expiationlogs | [ OPEN ] ON THAT DEMON TIME

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[ OPEN ] ON THAT DEMON TIME

Who: Hiei & Others
Where: Around Aldrip
What: General July Catch-All - Hiei open starters in the forest, the city’s roof tops, sword training, and glitch.
Warnings: None ATM! Will change if it happens!

✒ o1. NO ONE WANTS FLOWERS WHEN THEY’RE DEAD

No matter how many times Hiei’s tree naps have been interrupted, it doesn’t seem to stop him. In fact, among all of his attempts at fact gathering, even sticking to trees in the city center to snatch up bits of information here or there… silence calls every now and again. A break from the constant chatter of people that he can hear for literal miles to trade instead for nature or something like it. The closest he can get to some kind of peace and quiet while lacking the incredibly tall trees that he had grown so fond of in the demon world.

Hiei doesn’t take precautions to be particularly quiet or hidden, for the most part, deftly hopping from tree to tree with the kind of experienced and sure footing of someone who has done this for many years. Beyond that.. He has yet to run in to a being here that seemed much of a threat to him, and keeping his energy suppressed at this point is more a force of habit than an effort to hide himself. Long gone were the days of a young and potentially weaker fire demon who at least tried a little recon before taking on an opponent head on. Instead the black-clad demon drops down in to an occupied clearing in a flash, hands casually tucked in to his pockets as if this is the most normal encounter ever.

“Is there anything of note, out in the forest? Or is it all just people wandering?”

✒ o2. SOME KIND OF SYSTEM OVER RIDE

Hiei likes to be tall, one way or another.

Sometimes he can be spotted in the city center, standing casually atop a power pole, simply watching the foot traffic below before he disappears in a flash to the next one. Hopping roofs and trees is his best way to test the physical limits of his body, here, and assess what has or has not been lost. Thankfully most of his speed and agility have been maintained, though establishing that does more for Hiei’s urge to continue exploring the city via the rooftops than anything else.

Pushing through crowds, buskers, and the occasional rowdy group was not exactly Hiei’s favorite thing to navigate, despite being occasionally forced to do so in order to ‘blend in’ while accompanying his more human teammates back in their world. The fire demon is again criss-crossing the city via the rooftops in skillful little hops when he notices he’s no longer alone, cloak billowing slightly in the breeze.

“It’s peaceful up here, isn’t it?”

✒ o3. THOUGHT I’D SOLD MY SOUL BUT HE KEPT THE RECEIPT

Demons didn’t require much sleep. Hiei tended to be a special case, if only because he had taken on two energy sucking abilities in the Jagan and the Dragon. With the Dragon significantly weakened, so too have Hiei’s sleep patterns shrunken to match.

Which is to say it is insanely early in the morning when the little demon can be spotted in a clearing, sword drawn though he has no visible opponent. Hiei is no less focused, though, red eyes narrowed as he takes his forms, darting across the clearing with precision slices and dodges, at times appearing to the human eye for only a split second before he is gone again, already across the cleared space.

It doesn’t take him long to notice he has a spectator, but he makes a point to finish his current practice set before stopping, red eyes narrowed as he turns to his guest.

“If you are looking for lessons I don’t give them.”

✒ o4. GOING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE

Glitches are quite.. Strange, actually. Hiei has seen a few, here or there, people behavng oddly or opposite to how he had witnessed them only days before. Of course, he doesn’t consider that it may as well happen to him, until it does.

An even smaller fire demon will meet those he crosses looking a bit.. Different than before. There is no wrap around his forehead, nor a third eye to speak of, and those former large, red eyes are now threatening pin-pricks. He carries a sword that is now quite literally bigger than him, and wears a tattered cape that is the same. It’s almost jokingly big for such a small demon, but it is hard to dress such a small figure correctly in the demon world.

A slow, constant waft of malevolent energy follows him, an open and viable threat to anyone that may cross his path and possibly dare to confront him in the wrong way. Hiei hasn’t appeared this wild eyed in quite some time, but his appearance hasn’t changed enough that he won’t be recognizeable.

…. Still probably approach with caution, yeah?

✒ o5. CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE

Want to play something I didn’t list here, or we’ve talkd about somewhere else? Tag in and let’s go! I don’t mind tagging in either prose or brackets, feel free to respond how you’re most comfortable and I will follow suit.

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[There's no hiding the smile when Hiei's stomach growls. Uh-huh, he thought as much. He's getting the feeling that he really won't beat the young demon at the noodle bowl race, but it's fine. There are worse competitions to lose, not like he's bet his title as king of spiciness here.]

So, did you have to hunt in the woods? Killing... demon deer to eat?

[Or is it regular deer??? Scott here asking the true questions.]

Deer? [ Hiei’s head tilts a little in question, at that, sort of like a dog confused by a sound. Maybe the uncanny gesture softens the blow of what he comes up with next. ]

We hunt each other, most of the time.

People try to take my stone from me, and the game is that if they can catch me, they’ll die faster.

[So, demons do eat other demons... gross. That's like cannibalism, right? Even if there are different demons and stuff, it still counts. Scott's unable to stop the way his face scrunches, well at least he's showing Hiei the finer things in life. Like spicy ramen, apparently.]

Wow, great game.

[No hiding the dryness in his voice either.]

Okay, so, no worry about hunting or eating demon flesh. This is just noodles and vegetables and meat-- animal meat.

[ Hiei... actually manages a little laugh as Scott makes that face. Sure, it's mostly a little shit kid having a short, creepy, ha! of a laugh, but it's better than the blank face he likely would've seen otherwise. Garnering even that small bit of a disgusted reaction is enough to amuse him, at least. ]

Some eat human meat, too. That's mostly demons who can afford it.. since the gate between the worlds has been closed for a while, now.

[ And now reopened... but this version of Hiei wouldn't know that. ]

I heard King Raizen really likes the taste of humans.

[Well, a laugh is a laugh... even if it's a weird one. Although, seeing that grin on kid is kind of nice, especially since his older self is a frowny asshole. Like wow, he can actually make that sound. Incredible. Honestly, he should get a medal for this. It's easier to accept this too since he's still confident that Hiei isn't going to eat him or anything.]

Maybe you guys only eat each other and humans because you haven't had ramen or sandwiches before. Your whole mind about all this is going to change now.

[Especially since their bowls are finally delivered! Spicy tonkotsu ramen.]

Edited 2024-08-06 17:48 (UTC)

[ unfortunately for little Hiei there are yet more challenges ahead that he doesn’t know of yet that will take away this more jovial side of him. Or at least tuck it even further back in his personality.

At any rate Hiei’s rapt attention is focused on the approaching bowls of food as soon as he’s sure they’re coming their way, red eyes predatory and intent.

He even stands on the chair to take advantage of every bit of his height for eating, and also as a body block in case anyone is thinking about stealing some of course.

… Sorry Scott, but he isn’t even going to acknowledge any rules of competition as he dives in for a hand full of noodles, bare handed, to ram them in to his mouth like a starved grown man. ]

[.......bruh.

Scott barely has his chopsticks in hand (yes, he finally learned how to use them) when Hiei shoves a whole helping of noodles straight into his tiny mouth. It's a good thing he's hungry because he might have just lost his appetite seeing such a thing. Yeah, boys are gross and everything, but this is still a sight to be a witness to.

If the mutant had any hopes of winning their competition, it's definitely gone now, with Scott just lifting one eyebrow at him. His chopsticks are still hovering right above his bowl.]

Dude, it's called chopsticks.

[ Adult Hiei has been painstakingly taught how to use utensils instead of his hands - this version, though -

Well. He sees the way he goes at food. Hiei barely even tastes the ramen, much less the spice involved, nearly biting his own fingers as he goes to town on that first handful, already dipping his second in to the broth to be ready to go with a second when Scott speaks, red eyes raising to look at him, speaking with his mouth still full. ]

.. Don't try to slow me down. [ Clearly, Scott is trying a cheating tactic on him by stalling him. Clearly. ]

Yeah, because you're really falling behind here.

[Yeah, he's rolling his eyes behind his shades now.

Well, even though he's definitely going to lose this challenge, this will be something he can tease Hiei about later on. Oh yeah, he's not escaping this, because Scott will be here to remind him every so often. 'Remember the time you shoved ramen into your face with your bare hands, because I do.' Yeah, that's something to look forward to. Hopefully Hiei won't stab him in the face later.

Might be worth it still.

Nonetheless, he spins some of the noodles into his chopsticks before bringing them closer to his mouth, blowing on them lightly before taking a bite. Shit, it really is spicy, but he has to power through, especially since Hiei isn't slowing down at all.

Chomp chomp...]

I wouldn't to you. [ He'd sooner choke and die on this ramen than lose to a human, is what he's saying, even as he shoves that next handful into his mouth. Adult Hiei... well.

He still has to be reminded that chopsticks are a thing, even though he now knows how to use them now. Once Scott and Kurama meet, he's sure they can share stories of him being an absolute savage about food, as he's never stopped in his vigor for food. .. Though his older version is now an absolute pushover for fruits and chocolate.

Hiei settles a little back on his heels, comfortable in his lead even as he chews away at the bounty in his mouth. It does taste good, not that he's taking a lot of time to linger on the taste in the first place. ]

Make sure that you don't choke.

[Another sarcastic comment before he finally shoves a decent helping of noodles straight into his mouth. Oof. Okay, he has to concentrate now, so no talking from Scott for a few good seconds or else he may be the one gagging on his food. Yeah, he can't have that happen. It's already enough that Hiei is going to beat him by like a mile in this contest.

By as he forces himself to swallow, Scott can admit, this is pretty good. Guess without the competition on his mind, it's sort of nice to just eat this like a regular ass person without rushing.]

Are you... [Scott starts before swallowing the rest of his bite.] Going to get a second bowl?

Shut up. [ Said through a mouthful so it absolutely doesn't even sound like an actual language. The little demon is picking for what is left in his bowl, bits of noodle and meat that may have dropped, and scooping up the half of an egg he'd previously put aside as a treat.

At the very least he takes a moment to savor the nicely cooked egg, even nodding as he chews it slightly more slowly before swallowing. The process of savoring the egg at least gives him a moment to make sure he's picked everything out of the broth and into his hand again, completely unaware and unbothered by the passing waitstaff's evident horror at his eating habits.

The feral little monster even looses a loud enough belch when it so pleases him, placing his hands on either side of the bowl as he prepares to down the rest of the soup before Scott speaks. For a moment he blinks, as if the possibility hadn't occurred to him, before he stares hard enough at a staff member to stop them. ]

Another. [ It's an order, not a request, but... well... did he expect anything other than that? ]

[Hiei really displaying demonic behavior right now. Scott's face scrunches once more when he talks through a mouthful, but he doesn't say anything in response. Look, he's focusing on his own food now, which yeah, he's eating at a normal pace now that he's sort of getting used to the spice levels.

Really, it's been easier to adapt to that compared to watching Hiei eat his ramen with his bare hands.]

Dude, say 'please' at least.

[Not that Scott's the king of good manners and stuff, but he doesn't want to get kicked out for being extraordinarily rude. So, he tosses the waitstaff an apologizing smile of sorts as they walk away, before sending an exasperated look at the young demon. When did he become the older brother type-- that's not his job!!]

And eat slower next time. With chopsticks. [He's totally throwing off the vibe here!!] Because I'm not paying for a third bowl for you.

[ Little red eyes glare from over the edge of his bowl as Scott tells him to say please. Of course he’s never heard of that term, had never used it or been asked to. In a dog eat dog world like he was used to, manners go to the wayside. The demon drinks broth until he has to pull away to breathe, hands leaving hand prints on his bowl as he sets it back down on the table.

The bowl may well be licked clean by the time the next one shows up. ]

Why? They’re here to serve aren’t they?

[ Bratty behavior? Basically on par with his usual. He looks down at his hands and, presumably because he’s getting another bowl of ramen, doesn’t wipe them on his pants or outer layers yet. ]

What are chopsticks? [ without the influence of the rest of Team Urameshi yet… yeah. He’s a hands or bust kid for the moment.

A sour look passes over his expression when Scott says he isn’t paying for a third bowl, though the answer is simple. ]

If you can get out of the door with it, it’s free.

Yeah, but you don't have to be a dick about it. They might not serve us next time.

[Scott never imagined he'd be in a situation like this. No, not the eating ramen with a demon kid bit, but the telling someone else not to be an asshole to waiters and shit. Hiei's really making him feel like some strange older brother and that thought alone almost causes the mutant choke on his noodles. Hell no. This is not how Alex felt, right? Fuck man.]

These are chopsticks, genius. [He clicks his chopsticks in Hiei's direction, this time rolling his eyes. This really isn't helping with the feeling of behaving like an older brother right now. Great.]

But as I said earlier, we do shit like that, we won't be able to come back. You want to be on good terms with the guys that make food, yeah? Think of it as basic survival.

And? I can hunt unlike you. [ Not that he knows for certain that Scott can't hunt, but he has many assumptions about humans now. If there are things like these all over the human world, what reason do they have to do something like hunt and cook their own food if that was the case?

He certainly wouldn't really want to go through all that effort and work if he didn't really have to. He remembers being too small to hunt and having people bring him things to eat for his meals compared to being expected to contribute in order to have a reliable food source...

It really cut in to his time spent cat napping.

The little demon makes a tch sound as he's shown chopsticks, looking for them on the table and reaching for the set at his own place setting. Snapping them apart is easy but...

He's just gonna sit here with one in each hand, figuring he'll use them as pincers when his next batch of food shows up. ]

[Wow, progress. Amazing. You can teach demons new tricks.

Maybe he's not the worst at this sort of thing (at babysitting??), but like hell he's going to volunteer for more opportunities in the future. This is totally a one time sort of deal because Scott was in a good mood and figured that a little gremlin like Hiei shouldn't be left to his own devices. Look, he was right, wasn't he?

He watches Hiei struggle with the chopsticks for a moment and while he wasn't much better months ago, he still has to give him a slightly hard time.]

Like this, man. [He raises his own chopsticks, as if expecting Hiei to follow him.] You're not going to grab much holding them like that.

[ Hiei watches Scott for a moment, ever keen sight observing exactly how the teen holds the chopsticks and how he might be able to do it himself... But then of course he has a thought, and after narrowing his eyes in suspicion, raises his hand as if in demonstration. ]

I can make the same motion with my thumb and pointer fingers. [ Deadpan, as he continues to give him the example to make a point of course, as if Scott is clearly trying to just make him slow down or give him shit. ]

It's inefficient. Why should I use sticks when I have hands?

Uh, because that's just how it is? Do you see anyone else here using their hands to eat? No.

[Of course, some rules are meant to broken!! He hasn't forgotten that, not as the resident rebellious teenager. But this is one thing that should probably be followed.]

Think of them as your weapon. [Will this analogy work?? Scott's gonna try and he emphasizes his point by clicking his chopsticks as he speaks.] You use your sword to kill other demons, right? Use these to... eat noodles.

Who cares? [ Hiei the little rule breaker certainly doesn’t. This time at least he won’t eat like an absolute savage, the first bowl having taken away the sharp edge of hunger in his stomach.

… the rules of table manners just don’t particularly interest him.

That deadpan stare only gets worse as Scott continues, a little sigh and eye roll following after. ]

Weapons are for killing, not eating. If you start mixing the two it becomes a dangerous guessing game.

[This is karma for all the shit he gave Alex, isn't it??]

Just eat your damn ramen with the chopsticks.

[Because Scott's already back to eating, letting himself shove a hefty amount of noodles into his mouth in one bite. He may have some regrets later, but it's fine. He needs this.]

Leave me alone. [ That's decisive enough, isn't it? The little demon doesn't have to wait long for his next bowl to be headed their way, and it perks him up immediately. His empty bowl is picked up and replaced with a new one, piping hot, and Hiei takes a moment to actually take it all in this time before he eats any.

... Which means the egg gets popped in to his mouth by hand.

But at least he isn't shoveling it in like a demon starved??? ]

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[ OPEN ] ON THAT DEMON TIME

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