recolle | here i go again, girls, what's my weakness? [closed]

here i go again, girls, what's my weakness? [closed]

WHO: Heigo and Sigmund Klim / Heigo and Odasaku
WHERE: Heigo's apartment / a Small Nondescript Bar (tm)
WHEN: April 23 / April 17
WHAT: A double duty log! Heigo and Klim bathe and patch up a stray cat in fast-forward while Yakety Sax plays, and on the opposite end of the emotional spectrum, Heigo goes for a drink with Oda and talks about their incredibly dark former lives.
WARNINGS: Not likely for the first, but the second will have talk of violence and probably death caused by said violence. I'll update with specifics if they arise.

KLIM:

[Heigo's sitting out on the balcony with a particularly calm, content Sensei, who finished his leftover sashimi several minutes ago but shows no signs of leaving, when he suddenly decides that this must be the time. It must be some sort of sign. Sensei is letting him know that enough trust has built up between them to change the nature of their interactions.

Which means it's the perfect time to sabotage that - er, to thank him by giving him a thorough flea bath and tending to his minor cuts and abrasions.]

Dr. Klim, I've got a very placid and agreeable Sensei sitting with me right now. How do you feel about going forward with our project?

ODASAKU:

[Just as Heigo warned they might, the proprietor and bartender at his favourite hole in the wall bar both perk up with interest when they see he has company - not, as Oda assumed, because Heigo has talked about him, but because Heigo talked to no one, about no one, and seemed to socialize with no one until recently. Now, with Oda in tow, he's had three different people arrive at the bar with him in April alone.]

Two whiskeys, one on the rocks. [Oh, wait... Heigo glances sidelong at Oda, going slightly pink in the cheeks at his own faux pas.] Is that still what you drink?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Leave it to me! He won't know what hit him!

[More terrifying words may have been spoken, but probably not by anyone showing up at Heigo's apartment doorstep wearing a baby bathtub on their head like a large, somewhat discoloured cowl. Sigmund has the perhaps uncharacteristic grace to look a little embarrassed about it as he sets his armful of bottles, brushes and cat toys down on the floor. Still, how else was he going to get everything up here in one trip? He only has so many hands.]

Sorry, forgot to ask whether you had a tub, so... [Down it goes onto the floor as well, whether it turns out to be necessary or just a fashion statement.] He still out there?

[It must be the embarrassment in Sigmund's expression that causes Heigo to let out a loud, undignified snort of laughter at the sight of him - normally he'd balk at the idea of showing anything but disapproval, but that's funny, and for once he has no time to mask his real reaction.

And go figure that the one time Heigo laughs at Sigmund for looking absurd, he's got a solid reason for it.]

... I don't, actually, just a cube shower. Good thinking. [Being trapped in his shower with a wet, angry stray cat isn't something Heigo would inflict on anyone, but he didn't even consider that part of their plan. He waves Sigmund over to the glass door that leans to the balcony once he's got everything set down - there, curled up on the cheap lawn chair where Heigo has his cigarettes, sleeps the scruffy stray from Heigo's picture.]

That's him. Or maybe her. I haven't looked that closely.

[Still in the process of untangling some cat wands, Sigmund just follows Heigo's gesture from his perch on the floor. Yup, in his professional opinion, that is definitely a cute kitty.] Sure is sleeping soundly, too. [Borderline... insenseite? Ugh, no, don't say that one aloud.]

Alright... we'll want to brush him before getting him wet, but we should get the water ready before any of that. You got pans or something?

[Occasionally, he can be all business! Or at least as all business as someone who walked in with a baby bath on his head can possibly be.]

I've never seen him so relaxed before. Usually he prowls around the balcony crying, eats what I lay out for him, and then bolts as soon as the bowl is clean.

[The clear fondness in Heigo's voice is both rare and quite adorable, given how caustic he usually sounds about most things in his life and the world around him. It's tinged with awe as well, because he really didn't expect Sensei's role in his life to get any bigger and feels chosen in some way now that it is - and because he doesn't understand cats in the slightest, so their odd behavior reads more like Mysterious Ways to him.]

Mmm? [Well, how the turns have tabled! Now it's Heigo who can't seem to focus for longer than a few seconds at a time.] Pans?

Ooh, sounds like someone's in loooove. [Singsong it may be, but Sigmund can't fault him for it. It's kind of heart-warming, really.] Yeah, pans, to fill the tub. Ideally gradually, in case he freaks out. The shower could work too, if there's room.

Oh, I see... [Somehow Heigo didn't expect such a forward-thinking plan from Sigmund, but the man's a scientist and a professor, isn't he? That alone means he must do things in logical, sensible ways sometimes.

Heigo doesn't cook much but he does have a standard kitchenware set, so he's able to dig out an enormous soup pot and a couple of smaller ones for the job. Only once they're all set up and ready to attempt capture does Sigmund's first comment sink in, causing Heigo to snort in belated (and very wry) amusement.]

If I am, it's the most sensible of all the choices my heart has ever made. Now, how should we go about this - try to corner him while he's asleep, or lure him in with food?

[Sigmund lets out a low whistle. Ah, the melodrama of youth. More importantly, they're all set. He withdraws his hand from the baby bath - water level low, temperature not too hot, seems good to him - and gives it a little shake.]

Food first. Trust me, I've got scars. I also have... [...something he should have brought out along with the cat toys, whoops. Please wait warmly while he rummages through his pocket with his drier hand.] ...ta-dah! Cat treats.

[The bag is crumpled and clearly already open, albeit held closed with a small bullclip.]

Shall we deploy? I can count us down...

[He likes countdowns.]

[ odasaku’s certain that the bartender’s newfound interest in him is wholeheartedly misplaced; he’s no one interesting. that said, oda can’t help but find the place kind of charming, reminescent of the memories he’s gotten of the three of them drinking while talking about abilities and women. or, well, listening to them talk. even in his past, it seems like oda was not a talker.

but there’s only two people now... and he’s not sure if heigo remembers the same things as him. for all oda knows, this could be some sort of alternate dimension or maybe heigo (ango?) hates him in his past life or—?! ]

What? [ he blinks a couple times at the question, halting his current train of thought to think of what heigo asked. oh, the whiskey.

he nods. ]

I’m still the same. [ well that’s a lie. ]

[One side of his mouth quirking up in a not-quite-smile, Heigo nods to the bartender to let him know the order was right, then grabs them a table instead of pulling up to the bar. Maybe they won't need the privacy, but with everything so upside-down, Heigo doesn't feel like taking chances.]

Am I? [He only pauses for a second before clarifying:] Not the same as I was in college. I mean the other time we knew each other.

[- ah, that sounds more confrontational than he intended, but he doesn't correct his tone. Now that he's got two memories of attempted murder rattling around in his head, he doesn't feel as inclined to give Oda indefinite leeway about the mysterious picture he's never bothered to mention.]

The other time...?

[ odasaku does his best to sound like he has no clue of what heigo’s saying, but falls flat. though he’s been trying to learn how to lie, there’s still hints that give him away: the way his shoulders tense and his brow furrows shows that he has an idea of what heigo’s referring to.

but he’ll play the fool until he can’t anymore. When the whiskey is placed in front of him, he immediately takes a drink. ]

You do look a bit more tired than before.

[Well, if Oda's going to be evasive, then Heigo will likely have no choice but to get confrontational in response. He swallows his drink in one mouthful when it comes, apparently in need of some liquid courage for this conversation, then looks Oda right in the eye.]

Please don't lie to me about this, Odasaku. I've started to remember things just like everyone said I would, and so far the memories have been nothing but an endless parade of attempts on my life. [He folds his hands around his empty glass too tightly to be comfortable, knuckles blanching white under the strain of his grip.] If you know anything that might help to explain why so many people want me dead, I'd like to know it too.

[ as soon as heigo becomes confrontational, oda knows that he can't hide for much longer behind small talk. his gaze diverts and he faces the glass he's holding so tightly that his knuckles are also white.

somehow, heigo had realized they were from the same place. whether it's because someone told him or because he remembered something involving him, odasaku doesn't know. but to hear that people wanted him dead... ]

I don't know exactly why. [ he raises his glass, also downing it. ] But you worked for the Mafia. As an informant.

The Ma-

[Heigo manages to cut himself off before he can squawk out the truth at a volume people in the adjacent businesses would probably hear, but it's a close thing. Obviously he's considered that his previous self might have dealt in sensitive information, especially when he started remembering such violent and targeted attacks, but it's always seemed too ludicrous to be true. He's in no way suited to such stressful, high-stakes work.

But... apparently he's done it? If the person Oda knew and the person he's remembering do match up?]

That explains a lot, but opens up a whole new set of questions.

Yeah.

[ he signals for another drink which comes a little after. that one he doesn't down in one gulp, but he does take a sip. he feels they're gonna need a couple more of these in order to get through this conversation. ]

You had a different name, too. [ he pauses ] Ango Sakaguchi.

I did know that part already. Shuji called me Ango by mistake, which led to an extremely confusing explanation about how he'd linked me to someone else in his mind based on a photo of yours.

[Given how unlikely it is that Oda would carry such a photo around, Heigo decides not to ask about seeing it for now. He turns his attention to his own fresh drink, thinking with a brief flicker of amusement that they must make a very grim picture for the bartender to hop on refreshing their drinks so fast.]

For the record, I'm not angry that this didn't come up until now. We've had so much ground to cover from the lives we've actually lived that I can see why everything else would have to take a backseat.

[ ah. the photo.

oda's expression doesn't change in the slightest, but his grip on the drink does tighten as he downs the rest of the whiskey in one shot. of course shuji would end up telling heigo about that; keeping a secret is nigh impossible

it's irritating, he has to admit, that shuji went and said that...but it was a mistake. that said, if odasaku hadn't shared it in the first place, then it wouldn't have happened.

he doesn't answer anything that heigo says, immersed in his own thoughts. unlike what heigo thinks, odasaku does carry the picture around with him as a reminder of a life he once had. he takes out his wallet and unfolds the picture, placing it gently on the counter. ]

That's the picture.

[Heigo spends a long time looking down at the picture from where it sits before finally picking it up, his mouth twisting into an uncertain frown. There's something unnerving about the picture that takes him a long time to place, something in his and Oda's dour expressions and all of their stiff poses - like it was taken in the Victorian era, despite their modern fashion.

Also, while he's not surprised to see Oda engaged directly with the camera and himself looking away, he's even more unnerved by the fact that the other man has managed to hide both of his eyes.]

Do you remember this other man? [Heigo makes no move to return the picture yet, still studying it solemnly.] Or - boy? I can't begin to make a guess at his age.

[ heigo wouldn't even need to point at the picture for odasaku to know who he's talking about. still, he turns towards the camera, staring at the dazai who smiles with his unbandaged eye closed.

he wonders what the three of them were thinking at the time of the photo. he wonders what kind of relationship they all shared. it's unnatural for them to share such a tight connection if they didn't share jobs.

but despite the stiff poses, oda's certain that the three of them have never felt more relaxed as they did in that moment. ]

Osamu Dazai. He's an executive of the Mafia, or something like that.

Osamu Dazai...

[Heigo thought it might sound more familiar in his own voice rather than Oda's, but no, it's still not ringing any bells. Brows pinching together in frustration, he hands the picture back at last and sighs heavily.]

Why don't these memories ever come back at convenient times? It would be really handy for me to remember anything about him right now, but - nothing. [Second drink done. Hoo boy, Heigo is racing headlong toward drunkenness with his arms open in welcome.] For all I know, he could be the -

[No, wait, hold on.]

- were you in the Mafia? [Because it seems to Heigo like career criminals would probably stick together. He can't see someone legitimate fitting in with such ease, but maybe it's just him.]

[ it seems that they're both on their way there. although maybe not oda, who holds himself back from ordering a third drink so quickly. he has to drive back home and knows better than to mix drinking, driving, and a heavy conversation topic.

he takes the picture back, folding it up and storing it in his wallet as usual. though he doesn't look any different, odasaku can't help but feel a tinge of discomfort in the pit of his stomach; this shouldn't be what they talk about.

but there's nothing that can be done about it either, in his opinion. so he lets the conversation continue, nodding when heigo asks the obvious question. ]

Yeah. [ it's said dully, as if they were talking about the weather and not the fact that they used to be criminals in the past. ] Lowest ranking member. Guess I was everyone's lackey or something.

And probably still deserved much, much more than that but wouldn't think to ask for it. That's the least surprising part of all this, at least so far.

[Is it, though? Heigo's dishonest and backhanded in his own ways, which he's never denied to or about himself. He puts a good deal of effort into presenting faces other than his own to people. He wants to present a respectable front to the public but does something none of them know about to serve some deeper purpose within himself.

Maybe this alternate career path makes perfect sense for him. He's certainly lost himself in the process of writing his novels so often that he can picture what it might have been like, even if his image is probably too glossy and Hollywood to match the truth.

He crooks a finger at the bartender and waves him over pointedly. "Keep 'em coming," basically.]

Poor Odasaku. Even in memories of a whole different life, you can't escape me.

Absolutely not. I was an assassin before that.

[ the answer comes quick and without any sort of emotion added to it. he might as well be talking about the weather to heigo here, uncaring of whether or not the man ends up reacting negatively to such news.

it's fine, oda thinks. there's nothing negative that heigo can say that oda hasn't thought already. ]

That's alright. If that's how it is, then that's how it'll be.

An assassin...

[Heigo can't help looking slightly stricken at the news, but it's more because of how Oda must feel about it than about how he does himself. He'd desperately like to take Oda's hand and reassure him - if only he had any right to do such a thing anymore.]

These people aren't us. We have their memories now, and they resemble us and have strange, coincidental connections to our current lives, but they're not us. I can't believe that.

[ at those words...odasaku turns to stare at heigo. he looks like a deer in the headlights, caught unaware by the man's attempt to reassure...the both of them. it's natural to have that sort of reaction, or so he supposes. it's probably his own reaction (or lack thereof) that's considered strange.

he considers, for a moment, telling heigo his feelings. the fact that he disagrees with such a statement, that he's slowly coming to believe the fact that he is the person in his memories...

but putting heigo down is just not an option for oda. his gaze lowers and he signals for another drink, but doesn't do anything but hold it in his hands. ]

Lots of people think that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

here i go again, girls, what's my weakness? [closed]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject