[Returning the squeeze he gives her hand, she nods slowly, curling her fingers around his. Without enough pieces to scrape together a clue, there isn't much to do but go along with this and find out in the moment.]
[A short time skip forward and Bandou's returning from the pick up counter with both of their ordered drinks. He hands Youko hers then settles into the seat beside her.]
[Youko takes the drink with a quiet 'thank you', hands settling around the cup, soaking in the warmth. The apology gets a weak, embarrassed laugh out of her, a joke, and she gives him a gentle nudge with her elbow.]
[It is such a brief return to form, but it does plenty to loosen the tension she carted with her all the way from HOMRA.
Seeing that playful streak bleed out of him though, replaced with an uncharacteristic somberness, is a bit hard to watch. Even as it does clear up the need for secrecy and distance from the bar, all his comrades. She leans forward into his periphery, fingers tapping against the cup in her hands, falling into that measured tone she gets when she is treading lightly.]
You haven't mentioned how that happened. Well... you mentioned shaking Mikoto's hand while it was on fire, but not why you did it.
At first, it was a rebellious thing against my parents.
[The bitterness at just mentioning them isn't hidden in his tone in the slightest.]
I'd skip out on all the after school activities they expected me to do and take the bus out here to Shizume. Hit up an arcade then get back home before they suspected anything.
[Oh, the urge to complain more about them is strong, but that's not the topic he brought her here to talk about. A healthy sip of his coffee helps quell it.]
Anyway, I started hearing people there talk about Mikoto and how he pretty much ran Shizume with his amazing powers. And it kinda pissed me off to come out here to relax only to have to listen to guys brag about being part of this cool clan.
[The bitterness rife in his voice bringing up his parents isn't a surprise — his words were equally caustic the last time they came up, after all — but it does have her leaning her shoulder against him, as if quiet support could blunt the hurt.
The image of him cutting extracurriculars to kill time in an arcade as an act of rebellion is shockingly easy to conjure. As is the idea of him hearing gossip about the king and his clan, and getting up in arms over it. She takes a small sip of her drink, trying to cover the smile threatening to intrude into this serious topic at the thought of how the resulting outburst must have gone.]
Of course not! I was telling a guy at the bus stop about it, who turned out to be Fujishima. He was already a member. And I found out he doesn't like when people brag about being part of HOMRA either. That being there was more like a family than anything and that I should check them out if I didn't believe him.
[A smiles a little at the memory. Who'd think the quietest member would end up inviting one of the soon-to-be loudest.]
Plus, he said the guy who ran the bar they used as their headquarters didn't care about age restrictions on drinks.
[That gets a grin out of him again. Kusanagi probably wishes he had with Bandou.]
[Another fortuitous meeting at a bus stop. That gets a laugh out of her. Maybe there is something about Bandou's fate tying him to those. The way he repeats Fujishima's description of HOMRA, that impressive, brag-worthy gang being 'more like a family than anything', feels like they are circling closer to the crux of the issue.]
And after hearing all of that from him, did you decide to go see for yourself?
Yeah. I was just gonna get a drink and do some covert information gathering, but Totsuka jumped me the moment I walked in! I didn't even get to say anything before he started bugging me about joining!
[Can't you envision Bandou failing back in shock at being outed before he even had the chance to start being sneaky?]
I wanted to be pissed off at all of them. Especially Mikoto, getting to run this clan all because some giant rock chose him. But he held his hand out to me without any judgement, at all. And even gave me a brief pat on the shoulder when I got in.
[It all sounds good, so far. A long awaited acceptance. So why is he groaning in frustration?]
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[He can tell he's making her uncomfortable with how vague he's being, but even so, his voice drops substantially in volume to finish his thought.]
I don't wanna be where any of the guys can hear us talking.
[He tries to reassure her with a brief squeeze of her hand.]
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Okay. So let's go find... somewhere they're not.
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Sorry if I freaked you out back at the bar.
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Sure it's not payback for sneaking up on you?
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[A bit of goofy flirting before his tone settles to something closer to melancholy.]
I've just been thinking a lot about HOMRA and why I joined.
[There's a pause where he simply stares down at the drink in his hands.]
And if I feel the same way now.
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[It is such a brief return to form, but it does plenty to loosen the tension she carted with her all the way from HOMRA.
Seeing that playful streak bleed out of him though, replaced with an uncharacteristic somberness, is a bit hard to watch. Even as it does clear up the need for secrecy and distance from the bar, all his comrades. She leans forward into his periphery, fingers tapping against the cup in her hands, falling into that measured tone she gets when she is treading lightly.]
You haven't mentioned how that happened. Well... you mentioned shaking Mikoto's hand while it was on fire, but not why you did it.
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[The bitterness at just mentioning them isn't hidden in his tone in the slightest.]
I'd skip out on all the after school activities they expected me to do and take the bus out here to Shizume. Hit up an arcade then get back home before they suspected anything.
[Oh, the urge to complain more about them is strong, but that's not the topic he brought her here to talk about. A healthy sip of his coffee helps quell it.]
Anyway, I started hearing people there talk about Mikoto and how he pretty much ran Shizume with his amazing powers. And it kinda pissed me off to come out here to relax only to have to listen to guys brag about being part of this cool clan.
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The image of him cutting extracurriculars to kill time in an arcade as an act of rebellion is shockingly easy to conjure. As is the idea of him hearing gossip about the king and his clan, and getting up in arms over it. She takes a small sip of her drink, trying to cover the smile threatening to intrude into this serious topic at the thought of how the resulting outburst must have gone.]
Which... you didn't just sit still with, right?
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[A smiles a little at the memory. Who'd think the quietest member would end up inviting one of the soon-to-be loudest.]
Plus, he said the guy who ran the bar they used as their headquarters didn't care about age restrictions on drinks.
[That gets a grin out of him again. Kusanagi probably wishes he had with Bandou.]
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[Another fortuitous meeting at a bus stop. That gets a laugh out of her. Maybe there is something about Bandou's fate tying him to those. The way he repeats Fujishima's description of HOMRA, that impressive, brag-worthy gang being 'more like a family than anything', feels like they are circling closer to the crux of the issue.]
And after hearing all of that from him, did you decide to go see for yourself?
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[Can't you envision Bandou failing back in shock at being outed before he even had the chance to start being sneaky?]
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Suffice it to say he was a convincing recruitment officer?
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[with a huff, Bandou leans back into the chair.]
I wanted to be pissed off at all of them. Especially Mikoto, getting to run this clan all because some giant rock chose him. But he held his hand out to me without any judgement, at all. And even gave me a brief pat on the shoulder when I got in.
[It all sounds good, so far. A long awaited acceptance. So why is he groaning in frustration?]