caycay: (Default)
Cater Diamond ([personal profile] caycay) wrote in [community profile] splitmemory2024-05-20 12:26 am

The Care and Keeping of Bunnies

In which Cater is AU'd into the MASHLE universe.
usatarou: (3)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 02:59 am (UTC)(link)
The conversation continues to shift in a direction that requires Rayne to talk about himself, an increasingly complicated subject. Rayne makes a face, his gaze shifting away from Cater to instead look back down to his notebook.

"I do." It's not a secret. Why should he hide it? Not that he wants to go on and on about his own story, his own personal thoughts about the world, the things he wanted to change about it. Not to someone who he barely knows.

Instead...

"What do you find difficult about Practical Magical Application? Is it just boring to you, or do you have some difficulties?" His pen is set down as he asks, his gaze finally lifting back to Cater's.
usatarou: (42)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 04:57 am (UTC)(link)
That's one thing Cater could rely on Rayne for: to never ask a personal question, not while they were just classmates. With Rayne planning on staying that far apart, planning on never becoming MORE than classmates, it's unlikely he'd ask anything personal unprompted, unless it was absolutely necessary.

Cater's answer does get a look of disapproval from the prefect, his chin tilting up in that telltale sign of disgust.

"Staying the same, being stagnant in your progress. That's worse. Foolish. What's even the point of trying at all if that's how you see it?" This was the type of attitude he couldn't stand. Getting right to the line of passing, never trying harder to improve themselves. What's the point of trying at all if you don't strive to be the best you can be, even at the cost of yourself?

... Maybe Rayne was a little too intense when it came to this, but what of it? He had to be.
usatarou: (49)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 05:20 am (UTC)(link)
Something was deeply wrong with Cater. The moment he took that with a smile, with a laugh, that's when it hits Rayne that Cater wasn't really normal. No one would be able to tell in his unchanging expression, not even Cater, but Rayne's perception of him was slowly shifting over the course of this conversation. The only hint of anything would be the slight narrowing of his eyes.

"A life without aspirations is meaningless -- worthless." Another harsh set of words leaves his lips, followed up by something possibly surprising: "Find something small. Build up to bigger aspirations. It can be something as tiny as wanting to taste a certain kind of snack in the coming days or petting a soft animal. You don't have to have a major goal in life. Find something, anything to cling to."

For Rayne, that small thing to cling to was his brother, no matter how hard he pushes him away. More recently, he had his rabbits, too.

"We'll train together. For now, that will be your aspiration. To show me what I know you're capable of. I've seen you with your magic, Cater. You're not as pathetic as you make yourself out to be. You have potential."
usatarou: (57)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 05:39 am (UTC)(link)
Egotistical, yes, but it was all that Rayne could do, wasn't it? All he had to offer anyone, in Cater's position. His job was to look out for the students under his purview, to make sure he did what he could to support them through their school life. This might be a little bit of a stretch of that, sure, but... if he wanted to change the world, to make it a better place...

Even his harsh words needed a sweetness to them, at times.

"Don't." Rayne replies easily, to that first comment. Falling for him? No, the very idea was even more stupid than anything Cater had said during this conversation.

Oh, but that smile. That smile-- the sight of it was so different than the other one. Rayne can feel his heart pick up its pace in his chest. A decision is made, then and there. Not a conscious one, not nearly close enough to the surface for Rayne to realize it had even been made at all.

"Good." Leaning back in his chair, Rayne nods, seeming contented with the acceptance.

"We'll start tomorrow. To motivate you to work extra hard-- if you can put your all into it, find something within the realm of Practical Magic that pushes you to learn more or that makes it easier for you to focus on the subject, I'll spend one day with you in town." Cater's asked enough times that this should be ample motivation, right?
usatarou: (63)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 05:55 am (UTC)(link)
"Shh!" Rayne immediately shushes him, with a finger against his lips. The small scolding falls away easily, as his eyes now stare down at that pinky held out to him in offering.

How.... childish. It makes his chest hurt, for a second. The person on the other side of this table wasn't Finn, but the offered pinky-- it reminds him of another time, another part of his life, that he'd shoved so far away he couldn't even reach back for it.

He'd broken that promise to Finn, hadn't he? What did promises mean, when he broke them so easily?

Still, Rayne's pinky ends up hooking with Cater's.

"That's right -- I won't take it back. I don't say things that I don't mean."
usatarou: (37)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 06:08 am (UTC)(link)
Cater wanted to see his notes?
Was-- oh, gods, was he actually going to get on this immediately? Was this something Rayne was going to realize was a total and utter mistake on his part?

With a nod, he pulls his hand back, moving to grab at his bag again. He pulls out a second notebook, setting it on the table and sliding it towards Cater.

"This one holds my notes from Practical Magic for this year. If you have trouble following any of the diagrams I've drawn, we'll go over them tomorrow."

... Could he use the notes Cater made? Possibly. He could at least cross reference his own notes with Cater's.

"Alright."
usatarou: (19)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 06:44 am (UTC)(link)
With a nod, Rayne accepts the notebook, opening it up to already begin looking through them. His thumb traces one of the doodles within it, as he looks over them.

... Cater drew cute little doodles, even for subjects he enjoyed, huh?

It's almost too precious. Something endearing that Rayne was learning about Cater.

....... How did they go from sharing notes to this?
Rayne was leaning against the wall outside of Cater's dorm room, dressed in a simple outfit to go out with him -- a button up, tie, and dress pants. Pretty much the same as his uniform, minus his robes. Their second training session, the day before, had gone too swimmingly. He'd made progress, and-- really, Rayne would be hypocritical if he went back on this promise.

So there he waits, his hands shoved in his pockets, staring off further into the hallway. He'd arrived a few minutes early - Cater'd come out when he was ready, he's sure.
Edited 2024-05-21 06:46 (UTC)
usatarou: (42)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 07:01 am (UTC)(link)
All the while, Rayne found himself confused yet enraptured. How was he supposed to take his eyes off of Cater when he stepped up in class, when he was proving himself in such a way, as if trying to show off just how much he could do when he put his mind to it.

It did do it. Cater's unspoken question was answered when Rayne told him they'd be going out the next day, in a small private moment during their training.

As Cater comments on his appearance, Rayne's brows furrow-- and before he can comment or complain, Cater's hand is on him, undoing his tie. This closeness was something he hadn't experienced from anyone but Finn in years. It's enough to catch him off guard, to make him pause.

"What's wrong--.. with looking proper-" Rayne finally gets the words out, batting at Cater's hand to get it off of him. Hey, he could've been far harsher with that slap, to actually remove him... but he hadn't. Was Cater getting a pass????
usatarou: (6)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 07:23 am (UTC)(link)
How... immature, really, to steal the tie and keep it hostage. Rayne seems unamused, though he doesn't actually complain. It's fair enough, he supposes, to keep something of his to make sure Rayne got him back safely, even if he's not sure why Cater would worry about that.

It's when the arm tries to attach that Rayne brings his own arm back harshly, almost by instinct. As if he thought-- well. It was too close, that's all. That's Cater's warning, a physical warning, without a single word. Then, his hand slips back into his pocket.

"Coffee is more what I prefer." It depended. Shifting, Rayne begins to take a few steps down the hallway, assuming that Cater would follow.

"Where all are we going? Did you make plans, or did you expect me to?"
usatarou: (5)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 07:43 am (UTC)(link)
Luckily for Cater, it seemed like Rayne was willing to let the awkwardness of that momentary fumble fall away. Normally, it's so easy to annoy and frustrate Rayne, but something like that? No, it was nothing more than a little mistake, something they could push past.

Rayne doesn't stop him from chattering on and on as they walk. Cater might notice at a few points Rayne slips his hand back behind his lower back, pressing his hand there to gently lead Cater out of someone's way if he's ever not paying enough attention. There were a few people out and about, enough that they did need to watch where they were going.

Hopefully not enough that he'd be recognized. No, it's very likely he would be.

Still, the sleepy little place Cater leads them into seems comfortable. Rayne's eyes scan the building as they step in together, his hands once more to himself, in his pockets.

"Have you been here before?" It really didn't seem like a place Cater would go.
usatarou: (20)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 08:06 am (UTC)(link)
Cater... had actually put thought into this. Had decided on a place that he thought Rayne would like, over dragging him somewhere he wanted to try. It's difficult, impossible even, to describe the feeling in his chest when he hears that.

Instead of questioning that feeling, Rayne nods. "Alright-- sure."

No way was he going to admit that Cater had done a good job selecting the place. His hand brushes against Cater's shoulder as he leaves his side, a motion to show where he was headed - towards a more secluded area of the cafe, where hopefully the calm would be even more prominent.
usatarou: (79)

[personal profile] usatarou 2024-05-21 08:28 am (UTC)(link)
Cater wasn't going to pay for everything today, on this excursion, but... well, Rayne couldn't exactly go up and pay for their drinks if Cater had been ordering for them. His arms rest against the table as he waits for Cater to join him, his eyes focused over on the other teen up until the moment he spotted him.

Ugh, why was Cater so--
Enticing.

A calm quiet settles over him as he listens to Cater's explanation, something about how he'd found this place. The moment their cups are placed in front of them, though...

Rayne's eyes widen. Blinking at the two cups, his face begins to dust a light pink. "I--" Rayne seems to be ready to defend himself, to make up some excuse for the doodles he'd left in that notebook of his. Both of his hands come out, grabbing carefully at the mug with the bunny foam topping. He brings the cup close to himself, admiring the art.

Lifting his eyes briefly up to Cater, he's quickly looking back down at the art.

"... I like it." He mutters out, the quietest admission possible. Slowly, he pushes the cups back together, looking at both pieces of art atop their drinks. "They match." He states the obvious. It's clear as day - Rayne Ames is enamored.

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