[PRP] Power Problems (Chiara Nucleo)

[Micillia]

Haven't I seen you around? And around and around and around.

 

[Doutei]

Was it nostalgia or masochism that brought him back here?

As his friends explored the festivities, Nucleo was surprised to find himself standing back at the mooncake stand. It was here one sweep ago that he'd encountered Frossa and began a life of tyranny. Okay she wasn't really a tyrant but she was still a little crazy! A small smile tugged at his face as he remembered the way she'd dragged him around in search of her friend. Now that he'd gotten to know the cheeky girl, he felt a little smug at recalling her reaction to his terrible mooncakes.

'A little like that.' He chuckled as he overheard a feminine voice berating another batch of mooncakes. The use of colorful vocabulary was a bit strong but reminded him of... wait. Glancing over at the troll speaking, Nucleo blinked in surprised.

"Chiara? I haven't seen you ever since- well, you know!" The greenblood thought out loud. She looked brazen as ever, always doing what she wanted without a care. It was rude but also brave in a fearless sort of way.

"How've you been?"

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara was busy volunteering to teach wigglers just how bad at baking they truly were. There was a pile of mooncakes sitting next to her, all with one bite taken out of them. The blueblood was in the middle of telling some kid how awful he was when she heard a voice.

"Oh Nucleo!" The blueblood exclaimed as she saw a familiar face. The blueblood turned back to the kid, picked up the atrocious mooncake, threw it on the ground, and stomped on it before turning back to her happenstance meting. "Wanna get something to eat? My treat~" Chiara said, taking the greenblood's arm in hers, regardless if he had plans, and leading him towards the concession stands. "Really need something to get the taste of burnt cake out of my mouth, my glob the things those kids put in their cakes." Chiara spit, trying to get the taste out. Really the blueblood had no room to talk, she had presented mooncakes with glass shards, worms, and mud to the poor judges when she had cooked, but that was then, this is now. "If i remember correctly you make some pretty tasty treats, dont you?" The blueblood said, squishing her chest against the greenblood's arm as she grinned mischievously at him.

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

Aggressive as ever, Nucleo stumbled into Chiara's pace and walked beside her. If it'd help get her away from the mooncakes stand it was fine with him. He contemplated mouthing an apology to the trolls left behind but found them already half a block away. She was fast.

"You remember well. But I don't have any on me right now." Patting his pockets to prove it, Nucleo gave Chiara a sheepish half smile. He'd come to hang out with his friends, not work! There was no way he was in any state to run one of the booths here tonight.

"Are horn dogs okay?" Stopping at the booth with the shortest line, Nucleo pulled out his wallet instinctively. Part of his thinkpan was wired to automatically try and provide for others. Plus if she was getting a free meal, she'd probably stay in a good mood. Flushing as something soft pressed against his arm, the greenblood cleared his throat nervously but didn't make any comment or move to pull away. He didn't want to make it awkward by calling attention to it. Plus, it...

"A-anyway, how have you been? What've you gotten up to?" With a troll as wild as this one, she was bound to have some stories!

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

"Oh stop it!" Chiara said, swatting the wallet away. She released Nucleo, putting a finger up to his lips to give her a second. The blueblood ordered an array of foods, horn dogs, punkin fritters, and some sort of drink, the blueblood didn't really pay attention. Picking up the tray of various fair foods, Chiara recollected the greenblood and went to find a spot to sit.

"Humm," Chiara mused, taking a sip of the beverage. "Continuing the Dance Battle business, trying out the orphaner job, and of course.." Chiara pointedly looked right at Nucleo and grinned. "Checking up on cuties." The blueblood took the greenblood's hand, and tilted her head in concern. "But what about you? Last we met things were... well it wasn't the best outlook."

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"Chiara!" Nucleo chided as he flushed at her blatant flirting. Unused to others openly showing interest in him that way, the greenblood wondered what the proper response was. He didn't have much experience and she seemed the type to have lots. Her confidence was incredible and secretly a little fun to be around, even if her words were on the harsh side. Nucleo decided he could use a little swagger in his life.

"I've been... okay. Not great. Took a little time off work to think about what happened." The barista admitted. He didn't really want to delve into the topic of his depression but figured she would maybe understand a little about needing some time. She'd been there with the same mission- she'd been there to fail too. It was painful to think about and incredibly humbling. He could never go back to the person he was before.

"It's incredible how so much has changed even though the rest of the world stays the same." Sitting down at the edge of a small grassy hill, Nucleo accepted one of the drinks and looked into it.

"Sorry, for rambling. I'm sure you'd rather talk about something happier." He apologized with a sheepish smile.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara laughed out loud. "Talk about upbeat topics? Nucleo im a blueblood, the spreader of misfortune and chaos." Chiara waved her hands as if casting a spell, then snorted at her own joke. "Yeah its kinda funny, isent it? As soon as the city was rebuilt, and everyone got back their dearly desired physical possessions, it was as if nothing happened." Chiara looked down at the horn dog she was pretending to eat. "It was as if there were no terrorists, pain, death, loss, any of it..." Chiara stabbed something with a fork, and looked back at Nucleo, her grin right in place. "Its whats so great about trolls, see? No matter what happens, you show them some big flashy show, or the new best gadget to get, and why, its almost as if the great glub never happened." Chiara grinned at the greenblood, leaning forward suggestively, she just loved how shy this boy was. "We are a magnet for s**t, might as have some fun while we are still around to enjoy it, right?"

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"You're more than that." Nucleo smiled weakly as Chiara put herself down. Sometimes there were moments when she spoke that seemed like flickers. Whether they were unhappiness or insecurity, he didn't know. He felt for her though. The barista too liked to appear like everything was happy and normal even during his times of turmoil.

Then she really let down her guard. Stunned at her words but happy to hear he and Amonee weren't the only ones who felt that way, the greenblood let her talk. It was important for her to say everything on her mind. He didn't know her well enough to be able to say that she was covering up a deep pain... but he felt like it was a strong possibility.

"Chiara... I'm never going to forget what happened. So please... talk to me when you need someone else who remembers." Misunderstanding her intentions for leaning forward, Nucleo reached over and pulled her into a hug, wrapping his arms around the blueblood. He didn't care if it was sudden or if she'd push him off and yelp that she didn't need this mushy crap.

Beneath their layers of pride, they both needed it.

Micillia

negative meet positive! magnetize!

 

[Micillia]

Chiara was surprised by the hug, and she was thankful that he couldn't see her face as it blushed blue. She did hug him back tho, maybe leaning in on him, just a little, a little bubble of a second of weakness. Then, she laughed and pushed him away, holding him at arm's length. "Hey, maybe its better not to remember. Should we find something to do to distract ourselves?" She asked slyly. Her flirts weren't affecting him, which kind of made it all the more fun. She was starting to worry that the orangeblood, Zariah, was taking her too seriously, and wishing for a long term relationship. She didn't want to think about him and how she would have to break all ties with such an informative troll. Bringing herself back to the present, Chiara tilted her head at the greenblood. "Speaking of getting up to stuff, it sure seems like you get up to more than one troll even could. Defiantly not shy about the whole power thing huh?"

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

It was only the faintest of touch, barely an ounce of pressure, but she'd leaned in. A strong and bold troll like her- it was odd for her to feel so soft. She did not tremble or cry (not that he'd expected her to) but the subtle movement felt so weak and sad before she was pushing him away and grinning again.

"Distract ourselves, huh?" Nucleo mused. It was too painful for her to dwell on the memory, he supposed, and he could definitely relate to that. The greenblood had learned by now there were somethings you just couldn't forget- even if you had the power to force yourself to. But if she needed a moment of peace, he'd do what he could to help her. Chiara gave the impression she did a lot of things for herself, relying on no one. That was a lonely way to live.

He would never had made it this far without his friends.

"Oh! Well, it seemed too useful not to use." The boy laughed sheepishly as she questioned his blatant and frequent use of his powers. Sure he could've tried to hide his cloning abilities but it would've been more trouble than it was worth, he felt. No point in stressing out about that part when he had other things to worry about.

"Sometimes you just need more than one perso-" Nucleo continued and then stopped mid-sentence. His brow furrowed at the image in his mind and the greenblood swallowed.

"Basically, they're a great help." He tried again.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Something like, pitty? Crossed the greenblood's face as they pulled apart from the hug, and Chiara instantly regretted it. Her brow furrowed, and she took on a more aggressive standing position. He had looked at her like she was weak, something she could not be no matter what, and it cut her. But what did she expect, she berated herself, for opening up to anyone.

Chiara raised an eyebrow at the greenblood's momentary pause, moment of weakness, and had to force her smile a little. "HA!" The blueblood laughed, easing back into her aggressive social self. "I can tell ya, I bet a few trolls would kill for that kind of power." She said, putting a little pressure on the "kill". "But hey, there is something i been wondering about. Do you know what all your clones are doing? Do they ever... run out, or disappear? Do you remember things they have done?" Then Chiara laughed again, and bopped Nucleo's nose playfully, "Am i talking to a clone right now?"

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"They've run out once or twice when we were divvying up who had to clean the bathroom." Nucleo laughed. He didn't mind her shifting back into her aggressive side. That was also a part of Chiara. He could probably stand to be a little more aggressive too. Laughing lightly at her questions, the greenblood seemed relaxed, trying to ignore one of them in particular. That was a secret he had only ever divulged to Amonee. It'd taken a long time for him to feel comfortable admitting the problem out loud.

"Nope, just boring ol' Nucleo." He smiled, tapping her nose back. It was cute to see her act playful and curious.

"But yes, eventually my clones run out of energy and disappear. When that happens, I have no idea what they ultimately did." He confessed. It seemed a harmless enough admission. It wasn't like he could telepathically communicate with them though that would be really cool.

"Did one of them do something I should know about?" He raised an eyebrow, half amused half nervous.

Micillia

 

[Micillia]

Chiara laughed loud and long at the greenblood's last comment. "Ha, and, hehe, what would you do if they did?" Chiara said through her giggles. "Is there a little insurance policy on Nucleo clones?" Chiara thought about it, it could be a great business venture. Buy a clone till it poofs, or something like that. Or, she could say one did any maybe guilt Nucleo into something... The possibilities were endless, and Chiara found herself getting lost in the greenblood's eyes, her mind running scenarios and ideas, how to best utilize such a troll. Chiara chuckled again, and quirked and eyebrow at the greenblood. "You know, this has been great. Your a lot more than your first impression led me to think." Tho Nucleo's first impression wasn't really his fault, that Hemera. Chiara would break her some day, oh yes, she would. "Are you interested in expanding your business at all?" Then Chiara leaned towards the greenblood, displaying one of her attractions. "Or are you looking for something more... personal."

Doutei

 

[Doutei]

"It depends on what it was!" Nucleo laughed. He used to feel confident in knowing what his clones were up to but lately it felt like they were becoming less predictable. He opened his mouth to keep talking but noticed Chiara seemed to be lost in thought. Wondering what was running through her mind, he trailed off to let her think in peace.

"Ah, thank you. First impressions are tricky, aren't they?" The greenblood replied politely, unsure what her first impression of him had been. He got the feeling it wasn't a good one based on her words. A small piece of him felt disappointed to hear that but he kept his face from reflecting it. It wasn't her fault for her natural reaction.

"Well, I-" His brow furrowed as he considered his words before she gave him a glimpse of her coffee cakes. Flustered, his back straightened as he tried to catch himself before he could stare at them too long.

"... Are you?" Meeting her gaze seriously, Nucleo decided to turn the tables on the playful blueblood and see what happened. Earnest eyes shining, he wondered if she was interested in him for real (for whatever reason) or just messing around. After his last attempt at pity, he'd lost confidence in being able to tell for himself. And did it even matter anymore?

Micillia

sorry for the wait!

 

[Micillia]

Chiara was just about to give up on the red game, turn it completely around and go black maybe, when the greenblood finally gave her a bone. She was relieved, turning the game black sometimes led to strained relationships while her game opponent had to sort out if they were a decent enough player to even play. Obviously Hemera had failed their black game, quite a shame, but that just meant Chiara could focus on breaking the girl, not keeping her in-tact enough to keep playing.

Chiara snorted as Nucleo reminded the blueblood of the atmosphere they had met in, "Especially when some sort of "you are all going to die" threat is hovering above. Chiara muttered. Chiara grinned, and said; "Yes." decisively. "I think you have a lot of potential. I wasn't sure if you would be up for a partnership," Chiara walked her hand closer to the greenblood's, "But if you are... Looks like ive got some fun thinking to do..."

Doutei