Migration
[Summary: Change doesn't always come easy. Start overthinking and you talk yourself out of what's necessary all too quickly. aidan_mutou and yugi_mutou decide it's time to travel.
Backdated to March through June 14th, 2008.]
~~~
[March]
The lease renewal paperwork arrived at the beginning of the month. Aidan and Yugi had expected it. 90 days prior to expiry was standard, if not legally required in most cities.
It sat on the coffee table, still folded, while they discussed options. Neither of them wanted to be locked in for another year. The problem was, they weren't sure what to do instead.
~#~#~#~
[April]
"There's not enough space in here for that, Aidan. Please sit down." Amused teasing coloured Marie's voice, but she was right. Her office was far too small, and at the moment packed with boxes, to allow for effective pacing. Along with the magazine's name change had come the revamping of their office space, forcing Marie into an unexpected temporary relocation.
Reluctantly, Aidan settled onto a chair. "There's probably a wealth of Japanese myths I could look into," he said, picking up the thread of their discussion of searching for new source material.
Marie considered him for a moment. "And what did it get you last time?"
Something like a growl curled in the back of Aidan's throat. "That was different."
"Was it? You went to chase a story, and then didn't write about it."
"A story, by invitation, not just travelling and listening."
She shook her head. "No offense, Aidan, but your Japanese isn't that good. There's only so much learning by osmosis you can do."
He huffed and slouched back in his chair, recognizing a stalemate. Not that it mattered that much, when Trad-- ... Sense of Wonder never paid his expenses anyway, but if Marie ever rejected a story.... He shuddered slightly and ran one hand over his forehead. "Okay. Fine. What do you think I should do, oh Editor-mine?"
"There's a lot of this continent to see."
He huffed again. "I'll think about it."
~~~
When Aidan got the itch to travel, it was expansive. He wanted to globe-trot, to wander with only what he could carry on his back, to learn language and history and culture by immersing himself in them. He wanted to cut ties and just go the way Grandpa did. The important people would still be there when he got back.
He didn't want to think of Yugi as a chain or a weight. It wasn't his brother that was the problem -- he'd take Yugi with him anywhere -- but there was Yugi's job, and the apartment.
And his contract is up at the end of May, and the lease is up in June and you haven't signed a new one... or are you just making excuses, making yourself discontent?
He didn't know. He just knew he wanted....
~#~#~#~
[May]
"I'm sure the chupacabra stories are still there, if you're looking for somewhere to go," Kathy observed.
"Easy for you to say; you're in Munich!" Aidan retorted.
A small pause echoed along the line. "And what has that got to do with anything?"
Unclenching his jaw, Aidan sighed. "You're travelling, Kathy."
"And you could, too. There's plenty of places you haven't seen, cities you haven't been to."
"Like Texas," he said drily, with every ounce of his usual derision for the state.
Kathy sighed. "Get over yourself, Aidan. It's a place, like any other, with a mix of people, like any other. With people like you, even, if you'd bother to look."
"I don't want--"
"You only want to take the risks you've calculated. When did you start playing only the games you knew you could win?"
When, indeed.
He shook his head. "I'll think about it."
~~~
Yugi's contract to cover maternity-leave for the regular Assistant Director of Programs was up at the end of the month, just before the apartment lease expired. Co-incidence, perhaps, but most oracles were based on co-incidence, at least to get a foot-hold and a foundation for the insight to come.
He found he didn't really want to push for another position with the Center, or to try to find another similar position in this city. He'd taken the job to try to learn as much as he could about helping people, but so much of his day was taken up with clerical mundanities. Looking beyond the databases and schedules, he could see evidence of the difference the Center made to the community, in that the people they served would be worse off without them (if another organization hadn't filled the gap) -- and yet....
It was about trying to keep heads above water, not about getting people onto solid ground. Maybe that couldn't be done at this level -- the larger system was too broken: from the too-profitable prison industry opposed to prevention and rehabilitation, to the organized crime syndicates who benefited hugely from the ineffectual and inhumane war on drugs, from the capitalist regime built on the backs of a steady supply of desperate workers and anxious customers and an environment in crisis, to the fundamental evils of a system where health care was not a global right.
Yugi wanted -- needed -- to work for much more radical change.
At the same time, he was well aware of the competition for jobs like the one he held. Not that the competition scared him, but rather, there were so many people willing and able to do this work, to keep heads above water, while there didn't seem to be enough people doing... whatever it would take to really change things. It wasn't like anyone would be worse off if he left.
A difference needed to be made in the world, but he couldn't truly claim that he was making one, and that's what was eating at him. But he still didn't know what it was that he needed to be doing.
Maybe he should go back to school... law... poli-sci...? The thought of classrooms and essays gave him a headache -- he was still too glad to be free of that system since graduation to subject himself to it again anytime soon.
There were also Grandpa's riddles from last November, and the implications that answers would finally be offered if he moved back in with (or at least near) Grandpa again -- but he didn't feel ready for that either. In fact, his brain wanted to skitter off sideways from it and forget about it for now.
No, it was time to listen to Aidan and Grandpa's suggestions that he go learn through real experience, observe firsthand what worked and what didn't in as many places as possible. See the world. Both of them sometimes seemed to think it was profoundly odd that he hadn't been off this continent yet, given their own travels.
Yugi wasn't averse to the idea of traveling, but he still wanted an anchor, some place to come back to. It was hard to give up the 'home' they'd only recently begun to build. So they compromised. They'd 'move' to Toronto, just long enough to establish a new home address (Grandpa's) and store their stuff where the old man could keep an eye on it now that he was settled in the city, and then they'd travel. For a while. They'd see where that led them.
Not wanting to rush packing while Yugi was still working, they talked the landlord into giving them an extra month past the end of the lease as a buffer, trusting the casino to help them cover the expense.
~~~
When it came right down to it, Aidan realized he'd decided North America was boring. Maybe it was falling prey to the great Canadian myth that Canada had no myths of its own, or maybe it was just an aversion to the mass-marketed pop culture 'myths' of the States, but either way, he was always looking beyond his own backyard.
He just wanted to be moving, somewhere, anywhere. In motion and unfettered from the city that still wasn't his.
Which was why the crane collapse was really the last straw. He'd have moved them both out of the city that night, if not for the fact that they hadn't actually finished packing and cleaning.
~#~#~#~
[June 14th]
"That's the last of it," Aidan said. Wiping his forehead with the back of his wrist, he smeared dust and sweat. "Ready to go?" Glancing around the empty apartment, he had to smile despite his tiredness. They were almost free.
The moving truck (not a U-Haul) still wasn't full, but they'd expected that. They'd sold or given away as much as seemed reasonable, determined to lighten the load and not hold on to the past. Standard modus operandi, for Aidan, at least. Most of the boxes were books that had only come out of storage a year ago.
Grabbing Aidan's hand, Yugi laced their fingers together and squeezed tightly for a moment. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Let's get out of here."
The drive out of the city was almost silent, despite the constant roar of the streets beyond the cab of the truck. Each wondered, and knew the other was wondering, when or if they might return. Not that this place of constant change would be the same city when they came back; nor would they be the same after leaving it. They didn't need to talk about this aloud, knowing it as part of their personal mythology, leaving this chapter thoroughly open-ended.
--
[Note: In the interests of Log Amnesty and getting out of backdating: other than a couple of other backdated logs we're trying to finish, we'd like to jump from this log directly to the present or future when other people are caught up. Please let it be assumed that Yugi and Aidan let all their friends and acquaintences know they were leaving, with occasional emails exchanged after their departure.]
Backdated to March through June 14th, 2008.]
~~~
[March]
The lease renewal paperwork arrived at the beginning of the month. Aidan and Yugi had expected it. 90 days prior to expiry was standard, if not legally required in most cities.
It sat on the coffee table, still folded, while they discussed options. Neither of them wanted to be locked in for another year. The problem was, they weren't sure what to do instead.
~#~#~#~
[April]
"There's not enough space in here for that, Aidan. Please sit down." Amused teasing coloured Marie's voice, but she was right. Her office was far too small, and at the moment packed with boxes, to allow for effective pacing. Along with the magazine's name change had come the revamping of their office space, forcing Marie into an unexpected temporary relocation.
Reluctantly, Aidan settled onto a chair. "There's probably a wealth of Japanese myths I could look into," he said, picking up the thread of their discussion of searching for new source material.
Marie considered him for a moment. "And what did it get you last time?"
Something like a growl curled in the back of Aidan's throat. "That was different."
"Was it? You went to chase a story, and then didn't write about it."
"A story, by invitation, not just travelling and listening."
She shook her head. "No offense, Aidan, but your Japanese isn't that good. There's only so much learning by osmosis you can do."
He huffed and slouched back in his chair, recognizing a stalemate. Not that it mattered that much, when Trad-- ... Sense of Wonder never paid his expenses anyway, but if Marie ever rejected a story.... He shuddered slightly and ran one hand over his forehead. "Okay. Fine. What do you think I should do, oh Editor-mine?"
"There's a lot of this continent to see."
He huffed again. "I'll think about it."
~~~
When Aidan got the itch to travel, it was expansive. He wanted to globe-trot, to wander with only what he could carry on his back, to learn language and history and culture by immersing himself in them. He wanted to cut ties and just go the way Grandpa did. The important people would still be there when he got back.
He didn't want to think of Yugi as a chain or a weight. It wasn't his brother that was the problem -- he'd take Yugi with him anywhere -- but there was Yugi's job, and the apartment.
And his contract is up at the end of May, and the lease is up in June and you haven't signed a new one... or are you just making excuses, making yourself discontent?
He didn't know. He just knew he wanted....
~#~#~#~
[May]
"I'm sure the chupacabra stories are still there, if you're looking for somewhere to go," Kathy observed.
"Easy for you to say; you're in Munich!" Aidan retorted.
A small pause echoed along the line. "And what has that got to do with anything?"
Unclenching his jaw, Aidan sighed. "You're travelling, Kathy."
"And you could, too. There's plenty of places you haven't seen, cities you haven't been to."
"Like Texas," he said drily, with every ounce of his usual derision for the state.
Kathy sighed. "Get over yourself, Aidan. It's a place, like any other, with a mix of people, like any other. With people like you, even, if you'd bother to look."
"I don't want--"
"You only want to take the risks you've calculated. When did you start playing only the games you knew you could win?"
When, indeed.
He shook his head. "I'll think about it."
~~~
Yugi's contract to cover maternity-leave for the regular Assistant Director of Programs was up at the end of the month, just before the apartment lease expired. Co-incidence, perhaps, but most oracles were based on co-incidence, at least to get a foot-hold and a foundation for the insight to come.
He found he didn't really want to push for another position with the Center, or to try to find another similar position in this city. He'd taken the job to try to learn as much as he could about helping people, but so much of his day was taken up with clerical mundanities. Looking beyond the databases and schedules, he could see evidence of the difference the Center made to the community, in that the people they served would be worse off without them (if another organization hadn't filled the gap) -- and yet....
It was about trying to keep heads above water, not about getting people onto solid ground. Maybe that couldn't be done at this level -- the larger system was too broken: from the too-profitable prison industry opposed to prevention and rehabilitation, to the organized crime syndicates who benefited hugely from the ineffectual and inhumane war on drugs, from the capitalist regime built on the backs of a steady supply of desperate workers and anxious customers and an environment in crisis, to the fundamental evils of a system where health care was not a global right.
Yugi wanted -- needed -- to work for much more radical change.
At the same time, he was well aware of the competition for jobs like the one he held. Not that the competition scared him, but rather, there were so many people willing and able to do this work, to keep heads above water, while there didn't seem to be enough people doing... whatever it would take to really change things. It wasn't like anyone would be worse off if he left.
A difference needed to be made in the world, but he couldn't truly claim that he was making one, and that's what was eating at him. But he still didn't know what it was that he needed to be doing.
Maybe he should go back to school... law... poli-sci...? The thought of classrooms and essays gave him a headache -- he was still too glad to be free of that system since graduation to subject himself to it again anytime soon.
There were also Grandpa's riddles from last November, and the implications that answers would finally be offered if he moved back in with (or at least near) Grandpa again -- but he didn't feel ready for that either. In fact, his brain wanted to skitter off sideways from it and forget about it for now.
No, it was time to listen to Aidan and Grandpa's suggestions that he go learn through real experience, observe firsthand what worked and what didn't in as many places as possible. See the world. Both of them sometimes seemed to think it was profoundly odd that he hadn't been off this continent yet, given their own travels.
Yugi wasn't averse to the idea of traveling, but he still wanted an anchor, some place to come back to. It was hard to give up the 'home' they'd only recently begun to build. So they compromised. They'd 'move' to Toronto, just long enough to establish a new home address (Grandpa's) and store their stuff where the old man could keep an eye on it now that he was settled in the city, and then they'd travel. For a while. They'd see where that led them.
Not wanting to rush packing while Yugi was still working, they talked the landlord into giving them an extra month past the end of the lease as a buffer, trusting the casino to help them cover the expense.
~~~
When it came right down to it, Aidan realized he'd decided North America was boring. Maybe it was falling prey to the great Canadian myth that Canada had no myths of its own, or maybe it was just an aversion to the mass-marketed pop culture 'myths' of the States, but either way, he was always looking beyond his own backyard.
He just wanted to be moving, somewhere, anywhere. In motion and unfettered from the city that still wasn't his.
Which was why the crane collapse was really the last straw. He'd have moved them both out of the city that night, if not for the fact that they hadn't actually finished packing and cleaning.
~#~#~#~
[June 14th]
"That's the last of it," Aidan said. Wiping his forehead with the back of his wrist, he smeared dust and sweat. "Ready to go?" Glancing around the empty apartment, he had to smile despite his tiredness. They were almost free.
The moving truck (not a U-Haul) still wasn't full, but they'd expected that. They'd sold or given away as much as seemed reasonable, determined to lighten the load and not hold on to the past. Standard modus operandi, for Aidan, at least. Most of the boxes were books that had only come out of storage a year ago.
Grabbing Aidan's hand, Yugi laced their fingers together and squeezed tightly for a moment. "Yeah," he said quietly. "Let's get out of here."
The drive out of the city was almost silent, despite the constant roar of the streets beyond the cab of the truck. Each wondered, and knew the other was wondering, when or if they might return. Not that this place of constant change would be the same city when they came back; nor would they be the same after leaving it. They didn't need to talk about this aloud, knowing it as part of their personal mythology, leaving this chapter thoroughly open-ended.
--
[Note: In the interests of Log Amnesty and getting out of backdating: other than a couple of other backdated logs we're trying to finish, we'd like to jump from this log directly to the present or future when other people are caught up. Please let it be assumed that Yugi and Aidan let all their friends and acquaintences know they were leaving, with occasional emails exchanged after their departure.]