[Log] Ino and Youji
Who: Ino and Youji
What: Ninja Girl and Assassin Man talk about things other than work, mostly
When: Earlier; 7 pm
Where: Table just outside the garden(s).
Rating: PG-13 for like, a teensy bit of language?
Ino was standing at the front door, tapping her fingers lazily against it. She had to admit, she was excited - another florist, and a male at that! She had even made herself look a little nice (... more so than normal, of course) - a short skirt and a tank top always did the trick. She flipped her hair and glanced around, wondering where this Youji guy would be coming from. (And how attractive he would be, of course.)
Youji always looked amazing, in his opinion. He'd grabbed the first pair of jeans he found and a fitted t-shirt (Paradisa had given him Comme des Garçons--sweet) out of his wardrobe (an exceptionally stylish wardrobe, naturally, since the castle had based it on his taste), thrown on a pair of boots, and pulled his hair back.
And, of course, he didn't forget the fresh-cut cosmos bouquet. He came down the stairs expecting a woman and hoping for an exceptionally beautiful woman. That had to be her: blonde hair...short...
She couldn't be older than seventeen.
Oh well. Too late now. "Hey there," he said, waving as he approached.
She waved back, smiling. "Hi! You're Youji, right?" She suspected as much from the choice of flowers in his hand. And ... my, she was impressed - he was pretty damn good-looking. She put her hands behind her back, a small laugh escaping her. "Sorry I didn't bring you any flowers," Ino said, scratching her head sheepishly. "I've been busy."
She flipped her hair again, and stepped forward to meet Youji halfway across the entrance room. "But it's nice to meet you!" Ino stuck out her hand, hoping that people shook hands in greeting in his world as well.
Well, at least she was friendly. And cute, yeah, he had to admit that much. He shook her hand with his free one, then offered the bouquet. "Nice to meet you, too," he said, grinning. "Don't worry about the flowers. I've got a bunch in my room now. Reminds me of home, you know?"
She took the bouquet, admiring it for a moment before looking back to Youji. "Actually, I have a big vase full, myself ... but the more the merrier!" She laughed. "And yeah, it does remind you a little of home, huh." She looked back at the flowers, smiling. Now, the next question was ... where to go now? She hadn't forgotten that there was something he couldn't talk about over the journals ... but she didn't want to be pushy.
Ino sighed quietly, before returning to her regular cheerful attitude. "So, where do you wanna go? I'm sure you'd like to sit down after walking down all those stairs, right?"
He'd kind of forgotten that if he could get flowers, so could she. Well, whatever. It was the thought that counted. Women always liked getting flowers.
He laced his hands behind his head. "Hmmm... Actually, I'm only on the second floor," he confided, "but I never pass up a chance to relax. Is there somewhere to get coffee or something?" Oh, but she'd wanted to talk about his other job...well, that required a little privacy. "Somewhere not too crowded, maybe?" he added pointedly.
"Oh, you are?" She blinked. "That's funny, I thought the newer people usually stayed on the higher floors." She shook her head, returning to the subject on hand. "Well, there's always the kitchen to get coffee -- and I think there's tables outside, somewhere." She could have sworn she saw some the last time she had been sneaking around outside the castle. "Does that work?"
"Works for me," he agreed, leading the way to the kitchen, and then to the sweet, sweet coffee (at least he knew where that was -- 'kitchen's on the first floor' was becoming his mantra).
"I dunno how it all happens," he said, referring to the room placement. "I woke up in that room. Maybe I stole somebody else's." He laughed.
Ino nodded, following closely behind. "Could be! People are coming and leaving all the time ... though nobody knows how exactly to get out of here. I think it happens randomly." Like Shikamaru - he had left randomly as well as at a rather inconvenient time. Ino kind of missed him.
"So ... coffee, huh?" She glanced at Youji. She'd never really had coffee before, though she had heard it tasted pretty bad. She wondered why people - Lana especially - made such a big deal out of it.
"That so?" he asked genially. "I hope I randomly get out of here." He stopped suddenly -- what had happened after he'd disappeared? He had a team back home that counted on him; what would they do? Did they think he was dead, or that he'd run away?
They could take care of themselves, he told himself firmly, and set about making the coffee. "I'm not as big a fan as some people are," he admitted, "but it's damn good with cinnamon. Any particular kind you like, or do you not usually drink it?"
"Yeah ... I kinda hope so, too. There's a lot of people I like a lot here, but ... my family, my team and my village is waiting for me at home." Ino smiled, though there was a little tinge of sadness. She really did miss the people at home, as interesting as the people were here.
"Well, actually, I've never actually had coffee before ... " She laughed. "I know some people who really like it, but I haven't really found a reason to drink any." That, and she had seen what happened when you drank too much of it. Energy - and too much of it. That could be unhealthy.
Youji laughed at that. "Never had coffee?" he said. "Well don't worry, I won't make it too strong." When he'd finished making it, he handed one mug to Ino and lead the way back out, towards the front door.
"So you're a ninja," he said, taking a sip as he walked. "Do you use shuriken and stuff like that?" He mimicked throwing one.
Ino looked down into the mug. Hmm .. it smelled kind of funny. She decided she'd give it a try, though. She blew on the liquid, waiting for it to cool down a little before trying it. She hoped it tasted alright - she would hate to make some kind of weird face and make herself look stupid.
"Yeah, we do," Ino nodded. "Kunai, too." She held onto the hot mug with one hand and slid a kunai swiftly out of the pouch on her leg, twirling it in the air before holding it out for him to view it. "Though most people don't seem to know these as well as shuriken."
He grinned, impressed (and surprised that she took them everywhere, but he tried not to look it; after all, she'd said being a ninja was normal where she came from). "That's crazy," he said appreciatively. "Never thought I'd meet a ninja. Guess it must be a nice break to be here away from the work, huh?"
Speaking of nice breaks, it was nice to see the sky as he pushed open the front door (and held it for her, of course).
Ino put the kunai back where she had gotten it and walked through the door to the outside, smiling at Youji and nodding in thanks for holding the door for her. She took the mug back into both hands and blew on it again. She looked up at the sky as well before answering.
"Yeah, it's nice. But once you get used to going on missions all the time, it can get boring pretty fast when you're not." She laughed. "Luckily I've found a few ways to occupy myself." She turned on her heel to face Youji, smiling.
Youji wasn't sure he'd agree with that one, but then again, he'd only been there for a few days. ...Then again, he thought that if he ever missed the kind of missions he did, he'd have to get his head checked. "It'd be a shame to get bored," he said, smiling vaguely.
The tables were outside by the garden, as she'd said, and they were (blissfully) empty. He set his mug down on the nearest one and pulled out a chair for her.
"Yeah," she agreed. Ino blinked for a moment before sitting down on the chair Youji had pulled out for her happily. "It's nice to see some people have manners around here," she remarked, setting the cup down on the table. She flipped her hair back before leaning over to blow on the coffee again. There was no way she was risking burning her tongue, that was for sure.
She waited until Youji had seated himself before continuing. "... You must be pretty bored too, though; if you were doing something exciting at home. Besides the flowers, that is." She laughed again.
e didn't respond to the manners remark except with a smile, and took a sip of his own coffee again, leaning back in his chair. Despite being what he considered too young, she was fun -- more so than he'd expected.
"Well," he began, leaning forward again, "not really. See, my other job's not so pleasant. Although, I guess with your line of work, you won't think it sounds so strange." He took another sip, mentally praising himself for the excellent coffee. "That's why I thought it'd be okay to tell you, but not anybody else." He paused. It was weird to be telling somebody this. "I'm an assassin. Actually."
"Oh, really?" He was right - it didn't sound strange at all to her. She guessed he had his reasons for not wanting to talk about it over the journal, though. "Sounds interesting!" She smiled, and finally leaned over to take a sip of the coffee. She swallowed quickly, blinking for a moment as her brain tried to process her initial reaction.
"... Wow, this is actually pretty good," she said, a tone of amazement in her voice. She took another sip before continuing. "Ninja do that kind of thing, too. Well, sometimes. It depends on the client - some people just want escorts, other people want information ... you get the idea." Another sip. Hmm, she'd have to have this stuff more often.
Youji almost choked on his coffee. "'Sounds interesting,' she says," he muttered, wondering at how differently she must've grown up to have that kind of attitude. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody else. I, uh, don't know if everyone else would be so accepting." He paused and mumbled into his cup, "Besides, you never know -- might need to use the skills, and the element of surprise would help. And thanks," he added, referring to the coffee with a grin. "Told you I'd make it good."
Ino smiled. "Yeah, I understand! Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She laughed at his last reason for keeping it secret. She understood that as well, though she hadn't really been practicing that same tactic in Paradisa. She took another sip, letting out a pleased "mmm". Setting the cup down, she glanced at Youji. "What'd you put in it?"
"Cinnamon, milk, and sugar," he said. "Sometimes chocolate, too. Some people think that's too much sweet for coffee, but I tell 'em nobody makes it better. Oh! Hey, I hate to bring up other people here," not that this was a date just because she was female, he reminded himself, "but you haven't seen a guy with an eyepatch and white hair, have you? Or maybe a German guy with red hair?"
"Hmm." Ino stared back into the coffee. It was definitely something she'd have to have again later. She looked back up, slightly surprised by the question. Those descriptions sounded slightly familiar, but there was no way she would know for sure if she knew them or not. "Do those people have names?" she asked, teasing a little, but mostly wanting to help. "I'd probably know them better from reading something they wrote than seeing them around." Not to mention the fact that she had no idea what a German was. But if he said the names, then it'd probably be pretty easy to tell if she'd seen them around or not.
"Oh, yeah," Youji said, grinning a little sheepishly. He was still adjusting to a life lived largely through journals. "One's Farfarello and one's Schuldig."
They were the most noticeable, he reasoned. Hopefully they weren't here at all, but if they were, he wanted to know before they realized he was there.
"Ah!" Ino exclaimed. She'd definitely heard that first name before. "Farfarello. Is he ... really, really creepy and weird, by any chance?" She didn't care if she was being blunt - it was the truth, and if it was the same one he was looking for, then it would be pretty obvious based on the description, right? "'Cause if he is, I've seen him around. You know him?"
Youji's face fell. "Aw fuck," he groaned, then quickly covered his mouth. "Er, sorry." He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair (dislodging it in the process; he'd forgotten that it was tied back). Well, at least that was one less bastard to bother the team. They'd be on more or less equal ground.
He, on the other hand, did not want to deal with Farfarello alone. "Yeah, you could say I know him," he said. "How many people has he killed so far, do you know?"
"It's alright, I've heard worse." She grinned. She leaned back, trying to think of the answer to his question. "... Only one, I think." She pondered this for a moment. It was just that Bart kid, right? "... Yeah, only one. But don't worry - nobody can die permanently here." She flipped her hair back again. "Mostly he's just been teaching everyone really weird bullshit. Like how blind mice eat people ... or something. I've learned to ignore his handwriting."
Youji grinned back. "Yeah, he's a real psycho. If you ever see him in the hall, or the kitchen, or whatever, stay away from him."
He blinked, and Farfarello temporarily went to the back of his mind. "Sorry, did you just say nobody can die permanently?"
She saluted Youji, mostly in jest. "Gotcha."
Ino blinked, confused. Had he not heard that already? "Yeah, that's what I said." She paused, mentally preparing herself to explain how she figured this out. "Well ... it's kind of a long story, but a friend of mine accidentally killed six or seven people a few months ago. They came back from the dead a few weeks later. Anyone who's died so far has come back. So, we came to the conclusion that death here isn't permanent. Pretty convenient, huh?" She took another sip of the coffee. It was getting a little cold, now. Oops.
Well, that was easily the most mind-blowing thing he'd heard since coming here. He sank down in his chair a little, taking his mug with him. "You can't die?" he muttered, mainly to himself. Convenient, sure, but it sort of cut the last remaining tie this place had with reality. ...Whatever reality was.
"On that note," it really wasn't, but whatever, he felt like getting drunk, "you seem kinda young to drink, but do you know if there's a bar around here, or something?"
She nodded. "Sorry, I ... thought you already knew. I guess you really haven't been here that long." She frowned, tucking a loose hair behind her ear.
"In town, I think," she said, not bothering to comment on her age. "I bet if you ask the castle, one'll like ... appear in your room, or something." She grinned. The whole 'get whatever you want when you ask for it' thing was so very convenient.
He considered that for a moment. It was probably true, but then again, did he want to drink alone?
No, no he didn't. Besides, there was no chance he was going to meet ladies in his room. Well, at least now he knew there was one. There'd be time for that later.
"How long've you been here?" he asked, taking a sip of coffee and making a face. Cold.
Ino pondered that question and his quick change of subject, tapping her mug quietly with her fingernail. "... About ... four months now. Maybe a little longer." She smiled, though it was a weak one. "A long time."
"Shit," agreed Youji, then grinned ruefully and slapped his forehead. "Argh, sorry. Not used to talking to girls." And that made it sound like he was some kind of loser, so he added, "Uh, I mean...not...like this. Not outside clubs and stuff, unless I'm on a date. But anyway...yeah, that is a long time."
She giggled at that, covering her mouth with her hand. "Really, it's alright! I've heard much worse. Hell, I've been called much worse." She was just glad that Youji hadn't jumped on the 'let's-make-fun-of-Ino-because-she's-pretty' train.
"Whaaaat? Not you," said Youji, grinning wider and painfully aware that he was flirting. He couldn't help it, really. "By guys or girls?"
"Yes me," she said, grinning. "Mostly guys. You must not have been around for that entry I made telling everyone to stop calling me a prostitute. I don't know if people think it's funny or they really hate me." She sighed. Gatts calling her that was bad enough ... but now that he didn't do it, everybody else had. She paused. "... But I'm not, really." Just in case he believed the others.
Youji laughed. "That's pretty harsh; you don't seem like it. They must be jealous." She must have done something to piss somebody off; he couldn't see anything about her at least on the surface that would cause anyone to randomly call her that. "What kind of guy would call a girl that, anyway?"
He didn't know her very well, true; but he liked her, and he decided that if he heard anybody saying something like that, he'd have to set them straight.
"They probably are. I just don't get it." She blew at her bangs in irritation. This topic was starting to make her a little annoyed. "And obviously, a bunch of the guys here. Well ... the first one to call me that stopped, but that's probably because I saved his life. But everyone else is just stupid I guess."
She ventured to take another sip of the coffee. ... Yeah, it definitely tasted gross cold. "Bleh ... this isn't as good when it's cold."
He laughed again, rocking his chair on its back legs. "Yeah, you don't drink it cold. I mean, some people like it with ice, but those people are crazy. Oh hey," he rerouted his own train of thought as something else occurred to him, "I hope this isn't a stupid question, but since you've never had coffee, have you ever had hot chocolate?"
Hot chocolate? No, she'd never had that, either. It sounded a lot tastier than coffee had, though. "No, I haven't. We ... mostly just had tea or water back at home. Is it good?"
Youji rolled his eyes, not at her lack of beverage-related experience, but as if to say it was amazing (which it was, he thought). "Kinda weird to drink it in the middle of the day -- it's more like for a cold night, or a cold early morning, or something -- but yeah, it's good. Better than coffee, if you have a sweet tooth."
"Mm." She nodded to indicate she understood. "I think I'd probably like that better, then. I like things like pudding and fruit, you know?" She leaned back and yawned. "Ooh ... I'm getting tired. It's getting pretty dark out, too," she said, stretching her arms.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, so it is," said Youji mildly, although he'd noticed. He got up and took her mug. "I'll bring these back to the kitchen," he said. "Walk you back to the door?"
She smiled, standing up and flipping her hair back. He really was nice - it was a pleasant change from all the idiots she'd been putting up with recently. "Alright~" Ino said, and followed him back into the castle.
What: Ninja Girl and Assassin Man talk about things other than work, mostly
When: Earlier; 7 pm
Where: Table just outside the garden(s).
Rating: PG-13 for like, a teensy bit of language?
Ino was standing at the front door, tapping her fingers lazily against it. She had to admit, she was excited - another florist, and a male at that! She had even made herself look a little nice (... more so than normal, of course) - a short skirt and a tank top always did the trick. She flipped her hair and glanced around, wondering where this Youji guy would be coming from. (And how attractive he would be, of course.)
Youji always looked amazing, in his opinion. He'd grabbed the first pair of jeans he found and a fitted t-shirt (Paradisa had given him Comme des Garçons--sweet) out of his wardrobe (an exceptionally stylish wardrobe, naturally, since the castle had based it on his taste), thrown on a pair of boots, and pulled his hair back.
And, of course, he didn't forget the fresh-cut cosmos bouquet. He came down the stairs expecting a woman and hoping for an exceptionally beautiful woman. That had to be her: blonde hair...short...
She couldn't be older than seventeen.
Oh well. Too late now. "Hey there," he said, waving as he approached.
She waved back, smiling. "Hi! You're Youji, right?" She suspected as much from the choice of flowers in his hand. And ... my, she was impressed - he was pretty damn good-looking. She put her hands behind her back, a small laugh escaping her. "Sorry I didn't bring you any flowers," Ino said, scratching her head sheepishly. "I've been busy."
She flipped her hair again, and stepped forward to meet Youji halfway across the entrance room. "But it's nice to meet you!" Ino stuck out her hand, hoping that people shook hands in greeting in his world as well.
Well, at least she was friendly. And cute, yeah, he had to admit that much. He shook her hand with his free one, then offered the bouquet. "Nice to meet you, too," he said, grinning. "Don't worry about the flowers. I've got a bunch in my room now. Reminds me of home, you know?"
She took the bouquet, admiring it for a moment before looking back to Youji. "Actually, I have a big vase full, myself ... but the more the merrier!" She laughed. "And yeah, it does remind you a little of home, huh." She looked back at the flowers, smiling. Now, the next question was ... where to go now? She hadn't forgotten that there was something he couldn't talk about over the journals ... but she didn't want to be pushy.
Ino sighed quietly, before returning to her regular cheerful attitude. "So, where do you wanna go? I'm sure you'd like to sit down after walking down all those stairs, right?"
He'd kind of forgotten that if he could get flowers, so could she. Well, whatever. It was the thought that counted. Women always liked getting flowers.
He laced his hands behind his head. "Hmmm... Actually, I'm only on the second floor," he confided, "but I never pass up a chance to relax. Is there somewhere to get coffee or something?" Oh, but she'd wanted to talk about his other job...well, that required a little privacy. "Somewhere not too crowded, maybe?" he added pointedly.
"Oh, you are?" She blinked. "That's funny, I thought the newer people usually stayed on the higher floors." She shook her head, returning to the subject on hand. "Well, there's always the kitchen to get coffee -- and I think there's tables outside, somewhere." She could have sworn she saw some the last time she had been sneaking around outside the castle. "Does that work?"
"Works for me," he agreed, leading the way to the kitchen, and then to the sweet, sweet coffee (at least he knew where that was -- 'kitchen's on the first floor' was becoming his mantra).
"I dunno how it all happens," he said, referring to the room placement. "I woke up in that room. Maybe I stole somebody else's." He laughed.
Ino nodded, following closely behind. "Could be! People are coming and leaving all the time ... though nobody knows how exactly to get out of here. I think it happens randomly." Like Shikamaru - he had left randomly as well as at a rather inconvenient time. Ino kind of missed him.
"So ... coffee, huh?" She glanced at Youji. She'd never really had coffee before, though she had heard it tasted pretty bad. She wondered why people - Lana especially - made such a big deal out of it.
"That so?" he asked genially. "I hope I randomly get out of here." He stopped suddenly -- what had happened after he'd disappeared? He had a team back home that counted on him; what would they do? Did they think he was dead, or that he'd run away?
They could take care of themselves, he told himself firmly, and set about making the coffee. "I'm not as big a fan as some people are," he admitted, "but it's damn good with cinnamon. Any particular kind you like, or do you not usually drink it?"
"Yeah ... I kinda hope so, too. There's a lot of people I like a lot here, but ... my family, my team and my village is waiting for me at home." Ino smiled, though there was a little tinge of sadness. She really did miss the people at home, as interesting as the people were here.
"Well, actually, I've never actually had coffee before ... " She laughed. "I know some people who really like it, but I haven't really found a reason to drink any." That, and she had seen what happened when you drank too much of it. Energy - and too much of it. That could be unhealthy.
Youji laughed at that. "Never had coffee?" he said. "Well don't worry, I won't make it too strong." When he'd finished making it, he handed one mug to Ino and lead the way back out, towards the front door.
"So you're a ninja," he said, taking a sip as he walked. "Do you use shuriken and stuff like that?" He mimicked throwing one.
Ino looked down into the mug. Hmm .. it smelled kind of funny. She decided she'd give it a try, though. She blew on the liquid, waiting for it to cool down a little before trying it. She hoped it tasted alright - she would hate to make some kind of weird face and make herself look stupid.
"Yeah, we do," Ino nodded. "Kunai, too." She held onto the hot mug with one hand and slid a kunai swiftly out of the pouch on her leg, twirling it in the air before holding it out for him to view it. "Though most people don't seem to know these as well as shuriken."
He grinned, impressed (and surprised that she took them everywhere, but he tried not to look it; after all, she'd said being a ninja was normal where she came from). "That's crazy," he said appreciatively. "Never thought I'd meet a ninja. Guess it must be a nice break to be here away from the work, huh?"
Speaking of nice breaks, it was nice to see the sky as he pushed open the front door (and held it for her, of course).
Ino put the kunai back where she had gotten it and walked through the door to the outside, smiling at Youji and nodding in thanks for holding the door for her. She took the mug back into both hands and blew on it again. She looked up at the sky as well before answering.
"Yeah, it's nice. But once you get used to going on missions all the time, it can get boring pretty fast when you're not." She laughed. "Luckily I've found a few ways to occupy myself." She turned on her heel to face Youji, smiling.
Youji wasn't sure he'd agree with that one, but then again, he'd only been there for a few days. ...Then again, he thought that if he ever missed the kind of missions he did, he'd have to get his head checked. "It'd be a shame to get bored," he said, smiling vaguely.
The tables were outside by the garden, as she'd said, and they were (blissfully) empty. He set his mug down on the nearest one and pulled out a chair for her.
"Yeah," she agreed. Ino blinked for a moment before sitting down on the chair Youji had pulled out for her happily. "It's nice to see some people have manners around here," she remarked, setting the cup down on the table. She flipped her hair back before leaning over to blow on the coffee again. There was no way she was risking burning her tongue, that was for sure.
She waited until Youji had seated himself before continuing. "... You must be pretty bored too, though; if you were doing something exciting at home. Besides the flowers, that is." She laughed again.
e didn't respond to the manners remark except with a smile, and took a sip of his own coffee again, leaning back in his chair. Despite being what he considered too young, she was fun -- more so than he'd expected.
"Well," he began, leaning forward again, "not really. See, my other job's not so pleasant. Although, I guess with your line of work, you won't think it sounds so strange." He took another sip, mentally praising himself for the excellent coffee. "That's why I thought it'd be okay to tell you, but not anybody else." He paused. It was weird to be telling somebody this. "I'm an assassin. Actually."
"Oh, really?" He was right - it didn't sound strange at all to her. She guessed he had his reasons for not wanting to talk about it over the journal, though. "Sounds interesting!" She smiled, and finally leaned over to take a sip of the coffee. She swallowed quickly, blinking for a moment as her brain tried to process her initial reaction.
"... Wow, this is actually pretty good," she said, a tone of amazement in her voice. She took another sip before continuing. "Ninja do that kind of thing, too. Well, sometimes. It depends on the client - some people just want escorts, other people want information ... you get the idea." Another sip. Hmm, she'd have to have this stuff more often.
Youji almost choked on his coffee. "'Sounds interesting,' she says," he muttered, wondering at how differently she must've grown up to have that kind of attitude. "Well, I'd appreciate it if you didn't tell anybody else. I, uh, don't know if everyone else would be so accepting." He paused and mumbled into his cup, "Besides, you never know -- might need to use the skills, and the element of surprise would help. And thanks," he added, referring to the coffee with a grin. "Told you I'd make it good."
Ino smiled. "Yeah, I understand! Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She laughed at his last reason for keeping it secret. She understood that as well, though she hadn't really been practicing that same tactic in Paradisa. She took another sip, letting out a pleased "mmm". Setting the cup down, she glanced at Youji. "What'd you put in it?"
"Cinnamon, milk, and sugar," he said. "Sometimes chocolate, too. Some people think that's too much sweet for coffee, but I tell 'em nobody makes it better. Oh! Hey, I hate to bring up other people here," not that this was a date just because she was female, he reminded himself, "but you haven't seen a guy with an eyepatch and white hair, have you? Or maybe a German guy with red hair?"
"Hmm." Ino stared back into the coffee. It was definitely something she'd have to have again later. She looked back up, slightly surprised by the question. Those descriptions sounded slightly familiar, but there was no way she would know for sure if she knew them or not. "Do those people have names?" she asked, teasing a little, but mostly wanting to help. "I'd probably know them better from reading something they wrote than seeing them around." Not to mention the fact that she had no idea what a German was. But if he said the names, then it'd probably be pretty easy to tell if she'd seen them around or not.
"Oh, yeah," Youji said, grinning a little sheepishly. He was still adjusting to a life lived largely through journals. "One's Farfarello and one's Schuldig."
They were the most noticeable, he reasoned. Hopefully they weren't here at all, but if they were, he wanted to know before they realized he was there.
"Ah!" Ino exclaimed. She'd definitely heard that first name before. "Farfarello. Is he ... really, really creepy and weird, by any chance?" She didn't care if she was being blunt - it was the truth, and if it was the same one he was looking for, then it would be pretty obvious based on the description, right? "'Cause if he is, I've seen him around. You know him?"
Youji's face fell. "Aw fuck," he groaned, then quickly covered his mouth. "Er, sorry." He sighed and pushed a hand through his hair (dislodging it in the process; he'd forgotten that it was tied back). Well, at least that was one less bastard to bother the team. They'd be on more or less equal ground.
He, on the other hand, did not want to deal with Farfarello alone. "Yeah, you could say I know him," he said. "How many people has he killed so far, do you know?"
"It's alright, I've heard worse." She grinned. She leaned back, trying to think of the answer to his question. "... Only one, I think." She pondered this for a moment. It was just that Bart kid, right? "... Yeah, only one. But don't worry - nobody can die permanently here." She flipped her hair back again. "Mostly he's just been teaching everyone really weird bullshit. Like how blind mice eat people ... or something. I've learned to ignore his handwriting."
Youji grinned back. "Yeah, he's a real psycho. If you ever see him in the hall, or the kitchen, or whatever, stay away from him."
He blinked, and Farfarello temporarily went to the back of his mind. "Sorry, did you just say nobody can die permanently?"
She saluted Youji, mostly in jest. "Gotcha."
Ino blinked, confused. Had he not heard that already? "Yeah, that's what I said." She paused, mentally preparing herself to explain how she figured this out. "Well ... it's kind of a long story, but a friend of mine accidentally killed six or seven people a few months ago. They came back from the dead a few weeks later. Anyone who's died so far has come back. So, we came to the conclusion that death here isn't permanent. Pretty convenient, huh?" She took another sip of the coffee. It was getting a little cold, now. Oops.
Well, that was easily the most mind-blowing thing he'd heard since coming here. He sank down in his chair a little, taking his mug with him. "You can't die?" he muttered, mainly to himself. Convenient, sure, but it sort of cut the last remaining tie this place had with reality. ...Whatever reality was.
"On that note," it really wasn't, but whatever, he felt like getting drunk, "you seem kinda young to drink, but do you know if there's a bar around here, or something?"
She nodded. "Sorry, I ... thought you already knew. I guess you really haven't been here that long." She frowned, tucking a loose hair behind her ear.
"In town, I think," she said, not bothering to comment on her age. "I bet if you ask the castle, one'll like ... appear in your room, or something." She grinned. The whole 'get whatever you want when you ask for it' thing was so very convenient.
He considered that for a moment. It was probably true, but then again, did he want to drink alone?
No, no he didn't. Besides, there was no chance he was going to meet ladies in his room. Well, at least now he knew there was one. There'd be time for that later.
"How long've you been here?" he asked, taking a sip of coffee and making a face. Cold.
Ino pondered that question and his quick change of subject, tapping her mug quietly with her fingernail. "... About ... four months now. Maybe a little longer." She smiled, though it was a weak one. "A long time."
"Shit," agreed Youji, then grinned ruefully and slapped his forehead. "Argh, sorry. Not used to talking to girls." And that made it sound like he was some kind of loser, so he added, "Uh, I mean...not...like this. Not outside clubs and stuff, unless I'm on a date. But anyway...yeah, that is a long time."
She giggled at that, covering her mouth with her hand. "Really, it's alright! I've heard much worse. Hell, I've been called much worse." She was just glad that Youji hadn't jumped on the 'let's-make-fun-of-Ino-because-she's-pretty' train.
"Whaaaat? Not you," said Youji, grinning wider and painfully aware that he was flirting. He couldn't help it, really. "By guys or girls?"
"Yes me," she said, grinning. "Mostly guys. You must not have been around for that entry I made telling everyone to stop calling me a prostitute. I don't know if people think it's funny or they really hate me." She sighed. Gatts calling her that was bad enough ... but now that he didn't do it, everybody else had. She paused. "... But I'm not, really." Just in case he believed the others.
Youji laughed. "That's pretty harsh; you don't seem like it. They must be jealous." She must have done something to piss somebody off; he couldn't see anything about her at least on the surface that would cause anyone to randomly call her that. "What kind of guy would call a girl that, anyway?"
He didn't know her very well, true; but he liked her, and he decided that if he heard anybody saying something like that, he'd have to set them straight.
"They probably are. I just don't get it." She blew at her bangs in irritation. This topic was starting to make her a little annoyed. "And obviously, a bunch of the guys here. Well ... the first one to call me that stopped, but that's probably because I saved his life. But everyone else is just stupid I guess."
She ventured to take another sip of the coffee. ... Yeah, it definitely tasted gross cold. "Bleh ... this isn't as good when it's cold."
He laughed again, rocking his chair on its back legs. "Yeah, you don't drink it cold. I mean, some people like it with ice, but those people are crazy. Oh hey," he rerouted his own train of thought as something else occurred to him, "I hope this isn't a stupid question, but since you've never had coffee, have you ever had hot chocolate?"
Hot chocolate? No, she'd never had that, either. It sounded a lot tastier than coffee had, though. "No, I haven't. We ... mostly just had tea or water back at home. Is it good?"
Youji rolled his eyes, not at her lack of beverage-related experience, but as if to say it was amazing (which it was, he thought). "Kinda weird to drink it in the middle of the day -- it's more like for a cold night, or a cold early morning, or something -- but yeah, it's good. Better than coffee, if you have a sweet tooth."
"Mm." She nodded to indicate she understood. "I think I'd probably like that better, then. I like things like pudding and fruit, you know?" She leaned back and yawned. "Ooh ... I'm getting tired. It's getting pretty dark out, too," she said, stretching her arms.
"Hm? Oh, yeah, so it is," said Youji mildly, although he'd noticed. He got up and took her mug. "I'll bring these back to the kitchen," he said. "Walk you back to the door?"
She smiled, standing up and flipping her hair back. He really was nice - it was a pleasant change from all the idiots she'd been putting up with recently. "Alright~" Ino said, and followed him back into the castle.