[Idia hears the knock an appropriate amount of time after the standard "on my way" text has been sent, so nothing stands out to him as odd about the situation. And why should it? It's Steel Samurai night, when everything is perfect and nothing hurts.
Instead of actually opening the door, Maya's phone gets a little notif--]
u here?
[That's, like, common courtesy! Every day Idia's grateful he didn't grow up in a time where people just showed up at your house unannounced. Then again... he didn't grow up in a time where anyone came to his house at all! Let's not split hairs about it.]
[if Maya'd had the forethought she might have, oh, you know, prefaced Idia with the fact that she, too, has been smacked with the Now I'm A Fish gene and isn't as kitty-cat as usual. Her forethought has instead been preoccupied with the fact it still is in fact fun to dunk on this guy.
She shows Cater the phone over her shoulder, too, grinning. This is probably a very predictable Idia move actually.]
[This is such a cool and fun thing to do to someone. Idia's soul will definitely not be ejecting itself from his body when he sees who is at his door. He knocks again after Maya makes her affirming text. He is poised and ready to give not only a bombastic surprise greeting, but to wedge his foot in the doorway before it can get slammed shut again.]
[Idia immediately shoves himself off from his computer with the telltale "gamer chair wheels on tile floor" noise. In a second he's opening the door, already gabbing a mile a minute--]
[You're not going anywhere, nerd. Trapped, trapped in your cave! Cater's all but throwing open the door the rest of the way, inviting himself forward.]
Surprise! Guess who died and went to Heaven? It's ya boi Cay-Cay!
[Well, died and went to Hell, but who's actually paying attention? He's all smiles!]
As soon as my new bestie, Miss Maya, told me you were here, I just had to come say hi in person! Isn't this great? We can spend soooo much time together!
(Eep! Not another one of these party animal extrovert types! What kind of broken odds are these?) (And now he wants to "spend" "time" """together"""?? This halo's fake! I'm in Hell!!)
Wh-what is this?
[Idia stumbles backward, not sure what to realistically do with himself. He knows what he wants to do (phase through the ground) but this afterlife has pretty much never given him what he wanted.]
Everyone can enjoy the appeal of the Steel Samurai, Idia.
[always a creature of habit, Maya creeps over to where she usually sits and kneels down like she's going to watch the two of them perform some slapstick routine instead of the agreed-upon programming.]
And! And! Mister Pop Music here might even like the sound track. Especially from the movie.
[Caught between a rock (shining extrovert that leaves him too stunned to speak) and a hard place (girl he can actually talk to but wants to yell at). Classic Idia Shroud moment #hardwatch!]
Oh, uh... That's... (Mayaaaaa! Inviting Kalim along was bad enough and now you desecrate Steel Samurai night even more?? If we don't start gatekeeping now-- when???)
[Idia has just been standing in the middle of his own room watching this happen, unsure what to do in this nightmare scenario.]
(Likes me? Likes me? Even if that's true-- PRESS X TO DOUBT-- I never asked for that!! Why does he think we're friends, anyway? Absolutely no flags to be found here!)
Look... It's... kinda lore-heavy...
[He's technically addressing Cater but his eyes are downcast and he's only kind of facing him. The vibe is like a young child being asked to say hi to their distant relative they don't remember meeting until now.]
That's no problem, that's no problem! Just gimme the basics and I'm sure I can pick up the rest.
[The "basics" may very well trigger a gigantic tl;dr...but that was okay. Cater liked it when Idia got excited. It was fun hearing him go all out about something he was into--much preferrable to all that cryptic grumbling.]
I'm all ears--floor's yours!
[And he'll plop down next to Maya. Now he's part of the captive audience, too!]
[with Cater sat down beside her, Maya works even harder to use her own force of will to break down Idia's.
she puts her hand to her mouth, half covering it, and pitches her fairly low voice even deeper into something more rigid and like an announcer or interviewer.]
And now, bringing us the life, the history, the legacy of the Steel Samurai, Heaven's new Steelverse Lore Prodigy, Idia Shroud!
[and then she imitates the sound of a crowd cheering by making a rushing noise into her cupped hand, accenting the crowd with tiny pitched-up cheers as though made by far away voices;]
S-stop, that's so embarrassing for you. What's with that voice? What are you even-- ugh. Never mind.
[It's like a mom standing up in a crowd to cheer on her kid in the middle of a play. At least, he imagines it does. He's seen movies.
Speaking of, he sighs, maneuvering over to their cozy little TV set-up, backlit with a blue LED glow. Ofc he's already got the 4K version pulled up and ready to go (Maya had been concerned about finding a physical copy but forgot that the Internet always provides to those most loyal), so it's not a big deal that he can just get it started. Snacks are already there and none of them are good for your body or your teeth. He's just that generous of a host.
If only someone could be so generous as a guest!! Whatever. Idia slumps back, separate yet close to the others.]
Okay, so... TLDR: This guy called the Evil Magistrate fights The Steel Samurai for control over this poor township. [Flatly:] Boom, pow, wha-pah-- the fights are most of the episode. And they're pretty cool, idk if it's your thing tho. Kind of serious for a toku but the Evil Magistrate always loses. Well... until he doesn't. Like, okay [his bored affect starts to pick up, gaining some enthusiasm;] he loses and loses and Steel Samurai goes in for what you think is gonna be the kill, but of course it's not because he has a noble heart and fighting spirit. That's when we learn that The Evil Magistrate has actually been holding back his true power because-- get this-- The Steel Samurai is actually his separated-at-birth twin brother. Jaw. Dropped. It sounds like a cliche but the lead-up to the reveal elevates the early series. The foreshadowing is subtle, real prestige for syndicated primetime. It's like.... Uh...
[Idia realizes that he's talking a lot, running his stupid motor mouth, sitting up straight and gesturing at the screen, that he's not just ranting to Maya. So he... sits back a little, tries to pretend that that didn't just happen. He clears his throat.]
[Cater laughs at the combination of Maya's encouragement and Idia's embarrassed reaction--but as entertained as he is, the catterbox goes quiet to give his full attention to the following explanation. Even if he's sitting a little closer to Maya, his eyes are all but glued to Idia, and his smile gets brighter the more into the explanation that he gets. Yeah, when he got super into something, Idia was really so much fun to listen to. Cater's almost disappointed when he cuts himself off.]
Wow...that sounds cool, alright! I can't wait to dive in--is that where we're picking up in the story? Post-reveal?
[but Maya doesn't mind being the joke, isn't embarrassed in the slightest. this is her favorite part! listening to Idia go on about things he likes is the whole appeal, and when she looks over at Cater, she can tell he sees the same thing.
...what a look, really. it makes Maya smile a little harder herself, a knowing smile like a too-pleased cat, before she looks back Idia's way.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Instead of actually opening the door, Maya's phone gets a little notif--]
u here?
[That's, like, common courtesy! Every day Idia's grateful he didn't grow up in a time where people just showed up at your house unannounced. Then again... he didn't grow up in a time where anyone came to his house at all! Let's not split hairs about it.]
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[if Maya'd had the forethought she might have, oh, you know, prefaced Idia with the fact that she, too, has been smacked with the Now I'm A Fish gene and isn't as kitty-cat as usual. Her forethought has instead been preoccupied with the fact it still is in fact fun to dunk on this guy.
She shows Cater the phone over her shoulder, too, grinning. This is probably a very predictable Idia move actually.]
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1/2
That last episode was so epic, I keep thinking--
2/2
Then, just as one might expect, he tries to make a tactical retreat.]
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Surprise! Guess who died and went to Heaven? It's ya boi Cay-Cay!
[Well, died and went to Hell, but who's actually paying attention? He's all smiles!]
As soon as my new bestie, Miss Maya, told me you were here, I just had to come say hi in person! Isn't this great? We can spend soooo much time together!
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Ta-dah!
I figured you wouldn't mind welcoming in one of your friends from school.
[...nah she knew he'd mind. But he needs enrichment!]
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(And now he wants to "spend" "time" """together"""?? This halo's fake! I'm in Hell!!)
Wh-what is this?
[Idia stumbles backward, not sure what to realistically do with himself. He knows what he wants to do (phase through the ground) but this afterlife has pretty much never given him what he wanted.]
(Top 10 anime betrayals... in my own home...!)
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Can't a guy come see what's up with his favorite 3B buddy? Don't mind me, though, ya'll should talk shop about Steel Samurai! I'm all ears.
[He's just here, now. This is your new reality, Idia. Cater, snooping around your room. Taking interest in your fandoms, whether you like it or not.]
Pretty nice digs...
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[Idia groans, a barely audible grumble.]
It's... You probably wouldn't like it.
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[always a creature of habit, Maya creeps over to where she usually sits and kneels down like she's going to watch the two of them perform some slapstick routine instead of the agreed-upon programming.]
And! And! Mister Pop Music here might even like the sound track. Especially from the movie.
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[His absolutely winning, works on everyone without exceptions smile shifts from Idia to Maya.]
You think so? I definitely gotta hear it, now! I'm totes gonna need some new tunes to fill up my new phone.
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Oh, uh... That's...
(Mayaaaaa! Inviting Kalim along was bad enough and now you desecrate Steel Samurai night even more?? If we don't start gatekeeping now-- when???)
[Idia has just been standing in the middle of his own room watching this happen, unsure what to do in this nightmare scenario.]
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and she is also manipulative. she can feel those vibes coming off Idia, okay.]
Thaaaat's a great idea and I'm the best?
I know, I know. It's just that I knew there would be no one better at explaining the intricacies of the story than you.
I mean, you've even picked up stuff that I totally missed, and I'm a long-time fan!
And since Cater already likes you so much, it's the perfect match for spreading the good word of the Steel Samurai!
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(Likes me? Likes me? Even if that's true-- PRESS X TO DOUBT-- I never asked for that!! Why does he think we're friends, anyway? Absolutely no flags to be found here!)
Look... It's... kinda lore-heavy...
[He's technically addressing Cater but his eyes are downcast and he's only kind of facing him. The vibe is like a young child being asked to say hi to their distant relative they don't remember meeting until now.]
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[The "basics" may very well trigger a gigantic tl;dr...but that was okay. Cater liked it when Idia got excited. It was fun hearing him go all out about something he was into--much preferrable to all that cryptic grumbling.]
I'm all ears--floor's yours!
[And he'll plop down next to Maya. Now he's part of the captive audience, too!]
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she puts her hand to her mouth, half covering it, and pitches her fairly low voice even deeper into something more rigid and like an announcer or interviewer.]
And now, bringing us the life, the history, the legacy of the Steel Samurai, Heaven's new Steelverse Lore Prodigy, Idia Shroud!
[and then she imitates the sound of a crowd cheering by making a rushing noise into her cupped hand, accenting the crowd with tiny pitched-up cheers as though made by far away voices;]
You're the greatest, Idia! Show us how it's done!
no subject
[It's like a mom standing up in a crowd to cheer on her kid in the middle of a play. At least, he imagines it does. He's seen movies.
Speaking of, he sighs, maneuvering over to their cozy little TV set-up, backlit with a blue LED glow. Ofc he's already got the 4K version pulled up and ready to go (Maya had been concerned about finding a physical copy but forgot that the Internet always provides to those most loyal), so it's not a big deal that he can just get it started. Snacks are already there and none of them are good for your body or your teeth. He's just that generous of a host.
If only someone could be so generous as a guest!! Whatever. Idia slumps back, separate yet close to the others.]
Okay, so... TLDR: This guy called the Evil Magistrate fights The Steel Samurai for control over this poor township. [Flatly:] Boom, pow, wha-pah-- the fights are most of the episode. And they're pretty cool, idk if it's your thing tho. Kind of serious for a toku but the Evil Magistrate always loses. Well... until he doesn't. Like, okay [his bored affect starts to pick up, gaining some enthusiasm;] he loses and loses and Steel Samurai goes in for what you think is gonna be the kill, but of course it's not because he has a noble heart and fighting spirit. That's when we learn that The Evil Magistrate has actually been holding back his true power because-- get this-- The Steel Samurai is actually his separated-at-birth twin brother. Jaw. Dropped. It sounds like a cliche but the lead-up to the reveal elevates the early series. The foreshadowing is subtle, real prestige for syndicated primetime. It's like.... Uh...
[Idia realizes that he's talking a lot, running his stupid motor mouth, sitting up straight and gesturing at the screen, that he's not just ranting to Maya. So he... sits back a little, tries to pretend that that didn't just happen. He clears his throat.]
Yeah, it's cool.
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Wow...that sounds cool, alright! I can't wait to dive in--is that where we're picking up in the story? Post-reveal?
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...what a look, really. it makes Maya smile a little harder herself, a knowing smile like a too-pleased cat, before she looks back Idia's way.]
Yeah, Idia, is that where we're picking up today?