#s03 || let me answer to your prayers. [ic: hazel grouse]

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What is Your CosmosPersona?

"What do you mean 'I might be wrong' ?! Preposterous."

Hazel will never share his hoard of Dad jokes. Those are Master Filbert's precious legacy.

Tagged by: @shouga-nai (thank you~), @eternalbxtterfly (and thank you too!)

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"No, no. By all means, I will put myself to the test. I was just thinking 'tis indeed a sad day when something as simple as a good night's rest must become a coveted prize."

Hazel did his best to take it in stride, even literally as he was the first to resume their walk down the road. Almost as soon as he did, his mind went back to their parting words with the villagers. Especially to the warnings they had received, about the dangers of youkai that may be prowling ahead.

It made the weight on his shoulders a bit easier to forget, if he let himself think about that. It gave him a strange sense of normalcy... to a degree, anyway. He was not the same man as before, no matter how he'd like it to be that way. His concerns on the matters of monsters and their violence had gained a different tune; even if the feelings at the front may still be the same.

But, it made him think just a little deeper now. And in doing so, he found himself flicking a glance over the shoulder at his traveling companion.

"And about this little challenge of ours... I was just thinking, I hope you don't plan to rely on any trick like removing those earpieces of yours for an extra energy boost. That'd be quite unfair."

Probably wasn't the best idea but... it's an idea. One that he figured Hazel would not turn down outright, and neither would he to be completely honest. A mutually effective motivator would be worth considering at the very least.

Hakkai let out a drawn out hum, as though giving it intensive thought.

"Suppose from this moment on, whoever holds out on their feet without breaking momentum for longer gets the tent to themselves." Remarkably simple and straight-forward.

"A comfortable night's sleep makes for a suitable reward after a day of hard work, I believe." Still there was a brief pause, as he looked to Hazel. "Unless the traditional monetary stakes appeal to you better?"

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🎃 - Carve pumpkins with my muse / Hazel n the trio (Kanako, Noburu n Chidori)

Send one to... || Always Accepting~

"Have to say, I'm a bit surprised here." He says, while nonetheless fixing his rubber gloves all the way up to the elbows. After all, the request for assistance had been sincere, and he still was in debt with these girls.

"Where exactly have ya'll heard about the Halloween tradition? Never heard about anythin' of the sort bein' celebrated on this side of the world."

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What's Hazel's current opinion of Hakkai and their travels together? Bonus: Same question to Varahal!

Blow up my inbox! || Always Accepted~

"Mercy me, ain't been that long yet, y'know?" And truly, it's even hard to remember much of what little there's been of his time together with Hakkai... what with the incidents derived from the monster lurking inside of Hazel, and all that jazz.

"Woulda much prefer the company of Mr. Sanzo, if a fella had the luxury o' choice, but... A beggar can't very well be a chooser in this world. I've gotta give credit where 'tis due though. That car's real convenient to have."

Kinda makes him wonder just how Mr. Sanzo and his other friends are faring without that luxury. But could they even drive it without Hakkai in the first place?

Conclusion: Not as fun as Sanzo, but at least he has a driver!

"That kid...! Boy, what an annoying little punk. Always got some quip ready in that big mouth of his. It makes my ears bleed just having to listen to his voice." The southern accent is dropped. Varahal's voice is filled with contempt and spite. A blasphemous mockery of the gentile and charming facade of his host.

"I've got to say though, he at least knows how to make things a little interesting... only a little. But without those things on his ear? What did he call it... limiters? Oh, how I'd love to tear those things off of his face. Next time, I just might. I feel like he'd be a much more fun guy to meet then. Since the boy has bothered to drag me all the way to this accursed land, why not have a taste of the local entertainment?"

Conclusion: Hakkai better watch out... watch out real carefully. This youkai is intrigued, in all kinds of wrong ways.

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@shouga-nai liked for a nightcore starter! || Hazel (Varaharu) to Hakkai~

"I'm just a tenant, paying rent inside this body and I got two windows... and those windows, well I'll call them my eyes."

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He’s staring at the dash expectantly. Wouldn’t it be a shame if a certain Seiten-Taisei’s soul went to waste?

Better be ready to suck it up in his pendant in case his unfortunate tummy ache gets worse~

“Don’t run too far, you. Would be a pity if movin’ around made your stomach pain worse, wouldn’t it?”

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You aren't half-bad looking for a demon.

Muse wasn’t specified, so I’m just going to assume here...

“Are you talking to me?” He genuinely seems to be wondering that. There’s something about that compliment that doesn’t sit well with him. Could it be the ‘half’ part?

“Aren’t you assuming though? We’ve got at least two other demons in this house.”

“You really didn’t need to remind us about that, Saruhiko.” It sounded kinda rude too, didn’t it?

“Hold on now, who would this third monster be?” This is news to him! Why has nobody told him about that? Who invited a third youkai without consulting him first?

“You guys are focusing on the demon part too much. It could be a metaphor, you know?” The actor flicks a wink in direction of the Anon! “When it comes to my beauty, I do indeed reach some otherwordly level~ I wouldn’t blame her if she mistook me for a demon of beauty.”

“And you’re assuming the Anon is a girl.”

“Y’all? So who’s the third monster? I really feel I should know, now.”

“If you don’t get it, nevermind, Hazel...”

“Heard you’re talking about good looks without me? I’m offended.”

“May I suggest Fushimi-san as the mysterious third demon?”

“Captain, why??”

“Kings are some demons of their own, Munakata. Don’t sell yourself short.”

“I was talking about Fushimi Niki-san. Not you, Fushimi-kun. Do mind the honorifics.”

“HEADCANON ACCEPTED!!”

“CAPTAIN, WHY??????”

“It’s fine, it’s fine! Nothing wrong with being a pretty-looking demon!”

“Can’t we just let Mr. Sesshoumaru handle this, before this gets out of hand? I’m kinda busy as is.”

“Ah, Sesshoumaru-sama left a while ago...”

He points at Sephiroth. “Just paint funny symbols on his face and make him pretend to be the demon.”

“...?” He’s just giving Li this face. What did he even do to deserve it? He was just kinda standing here.

"All right. I’m bringing this farce to a close."

Is that neurotoxin I smell in the air? Oh. Everybody left. I guess I should go too. Good luck anon!

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@kisumshi​ said:  which is why you'll be one the rest of your life

“Aw, come on now. Aah reckon we kin make it work. Or are ya sayin’ you’re too afraid to even try me?”

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“Y’know what they say. Be the one to bring the change ya wanna see in the world~”

If there’s too many virgins...

... There’s a couple ways to be fixin’ that.

And he endorses both.

[roleplay-abiogenesis2]

[Muse Active] Hazel Grouse

This muse is now active for roleplay on this blog!

Name: Hazel Grouse

Species, World, Nationality: Human, Earthling, fictional (Western Lands)

Date of Birth: January 2nd, Year Unknown

Roleplaying Age: 20 (default), any other age if specified.

Headcanons: Click here.

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Fandom: Saiyuki (Kazuya Minekura)

Fandom Genre: Shōnen, Adventure, Supernatural (Youkai, demons)

Open for AU / “What If”s: Yes.

Wiki Link: Here.

Covered Sources: Manga, Anime

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Available for ships: Yes, but selective.

With Canon Characters (CC);

With Original Characters (OC);

With Cross-over Characters;

With Same-Muse Characters.

Canon Verses:

Saiyuki Reload: 20yo. Hazel the exorcist travels Eastward to hunt down the frenzied “monsters”.

AUs:

K!verse: 20yo. Hazel is a part of Cathedral, and a devout clansman at the service of Seigo Ootori. He dies in Kanagawa during the Kagutsu Incident.

Writing Sample:

“Good work, everyone!” Hazel put on his brighest smile upon entering the room, catching the group off-guard.

That was intended. If it was true that those three he had eyed before were monsters, as he had suspected from the moment he lay his eyes upon them, Hazel would rather see them show their true colors by facing him unprepared.

Even if it was under the false pretense of friendly greetings.

It had been the dark-haired one to make him suspicious the most. The one with the monocle. The exorcist had been busy bringing victims of the monsters back to life with his power. Yet, out ofthe corner of the eye, he had observed this man carefully. His ability to heal the injured was definitely peculiar, but Hazel did not see anything sacred about it. It had to be a youkai, as they called them here in the East.

To his surprise, the very same man was now bedridden and looked exhausted. Pushing down his internal contempt, Hazel expressed consternation. “Oh, it seems you have pushed yourself too hard. I beg your pardon.”

It would be such an easy kill, if he told Gat to shoot here and now.

Find my rules on my blog HERE.

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Tag Dump 8 (Saiyuki)

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@kisumshi​ said: “ Reload Eng Dub hurts “

“We don’t talk about that.”

And most especially about what they did with his character.

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Oh, so it was. Well, there went that whimsical and exotic imagery. Plain shops to be found around town. Truthfully, Hazel hadn't paid much attention to things like that on his visit.

Or it could be that most establishments had already closed down, as Hakkai also seemed to be implying. Surely selling wares for youkais in the present climate could be controversial and bring problems common folk didn't want to be bothered with.

Did that mean that, rather than mysterious lonesome goldsmiths in faraway locations, they'd be looking for shady dealers down a dark alley deep inside some shanty town? My, this plan was getting better and better...

"Don't know what kind of gaudy accessories you're picturin', but I assure you my tastes are simple." He was prepared to receive some look at that statement, fully aware of the kind of lifestyle he'd come to appreciate during his time side-by-side with Mr. Sanzo and his company. Fancy meals, expensive rooms, surrounded by art and riches... He had indulged in his own popularity, that much was true.

But he still thought his way of dressing was absolutely modest and decent compared to, say... Oh mercy, what was that redhead's name again? Funny how it still didn't stick to his mind.

"Where fashion is concerned, anyway." He rectified. "I think you have a point, though, so let's agree to do that. Is the next town a big one? Bigger than the last?"

"Understandably so, since they don't typically advertise them like the average glamorous jewelry store. But as you'd imagine, one would simply obtain them over-the-counter."

Briefly, Hakkai recalled a conversation with a certain youkai he knew from the past, who went on about some form of propaganda against their kind - all from the fact that those limiters were manufactured and sold in the first place. Truthfully, he never gave that perspective much thought if at all back in those days.

"Of course, the easiest ones to come by would be the basic metal variety - but that's not to say one couldn't express themselves by having theirs decorated with gems, if that strikes your fancy?"

He smiled, not at all at the mental image of Hazel sporting bejeweled earrings or bracelets. Perhaps a ring or two? Then again, those might not work very well with the gloves.

"If I'm being honest though... I can't quite say how simple it would be today." Considering the whole Minus Wave dilemma. They might have to hunt for some sort of underground establishment, who knows? "Still, since we're heading to town, we might as well keep an eye out." Window-shopping, in other words, however well that would go.

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"I was bein' facetious. Thought it'd be the most polite thing to say." Hazel gently shrugged one shoulder. No use lying about those days anymore, after all. Not with him, anyway.

Even as he said that so casually, Hazel kept his gaze elsewhere. His hands were joined together on his lap, one embracing the other, with a thumb stroking soothingly over its twin. Back and forth, back and forth...

"Shall we say you've got a point to it..." He finally speaks again, rising his eyes on Hakkai again. "How does one go about procurin' something like that? Can't say I've ever noticed any sort of... Youkai Fashion Stores, or anythin' of the sort."

He really wondered now. Already his mind was running miles away, picturing something incredibly exotic and folkloresque, like a lonesome goldsmith living as a hermit at the end of some mystic far-away place hidden in the mists. Was this going to become a quest in its own right? As if they didn't have enough on their plate as is!

Hakkai nodded, trusting that he need not explain what they were. Even though they hadn't brought it up directly in conversation since they first met, Hazel wasn't that ignorant.

"Oh? I could've sworn you once mentioned how stylish they are." Not unlike the haughty foreign exchange student in typical high school light novels and their backhanded compliments. "Then again, I suppose it would be rather awkward for the both of us to sport similar accessories."

Jokes and sarcasm aside... He noted the shift in expression on the other's face, his own gaze turning pensive.

"I wouldn't say that exactly." Technically the one who'd go mad wouldn't be Hazel who, as far as he knew, was still human. Varahal had climbed his way to the surface and taken the driver's wheel on multiple occasions now. And as Sanzo had warned him, one can never return as they were before the moment they fully succumb to the Minus Wave's effects.

Should that happen to Varahal, would Hazel Grouse basically cease to exist beyond the physical sense? Or would they become one and the same?

"What I'm saying is that I think it wouldn't hurt to consider it as a little preventive measure, even if one must dock a few fashionable points, considering the alternative..." Particularly when said alternative makes their 'foreign exchange student' far more uncouth.

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"Power limiters?"

In the same instant the question left his lips, Hazel's mind caught up. And it did so by going far behind, to what felt like a century ago, but really wasn't. A busy tavern that smelled of roast meat and fine wine; Ukoku Sanzo sitting right beside him, like a devil on his shoulder, telling him all about the Seiten Taisei... sneaking the idea of eradicating the monster right into his head, without him even noticing.

Blue eyes lifted to stare at Hakkai in the face, instinctively looking for that very same diadem as the one on Goku's head at first. Then, he noticed them again. The ear clasps that had caught his attention when the brunet had been rescued back at the village in the woods.

"Oh... Can't say 't'is quite my style, somethin' like that." He sighed with a short sulk of his shoulders. They looked quite tacky, truth to be told. Hazel didn't need to, however. His thoughts reflected plainly on his face. As did the dejected look in his eyes right after; his lips pursed, a bit nervous, and once again, he deeply breathed in.

"If I don't... is there a chance I might go mad like the others? S'that what you're sayin'?"

Hakkai paused what he was doing. Alright- they're talking about this. Took him off guard, in all honesty. Was this the same narcissist who seemed to be stuck up in his own world and only had eyes for the finer things in life while disregarding everything else?

Well, he can imagine how discovering a disgusting truth about one's own body could quite literally be life-changing.

His lips then curled to a smile that almost matched the other's. "It certainly was no secret that it wanted me dead." Almost comically blunt was the way he said it. He wasn't expecting guilt or pity whatsoever from Hazel. This was, quite frankly, just another day on their perilous journey. "Jeep intervened at an opportune moment, but..."

That wasn't all that held it back. While he can't be completely certain, he did know first-hand what the sensation was like.

"...Hazel," his tone grew grim, fixing his gaze on blue eyes in earnest. If they were going to be frank in this conversation, then he won't beat about the bush. Hazel's case may be vastly different than the norm, and he can't be sure how he'd feel about it, but one can't be too cautious. "Moving forward, I believe acquiring power limiters would be worth considering."

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Gojyo... Yes, that sounded about right. Or in any case, Hazel had no reason to think Hakkai would lie about something like that. There was simply no reason to be deceitful.

However, he also knew the brunet wasn't saying everything there was to say. There was an obvious, gaping hole in what he immediately remembered, and the exorcist felt as though he was standing at the very edge of that precipice, gazing into a bottomless pit.

It made him nauseous and uncomfortable. The urge to dismiss it, sweep it under the carpet to move along to greener pastures and whatever else the day had in mind for them was strong.

But he'd promised himself he was no longer that man. He'd promised Gat. His expression carried a bitter, almost wry hint of a smile as he looked away to the side. The fingers of his left hand were playing with the cloth of his robe, where his pendant once sat with pride.

"... This pain... we fought, didn't we?" He asked. There was no guilt in his voice, but nonetheless he felt the sticky unpleasantness of shame. Shame that he'd let that disgusting entity inside him take over again. "Did it try to kill you? Please be honest."

He watched intently, and waited expectantly when Hazel trailed off. From what he's observing, the exorcist either had no recollection of what had transpired, or simply chose not to acknowledge it for whatever personal reason. Hakkai's going with the former for now, which then begs the question...

Should he say something?

"Well as you might be assuming, we may very well be running into Gojyo and the others much sooner than expected, with Jeep having found us."

The smile remained on his face, though for a brief moment his eyes might betray with the slightest hint of troubled contemplation. He kept busy by going through their supplies and bringing out a flask of water - about half full, it felt like - passing it to Hazel.

Perhaps it would be better for the host to not focus on the slumbering parasite. After all, remembering and acknowledging 'he-whose-name-shan't-be-mentioned' was what allowed him to resurface and take over the first time, as he recalled. Then again, being unaware and unprepared could also leave one vulnerable.

"My guess is that we'd find them in the next town. And if not, I doubt they'd get very far without a car."

How Hazel had lost control of his body this time was likely the better question. Memories might return on their own, or they might not. Either way, Hakkai would have to bring it up... at a later time, once Hazel recovered a bit of his strength perhaps. At the very least, there's the fair assumption that the entity within needed time to recuperate as well.