Characters: Takasugi Shinsuke, and whoever wishes to bother him!
Location: either in Takasugi's patrol area (residential quarter, between 12 and 6 pm!) or elsewhere in the city!
Rating: G
Time: November 18, noon onwards
Description:
(
But it's really hard not to make it. )
Comments 132
"How are you doing?" He asked with a smile. "Getting used to your friends here?"
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Takasugi remembered this one also; if for anything, he was pretty sharp. (He also studiously avoided answering that second question, but that went without saying.)
"We met on the training grounds, right?"
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He tilts his head for a bit, lost in his thoughts, and then asks, "are you one of those waiting for someone else to arrive here, or are you one of those waiting to go?"
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That next question, though caught Takasugi off-guard. A bit strange, wasn't it, asking people something like that...
"Excuse me?"
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She saw him from quite a distance away, and the young man looked...well he certainly didn't look happy. Then again, she wasn't sure if she'd actually seen him happy since he arrived, and that didn't sit well with her.
She took a few quick steps, before she called out to him. "Hello, Takasugi-san!" She gave him a friendly wave as she continued to approach him.
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"Tsubaki-dono." the boy immediately bowed. He was one to respect strength, and he knew for a fact that Tsubaki was strong. She was also older than him, which, in his eyes, made her his superior in every possible way.
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"How are you? It appears you managed to get through the attack without being harmed." Her quiet tone indicated her relief to that fact.
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He straightened up on cue, a little perturbed at how nice Tsubaki was. People being nice generally unsettled him, especially when they weren't anything else beyond acquaintances...
...Or well, he liked to think that was the case. The two of them HAD talked, but.
Takasugi shuffled his feet, suddenly at a loss on what to say. That was unlike him; he normally knew what to do in any situation.
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She was heading home with a bag of groceries when she spotted him. She still wasn't certain if what was bothering him (and something was bothering him, if nothing else she could be certain of that) was something he could talk about. But if she'd learned anything, it was that it was better not to leave anyone to deal with it alone.
So she changed her course. Most of what she needed to stock up on today weren't perishable anyway.
"Takasugi!"
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Well, there was one person that he felt obligated to be perfectly normal with. Or to try to be, at least. Takasugi smiled, immediately walking over.
"Need some help with that?"
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It occurred to her as the distance between them closed, that this was the first time they'd spoken face-to-face since the cruise. With everything that had been going on, it was easy to lose track of how long it was, but still...
"It's been a while, hasn't it?"
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Their first meeting felt very distant. Sure, they kept in touch over the network, Takasugi couldn't bring himself to really feel connected to anyone over such a cold, impersonal thing.
Sometimes? It just made him feel lonelier.
"Heading home, or...?"
She likely was given what she was carrying, but it never hurt to be sure.
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Today was no exception, unfortunately. He wasn't the type to nap in the middle of the day, but fatigue had gotten the better of him and he'd ended up missing the beginning of their shift together. Thankfully, he knew their route and timing well enough to be able to catch up with the Weapon eventually, stepping out from a side street as the other walked past. He looked preoccupied and a little unhappy, but that had become unfortunately normal, of late.
"I'm sorry," he commented, giving his partner an apologetic smile. "I still get confused by the clocks sometimes." It was a blatant lie, but that didn't matter.
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"It's all right." the boy smiled. "As long as you're okay."
He was okay, right? Not too tired out, or anything?
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"What about you?" It was a gentle prod. He wasn't going to interfere if Takasugi didn't want to. Souji was fairly sure he'd done more than enough with that spar with Katsura. Takasugi didn't need him fussing over him.
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"Managing, I suppose." A beat. "I don't want to burden you with it, though..."
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As he walked, he tried to think of what he would say to the boy. In some ways, he supposed that the younger Takasugi was much more difficult to handle due to his circumstances here. To know that you've become a monster in the future is no small problem after all, and doubly painful as he had always had that streak, that slightly unnerving lust for battle that would have done little to convince him that things would change. It would take him some time to admit that he'd best try and think of it as they talked rather than attempt to rehearse; after all, they were on new grounds.
He stopped just short of where he knew Takasugi would stop, making no pretense of his purpose.
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Suffice to say, he froze in his tracks the moment he looked up and saw who was waiting for him. No words, nothing, but he didn't move away. Yet.
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"Takasugi..." he began, watching the other carefully. He seemed tired, more tired than he should be. That in itself was worrying; having exhausted himself before this, Katsura knew the warning signs, knew that Takasugi might- would try the same.
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"Right on time for your shift, huh?"
He could feel the bite of his fingernails into his palm.
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