017 | video | September 23, Thursday afternoon

[ih8spiders]

[The video feed starts abruptly, and for a few seconds there's a dizzying view of the ceiling as the communicator shudders and settles to a stop on a flat surface. The perspective is odd; it's upside down, and there's someone's arms on both sides of the camera, leading up to a pale face

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[Action]

[alphaspider]

[He'd been on the way back up from the lounge when he sees the post, just after scrolling through other network posts -- girls wanting to talk to him. Kuroro spends a few minutes in the hallway replying to them, counting minutes to give Kurapika some time to cool down, before making his way inside.]

[Action]

[ih8spiders]

[Kurapika's calmed down by this time. More or less. He's still seated at the couch, with the communicator on the coffee table in front of him--looks up and over his shoulder at hearing Kuroro coming in, and for perhaps a second or two gets this indecisive, shifty look as if he's thinking of asking something, but the moment passes and he turns back to stare at whatever it is that's held his interest since accidentally making that post.]

[Action]

[alphaspider]

[This is something Kuroro is less good at than all the other things he's good at. Comforting people. Because Kuroro never really comforts people so much as bullies their troubles out of them with plain and cold logic, and feelings sometimes don't fall so neatly into that. Sometimes.]

[He makes his way inside and to the kitchen, considering what to drink and just ending up with tap water instead.]

We'll get them all back eventually, you know. [Lightly.]

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[ih8spiders]

[Monk would be horrified that Kuroro's drinking water directly from the pipes. But that's not what he's worried about.]

... What would you do if I were one of those taken?

[The question comes out odd and stiff, and very indirect. He's trying to figure out what he should do now that he's been sufficiently roused--and he'd somehow started wondering what Kuroro would do in his situation. As if the answer might point him in the right direction, but that can't be right. Why is he even considering basing his decision on what Kuroro would do?

But he's already asked it. It would be interesting seeing how the meister would reply.]

[Action]

[alphaspider]

[He ponders on this question. The automatic answer would be to say that he'll try to get Kurapika back, but realistically speaking, he would know very few things about the kidnappings themselves to do much, and that might stop him. In the first place, Kurapika wasn't yet in his Geneiryodan, and even if he was, Kuroro never had an obligation to rescue any one of them from their own troubles. The Ryodan were very independent individuals, and if Kuroro wasn't going to extend that to them, why should he for a kid who used to want him dead

[Action]

[ih8spiders]

[And the question of where he should even begin looking for the kidnappers is exactly the reason why he hasn't rushed out yet, why he didn't run out the moment he heard that Ash had also been kidnapped. Kurapika is well aware that haring off recklessly is a stupid move, and by now he's gone through it enough times to know what usually happens whenever he loses control--the consequences often embarrassing, especially whenever Kuroro's involved.

In any case, while a search and rescue mission would normally be a walk in the park for the both of them if they'd been in their world, they're not natives of this one. The most practical thing to do is to let the people who are familiar with this world conduct the searching, and just offer help once needed

[Action]

[alphaspider]

[It seems to be the right answer, judging by the less taut shoulders. It's not often that honesty gets him somewhere, given that his usual frame of mind might equate to ruthlessness and greed to someone else. But it worked, and that also makes him a little satisfied, if still uncertain why his answer is that way. No use musing on it for now -- he's a man of different whims, and Death City offers him a lot of freedom to pursue whims.]

[He finds it safe to join Kurapika on the couch without the blond tensing up on him, so Kuroro makes his way over and sits down next to the kid.]

Something different's bound to happen soon. And then we'll make our move.

[Action]

[ih8spiders]

[He's never been good at waiting. It's one of his biggest faults, especially if his emotions are involved--always impatient, always rushing after results. It blinds him to pitfalls in his path, and he's already endangered more than one person in the past because of it. He's doing better with the waiting thing now, but it's ridiculous that it had to take him getting yanked here and Kuroro forcing him to see that he possessed a reckless streak before he realized it. Can he be blamed for it? It worked when he still had nen, when he had to rely on the element of surprise to overcome the gap in numbers and experience.

But the mindset doesn't seem to be acceptable here, and he's been struggling to adjust.]

... You're joining the people planning on going out to the desert tomorrow?

[doesn't move even as Kuroro sits beside him, except maybe to tuck his feet closer to himself so he's not quite so sprawled out anymore]

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[alphaspider]

Birds and stones. You know the saying.

[Right now, he's just being languid, casually friendly, sprawling a little himself but not encroaching on Kurapika's space too much. Just a little bit more than usual.]

[Action]

[ih8spiders]

[The relatively neutral expression on his face turns suspicious as he tries to figure out what Kuroro means with his reply.]

You mean you have another motive for volunteering for the search?

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[alphaspider]

I always have multiple motives for anything that I do. [Lightly, just stating a fact.] There are very few exceptions, and this isn't one of them.

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[ih8spiders]

[He sighs--the sound like someone letting out the last bits of tension he's been holding in.]

And here I thought you were being oddly altruistic.

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[Very good, Kurapika. Kuroro notes it at the back of his mind.]

It would be good if the rest of them thought that. The idea's pretty funny, though.

[Action]

[ih8spiders]

[The tension is from a lot of things: worry over Watson and Ash, guilt over his own helplessness and indecision, confusion at Kuroro volunteering to go on the mission when he can't even make himself decide immediately. To find out that there are actually ulterior motives at play, to know that Kuroro hasn't suddenly turned good and compassionate overnight feels like the world has righted itself under him, if even for a little bit, and he can go back to grousing at the meister.]

I'm sure some of others are smart enough to know that you probably only volunteered for the heck of it.

[Action]

[alphaspider]

[Isn't it funny when Kuroro's natural asshole disposition is what anchors you to calm reality? Kuroro's grin brightens.]

The beautiful thing about it is that they're grudgingly grateful for it anyway. The Zoldyck kid is going.

[Action]

[ih8spiders]

[Bah. It's just that he's unused to you being an upstanding citizen! Feels like it's going to start snowing in the middle of the desert or something.]

That's how it goes normally, you know. You do something nice, people thank you for it.