Shiraishi;

[foxweddings]

Mean girls style

Comments

[foxweddings]

[Good. She's going to lead them wherever the nearest bar is, her focus singleminded in her attempts.

And once they get there, she'll direct Shiraishi to sit before she disappears behind the counter]

I'm not in the mood for anything that isn't likely to burn my throat off, so if you have a request, speak it now.

[felinguistic]

[ he drops himself onto one of the seats and just waves a hand. ]

Nothing that'll fog me up immediately or too quickly.

[foxweddings]

[A hum. She'll note the request and fulfill it, choosing a stiff alcohol that won't churn his stomach on the first couple of shots.

... Though he'll find that Tamamo is unnaturally quiet, and doesn't say anything while she works]

[felinguistic]

[ nice. thank you for the alcohol. ]

...

I don't think I've heard this little from you in this long a period of time.

[foxweddings]

Oh, I can certainly reduce your ears to bloody lumps against your head if you miss the sound of my voice~

[... A huff]

Don't think too deeply about it. I'm simply not in the mood for stupid conversation.

[felinguistic]

Oh, I'm not complaining. Just observing.

[ he takes another sip of his drink and just watches her over the rim of his glass. ]

[foxweddings]

[She's

gonna watch him right back

blatantly so]

Likewise. It is a nice change of pace when you sit there without a quip on your tongue.

[felinguistic]

Oh, I could quip if you really wanted. But if you ripped my throat out and got executed as well it might just push your little detective over the edge.

[foxweddings]

[Normally that would have her at his throat, but...]

Master? He's sturdier than you give him credit for.

[Sipping her own drink casually]

[felinguistic]

I don’t doubt he’s sturdy. And he’d come back from whatever happened eventually, I’m sure.

But he seems like the sort to fixate and attach himself to things, or people.

[foxweddings]

You aren't incorrect.

... It anchors him. And he has many anchors here.

[A shrug]

You, however, seem to anchor yourself to no one.

[felinguistic]

Ah, am I getting a critiquing?

[ he sets the drink down ]

It’s nothing I haven’t already heard, I’m sure.

[foxweddings]

I can tell, as your first assumption was that I would lecture you.

[almost chuckling at that]

I much prefer your way of doing things, and the overwhelming sentiments during the trials are exhausting to watch. Handholding and kindhearted words are a privilege for those with time, and we have very little to spare.

[felinguistic]

Hm.

[ he’s... not surprised, but a little surprised to hear it. ]

Both weeks the person people have wanted to defend has been involved. Although this week was not so clear cut. [ the attitude is familiar and even normal to him, but right now it fits like an ill worn coat. ]

I... objectively I can see their point. Some of them. Listening and coaxing information from someone you have earned the trust of is possible, and might work better in some cases. Or so I’ve been told. [ and seen ]

But not here.

[foxweddings]

... You were not wrong.

[The closest Tamamo will ever get to admitting that she felt a certain type of way, watching some of their shipmates dogpile on him for his logic approach]

We're all strangers trying to survive. For some, it is easy to give that trust. For others, it's near impossible, or we simply don't want to.

-- And that is not accounting for the demons that can wear us like skins.

[felinguistic]

I know.

[ he takes another sip of his drink. ] Expecting and forcing us to trust each other is counter-productive. Trust that you drag out of someone kicking and screaming is worse than not-trusting someone at all. It's wearing a mask and you can't see what it's mutating into under the surface. [ which is a BIT FUCKING RICH COMING FROM THIS GUY but go off i guess, shiraishi. ]

People don't like the truth, at the best of times. Especially when it doesn't suit them. I suppose the shared desire to not be worn like a suit and to go home in one piece isn't enough?

[foxweddings]

Of course it's not enough. You humans do enjoy being coddled, whether for your bad opinions or because you happen to be having a bad time.

[Sipping her own drink]

[felinguistic]

[ he laughs. ]

Yes, yes. We get attached and don't want to believe the worst.

But we'll all be seeing each other again soon if we don't figure this out. Holding hands and sidestepping the facts will just guarantee we all see each other again sooner than hoped.

[foxweddings]

[Glancing at him over the rim of her glass]

Hm. What do you intend to do then? Continue the course in your own way? You've made yourself into quite a target; I'd daresay some on this ship don't like you much.

[felinguistic]

I'm not unwilling to work with people. I can't die here, after all. It'd be a waste.

[ he sighs, a little dramatically. ]

I'm not unused to that. Whether people don't like me or not doesn't bother me.

[foxweddings]

Oh I'm aware you don't care. It makes you a terrible candidate for teasing.

[felinguistic]

Tragic, really. How will you get your kicks now?

[foxweddings]

There's more than one human on this ship, you know. I'll simply torture them in your place. Congratulations on your good fortune~♥

[felinguistic]

I consider myself blessed right now, yes.

[foxweddings]

[A snort. Daresay she almost seems amused]

Well at least you're not so in your feelings that you can't banter properly.