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This has gotta be some kind of… screwed up dream…

[ There's lightly panicked breathing, albeit calm for one who has just woken up in a strange world. Adrenaline is high, but there's no one around for him to blame, nothing around for him to throw.

A blond man in bartending regalia lights a cigarette, unconcerned with the fact that the communications device is making a small documentary: Inside the Pocket, the untold story. There's a grunt of disproval, he obviously realizes something's amiss after a quiet beep alerts him to the piece of technology hidden from view. ]

What the hell is-… a phone…?

[ He's obviously stressed, his voice clipped, strained as though he's trying to keep his wits about him. The feed shakes, the image blurs from a violent motion, a rough hand locked around the camera. A thumb moves and you finally see the man's face.

… He looks quite angry, a tick at his brow, a twitch at his jaw where his teeth are clenched around the filter of his abused cigarette. Like an animal backed into a corner. ]

Spyin' on me now? Tch. I don't get it -- whaddaya want me to do?

[ The image takes on a new angle; Shizuo holds the camera up, pointing it down towards his face at a rather artistic angle and he stares up into it with a squint over his sunglasses as though trying to decipher an unintelligible code. ]

Well… fuck this. Fuck you. Like I'll make it that easy!

[ Expression darkening, the cigarette he can be seen holding snaps between his fingers. The device loses focus immediately, white noise flickering briefly when the uneven ground catches it, managing to land with its camera pointed up at grey sky.

Just in time to record the heel of a dress shoe dropping down on the lens. ]

Problem solved!

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No. Don't worry about it. [ Shizuo flattens his tongue to the roof of his mouth and watches them exchange glances away from both of them to settle into his thoughts. It was surprising he is keeping such a placid expression for everything he was trying to cope with in his head.

He wasn't ashamed and didn't feel one-upped when Sasuke drank his tea without any problem. His logic is sound - he hasn't been without his tolerance for most of his life, everything seems painful now. He feels like a dry, frail leaf. ] Feh. I don't care if I'm distracting you. Stop paying attention if you're having so much trouble.

[ With a scowl, he grabs his tea, leans back against the couch cushions and nurses it, eyeing the two people narrowly over the brim. When his gaze settles on Hong Kong, though, he sighs into his cup. ] Don't mind me. I'll do it, but... [ In English: ] I'm not good at it.

[ Then he regresses to Japanese, obviously perturbed with his own shoddy ability. It's heavily accented. But at least he knows some things. Like how to find a hotel in America. ] I don't need help from that guy.

[ Oi, Sasuke. Don't give away his secrets so easily, yeah? He's not plotting anything right now, so it's unfair to give anyone a biased opinion of him. He's the neutral party here, remember? He merely nods to acknowledge Shizuo's comment about the water, but he's still on the alert regarding the back and forth going on between his two guests. ]

I can always have you guys go to separate corners and cool off, y'know. [ He switches to English. ] Or I can start the lesson now.

[ Take your pick, you two. He's fine with whatever answer you come up with, as long as it doesn't involve destruction of him or his apartment. ]

I am completely calm. [ Hear that? And he even says it in English, punctuating his point with a particularly emotionless expression.

... alright, so it isn't entirely emotionless. There's a bit of irritation showing itself in a barely cocked eyebrow but he does a pretty good job. He had come here to learn, not to be lectured on how to deal with others. That's one of his least favorite things! ]

I am not going to do anything violent here.

I am well. Continue. [ Shizuo drawls in English to counter Sasuke's, nodding mildly to Hong Kong, trying his best to ignore the other. It's hard when there's so much haughtiness in the room, including his own.

Taking a sizeable gulp of his tea, never having been a patient or baby-steps kind of man, Shizuo hums at the sweetness and raises his eyes to the others. ] So whaddaya teachin' us anyway?

[ He asks this in Japanese, the manner completely different from the precise way he pronounces the foreign language. ]

Okay, sure. [ You both said it. He heard it. He's holding you to it. And yes, he's well aware that neither of you are happy about it either. ]

We've been over a lot of basic grammar, so most of what we're doing lately is vocabulary and reading. [ He looks over his shoulder, reaching for a book on the end table. ] I've got a few books for practice. Maybe you can look at them and see where you are.

[ For now, he'll stick with Japanese too, just to start with. He looks over to Sasuke. ] How far are you on the last one I gave you?

[ Do you even need to ask, Hong Kong? Sasuke sips momentarily at his own mug, somehow managing to make his every action seem in some way judgmental. It's a gift. ]

I have finished it. [ He had to stay up late comparing some bits line by line to his notes, but he finished. ] Ah, there was one word I did not know. "Rupture"; I saw it many times. [ Sasuke sounds it out fairly well, the 't' making a hard consonant sound but other than that it's correct.

Another quick glance to Shizuo. Oh, if there's going to be another pupil in here, he's going to be entirely sure not to lose to him. Everything is a competition in his mind. ]

I know grammar. Might be a little rusty, haven't been in school for years. [ If he thinks hard enough though, he can remember some rules. Enough to hold his own against the terror seated across from him. ]

... I'm not one for readin'. [ Books... paying attention long enough would be hard. Maybe he could muscle through a few chapters. And he wanted to seem useful to Hong Kong, so he nodded. ] I'll take a look.

[ If Sasuke didn't stop glancing at him purposefully, though, he wouldn't be held accountable for what he'd try to do. In English: ] May I help you? [ It's polite, but with his acidic tone... not so much. ]

[ Hong Kong will try to divide his attention evenly here. ]

'Rupture' means to burst or be punctured. [ He raises one brow slightly. ] Does that help? It's "rupture" in Japanese. [ With that, he returns his attention to Shizuo. ]

If it looks like it's too advanced or not advanced enough, I can always find something else. And if you wanna practice aloud, that's fine too, of course. Just lemme know, yeah?

[ Since they'll be next door to one another and all. ]

[ Don't mind Sasuke as he continues to practice the new word in English under his breath, voice low as he perfects the initially flawed pronunciation. That's a little bit embarrassing, really. He's completely ignoring Shizuo now save for a brief response to that sardonic question: a simple "I doubt that you could" coming back to the blond in English. At least the room isn't in danger of exploding from tension any longer... right? ]

[ Shizuo silently goes over the word "rupture" in his mind and thinks of the applications. And he snorts. What an appropriate word. ]

Right, I'll let you know. I'm not advanced... but I appreciate it. It'll be a good way to distract myself, I guess. [ He thinks, then adds in English after some time: ] Thank you for... [ Then motions to his drink. ] ... Bev... drink? ... Drink.

[ Saying it aloud has a bit of colour rising to his cheeks, but he seems to tense up at Sasuke's words, fingers digging into his teacup with a pressure that usually would have shattered the frail thing, but only serves to make him more irritated.

He sets down his cup on a side table and leans forward, already having learned how to seethe bitterly in English: ] Shut up.

[ Somehow, watching these two unwittingly tackle a new enemy in the form of the English language is reassuring. ]

You're welcome. [ Hong Kong returns to English for a moment, switching back and forth between English and Japanese easily. ]

Let's try to focus on what we're learning, okay? [ And back to Japanese when it's something he thinks is a little too complicated. ] Nice job on "shut up" though.

[ Sasuke snorts at his companion's misfortune, unable to keep from mouthing the word "beverage" to himself even if he at least stays otherwise silent. What a know-it-all. ]

I am ready to learn. I have been ready. [ There's something almost accusatory in that tone as he continues to speak in English. After all, he hadn't been the one holding everything up. He isn't the distraction here. ]

[ Hong Kong's compliment made his chest swell a bit with secret pride. He says "thank you" again in English, but this time tries to master the "th", grumbling under his breath as he does so. ]

I am sorry. [ He begins in English, eyes dropping... but when they raise, they're pointed sharply at Sasuke. He wished he had his sunglasses on. Glaring in silence would be much easer to hide. Then strains to find more English words: ] I can see the books? Ehhh... I will see... can I see... can I see the books?

[ His previously relaxed sprawl over the couch shifted into a rather tense, edge-of-his-seat kind of posture. It was quite obvious learning wasn't his strong suit. ]

[ Sasuke, you are an insufferable know-it-all. But Hong Kong is a very patient guy, so you're both in luck. ]

Okay, Sasuke, I'll go grab the notebook and you can practice whatever new words you wanna add to the list. [ Then, he turns to Shizuo. ] And I'll bring back a book for you too.

[ He says all of this in English, slowly. Looks between the two of them. ]

I'm only gonna be gone a minute, okay?

[ Read: do not kill each other in my absence. ]

We are all adults. [ If Sasuke were the joking type, this might be considered one. Not only because of the extreme diversity in the room when it came to age but also because it's clear he doesn't think certain people act quite mature enough for the title here. He watches Hong Kong go in silence, the tension in the room thick enough to slice with a knife.

And yet he just continues to sip his tea. And stare. Unrelentingly. ]

So you're from Earth? The same place as Hong Kong, Turkey, China, and all the others? [ It seems like a fair enough assumption. Most people he met seemed to be. ]

Thanks, that sounds alright. [ Nodding, he watches Hong Kong leave the room and plucks his own tea from the side table. The sugary sludge is downed and he breathes an idle sigh before staring at the goopy granules collecting at the bottom of the cup. He doesn't mind the stares aimed at him. He's used to it.

Mildly surprised Sasuke is talking to him, Shizuo looks up with a flat look and leans back into the couch cushions. ] Yeah, but I've never heard of their gang before. I live in Japan. [ A pause, as though contemplating something, before he motions to the other. ] What about you? [ Civil enough! ]

[ Hong Kong keeps an ear on the conversation while he works, but doesn't interrupt the pair. He wants to see what they'll do... all while being perfectly prepared to intervene if necessary.

It's just that it takes him awhile to organize all his things, that's all.

Yeah.

He just needs to carefully select which book he wants to give Shizuo.... ]

[ Hong Kong, you're devious and nosy. ]

A "gang"? They're not cohesive enough to apply that term. They're countries and as such they're fragmented by their own personal interests. [ Or so he's observed. So scholarly and ninja-like. ] Japan was another one of them.

And it's pointless for me to tell you where I came from; you know nothing about it. [ Civil. Right. ]

You don't have to have the same personal interests to be involved in a gang.

[ He knew this for a fact; Ikebukuro was rife with gang activity. Hell, he was in one for a while there. ] Just need somethin' in common. Like country names. Simple as that.

Look, you asked first and I told you. [ Eyebrow twitch. ] The least you could do is answer back, but now I'm not sure I wanna know where pricks like you come from.

Hey, if one of you wants to hang out in my room and study, that's totally cool.

[ Break it up, break it up! Don't make him get involved here. ]

[ Sorry, Hong Kong, it's difficult to hear you over the figurative gnashing of teeth and chest-beating. Hell if he's about to back down and give up his rightful spot in the living room first. ]

I'm telling you that there is no gang. And they aren't just country names; they are countries themselves, in human form. [ Even he has to admit that this sounds farfetched. He'd been dubious himself, at first. ]

I was born in the Fire Country. Like I said, it means nothing to you, so listen next time.

No one told me that. [ He snapped, waving it off. ] I can believe anything, but coming for you, without an explanation, it sounds like horseshit.

[ He bristles though, at the order for him to listen... fully scowling in distaste now, Shizuo leans forward, a hand on his knee, to point directly at Sasuke in a threatening motion. ] You can't make that decision for yourself, what if I wanted to learn about it, huuuh?! Don't be so fuckin' rude to people you just met, I oughta wipe that look right off your face.

[ Rising abruptly, Shizuo presses a hand to his face and looks to Hong Kong, chest heaving. ] I think I gotta go. I should go now. [ The feel of the adrenaline rush makes him huff, hands shaking. ] I don't wanna ruin anythin' of yours or your brother's, so maybe I could just get the books...

[ Hong Kong is looking back and forth between them quickly now. This is definitely escalating a little. ]

Yeah, okay, that's fine. Listen, I'll get the books and if you head next door, I can come over later on, okay? I'll bring some food. [ He makes sure to hand over the books as quickly as possible, kind of awkwardly reaching up to pat Shizuo's shoulder.

... why is he so tall. That is really a thing that is not fair. ]

I hope they help.[ To Sasuke: ]

We can finish in a sec, okay?

[ Sasuke feels torn, really. On the one hand he's glad that Shizuo's leaving and allowing him the simple privilege of the private meeting he'd traveled here for. On the other, that temper had intrigued him. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen Shizuo go off on a little rampage earlier but that had been different.

Still, the blond had some common sense. It's a small space and not their belongings. ]

Hn. Sure, take all the time you need. Seems like it's best if I don't get involved with that guy. [ And again, talking like Shizuo's not there. Addressing him wouldn't be any better on his nerves, he feels. ]

[ Breaths heavy through his nose, Shizuo clenches and unclenches his jaw as he reaches for the books, flinching hard under Hong Kong's touch. He pulls himself away.

Why was this person offering to come over, to see him again, to even bring him food? He looks at the books he clutches with a painful grip. Shouldn't he be afraid, appalled, disgusted? It makes him look down and away. ] Yeah okay. Sorry. [ He replies curtly.

Then Sasuke speaks. His face darkens, scowl deepening. Not trusting his voice, it apparently takes him a colossal effort to let it go, to turn around, to stride for the door and whip it open. He only glares back to grab the handle and close it as gently as he could.

The door shook the items in the room as it slammed. ]

Edited 2012-06-14 14:22 (UTC)

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bauhinia - 2012-06-15 00:41 (UTC) - Expand

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[action] haha, Clara forgot a space

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