babermetrics | IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

[Again, he's expecting more than that, and when it doesn't come, he's not sure how to feel about it. Relieved, yeah. But he's starting to get into the habit of being ready for fights that never happen, and that feeling only ever serves as a grim reminder of exactly what led to all of this in the first place.

It's still better than actually getting into it with someone over all that shit, though, he thinks. Probably.

He walks alongside her, ignoring their little followers to focus on the conversation instead. Now that most of the tension of the moment has passed, he can take in with full appreciation the sight of Peko in that nurse outfit, too, and that helps things look a little brighter. Damn . . . ]

Huh--ah, not really. Kinda? I dunno if I'd call it investigatin' when I was mostly tryin' to get my ass out o' the way of everyone trying to jab needles in me. I definitely took a couple o' those. I "investigated" the inside of a supply closet for like an hour until they got off my tail, if that's what you mean. Ha ha . . . just kidding.

Why can your necklace talk?!

[Then the rest catches up.]

. . . Why's the newspaper think we're a couple? I mean, we're goin' out tomorrow, but how'd they even know that? It's just one date! You ain't even my first date here! Why would that even be in the paper?

[There are a lot of confusing things happening right now, and he's starting to forget to keep his voice down.

Wait, am I like, newspaper-famous?!]

Why are you so surprised? [ ?!?!?!? has athena maybe forgotten to mention that? ] He's an AI.

[ and in an even louder tone— ] And I have no idea! It was a couple of weeks ago, and some stupid gossip probably saw us talking for the first time and wanted to stir the pot!

I swear, if I ever see that Miss Tattler, I'm going to punch the living daylights outta her!

Heeeey, ain't that kinda harsh?

[I mean, she's implying here that being thought of as Leon's girlfriend is a fate worth punching . . . ouch.]

We're goin' out tomorrow, right? So it's not like we're together-together, but whatever! It's not like you're embarrassed to be seen with me! Right?!

I'm not embarrassed!

I just don't like gossip! It really makes me mad, you know? How would you like it if someone wrote lies about you?

[ just wait til leon finds out she has a boyfriend... from hell. . . oh boy. ]

I guess you got a point, but it kinda depends on what it is. It's publicity too! Actually, it makes me feel kinda cool I totally got in the paper even though I ain't been here long, ha ha! Does that mean people know who I am? No one's said anythin'!

[Oh man, was there a pic of him? Was it a good pic?! Now he's got to track down this paper! She does have a point, but . . . he's still pretty cheerful about this, lies or not.]

--Hey, you got a copy? Not, like, on you, unless it's on the CereVice.

I think there was an online version of the newspaper. Hold on...

[ oh my god leon...

she pulls out her cerevice and scrolls through the network. before showing the copy, though, she says— ]

Promise me you won't laugh!

[ She runs to the nearest room, and for once ViViD seems to work in her favor as there aren't any patients in the room. After waiting for Leon to make it inside, she slams the door shut just before the nurse can come in, locking it. The nurse bangs on the door a few times threateningly, but she gives up when the door doesn't open.

Kyouko leans up against the wall, closing her eyes. Whatever effect is going to come along with that syringe is no doubt going to start soon. ]

What am I gonna laugh at? I wouldn't laugh at datin' you. If I would I wouldn't've asked you out, y'know?

[Heh. He leans in to skim through it; like hell he's going to read all this. He skims for his name, and when he finds it, well.

He laughs.]

Ha ha, what the hell? --I mean, I ain't laughin' at you! I swear! It's not you, it's the article! No usin' judo on me!

[Wait. He reads it over again.]

. . . Hey, it ain't terrible!

[He leans up against the door, just to make extra sure it can't be shoved open from the outside. Not that there aren't other ways to get through a door . . . he knows that as well as anyone. But it feels a little more secure to hold it closed, even if it's not really making any practical difference, and he can hear the nurse wander off when she's not immediately successful getting it open.

Finally he's got a moment to catch his breath, and look Kirigiri over from where he's leaning a few feet away from her. His eyebrows crease with worry; that jab had looked pretty painful, and who the hell knew what would happen to her after being injected?]

. . . Shit. I couldn't help it! You okay? I saw her get you. Didn't she put anything in it? You don't feel like, hic! Like that? That was still brutal!

[But his hiccups are starting to wear off, he's noticing. That's something, at least.]

[ She shakes her head. While it does smart a little, Kyouko can ignore that pain. What she can't ignore, though, is the urge to hug Leon. Without warning, she grabs onto Leon, wrapping her arms around his upper arms awkwardly.

She really hates CERES. ]

Do not move.

[

Hic!

He doesn't move.

It's a struggle, though. He has to actively fight his arms going around her; after his startled hiccup, he makes a low, confused sound in the back of his throat, eyes going wide. What the hell's going on here? Honestly, his first thought is that she's trying to protect him from something. It's the kind of thing you'd say if someone had a wasp in their hair, or maybe if they were being snuck up on from behind by an alien nurse . . .

But there's nothing there, his back is to the door, and this isn't even a little bit how you'd shoo a wasp away! He stands still, as ordered, but after a couple of seconds tick by, this isn't feeling any less. Hug-like.

OH MMMMMAN GETTING HUGGED BY KIRIGIRI GETTING HUGGED BY KIRIGIRI

Finally:]

--Aaaare you sure?!

It's still gossip, no matter how "good" [ she also does the airquotes. ] it is.

[ and don't worry about her flipping leon, it looks like she has no intentions of getting violent with him right now. that's a good sign?? ]

Yes, I am. [ And if you do anything, Leon, she is not responsible for her actions. ]

It must be that shot the nurse gave me... [ And she still can't bring herself to let go. ]

We just need to wait for it to wear off. [ Which, really, is easier said than done especially for someone who doesn't give out hugs every day. ]

[ Well, this is only getting more and more awkward with the moment. Especially since something about Leon's last statement makes him seem a little bit more frustrated with the whole deal, and he looks away while clicking his tongue. ]

Then what am I supposed to say?

[ He won't deny the situation back there was weird, but he was trying not to pry?! You know, trying to be a good person? That sort of thing? He tried so hard and got so far, but in the end... ]

Am I supposed to ask about the person you killed? If you're some sort of psychopath?

[ It's not like it doesn't unnerve him, the idea that Leon probably killed someone with the way he was talking back there.. but on the other hand, Heung Soo's been beating people up for no reason at all until they had to be hospitalized. Maybe he doesn't really have much of a right to speak on that one. ]

It's your business. As long as you're not about to stab me or some other person in this place, I'm not going to pry. [ Because it's not like he'd want someone to pry into his own dirth laundry either, and Leon hasn't seemed weird or like a terrible person before. ]

[He gives a sort of non committal grunt in response to the shut ins thing. He can think of one person who would absolutely be all about ViViD and he doesn't like the idea of lumping her in with shut-ins. Even if she...kind of might actually have some of those tendencies, bless her little gamer heart.]

Well clearly they have ways of forcing us in here, even if we don't want to be. I sure as hell wouldn't be here right now if I had any say in the matter. Here's some good news though.

[He points a few feet away, to the set of stairs leading upwards that they've finally reached. Kuzuryuu was so absorbed in the conversation, he hadn't even noticed how close they were getting until they were almost on top of them.]

Looks like you were right, this was the right way.

I didn't mean the gossip, I meant my beard! And it ain't a soul patch, either!

[THIS NEWSPAPER IS SPREADING LIES AND MISINFORMATION. NOW PEOPLE ARE GOING TO THINK HE HAS A FUCKING SOUL PATCH. THIS CANNOT STAND.]

Those are totally dorky, what the hell!

Ooookaaay . . .

[THIS IS TORTURE.

He blinks down at her, trying to get a look at her expression--but true to his word, he doesn't move. It takes a lot of self-control. Sometimes he has that, when it's important! He has a strong feeling it's important right now.

But he can't help but ask, after a few silent, tense moments.]

. . . D'you not like bein' held or what? Is it just me?

Huh? --Oh! Ha ha, yeah! I kneeeew it!

[(No he hadn't.)

He'd also been absorbed enough in the conversation to not notice, too; it's a lucky thing he hadn't tripped right over the bottom one and fallen on his ass! Fuck yeah! He's so relieved that he pumps a fist in the air--and then turns on his heel to flip off his shitty doppelganger back there for good measure. It's so easy to be brave when you're two steps away from running up the stairs to safety.]

Screw you, CERES! You can force us in here, but you ain't gonna keep us down forever!

'Course I ain't! 'Course I don't want you to ask, what the hell?! So . . . good! Let's keep it like that!

[He crosses his arms, now that his hands are at least kind of clean, and avoids eye contact.]

Who even gives a crap . . .

[But that's kind of the problem.

God, why's that a problem? What the hell's wrong with him that he keeps feeling this way every time he gets exactly what he wants? It's his business. No one cares. He doesn't have to think about it, or talk about it, or explain it. His classmates don't hate him for it. They don't even blame him for it. And they shouldn't, right? It's not like it was his fault. What had happened--it had just happened, and not because he'd started it, either, so . . .

So what's the matter with him?

Forget it, man. This is definitely what he wants, and he's going to take advantage of it if it's being handed to him like this. His shoulders are still tense, hunched up nearly to his cheeks, as if he could sulk so hard he might collapse in on himself or something--but then he lets them drop sharply, with a sigh. It's kind of like relaxing.]

The only people I wanna friggin' stab are CERES for shoving all this bullshit at us in the first place! What the hell was that, huh?! I didn't even try to log in today and here I am gettin' chased by doctors and nurses and jabbed with needles and then whatever the hell that was! Screw that! They deserve whatever's comin' to 'em!

A what?

... what's a soul patch?

[ please educate this poor and misguided soul. ]

It's like a beard that only goes right here, it's dumb as hell!

[He can't demonstrate on himself with his goatee and labret piercing in the way. So he reaches over and swipes his thumb under Athena's lip, in the spot a soul patch would go.]

Oh!

[ she kind of... jerks at the contact, but it doesn't surprise her enough to grab leon by the arm and judo flip him, at least. people need to stop surprising her!! ]

I get it. That's kind of weird... but beards are weird in general.

[ so much for tact. ]

Hey, my beard's awesome! And it's definitely not a soul patch! You don't like it?

[He pulls his hand back, gaze lingering on her lip for a moment despite the horrible insult!]

I dunno, I just think it's troublesome.

I mean, what if it gets stuck between elevator doors and you're inside? That's got to hurt!

[ why is her imagination so insane? ]

IC OVERFLOW AND MISC.

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sorry that we can't all be grandpa rumps!!!

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seriously why would anyone want to be

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