⇨ The Tourist Trap: PROLOGUE

[ringleaders]

Who: Anyone, anywhere in Portland.
When: Any time before the start of the event.
Where: Portland area, in the new reality.
What: Once you've submitted your AU summary, you can use this post to do some CLOSED THREADING to play out some character interactions that happened before the event start. This means that memory regains will not be in play yet. Open top levels are not allowed - these threads are intended to sort out closed interactions between planned backstory connections, during the week leading up to the actual event start.
Warnings: Could be anything.

PORTLAND, AS YOU KNEW IT↴ The shift went unseen and unfelt. One moment you were one person, and the next, another. This before all that, though, in the new life that you remember living here in Portland. No memories of your true self have arisen yet, and at the time this was the only life you knew. Did these events truly happen at all? Or do they only exist in memory?

Comments

[dontpokethat]

Dammit. Ginko's sigh is audible through the phone, probably because he wants to be SURE Psi hears it.

"Alright, I'll be there in a few minutes. Don't assault a cop or something, alright?" As he talks, he's already pulling his hat on, tugging it down to cover as much of his petal-like hair as possible.

[dorkypantsuit]

As if he would! He scoffs, but there's still a smile on his face that's audible in his voice.

"Excuse you, it's a life of non-violent crimes for me on this world thank you very much."

An officer nearby give him a suspicious look, but he ignores it.

"I've got the cash for bail under Slimey's tank. And I guess you'll probably want to grab me some pants."

[dontpokethat]

"Okay. Where are--"

Wait.

"...What happened to your pants?"

[dorkypantsuit]

He hums in thought for a moment before answering.

"They probably wouldn't have let me leave the club without them... So outside somewhere?"

Somewhere in Portland, maybe in a fountain or near it.

"Yeah, that sounds right."

[dontpokethat]

"So it's not that they're damaged or something, they're just..." Gone. He's not wearing pants. Great.

"Did you manage to hold onto any of your clothes?"

[dorkypantsuit]

"Hey now, hold onto implies I lost them unwillingly!" And honestly he doesn't remember if it was willing or not, but it's not like Ginko needs to know that. Plus, in all honesty he'd most likely removed them himself

[dontpokethat]

This just keeps getting more ridiculous. Why is this happening. Why does he put up with this?

...Okay, he knows the answer to that, but it's stupid so he'd rather not acknowledge it.

"Dammit. Alright, well-- I'm almost at your apartment. Is the door unlocked or what?"

[dorkypantsuit]

Is it unlocked? Probably not. The demon shrugs, not really feeling too concerned about that. Meanwhile an officer nearby is telling him to wrap it up. He's not a terrible looking officer either.

"Sans is probably passed out inside. I gotta go, but I'll see you soon, yeah?" He barely whats for a reply before hanging up, using a bit of his magic on the officer as he looks him over just to see the man fluster.

"So what's an inmate gotta do to get some breakfast around here?"

He assumes Ginko is going to take about an hour, but he thinks he probably just found a way to entertain himself until then.

[dontpokethat]

"...Right. See you later."

S i g h.

Eventually, he does manage to get the money (and the requested pants), and find his way to where the demon is being kept. With the bail paid, there's not much to do but just... sit in the station and wait.

[dorkypantsuit]

The officers take the pants back to his friend, because honestly arresting him for being naked in public was pointless if he was just going to leave the station naked as well. It's not long before the demon steps out front. He looks mostly the same as normally, though his hair is a bit of a mess and yeah, he is really only wearing pants. He doesn't even have shoes on. When he sees Ginko, he smiles widely.

"Ginko! Thank you. I seriously owe you for this." He grabs Ginko's hand and pulls him into one of those weird chest bump things some people do because ?????

[dontpokethat]

"It's no problem." As much as he may complain, just driving over wasn't too big of an inconvenience... though it would have been another story entirely if he hadn't had the money stored away for this, because like hell Ginko can afford to be paying someone else's bail.

Aaand oh no of course he's going to do this. Ginko makes a very quiet grunting noise that might be some kind of protest, but doesn't actually pull away, instead just... letting the demon do the chest bump thing, staring aggressively over his shoulder at some point on the wall all the while, rather than making eye contact or looking anywhere near his bare chest or anything completely unacceptable like that.

[dorkypantsuit]

He notices Ginko's awkward behavior, but doesn't comment on it. Ginko was just an awkward person, and this demon had long since grown accustomed to his frequently humorous though stilted responses to relatively normal stimuli. The human said 'no problem,' but this kind of a reaction makes him wonder. Though he supposed he could also be reacting to his current lack of clothing, but immediately dismissed the thought. Why would Ginko be uncomfortable because someone else was nearly naked? That would just be weird.

He withdraws, raising an eyebrow at his friend, but leaving his question unspoken. Quickly the two of them are making their way out into the bright light of day and the demon is forced to squint in order to sheild his eyes from the sun.

"Good thing they arrested me at night. Otherwise I'd be bright red." And he means because he'd have a sunburn, not because he'd have been embarrassed.

[dontpokethat]

Ginko could not be more relieved that Psi doesn't ask him about that. The last thing he wants is to have to explain the whole... crush thing. Or, more likely, come up with an alternate excuse.

"Hah, yeah. Also means fewer people probably saw you than would have otherwise."

[dorkypantsuit]

He laughs, "Ginko the whole point of being naked in public is so people can see you!"

[dontpokethat]

"Why? It's not like the general public asked to see you running around naked. If you want to show off, do it to someone who actually wanted you to."

He cannot believe he's having this conversation.

[dorkypantsuit]

"Everybody wants a piece of me, Ginko. Some of them just don't know it yet." And this ridiculous remark is followed with a wink in Ginko's direction.

[dontpokethat]

"Right. Sure they do." Ginko rolls his eyes and makes a show of looking away - just in case he ends up blushing again, like a moron.

[dorkypantsuit]

"It's true!" he says, laughing at the obvious dismissal Ginko receives his claim with. Without a thought he throws his arm around Ginko's shoulder, pulling his friend close. "Even prudes like you want some when they see this on display."

[dontpokethat]

Oh no.

Ginko tenses up, then tries to duck under Psi's arm and away. "--I'm not a prude!"

Just gonna... focus on that part.

[dorkypantsuit]

He doesn't want to push it. Ginko is a prude after all. If the demon got his friend too riled up he wouldn't have a ride home anymore. Still, doesn't mean he can let that comment go without argument.

"Do you watch porn? Look at dirty magazines? Ogle hot tea shop customers?"

[dontpokethat]

"No, but that doesn't make me a prude, it just means I don't care." He shrugs, stuffing his hands into his pockets to try and regain some semblance of... casual-ness or something.

[dorkypantsuit]

"So then why do you turn all red and embarrassed when I flirt with you, hm?" he asks, coming close again and leering at Ginko.

[dontpokethat]

Nope. Nope nope nope he can NOT answer that honestly. He leans away, his shoulders pulling up almost to his ears.

"--Because you're embarrassing, is why," he snaps. Not technically untrue.

[dorkypantsuit]

He laughs, but drops the topic. He still wants to be allowed in Ginko's car afterall.

"I can't help it, it's just in my nature." That's probably not as true as it should be given he really ONLY flirts with Ginko when he wants to see the man get flustered, but it's not entirely untrue either, so that's fine.

"Just like being embarrassed is in yours."

[dontpokethat]

Ginko doesn't even dignify that with a proper response; he just grumbles, then points out his car up ahead. "Here we are."

Honestly, even as he's unlocking the doors to let the guy into his car and to get in himself, he can only wonder how the hell he ended up being friends with a lust demon of all people... let alone having feelings for one. Ugh.