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[She sees that change... that flicker in his eyes. She recognizes it well—it had been one that she'd stared deep, deep into at the masquerade, even through the masks, and especially without them. For a moment, she's completely lost within it, her mind spinning as the memories come flooding back, and it's only made worse when he takes her hand and presses it firmly to his chest.

She swallows past that giant lump in her throat, and he'll feel her fingers shaking as he moves them along the plane of muscles over his stomach. She can feel each one carved so intricately, and she remembers how it felt when she had let her hands press to them, touch them, take in the feel of them...

It isn't until he stops right at the waist of his pants that she finally realizes what's going on and what she's doing... or not doing...

What is she doing!? WHAT'S HE DOING?

They said they were going to let things happen naturally, and there is nothing natural about this.

Sputtering, Ilsa snaps her hand away from him and steps back, almost tripping on Valo again as she goes, but he moves away just in time that she doesn't fall completely, and as she rights herself, she screams at him, her face and neck now red as tomatoes.]

WITH WHAT?

[There's a flash of disappointment as he sits up, almost pouting.]

Oh... I must have misunderstood.

[But she's so angry now...did he really misread the signals? ~~yes extremely~~]

I remembered you liked touching my body last time...

[Excuse—]

That... It was... The drinks were...

[Oh no, she's breaking, and Valo whines at her with concern.]

I did, but— [NO WAIT.] That's not why you're here, is it!?

No? I was chasing after Valo, remember? Though I did think about coming over for a visit.

[What a warm, refreshing smile which seems to glow from the sun casting through the window near him.

While still shirtless.]

[Can he not???

Ilsa scrambles to the floor to pick up his shirt, and she's just going to slip it over her head himself while he's giving her that big dumb smile with as much force as it takes.]

Well, I see now why he ran away from you. Maybe you should take a walk. Cool your head off.

...Like this?

[He stares at the shirt that...

...

Definitely doesn't fit him well.

It barely even goes over his belly button.]

[Yes, she sees that, but it's better than nothing.]

No, not like that...!

[More flushing, because she instantly realizes that she doesn't want anyone to see... that... as her eyes linger on his exposed waist.]

With the sweater on. And... your pants...

[Instinctively, Ilsa reaches out to tug them up herself, but as soon as her hands reach his hips, she snaps back.]

Lift them up a little.

[WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO HER]

[...Ah...

Quietly he'll stand and fix his pants that had slipped down from all the movement from being in the chair before he pulls the sweater over his head, his ears comically popping out as it goes through.

And then he stands there looking at her as if seeking her approval.]

[She tries not to watch him as he stands and lifts his arms up to slip the sweater over, but... Ilsa might have peeked just a little bit before turning her back to him to give him some... um, privacy.

Only when he's finished does she face him again, and ??? There's a moment of silent confusion before she realizes...

...

Ah, he's waiting for her approval???

Her eyes move up and down and then back up again, calculating and observing, before she simply shakes her head with a sigh.]

It will have to do. It's better than what you had before.

[Valo disapproves.]

...But the only difference is having a shirt underneath...?

[Which didn't show anything.

HE'S CONFUSED.]

I'm aware.

[She says it so matter-of-factly, and no, her eyes did not just move to his waist again to be sure.]

That's more than enough, given what you tried to do.

[She doesn't want him taking off his sweater in front of anyone hello???]

[HE'S STILL CONFUSED but he'll just do whatever she wants.]

Did you still want me to go back home and change...?

[She just stares at him for a few seconds...

...]

Do you have anything else to wear?

[Why does she not trust Eustace to dress himself right now???]

I have my usual clothes.

[Now Valo will agree for once. In fact he had tried desperately to make him change!! But he wouldn't!!]

If I let you go, will you go home and change into them?

...

I will let you take Valo back when you do.

[When he can show her that he is NORMAL AGAIN.]

[Eh!?!]

You're holding onto Valo!?

[Instant ear droop as he looks over at his beloved dog—who whines and hides behind the couch.

SORRY DADDY BUT YOU'RE BEING TOO WEEEEIIIIRRRRD.]

...He's really scared of me, huh...

[.....

.......

Are his eyes glistening!? He's not going to cry is it—]

[Are his eyes glistening!? Primals, is he going to cry!? Ilsa winces and almost chokes on the air in her lungs—]

I said I'll return him to you once you've cleared your head. ... I think he's worried about you.

[If that will make him feel any better??? She isn't sure... Should she reach out and pat him on the arm? ... No. No, she doesn't want to catch whatever this is.]

I... I see...

[He looks SO SAD at Valo, and even Valo feels a little bad as he sticks his head out to whine at Eustace. PLEASE GO BACK TO NORMAL DAD.

Taking a shaky breath and running the back of his head over his eyes (DID HE HAVE TEARS OR NOT???) he gives a resolute nod.]

Then I'll go change and come back.

[It almost sounds like his usual self... If he still didn't look as if his world was collapsing right before his eyes.]

[Should she help him to the door? Should she give him a wide berth? She doesn't know what to do besides stand there awkwardly and watch as the man she respects so, so much has turned into... well, the complete opposite of what she knows.

He really must have eaten something and doesn't remember...

At any rate—]

Come right back when you're finished. Don't go anywhere else, do you understand?

Understood.

[Again, ALMOST sounds like himself but completely ruined by his expression. But he does seem to be determined?? In any case, he quickly heads out the door to head home and change.

Only to not come back.]

[She doesn't fall for it this time. Whatever is going through his head when he decides to leave, whatever spark of determination he has, Ilsa doesn't falter for a second, and she even shoos him out the door as he leaves, reminding him again to come straight back when he's finished.

Now she just has to pray that he will actually listen.

As she shuts the door behind him, she looks down at Valo with a sympathetic sigh.]

What's gotten into him?

[Unfortunately, he doesn't know either, and with ears drooped and his tail curled under him, he whines back.

She beckons for Valo to join her up on the couch so that they can watch for Eustace's return out the front window. It has a decent view of the street, so they could see him coming a block away.

It's there that they wait...

And wait...

And wait......

For at least half an hour before she finally starts to wonder. It shouldn't take him this long to change his clothes and come back, should it? Especially when Valo is here? Ilsa gets to her feet and heads to the door to open it and peer outside, Valo following behind her... but there's no sign of him anywhere.]

Where is he...? Should we check on him?

[She is beginning to worry a little... and Valo agrees by trotting past her and out to her front lawn where he barks.

Welp. Time to go fetch Eustace, she supposes.....]

[Eustace had diligently gone straight to his house and changed out of the sweater (with a forlorn sigh) and into more casual clothes that are more his usual style. However, seeing the flowers and blueberries growing outside in his garden, he remembers his idea of sharing some with Ilsa. With a light hum and bright smile, he immediately gets to work, selecting a few suitable pots and carefully transferring the flowers there.

It's while he's picking some blueberries that he remembers he wanted to give her a much larger amount so she could grow a small plot in her garden. So he gets the wheelbarrow and starts shoveling in sole more dirt and plants he thinks she would like.

Phew, he got pretty dirty, huh? Better take a shower. And as he's showering he remembers she likes sweets, and what better way to make up for all the trouble than get her some of her favorite cream puffs!

In a hurry he bolts out of the shower, throws on yet some more clothes, and runs out, not caring his hair isn't completely dry. Like this he finds the bakery and orders a dozen—no two! And once again he's humming, pleased with himself. It's such a nice day out, maybe he can also walk around a bit go here and there....

...Until he sees the time on the clock tower. How could it be already so late!

He should get Ilsa some dinner!!!

It would be perfect, and she can be grouchy when hungry. Maybe that was why she was so terse earlier? Yes, if he brings back food she will be happy with him again and... So his next stop is a café where he can order something to take out...

But then he overhears that there is a social thing going on at a nearby pub. Curious, Eustace completely abandons both the box of cream puffs and the freshly ordered food, the clerk trying to call him back but he had disappeared.

Thinking the strange wolf-eared man will return, the clerk puts both items behind the counter for now...

...

But a long time will pass with no sign of Eustace returning as he's gotten sucked into the drinking game instead.]

Edited 2023-05-09 00:15 (UTC)

[And off she and Valo go...

The first place she thinks to check is, of course, his house. Valo trots alongside her, whining every now and then with what she assumes is worry as they make their way down the street. His nose goes to the ground to sniff, trying to pick up Eustace's scent, and when he finds it, he runs ahead, beckoning for Ilsa to hurry! Maybe he really is still at home...!

Except when they arrive...

???

Why does it look like he had just been gardening? And why is there a giant wheelbarrow that's half filled with dirt and plants sitting in the middle of it all, like he'd just upped and left while taking care of it? So, so many things have been unlike him today, but this is certainly more proof that something is amiss. She never knew him as much of a gardener, but he would never leave a mess like this behind, no matter what it was.

While she looks over the terrible mess that is his lawn, Valo rushes up to the door to paw and claw at it to see if Eustace is home. He leaps up, whining and barking still, before he gives up and returns to Ilsa's side.]

No luck...?

[But they didn't see him on the way, which means...

Ilsa sighs.

He went somewhere else. Even after I told him not to.

Groaning, Ilsa turns on her heel and stalks out of the yard, leaving the wheelbarrow and the pile of blueberries behind. Valo picks up his scent once more as they make it back onto the road, and his nose leads them further into town... and to a... bakery? What the...? First the plants and the blueberries, and now, when she heads inside to ask about him, the bakers tell her that a man in a very good mood had come in to order two dozen cream puffs and left.

UGH!!!

Valo next leads her to a café down the road.

To no surprise, Eustace had been here, and he had still been acting very unlike himself, according to the baristas. They explain that he had run off after he was given his order of food. From behind the counter, they hand Ilsa a large box from the bakery and a bag of the now-lukewarm meal that he asked for. She doesn't want this!? But she takes it anyway...

Now Ilsa is not only confused, but she also has two dozen cream puffs... Okay then.

She's about ready to give up, and she leans down to give Valo a scratch behind his ears for a job well done, and an apology.]

I'm sorry that I couldn't find him... or stop him from doing anything crazy.

[She stares down at the box and the bag in her hands...

Maybe she should try calling him? Or even messaging him at this point? She feels like she's at such a loss at this point, and even Valo seems to be downtrodden about it. Why didn't she think of it before? Though, with how his mind is at the moment, she wouldn't be surprised if he was so scatterbrained that he completely forgot it at home, or worse... somewhere else.

Pulling out her phone, Ilsa flips through it to grab Eustace's number and—]

Hm? What's this?

[There are a ton of notifications on her phone. More than she's ever seen. It's for some kind of "game" that seems to be happening at the nearby pub. Something called "Never Have I Ever"? Scrolling through, she sees people on there that she recognizes, names that are familiar to her... more and more and more... and the further that she scrolls, the more dread she starts to feel in her gut. Please, primals, please do not let Eustace be on here.

...

.....

......

Fuck.

There he is.

And she almost chokes on the air in her lungs when she reads his message. Out loud. Because that's how terrified she is of what she's reading.]

"Never have I ever... slept with someone I didn't know"...?

[Her look of surprise fades into disgust, her stomach now turning and twisting around itself as she reads it over and over again. What in Alandus' Saggy Tits?

Eustace!? Participating in a stupid game like this? With something like that? If all the other things didn't just confirm that there was something terribly wrong with him, then this certainly does.

With a great amount of urgency, Ilsa looks down at Valo.]

We need to find him. Immediately.

[The dog senses the direness and immediately lowers his nose to the ground, trying to sniff out Eustace's scent again before he gives a loud bark.]

Do you have something?

[Valo whines, and the two of them break into a run. They need to save him before this gets too out of hand. Eustace has already wounded his pride with the townsfolk, and now he's about to do it with the others!?

The scent must be fresh, which would mean that they are hot on his trail. Down the road they go, through the main part of town, past all of the shops and the businesses, and the further they move, the more Valo's tail begins to swish back and forth until they finally reach a pub.

She peers through the window first, and she sees a large crowd of people inside, and it's just as she feared—all of them drinking, laughing, looking like they're having a good time. It looks a bit rowdy in there, which she knows is not to Eustace's tastes, so why...? But Valo's barking confirms that he is indeed in there somewhere.]

Wait here.

[She orders him to sit and Valo obliges happily, begging her with a whine to please bring his dad back safe and sound and NORMAL... And so, with one last heaving sigh, Ilsa pushes through the doors of the pub, immediately wincing at how loud it is, and searches around for Eustace.....]

Edited 2023-05-09 22:34 (UTC)

[And she will run right smack into him, making him stagger backwards with an, "Oof!" — And he staggers, almost tripping over himself but manages to grab a chair. Upon seeing who it is, his eyes light up.]

Ilsa!

[....

....

And then turn scarlet as he remembers some of the things he talked and thought about. Ooooh she might get mad... Or maybe not???? Uwaaa she looks so pretty right now....

Anyway he's going to stand there in a daze and reek of alcohol.]

Edited 2023-05-09 22:35 (UTC)

[The crash is a hard one, and Ilsa almost goes tumbling backwards right into the door, but only manages to save herself.]

What are you doing standing in front of the door—!?

[She's on her very last thread of patience when she realizes...]

Eustace?

[She knew, based on what she saw on the phone and Valo sniffing him out, that he would be in here, but... dear lord... As she looks him over, noting the way his face turns red again, her nose crinkles with disgust when the smell finally hits her.]

You stink of alcohol. How much have you been drinking!?

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