Double-O [Closed]

[goromical]

Characters: Okita Souji and Gorobei Katayama [closed]
Content: An important chat about important people
Setting: 4423 engine room
Time: Evening
Warnings: Perhaps a little sadness from the two guys and Souji being manly, but other than that, nothing.

Comments

[spannertime]

Souji wasn't the best at dealing with emotions. He'd spent so much of his childhood completely detached from feeling much of anything, and as an adult, he'd become quite adept at simply dismissing anything that threatened to bother him for too long.

Somethings, however, couldn't be shoved away so easily, and so he'd resorted to distracting himself in the only way he really knew how--throwing himself into his work. The 4423 probably hadn't been this well maintained since it had been constructed. It also meant he didn't have to see anyone else for long stretches of time.

He wasn't being actively antisocial, though, so when he heard that familiar voice, he extracted himself from one of the cramped little corners he'd been working in, dirty but smiling.

"Hello, Mister Katayama. Did you need something?" He didn't tend to get visitors while he was working.

[goromical]

After a quick, bright smile, Gorobei held up the food. "It is you who needs something, and as I have taken over the duty of Souji-watching for a short while, I am here to provide." He shook his head snorted a bit, but meant all of it as a lighthearted tease. "You mechanics never could figure out how to take care of yourselves. Always leaving it up to the big samurai to make sure you get your daily nutrients and sleep."

He made his way over to Souji while explaining himself, and sat down in the best cleared and least dirty place he could find. Souji looked a little dirty, but not too traumatized or depressed. Still, Gorobei was a bit worried.

"You are hungry, yeah? I haven't seen you in a while, so you must be working hard."

[spannertime]

A flicker of confusion crossed the young man's face, but it was gone quickly enough. Gorobei did seem to be joking about keeping an eye on him, at least. He'd hate to think anyone had seriously thought he needed babysitters.

"I've been busy," he agreed with a nod. "There are a lot of things I can only work on when the ship's not flying." Which was true enough, though he also had a remarkable talent for finding more work for himself regardless of circumstances. "I could eat, though. Let me get cleaned up a bit." It wouldn't take long, there was a sink and a supply of clean towels he kept around for that purpose.

[goromical]

He noticed Souji's brief confusion, but wasn't really sure what would incite it and chose not to ask. Instead, he waited patiently for Souji to clean, content with keeping himself occupied with all the intricate metal machines in the engine room.

"It would make sense that you've been busy, Souji," he called out as Souji cleaned up for the food. Now that Heihachi was gone, and the first mate, who had also known quite a bit about mechanics, Souji was the one left with all the maintenance duties. "I believe you're the only mechanic we have left around here. Although it's very possible that I could be forgetting someone."