thenearshore | [Closed] What happens in fight club stays in fight club...

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[Closed] What happens in fight club stays in fight club...

Who: Shun and Ren
What: Card game ~~assholes~~ antiheroes have a post-fighting-lesson sleepover and talk about their respective dark pasts.
When: May 20th
Where: Nekhbet's Temple
Warnings: Discussion of war and likely PTSD and survivor's guilt at some point, others will be added if they come up.

[Shun and Ren's fighting lessons have become basically routine at this point, every three days like clockwork that's only thrown out of time by the few occasions Shun has to work, in which case it's picked up the next day and the cycle continues. Not even the more brutal lesson on the fourteenth had managed to stop the following one falling in line, and now it's the one after that, and as always, Shun's demanding a rest period afterwards to be sure he doesn't send Ren back out weak enough to make easy pickings.

This time, though, is a little different, because he's not sending Ren back out, and though they discussed this extensively enough a few days ago when Ren suggested it, Shun doesn't really get what the difference between a sleepover and sharing quarters with his allies is. But there is definitely one thing they agreed on when it came to "getting to know each other better", and after coming across from the tiny kitchen with both a jug of water and a pot of the most obnoxiously strong black coffee imaginable, cups already on the little coffee table in the other room, Shun drains a glass of water in about two and a half seconds before he switches to the coffee and gives his guest a level look.]

You did better today than last lesson, but I'd be surprised if you wanted to discuss something that obvious.

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[...This isn't exactly the first time he's seen Shun smile, but compared to this one, he's not sure that other one should count. That one hadn't exactly been a nice smile, just a challenging one.

This one, though, is definitely a nice, genuine smile because he's happy. Ren can't help but squeeze his hand a little again as he smile back. Shun had said a few times that children shouldn't lose their smiles, but Shun should never have lost this one for any length of time either.

And any further sappy thoughts are pushed right out of the way as he feels his stomach rumble uncomfortably.]

Oh, we've been talking for a long time haven't we? Are you hungry? [He doesn't even wait for an answer before he starts getting up.] I'm hungry. What do you think we should do for dinner?

[That interruption of any further thoughts like that seems to work for Shun as well, because he blinks at the noise before looking down at Ren's stomach, and then over to the kitchen. He doesn't really feel hunger as acutely as he used to these days because he's still used to never being full, but if Ren's hungry then they might as well both eat now, and Shun rolls himself over the arm of the chair and onto his feet.]

I don't usually have anything much, but there's a decent stock in the kitchen if you wanted to go through it.

[By "anything much" he usually means leftover stew from the batch he tends to make once or maybe twice a week, but Ren can probably figure that one out himself if he does check given there's still a few containers of it in the fridge.]

Really? I wasn't sure you'd have anything.

[To be honest, Ren would have been fine with and maybe even expected they might drop by the Near Shore to order out or grab something, so he's a little surprised that Shun is fine with sharing whatever it is he already has. Not that he isn't also happy to, and he'll definitely be heading straight for the kitchen...]

[Though he doesn't look altogether surprised by that observation, he does look a little exasperated, because this seems obvious to him.]

Why do you think I have a job if not to buy food? [Then again, he's not sure he's mentioned the issue of how much he distrusts Far Shore food leading to that outcome to Ren anyway. He doesn't really mind going out either, but if there's something here they'll both eat then he doesn't see why it's a problem.

While Shun is accurate in saying the kitchen is decently-stocked, it's in a rather specific way. Almost everything in it is either plain, needing to be prepared, or both - there's fruit in a small bowl under the cupboards with a loaf of bread next to it, some uncooked chicken, fish and mince in the fridge along with an almost staggering variety of vegetables, various other necessities like flour and eggs, about four containers of some kind of thick stew split between fridge and freezer, and some less usable things like meat bones. By Shun's standards, it's a lot of food, given what he's used to, but by anyone else's standards it's about average for the amount a kitchen should have in it, not to mention the general spartan feel of the selections.]

[Ren pauses for a second to thoughtfully tap his chin.]

Oh, that's a good point...

[After all, Shun doesn't seem to want it for anything else useful, like more that two sets of clothes, and he definitely wouldn't be saving up to buy anything frivolous.

He doesn't seem to be splurging on food either, from the look of his kitchen, and it's about what Ren would have expected, if he'd expected anything. Just enough to be useful, not so much that he couldn't eat it all before it want bad. That seems exactly right. Ren makes a beeline for the fridge, and that's pretty much more of the same--and then he spots the contains of stew and immediately has to pull one out to look it over.]

Eeeh, this looks good! Did you make this? [It's so hard to tell from the bottom of the container, you know.] It looks like it would go really well with rice, do you have any? [He pauses thoughtfully again, but goes on before shun can answer:] Well, I guess rice might take too long to make even if you do...

[It seems a little absurd to Shun that he'd forget that point so easily, but then again, it's Ren, so he can't be too surprised. He does still get a faintly annoyed sigh, though.]

You'd think it wouldn't be that hard for you to remember what I don't spend money on, with how excited you seem to get whenever I do something like change clothes.

[Well, he did buy a shirt the other day, but that was a rare exception. It is starting to get to the point now that he's got rather more than he needs just for food and doesn't have much of an idea what to do with the rest, though.

Admittedly, Shun was half expecting Ren to pass over the containers, so when he pulls one out, he raises an eyebrow slightly...though that might also be at Ren's second question.]

Of course I have rice. [It's one of the things they still had some access to during the war and could keep for a little while, after all.] And I make that every week or so. It's what I eat most of the time.

[As usual, the remark is made without shame, and without even any real sense that that's not normal behaviour.]

I wouldn't care about waiting for rice to cook, but if you're that hungry then I doubt you'd wait for it.

Hmm, I don't think I remember you changing clothes...

[It sounds thoughtful and distracted, but also like he's only saying it to mess with him. The innocent smile Shun gets a few moments later probably only makes that more obvious.

And then he goes back to thoughtfully eyeing the container of stew in his hands. He is pretty hungry, but to be honest, the suggestion that they look into doing dinner had been just as much about giving them a break after all the storytelling as it was about his stomach.]

Well, if you don't mind waiting, I don't really mind. We'll need rice in the morning too.

[And with that seemingly decided, Ren stands up again with the stew in hand and lets the refrigerator door fall shut again.]

It must be really good if you don't mind eating it all the time.

[Shun almost wishes Ren was serious about not remembering, and the playful smile gets a bit of a frown back.]

It's not worth remembering, anyway. [His own tone is somewhat dismissive, even if he honestly still doesn't really get why some people take such an interest in the idea of him doing that.

After Ren's apparent decision on the matter of dinner, Shun eyes him for a moment as if to make sure he's being honest about the fact that he doesn't mind waiting, before wasting no time in turning to one of the cupboards and pulling out a bag of rice. It's rather large, definitely the kind of thing that's meant to keep for a while, and probably a strong indicator of how frequently Shun eats rice as well.

While he busies himself with measuring out portions - adding a little extra just in case, since it can be saved if neither of them eats it - turning on the stove and that general area of things, he answers Ren's remark without turning his focus from the food preparation.]

It's fine to me, but I don't make it with anyone's tastes but my own in mind, so by your standards it's probably going to be more bland. [There's a brief hesitation before he says "your standards", like the first word was about to be something else. In any case, given Ren's taken him out to eat before, he figures he knows what he's in for.] You know how low my bar for strong tastes is.

[Good luck in getting him to ever forget about that lack of wardrobe. He will, however, not tease him about it any more than that for now.

While Shun goes about working on the rice, Ren sets the container of stew down and sets about looking through the cupboards for something else to heat it up in or for plates or maybe just to look through the cupboards to see what's there.]

I know. I'm looking forward to it. [Distracted as he sounds, he also sound completely sincere about that.] If I know what you like to make for yourself, I can pick better places to take you to lunch.

[When Ren starts opening cupboards, Shun glances back halfway through adding water to the pot just to see what it is he's doing, and maybe partially because sudden noises nearby still aren't something he's particularly good at ignoring. The cupboards that don't involve food are much less thinly-stocked, since Shun can't really find a reason to distrust food preparation items from the Far Shore the way he does the food. Ren will definitely find an impressive amount of plates, bowls, ramekins, or whatever other heating-up receptacle might come to mind.

The fact that Shun's walking back to the stove again when Ren makes that first remark makes the subtle double-take more clear than it would have been otherwise, since Shun's not looking his way but for the reaction. He considers asking what exactly the hell he's "looking forward" to out of what was just described, but after a moment, he just shakes his head and continues.

As for the issue of knowing what he likes...there's a distinct lack of response for the first several seconds after that which probably say a lot of themselves. However, Shun does reply eventually, still focusing on the stove for what's likely more than just the reason of wanting to get the rice done quickly this time.]

I make what I know. It's been a long time since I had the luxury of thinking of food in terms of "like". [In other words, even he doesn't know what he likes, or likes to make.]

[It's funny how he keeps saying things like that like he thinks it's actually going to discourage him...

Ren misses the small double-take on account of looking over dishes, but the silence after the rest of what he said is hard to miss, and he almost feels like he already knew what Shun as going to say as he says it. Probably because this is far from the first time he's said something like that. And Ren isn't wholly convinced by it either. Shun might not think he cares, but it's very hard to believe someone would repeatedly make and eat something they didn't like at all.]

It's always a good time to start! [Oh, these bowls will work. Ren pulls out four of them, sets two aside for the rice, and starts a new quest for a spoon to dish the stew into the other two.] But I can like or not like things enough for both of us until then.

[Though Shun has his doubts about how receptive he'll be to finding new tastes, at least saying outright he doesn't know means Ren does know what he's getting into taking that up. As such, he doesn't outright dismiss the suggestion, but there is a very faint, somewhat disbelieving snort at the question of timing.

The second thing, however, is much easier to believe, and as Shun covers the rice to let it start cooking, he turns back around towards Ren, leaning against the counter next to the stove.]

I don't doubt that. It's not like you need to go out of your way, anyway. [It's somewhat token resistance at this point, but Shun's still just as bad at taking what he considers "help" as ever.

Also, he's just going to ruin Ren's spoon quest a little by leaning over silently to open one of the drawers on the other side of him, which is full of cutlery.]

[Wow, Shun, way to ruin the fun. Ren huffs a little and snatches one of the larger spoons out of the drawer, before seemingly moodily turning back to his task.]

I'm not going out of my way. I don't do anything I don't want to do.

[At least...that's the way he prefers to go about things. There have definitely been things here that have tried to throw a wrench in that philosophy of his...but mentioning that definitely wouldn't help his point.]

So if it was really going out of my way, I wouldn't be doing it.

[By this point, Shun's seen enough of "moody" Ren to know that if he's being that obvious about it, he's probably not legitimately moody, so he just closes the draw after Ren takes the spoon with the air of someone lacking sympathy to his spoon-related plight.]

You can still want to do something you're going out of your way to do, though that's more an argument in your favour than mine. [Since there's not a great deal else for him to do if the rice is cooking and Ren's handling the stew, he folds his arms and remains where he is, fingers twiching occasionally as if he's restless.] Just don't expect a quick change from me, or you'll end up being disappointed.

[It's a warning, but it's put relatively mildly; Ren's proved by way of continuing training that a long game isn't a problem if he's decided on something.]

I'd be disappointed if there was a quick change. I like you the way you are.

[And maybe he also likes the challenge involved. He does think Shun could be happier and better adjusted with certain things for his own good, but if all of that changed instantly, that would be no fun at all. He's not sure shun would appreciate being called a challenge though.

So instead, he moves right on to hold one of the bowls out for shun to inspect.]

Is that enough or do you want more?

That makes one other person in this entire place. [The dryness of Shun's tone indicates that he's not entirely serious about that, but it's certainly true that just about everyone else he's met here either has multiple complaints about his attitude or is determined to make him a happier person as immediately as they consider possible, which half the time seems to be by the end of whenever they get to the inevitable "you should smile more" or equivalent. Shun mostly just considers it annoying by this point.

When Ren holds out the bowl, Shun barely glances at it - it's basically only so it can't be said he didn't look at all.]

It's enough. [Then again, Shun considers anything that's not no food at all to be "enough" most of the time, hence the not really looking.]

[Wow, so he does have a sense of humor buried in there somewhere. That is hands down his favorite thing that he's learned about Shun so far today.

And if he's going to care that little about how much is in his bowl...Ren nods and sets the bowl down again so he can start filling his own, and maybe possibly accidentally on purpose slips a little more into Shun's bowl while he's at it. Not a whole lot more, but enough so their bowls are even and it won't matter whose is supposed to be whose.

Then he heads over to the microwave to start heating them up. And now he finally, finally feels like he can ask the burning question he's had since like halfway through Shun's story.]

Did you ever find out why Yuto-kun and your sister have those other people who look like them?

[He does, it's just so deadpan that it's impossible to tell he's not being serious a good 99% of the time anyway.

Perhaps thankfully, Shun's glancing over at the stove for a moment when Ren slips that extra into his bowl, so he gets away without Shun picking up on it. Faux accidental is a bit hard to explain away when you're going for an entire other bowl, particularly when it's Shun being dealt with.

Of all the questions Shun was expecting Ren to have after that talk, though, that wasn't really one of them, and since he only knows bits and pieces, he grimaces slightly before replying with a touch of bitterness to his voice.]

No, actually. If there's one in every dimension, it could be something to do with that, but I never saw all of them if that's the case. I just know the ones with Ruri's face each have a bracelet - and Akaba Leo wanted them all for something - and that the ones like Yuto use a dragon that names their summoning method. [Or their dimension. It's kind of hard to tell, but then, Odd-Eyes refers to Pendulum, not Standard.]

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[Closed] What happens in fight club stays in fight club...

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