(Untitled)

[usedfuryswipes]

Who: Ken and Youji
Where: Route 29--between New Bark and Cherrytown
When: Couple days after this post.
Summary: Old friends, reunited. Or something.
Rating: PG-13 at most, for Ken's foul mouth.

Log:

Comments

[gentiana_clusii]

"Yeah, but it might make me feel better." Really, he thought he might owe Youji one or two for the stupid acts he'd pulled, past and future, not that Youji himself would know about the latter.

"It's winter, genius. It's gonna be cold and wet. Hold onto your dreams of fire and brimstone until all this starts to melt off, then see how you feel about it." Ken snorted, leaning back on his heels. "As for the job thing, I've not really noticed a critical lack of hours or too many people trying to work the same thing. Second off, once we decide to move on, I hear you can fight other trainers for cash. I've been doing good enough just stocking at the store." Ken glanced down at his cup, swirling the tea about slightly before offering it to Ran to have a drink of. The little creature had developed a fondness for tea.

"I don't know, you tell me. We're camping out here with strange animals that come from balls, with six years between us that by all rights shouldn't really be there...that's just gonna get weirder the more I think on it...anyway, I'm pretty sure logic tipped its hat and skipped town by now."

[coolest_cat]

"Right, right. Apparently my sanity is just more resilient than yours." He smirked slightly, rolling his shoulders back. "It's a terrible burden to shoulder, but I manage it."

He slid a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, and wondered if it was too dangerous to try and light one on the campfire. Or if Ken would try to stop him. There was something, back in there somewhere, that made the thought occur, but Youji was too tired and cold to figure out what.

Sighed, and just looked at the pack. Slow killer. Six years wasn't enough for it to work, but plenty of other things...

"I know it's traditional in sci-fi for the hero not to tell anyone what the future holds. Are you thinking you'll keep to that rule, or will you be my personal Oracle of Delphi?"

Youji wasn't sure what he wanted the answer to be, but best to lay it out on the ground now. His eyes had yet to leave the pack of cigarettes, even as his thoughts slipped backwards in time. To Neu, Asuka, always Asuka, and the scent of her hair, the last sounds of her voice--his hand tightened around the pack unconsciously, thumb pressing against the brand logo nearly hard enough to damage someone's hyoid. He didn't notice that, either; only thinking that no matter what Ken had seen Youji get up to, it couldn't have been worse than that moment.

[usedfuryswipes]

Ken rolled his eyes and resisted the urge to say something along the lines of 'if only you knew.' Neither of them were particularly mentally sound, after all. "We're all mad here."

Ken gave a black look to the cigarettes in Youji's hand--common as they were back home, Ken hated the smell, the taste it left in the back of his mouth even when he wasn't the one smoking the damn things. Not to mention how bad they were for you.

"Neither of us are anywhere near drunk enough for that conversation." And even if they were, Ken wasn't sure it was the best idea. Because it had gotten worse than that moment. In his mind, he could see Youji standing there, a look of crazed desperation on his face, wire wrapped around Aya's neck--ready to kill someone he'd stood by for years, for the chance to forget. Ready to kill all of them. "I'm not sure there's enough booze in this entire place for that."

[coolest_cat]

"I'll drink to that," Youji laughed. An answer answerless; clearly the best option for the circumstance. Youji took it as a no. Had Ken wanted to be honest with him, he would have been. Simple as that.

He slipped the cigarettes back in his pocket, deciding not to risk second degree burns so soon. Even if this next town lacked cars, it had to have lighters, what with all the camping they seemed to expect. Matches, if Ken had started this fire. Ken might look the part with his mussed-up hair, but Youji doubted he was enough of a boy scout to have any idea what to do with two sticks to rub together, amusing though the mental image was.

He couldn't resist a final stab, a quick cast of the dice just to see where they'd land. "I bet you'd tell Omi his future. You clearly like him better than me." He smiled slightly at the Sentret.

"Though I suppose it's possible you predicted that I'm the only one of our compatriots with the right kind of dumb luck to get stuck here, and so wanted to keep down confusion, but I think it's understandable why I balk at crediting you with so much foresight."

Pause.

"Although I will give you the large tent."

[usedfuryswipes]

"Knowing our luck, he'd be even earlier on. You tell me, would you like to be the one to clue Omi in about his family, if he asked you?" Point and match, Ken thought. He didn't think Youji'd press after that.

"If we were switched, I don't think I'd want to know either." Of course, he was saying that from his current vantage point--where he knew full well what had happened over the intervening time. Sometimes he wished he didn't, but...well, wishing never accomplished anything.

"I guess we'll see how much use we get out of it." If the London crew started showing up, they'd probably need another tent. ...mostly because Ken didn't think he could share the tight quarters with Chloe.

[coolest_cat]

"Don't get my hopes up. Now I'm going to spend the rest of this adventure hoping our wunderkind is waiting at the finish line with a plan." Ken was right; Youji was well and ready to drop it, suspicions confirmed. Curiosity piqued, but suspicions confirmed.

Interesting comment, that Ken wouldn't want to know if they were switched. Youji supposed the only way now would be if Aya found himself waking up in that stranger's bed, and from further along in time. He doubted Aya would be kind enough to pull his verbal punches.

Youji looked into his teacup. Hoping never accomplished anything, either. Nor wondering.

And not teasing assassins who could throw him across most rooms, either, but he'd never give that up.

"Mm, I'm sorry I'll be taking up space you could have used for other types of acquaintences."