yogen | (open) truth be told, none of this really matters,

(open) truth be told, none of this really matters,

Who: Edgar Valden & you!
When: Mid-late April
What: Intro (3rd floor/Art room)

01.) だめそうかな、ざまみろ

•　Mid-April — 3rd floor

( it's some time in the mid-evening. late enough for most all of the regular students to have left the school grounds, but early enough that the chatter of transfer students' voices and rustling around still echoes through the halls. edgar, for one, isn't interested in any of that. rather than the people, it's the creatures of this place that draw his attention; namely, a little black cat, which he's learned is none too fond of human contact itself. you know what? he respects it. same, bitch.

hence why he remains pretty respectful of its desire to keep its distance. upon spotting it, resting in any room on the third floor, edgar is already prepared. with a sketchbook and a handful of charcoal in his pockets, he crouches down a good while before he manages to get close enough to spook the thing. instead, he begins tracing out a gesture with the charcoal in his hands—stained black, by the way. this obviously isn't his first attempt. and when somebody walks through the nearest doorway, spooking the poor, black cat away again? it's obviously not going to be the last. meeting their eyes with a sharp expression, his voice is absolutely dripping with contempt. )

You, is there something wrong with your eyes?

( why! would you do that!!! )

02.) 戻りたいのは　あんな籠

•　Late April — Art room

( or maybe you find him in his natural habitat. that's fair, he doesn't have exclusive claim to the art room, after all—as much as he may wish that he did. especially at a time like this. he'll still act like he does, though. he treats it like it's his own personal studio, and when someone enters, they may find that... compared to any other time they've passed the otherwise relatively orderly room, it's a mess. canvases with any number of colours smeared across them are scattered through the room, the wooden frames on more than a few are snapped, with the fabric of the canvas itself bending and folding unevenly.

in the center of all the mess is a young man, wearing a red cape that's covered in all manners of paint, with a palette knife in hand. he doesn't bother hiding his frustration; with a short yell, he sinks the edge of the tool through his current piece—a largely green illustration, the subject of which is quickly lost as edgar drags the knife across it, slicing it apart. naturally, it takes him a moment to notice that someone is there. once he does turn his attention to them, though, he doesn't appear to hold any embarrassment for his actions. )

What are you looking at?

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[Walking around school was about the only thing Shoto could do with his energy. Not having the gym from back in UA, or his quirks, leaves him restless a lot. The school wasn't as big as his other was, yet it was good to explore and see what there is everywhere. Make it second nature to walk through these halls so he hopefully won't get lost in the future.

Shoto stops walking and blinks. Why was this person mad?]

Ah. [Glancing around, he doesn't see anything worthy of note.] No. I have perfect vision.

( for all the innocence the boy before him feigns, edgar isn't falling for it at all. with furrowed brows, his tone stays sharp as a knife. )

Then act like it, will you?

( his eyes follow the path the little black cat took for a moment—it's not necessarily gone, luckily, but tucked away in a corner atop a shelf and well-hidden by the shadows that gather there. edgar's expression softens almost imperceptibly, but he'll pull himself to his feet, dragging his attention back to the young man before him. )

You almost stepped on its tail. No wonder it makes such a point of avoiding people, what with careless brutes like you wandering about.

[What...? Tail? Shoto opens his mouth, closes it, and then looks around again. Was one of those strange cats around here?]

I wasn't aware the cats were around here. It's not safe for them to hang around doors.

[So it's technically not even his fault.]

If you're going to play with them, take them somewhere where people won't step on them by accident.

( crossing his arms, edgar sneers. )

And even when you're being confronted directly, it's all you can do to make excuses? Certainly, you're not telling me that you expect a cat to take more responsibility for your surroundings than yourself, are you?

( like, it's just being a cat. the least this human can do is recognize that he's done it wrong. it isn't as if he lead the cat here to frolic through the doorways with it either—but it lives here. it lived here first, no less, and its temperament is certainly more tolerable and intelligent than that of the boy before him now. )

Though even if you are, that cat does have more of a right to be here than a good-for-nothing like yourself.

[Is this person really that upset about a cat? Shoto doesn't get it at all...]

If I'm a good-for-nothing, wouldn't that apply to you as well?

[It just seems logical that if he's being insulted, this person is the same, since they all are transfers.]

I don't know what cats are like other than people keep them as pets and they seem to like my fire side more than my ice. [Will it be the same when his quirks are back?]

( he's... well, yeah. cats are far better than people, so if there's nobody else to do so, he's gonna take up for the thing. and logical or not, edgar scoffs at the return of his insult. in the first place, he had been perfectly mindful of the cat's presence and space—he has done nothing wrong. but it seems, to him, pointless to argue such a thing with one who seems so dull. instead, he simply waves his hand in a dismissive gesture. )

It doesn't take much to understand that there aren't many creatures out there who do enjoy being stepped on. I'm sure your excuses would be just the same if it were a "student" you so carelessly crashed into, but you would do best to mind where you are in the future.

[~~Several of his classmates would like to get stepped on by Midnight~~ This guy is very into cats rights to personal space. Shoto still doesn't 100% understand when cats are super good at getting away.

Unlike people.]

If I would have stepped on the cat, I would have apologized. Just like I would with a person. But I can't be held the only one responsible for making sure those things don't happen. That's not my quirk.

Quirk?

( that's a... weird reason to use, to say the least. the first mention of it that makes edgar pause, really—though thinking on it now, this one is saying rather strange things: "fire and ice" sides, and all of that. is there something wrong with his head? edgar wouldn't be disinclined to believe it, considering his stubbornness surrounding his apparently god-given right to not pay the least bit of attention to his surroundings. )

Yes, well, whatever you want to call that empty-headedness of yours, be it a "quirk" or a "habit," it hardly excuses you from looking where you are going.

( which is all he is saying. though... there seems to have been a misunderstanding here. )

Quirk is an ability, not a habit.

[Even if they share a word, they aren't the same. Words are weird sometimes.]

I was looking where I was going. I was looking to not run into people, not cats.

[He rarely sees the cats around so he keeps forgetting to be mindful??? Excuse his lack of cat awareness.]

Well I wouldn't consider such an ability as something to brag about, if I were you. But I suppose that you can do better, now that you're aware, so I won't be accepting such an excuse from you if it happens again.

( resident cat protector: edgar valden.

but anyway, while shoto is right about the words, edgar hasn't the faintest idea of what other "ability" he could be referring to here. rather, he doesn't particularly care to connect the dots. hence his insistence. )

[.... Are they having a misunderstanding? This seems almost like the conversation that he had with Nene a while ago.]

You're from a world without quirks. [How astute.] They're superpowers. Such as super human strength, or flight.

[To clear things up before they go on about cats.]

Super powers? ( he looks... apprehensive, to say the least, doubt colouring his features as he looks the boy over once more. )

And what's yours, then? Though I don't see how it would relate to the matter at hand.

Half-Hot, Half-Cold. Ice on my right side and fire on my left.

[Does the symmetrical hair make sense? Probably not.]

Cats like my fire side... or did if I could use my quirk here.

( edgar's expression is flat, and it's clear he's unimpressed with such an answer. fire and ice relate to watching where you're going... how, exactly? he doesn't fully understand the implications of what fire on his left side and ice on his right is supposed to mean, but tragically, isn't so interested when shoto follows up with the fact that he can't even use them to begin with. )

So you cannot use your fire or ice, and yet you find them to be a suitable excuse?

( he gives an ugly sneer. )

Then perhaps you ought to find something else a cat should like. An apology—as you said you would offer a human.

No, I was explaining that my quirks don't give me extra awareness. It's not that kind of quirk.

[.....

..............

..... what]

Cats like apologies?

[Can they even understand Japanese?]

[ Diona has only seen someone act like this when they are drunk. So she says rather incidentally - taking a little whiff. Only to smell how strong the painting scents were. This: ] Are you drunk!?!?!?

( it only takes a single glance for his sharp edges to soften; not necessarily into kindness, but... well, the one who'd interrupted him is only a child. a child dressed in some sort of costume, no less. there's simply no point in him directing his irritation at her, so he turns back to face his ruined canvas once more, a sneer colouring his features as he answers. )

I should think not. Where do you suppose I would find such a contemptible thing here.

( bro, it's a school—they're not exactly handing the alcohol out to just anybody (other than sidney). )

Then why would you do something like that to the drawing you did? If Albedo saw this I'm sure he would think about how wasteful you were being. [ Klee always talked to Diona about Albedo, and sometimes she often got to see the wonderful art work the other would do. How much time he spent, and the amount of paints he would use! Clearly, that was the case here wasn't it? Diona was alarmed by how he defaced something he created, and now it were destroyed.

All in all, the child is curious and confused regardless. He may be right, but it was also still strange the other destroyed the painting.]

Hmph. I suppose it's fortunate that he isn't, then.

( because, tragically, even if this "albedo" is some other student in this wretched school, the fact of the matter is that she's in a room with this awful excuse for a man now. edgar's attention remains focused on the ruined painting, looking at it as if it's just committed a personal affront against him and he's still trying to work out if the punishment its received is adequate to pay for its crimes. yes, it's personal. with one hand though, he'll wave an absent gesture to her questioning. )

It's pointless to keep anyway. It is— ( a pause, a huff. ) —it was to be a scenic piece, but the perspective was off, you see. There was simply no way to salvage such a thing, so naturally, I did away with it.

( surely, the excuses for any of the other canvases would prove to be just as trivial. )

[ Diona clamours closer to get a better peak of it. Despite how it looks with the scratches upon it. She cannot help but - as a child. Ever amazed by the simplest things - find it beautiful some how. The colors were wonderfully blended - even if it was hard to make out. Her little tail flutters about. ]

It was pretty, and you shouldn't have destroyed it!

[ The response is made, with her hands pressed upon either side of her waist. Her tone slightly bossy, but filled with truth to it - as much truth as she could muster as a seven year old. ] But sometimes even I get mad when I make things, so I understand why you did it. Anytime I make a drink, it tastes good but I try so hard to make it disgusting.

[ Deciding she was gunna hang out with the other, she clamours onto one of the free stools. Attempting to climb to the top and when she does she - plops right on it! Her little feet wiggling back and forth. ] Are you gunna try again?

( it's a childish logic, which can't be helped—she is, after all, a child. while edgar wouldn't exactly consider himself to be "good" with children, nor would he seek out the opportunity to watch after one, the fact of the matter is that he knows better than to conduct himself inappropriately in the presence of one. that, and... well, the presence of a young girl who's far too interested in his paintings isn't unfamiliar to him. he hasn't the heart to shoo her away, so there's simply a heavy, defeated sigh instead. given a moment's pause, he'll begin to speak again, pacing restlessly and shaking his head at the question he's been asked. )

Not with this composition, no. The inspiration is already gone—without it, it's meaningless. And this studio— ( it's a classroom, you pretentious brat. ) —the view is unsatisfactory. There's no refinement to it; the atmosphere is all wrong. It doesn't encourage the spirit of art, you see.

( okay, freak. whatever you say. that does seem to spark something in him, though.

continuing the steps of his pacing, he heads towards some of the supplies that remains untouched, plucking out a smaller canvas from the pile. a handful of brushes, a palette with some paints arranged on its surface. with that, he makes for the door, though he'll spare her a glance as he does. )

!!! [ It was interesting to see the others method of 'creation.' Even Diona when making her drinks needed to find help from others or ask others for advice - like Xiangling. Who offered Diona a recipe to make the nastiest drink ever, and imparted the item to her. However, to the mixologist's dismay the drink turned out beautiful. ] Where are you going?

[ She had just sat on a seat, and he seemed to be already off! The child in her far too sparked with curiosity plops down from her seat and with a little balancing. Tip taping about as she rushed after the other. Diona promptly stops behind him with large curious eyes. ] Are you going to look for inspiration?

( ah, there she goes; good, because he certainly wasn't about to give her a more direct invitation than that. )

Something like that, I suppose. It certainly can't be found— ( he gestures vaguely with his off hand. ) —here.

( that said, he's not... exactly sure where he should be going to search for it? just kind of aimlessly wandering through the hallway. occasionally he'll spare a glance over his shoulder to ensure he hasn't lost the child somewhere along the way, mind you. )

You should paint the tree or go into the clock tower. [ She says suddenly at some point. The girl had contended to following behind him, but she was playing around of course. Teetering on the lines of the floors. Pretending that if you touched the cracks - something bad would happen! Dancing about and purring merrily, as they went on an adventure. This was no different to her following after the Traveler when they went about their endeavors along Teyvat. ]

And why should I do that?

( he says that, but with eyes that flicker back to the child for a moment, edgar does seem to change his course.

there's no harm in taking only a look to consider it, after all.

that said, some abhorrent smell had come from there—the clock tower—the last time he had considered the idea, and with everything that had happened, edgar had thought it best to put off such an errand. if the same remains true even now, that would mean... right, it's probably preferable to find a different view of the tree. it's lucky that a good number of the windows here seem to allow a view of it, as edgar draws to a stop in front of one. )

Hm...

Hmm! It looks cool, like the windmills in Mondstat. I havent gone over there in a while either, and never explored it yet!

[ Diona states plainly, and when Edgar stops looking out the window. Diona clamors over with her face pressing against the window. She wishes she could go outside, and in that moment her eyes flicker about the tree and the scenery outside. Rather softly and a little sad she says. ] Can... You draw us outside....

[ You know how children are, thinking little of what it means to ask someone else to draw them or impose on their time. She at least thinks, it would be fun to have something to pretend they were outside no? ]

Yes, well, I'm inclined to wonder if that's where they take their trash in this wretched place, so I wouldn't advise to visit it for now. Perhaps I'll mention it to the staff—if we are meant to be up there, then surely they will clear out whatever is leaving that horrid stench.

( because, whether the gang wants to hand in the body or not, edgar isn't keeping up with their plans, and he kind of does agree with her that it would be a favourable view to paint. speaking of which, he spares her a long look, considering her suggestion for a moment with a slow, catlike blink. his lips purse into a thin line, and he doesn't look particularly happy about it. at the same time, he doesn't give her the instant rejection that anyone else, even shezo, would have received. it may not look it—but it's a rather favourable response when he instead begins to trace out his outline.

it feels a natural thing, even despite his lack of a stand, and the difficulty of holding the canvas at an appropriately consistent angel to map out the composition he wishes to draw. regardless, his left hand draws the brush across the canvas skillfully, leaving a skeleton of a scene in its wake—though there are no two figures to be seen within it at the moment. )

[ Diona knows when adults go quiet they are working really hard, unlike Klee who would often interupt Albedo while he was working. Or when Qiqi would slip out something unordinary - Diona knew better than to bother Adults when they were focusing.

Sometimes.

Even when she is excited she forgets, but in this moment she is rather in a pleasant mood. Rather then bother him she then turns around and hustles back to the art room. She hopes he wont leave yet, and when she comes back she had paper within her hands. As well as a box of colored pencils within her little cat paw purse.

Although she is a bit noisy, she doesn't bother him. Instead going to draw her own version of this - first! The first thing she tries to draw is herself, then she draws him! Diona thinks that maybe she should draw more people like Angel, or lily may, or Komaeda. However the thought of drawing everyone overwhelms her and her brain decides just for now. To draw the two of them.

She decides to use red pencils for him, and picks out orange for herself. ]

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(open) truth be told, none of this really matters,

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