discomposer | golden peacock inbox

[He leaves his shoes at the door (Leo is expected to do the same; they don't live like barbarians around here!) and follows him into the living area, where there's definitely a couch to sit on. A very nice couch! Lots of room!]

He's never been very materialistic. But the boring go-to answer is probably "exercise gear." As for his circles, he's in the manga one, and then he was in that games circle with Rinne-senpai. I'd say we could always use more games, since you never know when we'll be trapped in our room again.

[Hiyori hid there during the bulk of October after a run-in with a monster. And they both holed up the whole week in Hiyori's suite while the Springtime game was going on. If another game encourages guests to mount other guests like animals, they'll want to hide out again, surely. And then they'll need ways to pass the time!

Or will they?

He'd still find the Diamonds game distasteful. But maybe he's a little less inclined to hide from the lewdness of the resort nowadays. Maybe he's changed a little.

Or not. ~It's a mystery~!]

It's either that or we'll have to buy one. But there's something special about a homemade cake, don't you think? Those have a special ingredient~♪

[(It's love!)]

Anyway, I listened to that song you wrote. It was nice, sweet and uplifting. And I'm sure it'll resonate strongly with Esikko-kun! ♪

[Then, remembering Leo is bad at names, he helpfully clarifies:]

That's the prince I was talking about! One of your potential matches. And I've got plenty more where that came from~♪

[ Leo may be a wild child but he's also Japanese and lived with Sena for the past while before the game, aka the strictest member of Knights. He automatically takes off his shoes and borrows guest slippers if there are any, no worries.

Reiterating who Esikko is...probably the smart move here. ]

I knew you'd be nosy about it! ♪ Hey, how's that even gonna work? I mean, if it resonates with him.

[There are two pairs of slippers! One is for him and one is for Jun, usually. But since Jun is out for this thread, that means there's one pair for him and one for Leo!]

I'm not sure what you mean by "work." I was thinking I'd pass the file along, and then he'll listen and tell me how he feels! Or tell you how he feels. Then I guess I should send a picture, since your cute face is also a charm point. And I can send the song to other matches if you'd like. Rise-chan, Leona-kun...

[He pauses, cocking his head.]

I wonder if music sounds different when you're hearing it with lion ears?

[ Obviously time to invest in a third pair, if only for whenever Leo wanders over for Christmas cake - not like Leo cares about wearing slippers or not, though. ]

I'm bad at finding places! [ Genuinely logistically how's he supposed to find these people!!! Especially when names mean zero percent to him - ] As to that, I dunno, but if they're not Tenshi-like the song that would be best suited would probably be different. I mean, it was an even split on what would be best for Tenshi anyway.

[Better than airing out his smelly feet in their room whenever he comes over!]

That's what you're worried about? Why not simply choose a meeting spot? Or perhaps they can visit you!

[Finding Leo matches and sending them directly to his room... it's like DoorDash, only sleazier.

Then when he hears that next bit, his eyebrows slowly raise.]

Hm? You wrote your solo with Eichi-kun in mind?

No, why would I do that? But figuring out what someone "like Tenshi" would like isn't that hard if the similarity is at least enough that you're remarking on it. It's probably not an exact match, but parts of that song should have been close enough to the things that would speak to that brand of loneliness. But unless everyone you're talking about has the exact same type, other songs I've written would probably be better for other people.

[ So the reason he asked about "what kind of loneliness" was halfway to narrow down what would work best. ]

I also figured someone like Tenshi would also probably want "something not shared before". Anyway, people visiting me is probably easiest for me!

Edited 2024-12-18 21:33 (UTC)

Is that all you meant?

[He loses the surprise.]

Well, you were right on the money. A song for a princess all alone in her big castle should suit him and Eichi-kun just fine~♪ Though I already know that if I said that, Eichi-kun would just say, "Hm? But I'm not a princess, though? You really are losing your sanity," since he's never been any fun.

[He leans back on the couch. Their prediction about the song being suitable for Esikko will turn out to be right later, but as for the question of what to send to others...]

You must have plenty of other songs, so I guess we could tailor it based on the person. Is there any type you don't have a song for? I'm just curious, since I always thought you had a song for everything.

I've written that guy songs before, I know what his tastes are. And I halfway based it off of you 'cause you wouldn't have said it like a warning if it weren't significant.

[ His One Thing is musi; Leo finds it easiest to communicate like that. He tips his head into the back of the couch, looking at the ceiling thoughtfully. ]

Hm, among Knights discography for sure there's plenty I don't. But that isn't all I've written. You didn't say enough about the other prince for me to have a guess, but a "cute idol" girl...the best song is one I didn't write for my voice. Naru's the one who relates best there, don't you think?

It's just an obvious resemblance, that's all! I met his child self once, and that version seemed even more like Eichi-kun, since he hadn't started dyeing his hair yet. I guess that's not really relevant, though. As for the other prince, he's more like a lazy lion! But I know he cares about his kingdom. And he's fond of Jun-kun, so maybe something that fits Jun-kun's image would work best. Something that shows strength, wildness, and resilience! ♪

[At least he thinks that's what Leona likes about Jun. He doesn't know for sure, but he can hedge a guess.

In response to the bit about Naru, he says:]

True! I may be the cutest idol, but Arashi-chan would understand a girl's heart better. Her or Anzu-chan.

[And then he joins Leo in staring off into space.

This is another reminder that Leo has no one from his unit here, even if that would be a mixed blessing at best. It's also another cruel reminder of how long they've been away from home. After a pause, he admits:]

Sometimes I still take pictures of cute things I saw in stores or at cafes, so I can share them in the Pretty 5 groupchat. But then I always remember they're not here, and it wouldn't reach them if I did send it. I guess that's what they mean when they say old habits die hard. Even though I haven't been in the circle for that long.

That's the kinda thing Naru would send to our group chat! Suo was always trying to organize work stuff in there, and Rittsu would send blurry pictures of various things that looked like aliens to me, and Sena sends lots of Florence scenery. But, Naru sends her favorite things in addition to promptly giving Suo responses about work.

[ Leo sends massive image spam of sheet music whenever he's finished something he wants them to do or Ritsu to help play so he's perhaps worse. ]

...anyway, I'd already begun chat sessions with each of them for their latest solos before I got here. I'm the one who pens everything, but it's pointless to write something they don't feel a vibe with for their unique solos. It has to be something they feel accurately represents their hearts, that they wanna belt out and then go, that's who I am! When it comes to the four of them I'm confident I could work that out with almost no oversight, but...I wanna always be sure it's what they want to be singing, in matters like those. There were mostly just finishing touches to put on all of them, but I can't run the finished products by 'em now, nor any of the other pieces for their voices.

Edited 2024-12-19 02:19 (UTC)

( Well. It's not as if he has anything better to do than to follow up on the heavy suggestions of one Hiyori Tomoe. So, here he is, trying to pretend he's not overthinking this in the highest way possible. )

Hello, Mr. Idol Knight~ I suppose now is where I should introduce myself as the Prince from a faraway land. Though, from what Hiyori is saying, it sounds as if I'm the one meant to be your knight, in the end?

( Well. He kind of implied mutual help, but he's ignoring that. )

Hehe. Anyway, I did like your song, so thank you for allowing me to hear it.

Have many of your friends gone home, here? Or is it just that you haven't made many from the start?

hiyo?

[ Please hold a second as Leo remembers he did talk about this with Hiyori and mentally catches up, brushing off stray notes onto paper so he can think clearly. He's way easier to contact here when he can't escape his wrist, at least. ]

oh right that!

whoa, the pretty worded jab at the end really IS tenshi like! ☆

like you're trying to be nice but couldn't quite help yourself at the end looking for a soft spot to stick in a sword. that kinda thing is usually paired with a kind smile i wanna punch, wahaha~

but if this is the part where you get to see the color of my blood, i don't mind it that much? that blood is called "magi" and "nika" and names i never managed to memorize, or it's called sena and naru and rittsu and suo who were never here anyway!

hang on. i wrote your name down somewhere but I forgot which bit of skin it was on. hiyo mentioned it like twenty times so it would sink in, but i'm total crap at that.

not my left arm nor my right - you're on the left ankle! ikko, got it. ♪

thanks for the compliment! i figured that was the best choice that also had to go through the nosy hiyo who i had already scared badly.

( so much just happened, he sort of feels like he was hit by a train? and that's not even a saying yet, trains are so new!! )

( wow, he's not sure anyone has ever so directly called him out on his tendency for sharp words while also managing to convey an amused tone? at least, that's how it reads, doesn't it? )

If you punch me, I'll probably die, though?

In any case, you don't exactly compose your words the way you do your songs, do you? Or, is it that this is the sort of process it takes to arrive at something artfully crafted like that? I think even I might have some terrible rambles in my journal while forming new spells...

At the very least, I can say that Hiyori was right in saying you wouldn't be dull. How interesting.

Now, before anything else, I'd like to know if you're calling me a nickname, or if the pen you used to mark my name down just happened to smudge some of it off... It's a little unclear. You can tell me how you managed to scare Hiyori after that.

[ An accurate read, though Leo's already moving on, flitting from topic to topic. ]

it's fine, i don't punch people just because i wanna! and i'm through with killing people, so i'll try to keep that in my mind even if i forget all the other stuff!

lyrics are always tougher than the music itself, and i have to keep in mind the image of "knights" when composing for knights. that said, i compose things for loads of different people and the "voice" has to be different for every client. i'm not gonna compose every single word when i'm just talking!

but you aren't wrong about the songwriting process. spells are like that? how do you feel about them if you're that careful? is it something you love beyond reason? your first language?

i think ikko sounds like a sharp and spiky pretty thing, so i'm gonna use that! and scaring hiyo isn't hard if i get even a little bit honest. he started out worried about me, anyway. do you think he'd shove you my way aggressively if he weren't scared out of his mind? i think if he weren't he would go for a more normal and measured introduction!

i was a bad kid, but i'll be a worse kid and enjoy the love he showed. ♪

( Ikko. Normally, everyone calls him Esi, or all sort of nicknames starting with Prince. This is nicer, he thinks? New, refreshing. Alright. )

Yes, magic is like that entirely. Is it possible to have something in common when they're two separate things, I wonder? It sounds like you understand that sort of mindset, after all.

You're right about him, too. The love he showed, though... Is it love, then? I guess that adds up to what he was telling me about it.

These Watches are difficult to type on when there's so much to say. Would you like to meet in person, perhaps? I've seen your cute face, so it's only fair if you see mine, right?

Her approach sounds like my approach! I'm always sharing cute things, and things that deserve love! Like pictures of Mary, and pictures of myself! ♪ Then Ibara's texts are almost all business, and then Nagisa-kun's can be somewhat cryptic. But they're still cute! And sometimes he sends random things like his grocery list, which is also cute! ♪

[They're fresh in his mind, those group texts are. He got his phone back recently and spent tons of time achingly pouring over old conversations. And since his phone's been mysteriously found, does that mean Leo's could be found, too? But he shelves that thought for now and focuses on the music discussion.

Or actually, he doesn't need to shelve it, because the two topics dovetail together nicely!]

I'm sorry your work's been hindered. But I do have some good news. Not only can I sing you the finished lyrics to my own solo, but I have music to go along with it! Let me just run into the other room real quick and I'll show you ♪

[He gets up from the couch.]

sure, i'm back in my usual suite, just come up. it's at [ location, though then he keeps yapping as knights members have to do. ]

it was probably love for both of us. hiyo worries about people a lot, especially with magi being gone and other stuff. i wouldn't bother accusing him of it to his face, though, because he'd just deny it to his grave. or he'd admit it and that would be awkward!

are they two separate things? if something matters more to you than reason, if it's the first language you speak even though your parents and countrymen spoke another one, if it's the language your thoughts and dreams are written in, doesn't it really fucking suck that no one else understands it at the level you're speaking it? if i could speak entirely in measure and annotation and crescendo i would, and maybe people would even get the things i'm saying if they could only hear it.

( normally, he might nitpick and fight that he doesn't think Hiyori has love for him, that he doesn't think anyone can. but thankfully, this rant on music, or magic, or passion, is so deeply distracting that he can't think about anything else.

because it sounds a little insane, because it sounds so entirely relatable, because the text surely isn't enough to get it across. that feeling. )

It's something I chase endlessly, even when my body wants to give out along the way, or the people around me find it a waste of time, or unusual, or gross.

Maybe it is the same, then...

If you don't mind, I can come over in just ten minutes.

[ If he hasn't caught on yet, Esikko should probably realize that Leo is, in fact, a little bit insane. Hiyori probably downplayed that? Or maybe he was honest about it. It's not like Leo does normal well or for long periods of time. ]

then it's the same. even bleeding out on the ground with bone sticking out, i thought it would make a beautiful melody and used the ink of my own body to write it before i could forget.

[ As an example, he says weird fucking shit like this! Wow. ]

see ya soon, ikko! ☆

Did you compose it here, or did you have some of it done already?

[ He can wait like a good kid if there's a song at the end, although Leo is kicking his heels like...well, a kid. He's a dork. ]

( they can be insane together. (: this insanity was most certainly downplayed, but it's a nice surprise, he thinks. it makes sense, to him, in the ways that matter. in the ways that don't, it's fun.

but he always does love when things like blood are mentioned.

he arrives in around ten minutes, as promised, dressed in a sweater and slacks, a red scarf tied loosely around his neck. his hair is a soft pink, straightened mostly out from his usual waves, though the snow in the vale and gardens has caused it to begin curling at the ends again.

he stands, tall and proper as any prince is expected to be, and knocks firmly against the center of the door, waiting. )

[ Nice to know Hiyori was out there trying to make Leo sound even halfway sane and then Leo immediately undid all his efforts? Presumably that's how it went. What did Hiyori expect, though, honestly. Liking blood being mentioned is a plus when speaking to any member of Knights and Hiyori has bitched about that before when Leo goes off on one of his more wartorn tangents.

Prim and proper, neatly styled. That isn't what opens the door because that isn't what Leo is. Even on stage his hair is always messily tied back, and his uniform worn casually. Here, without Sena living in his space and nagging about what he's wearing or not, Leo has reverted to his usual ways.

That is to say when he opens the door and peers up at Esikko, because a quick check says Esikko is 5'11" and Leo is all of 5'6", Leo's dressed far more casually. Worn in jeans with an ink stain trailing from the pocket down the leg a bit from an uncapped marker a while back, a t-shirt rumpled from being stored poorly that's mostly worn for being soft rather than fashion.

Behind him there's even more chaos. His room, a 10 suite, is decently laid out but there's also paper nearly everywhere. Pinned to the walls, occasionally on the floor, all over every surface. All of it covered in Leo's music, organized not at all to anyone else's eyes. ]

Why'd you decide on pink? It's a Shu-like color, how nostalgic. [ "Hello" is skipped entirely. ]

( The immediate impression is enough to startle a laugh right out of Esikko. It's refreshing, to have someone so plainly themselves in a way that doesn't make him want to barf— this short little knight is the epitome of a free presence, the opposite of just about everything in his palace life. )

Oh, you're so little~

( His voice, his laugh, since Leo surely cares, is low and smooth, but with a bright quality that can shine through in the lifts of phrases, a playful sort of curve that he manages to wind into his words. A hand lifts, pale and thin, to wind around one of his own pink locks. )

My father hated it, and I wanted to look more like a flower, I suppose. Something most find delicate or fragile, even when in truth they're resilient and full of many uses. ( Gardening, he'll find quickly, goes hand in hand with his magic, and hand in hand with his passion. It's easy enough to see in the way his eyes sparkle as he helps himself to nudging inside without even asking for an invitation.

Honestly, his 2 suite was this messy until someone else cleaned it for him, filled with plants and supplies for magic... Now, as an Ace, it's staff he relies on for cleaning. )

Doesn't it suit me? I'm naturally a rather pale blonde, but I feel that only makes me look more like a corpse, you know?

( It stands out, like the red marks beneath his eyes, like the way he holds himself, already leaning in to peer at some of the music on the walls. He reaches up to hook his fingers into his own scarf, but he holds off on removing it just yet. )

Leo, right? Nice to meet you.

I already knew you had pale blond hair without dye. Hiyo didn't say the color, but he said you resembled Tenshi a lot as a kid, so I figured it was the same.

[ Being called little doesn't phase him - Sena and Naru and Rittsu are all taller, as are many of the other ES idols - Hiyori and Jun included - and Leo barely gives it any thought.

When Esikko is inside Leo closes the door, following along absently as he examines the same sheet of music and then cants his gaze sideways. ]

Tsukinaga Leo, of Knights. I dunno what Hiyo said about me, but that doesn't matter too much.

[ Or rather, Leo doesn't care too much about it. ]

What he wanted would work. You've got a pretty voice. ♪

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