decorator | a stolen fruit; a childish sin has taken root

[ Believe him, he gets it. ]

Yep, I'm the same as always. I don't care for trends, after all. I'll be keeping my spirit origin the same way it's always been, regardless of what I'm wearing.

[ That and by virtue of being a Pretender, his spirit origin is already in a constant state of change. ]

Well, I wouldn't worry too much. Sure, the chances of an uneventful summer with Servants around are slim, but you should just enjoy yourself however you want in the meantime.

[ If nothing else, it's guaranteed to be fun. ]

You of all people saying it like that just makes it feel like we're begging to get jinxed...

[ But she sounds more fondly bemused than anything. Things get crazy here... all the time. She's used to it by now. At least there... probably won't be any nobbus again. Probably. ]

But either way, I'm glad you're just sticking to being yourself. [ She gives him a little smile. S-somehow, it's even brighter than usual coming off her sulking... ] Call it bad taste if you want, but I prefer you like this to... whatever's going on with Nagiko-chan right now.

[ Summer Nobbus… horrifying. It’s already tragic enough that Ai has gotten a taste of the Nobbu farming experience, let’s not put her through that again…

Although in terms of truly cursed holidays, she is in no way prepared for Halloween. ]

Hm? Ah, well…

[ He masks it with grumpiness, but… her words are more than just a little flattering. He refuses to let it show on his face, but he squeezes her hand back anyway. ]

…Whatever floats your boat.

[ At least with whatever’s happening to Nagiko… shes still having fun? Hopefully the same can be said for her poor Master… Hibiki, who must now contend with her “delinquent” Servant.

…that or with Nagiko forfeiting the brain cell, they’ve become an unstoppable force of chaos in the form of two lesbians. Hm. ]

[ She gives him another of those just-barely-too-bright smiles - the kind you can practically see sparkling in the sun - before her attention finally gets pulled away from him. ]

- ahah! There we go!

[ Off she goes, tugging him along to a food stall surrounded by people. How she managed to work out what they were selling without being able to actually see it is a mystery but she sounds pretty confident as she declares - ]

Yakitori...! It's not summer without that.

Ah! Oi!

[ He protests, but he doesn't resist being dragged along. Honestly, crowds really aren't his thing... the Faerie King is his way of being around large crowds of people, so it's weird being in such a crowded place as, well, himself.

He supposes it's only fair that, with all of the pushing he made to get her to be honest, it's only fair she returns the favor. ]

Yakitori, huh... not my usual palatte, but sure.

[ That's because all he eats normally is junk food... ]

Of course it's not. Yakitori's real food. [ She sticks her tongue out at him - it's stained a little minty green from the soda. ] Not all of us can survive on conbini snacks and sweets, you know.

[ She takes once last pull on her straw before cheerily turning and presenting her drink for him to take. ]

Alright! Stick right here and I'll go get us a skewer each! Getting through crowds like this is one of my special skills.

[ And off she goes... ]

H-Hey! Wait, Ai...! Agh, not again...!

[ Excuse you?? Last time he let you out of his sight, you got hit on! And easy for you to say, sneaking through crowds... you can do that because you're so damn small! He doesn't have that advantage, damn it!

Ugh, nothing he can do about it... he'll just have to force and squeeze his way through after her... and holding both of their drinks, too! God she's such a handful...

Yet where he would usually just stand back and not go through the trouble, here he is pushing on through after her. ]

[ True to her word and yet, impossibly - she's actually doing a good job of weaving her way through! Life spent as a girl below a solid chunk of the population's eye level has made her pretty good at knowing how to dip and weave her way through a crowd of people who don't even notice she's there. She's so focused, in fact, that she doesn't even notice he's following along until she's already gotten to the front. ]

Oberon...? [ She sounds surprised. For some reason. ] You didn't have to follow... but I guess that makes things easier.

[ She points at the grill, where a number of skewers are sizzling away. ]

Which kind do you want? There's just meat, or meat and veggies... oh, looks like they've got torikawa! That's the skin grilled up so it gets all crispy, I'll get that... what about you?

What, and let you get hit on again? No thanks.

[ She's too attractive for her own good, damn it. What happens if a larger, more stubborn group shows up next time? He's not putting up with that, thank you very much. ]

...how should I know? I don't eat this stuff normally...

[ It does smell pretty good, though... ]

...you seem to know what's good. Torikawa, was it? I'll just have what you're having.

[ The typical couple response...! ]

Oh, come on! What're the chances of that happening again? [ High. Astronomically high. ] But if you want to go everywhere with me today, I don't mind at all. ☆

[ She gives him a wink that practically twinkles before turning back to the vendor and giving him a cheery peace sign. ]

Two torikawa please!

[ And while they're waiting, she casually leans over to take a sip from her straw while Oberon's carrying the drinks... they're in peak obnoxious couple mode right now, huh. ]

[ Somewhere off in the distance, Nagiko and Hibiki are fighting an eldritch god in their swimsuits, and here are Ai and Oberon being the most obnoxious couple in the world.

Summer with Servants, everyone. ]

Don't let it get to your head. I just don't wanna deal with chasing unsavory guys away if I don't have to.

[ Yes, because that's all there is to it, definitely. It's not like seeing her smile and sparkle like this gives him life. Why would you think that? It's also not like he's hyper-aware of the indirect kiss they just had by her taking a sip of his drink, why would that be the case? ]

Uh-huh. Sure thing. Because you just hate stirring up trouble, don't you?

[ She sticks out her tongue again, like she's just daring him to deny it - but then the vendor calls out their order and she snaps to attention. ]

Right, yup! That's us, thank you! [ She dives back in, not-so-politely elbowing past a guy who is definitely staring at her for a little too long as she does so, before returning with their yakitori in hand. ] Tah-dah! Alright, swap time... oh, jeez, how are we gonna do this?

[ She giggles and swaps one of the skewers to her other hand, freeing up one to take her drink with and handing his food over. So smoothly done!! ]

[ Ai's been getting stared at ever since she got to this beach, there is not a single moment when she isn't drawing attention to herself. That doesn't mean he doesn't promptly scare off the guy who was staring at her with a frankly terrifying glare that prompts him to scurry off.

He drops that glare before Ai can see it, though. He finds joy in showing off the fact that Ai is his, but he still needs to establish that he's not planning on sharing, right? ]

Hoh... very smooth. Thank you very much...

[ He'll take his skewer and promptly chomp off a piece, just as messy of an eater as ever. ]

...Mn. Not bad.

Right? I told you! [ She's sparkling again... is it really that exciting to be getting food together like this? Apparently so. ] It's a little greasy so it's not really something an idol should be having buuuut...

[ She takes a very pointed chomp out of her own skewer, looking pleased as punch. Nice and crunchy. ]

Right now, I'm just a totally normal girl. So I can eat whatever I want!

[ He doesn't share her enthusiasm, but... seeing the way she smiles makes up for it and more. It's tiresome, and yet because it makes her happy, he feels all too willing to put up with it.

Love is one hell of a thing, isn't it? ]

Yes, yes... except you're more than just a normal girl, right?

[ It's that realization that makes him decide that he needs to flirt and be even more obnoxious with her more. He wraps a hand around her waist and pulls her against his chest, knowing that the people who Ai's drawn into staring at her are watching. ]

You're mine, after all.

[ He can't just be content with eating his skewer, now can he? ]

Ah-

[ Somehow, it's even easier than usual to manhandle her about today - she goes stumbling into his touch with little protest and even less resistence. In fact, even though they're definitely making a bit of a scene in front of all these other people queuing up for yakitori, all she does is tut-tut at him. ]

Oh, come on. It's true but what does it have to do with torikawa?

[ The perfect response to nip a few stares in the bud. Given that she's not stepping out of his arms despite her fuss, maybe she's not quite as oblivious to all the attention she's drawing as she's play acting at being after all. ]

You're so clingy today. You're really sure summer hasn't gotten you all amped up like Nagiko-chan?

Well, who's to say? I wouldn't say the season brings anything to get excited about, but...

[ It has brought something that is amping him up, that's for sure. It's in his arms even now, though he thinks he's done a good enough job of restraining himself despite that.

~~As if his hands aren't literally on her right now as he speaks.~~ ]

Well, just think of it as me laying my claim in... other ways.

Holding my hand wasn't enough for you? [ A pause as she considers... literally everything about Oberon's personality. ] Ah, actually. You know what? Never mind. Don't answer that.

[ With that in mind, she's pretty impressed that he is restraining himself to just this.

So far, anyway. She Doesn't Know. ]

Does it really bother you that much if it happens again? Don't get me wrong, it's not like I want it to...

[ She's small and some of these guys are pretty tall. And broad. And scary. ]

But it's not like it'll ever come to anything. I'm here with you, aren't I?

Hah!

[ Yeah, the answer to that question is obvious, isn't it? He can only laugh as she promptly rescinds the question. It feels nice, having her know him this well.

Still, it feels silly to ask if it bothers him. Of course it bothers him. He has fae eyes, he can see their intentions clear as day, and big broad guys like that generally aren't going to take no for an answer. ]

Of course it does. It pisses me off. How would you feel if it was the other way around?

[ As silly as that idea might be, especially right now when he's giving off all of the wrong vibes... he remembers how possessive she got when she learned more about Fujimaru Ritsuka, don't think he forgets that kind of thing. ]

[ . . .

A loooooong pause as she stares him down, deadeyed. ]

That depends. Do you want the nice answer or the real answer?

[ Of course, he's going to hear what she really thinks either way, but she's got just barely enough tact to not just come out and say it right to his face. ]

[ He returns her deadeyed look with his own, squinting down at her in full knowledge of what she means. ]

...You know what? Don't answer that.

[ He returns her own words, too. It's not like he doesn't get it, but come on... ]

[ Beeeeaaaaaam. ]

That's what I thought you'd say. Besides, it's not like I'd care. I trust you.

[ Or, as he'll see it: "You're way too possessive for me to ever worry about you going off with some random girl."

... If that was the nice answer, just how bad was the other one?!

Thankfully, she's already stepping out from his arms, so it looks like he won't be finding out yet. ]

Anyway, come on! Your skewer's gonna get cold. And there's a ton more food I want to try!

[ And off she goes darting her way through the crowd again. He really wasn't wrong about her being a handful, huh. ]

[ He resists the urge to start with "even so...!" and just lets out a sigh. She is such a handful... and yet he's in love with this handful, so he can't let her go. ]

Hey...! Quit running off like that, damn it!

[ This is going to be a long day... a long day of chasing after her, on top of chasing off every guy who tries to hit on her whenever they get separated. Seriously, this woman cannot tone down her charisma, can she?

Still, even though it's a true hassle, dealing with all of this... he follows her the whole time. At least, anywhere except the water, that is... though even then he tries to keep an eye on her. ]

[ To Ai's surprise, the day is... fun. Regular, normal fun. The kind it's a little bizarre to find herself having, especially while she's with Oberon. It's the same slightly off kilter feeling as seeing him dressed for the beach had been - she's so used to him existing in one particular context that spending such an understated, mundane day with him is a bit too adjust to.

It makes her hopeful in a strange, tentative way, that things really might work out. Eventually.

(Hibiki and Nagiko are having a wonderful time fighting BB, in case you were wondering.)

It's golden hour by the time they finally slow down a bit and the hustle has gradually died down. It's still lively, but finally calm enough that she feels pretty safe leaving him with their things to go play around in the water for a bit. She's not the world's strongest swimmer, but even she can manage with a cute enough floatie. By the time she's satisfied, she's nicely worn out and she pops back out of the sea with a cheery wave as she starts heading back towards him.

Surely this nice normal day will end on an equally normal note. Surely. ]

[ ~~BB found in tears as she gets admonished by both Hibiki and Nagiko for accidentally summoning yet another god that could cause problems.~~

As a Servant, it's not like something like this is going to be physically exhausting... but mentally? He admits to being a little relieved when Ai finally relinquishes him to relaxing in the shade while she enjoys the water. ~~Whether it's on account of being an insect or being a dragon, he's not fond of the water, so it's a good thing she's understanding in that respect.~~

That and, though he is just relaxing... he is still keeping an eye on her, glancing in her direction often enough to ensure that she's not dealing with other guys even while in the water. Fortunately, it does seem like anybody looking to hit on women remain on land rather than in the water, at least in this instance.

He keeps an eye on her while getting to lay back with Blanca sitting comfortably in his lap while he inhales the various snacks they stocked up during their adventure around the beach... and finally looks up properly when he notices that she's finally come around in the water.

She looks satisfied... which gives Oberon himself a feeling of satisfaction as well. He honestly can't tell what the plan is from here... maybe she'll relax with him, or maybe she'll drag him places again, either way he doesn't feel himself minding... ]

...?

[ ...does she look different somehow? ]

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