dumbshow | highly new, slightly improved open post

[This isn't an abrupt downswing in the mood they had going, but it's noticeably different enough for Emil to quit making faces and really pay attention. He of all people knows how much time it's taken to get Lalli to even bother gesturing at him, so he will... do his best. He wants to do his best, if only to cheer Lalli up a little. Putting so much effort in for Lalli and no one else is something else he'll reflect on later, because first—]

Do I really look like that? Come on, [he half-mumbles this, reaching over to cover Lalli's jabby thumb hand with both of his. Don't make fun of his goofy face, he's sensitive.

Finnish attempt no. 38945—] Smile, uh, hard?

[It makes sense, after the way he's seen Lalli pull away, and nearly chew his face off in a dream that one time, so despite his broken speech, he's understanding this part. He finds himself more and more bothered by Lalli being out of sorts ever since the first time he was in a weird, magical coma; something about it just sits in the back of his mind and digs at him until he tries to do something about it. Hmm.]

I can help? [It is a question, Finnish grammar be damned.]

[Of course he can't help! Asking such a dumb question is—it's trying too much, okay? Just like continuing to hold his hand like this is too much, which is why Lalli scowls and tenses right the heck up. Stupid, stupid Emil! He'll never understand anything because he's different in every possible way, but for whatever reason he doesn't seem to realize this. It's irritating, it's irrational, it's... confusing.

Incredibly confusing, actually, because here's the truth: Emil's persistence isn't terrible. Lalli is used to people letting him—no, encouraging him to—stay away, but Emil is different; Emil follows him, and sits near him, and chats about things in his terrible native language when he knows that his one-man audience isn't paying the slightest bit of attention, and somehow it isn't the most maddening thing in the world. That's dangerous for many reasons.

But there's no way he'll be able to capture any of that in broken Swedish or simple Finnish! And he certainly wouldn't want to, anyway, so he settles for one Finnish word as he tries to pull his hand free.]

Why?

[It's better than a flat-out NO, but seriously, why even offer such a thing? So clueless...]

[Oh okay wow, he tries to be a nice person and this is the response he gets!! Or rather, Emil sighs and lets Lalli have his hand back, holding his up instead in a placating gesture this time to prove he's stopped being touchy-feely... for the moment. But he's certainly not done; he still doesn't believe in just giving up on Lalli and letting him sort it out by himself even if he's snapped at and has soup thrown in his face. It just... doesn't feel right.

And while he tells himself he's not as much of a brat as he used to be, the bratty part of him is still there, just quieter; it's in the way he huffs and sits back a little, looking at Lalli for a moment before he shakes his head and tries again. Bratty part set firmly aside, before he pisses him off for real.]

Because you're my friend? I hear that's what friends do! [This is sarcasm, but also like, he hears that around. He only has one friend.] And because— mmmm.

[Because no one else is going to bother, he nearly says, but that's too real when Lalli is already probably aware of it, even if he might not get all the Swedish. Emil shrugs and leans back on his hands, like he's very cool and casual and handling this great.]

But if it, uh, how do I say this in Finnish... [UHHH:] You get mad, I... do less?

[Less, specifically, because "stop" is not an Emil Skill.]

[Lalli is fully prepared to sit here and stare Emil down until he gives this whole thing up, but—ah. Friend. That's a Swedish word he definitely knows, and hearing it twice(!) causes him to shift his gaze from Emil's face over to the distant form of Reynir's doggy doppelgänger. Yes, they're friends; there's no way he can deny it at this point in time, even if he's, like, still not entirely sure what it entails. Making the other person smile, apparently? And maybe feeling sliiiightly guilty for snapping at them when they're just trying to be, uh, friendly? Huh.

He's... bad at this, obviously, and he's not quite sure how to be better, but a surprisingly large part of him wants to keep trying! He wants Emil to keep trying, too, even though it doesn't really hit him until he hears Emil offer to step back a bit. Once he would have shrugged it off, or actually nodded in agreement; now, however, he huffs quietly before finally looking back at his friend.]

No. [He opens his mouth, promptly closes it, takes a second to sort through his Swedish word bank, and then:] You're loud, but... not stupid?

[Did he negate that properly? Swedish is still very shaky ground, which is why he switches back to slow, deliberate Finnish for one more tiny sentence.]

I don't mind you.

[Much! He doesn't mind him very much, okay, but that's too complicated, so don't... make it weird or anything...]

[Well, this is a better reaction than Lalli finding some new and exciting way to rebuff him... maybe throw mud in his face next, who knows! This isn't mud; this is better. He makes a face at "loud," but alright, comparatively speaking— he can live with that.

He supposes he'll have to live with it, anyway, since he isn't actually going to give up on Lalli and leave him alone. This is friendship, whiny Finn!! It's give and take, mostly from Emil, but he's ready for it. Maybe.

So, okay. Being loud and not stupid and, apparently, tolerated - hmm!]

Okaaay... I guess that will do for now.

[Is that it? They've agreed that something about this, them, whatever actually works even if it seems like they're both too thick to understand it. Lalli isn't much of a feelings-talker, so... This will do.]

...Do you want to look at the field and not talk? Uh- [In Finnish:] Let's sit here, be quiet?

[Emil sees this as one tiny step, Lalli see this as one giant fuckin' leap. He made an effort, so where's the pat and/or "Good job!" he definitely deserves, huh? He's not about to pitch a tantrum over it, but he makes sure to match Emil's unimpressed expression with a flat one of his very own. Sit still, stay silent...]

You won't be able to stay quiet for very long.

[Said in Finnish, of course, because that's just how it's going to go for the next minute or so. But yes, fine, the field. Very interesting. He shifts slightly to the side, trying to find a more comfortable sheep-watching position that doesn't involve Emil sitting directly in his line of sight. Maybe—just maybe—that head of hair is a distraction.]

[Look!!! He's trying to stave off putting his foot in his mouth as much as he can, even more than suggesting just sitting here in silence. It's fine! He can pick out "quiet" and "won't" in there and it's not hard to piece together the rest. Typical Lalli, such a pessimist!!]

Wait and see, Lalli. Wait and see.

[Swedish, but simple enough, and Lalli can enjoy the dumb smug look on his face before turning away, like Emil is proud of himself for this now. He might be? He's not sure of much besides it feels like at least half of a win to get Lalli to agree to anything. Now all he has to do is be quiet!

Hmm. Somehow it's easier without looking at Lalli, like seeing his face hits some kind of "start talking now and lots" switch in his mind, so he'll find some nice clouds to look at on the horizon. Hooray...]

[The sheep are boring, the clouds are boring, the dog is somehow both annoying and boring. He's used to being by himself, but sitting with Emil in complete and total silence isn't... well, it's not bad? It's certainly better than sitting alone with Onni back at that loud house, and yet there's something strange about being like this. Sure, that smug look was stupid, but it's not like Lalli is all that annoyed! There's no reason for things to be mildly uncomfortable!

Still, he has this thing called pride, so he's not about to say anything; however, after a solid five or so minutes have passed, he does chance a quick glance back at his friend. Surely he's lonely by now? Surely he's dying to start running his mouth again. Maybe he's even turning blue...]

[Yes, he's dying, this whole time he's been desperate for Lalli to look at him so he can talk about miscellany.

Or not, because Emil is perfectly content to just sit near Lalli in silence. He's done it plenty of times before, usually when Lalli was too angry or sulky to look at him at all, so this is actually very nice. He's... content! Content to sit here and look at clouds and think about nothing besides how comfortable this is, unlike all the other weird silent times.

So he really is... looking at clouds. It's the first time in a long time he's felt relaxed without the looming threat of trolls or freezing to death all around him, so let him have this. He does not turn blue or run his mouth, but he does glance at Lalli glancing at him and smile. How do you like them apples, boy??]

[Wow, that's—it's cheating! That's exactly what it is, even though Lalli isn't sure why such a stupid smile makes him feel so... weird. Is this what it's like to be a real friend? You make someone smile, and even if you're not sure WHY, it somehow comes right back to smack you in the chest? Thanks, he hates this.

But only, like, the tiniest bit. It's why he studies Emil for a second longer than he probably should, eyes narrowing, before he faces forward once more... and then falls right back to lie in the grass. Whatever, Emil. Be weird and make him feel weird things; he's just going to stare up at the clouds and try to see just what the heck makes them more interesting than him, and if he dozes off while doing so, well! That's what you get, Emil! Just don't mind him shifting and grumbling, because honestly, this uncomfortably rocky spot is but a small price to pay.]

[Emil has no idea what he's done, but nicely done anyway, Emil. He looks at Lalli looking at him and almost, almost breaks his cool, confident guy quiet to ask if he has something on his face or what, and then Lalli is on the ground.

Alright, sure. Emil looks back at the clouds and the scenery, and after a few minutes turns back to frown at Lalli having a bad time in the rocks.]

I could have told you that would be uncomfortable, [he says, because not even the quiet game can stop him from making Comments.] Do you want my coat, or something?

[Let him die on these rocks, thanks... but not really, because guess who finally broke the silence! Not him, that's for sure. Lalli cracks open one eye, a decidedly satisfied expression on his face as he looks up at the official loser. Heh.

And yes, he heard the word "coat," and no, he does not want it. These are some serious rocks he's dealing with here? Boulders, really, and no coat is going to help with them. Instead, he holds up a hand and gestures for Emil to, like, twist around. Face the other way! In the direction he's pointing! He has a vague plan, even if he's... not sure if he's going to go through with it. Maybe Emil's weirdness really is rubbing off on him.]

[Wow, he takes back his offer, don't give him that look. The coat would be easier than whatever Lalli is trying to mime he do, anyway, like... turn? That way?

He turns That Way.]

Uhhh... now what?

[In Lalli's mind, sitting up and flopping right back against Emil is supposed to feel like sweet, sweet victory. You ignore him, you lose the quiet game, and you suffer the consequences... for all of two minutes, because Lalli is positive that sitting back-to-back with someone without a solid door separating them is going to be very strange indeed. Too much contact.

And it is a ton of contact, but Emil is also surprisingly comfortable? Soft, thanks to the layers they're both wearing, yet still... solid. It's not like when Emil grabbed his hand and Lalli had no say in the matter, either; there's nothing holding him in place, so knowing that he's free to pull away whenever he wants certainly helps. Sure, feeling Emil's back move every time he takes a breath is, uh, different, and fully relying on someone to hold him up when he's perfectly capable of sitting up on his own feels a bit stupid, but he wouldn't say that it's all bad. It's better than the rocks for sure.

Does Emil think it's bad, though? Lalli's too proud and too socially dumb to straight-up ask, but he remains tense as he waits for Emil to say or do... something. The awkward energy is so strong...]

[In the end, he's furniture. That's unexpected; he kind of thought Lalli was just trying to get him to turn away and be quiet again, and he supposes he can't easily turn back around with Lalli leaning against him, so clearly that was the goal all along! Or, you know, just this.

It's a little strange, but not bad. Different. Close without staring at Lalli, which, okay, Emil does tend to stare. Sometimes.]

...Well, are you going to sleep? [upright??]

[That's it? This is such brand new territory that Lalli wasn't sure what to expect, but such a nonchalant response is... well, it's much better than an angry one. It's acceptable, even if it makes the whole I-won-and-you-lost aspect of this null and void.

Plus Emil isn't acting like this is something completely unheard of for friends to do, so Lalli allows himself to relax the slightest bit—before ruining it by elbowing Emil right in the side as he pretends to better situate himself. He'll do whatever he wants, whenever he wants, however he wants!]

I'm going to try. You're not very comfortable.

[But only when he talks, because Lalli can, like, feel it through his back and that's too much.]

[Elbowing him is thin ice, mister. All he has to do is lean in any direction but back and Lalli will collapse like a sad pile of twigs, don't test him. He scoffs, pulling his arms close to his sides to leave less spots open for cruel elbowing.

This guy. Saying his whiny Finnish things, making Emil think about his gibberish...]

You're bony.

[Perfect, this is friendship. If Lalli is going to sleep, though, Emil won't babble on and on... gee... it almost seems like he should sleep too...........]

[Two bros, chillin' in the dreamscape, still back-to-back because they are gay. AKA: Yeah, Lalli dozes off right before Emil dozes off, because Lalli can and will fall asleep anywhere. It's a gift. But the moment he opens his eyes on the other side, he's suddenly very aware of two things: 1) he's sitting on the fishing pier instead of lying in his usual spot on his little raft and 2) Emil is still right there behind him. He even looks back over his shoulder to verify this, even though he can feel him through his extra fluffy dream cape. He really should be used to this by now, and yet! And yet!]

You fell asleep, too?

[It's more of a stated fact than a question, but he doesn't sound annoyed? And he's not moving away from their current position, either; in fact, he leans his head forward and fluffs up a bit of his cape to form a makeshift pillow. Deal with it.]

I thought you were watching the clouds.

[Weren't they ~interesting~.]

[Emil closes his eyes on sheep clouds and opens them to a little fishing spot and it takes him a split second to realize it's happened again. Lalli speaking to him also helps, as does Lalli being an annoying fidget behind him. Please be still, there aren't even rocks here.]

I was. Not like there's any point now, though... If I can talk to you, that's better.

[Talk to him without having to translate, of course. Very privileged.]

I suppose this just happens whenever it feels like it? Do you know why?

[Better. Well, obviously he's MUCH better than clouds, but it's kind of... okay... to hear Emil say it out loud. Has anyone ever really enjoyed talking to Lalli? Huh...

Anyway, how to end an agreeable mood: ask Lalli if he knows what's going on when he definitely does not. It earns Emil a few more seconds of silent cloak-fluffing before Lalli finally offers a very helpful:]

...Hrmm.

[Could it be because he left that attic door open? Possibly? Or could it be that Emil is just so pushy that even the dreamscape is like, whoa, okay, do whatever you want? It's not like this situation is covered in the non-existent mage handbook!!]

It's... weird. You're not like Reynir.

[It's probably because Emil is pushy. He has no theories himself; he's kind of still coming around to magic being real, after all, and without all this hard proof he'd still be skeptical somehow... But either way, he just doesn't get magic, so Lalli has to have all the answers.]

Not like Reynir...? Uh, I hope I'm not.

[.......oh, no, this is about the magical thing. He almost forgot Reynir is supposedly a magical boy as well. Hmm.]

Maaaaybe it's because we're such good friends!

[Lalli crosses his arms and mrrs, because it doesn't take an all-knower to know that this brand new thing called ~friendship~ somehow plays a part... even if he doesn't fully understand how. This, he supposes, is just what happens when you find someone you don't always mind sharing space with and then spend a few days trapped in their head. When Reynir comes skipping through the barrier, it's terribly intrusive; when Emil pops up out of nowhere, it's... acceptably intrusive. Sure? Sure.

Like hell he's going to say that, though. He focuses on the word friend instead, thinking back to all of his other friends. Spoiler: there are none. So what makes a friend... a good friend...]

Are we?

[They can understand every word now, and he's sticking to tiny little sentences. He's doing GREAT.]

Uhhhh— [Well, Emil doesn't have any other friends either, so,] I hope so?

[He's sure they're actually friends for real now, it would be silly to pretend otherwise after everything they've been through out in the horrible barren wasteland, but good friend is kind of a shot in the dark. At least Lalli doesn't say no - he has that going for him.]

I mean, if we weren't, I wouldn't have come all the way out here to look at sheep with you, you know?

[Enjoy even more silence as Lalli turns this all over in his mind, and then...]

Oh.

[If doing something you don't necessarily like for another person is all it takes to be good friends, then yes, Lalli feels this. It must be why he spends time learning Swedish word after Swedish word, why he feels so pleased when he says something correctly and Emil smiles. Perhaps he's better at this whole friend thing than he ever knew? But as for understanding Emil's example here—]

I thought you liked looking at sheep. [...] And clouds.

Oh, well— I like other things more? [Maybe he just wanted to spend time with Lalli!! Maybe that! But that suddenly seems much too embarrassing to say, way worse than "we're good friends," for some reason...?] Sheep aren't bad.

[......okay, fine, he will do the emotional legwork here.]

I thought you'd have a better time if we weren't stuck in Reynir's dusty old farm house all day, that's all!

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