PSL (closed)

[1stknight]

[Honestly, being summoned was quite the surprise to Bedivere. Being a saber, he knew he was at a disadvantage. After all, there were so many more sabers even just from the Round Table who were much more famous, so surely they would have been summoned over him. In fact, he was sure it had happened countless times before. That one master he had met, the one from Chaldea, they had spoken of singularities and grail wars to span several worlds and timelines. And with so many fine Sabers to choose from, he was sure that he hadn't ever been summoned before. The short time between the 'creation of his legend' and 'now' notwithstanding.

It made him feel a touch inadequate, if he was being truthful. After all, he was a simple knight. The master who had summoned him, he deserved better than someone like him. But if he was the one who was summoned, then he would fulfill his duty to this new master. Nothing would be done in half-steps, never again.

So as his form solidified in the summoning circle, Bedivere offered his new master a warm smile. Once again, his life was sworn to someone else's. Whatever his master wished for, Bedivere would help him achieve it.]

Saber, Bedivere. I am honored to be summoned by you. From now on, I shall be your Servant.

['I am honored to be summoned at all' was the truth, but he didn't speak that.

Then he paused, and he took a survey of the situation. The summoning circle was expertly made, but this man in front of him...well. He didn't look like a mage. He looked like a normal person. Perhaps it was a disguise? Or maybe there was more to this situation than he could see immediately. He would have to wait for his new master to respond in order to find out more.]

Comments

[1stknight]

[Dazai was right, too: Bedivere absolutely adored the chameleon, and he spent far too much time watching the thing stand there on a stick and just exist. It didn't move fast, but the way its little strange feet grasped the stick and slowly moved it around was absolutely fascinating. And the way it changed color, he had never seen anything like it before. He would assume it was some kind of magic if he didn't already know the modern world was very lacking when it came to magic. A trained mage wouldn't waste time changing the colors of lizards.

The zookeeper saw Bedivere's reactions, and when Dazai asked, he allowed it. He picked up the chameleon and let it hang onto his arm, that way he could grab it if it got spooked and ran off or something. But the chameleon was remarkably well-behaved and didn't mind having Bedivere touch its back.]

It's so rough-skinned! It truly is like a small dragon.

[The zookeeper got a chuckle out of that, but Bedivere did not sound like he was joking. He may have actually met a dragon before.]

[neverwashere]

Mm-hmm!

[Dazai didn't doubt Bedivere's seen a dragon before. After all, dragons were part of King Arthur's myth, and Merlin exists as an actual mage.]

Without the hazards of, oh, fire-breathing and flying around. [The zookeeper already mentioned that chameleons ate insects, so. And here, Dazai snapped another photo.] Some people keep them as pets, too.

[1stknight]

You can keep these as pets?

[The zookeeper was quick to say that they required special licenses, and that Bedivere would have to learn how to take care of one before he would be allowed to keep one. But even with that in mind, Bedivere was already imagining himself with a chameleon friend hanging around with him.

'After the Grail War,' he silently told himself, 'If you win and get your wish, you will have plenty of time for a companion like this.'

The zookeeper also helpfully pointed out that the gift shop at the zoo had a book on chameleons in it, if Bedivere wanted to learn more. Guess what Bedivere was going to ask for as soon as they found the gift shop.]

[neverwashere]

[Dazai could guess pretty well, and he'd happily gift the book to Bedivere. If this, too, doubled as something to motivate Bedivere to win the grail war and not vanish prematurely, that was fine.

Ah, but if they were done with Mr. Chameleon for now, he'd give the zookeeper a grateful smile .]

There are still plenty of exhibits for us to check out, Ellis, but we can go back here before leaving. How does that sound?

[1stknight]

Ah, yes, I do like the sound of that.

[Even if chameleons were now his favorite, he still wanted to see the other animals too.

Some he was familiar with, but hadn't actually seen in person before. Elephants were one, as he had only ever seen them at a distance, and he couldn't believe how big they were in person. Giraffes were another surprise, as were kangaroos. Bedivere actually let out a delighted noise when he saw a baby kangaroo poke its head out of its mother's pouch, though a moment later he coughed and looked away in embarrassment.

When they came to an exhibit with mountain goats, though, he had a lot to say.]

Oh! These are similar to the ones we kept on farms. Their horns are much larger though, they must be a wild variety. I can't imagine keeping them would be easy.

[neverwashere]

[Thus did Dazai's photo collection grow. As did the need to stifle his own laughter, because Bedivere's reaction to the joey was too cute.

All this mountain goat trivia, though - Dazai listened carefully, curious to see if he could glean anything about Bedivere's past life from it.]

I imagine those who keep them as part of their traditions have been taught well! Not so much as the people who first started it.

They were raised for milk, cheese, and meat, I presume?

[1stknight]

Primarily that, yes. Some farms had cows, but many areas of England are too rocky for raising them, Goats and sheep are used instead.

The farm I grew up on, it had goats and sheep. I remember getting up at dawn every day to feed them and brush them.

[They were a distant memory, though. 1,500 years back, before his long journey or even his knighthood. Memories from that time were hard to recall. Luckily Excalibur had kept his mind sharp, but so many years of memories meant the years tended to blend together at times.]

I imagine it is less common nowadays, though. Most people don't live on a farm anymore.

[neverwashere]

Huh.

[Sounded tedious and idyllic.

Reminded him a bit of Odasaku, actually. Or, rather, the kind of environment Odasaku probably wished to raise his kids at: peaceful with lots of fresh air.]

Yeah, that's true. For a lot of reasons, more people from farm lands go to cities like Yokohama rather than the other way around.

One of my coworkers actually came from a farm before the President took him in. He's used to cow wrangling, though you might find his methods... a touch unconventional.

[1stknight]

Ah? is that the young blonde boy?

[Bedivere had a guess, because Kenji definitely looked like a farm boy. Earnest, and not afraid of hard work.]

It seems like your Agency has its own 'knight in the rough'.

[neverwashere]

Oh, I think he'll like that description. Though you better be prepared for his questions once he hears it.

[Kenji was a delightful and carefree child. Dazai had a healthy appreciation for how effortless he made friends.

From the goats, he led Bedivere to the deer next, then to another area with lions.]

I'm aware these creatures are popular symbols, but was one ever presented to the court?

[1stknight]

It might not be too suspicious to talk of chivalry, no? After all, if he thinks I am merely a foreigner, he might accept it as normal.

[A pause, and he tapped his chin thoughtfully.]

Some of your co-workers may be too smart for that, though. The young man who lives next door, he seems to suspect I'm not who I claim to be. And that loud detective already knows too much.

[neverwashere]

Well, we are detectives. As much as it is to our disadvantage, it'd also be terrible form for them to not pick up on such details.

At the same time, however, your circumstances are also too far-fetched even for the chaos we encounter on a day-to-day basis. One mention won't hurt if we keep the details vague - a normal boy in England, for example, would have grown up hearing tales of knights and knaves and chivalry, and the era is covered in history class. It's only natural for them to look up how people actually lived in those times.

[In other words, as long as they stuck to known information about knights and talked about it as historical fact, it shouldn't be a problem.]

For our ease of mind, however - are there other topics you're comfortable talking about? Leading the discussion elsewhere is a viable tactic.

[1stknight]

So you're saying I should pretend to be a knight-fanboy?

[It was humorous to Bedivere because he felt like one sometimes. He had come from humble beginnings and was relatively plain compared to the rest of the Round Table. Knights like Lancelot, or Gawain, they were the ideal. And he couldn't deny his favoritism for the king.

The king...thinking about Artoria made Bedivere frown for a moment. His devotion to his king was very complicated, and Dazai just complicated things further. He barely even had to think about last night, and he could feel his skin heat up where Dazai had given his neck extra attention. His heart was a mess, and he didn't know what to do about it.

But he covered up that frown quickly, and he tried to smile as he answered that last part.]

Farming isn't a bad topic. Even if it's been a while, I can still remember it.

[neverwashere]

Something like that.

[Was that slight dip in Bedivere's smile just his imagination? Before Dazai could dwell on it further, however, he had other things to think about.]

It would be good to mention you use traditional techniques, or something along those lines. Not that the practice itself has changed, but certain innovations have introduced new strains of plants that weren't likely around before. Not to mention all the machinery involved.

[1stknight]

Ahh, so like, a 'traditional farm'?

[That was honestly for the best, Bedivere knew nothing about modern farming.

The dip in the smile was long gone though, Bedivere was covering up any strange feelings he had in his gut. His own confusion over his feelings wasn't worth getting Dazai upset.]

I imagine it is very different between England and Japan anyway.

[neverwashere]

We do have rice.

[Like hell he knew if there was a farm in England that cultivated rice.]

Want to look up the general differences later? Just so you don't get blindsided if it does come up in conversation.

[1stknight]

That would be a good idea, yes. The farm I grew up on mostly grew wheat, though we did have some animals for milk and meat. Oh, and we had a vegetable patch for us to live on. The wheat was made into flour and sold to bakeries in the city, though.

[neverwashere]

For bread, hmm..?

[Speaking of food - Dazai glanced at his watch and made a sound at the back of his throat. They've been walking for how long?]

Want to grab a snack? A sandwich and milk sound good right about now.

[1stknight]

It is about that time, isn't it?

[Seeing animals was valid, but so was eating. And a sandwich and milk sounded good.]

Do they sell food here?

[neverwashere]

Let's see...

[Time to pull out the brochure. And there it was: a spot with food stalls.]

They do, indeed.

Shall we?

[And he just casually tucked Bedivere's hand into the crook of his arm. Perhaps it was a sign of just how comfortable Dazai felt: any other time, he would've been mindful to not disable Bedivere's other arm while they were in public.]

[1stknight]

[Oh. What casual arm-holding. Bedivere accepted it, but he blushed a faint pink at the gesture while looking pleased at the arrangement.]

Yes, let's.

[Though when they got to the food stalls, Bedivere was distracted by the takoyaki stand.]

Ah, it's these again.

[neverwashere]

Yep.

[Bedivere singling out the takoyaki was enough of a prompt for Dazai to get them some, followed by taiyaki, dango, and whatever else Bedivere seemed curious about.

There were a couple of picnic tables nearby, and Dazai led them to be seated at one.

He blinked. It wasn't until he could stretch his legs that he realized just how much they'd walked around that morning. If he had to guess, though, Bedivere probably wasn't even winded.]

What kind of exotic creatures live in England, anyway? Well, exotic relative to Japan, at least.

[1stknight]

[So much food, and Bedivere liked it all. He was still very much a 'meat and potatoes' kind of person, but this food was good too. He would eat up anything Dazai offered him. RIP Dazai's wallet though. He wasn't as bad as Atsushi, but he still had a big appetite when he wasn't trying to be reserved.]

Ah? I'm not sure what counts as exotic, I grew up around them. I suppose cardinals a nd blue jays, though? Do you have those here?

[Dazai was also right that Bedivere wasn't winded at all.]

[neverwashere]

[Bedivere being here meant that Dazai a) wasn't able to gamble, and b) wasn't even interested in gambling. So in a sense, Bedivere's appetite was bringing equilibrium to Dazai's usual budget, and this was a far better activity compared to betting on races.

He liked that Bedivere was starting to cut loose around him, too. Who knew that a night of intimacy and open affection was enough to smoothen out things between them.]

I don't believe so.

They're small birds, aren't they?

[1stknight]

[Sometimes you touch another dude's dick and get some hickeys and your feelings get complicated. It's totally fine, nothing troubling will come of it.]

They are, yes. Blue jays, as the name suggests, are blue. But they're a bright blue, with white bellies and black lines around their eyes. the patterning is very distinct and- oh, actually-

[They shared dreams, so sharing mental images should be possible, yes? Bedivere's face screwed up in concentration as he focused on the mental image of a blue jay. He looked absolutely ridiculous, with his sight a little cross-eyed and the tip of his tongue sticking out of his mouth. But with effort, the mental image of a blue jay would come across eventually.]