must be thinking similarly as he is.]

Endless! [Hikaru's right, of course] Birds, then. For us. We can manage with the bare minimum. Someone like Tono will need the protection...

[but Hikaru voices it first, and Kaoru's eyes and mouth both go round]

Oh my god Hikaru-- like we could forget... you think we could manage a whole costume or more like-- like a top-piece. And-- tights.

[no, sorry he just about lost it at the thought of tights, he needs his hands to supplement him through this]

We could do something like that fat Onsen Bird if we want him to fit in with our theme? But there's that coin-lion-roof-tile one, that's just pieces and paint and stuffing but we'd have to make sure Tono can at least breathe...

[see where he's going? Have hands? Secondary.]

[There's really only one option:] Has to be that coin-lion-roof-tile one! The face is just completely Tono! [How could one just forget that face?]

It wouldn't be that hard. I bet you we could probably come up with something with everything we have here. Shaping it might be a bit hard...[In a tight pinch, they could use cardboard and it isn't like they have had the time or all the money to buy everything they could.

But they've always been creative enough. The amount of things they made as kids with whatever they found around the house was legendary. But that was also with a mom who was a fashion designer and had a studio that they always raided.

Still...]

We can do this! But we should make our things first. We're the true victims here.

Completely - wan~!

[he can barely get out the impersonation before falling back slightly in giggles all over again]

We can do it, we definitely can - we just cannot let him see what we're doing. Either we have to hope he won't come butt in, or try to do everything in here...

[...it's already cramped in here. But they can't risk having everything known until they're ready to reveal it.]

Mmm, okay. Us first.

[diving for a sketchbook - how strange they worried about not being able to afford them, they're everywhere now. Perhaps they should have been a little less zealous about spending their Chroma, but that's not really not his mind right now]

We've got colours, right? Head, back, wings one colour, body another?

[but he's totally sketching a cross between Tamaki and Nishiko, with a blush and slightly crossed legs, like there's something he's trying to hide...]

[But all of these sketchbooks are filled with so many ideas. For as awful as being kidnapped to a strange new world is, it definitely helps their imaginations. Hikaru has drawn up so many ideas with his twin and it's been fun. He's missed this. They've always been creative and for as short as a month can be, it had felt like ages since he last had this kind of creative freedom.

Hikaru glances at what Kaoru's drawing and he laughs.] Look at him! Look at him! It's so fitting. You think we can get him into wearing the tights? We probably could. It wouldn't be too hard, I bet, if we told him about the mascot idea and what they do, you know? Say the tights are a huge part of it or something?

[They haven't been above lying before.]

[at some point, they will sit down, curate these ideas into a collection, produce the collection, and take this place by storm.

Just... right now, using up their materials in an elaborate practical joke seems like the more fun option.]

It is literally Tono's face.

[seriously. But then, perhaps their Tono is quite the chameleon.]

I mean, they are part of it. Part of the costume... [whether or not the offer any protection...? Though Kaoru feels a little badly about that.] We'll try to make them thicker, more like leggings. And we can use that glue gun to put some grip onto the feet.

[but he's switching gears, gesture-sketching out a basic figure, then switching out colours on his chunky commoner pen to start sketching out a kigu.]

Ew. [well that orange is disappointing.] But you get the idea? One colour for the body - raglan sleeve?

[They're never going to seriously hurt Tamaki. It's the whole reason they are making something for him in the first place.

Even though it is a huge joke as well.] Hm. We might want to be careful with the material for the leggings. [It's still summer after all.

God what a ugly orange. Hikaru goes to get some of the colored pencils they got and gets a red one. Just so the lines stand out a bit more.] Yeah, yeah. Do we want both of the bodies to be white? It'd look good together and the colors all contrast well. Hm...[He draws a hood over the head, a little bird face with it.] I don't know if we have enough but...? [The unspoken idea is some kind of decoration for the top. Feathers but not actual feathers.

His eye is much bigger than his budget.]

We could do it with black. If we need to, we can dye the main colour darker to ease the contrast there... [they haven't got tons of materials but they can do that for sure.] White on the body would still be good. Maybe just black to indicate feathers, then? It can be a little bit cartoony...!

[sketching, sketching... the sleeves are effectively a semi-circle added to his figure, just to try to nail down the silhouette, though where they will be seamed is delineated with little lines at the shoulders. It's weird trying to keep to his own bit of the sketch-pad when they so usually have their hands in each other's drawings, sneaking under the other's resting arm to add details.]

I dunno if we'd be able to do, like, a comb on top. It would need to stand, but that might make it too heavy for the hood, and drag. But we could applique eyes and a beak?

[here, look, it's a cartoon bird...]

Realism for these types of things are too weird. [Cartoon bird is a good idea. Hikaru hums, nodding at the drawing. Very rarely do they not like what the other has come up with.] We have plenty of black so using that for lines is good. We should focus on just the two colors. Orange and white and blue and white, yeah? [Being frugal is so hard and really, it's difficult not to go overboard on something like this. Especially when they are so used to being able to just that. Their mom never demonstrated the art of subtlety.]

Ah, for the wings...[He almost just starts drawing where Kaoru is but then their hands almost touch and he remembers. The loudest, most dramatic sigh escapes from him as he reaches to grab another sketchbook.

He draws out the wing, showing where their hands would go.] The wings should be able to cover our hands but it should be easy to get them out too if we need to use our fingers. [He draws a sort of pocket in the wing, big enough for a hand to comfortably fit.] Yeah?

[they've got it. They will be the cutest cartoon birds.]

Yeah! I think there would have to be an extra piece in the palm, then - kind of like a pillow-case?

[they have maids - it's possible they have never had to fit a pillowcase to save their lives. But they can at least know how they work.]

So the hand goes into pocket at the end, and there's a partial cuff, so the rest of the sleeve covers it...?

[setting down his sketchbook and sitting back, tidying up his blanket and tapping his pen against his chin]

...what about Zuko?

Yeah, yeah! That works. [They at least know that pillow cases go on their pillows. Some things you know.

But when he's asked about Zuko, he hums. Hikaru is very apathetic towards him. The problem is they're too alike in the worst ways and really, maybe they have been able to apologize for their first fight but that only got Zuko into Hikaru's apathy level. But at least that was better than outright disliking him which was never a place you wanted to be with a Hitachiin.

But the problem is that this leaves Hikaru uninspired.] A dragon or something? Unless that makes him get mad about them being extinct but not really in his world or something. [What else was there to do?] Unless we made it look super cartoonish? Like...

[He sketches out a quick design. ]

What do you think?

Sure! [Kaoru has ideas?] Simple is easier, yeah - probably good that it's got a white belly like ours. Maybe we make sure it's unmistakably a dragon, though-- hang on...

[Trying to draw on Hikaru's pad while he's holding it is gonna be difficult, though, so he just takes it, closing his fingers around the top in warning before switching it out with his own. Now he can use the red in his pen - and if he works really hard he can get it to run two colours at once! The strange things that commoners come up with!]

It needs those long, noodle-y whiskers, and maybe a beard - all self-respecting dragons should have a beard. Though it might end up a bit moustachey...

[A few quick strokes here and there and there are little details incorporated into Hikaru's sketch to make the dragon a little bit more eastern. Horns too, he needs to have...

Hmm. He stills a moment, then shifts himself a bit more firmly cross-legged in front of his twin]

...you want me to take this on?

Edited (Icon!) 2020-09-01 16:01 (UTC)

It's funnier-looking if it looks more Western, though. They're so ugly. [But the level of apathy he has really does shine on through and he shrugs, letting Kaoru have it. They both know what it's like when you simply have no interest in doing something. Apathy can be as big an enemy as boredom.

But if it doesn't have a dumb face then he's going to have words, Kaoru.]

Give me your sketchbook. I wanna go over Tono's a bit because you know, I bet we can get him to keep wearing this thing. When this storm is over, we could make him take on being a mascot in a more permanent sense. So that means figuring out the feet...

[Now Hikaru wants to go in for the long haul because imagine if they could keep it going.]

Yeah, true, they do make them fat - what even is that about...

[sliding his sketchbook into Hikaru's hands - say no more. Of course he'll be able to rely on Hikaru to help him troubleshoot practicalities but he's never going to force his twin into designing something he has no spark for.

Additions to the muzzle, then - the promised beard (if they can get the material for it it will be just long enough to hang in Zuko's face - same with the whiskers) and a dopey, sticking-out tongue. Also crossed eyes, because why not, but he'll throw out-]

Googly eyes?

[before leaning over to help Hikaru out]

Mmm, we'd need to cover shoes. It would be one thing if it were just boot covers but if they have to attach the actual legging...

[that's a lot more stress to the adhesive. A more complex solution may be required...]

We can always figure out something else later - he won't be going out right away, and if he does, he's only idiocy to blame. [tapping his initial illustration] He'd have to be bare-legged until his pants are dry.

[It's to poor Zuko's misfortune that Hikaru grins.] Yes. We got some, right? [Obviously that prank just never gets old and is a classic. It was definitely worth the money to get them.]

[As for the rest...] We'll have to explain to them what's going on and I don't think even Tono would want to go out in this. [This is one of the worst storms Hikaru has seen and something about it is obviously not right. Space storms are apparently very serious.]

I'm mostly just brainstorming for later. Until it gets cold anyway...if it gets cold here? [Space was supposed to be cold but this place was so weird. Maybe it stayed like this all the time? But if it does get cold then they can't milk this mascot for all its worth. It isn't built for warmth.

He draws on some cartoony shoes.] Might be a bit too cartoon-ish.

We might have to break out the big ones.

[because every prankster needs a full array of googly eyes in different sizes. Kaoru's thinking of the ones they have the size of jam jar lids...]

Yeah, there's no reason we can't add shoes - like, white cartoon sneakers? [Hikaru's already there and he nods approvingly] Yeah yeah, just like those, something like... comedic tension between the modern and traditional ideas, y'know?

You think it'll snow here like real winter? That would be kinda fun...

A worthy cause. If we had the materials, it would be kind of funny if we could just make one that's entirely those eyes. [But the googly eyes are vital and they can't just waste them!

Except now he's thinking they need to stock up and definitely make Tamaki's room entirely googly eyes. It's very necessary. But that's for other days. Maybe Zuko but Hikaru isn't entirely sure how Zuko may react. It could be funny or not. He has to get to know him better before that.

He nods along to Kaoru's ideas and draws up some ideas for the shoes but also how to attach them. Just some small plans to get the ideas out there and make him think more.]

I don't know. I mean, space is supposed to be cold? So maybe? It could be fun unless we have to make a repeat of this again? Like the snow makes it hurt to touch each other? Then we can't ever leave this apartment and then what do we do then? [This might be classic Hitachiin dramatics but the fear seems very real and possible?

He goes back to their bird ones and works on figuring out the placement for the buttons when he struggles to remember if they have the right ones? Ugh, there is velcro...then he remembers the zippers and changes it.]

And I guess we have these to keep us safe even if this happens again. [But it hasn't even been an hour since they discovered this and Hikaru already misses touching Kaoru and it feels like it's been much longer than since last night they were able to touch.]

We'll totally do it another time. At the very least we should make one at some point with eyes on the backside.

[...they don't have to be high fashion ideas all the time. Leaning over to have a look at Hikaru's, nodding his encouragement as he switches out the buttons]

Mmm, good idea - I like the buttons, but a zipper is definitely the way to go. We'd have to finish the buttonholes individually and that'll take time when there's four of us. Or-- three of us.

[since Tamaki will probably won't need buttons.

The pitch of Hikaru's voice was troubling just then, though. In absence of a more physical means of getting his attention Kaoru reaches out, putting his hand down in the middle of the page to get his brother to look at him a moment.]

If it snows I don't think it will be like this. It's definitely rained here before, right? So it can't be like this all the time...

We should put angry eyebrows on the eyes on the ass. [That's just hilarious and there's a time and place for high fashion. It just isn't today and not until they have the money for it.

Buttons are cuter but a zipper is just more practical. They had gotten that big bulk bag of zippers too, hadn't they? If the colors aren't too clashing (or at least a similar shade...!!), an orange zipper for Kaoru's, a blue one for him, and a red one for Zuko...]

Kaoru overthinks but Hikaru isn't above his own overthinking. Or reacting. How many times did he watch those dumb science-fiction movies and his mind went away with him? Too often. Kaoru is always there to reign him in. Just like he is for his twin. This is what they're here for.

He smiles and nods.] Yeah, you're right. If people are acting like this is odd then it isn't normal so...[But then he has an idea.] Ah...but if it did happen again, maybe we could market these? I mean, even if we can all touch in the winter if it does get cold? [It's banking on the idea that it will get cold but it's still something to consider.] People eat up this kind of cute stuff. We already have ours to model off? But hmm, if we offer too much customization then we'd really have our hands full...

Yes.

[raising an index finger - that habitual gesture of when things have come together just so - though he catches himself and draws his hand back properly.]

Well, then we see how long these ones take us, and how many we could reasonably turn around in a given period - however many slots per week. Customisation could be to a reasonable extent, like, we could have a basic menu of the design and closures and switching out colours is free, but any bigger changes costs extra.

[however that even works with Chroma.]

Of course the beauty of it is that they're usually a one-size design. But it would need the right material too, I guess - something cosy for winter.

Edited (Of course closing my HTML is also important...) 2020-09-02 23:12 (UTC)

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They have definitely pulled the "Googly-Eyes-On-Everything" prank at least once...

The house staff has woken up to everything being covered in googly eyes

"Fix it before the mistress gets home!" ...somehow they always manage to forget a couple.

They make their parents room the worst literally the night before they come home

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I'm thinking of a different screencap but this will do X'D

i made this one real quick to be like THIS ONE?

That and another one X'D they do it a few times, though...!

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