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[survivaltricks]

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[survivaltricks]

[dumping the balls into the makeshift bag. IT'S ONLY TWENTY BALL PIT BALLS BUT LIKE, HERE THEY ARE]

You can look at mine, too. Quid pro quo, right?

[fujimaru]

[ It's better than nothing!! She watches that, the corner of her mouth twitching up into a smile that she can't quite suppress. ]

What, so, I show you mine, you show me yours?

[survivaltricks]

Something like that.

[flashing her a smile of his own]

I don't like to take without giving in return, and vice versa.

[which isn't fully true, in some cases, but in this one he thinks it's very fair]

[fujimaru]

Fair enough.

[ She juggles her burdens enough to fish out her phone. She's a modern teenager, she can absolutely navigate to her profile one-handed, turning to show it to him. ]

You can avert your maidenly eyes now, if you want.

[survivaltricks]

My eyes are not maidenly. They're full of sin.

[he says SO BLANDLY as he also pulls out his phone, navigating to his own profile to share alongside hers]

[fujimaru]

[ She skims it quietly, then looks up at him, completely deadpan. ]

I knew it. You are yakuza.

[survivaltricks]

[EVENLY]

Did I deny it before? I can't remember. Oh no, you found out my secret.

[he's scanning hers too, btw]

[fujimaru]

[ Enjoy the three down for now, because canon updating to post Lostbelt 4 is coming, ]

Kyaaa. I'm so scared now, I've never met a real-life yakuza member.

[survivaltricks]

[WHEEZES]

You didn't seem that terrified back when I kidnapped you. I think you've got way more guts than that.

[fujimaru]

Oh no, I was totally terrified. Shaking in my boots, and so on, and so on.

[survivaltricks]

Uuuuuh huh.

[LIGHTLY AMUSED]

[but he does give a small gestures to her phone]

Not to change the subject-- [definitely to change the subject] -- but. . .

[GESTURES. MORE??? use your words, Akira]

[fujimaru]

Akira-kun, unfortunately, I do not have any psychic powers, dormant or otherwise.

[ USE YOUR WORDS, AKIRA!! ]

[survivaltricks]

Damn. And here I had hoped you'd tap into them the more I gestured at you.

[OKAY, OKAY]

[. . .]

[he sobers up a bit]

It sounds like you've been through a lot.

[fujimaru]

...Aha, that's--...

[ ...

What else can she say? She shrugs. ]

I mean, I'm doing my best. That's the best I can say.

[survivaltricks]

[flashes her a small smile]

Sometimes it's the only thing anyone can say. And that's okay.

[fujimaru]

That's all I've been ever to say.

[ She shrugs. Sometimes, you were never meant to be more than an extra body to pad out numbers, and then suddenly you're The Only One Left. Bad times! ]

[survivaltricks]

[he doesn't even know that part yet!!]

. . . it's not a fight you're battling alone, is it?

[fujimaru]

Yes and no.

[ UNFORTUNATELY, ]

I'm the only one who can do the role I have. But I have a lot of support, so I can't say I'm alone, either.

[survivaltricks]

[. . . he nods at that, satisfied]

If you don't mind me asking-- what is your role?

[fujimaru]

...

[ There's a long pause, and then she takes a deep breath, looking him in the eye, unblinking. ]

The one who'll see it through to the end.

[survivaltricks]

[. . . hah. his lips twitch lightly]

That's. . . a tough role to carry.

But I believe you can do it.

[fujimaru]

Someone has to. And I guess that someone is me.

[ She shrugs a little, lightly. ]

[survivaltricks]

[the protag energy in this one is Strong but also, he's slowly beginning to peg her as That Type (TM)]

[(THAT TYPE TO TAKE ON THE WORLD WITHOUT ASKING FOR ANY SUPPORT IN RETURN--)]

With that kind of pressure, I bet you're pretty excited when you can do normal teenager things, right?

[fujimaru]

[ Wow no one has any idea where you got that idea, Akira, ]

I don't even know if I remember all of what normal teenager things are anymore...

[survivaltricks]

You can experiment. You know. . . do things that feel "normal" to you, and see how you like them. Especially here, right?

We have a pool hall, after all.