soul_campaign | [ 03: February 13th

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[ 03: February 13th | Video ]

[The feed switches on to Kanji sitting in a chair facing backward, though the frame only catches the bottom half of his face as he pulled his arm back. He was never good at filming...]

...Yo. Had a lotta shit to do lately, so this entry's kinda late.

[And that was when an odd jingling started from somewhere behind him. The teen ignored it, taking a fist and slapping it against an open palm.]

I partnered up with Tifa! We're livin' in Death City Heights, Building 6, so don't bother lookin' in Murder Manor or Creeping Crypts.

[A lopsided grin.] Heheh... Witches're seriously screwed now!

[And with that, he cuts off the feed to the public, opens up a private message and hesitates, heart pounding. He could do this. He could do this...!]

[Private: Naoto]

[He'd turned his head away before the private feed started, arms tightly folded as clammy hands were balled into fists.]

Y-... y-y'free tomorrow!?

[Did his voice crack? Of course it did.]

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[She nods and looks away.]

Hm... we'll see how I'm feeling tomorrow.

[Definitely.]

I-if you're still feelin' pretty shitty tomorrow, it ain't a big deal. You just focus on gettin' better.

[He shrugged casually, but gently, considering she was leaning on him.]

You're tough. You've bounced back from worse.

I will.

[She feels him shift up, but not bad. She's still comfortable.]

I know, but illnesses are not like injuries. It can get worse before getting better... [Or just remain going downhill.]

[Piff and piffle to your pessimism.]

...I got a bag fulla snacks n' drinks. [Among other things, but that was a surprise.]

I'm ready to ride this shit out with you, whether it gets worse or not.

[Forever pessimistic]

Oh... that's what the Duffel bag is for. [She had meant to inquire, but it slipped her mind almost immediately] You... don't have to stay.

[He nodded. Eeyup. That's what the bag was for.]

...But I want to.

[He knew all too well how shitty it was to be holed up by yourself, sick as a dog.]

[He wanted to? That didn't make much sense to her. She was ill; it would be disgusting not to mention boring]

... I'm not going to be able to convince you to leave, am I?

[He probably had better things to do.]

[Didn't matter to him.]

Nope.

[He crossed one ankle over the other. The masses can deal with not seeing him today.]

[Kanji, you're an odd one alright.]

... I apologies now if I... well... get sick.

[Not meaning worse, but how else to say 'vomit' politely.]

[There really was no polite way to say 'vomit', but he knew pretty much every nickname for the action. 'Technicolor yawn' was one of Kanji's favorites out of the sheer weirdness of it.]

...Uh... y-yer gonna warn me if you feel like somethin's comin' up, right?

[He should probably find some of those funny-looking bins. The supply closet probably had some, right?]

[Kanji, you're a very interesting individual.]

I'll do my best to.

[The idea of expelling what little she had consumed around one of her closest friends was humiliating.]

[He nodded, and decided to go grab those bins. He reached and shifted the pillows a little...]

Gonna get somethin' to... uh, get sick in.

[...and made sure she had a little support before he rather hesitantly slid off the bed to go get them, opening several drawers in that open closet to go looking for them. Kanji had to stop and shudder when he saw some of the things sitting in there, though... the catheter tubes and needles made his stomach turn.]

Alright.

[She remains where he sets her and nods, resuming her work on the one saltine. What was in the drawers were just standard and in case. It wasn't like Naoto did need them.]

[He was so damn glad for that. Making a face at those other items, he found what he was looking for in a small stack of emesis basins. Kanji wouldn't know what to do with them if they were filled, exactly, but it was better than getting stuff on her, the bedsheets, or him.]

[He'd set them on the table within arm's reach as he returned to his spot on the bed. He offered her the water. Crackers always liked to dry out the mouth.]

[Damn it... he wished he'd been back there in New York.]

[She wasn't getting ill that often; they would be fine. For now, Naoto just quietly sipped some water after finishing the first cracker, glad that it managed to stay down.]

[Better having too many than... n-not enough.]

[His communicator decided to beep then, and he went to answer that. Right... he'd been vague to Tifa on where he'd gone. He sent a quick recap...]

Arisato-san doin' okay, by the way?

[... True.]

[Naoto slowly chewed on a new saltine while Kanji informed Tifa of his whereabouts]

Yes, he's fine.

[A reply notif: Should she bring a change or clothes or anything like that? His face stung a little when he replied that he'd thought of that all ready but thanked her anyway.]

Cool.

[And a ping. He took a moment to read the reply. Decided to relay only half of it.]

...Sh-she hopes you feel better soon.

[The mirror was turned lengthwise, and he fiddled with it some more. Maybe there was tic-tac-toe or hangman on this thing or something.]

[She nodded. At least her Meister was fine.]

Hm? Oh... thank you, Tifa-san.

[Though, Tifa wasn't here, but Kanji could tell her that, right? Either way, she watched as Kanji fiddled with his communicator.]

[He nodded, and made a point of sending off that reply before resuming his search.]

I've, uh, been meanin' to ask...

[He scratched the back of his head.]

I've had some friends ask me about you, but I dodged sayin' 'her' or 'him'. I-it ain't my place to go around sayin' you're a girl if you don't want it gettin' out for whatever reason, y'know?

S-so...

[He let it hang at that. How this came to mind he didn't even know, but now that he thought about it, he should figure out what Minato uses, what the Agency uses...]

[She blinks, looking up at him, but then, seems to shrink in her spot]

I... don't feel ready to disclose that information freely here. The Agency already knows and Arisato-san is aware from his previous stay, but... not yet.

[She'll get around to admitting what she is eventually, but many people don't seem to care about it right now.]

Yeah, I... know how that feels.

[He wanted to reach out, grab a hand, squeeze... but the nerves kept his hands where they were. Instead he shook his head.]

You take your time with that, yeah? One step at a time.

Mhm...

[Her free hand curled against the bed and she resumed her small nibbling, the second cracker disappearing]

[He settled into the silence, and he couldn't find what he was looking for.]

[...And yet, there was a draw-pad function. He could just use that, pulling out the attached stylus. He began to draw what looked like a backward 7, and six lines beneath. He would try to entertain, damn it!]

...Ever play Hangman?

[She picked up another cracker about to set to work when he asked her about Hangman. She raised an eyebrow]

... Once, but it was some time ago.

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