I know. [A LITTLE CHEEKILY. He'll keep pushing him along as they approach a corner, humming once Junpei reveals that bit.] Why didn't you? It's alright to tell other people you can still reach us like this.
[At least, that's the first reason that would come to mind? Either way— Junpei will find out where they're going shortly. As soon as they reach the corner, Junpei's vision is going to get a bit... fuzzy. The next thing he knows, they're both standing in the small room at the center of the aquarium.
Please know it was almost the Casino, but it would be Too Soon for Carlos to see another pair of dice. Thanks!!]
[Bro!!! But they're going and he...shrugs. He's not going to tell Carlos why he really didn't tell her, but he can tell him half of the truth.]
I know. But she told me herself...so that means I can trust her. I wanted to see if she'd find out for herself. [...also he didn't want to share Carlos right away so he didn't say shit. Haha. Anyway, he hisses a little when he finds he can't see, blinking rapidly to clear his vision until he notices where they are.
...this is nice, he guesses. He stares at the room, looking to the pile of blankets he'd commandeered for his own earlier in the week before looking at Carlos.]
Now we know. [But he's giving Carlos his own thoughtful look before he begins to move. Come on. Blanket pile. Or take a beanbag. He doesn't care, just stay close enough that you're in sight at all times, Carlos.]
Ah, so you didn't trust her? [It kind of tracks, given how Junpei is... So he'll spare him the friendship speeches for now even if he does frown a little at the reasoning. Also— Junpei, please. He's alone on the other side with Polly. Share a little......
If the swap from one side of the dimension to another bothers Carlos, he doesn't show it. Instead, he glances around, granting himself a moment to take everything in.]
Now we know. [Quietly, nodding in agreement. He'll take a beanbag in a moment, but let him stare at the ass starfish first. Gosh.] You know... I heard Chuuya and Nathan unlocked a couple of things for you, but this is my first time down here.
...I didn't totally trust you at first either, remember? It wasn't just about that. [Not something he's proud of now but he digresses. Also he's sharing now you big baby. God. He grabs a beanbag nearby and scoots closer, staring around the aquarium.]
It's kind of relaxing here. I took a nap down here the other day. [ Hm.] I like watching the fish sometimes.
Can you really not come to this side without us contacting you?
We got there eventually though, didn't we? [You know, after a couple of mutual murder attempts. What's a little death (hah) shared between friends, right? It's fine. He's not judging, just... commenting.
He watches one of the tanks for a moment longer, before shaking his head.]
... It's like I told you before. The ritual wasn't for show. [It'd be nice if it was, but... Well. No point thinking about that, even though he sighs.] I can't cross over to this side without one of you using that app.
Man, I don't know! This whole thing is fucking me up alright? You're like Schrödinger's Carlos and I have to sleep with so many strangers to survive and someone sent me Akane's ring this morning and I have a job where I have to suck a plastic dick! So I'm sorry I just want something that I understand here!
[its not a competition but that might explain some things. ]
That. That definitely explains some things, and Carlos is looking appropriately startled by the outburst. It's only when his words sink in a moment later that he seems to... deflate, an brows furrowing as an apologetic look crosses his face.
[He feels his heart racing and the unsteady intakes of his breath seem to be much louder in his ears than they really are. It wasn't exactly what he meant to say, and he's already prepping to apologize and take it all back and never talk about it ever again but.
Carlos. Says that.
And it gets him to laugh instead. It's uneasy and maybe a little hysterical but there's also amusement as he buries his head in his hands and his shoulders shake with laughter.]
[Polly should have summoned a therapist instead of sex demons.
But since that's not what happened, Carlos is just going to quietly reach over to pat his shoulder. There, there. Laugh the hysteria away.]
... I know things keep getting worse. [He can't shounen his way around that one.] But I made a promise to save you and Akane in another history, and I intend to keep it. You know you can still count on me, right?
[Polly should have just killed Junpei so I don't have to do this tbh. But it's fine. Carlos gives him a shoulder pat and somehow he winds himself down again as he looks straight ahead.]
...it's just...[He doesn't want to admit to it or say it, but.] It's harder when you're not around. Both of you. [No Akane. No Carlos. Just Junpei and his own fucked up head and sex demons.] I worked fine without you guys before, so why...
[...hm. He knows why. C-Team went through things only they would understand. He'll reach into his pocket then and pull out Akane's engagement ring to hold up and show Carlos.]
Do you know anything about this? Or anything you can at least tell me?
... It's not bad to realize you work best with people you [hm] feel close to. That just means you're human. [It was almost "care about." He doesn't want to be presumption, though, even if Akane was definitely included in that sentence. It's fine.
He'll give Junpei's shoulder one last pat when he reaches into his pocket, pulling away to lay his hands on his lap. The engagement ring gets... a look-over. There's a funny expression on Carlos' face, right before he looks away. Those seahorses sure are a good distraction, huh...]
[Being a terrible liar is both a blessing and a curse. Carlos' expression is pinched as Junpei asks him about it again. If he wants to say something, he's obviously weighting the pros and cons.
Can. We have all this... all this information in our heads. But we're not allowed to say most of it. If we try, they'll make sure it comes out as nonsense to everyone else.
[...]
You've heard it before. From me. That's what'll happen if I give you an answer, even if it's a no.
[And, you know, he would rather not deal with that where he can avoid it. Thanks.]
They can go fuck themselves. [Grumbling. But...he feels a little better knowing it's not just that Carlos doesn't want to. With that answered, he figures it might be another role of some kind that he has to find, so...that's a next week problem.
He thinks back to what Carlos said earlier. The sentence wasn't said, but based on what he knows, and knowing Carlos, and even knowing Akane, he can fill in the blanks.
He stares at an ass-starfish instead.]
...I was mad at you until I realized you weren't really gone. [Poor Higekiri got the brunt end of it.] And...there are still things I'm mad at Akane for. [Poor Beck got the brunt end of that.] But you can still say it, man. "It's not bad to realize you work best with people you care about."
[An awkward pause.] I'm not great at it. You know this. But are you really still not sure if I do or not?
[Please don't tell the sex demons to go fuck themselves, Junpei. They can and they probably will.
While Junpei stares at the soon to be defunct ass-starfish, though, the corners of Carlos' lips are going to quirk upwards. He... might have heard about that, yes. He might have also felt bad about that, but with the way things are? There's not much to do about it while he's stuck on the flipside of this dimension. It's only when Junpei is done speaking that he leans back in his beanbag chair, examining the aquarium ceiling for the first time.]
... When you really think about it, we haven't known each other for that long, have we? [Gaining memories from alternate histories made the Decision Game feel like an eternity, when in reality, it only added a couple of hours (at most) to the few days he had known Junpei.] And I did ask you to let me die without explaining what you were agreeing to, first. I'd get it, Junpei, if you decided you were too angry at me.
[It's not quite on the level of accidentally letting the apocalypse happen, but. It's not good either?]
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[At least, that's the first reason that would come to mind? Either way— Junpei will find out where they're going shortly. As soon as they reach the corner, Junpei's vision is going to get a bit... fuzzy. The next thing he knows, they're both standing in the small room at the center of the aquarium.
Please know it was almost the Casino, but it would be Too Soon for Carlos to see another pair of dice. Thanks!!]
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I know. But she told me herself...so that means I can trust her. I wanted to see if she'd find out for herself. [...also he didn't want to share Carlos right away so he didn't say shit. Haha. Anyway, he hisses a little when he finds he can't see, blinking rapidly to clear his vision until he notices where they are.
...this is nice, he guesses. He stares at the room, looking to the pile of blankets he'd commandeered for his own earlier in the week before looking at Carlos.]
Now we know. [But he's giving Carlos his own thoughtful look before he begins to move. Come on. Blanket pile. Or take a beanbag. He doesn't care, just stay close enough that you're in sight at all times, Carlos.]
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If the swap from one side of the dimension to another bothers Carlos, he doesn't show it. Instead, he glances around, granting himself a moment to take everything in.]
Now we know. [Quietly, nodding in agreement. He'll take a beanbag in a moment, but let him stare at the ass starfish first. Gosh.] You know... I heard Chuuya and Nathan unlocked a couple of things for you, but this is my first time down here.
[The aquarium is nice, what the fuck.]
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It's kind of relaxing here. I took a nap down here the other day. [ Hm.] I like watching the fish sometimes.
Can you really not come to this side without us contacting you?
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He watches one of the tanks for a moment longer, before shaking his head.]
... It's like I told you before. The ritual wasn't for show. [It'd be nice if it was, but... Well. No point thinking about that, even though he sighs.] I can't cross over to this side without one of you using that app.
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Yeah... [And it sucks.] It's not surprising it had to be like that, considering the rest of this place.
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......
.........
............]
Are you asking if I'm tired of seeing your nipples?
[HE'S NOT SURE HOW HE'S SUPPOSED TO TAKE THAT??]
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[PUTTING A HAND TO HIS FOREHEAD.............. It's not a competition?!?!?!?! God. He takes a deep breath.]
Look— You have to admit that's a weird question to ask. Where were you going with this, exactly?
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[its not a competition but that might explain some things. ]
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That. That definitely explains some things, and Carlos is looking appropriately startled by the outburst. It's only when his words sink in a moment later that he seems to... deflate, an brows furrowing as an apologetic look crosses his face.
After a moment, very, very quietly:]
... I think your nipples are fine.
[Nailed it.]
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Carlos. Says that.
And it gets him to laugh instead. It's uneasy and maybe a little hysterical but there's also amusement as he buries his head in his hands and his shoulders shake with laughter.]
Dude. [Thanks Carlos.]
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But since that's not what happened, Carlos is just going to quietly reach over to pat his shoulder. There, there. Laugh the hysteria away.]
... I know things keep getting worse. [He can't shounen his way around that one.] But I made a promise to save you and Akane in another history, and I intend to keep it. You know you can still count on me, right?
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...it's just...[He doesn't want to admit to it or say it, but.] It's harder when you're not around. Both of you. [No Akane. No Carlos. Just Junpei and his own fucked up head and sex demons.] I worked fine without you guys before, so why...
[...hm. He knows why. C-Team went through things only they would understand. He'll reach into his pocket then and pull out Akane's engagement ring to hold up and show Carlos.]
Do you know anything about this? Or anything you can at least tell me?
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He'll give Junpei's shoulder one last pat when he reaches into his pocket, pulling away to lay his hands on his lap. The engagement ring gets... a look-over. There's a funny expression on Carlos' face, right before he looks away. Those seahorses sure are a good distraction, huh...]
Have you asked around?
[Hm.]
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Carlos. [No. Nope.] What do you know?
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... And it looks like the cons have won.]
There's nothing I can tell you about that.
[He does sound horribly apologetic, at least.]
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The tone kinda helps, but.]
...can? Or will? [...] Is this like the stuff Chuuya couldn't tell me about when I was asking about my job? Like you're not allowed to say?
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[...]
You've heard it before. From me. That's what'll happen if I give you an answer, even if it's a no.
[And, you know, he would rather not deal with that where he can avoid it. Thanks.]
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He thinks back to what Carlos said earlier. The sentence wasn't said, but based on what he knows, and knowing Carlos, and even knowing Akane, he can fill in the blanks.
He stares at an ass-starfish instead.]
...I was mad at you until I realized you weren't really gone. [Poor Higekiri got the brunt end of it.] And...there are still things I'm mad at Akane for. [Poor Beck got the brunt end of that.] But you can still say it, man. "It's not bad to realize you work best with people you care about."
[An awkward pause.] I'm not great at it. You know this. But are you really still not sure if I do or not?
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While Junpei stares at the soon to be defunct ass-starfish, though, the corners of Carlos' lips are going to quirk upwards. He... might have heard about that, yes. He might have also felt bad about that, but with the way things are? There's not much to do about it while he's stuck on the flipside of this dimension. It's only when Junpei is done speaking that he leans back in his beanbag chair, examining the aquarium ceiling for the first time.]
... When you really think about it, we haven't known each other for that long, have we? [Gaining memories from alternate histories made the Decision Game feel like an eternity, when in reality, it only added a couple of hours (at most) to the few days he had known Junpei.] And I did ask you to let me die without explaining what you were agreeing to, first. I'd get it, Junpei, if you decided you were too angry at me.
[It's not quite on the level of accidentally letting the apocalypse happen, but. It's not good either?]
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