minato arisato (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
memori3s) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
expiationnet2024-04-29 03:19 pm
memori3s) wrote in expiationnet2024-04-29 03:19 pm
voice
[ Audio, just for you, Toph. ]
Has anyone seen Sha-Ming? I think he went to Bar Lupin for a night, but he hasn't been back in five days.
[ Good thing there's no video so no one can see Minato's actually mildly concerned about this. On the other hand, the fact that he's bothered to post a message on the network might be giving that away anyways. Also, rent at the inn is due in like two days? Guess who doesn't have the cash to cover two rooms. ]
He left a message for me, something about a "salary man with a bad hairline"? Has anyone seen someone like that?
[ There's a screenshot of a text message attached to the post. It reads: ]
to: minato arisato
yo if i die 2nite the salary man w the bad hairline and glasses did it
DONT THROW MY SHIT AWAY i’ll b back 😩
Has anyone seen Sha-Ming? I think he went to Bar Lupin for a night, but he hasn't been back in five days.
[ Good thing there's no video so no one can see Minato's actually mildly concerned about this. On the other hand, the fact that he's bothered to post a message on the network might be giving that away anyways. Also, rent at the inn is due in like two days? Guess who doesn't have the cash to cover two rooms. ]
He left a message for me, something about a "salary man with a bad hairline"? Has anyone seen someone like that?
[ There's a screenshot of a text message attached to the post. It reads: ]
to: minato arisato
yo if i die 2nite the salary man w the bad hairline and glasses did it
DONT THROW MY SHIT AWAY i’ll b back 😩
no subject
Sure, no problem. I've been able to save for a while!
[She's had a whole year of grinding part-time jobs and other missions for cash, after all!
Another pause, and then she ventures,] You okay?
no subject
...sorry.
[ No, he should say something else instead, like: ]
Um. ...thanks.
[ A pause of his own. He's definitely more distressed than he'd like to let on, but ultimately he'll be fine. ]
I'll be okay. I just... have a bad feeling about this.
no subject
[Asking others for help was a hard lesson for her to learn, and while she doesn't know if Minato's the same, she doesn't want to discourage him from doing it, either.
Anyway, "I'll be okay" and "I'm okay" are two very different sentiments.]
You wanna come out and look with me? We can check his usual places. I always feel better if I'm acting instead of waiting.
no subject
...okay. I haven't checked City Center yet.
[ Acting does make him feel a little better, but actually getting to that point likely takes a bit longer compared to Kotone. Between the two of them, she's almost certainly the one who's more comfortable immediately jumping into the fray. ]
I can meet you there?
no subject
[Meaning: they're going to walk around for the entire rest of the day looking. It's what she'd done when her Shinjiro had disappeared, even if she'd known he was probably gone. It only seems right to do the same with Minato.]
I'll see you in a bit, okay?
[And she'll hang up if and only if she gets confirmation from him. Time to talk to some of Lupin's staff-! Luckily, she does actually work there, so it's easy to get in and talk to them.]
audio => action
[ With that confirmation, Minato hangs up and casts one final glance at the door with a missing resident.
He heads straight to Bar Lupin. Koromaru's missing from his side, only because the dog's decided to check some spots across Aldrip on his own.
Minato spots Kotone chatting with some of Bar Lupin's staff. They're mostly shaking their heads which doesn't bode very well. He walks over to Kotone and hovers a bit off to her side.
He always looks a bit tired, but it's more pronounced now, indicating he hasn't had a very restful sleep for the past two days. He's forgotten to eat at least three meals a day too, given that he hasn't had much of an appetite. ]
Any luck, Kotone...?
[ Maybe she's managed to learn a thing or two about Sha-Ming's disappearance by asking around? ]
no subject
Anyway, Kotone herself is behind the bar, and while she's still smiling as always, it probably clear to Minato that it's just a reflexive expression, because it's nowhere close to reaching her eyes. She spots him and gives him a distracted nod -- pauses just a moment to really take in his expression -- before going back to talking to her coworkers. Another moment or two of conversation, then she grabs something from behind the bar and waves a cheerful good-bye.
By the time she gets to Minato, her smile has all but disappeared into something more like sympathy, edged with determination as she shakes her head.]
Uh-uh. Nothing stood out. Here.
[Without waiting for confirmation, she takes his hand in hers and plops what she'd grabbed from behind the bar right into his palm -- a bag of peanuts. He looks exhausted, and he probably hasn't slept well, but this is the best she can do for him.]
C'mon, let's go.
no subject
He blinks as she takes his hand and sets a bag of peanuts into it. Minato exhales as his eyes drift shut. It must be dire, he thinks, if he's lost the ability to mask his his state of mind. So he tears the bag of peanuts open and slips a couple of them into his mouth. He'll snack a bit as they head for the Commercial District.
As they walk, Minato swallows a mouthful of peanuts before finally speaking again. ]
Do you think he's dead, Kotone? ...if he is, he'll be back, won't he?
[ That's how things worked here, isn't it? The real concern is if he'd disappeared, or was being held someplace while kept alive. ]
no subject
Some of her smile fades away at the blunt question, a corner of her lip pulling back into something more contemplative. She'd practiced hiding her expressions more with Dazai, to stop people from worrying, and she's drawing on that right now to keep a brightness and lightness to her face and voice. It's hard to strike a balance between reassurance and nonchalance, and she can only hope she's landing on the right side of it.]
Don't know. Was there anybody who'd want to hurt him? [Had there been anybody who'd wanted to hurt Dara, though? It feels like Aldrip's become starkly more dangerous since its expansion.
Her lip quirks up into a smaller smile.] I've known a few people who've died and come back, though. You two are really close, huh?
no subject
[ It's what makes the situation all the more puzzling. On the other hand, death would explain why Koromaru couldn't pick up the man's scent, and death is a more reassuring thought compared to the alternative. At least you came back after dying as opposed to vanishing into thin air.
Kotone's follow-up catches him off guard. Even if it's the natural progression of their conversation, Minato's not sure how to respond. It's tough to put a label to it. They were certainly more than acquaintances, but even the title of "friends" didn't seem to cover it either. ]
...yeah. I guess so. ...do you remember the month when our memories changed?
[ He and Kotone were siblings then, and even after their separation remained close. ]
Everything from then was fake, but... I still remember him taking care of me.
[ And now that their memories had returned, Minato realized the false memories of a warm hand guiding him along as a small child felt exactly the same as the one that staved off his night terrors at the clinic. ]
no subject
[That month hadn't stuck as hard for her as it had for others -- maybe it's because she'd already been in Aldrip so long, it was easier to sort them out. Her relationships with Scott hadn't been too terribly different, and it had been easier to get close to Shinji, but... Minato hadn't been here long before that all had happened, huh? Besides, who is she to judge how fast a friendship forms? It makes complete sense to her.]
He's a good guy, then.
[She doesn't know him well, but if he took care of Minato, really took care of him, enough to inspire this kind of concern -- then he can't be a bad guy.]
no subject
[ He gets the sense that Sha-Ming might disagree, but Minato's always been stubborn about drawing his own conclusions about other people.
A wistful smile makes its way onto his face. ]
...he said I should do the things I want to do, because they make me happy.
[ And that there's no need to be special or important, only that what matters in the end is that he's happy. ]
No one's said that to me before.
[ Maybe Kotone understands, given that they'd had several roles to play in others' lives instead of pursuing their own desires. ]
no subject
He's pretty smart! [Is all she says aloud, though, nodding in solidarity. She takes in a breath, about to tell him she'd had someone who told her the same thing, once. Not the same exact words, but the general idea. But she closes her mouth almost as quickly with a pang of realization. Dazai isn't here anymore, and talking about someone like that who did disappear, maybe forever, isn't what Minato needs right now.
Instead, after a pause that's just a beat too long, she mentally jumps to a different track.]
Did you figure out any of those things yet?
no subject
And though Minato does catch a glimpse of Kotone's torn expression, he chooses not to press. By now, he's figured out that Kotone has her share of secrets. If she wants to share them, she will. If not, he sees no reason to pry. ]
...not yet, no.
[ Minato can already tell it's going to be a work in progress for awhile. But there's no need to rush ahead to uncover it, which is precisely what Sha-Ming had said as well. As far as he knows, there'll be enough time to figure that out. ]
When I figure it out though, maybe I'll share it with you.
[ Finding the currently-missing person would certainly make him happy, but Minato doesn't have any control over that. ]
no subject
[She doesn't know how much Minato initiated hang-outs with his friends, but she's never been shy about it herself. And if it helps keep Minato's mind off the aching loss of someone not being here, then it seems like the least she can do.
Also wow, wait a second- she tosses him a fake-shocked look.]
Hang on, what do you mean, "maybe" you'll share it with me? [said mainly in an attempt to make him smile than any real upset. That's his business if he wants to keep it more personal; she really doesn't mind in the least, as long as they can do something together.]
no subject
I guess that's the only way to find out.
[ Yet another lesson he'd learned during his year with SEES: nothing compares to firsthand experience.
Kotone's strategies seem to be working though, evident by the shift in Minato's expression from somber to more of a neutral pensive. All of this gives him something to think about, to consider doing, after they've managed to find Sha-Ming someday.
He pops a few more nuts into his mouth, only speaking again after he's chewed and swallowed. ]
You're right. ...you'll probably be the first to know.
no subject
[It feels like she's talking to Shinjiro again, those long October nights where they just said together and he urged her to talk about the things she liked, the things she didn't like, the people she met and the things she did. Was it a distraction for him, like she's trying to do for Minato now? Or was it a wish to experience those same things for himself?
She'll never be sure. She knows better than to ask the Shinji here. The least she can do, maybe, is try to give Minato something to think about for the future, instead of dwelling on those who aren't here. Not forgetting, never forgetting, but never forgetting to move forward.]
Is there anything you've always wanted to try, but never have? I'll do it with you!
no subject
He'd never considered what he might like to do in the future. After all, the "future" as a concept always remained a bit abstract and elusive to him. What was the point in considering things down the line, Minato always thought to himself, when he could never imagine himself beyond graduation?
But here's Kotone, earnestly challenging him into coming up with something. ]
I think --
[ Delicate, light pink petals come to mind. ]
...I want to try growing something.
[ A beat. ]
A plant would be nice, getting to see something grow.
no subject
Maybe that's her job here, is to remind Minato of that. To give him the freedom to discover who he is, instead of who the people around him want him to be. Like Dazai had been for her.
If they find Sha-Ming, maybe she'll tell Minato about Dazai. It's not an understatement to say that he really did help shape her into the person she is today, for better or worse.]
Oh, that's a good idea! [And she means it, too. Doing anything more than watering the plants alongside Astralin had seemed like way too much work, but she can appreciate the process. Her smile softens into something warmer as she nods across at him in approval.] You'll have to come by the farmhouse. I'll show you the seeds we have!
[Astralin's farmhouse, not her house, not least because she doesn't live there anymore. It's never been hers, even in that bizarre time when she was its primary caretaker with false memories. The farmhouse itself is covered with plants, and she knows there's plenty of options for Minato to choose from, if he really wants to try it.]
no subject
I'd like that.
[ It definitely means he'll be visiting the farmhouse more often to check on the future plants. Onto his to-do list it goes, a list that's acquiring more and more tasks. It's a good feeling though having things to do, things to keep him busy. It's things to look forward to as well once they've managed to find Sha-Ming. ]
I'll have to stop by sometime soon.