lieabilities

oh. you could've just knocked. or opened the door.

[ which is what leona will do once he gets to it? that he's almost excited to do it, as he makes his way through the few rooms that lead toward the foyer, and casually let the man who is probably standing there inside. ]

No one gave you any trouble, right?

It's nice to be invited.

[ He'll say with a smile as he's invited in, lightly closing the door behind him with a stray tentacle, which proceeds to reach up and take off his hat next as he follows after Leona. ]

It's rather easy to get through a crowd when no one notices you, I'm pleased to say.

[ the foyer is probably the most modest part of his room. lavishly decorated in sandy tans and light browns, it's more reminiscent of being in a luxurious beach-side suite than anything else. that it opens immediately up into a kitchen and living room space, a dining room adjacent to them, with the sound of running water off to the side somewhere around a corner. ]

Kinda miss that. Every time I step outta here, there's someone gawkin' and tryin' to get my attention. It's why I've been more or less keepin' to myself.

[ which he'd been doing before. still.

anyway. he takes one of kleken's hands. ]

But havin' familiar company is... good. I can deal with it.

That sounds terribly lonely.

[ He politely keeps his eyes on Leona instead of gawking around at the luxuries of the man's room. He has tentacles for that anyway, which twist and turn behind his back to take in every sight and smell and taste in the ear with eager curiosity. They can't stretch terribly far from him, attached as they were, but they're doing their best to gather up all the information they could and not bristle with jealousy over the luxury of it all. ]

[ A thought that's pierced through by the hand taking his own, cool fingers tracing over warm skin with a comfortable ease. He may not be very experienced in such intimacies, but Leona was... comfortable. Comforting. ]

It sounds as if you'd like company around more often.

[ the living room is one of the biggest ones that he has, and one that he hasn't completely played around with yet. there's way too many configurations for all the wall-sized panels, too many pieces of furniture that he can have placed wherever he wants. so many options. and yet he opts for something pretty simple, the living room having a perfect sized couch for two... and tentacles, too. ]

I do. Problem is if the company doesn't want me. That's always been the issue.

[ he leads kleken over, letting him get comfortable before sitting down. ]

But here? Can't say I haven't had that problem. It's kinda nice.

[ Company doesn't want him? Both a familiar and yet odd statement for Kleken to hear. He's often heard it in regards to himself, given his tendencies to be an utter annoyance to some people, but it's a surprise to hear Leona refer to himself in that way. He hadn't gotten any sort of impression that Leona was poor company. ]

What an odd issue.

[ He'll take the seat on the couch, surprised by the simplicity of the room at the moment and how the couch almost seems small in comparison to the size of the room. It feels... incomplete, like how his room on the Colossus had looked before he'd tailored it to his own preferences. Which suggests that perhaps this room was in the same state. ]

[ And ah- he does seem lighter when Leona clarifies, which startles him a bit because he hadn't thought himself so invested in the other man's popularity. ]

Well then, perhaps this change in popularity will follow you home.

Ain't that odd.

[ should he explain? would kleken care? putting his problems on others wouldn't solve anything. no one's going to have an answer that he'd accept--- easily or otherwise. everything in the world is a distraction from a very simple truth that he doesn't want to face. so leona snorts, following kleken down and not bothering to leave any room in between them. he wants that touch. he wants the comfort knowing that another person cares.

OR he can have assurance that he won't go without fucking around here so he won't turn into a statue. can't have both... right? ]

I'd say that I don't need popularity. I'm infamous enough as it is.

[ leaning back, he looks around this one room. of course there are other spaces that need to be filled but. ]

Funny. I'm not used to havin' much here but I was used to it.

[ Without another thought nor word, Kleken turns so that his legs are splayed across Leona's lap and his upper body can half bury itself against the beastman's chest and immediately start absorbing his comfortable heat. It's a shamelessly lover-like embrace, fueled by greed and not at all some weird feeling stirred deep inside of Kleken's gut at Leona's words. ]

[ Not needing popularity. Imagine that. ]

Infamous is quite the interesting term to use. I would have chosen delightful.

[ If asked, Kleken would very much recite some sort of silly little lie about nonverbal contracts within the resort and simply using each other to maintain their non-statue forms while having some fun along with it. A clear transactional relationship where both parties found each other agreeable enough for repeated encounters. If alone with his thoughts echoing inside of his head and the other scattered semi-brains in his tentacles... clearly everyone else just continued to have bad taste and Leona had simply kept poor company before. ]

[ He glances at Leona then around the room as well for a moment. ]

Perhaps you could make it a cozier size.

[ oh yes, this is a very common position that kleken's taking with those long legs of his laying across his lap and the other half resting up against him. shameless or not, leona doesn't mind--- at this point there aren't many that would purposefully laze on him like this. might be a surprise, tbh. ]

Delightful? [ snorts! ] I know you're not dumb, so I dunno what your angle is.

[ the worst part is if there was no angle other than reciprocating some kind of... nameless and slightly embarrassing emotions that don't stem from fucking all the time without a thought? because when one starts thinking, that's when the problems start. he doesn't need those. not here. not now.

but he does agree--- this room could be smaller. he's pretty sure that could be arranged. ]

What else do ya think would fit in here nicely?

[ pressing his nose against kleken's jaw, nuzzling beneath his chin... let him play the part of a big cat and not some angry, vengeful, jealous second prince of a lion. ]

[ If Kleken's not getting pushed out of a lap, then he's going to enjoy every warm minute perched in it. It makes it all the easier for him to give Leona an amused little smile back at the questioning of his motives. ]

The angle of honesty, perhaps?

[ The angle of having questionable tastes, maybe. Kleken's approval is not exactly a high rank in terms of overall opinion, something Leona might pick up about the man. But no one could say he had boring tastes. ]

[ With the next question posed, Kleken turns his attention back on the rest of the room, letting his tentacles spread out around the area to touch curiously over the empty floor and walls. He knows how he might decorate the area, a jazz-club-like style that would probably remind Leona of a different man with octopus appendages, but Kleken's socially aware enough to know that his style and Leona's may not line up in that regard. ]

[ But then what kind of style did suit the man, he had to wonder. ]

[ He's drawn out of his considerations by a touch to his jaw, eyes lidding slightly as he registers Leona's touch and unable to help the soft and pleased sigh he gives in response. Before he even realizes he does. Cute touches like that aren't something he receives... ever, and the surprise of it has him being honest with his response before he can catch himself. ]

[ Horrible, really. Honest feelings. ]

Hmm... with a room this large, you could fit quite the comfortable lounging area. The size of a pool, perhaps, but all soft surfaces and pillows.

[ He did at least have the impression that Leona liked to lounge. ]

[ this could be the best and worst place of all time if leona had his way. find the subtle, strange touches along and across kleken's body that might disarm him. make him be honest. find whatever little nuggets of truth happen to be nestled inside that cool, distant, and deceptive persona. that would fun to someone. to leona, it probably means more. if it somehow meant finding out about the similarities and differences between kleken and that other guy then he'd probably... not entirely regret it...

regret is something he can't burden himself with right now. easier to keep fucking around and not finding out. ]

Tch. You say pool and I think you're just askin' for some kind of aquarium to live in.

[ he might be called a sea lion by another student but that doesn't mean he is a sea lion. he and water barely get along. they tolerate one another. but the lack of it makes living in a sandy and dry climate very difficult and he is trying real hard to make it less of a scarcity.

magic can only fix so many problems tbh. ]

Thinkin' all I need is another person to make it a comfortable livin' space.

[ yes. he does like to lounge. one hand slips into kleken's lap in the meantime. he may not have tentacles but he can certainly get some fingers wherever he likes. ]

[ Kleken sits in a neat pile of man and tentacles in Leona's lap, unaware of the beastman's internal debate of teasing his secrets out of him. Had he known the idea was crossing the man's mind... Well, he'd do nothing different than he was now, but the way he looked at Leona might change. A more considering, slightly sharper look with an edge of challenge to it, than the full relaxed and playful one he normally takes on with the other. ]

[ Others were welcome to his secrets, if they could pry it out of his lying, illusion-making tentacles. ]

I wouldn't object to one of those as well, though an aquarium does require one to be able to hold their breath for much longer.

[ If Leona really did install a fish tank, he'd get in it at least once for the amusement value. After that, his tentacles could have it while he soaked in the man's heat instead, his currently preferred seat in the room. Particularly when the man's hand slides warm over his lap and he can't help but tilt his head to smile up at him, curiosity alight in his eyes. ]

Oh? Would regularly visiting company suffice, or are you planning to move someone in?

[ if he's given some amount of time and patience, he'd be more than willing to wear out each and every single one of those tentacles out until there's nothing left but a man who might be more willing to be a honest with him in the future. or maybe he's happier with who he's got right now, and trying to peel away those layers might be more difficult than it's worth? ]

Mm. Can't say I've ever tried seein' how long I could hold my breath.

[ he's always enjoyed his solitude, his peace and quiet. yet there's this nagging feeling in the back of his head that maybe sharing his spaces more often would be good for him? ]

Dunno how happy the resort would be havin' people move in with others or not, but... could probably make up a room just for ya. If you'd want.

I could certainly help you with that.

[ It's a light and easy flirt- there are so many different ways Kleken could see himself assisting the man in that particular matter. Both sexual and not- it'd be rather nice to simply sit under the water together and enjoy the soothing feeling of being submerged. Though, that might also just be a Kleken-specific comfort. ]

[ Kleken's gaze shifts for just a moment as Leona continues on with his musing though, and sitting this close Leona can easily catch the way surprise enters his eyes. They're fixed on the beastman for that brief moment before glancing away as a complicated roll of emotions make their way through his veins. Someone keeping him around- wanting him around in a way that wasn't simply for business reasons? ]

[ What an... oddly tingly feeling it leaves him with. ]

... My own room does sound like a rather nice thing to have.

[ he could become a sea lion... give him time...

there's a flicker of recognition, of something that gives leona pause. it's too easy to believe what he's seeing right away and not giving it a second or third thought. that if it's real, then it's real and there's no other way it could be anything else. does kleken genuinely want to be around him? does anyone?? being a 'false' king here is probably more trouble than its worth, but without the responsibilities that comes with such a title...

hard thoughts. he rather just be surrounded by tentacles and keep holding onto kleken and not worry. less thoughts. ]

Then we can get that settled. 'cause we only got time, ya know?

[ until something stupid happens. he idly noses kleken's cheek. ]

[ If he becomes a sea lion, Kleken really will kidnap him for himself- ]

[ The look passes between them and moves on just as quickly, as fast as two men who avoid looking at the truth might allow it to. Just as much as Leona wanted to lose himself in tentacles and conmen, Kleken found it more comforting to lose himself in warmth and princes than facing whatever truths might be lingering in the air. ]

[ The touch to his cheek prompts him to turn his head, just slightly, just enough to press a kiss against that very sweet nose. ]

I know. I have quite a bit of free time, to assist in decorating rooms.

[ He had zero qualifications as an interior decorator, but he was rather confident in managing a presentably styled room. ]

Then spend some time lookin' at what you might want and we can get it done.

[ the longer that they hold one another, the longer he doesn't want to let go. he's not incentivized to do anything else. doesn't see any reason to push out of his current comfort zone. ]

And gimmie a call when you think you got somethin' in mind.

[ they can continue to embrace as long as kleken wants. it's not like leona's wanting to let him go any time soon. ]

[ He makes a show of it, looking around the room with curiosity when he fully knows that he won't be moving off Leona's lap anytime soon. Not after they've both made themselves comfortable with each other's closeness. Especially not after having survived that burst of unspoken emotion that'd passed through them both. It made him all the more determined not to give up the comfortable lap he'd settled into now that he had it, and the look and smile he fixes Leona with after his show blatantly conveys that. ]

I think I'll be needing quite a bit of time here to observe the area and come up with ideas. I assume you don't mind?

Nah, I don't.

[ he wouldn't go far as to be explicit with sharing anything and everything he has but that's really what leona thinks about anyway. being a king means to share the wealth, right? nothing has value when it's not being used and if some of his rooms in this suite end up being bare, it'd be pretty silly of him to keep them that way.

and it's not like he isn't offering this to others, too... a way for him to show his appreciation... ]

In the off chance I'm not here, I dunno if they'll let ya come up. But otherwise you're free to do whatever within reason.

[ Kings share wealth?? That's a new one by Kleken and his understanding of the world. ]

[ But if it's to his benefit, he won't be objecting. ]

Hmm, I'll have to try it sometime, but I think I'd rather prefer to be around when you are. Like you said, it's a rather big place to be alone.

[ naturally. a king can't hold all of his riches all the time, right?

then again--- that doesn't mean leona is unfalliable. ]

Same. Don't wanna see you lonely for too long.

[ idle tentacles are a devil's plaything.

he strokes the man's cheek with a finger, gazing at him with some kind of fondness. ]

How kind of you.

[ His tentacles are certainly capable of the devil's work when he puts his mind to it. ]

[ Though right now, his mind is being distracted away from such possibilities. It's focused on catching that look Leona gives him, the light touch to his cheek that has him tilting his head in curiosity toward the touch. It's a... soft look, one he's not at all used to seeing cast in his direction. ]

[ How... curious. ]

[ He turns his head enough so that his lips brush over that single finger, smiling that same easygoing smile he often wears to mask his thoughts. ]

Do keep me around often then.

Can't imagine ya not bein' 'round.

[ even if it means he has to let him in closer than before, deeper than anyone else has been. dangerous to give anyone THAT much access to begin with; is he going to like what he sees when leona reaches his most desperate? he feels safe and secure and far from those levels of despair, but who knows. what's the worst that could happen. ]

As long as I'm not borin' ya.

[ and then he gives that chin a tap before getting comfortable again, nestling in close with kleken in tow. ]

[ Kleken is possibly one of the worst choices of men around the resort to entrust with any sort of closeness, on paper. Sure, there are worse choices, actively proven through activity, but a con-man who enjoyed telling lies and stirred up trouble for himself and those immediately around him when he was bored didn't exactly scream confidence. ]

[ But there's also a rarely found comfort here, cozy in Leona's arms, promised the attention he so often craves. It stirs up a greed inside of him to... well, to actually behave to some extent. To not lose this rarity being offered to him and to treat it like the special allowance it feels like it is. ]

[ His hum is soft and low, made comfortable as well as his face finds rest against Leona's shoulder, burying himself partially there as if to hide from the world. Or maybe his words from everyone except Leona. ]

I doubt I'd find you boring any time soon.

Or perhaps even ever.

'Ever' is a pretty long time but I'll hold ya to your word.

[ yes--- it's hard for anyone to get comfortable around here. right? he assumes there will be more statues of familiar faces, ones that he'll need to have brought up to his suite so he can keep them safe. protect them from the elements of the resort and its cruel whims. if he can find a bastion of sorts even among someone who might not always be up front with him... ]

Or else I'm gonna be pretty pissed.

[ he smirks. can leona truly get upset with anyone around here? well. maybe... ]

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