When Idia tries a second time and falls back down a second time, this time very much against him, Cater isn't sure if he feels like laughing or sighing. "All right, slow your roll there, moneybags."
Steadying him, he hops up on his own feet. Cater's far from one of the more athletic members of the student body, but the bar's pretty low when you're put next to the full-on shut in. With his phone safely back in a pocket, he offers Idia a hand. "I'll help you get back to your room." And thinking that he might immediately panic once again, holds up his other hand in oath. "No detours, no selfies. I swear on the Queen of Hearts herself."
Capricious as he is, Cater making an oath on the Queen of Hearts is pretty serious. The other teen does have Heartslabyul pride, and even if he didn't word could easily get around to Riddle. Surely Cater wouldn't risk his housewarden's wrath over a broken oath? That's enough to get Idia to gingerly take the offered hand, though he continues to avoid direct eye contact and the tips of his hair remain clear-pink.
Making their way to the Mirror Chamber is agony, not because his legs are still partially asleep but because they catch more than a few stares from other students. Great, he pinged the biggest humiliation flag in the event and now he has to suffer through it. Seeing Ortho with him on his rare outings is normal if rare, but seeing Cater Diamond, Number 2 Social Butterfly of NRC, practically glued to his side is beyond an SSR event. It's gotta be a UR or even a UUR draw. His face feels hot and his stomach swims. There's traces of greenish-teal in the blue parts of his hair.
On the flip side, if Cater is at all uncomfortable with the situation, he doesn't at all show it. There's definitely a certain sense of accomplishment that comes with getting Idia Shroud, of all people, to take his hand and accept an offer of help. The rest is just kind of awkward, with the way the other teen slouches and shuffles. This would go so much faster if he picked up the pace...but if he was in a state to do that, he wouldn't need the extra help.
As he exercises patience, he smiles and waves at anyone who stares at them just long enough, working overtime to normalize the situation without inviting anyone over to insert themselves in it. The only thing that would be out of his control would be if any of the other members of Team Social Butterfly showed up, but thankfully they make it to the Mirror Chamber without such an incident.
"You know, I don't think I've ever actually been to Ignihyde," he admits as they step through and he takes a look around at the, uh, admittedly pretty gloomy surroundings. Cater sighs. This would be such a good chance for a photo-op, but he made a promise. It'll have to wait until after he drops Idia off, at least. "Are you feeling any better? Still with me, Idia?"
Hey, Ignihyde's not totally gloomy during the day! They have lights! And holo-displays everywhere. There's just... nobody around. The students are all huddled in their individual dorms like the introverted tech gremlins they are. They won't notice Cater returning with their gremlin leader.
It takes Idia a second or two to make a curious little sound. His brain is definitely lagging. Time for some rarely sought sleep to defrag his memory. The question finally registers, but he only responds with a slight shrug. He does feel better being in his own dorm, but he won't feel 100% until he's back in his room. Seeing Cater's bright coloring against the grays, whites, and blues of Ignihyde is disorienting.
By the time they get to Idia's door, the tall housewarden looks utterly exhausted, almost slumping into Cater's side. His reserve power is drained too, shutdown is imminent. The door slides open at Idia's presence, revealing his cramped, messy room. At least it's somewhat clean, most likely due to Ortho's efforts.
"Gotta quick-save... out of battery...," Idia mutters, eyelids drooping. Even the flames of his hair, now back to their normal blue, look faded and weak.
It's not that Cater finds the room revolting or anything, his own back home isn't exactly ever in the best of shape, but compared to the pristine condition of the Heartslabyul dorm? He can't help but let out a bit of a strangled chuckle. "Man oh man, none of us could get away with something like this around Riddle. Ah, but I guess you can do whatever you want since you're Housewarden, huh? JK, JK!"
He kind of has a feeling that Idia isn't really listening at this point, anyway. Just to be on the safe side, he makes an attempt to escort Idia all the way to his bedside, not wanting him to just collapse onto the floor. But while he's here, anyway...
"Hey, would you mind if I looked around a little bit?"
Idia barely registers the question. It's gibberish, like strings of code to a non-tech normie. He flops face-down on the bed the second he's in range, releasing a low groan of relief at the familiar softness. That's it, no more in-person classes for a while, no matter how much Ortho begs and pleads. He needs way more EXP before he unlocks the next level of social skill.
The housewarden's room is probably more interesting than the dozing teen himself right now. The walls are plastered with anime and game posters, along with one odd gray tapestry of interlocking triangles. The bookshelves are filled with light novels and manga, mixed haphazardly with tech manuals and even toys. If Idia has any coherent sorting system, it's one only he understands. However, the two most immediately fascinating items are the sprawling desk with multiple holographic monitors and a custom-built computer, side by side with a large, empty stasis pod: clearly Ortho's recharge station. Everything is in standby mode at the moment, the room filled with a muted hum and a soft aqua glow that matches Idia's hair.
"Man," Cater muses aloud, "I really am in the room of a real life, honest-to-god otaku." Something he never really thought he'd be able to say. Sure, he prides himself on being able to be friendly with anyone, mostly by sheer force of will. He really, really wants to take pictures...! Even for him, though, photographing someone's bedroom is pretty out of line. Best behavior, it is.
Well, best behavior plus maybe a bit of unauthorized poking around. The students at Ignihyde really are something special. Like, he has absolutely no doubt that all tech was built by Idia himself, which is something Cater can't even imagine trying to do. That does make him think, though. What kind of sick phone upgrade could he get if he played his cards right? With the kind of know-how that a tech genius has, he'd never have to buy another phone again!
In any case, Cater decides against his impulse to reach out and try and touch one of those holographic monitors. Like, it's insanely tempting, but he'll be damned if he gets charged for breaking something. Instead, he'll start browsing the manga. Just what kind of genres is Idia Shroud into?
Idia's interests cover a lot of different genres, though sci-fi and fantasy are represented more than the others. But he has shounen, shoujo, seinen, josei... nothing seems to be off limits. Absolutely nothing.
Which is why a few very slim, oversized volumes with staples in their narrow folded spines probably aren't surprising. What might actually be surprising is the red R-18 mark on the top corner of one front cover, barely peeking out from behind another doujinshi.
If only he was awake to boot Cater out of his room right now. Idia Shroud will live to regret this day.
That...it can't be, can it? Cater was just about to give up on finding anything particularly telling when he catches sight of that rating. His hand pauses, but it's too much, he can't help himself. Carefully, the redhead pulls the issue out of its place, getting an eyeful of the suggestive cover art.
"No...no way!" He doesn't mean to exclaim so loudly, but it's just so surprising! Sure, Idia's the same age as he is, and certain things are to be expected, but somehow he just...didn't. Already, he's flipping through the pages to get straight to the good stuff. Plot? Currently unnecessary.
Luckily for Cater, Idia is so conked out at the moment that the exclamation goes unnoticed. He's not snoring or anything, in fact he's almost as still as a corpse except for the faint rise and fall of his back and the flickering of his hair. Oh, the blissful unawareness of his impending shame!
The doujinshi in Cater's hands so happens to feature characters from the very gacha they'd sort of bonded over earlier. In fact, it's two of the most popular SSR characters, both male. HMM. And while it's clear the artwork is one of the more stunning examples of doujinshi work, which would make it a prime purchase on its own, Cater quickly finds out that the second half is ridiculously smutty. The censoring is barely present and there are some wild positions, even x-ray shots.
Who would've thought Idia Shroud was into this kind of thing?
Even Cater, as unaffected and unflappable as he tries to act, can't maintain his cucumber-cool calm when he gets to the X-Rated M/M scenes. He can feel his face flushing, his body reacting instinctively to the explicit material, which then makes him choke and he hurries to close it, looking over his shoulder at Idia.
Yep, he's still out. Queenie up there must be looking out for him. He needs to snap himself outta it, he is totally not about to get an accidental hard-on in an otaku's room. Yeah, it's time to leave, officially. That said, though...
Cater approaches cautiously, reaching out to shake Idia gently by the shoulder. "Hey, can I borrow one of your doujinshi?"
Idia grumbles in exhausted irritation. Why is somebody trying to wake him from sleep mode? He's still recharging, dammit. He pries a hand from under his chest where it was pinned and flaps it vaguely in the air, a wordless "whatever, go on" motion that's clearly not coherently thought out. If he was thinking, he'd never loan anything of his to someone, especially not a doujinshi. But he's tired and not thinking, he simply wants peace and quiet. It's nice that his brain has finally shut up for once.
"Thanks, Idia! See you later!" He has no idea how much later, mind you, and is pretty sure that Idia's going to avoiding him like the plague, but...oh well! Just a bridge to cross when they get there. Slipping the doujinshi carefully between his blazer and vest, he cradles it carefully in his phone-bearing hand to look as natural as possible as he heads back.
Naturally, though, he does take a couple photos to post to Magicam before he fully exits into the Mirror Chamber. #NRCIgnihydeDorm #totalghosttown #LOLwhyamIhere with some spookyface emojis.
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no subject
Steadying him, he hops up on his own feet. Cater's far from one of the more athletic members of the student body, but the bar's pretty low when you're put next to the full-on shut in. With his phone safely back in a pocket, he offers Idia a hand. "I'll help you get back to your room." And thinking that he might immediately panic once again, holds up his other hand in oath. "No detours, no selfies. I swear on the Queen of Hearts herself."
no subject
Making their way to the Mirror Chamber is agony, not because his legs are still partially asleep but because they catch more than a few stares from other students. Great, he pinged the biggest humiliation flag in the event and now he has to suffer through it. Seeing Ortho with him on his rare outings is normal if rare, but seeing Cater Diamond, Number 2 Social Butterfly of NRC, practically glued to his side is beyond an SSR event. It's gotta be a UR or even a UUR draw. His face feels hot and his stomach swims. There's traces of greenish-teal in the blue parts of his hair.
no subject
As he exercises patience, he smiles and waves at anyone who stares at them just long enough, working overtime to normalize the situation without inviting anyone over to insert themselves in it. The only thing that would be out of his control would be if any of the other members of Team Social Butterfly showed up, but thankfully they make it to the Mirror Chamber without such an incident.
"You know, I don't think I've ever actually been to Ignihyde," he admits as they step through and he takes a look around at the, uh, admittedly pretty gloomy surroundings. Cater sighs. This would be such a good chance for a photo-op, but he made a promise. It'll have to wait until after he drops Idia off, at least. "Are you feeling any better? Still with me, Idia?"
no subject
It takes Idia a second or two to make a curious little sound. His brain is definitely lagging. Time for some rarely sought sleep to defrag his memory. The question finally registers, but he only responds with a slight shrug. He does feel better being in his own dorm, but he won't feel 100% until he's back in his room. Seeing Cater's bright coloring against the grays, whites, and blues of Ignihyde is disorienting.
By the time they get to Idia's door, the tall housewarden looks utterly exhausted, almost slumping into Cater's side. His reserve power is drained too, shutdown is imminent. The door slides open at Idia's presence, revealing his cramped, messy room. At least it's somewhat clean, most likely due to Ortho's efforts.
"Gotta quick-save... out of battery...," Idia mutters, eyelids drooping. Even the flames of his hair, now back to their normal blue, look faded and weak.
no subject
He kind of has a feeling that Idia isn't really listening at this point, anyway. Just to be on the safe side, he makes an attempt to escort Idia all the way to his bedside, not wanting him to just collapse onto the floor. But while he's here, anyway...
"Hey, would you mind if I looked around a little bit?"
This is, like, the most forbidden of lore ever!
no subject
The housewarden's room is probably more interesting than the dozing teen himself right now. The walls are plastered with anime and game posters, along with one odd gray tapestry of interlocking triangles. The bookshelves are filled with light novels and manga, mixed haphazardly with tech manuals and even toys. If Idia has any coherent sorting system, it's one only he understands. However, the two most immediately fascinating items are the sprawling desk with multiple holographic monitors and a custom-built computer, side by side with a large, empty stasis pod: clearly Ortho's recharge station. Everything is in standby mode at the moment, the room filled with a muted hum and a soft aqua glow that matches Idia's hair.
no subject
Well, best behavior plus maybe a bit of unauthorized poking around. The students at Ignihyde really are something special. Like, he has absolutely no doubt that all tech was built by Idia himself, which is something Cater can't even imagine trying to do. That does make him think, though. What kind of sick phone upgrade could he get if he played his cards right? With the kind of know-how that a tech genius has, he'd never have to buy another phone again!
In any case, Cater decides against his impulse to reach out and try and touch one of those holographic monitors. Like, it's insanely tempting, but he'll be damned if he gets charged for breaking something. Instead, he'll start browsing the manga. Just what kind of genres is Idia Shroud into?
no subject
Which is why a few very slim, oversized volumes with staples in their narrow folded spines probably aren't surprising. What might actually be surprising is the red R-18 mark on the top corner of one front cover, barely peeking out from behind another doujinshi.
If only he was awake to boot Cater out of his room right now. Idia Shroud will live to regret this day.
no subject
"No...no way!" He doesn't mean to exclaim so loudly, but it's just so surprising! Sure, Idia's the same age as he is, and certain things are to be expected, but somehow he just...didn't. Already, he's flipping through the pages to get straight to the good stuff. Plot? Currently unnecessary.
no subject
The doujinshi in Cater's hands so happens to feature characters from the very gacha they'd sort of bonded over earlier. In fact, it's two of the most popular SSR characters, both male. HMM. And while it's clear the artwork is one of the more stunning examples of doujinshi work, which would make it a prime purchase on its own, Cater quickly finds out that the second half is ridiculously smutty. The censoring is barely present and there are some wild positions, even x-ray shots.
Who would've thought Idia Shroud was into this kind of thing?
no subject
Yep, he's still out. Queenie up there must be looking out for him. He needs to snap himself outta it, he is totally not about to get an accidental hard-on in an otaku's room. Yeah, it's time to leave, officially. That said, though...
Cater approaches cautiously, reaching out to shake Idia gently by the shoulder. "Hey, can I borrow one of your doujinshi?"
no subject
He'll regret it so much later.
no subject
"Thanks, Idia! See you later!" He has no idea how much later, mind you, and is pretty sure that Idia's going to avoiding him like the plague, but...oh well! Just a bridge to cross when they get there. Slipping the doujinshi carefully between his blazer and vest, he cradles it carefully in his phone-bearing hand to look as natural as possible as he heads back.
Naturally, though, he does take a couple photos to post to Magicam before he fully exits into the Mirror Chamber. #NRCIgnihydeDorm #totalghosttown #LOLwhyamIhere with some spookyface emojis.