Whoa, whoa, I didn't really need to know about Hinata's "problems."
[Damn, aren't guys supposed to not have to worry about impotence until they're totally old? It sucks for Tanaka, he guesses, that one of the two dudes who can touch him has issues like that . . .
Wait.]
Hold on a sec, so those're the only two people you ever touched, right?
It is not a matter of convenience. [Well. Not...in Hinata's case.]
All mortals I interact with are carefully watched and judged, their Magic Essence weighed and contemplated. I would never extend a hand to a human I had not fully gauged yet. Before extending my hand to Hinata, I had made sure I was absolutely positive that he would be one that could withstand my touch. It was a similar instance with Kuzuryuu.
[Sort of.]
It is unclear yet whether or not you would be able to survive this poison of mine. I have not yet had an adequate amount of time to observe you, nor have I been able to answer fundamental questions deeply tied with your essence levels. Until that day come, and it is clear you are in no danger, I will not risk your life in such a way.
[It's...a good thing. It may not sound like it, but that's all just chuuni for "we should hang out more and become better friends and then maybe I can hold your hand like Hinata or play chicken with you like Kuzuryuu."]
[It sounds like a mess, is what it sounds like, but at least not an insulting mess. The kind of mess he's come to expect from Tanaka's mouth, where he has to sort through it carefully to figure out what it means. But it's at least obvious that he's not being blown off or dissed in any way. The implication does seem to be "maybe later." And also "I'm super, super repressed."
Now that that's out of the way, though--and now that this conversation has relaxed Leon enough that he's no longer rigid with rage at CERES or choked with fear that he might be fading out into a string of code--Leon can't resist the urge to poke at a subject that involves himself. He sits back on the couch, giving Tanaka his space, his manner having eased off a lot from earlier.]
Heh . . . sounds like a lot o' work. Just give people some kinda "How Much Magical Essence Do You Have" quiz like you get in magazines, right? Ha ha! Heeeey, so mine's gotta be pretty good, right?
[Leon giving him space has Tanaka relaxing again as well. Or as much as Gundam Tanaka can be relaxed, at least.]
As it stands, with what little I know, your level is not so impressive. Higher, perhaps, than Hinata's but no more than any other mortal. However there is crucial information missing before I am able to fully discern where you sit on that spectrum.
[And now to get serious!!]
Tell me, Kuwata, with what tribe do you align yourself with?!
[Looks like he really is getting a magazine quiz. Whatever happened to questions like "How do you like to spend a Friday evening"? Leon blinks dumbly for a moment; he has no idea how to even begin to answer that, and he's not sure why he would have expected a question he could answer out of Tanaka's mouth.]
Dude, I'm Japanese . . . that ain't what you mean, is it? Don't I get multiple choice or somethin'?
[He's about to word the same question in a different but still difficult to understand way when he realizes something. This is Leon. He is kind of starting to understand that Leon has a harder time than most parsing what he says sometimes.]
Have you ever made a pact with a child of Cerberus? The offspring of the Phoenix or the Sphinx? What of the Midgard Serpent or the Zaratan?
[This is in fact pretty much what he expected. He wonders something, and then decides to just ask it, because he's curious and what's the point of keeping it to himself?]
Has anyone ever actually said yes to any o' those?
[THAT WAS DEFINITELY NOT CLEAR BEFORE. It even takes Leon a moment to realize Gundam hasn't totally switched topics. Had those guys actually figured out what he was saying the first time they heard it? No way!]
That's what you wanted to know?! Ah, my family had a cat . . . she wasn't really "mine" though. Hinata really had hermit crabs?
[He's impotent and he had hermit crabs. This guy's life is seeming more sad every day.]
Lapines and rodents are typical creatures used in projects such as that, yes. They're cute, something which would entice humans to care for them.
[It's okay to admit that you like Leon. He loves cute animals.]
They are a type of crab which makes its home within empty shells. When not handled carefully, they are willing to snap their claws into flesh just as any crustacean would.
[Maybe this really is like a magazine personality quiz. "What kind of pet would you rather have?" Yeah, that's a legit kind of question. It's just that Gundam's quiz was written for some crazy parallel world magazine.]
Oh maaaan, you're sayin' Hinata's a five out of thousands? That's so cold!
[BUT HILARIOUS. Leon laughs; this is a pretty good diversion from everything else. And man, has he needed it, after a couple days in mostly-solitude, except for the one trip to Togami's. Togami has never in his life cheered anyone up.]
But you can touch him! Maybe you're kinda like a hermit crab yourself, huh?
Hah. It's not so much that I may compare with a hermit crab - [You're lucky he likes you enough not to take offense to that. Or well, only slight offense. That smile looks just as much like he wants to punch you as it looks amused.] - but that he possesses a rare quality that allows him to withstand the poison in my veins. To date, he is the only human I have met that has this trait.
I'm tellin' you, you've just gotta touch more people.
[The urge to throw an arm around him is so strong right now. Operation Touch Tanaka Gundam is officially the most homosexual operation Leon has ever been involved in, but also, extremely important.
He doesn't, though, his arm draped over the couch instead.]
I dunno, man, I bet if you had a shell you'd be in it like fifty percent of the time!
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[Damn, aren't guys supposed to not have to worry about impotence until they're totally old? It sucks for Tanaka, he guesses, that one of the two dudes who can touch him has issues like that . . .
Wait.]
Hold on a sec, so those're the only two people you ever touched, right?
no subject
Correct.
no subject
But that's in the past now, filed away to definitely not think about later.]
Dude, you don't think it's like, kinda convenient that you only touched two people in your life and both of 'em just happened to not die?
Hey, what if I've got the "singularity"? What's that even mean? Maybe I got it!
no subject
All mortals I interact with are carefully watched and judged, their Magic Essence weighed and contemplated. I would never extend a hand to a human I had not fully gauged yet. Before extending my hand to Hinata, I had made sure I was absolutely positive that he would be one that could withstand my touch. It was a similar instance with Kuzuryuu.
[Sort of.]
It is unclear yet whether or not you would be able to survive this poison of mine. I have not yet had an adequate amount of time to observe you, nor have I been able to answer fundamental questions deeply tied with your essence levels. Until that day come, and it is clear you are in no danger, I will not risk your life in such a way.
[It's...a good thing. It may not sound like it, but that's all just chuuni for "we should hang out more and become better friends and then maybe I can hold your hand like Hinata or play chicken with you like Kuzuryuu."]
no subject
Now that that's out of the way, though--and now that this conversation has relaxed Leon enough that he's no longer rigid with rage at CERES or choked with fear that he might be fading out into a string of code--Leon can't resist the urge to poke at a subject that involves himself. He sits back on the couch, giving Tanaka his space, his manner having eased off a lot from earlier.]
Heh . . . sounds like a lot o' work. Just give people some kinda "How Much Magical Essence Do You Have" quiz like you get in magazines, right? Ha ha! Heeeey, so mine's gotta be pretty good, right?
no subject
[Leon giving him space has Tanaka relaxing again as well. Or as much as Gundam Tanaka can be relaxed, at least.]
As it stands, with what little I know, your level is not so impressive. Higher, perhaps, than Hinata's but no more than any other mortal. However there is crucial information missing before I am able to fully discern where you sit on that spectrum.
[And now to get serious!!]
Tell me, Kuwata, with what tribe do you align yourself with?!
no subject
[Looks like he really is getting a magazine quiz. Whatever happened to questions like "How do you like to spend a Friday evening"? Leon blinks dumbly for a moment; he has no idea how to even begin to answer that, and he's not sure why he would have expected a question he could answer out of Tanaka's mouth.]
Dude, I'm Japanese . . . that ain't what you mean, is it? Don't I get multiple choice or somethin'?
no subject
Have you ever made a pact with a child of Cerberus? The offspring of the Phoenix or the Sphinx? What of the Midgard Serpent or the Zaratan?
no subject
[This is in fact pretty much what he expected. He wonders something, and then decides to just ask it, because he's curious and what's the point of keeping it to himself?]
Has anyone ever actually said yes to any o' those?
no subject
In their own ways. Hinata watched over simple hermit crabs. Naegi was apparently endeared to a hound. Kuzuryuu kept a noble Chin as a companion.
[He's asking about pets, if that wasn't clear before.]
no subject
That's what you wanted to know?! Ah, my family had a cat . . . she wasn't really "mine" though. Hinata really had hermit crabs?
[He's impotent and he had hermit crabs. This guy's life is seeming more sad every day.]
no subject
[Duh, Leon.]
A family cat, I see...no, he did not have any hermit crabs of his own. It was a school pet.
[A family cat...that's not bad. While it's not a personal pact that he'd made, the creature likely watched over their family...]
no subject
[He likes bunnies. He doesn't say so right now; it's not exactly cool to get all up on how cute bunnies are. But he does smile, some.]
I dunno if I've ever seen a hermit crab before! Doesn't sound like the kinda thing I'd wanna get my hands all over, though.
no subject
[It's okay to admit that you like Leon. He loves cute animals.]
They are a type of crab which makes its home within empty shells. When not handled carefully, they are willing to snap their claws into flesh just as any crustacean would.
no subject
[Maybe this really is like a magazine personality quiz. "What kind of pet would you rather have?" Yeah, that's a legit kind of question. It's just that Gundam's quiz was written for some crazy parallel world magazine.]
no subject
[He's trash. But he's Gundam's trash.]
no subject
[Leon laughs; he can't help it. It's the weirdest diss he's ever heard. And sure, he's probably no better than a five, but it's still funny!]
So like, I'd totally be a ten if I could tame a tiger or somethin'?
no subject
[Mortals.]
To be able to tame a tiger, it would take an essence level in the thousands.
no subject
[BUT HILARIOUS. Leon laughs; this is a pretty good diversion from everything else. And man, has he needed it, after a couple days in mostly-solitude, except for the one trip to Togami's. Togami has never in his life cheered anyone up.]
But you can touch him! Maybe you're kinda like a hermit crab yourself, huh?
no subject
no subject
[The urge to throw an arm around him is so strong right now. Operation Touch Tanaka Gundam is officially the most homosexual operation Leon has ever been involved in, but also, extremely important.
He doesn't, though, his arm draped over the couch instead.]
I dunno, man, I bet if you had a shell you'd be in it like fifty percent of the time!