[Action]

[corruptedsouls]

[Tobias has been feeling a little creative lately. How? Well... he filled his side of his dorm with pictures of his family -- Grell, Espio, Marco, and even some of Whitebeard, after getting the description from Marco again -- and now he's working on the people around Garden.

If you walk through the Quad, you might feel the teen's eyes on you as you walk past. Anyone who comes into view is being drawn in the sketchbook he has, a quick little pencil drawing that none the less is enough for him to remember them by. Of course, he only knows a few people around here, so most of the drawings go unlabeled.

He's immensely absorbed in this, paying attention to little else but the paper and his current subject.]

Comments

[espio]

Hmm...

Sure, I guess. Why not?

[Ooops, did that sound a bit reluctant? Espio remembers his promise to try and be a bit more transparent, so...]

When you can handle yourself a bit better in the training centre. You're not really much of a fighter, and I don't want you to get hurt. If I'm not at my best...

But yes. Besides, we still need to work on your control, too!

[corruptedsouls]

Yeah, I know.

[He doesn't seem at all bothered by that -- well, the "not much of a fighter" part. The glitching thing... that he's going to avoid thinking about for now.]

I'm getting better at defending myself, though! I... didn't think I'd like to know how to do that, but I'm... not really upset about it.

[A pause. He... seems genuinely worried about this.]

Is that weird for me?

[espio]

Why would it be weird?

It would have been weird if you were like you were way back when we first met, but you're not. You grew stronger, and I think some of that you's still there in one way or another.

[corruptedsouls]

Okay.

[And have another hug! It seems that's really all he needed to hear. When did you get good with that, Espio?]

Oh, I drew this earlier. Do you want it?

[He shows... a picture of human!Espio in his SeeD uniform.]

[espio]

[He has no idea!

Takes the drawing, glances over it, then seems to grin.]

Fanart? How flattering.

[corruptedsouls]

[Tobias giggles a little, still smiling brightly.]

I wanted to make sure I could recognize you.

[espio]

[...and now he's trying to grab the sketchbook away and look through it.

How many others of me have you got in there?

[corruptedsouls]

[Tobias hands it over. There's sketches of a lot of Garden's residents, as well as some of the staff and even Cid.]

None. I kept the ones of you, Mom, and Dad in my room.

[espio]

Really? Why so private?

I'll have to look through them. Make sure there's nothing questionable, because if there is I'll have to confiscate it.

[No, he doesn't think there is, or that Toby has any idea what he means by "questionable" given just how lacking he is in normal social interaction. But he's teasing anyway. Because he can.]

[corruptedsouls]

It's not private. I just like having pictures of family in my room.

[Yeah, that went right over his head, Espio. Sorry!]

[espio]

[Aw, even his prepared avoidant answer of "anything that would make Grell want to kill me" was blocked by Toby's obliviousness level. He kind of thought Toby would at least ask what he meant by questionable.

So, a shrug.]

Well, that soared over your head.

[corruptedsouls]

What did?

[You should know that best laid plans always go ary, Espio. Especially with Tobias.]

[espio]

Nothing at all.

[Whatever he's clearly not talking about, he doesn't seem that invested in it. It seems to be more of an "I knew it" attitude as he shakes his head.]

[corruptedsouls]

[Tobias shrugs a little. Well, okay, if you say so!

He turns, trying to snuggle into Espio as best he can with the size difference.]

Okay.

[espio]

You'll work it out eventually anyway.

[At least, he expects so. Although come to think of it, certain subjects aren't covered by the Garden syllabus.

...oh lord he hopes Marco doesn't try to educate him. Not after that conversation about birds. Twinkle's too much of a troll.]

Oh, I was gonna ask you if you wanted to take a trip to FH, but with the missions and all I didn't get a chance. Maybe next time we're on break...

[corruptedsouls]

[Don't be so sure about that. You are talking to the kid who's never been able to figure out innuendo even when it beats him upside the head.]

Sure, I'd like to go out sometime. I kind of want to go look around out of Garden again, too.

[espio]

[Espio's not going to spell it out to him, though. Not until he knows Toby has more of a clue, because right now it would lead to far too many questions.]

It's good to get out!

FH is pretty quiet, and full of pacifists, but they've got a real thing for engineering and mechnanics there - they might be more willing to show me their stuff with this potion!

Oh, and there's fishing.

Really, I just wanna take you out. You know.

[Just them.]

[corruptedsouls]

[Pacifists? He's so there. Of course, he does... sort of get what Espio is driving at, so he smiles and hugs a little tighter.]

I'd really like to do that, too. I'm really happy to be back here again and I'm really happy to see Mom and Dad again, but I like it when we do things just us, too.

[espio]

Hmm?

[Pokes him in the forehead.]

Okay, that's twice you've picked up on what I mean without me having to explain. Where's Toby?

[corruptedsouls]

[He blinks a little, tilting his head.]

I'm right here.

[It's somewhat hard to tell if Tobias is trying to joke or means that seriously.]

I'm trying to remember how to listen to you better.

[espio]

Heh.

[On the basis that he sounded serious, Espio's going with serious. But he just seems amused more than anything else.]

Is it working?

[corruptedsouls]

Mhm, I think so.

[espio]

Well, keep it up then!

[Grin! Oh, Toby, you have no idea how happy he is about that. Picking up on things he's not saying is a big deal for him, okay? No matter how little they are. He's so used to being completely misread.]

[corruptedsouls]

[It's up in the air how much he can actually read, but he's certainly trying, at least?]

I'll do my best!

[espio]

[Better that than nothing!]

Anyway...

[Stands, stretch, then tugs Toby over for a quick kiss on the cheek.]

I'll let you get back to drawing. I got stuff to do.