expiationnet | text / anonymous (before the last day of the party)

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text / anonymous (before the last day of the party)

[Rolo's not generally bothered by what anyone thinks, but somehow this feels like an extremely embarrassing thing to have to ask, so he sticks with posting anonymously like he has been so far.]

How does one go about "forming bonds" with people on purpose?

[ don't laugh please he has literally only ever stumbled into this by accident ]

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[To his credit, he really is trying to understand. It's just frustrating between how much it clashes with how he'd always been taught to think, and how clear it makes it that he's still nowhere near close to being a normal human. The grand gesture towards free will that he'd put so much weight on feels like a baby step at this point, and that stings.]

What kind of stuff do you even talk about or do together?

well
what kind of stuff do you like?
most people talk about stuff they like or find interesting
over food might be a good start
or you could spar or play a game??

[ ....suddenly even more embarrassed to admit he's never really just done shit because he likes it orz ]

I can spar, I guess? It just doesn't feel all that different from how I always trained, though.

how did you train before?

I had various people assigned to train me with different weapons and techniques, and someone that oversaw my progress and decided what I needed to work on.

[hoo boy.]

yeah for one thing anyone you're trying to hang out with by sparring isn't literally getting paid to

it's for fun

Is training supposed to be fun?

[He can't say he's ever particularly enjoyed it...]

it can be!
but a spar isn't always training, either
sometimes it's just something to pass time

I'm not really built for fighting face to face. It's more for emergencies. I don't know if sparring with me would be fun for anyone who actually knows what they're doing.

i mean you don't have to
it's just one option

[hm. maybe a new angle.]

what's your favorite thing to do by yourself?

[It takes a bit before his response comes through. He has to think about it, and...he comes up with nothing. The only things he can truly remember enjoying were things he did with Lelouch while Lelouch's memories were altered. Cooking and doing laundry and participating in school events and such. Would he have liked any of that if not for Lelouch? Probably not. His brother had just made even chores and doing homework feel warm and happy.

He's anonymous here, at least, so he might as well be honest.]

I don't know. I've never really done anything strictly for leisure.

seriously? never??

[OOF that's so bad though? it wasn't even that bad with Barnaby, who's spent his whole life fixated on revenge.]

okay listen
what's something you WANT to do, maybe that you haven't before?
we'll go do it

[get BEFRIENDED, anon]

[It's gonna be so much worse when he finds out this is a kid.]

"We"? You don't even know me.

so? all friends were strangers to each other once
cmon, what do you say?

[He's hesitant and skeptical, but he's also got a threat from the Council hanging over his head, so...]

Alright.

[yesss success]

great!
name a place and i'll be there

[. . .]

[Thirty seconds later:]

maybe with directions from the inn ... i'm still finding my way around here

[He almost points out that he's pretty new as well, but he's actually done a thorough survey of Aldrip and generally knows where shit is, even if he hasn't actually gone into many places. He fumbles for a bit trying to think up a location before just latching onto something someone else suggested.]

Ok. I've never gone to an arcade before.

[And here he spells out the directions from the inn to Game Parade, before making his way over in that direction himself.

This is stupid. He doesn't even know who he's heading to meet.]

[It's definitely a flaw in Kotetsu's plan, which he absolutely 100% didn't consider until he actually got to the arcade. Barnaby would probably be shaking his head at him right about now, but look, it's okay, because he has an IDEA. The tablet was a little unwieldy to bring with him to the arcade, but he does have the charm, so once he's in the building, he sends a message with the voice to text function, but maybe Rolo just hears him embarrassingly calling into it.]

Helloooooo, I'm here!!!

[Rolo absolutely does hear and see the man embarassingly calling into his charm, and the subsequent ping on Rolo's tablet only confirms it. It almost has his turning right back around and leaving, but he sucks it up and approaches.]

H-hi...

[He's quite possibly younger than expected, mid-teens and kinda scrawny.]

[Ah .... Kotetsu had gotten the impression this person probably had a messed up childhood when he'd said he'd never done anything for fun, but the kid certainly is younger and smaller than Kotetsu expected.

At the back of his mind, he resolves that if he ever meets whoever was making this kid fight and not do anything for himself, he's going to punch them in the face. A lot. Despite that, he smiles and waves at the kid, trying to look as friendly and nonthreatening as possible.]

Hey. I'm Kotetsu. What's your name?

[It's not quite that he's intimidated. All things considered, there aren't many people he'd really consider a threat to him, at least in a physical sense. But there's definitely wariness as he looks the guy over, like he's looking for the other shoe that's about to drop. It still seems strange to him that any complete stranger would be so eager to come hang out with him, let alone this grown-ass man.]

Rolo.

[He keeps his hands to himself, no attempt at a handshake or wave or whatever. He doesn't know what to do with them, honestly, and settles for fiddling with his old cell phone in his pocket as he glances around the arcade.]

I've, uh...never tried games like these before.

[Or any at all, really.]

[Kotetsu's always had a soft spot for kids, and Rolo in particular doesn't look very much older than his daughter. If he was at all apprehensive about the idea in the first place--which he wasn't very, frankly, considering the person was looking to learn about how to make friends--he certainly wasn't now.

Rolo doesn't wave back or shake his hand, but that's fine. He's perfectly willing to be enthusiastic enough for the both of them until the kid gets comfortable.]

They're pretty fun! I remember playing a lot of similar ones with my kid when she was little.

[Just casually slipping that in there. You can trust him, see. Look how super subtle he is. Wow.]

[The enthusiasm is a lot. If not for his time spent in the student council enduring Milly, he might have been a little overwhelmed. Well, a little more overwhelmed.]

...You have a kid?

[That mostly just makes him feel like this is an even weirder potential friendship. This person could literally be his father.]

Yeah! She's just a bit younger than you, I think.

[Kotetsu sees no problem with this. All children are honorary adoptees over here.]

[Rolo feels kinda awkward just standing there by the entrance, so he slowly begins to wander down an aisle of game machines, assuming will follow.]

And you don't think that's...well, weird?

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action?

action!!

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