(no subject)

[tanteiotaku]

Waking up
[Shotaro woke up screaming. Perhaps out of some remembered pain, or his fear had been a bit more than he had let on in front of Terui. His eyes were wide and his face sweaty as he patted himself down. As if he had to verify that yes, indeed, he was still here.

Sadly his foot still wasn't. It would have been nice if they gave it back. It might take the edge off.]

On with his day
[Just because he should be dead didn't mean he didn't have work to do. He made his daily check of the Tip Box in the Lounge before heading to his morning shift at the Gift Shop. After having lunch and doing some reading in the Lounge with his stump propped up on the coffee table, he's off to work again in the Laundry.

He might be a little excessively jumpy today, so it's a great time for people to sneak up on him and clap him on the shoulder.]

Comments

[unquestionable]

[ It hadn't been easy for Ryu to fall asleep the previous night. He was restless and irritable, and had stayed up until early hours reading books and old posts on the network. He told himself he was just being precise and doing his job, but really he was upset by what had happened to Hidari.

When the morning announcements came, he was already wide awake with full intention of seeking him out. He did, however, know that Philip had the right to talk to him first. It was impossible that even death would prevent him from checking his tip box, so that was where he'd be waiting for him. ]

[tanteiotaku]

[And Terui was right. But even having died didn't keep him from reading people.] You look like hell.

[unquestionable]

[ He scoffed, but not in a way that implied he was angry. From the look on his face he seemed relieved. ]

So do you, Hidari.

[tanteiotaku]

[He adjusts his tie and tugs a bit on his shirt collar.] All things considered, I could look worse. Did I miss anything interesting?

[unquestionable]

[ He tensed at that question. ]

I had to tell Philip what happened to you. Did you not think of how hard it would be on him?

[tanteiotaku]

[FUNNY THING THAT.

He wasn't quite ready to start talking about Philip so soon today.] He's stronger than most people give him credit for.

[Well, if he was going to be able to discuss this with anyone, it was either John or Terui, and he found Terui first.] But I may have been a little too quick to make him my partner.

[unquestionable]

He's just a teenager and he cares about you more than anyone else. I don't care how strong you think he is. You hurt him.

[ And that comment was all it took for any sense rationality in his tone to turn to something close to anger. ]

What the hell does that mean?

[tanteiotaku]

[He puts a hand up when Terui's tone changes.] Like you said, he's a kid. Brilliant he may be, he's still just a kid.

[Wiggling his fingers of his left hand, bruised knuckles kind of obvious.]

[unquestionable]

I didn't say he was a kid, I said he was a teenager. Did that shock effect your hearing as well as your brain?

[ When his gaze fell to Hidari's hand, his eyes widened for a short second before he reached forward and clutched the front of his shirt. ]

What did you do to him?!

[tanteiotaku]

[A shrug] Same difference.

I just punched him. And what does it matter to you, anyway?

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

It matters for the same reason I came to you when you were in his position! Have you already forgotten what it's like to lose someone?!

[ He didn't really want to get into another fistfight, so he roughly relinquished his grip. Still, he didn't back up any. ]

If this is what being hard-boiled means, it doesn't suit you one damn bit.

(frozen comment)

[tanteiotaku]

You think I would punch him over something like that? [Are you thick?]

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

I don't know why you did it because you won't tell me. The only thing I'm sure of is that you're a complete idiot.

[ Are you thick? ]

(frozen comment)

[tanteiotaku]

I punched him because he actually shocked the poor girl he was paired with.

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

[ He actually seemed to think for a moment before he responded. That explained why Hidari was so upset. It didn't sit well with Ryu either, but the difference between Philip and Hidari was that Philip was still trying to figure things out. Shotaro should have known better. ]

So what you're expecting is him to respond to everything just like you do?

(frozen comment)

[tanteiotaku]

It has to do with what the Boss was able to tell him before he died. You wouldn't get it because you weren't there.

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

And let me guess: you're not going to tell me anything about it.

(frozen comment)

[tanteiotaku]

Just stay out of it, okay? I'm not going to leave him high and dry.

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

Don't act like I'm not involved. The second Philip contacted me to ask where his partner was, I became a part of this. The second you asked to work with me, I became a part of this. So don't pretend that I don't have a right to be questioning your actions. I do.

(frozen comment)

[tanteiotaku]

Says the guy that won't answer any. [He huffs, fidgets with his hat and finally relents.] First, the only places Philip has any memory of are this prison, and the facility he was in before that. It was a test facility, run by some kind of syndicate, where he was being exploited for his Branch of Sin. The Boss told him the sins he had to count up were for not making his own decisions. And by going on to play their game how they wanted him to yesterday, he wasn't doing that.

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

[ Ryu hadn't actually expected an explanation, let alone a detailed one. The truth ran deeper than he had ever begun to imagine. Philip had been treated as nothing more than a lab rat, then. In a way he could understand Hidari's anger. Had he been in his position, he probably would have done the same thing. Maybe even worse. Still, he wasn't in the right. ]

Then teach him how.

(frozen comment)

[tanteiotaku]

[He trusts you, whether you like it or not.]

I'm working on it. Taking care of him was a hell of a last assignment from the boss.

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

It's not something you can't handle. Just don't do it the wrong way.

(frozen comment)

[tanteiotaku]

Could it be you're actually worried about us?

[It's not that he didn't appreciate it. It's just kind of unexpected.]

(frozen comment)

[unquestionable]

[ He scoffed. ]

Don't be an idiot. The only thing I'm doing it making sure my associates know how to get along like adults.

[ Not entirely true. ]