008 | OVERFLOW

[godsoffortune]

This is an overflow post for 008 | Sakura 2.0: You Can (Not) Have A Picnic. Please bring any further comments here and link to your threads at the original source.

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[reformedsinner]

Practice!

[Hakkai folds his hands on his knees and glances up at the petals drifting across the sky with a deeply suspicious expression.]

Besides, if I got angry, that wouldn't be good at all....

[gentilitea]

That’s…true. [ At least he’s not too drunk to remember what nearly happened the last time. But more than that… ]

It’s enviable, even.

[reformedsinner]

If you pretend to smile it gets easier eventually!

[This is not the kind of advice someone would give for "actually being cheerful," is it?

Hakkai looks unruffled regardless. It helps that he's well-balanced. His legs are starting to fall asleep, though, because he's slightly less well-balanced than he thought he was. After a few more seconds, he shifts, stretching his feet out in front of him instead and leaning back on his hands.]

[gentilitea]

Er… [ …What is he even supposed to say to that? He rubs at his temples, wondering if he’s heard that right. ]

Surely you jest.

[reformedsinner]

Do I? [He probably should have. He's thinking through a thick fog, and he shouldn't be talking to anyone in this state, much less someone he finds vaguely annoying. It's too likely he'll say something unpleasant.

Belatedly, he manages to stop himself from talking after the one needling little question.]

[gentilitea]

[ Too late—Jakob’s curiosity has been piqued, and that drunkenness ensures that he will be even less polite than usual.

Especially about a topic that’s been bothering him for some time… ]

I can make neither heads nor tails of you, truth be told, and yet you are one of the most personable individuals I have ever met.

[ Or at least, remembered meeting. Details. ]

[reformedsinner]

You really don't know me at all, that's why.

[He laughs, a little: he's much too drunk to control what he's saying, and he's starting to feel that he's a little too drunk to care.]

Of course, I don't know myself either.

[gentilitea]

[ He clicks his tongue, a little irritable now. ]

It is not as if such things are unique to you. [ And that statement might as well have applied to both, come to think of it. ]

In any case, I won’t pry into what little you might remember of your tedious past. I am only here to make amends. [ In the worst possible way, apparently. ]

[reformedsinner]

I'm a shinki. I don't remember any more than you do.

[It's a lie, and it's too straightforward to be a good lie -- those are always the ones leavened with truth. But that's going to have to be the bald-faced lie he sticks with in public until he knows if Gojyo's right after all. If there's something wrong with the spell that's letting him begin to remember more than his name, and if something about the spell going wrong means he'll be marked as a problem...

Yes, he'll keep the lie until he knows whether it's really necessary or -- not.]

Amends. Did you want to apologize?

[gentilitea]

Hmph, as I thought. [ Jakob, who cared little for anyone who wasn’t his master, thankfully didn’t think to read further into that lie, and simply accepted it at face value. He wasn’t one to pry into other people’s business, after all—that would involve him outright caring about other people. ]

I do intend to apologize, yes. But more than that…I wish to learn.

[reformedsinner]

Learn what?

[Hakkai's head is spinning and it's extremely annoying. He rubs his fingertips over his temple, casting a glance sideways at Jakob. Intend to apologize. It's not all that challenging to say you're sorry, in his opinion.

(It's perhaps harder when you really mean it, but he hasn't gotten the sense that Jakob does really mean this, so that's no excuse.)]

[gentilitea]

To catch flies. [ —recalling their last conversation, he doesn’t think to add in further context, difficult as it is to retrieve from the pink-laced slurry of his thoughts. ]

To sweeten the honey, as it were. [ Is he even making less sense than before? He’s not sure. His vision is swimming in cherry blossoms, the sight absolutely sickening now that he understands their properties. ]

[reformedsinner]

Oh. [Hakkai leans forward, laughing quietly under his breath.]

Ah -- is that all... Be polite! Smile a little.

[It's not hard! It might be easier when you don't really care that much. It's gotten harder in cases where he does care, but that's only to be expected, he thinks. Gradually, his laughter trails off.

His advice might not make any more sense than the question, but it's as good as he can offer with his own state of mind.]

[gentilitea]

Keep up that pretense of yours, you mean. [ He’d figured that it’d be something like that. Then again, he might just be misinterpreting any sort of disdain Hakkai might have on the mortal population. ]

I do that often enough. [ Well, he knows his etiquette, anyway. ] But only to the right people. [ i.e. his god. ]

[reformedsinner]

Exactly. Most people don't like to see an honest face.

Hmm... maybe that's your problem. No one likes to think they're the wrong person, either.

[Ah, yes. That sounds more accurate. Jakob's problem getting along with people is that the feeling he shows most of them is contempt....]

[gentilitea]

[ Jakob falls silent at that. Hakkai has a point, at least—dishonesty is the mark of etiquette, or at least it’s shaping up to be. ]

Your insights on the matter are quite profound. [ Er, so to speak. ] I suppose I’ve never really thought much of how people might perceive my actions.

[ From what he can remember, anyway. And hey, his actions are calculated to be off-putting anyway. ]

After all, as shinki, only my master’s opinions truly matter.

[reformedsinner]

[Cynicism is a kind of profundity, after all? Well, maybe so. Hakkai makes a light, thoughtful noise, watching the cherry petals fall with a distrustful stare. They're getting caught in his hair and clothes. He'll have to shower to get all of that scent off.]

As a shinki, the opinions other people have of you reflect on your master, too.

[He'd tried to build a network to support Elsa, but, in the end, that hadn't done any good, had it?]

[gentilitea]

[ He flinches at that. ]

Surely no one considers Lord Roxas to be— [ But then he falls silent again, and vaguely he recalls a conversation which heavily hinted at his own actions causing blight upon his god.

Dammit, guilt sure does crop up at the worst possible moments. ]

If—If a pretense is all it takes…

[reformedsinner]

Ha ha, it's a start, at least.

[It can only help! Hakkai laughs under his breath. There's something just a little disturbing about the laugh; blame it on the drunkenness, perhaps. This whole conversation feels surreal. Giving advice on how to convince people you're friendly? Him? Really?

Who knows -- maybe it'll help something....]

[gentilitea]

[ Wow…you really are about as loopy as Tenpou is, aren’t you… ]

There’s more? [ Gods, he doesn’t know if he can take any more. And Hakkai’s laughter really isn’t helping with that…

Sighing: ]

Then surely it is commendable of you to have kept it up for this long. [ The Stepford smiling? ]

All of this sounds like a great deal of trouble…then again, if I truly must…

[reformedsinner]

[He definitely has his moments. This is one of them.

He's going to regret it intensely once he sobers up, of course. At the moment, he just shakes his head, still giggling a little.]

It's up to you. Sometimes it's a little too much trouble, of course.

[gentilitea]

[ Look there’s cake at the end of the road here. Even if Goku ends up scarfing it all down later on. ]

Ha! [ That, sir, sounds like a challenge. It’s one thing to admit it to himself, after all, but quite another to hear it from someone else. ]

If it may benefit the Lord Roxas in some way then nothing is “too much” for me!

[reformedsinner]

[... If he wanted to manipulate Jakob, it would be far too easy. He's almost doing it accidentally.

Hakkai smiles brightly. It's a good thing he can't think of any reason to manipulate him. Although....]

Roxas... with the dark hood?

[gentilitea]

[ Manipulate at will, Hakkai. More often than not he deserves it, anyway. ]

Indeed. [ He beams, mirroring Hakkai’s smile. ] And a more excellent god there never was. I am truly honored to have been appointed his shinki.

[reformedsinner]

Hmm... well, it's lucky you're getting along.

[Ugh, him. Hakkai's not quite keeping his cheerful smile intact; there's a bit of distaste visible.]