un: weaseling

[deuteranope]

so bumble got me thinking
well first of all maverick's the "cafe" run by (you fucking guessed it) maverick (that's me) will still be just inside the lum dorms for weekdays even though there'll be fucking cameras around I guess

no more popsicles since that one asshole took off and won't answer his fucking phone but there's plenty of hot chocolate, temp tattoos, and bumble has so graciously agreed to provide cookies on occasion.
the tats are kinda in limited supply but hey that's what markers are for
and if you want someone educating on tattoos, it's gotta be me I'm great
all this cafe shit is supposed to be for rounding up loose kids but if you need a sugar rush I ain't gonna stop you
unless like...it sounds super fucking funny at the time

anyway second of all, the part she actually got me thinking about
I checked with Mama and she said the camera crew is staying somewhere else so her base has space

if you need some time (like a couple days) minus a kiddo or they just can't fucking be around during that tv shit because they look or act like a freak show
reserve a room at INN OF ATROPOS
weirdo-friendly, respects your privacy, nice as shit, food's kickass, the manager's a total babe, you get the idea
normally she'd super fucking frown on just dumping a kid at her doors but she gets this shit is kinda a weird circumstance

also let it be known I will literally bash your fucking head in if you fuck up Mama's inn, whether that you is big or little just saying

Comments

[foolishjustice]

The Detective Prince is what adults back home want to see. An unfailingly polite young man without a confrontational bone in his body. We have a real fucking problem with people prioritizing staying out of trouble over standing up for themselves. Hell, there was a case back in Tokyo where some Olympian athlete turned gym teacher was being an abusive fuckwad, and his victims were actively covering for him to avoid making waves.

It pisses me off, but I'm already doing everything I can to change it by working as a detective.

[deuteranope]

[...He's thinking maybe he should close the laptop now.

Instead of doing that, he finds Homeward Bound, rents it, and sets his kidself up with it while he goes ahead and plops himself down on Akechi's bed like that's exactly where he belongs. What kinda nerd book you got here, anyway...]

Sounds like a real shitpit over there. Shitty stuff and shitty people are everywhere, but everything you say makes me want to never even step foot on a plane headed there.

[foolishjustice]

[Looks like a Cryptoliterature book, something about some ancient mythology.]

I've been wanting to leave the country my whole fucking life. Getting a chance to study abroad was almost more exciting than finding out I had magic. I can't say there aren't some good things, but the entire culture has shit priorities.

[deuteranope]

[...Damn, he might actually have to sneak that away to read for himself sometime. But that's not why he's over here!!! Yeah. He's here to set that bony elbow against Akechi and be a nuisance.]

-- Hey, speaking of which. How was Marseille? Any souvenirs, or did you just get all dolled up?

[foolishjustice]

It was fun. They had us staying in a fancy as hell hotel, with free meals and spa access. I didn't get much in the way of physical souvenirs, but...

[He pulls out his phone and opens up a photo album titled 'Marsaille'. It's...rather large, and full of photos of landmarks and cityscapes, including the fancy hotel in question.]

I did take a fuckton of photos.

[deuteranope]

Goddamn, Mama's gonna wanna fucking kill me for sure.

[He can tell that already just little thumbnails. He cocks his wrist in a request for Akechi to pass him the phone so he can scroll through things.]

There someplace you wanna go? Now that you've got a taste for travel.

[foolishjustice]

[He hands over the phone, then adjusts to sit up more properly.]

My dream is to visit as many different countries as I can. I want to learn about what it's like to live in different parts of the world...though, having a foster sibling from America makes visiting there a high priority. It's part of why my English is so good.

[deuteranope]

[That gets Mav's attention briefly before he goes back to scrolling through the phone.]

Mm. Mama's American, so I kinda fucking get that. Didn't know you had a cool sibling?

[foolishjustice]

Neither did I.

We got taken into the same household when I was twelve, but lost touch after she got sent back to America, so...I didn't really want to talk about her much. Then she just turned up here out of the fucking blue.

[deuteranope]

Huh. Fucking weird.

[Good? But super weird.]

What was wrong with that place? Something had to have fucked up there, right?

CW: child abuse discussion

[foolishjustice]

What wasn't wrong with it. They only picked us because we looked different, like those fucking misprints that are more valuable than the regular versions. We were supposed to look pretty and behave ourselves, and any time we set even a fucking toe out of line...

[He sets his book down to rub his arm.]

It was Hell. It finally ended when we burned their goddamn nightmare house to the ground.

[deuteranope]

[Welp. Feeling less good about laying next to this dude, now, even if he did smell nice,]

Like, with them inside, orrrr...?

[because, uh. uhhh.]

[foolishjustice]

No, they were out of the house at the time. As much as we hated them, we weren't about to commit murder. They were pissed about their stuff, of course...my sister took the blame, and that's why she got sent back to America. I got kicked back to the orphanage, until I managed to make a case for emancipation.

They're in prison now, since they were pretty shit people all around. I was smart enough to save some papers pointing to illegal activity before it burned.

[deuteranope]

[Phew. Now he can relax and think about the rest of what Akechi's said.]

Dude, your luck is seriously shit. [Damn, Marseille is pretty.] So you were supposed to be like exotic dolls, or something? What's so fucking different about you? Your hair's lighter, but is that really that nuts?

[foolishjustice]

Lighter and softer, I have a very unusual hair texture for Japan. I also have red eyes, which is pretty damn rare wherever you go.

[deuteranope]

[squints]

You have red eyes?

[foolishjustice]

A very reddish brown, yeah. In proper lighting, they actually look a lot like rust stains.

[Or dried blood...but he's not going to say that part.]

People are assholes about that, too.

[deuteranope]

Huh...

[That's

weird.

and now he might be wondering if the fire was caused through magical means and Akechi is half-daemon or Contracted or some shit, BUT ANYWAY (oh shit being half-daemon would actually play into the bastard thing pretty easily.........he's cracking the case)]

Course they are, pauper, people are assholes about fucking anything and everything.

[foolishjustice]

I've heard enough vampire jokes to last a lifetime, especially since I can't fucking stand the taste of metal. But colored contacts are expensive as hell, and only pretentious assholes wear sunglasses inside, so...

[Shrug.]

[deuteranope]

[Mav looks over to where Ricky is, and sure enough, the boy is peeking up over the laptop at where they are. He tries to offer a reassuring smile, but...mm. He's never been good at that. At any rate, the boy goes back to his movie.]

Here I thought you were all about pretending to be a pretentious asshole!

[as he idly switches over to the messaging app and selects himself as the recipient so he can type out a message to show Akechi.

don't mention vampires while the kid is around

Just...it'll be easier.]

[foolishjustice]

[He glances at the screen, then nods.]

I pretend to be a stuck-up asshole. Wearing sunglasses where you don't need them just gives off an arrogant as fuck 'I'm so far above you, you don't even get to look me in the eye' impression, which is very different from my efforts to seem relatable to the right people.

[deuteranope]

Meh. Assholes are assholes. As fucking exemplified by the implication that I'm not "the right people," because you sure as fuck weren't relatable to me like that.

[But wheeee, he gets to look through the pictures some more.]

But yeah, I'll be fucking merciless about giving you shit if you start wearing sunglasses indoors.

[foolishjustice]

To be honest, you're not. You aren't the kind of person who makes for a valuable connection to move up in the world...if anything, you're the sort a 'good detective' should be disapproving of. It's bullshit, but even my social life is normally attached to my public image.

Though, you'd be surprised how many teenagers find the polite act 'aloof and mysterious' enough to trip over themselves trying to get my attention. I feel more like a fucking idol than a celebrity detective.

[deuteranope]

You're such a fucking shit.

[Rude!!! And he's going to be rude right back by jabbing his elbow harder into Akechi's side. He's the best right kind of people, or...something. Ha!!]

[foolishjustice]

[He takes the elbow without so much of a flinch, though Mav might notice he's a bit bony, and returns fire with a shoulder shove.]

Maybe, but I'm a fucking shit with damn useful connections.