0.12fm; video/action for goldenrod
[ Another Goldenrod night, another session of music and reading and some light training out the back of Nanao's place before the night air's chill got to him.
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He never sleeps before midnight. And sometimes, he just can't stay home. Tonight is one of those nights. He's looking better than his last post, with the bruises and cuts starting to heal over.
But he doesn't expect to run into anyone out this late. So when he sees Minato, he's fairly startled.]
Minato-san?
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[ Now there's a face he hasn't seen for quite some time. Minato blinks a couple of times, having been very lost in his thoughts, then quickly comes back to the present. ]
Ken...hey.
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[It wasn't like he didn't expect it from Minato, but still. He didn't run into people he knew often.]
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[ More reticent than usual? Possibly. He cants his head at Ken. ]
You too.
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Staying up this late is a hard habit to break.
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[ Hadn't gone to sleep before midnight for...nearly two years now. Still had dreams. Minato shakes that train of thought off the rails and nods for Ken to follow, setting off at a slow stroll. ]
Something up?
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[He's not sure how comfortable he is calling anywhere but the dorm home to Minato. There's a pain as a realization that, as soon as he returns, it won't be home anymore.]
[He doesn't ask why Minato is out, glancing up at him, though, curiously.]
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[ Don't ask, don't tell! He always tried to respect Ken's innately private nature, not pressing further. The boy glances down, meeting Ken's look.
What? No sadpants here. None at all. ]
Wanna grab some coffee?
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[ Gotta do something at night, after all. It takes a turn or two down some alleys, Minato falling silent, just watching Ken out of the corner of his eye. ]
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[ He lets it hang for over a minute before one little sigh comes out. Minato's head drops just enough for his bangs to totally cover one eye, making a bold play for the other. ]
...you were right.
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About what?
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[ And the inherent sucking thereof! The more he's thought about it while rambling around, the more depressing it gets-- if Mitsuru came back, sure, they'd still have all of home to reminisce on. But if Yumi came back...
Starting all over again. He turns just enough to look sideways at Ken, keeping his stride. Yup, shit sucks. ]
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[Except, Ken's not sure he's okay with what that means. Used to losing people--he was already used to that before he came here.]
... Last winter, Miles and I were in Azalea Town, and we broke an old man's window playing soccer. You, Aigis-san and Koromaru were there, too. But Miles and I are the only ones who remember.
You gave Kirby her nickname when I first caught her, because I couldn't call a girl Growlithe Cerberus. That was a year ago.
You were the first person to appear here from home, after me, last summer.
And last November, you stopped me from trying to kill Shinjiro-san.
... No one else remembers. You get used to it.
[You get used to it or you break. And Ken had a promise to keep--he would never break again. Besides... he's been the one who's done the forgetting in the past.]
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[ Minato listens to all that, quietly and without protest, shoulders hunched slightly to shrug off the cold December night air. Even searching his memories as hard as he can, he recalls nothing: the scene can be constructed, with his knowledge of those people and places, but he knows that it's not a real memory.
Poor kid. If he could take that burden away from him, he would, without thinking- being the only one to remember isn't an unfamiliar weight for him. But...he can't. So he nods, just once, and stuffs his hands deeper into his pockets. ]
Ken... [ A pause. What can he say, that won't be trite? Not that he's sorry; that they can make new memories; that at least he and Miles still remember. No. ]
...it still happened. Nothing can erase that.
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