[He doesn't know what exactly he was expecting for her reason to be here. A delayed punch in the shoulder perhaps? Maybe an actual knife in his lung for calling her -chan on the network that one time? Could've been anything.
Iced coffee wasn't it. He takes it and just.. holds it for a second. Then smiles at her and closes the door.]
If I only brought one for me, you'd either steal half of it, or spend the whole time pining for one. [ Her voice is a little muffled at first, by the helmet, but once he takes the drink from her hand it gives her freedom enough to finagle it off. The helmet's mostly red in color, but there's a little green heart stenciled on one side; instead of up in its usual buns, her hair is tied up only to the pigtail stage — it's the only way to get the helmet on, really. Now that she's free, though, she takes a drink of her own coffee and looks around his new digs.
Predictably, it's mostly boxes. She sets the helmet down on one of the stacks. ]
[Okay he feels better seeing her face and not talking to a helmet. While she does that, he just leans against his kitchen counter and sips his coffee.]
Probably. Between my stuff from the last 6 months, my stuff from the three years before, to the stuff Hiro left after I was gone... [He rubs at the back of his head irritated a little. He doesn't mind showing her that side.]
Barely unpacked the clothes I'm wearing this week.
[ It's an irritation she knows well. Her own belongings were things she had to scramble to recollect, trying to find where they'd gone when the chain of custodians had been long broken — and becoming custodian, again, to chains she isn't certain will ever be mended. Even just regular moving sucks.
She'd never really settled in Jeopardy when she moved there on her own. Coming back to Heropa only went as well as it did because she let Jaime handle it all, she too miserable about everything else to care one way or another back then.
Uh-- I've got a few things unpacked to eat and drink out of. [A few plates, a bowl, and some glasses in the sink. There's silverware somewhere in the mess whiel the rest is still packed.]
Hungry?
[Another sip. What if he just lives off this coffee for the next day and a half? He's sure it's fine, he's done worse.]
[ She leans against the wall with her own coffee, but. Well, she is still wearing her shoes, and clearly they both know that whatever Tadashi has in his fridge is not going to be what either of them want right now.
And that... really wasn't a request, was it. Has she always been this bossy? (Yes. She is always this bossy.) ]
[ On the way out, once again Ruka opts for the stairs—is there an elevator? probably. did she pass it on the way to the stairwell? probably. did she even look at he elevator? no—but going down is always the easier trip. She's taken her helmet with her, and once they're outside...
Does Tadashi have a car of his own? Probably, but Ruka just beelines right to her bike where.... of course. She has a spare helmet. ]
Here.
[ It's a monster of a bike — in that, honestly, it kind of looks more like a beast or an animal than most motorcycles do. Custom build, obviously, but the outer chassis masks a lot of the bike's combustive parts, and the mount for the headlamp is more rounded than most. It's a cool machine. ]
[Surprising everyone, he actually does not have a car! He was used to not having one back home, just his little suped up vespa, but here? Never really felt the need to buy one. So he'll take the helmet and gawk at the bike.]
And then some time I'd really like to get a better look at your ride.
[He knows the minute he touches it, he'll understand every single part and customization and how it works, but for the ride there he just wants to enjoy it.]
Sure, but you'll have to be the one to explain it if you change anything.
[ She passes Tadashi the spare helmet——which is probably one of Jaime's, judging by the size—and hops on, slipping her own helmet into place. The seat's long enough for a passenger, thankfully, but before he gets a chance to sit down, Ruka nudges open a side compartment (the chassis, apparently, hides side compartments) in order to stash her coffee. If he brought his, she'll stash that too, but once it's all done, it snaps back to closed easily. ]
You can hold onto the back or onto me, but I drive pretty fast.
[He wouldn't dream of making changes to anyone's ride unless they specifically requested it and whatever changes they wanted. He's not that rude!! But take a seat on the bike he will.]
I'll hold onto the back.
[He's not a homewrecker. He still has no idea Ruka ever had a crush on him, or that that day at the shark park was a date. It's a moot point now anyway as they speed off.]
[ all these guys thinking they can be homewreckers...... the audacity. the ego. they don't have a chance.
At any rate, the bike revs back to life and it nyooms from part to a frankly startling speed in no time at all. And, though she doesn't. technically. probably. break any laws, the speed at which she goes, and how smoothly she weaves between and passes other cars on the road, often without even seeming to look... might be a little nerve-wracking when Tadashi remembers she's blind on one side.
It turns out: if you can always sense when you are in danger, you're more able to take risks.
Eventually the ride slows and they pull into a neat stop in front of the ever-popular Rice Rice Baby. The engine idles, and stills. ]
He's so used to always being the driver that riding is odd. Almost relaxing and exciting in its own way - he has no control over what the bike does or where they go or how they turn, so he's just in for the ride. He isn't scared a bit. He trusts Ruka with his afterlife and knows she wouldn't hurt them. She cares too much about this bike to do that.
When they stop, he gets his helmet off and just holds it.]
Phew. Never doubted you a second, but great driving.
[ The lack of concern at her back is appreciated, but she doesn't acknowledge it during the ride itself. There's really no way to do it, is there? Hey, thanks for not freaking out, or even like, pretending you're not freaking out. Little too invasive. Still... it's nice to be trusted.
(But, okay, nobody tell Tadashi about the time she sabotaged her own bike for attention.) ]
Thanks. [ She finally pops off her helmet, hanging it off a handlebar. She grabs one of her pigtails and starts wrapping it back up into a bun — something she didn't even bother doing when arriving at his place. ] Lots of practice.
[ She does up her second bun while he gets off the bike, and when finished she hangs up his helmet and dismounts as well. ]
Fewer people on the road get nervous, when they can't see who the driver is.
[ Her head cants toward the restaurant entrance. ]
[Tadashi does have some manners and holds the door open for her before following. They're shown to a couple seats on the longer side of the belt, brought waters to start and left alone.]
I really don't like how easy it is for you guys to find my new address. [It's not like he could ask Khaji not to do it either.]
Hey, you could have told me yourself, [ she bats back, tone a lot lighter than the subject probably deserves. ] I did ask. And even if Jaime didn't tell me, I could have found you on my own. It just would have taken longer, is all.
[ Her nose scrunches when she says it, and it's... somewhere between a tease and a threat. She's a friend! This is a friendship thing! She's just a scary friend to have!! These are the decisions Tadashi now has to live with. ]
In my defense, it's hard to tell sometimes if you're just coming by to kidnap me for dinner or to come kill me, so.
[It's still teasing! They're friends! She is though. A very scary friend to have, he's just glad he's known her as long as he has, otherwise he'd be terrified all the time.
If I know ahead of time, I'll warn you. [ :3 ] Besides, I think if I didn't have a very good excuse, Jaime'd put me on the couch for a month if I hurt you.
[ In practice, it would probably not be a full four weeks, but it would feel like a decade. She punctuates it with a shrug, taking a simple plate to start. ]
Things are okay. Winter was pretty rough for both of us, so we've just been trying to keep it steady for right now.
[ Winter was rough is a light way of putting it. The almost-apocalypse in November, the dimensional shift in January; both were difficult for everyone that had to endure them, even at the periphery. As for Ruka... ]
Spent the anniversary at home. Stuff like that. My projects are still pretty regular, though, so it's easy to keep busy.
[ Maybe the months of distance have made it easier to deal with, or maybe it's too many things too large to talk about over the first plate, but she doesn't elaborate either way. ]
What about you? I know the move must have eaten a lot of your time.
[ There's a little hum of acknowledgment. It's... nice, to be thought about, even if the reason causing it isn't nice at all. It's a hard thing to express, and a harder thing to talk about — it's too much to tell anyone. Even Jaime only has bits and pieces. Easier to let it go. ]
I'm kinda the same way, actually. I always wind up moving around a lot. Between that and yo-yoing, most of the time I never finish unpacking. I still don't know what I'm gonna do with any of Rua's stuff, either. [ That's a name he's never heard before — but she shrugs, tugging another plate off the conveyor, pressing on. ] It can get hard to trust that things will be stable this time. Yeah?
[He'll just put a pin in that name and figure it out later.]
It can be. I also just... Had a lot of stuff I found in storage. From after Hiro left and I was gone. I never even got the chance to unpack it so.
[Yeah it's... A lot. All their research, notes, prototypes. Everything. And then there's just the stuff he needs for every day life he hasn't quite gotten unpacked yet either.
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Iced coffee wasn't it. He takes it and just.. holds it for a second. Then smiles at her and closes the door.]
Thanks. Uncalled for, but not unappreciated.
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Predictably, it's mostly boxes. She sets the helmet down on one of the stacks. ]
Besides. You probably need it, anyway.
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Probably. Between my stuff from the last 6 months, my stuff from the three years before, to the stuff Hiro left after I was gone... [He rubs at the back of his head irritated a little. He doesn't mind showing her that side.]
Barely unpacked the clothes I'm wearing this week.
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She'd never really settled in Jeopardy when she moved there on her own. Coming back to Heropa only went as well as it did because she let Jaime handle it all, she too miserable about everything else to care one way or another back then.
Her head cants a little towards the fridge. ]
Kitchen still boxed up too, I take it?
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Hungry?
[Another sip. What if he just lives off this coffee for the next day and a half? He's sure it's fine, he's done worse.]
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[ She leans against the wall with her own coffee, but. Well, she is still wearing her shoes, and clearly they both know that whatever Tadashi has in his fridge is not going to be what either of them want right now.
And that... really wasn't a request, was it. Has she always been this bossy? (Yes. She is always this bossy.) ]
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Got something in mind?
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[ Thinking it over. ]
There's a Thai place, conveyor sushi... and Mexican? I think.
[ None of these places are walking distance. ]
Preference?
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I think conveyor sushi is easy enough.
[Easy to have conversations during, easy to not think so much. He'll open the door for her, grab his keys off the hook, and lock up behind him.]
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Does Tadashi have a car of his own? Probably, but Ruka just beelines right to her bike where.... of course. She has a spare helmet. ]
Here.
[ It's a monster of a bike — in that, honestly, it kind of looks more like a beast or an animal than most motorcycles do. Custom build, obviously, but the outer chassis masks a lot of the bike's combustive parts, and the mount for the headlamp is more rounded than most. It's a cool machine. ]
I'll drive.
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And then some time I'd really like to get a better look at your ride.
[He knows the minute he touches it, he'll understand every single part and customization and how it works, but for the ride there he just wants to enjoy it.]
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[ She passes Tadashi the spare helmet——which is probably one of Jaime's, judging by the size—and hops on, slipping her own helmet into place. The seat's long enough for a passenger, thankfully, but before he gets a chance to sit down, Ruka nudges open a side compartment (the chassis, apparently, hides side compartments) in order to stash her coffee. If he brought his, she'll stash that too, but once it's all done, it snaps back to closed easily. ]
You can hold onto the back or onto me, but I drive pretty fast.
[ The chariot is now ready. ]
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I'll hold onto the back.
[He's not a homewrecker. He still has no idea Ruka ever had a crush on him, or that that day at the shark park was a date. It's a moot point now anyway as they speed off.]
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At any rate, the bike revs back to life and it nyooms from part to a frankly startling speed in no time at all. And, though she doesn't. technically. probably. break any laws, the speed at which she goes, and how smoothly she weaves between and passes other cars on the road, often without even seeming to look... might be a little nerve-wracking when Tadashi remembers she's blind on one side.
It turns out: if you can always sense when you are in danger, you're more able to take risks.
Eventually the ride slows and they pull into a neat stop in front of the ever-popular Rice Rice Baby. The engine idles, and stills. ]
See? Still in one piece.
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He's so used to always being the driver that riding is odd. Almost relaxing and exciting in its own way - he has no control over what the bike does or where they go or how they turn, so he's just in for the ride. He isn't scared a bit. He trusts Ruka with his afterlife and knows she wouldn't hurt them. She cares too much about this bike to do that.
When they stop, he gets his helmet off and just holds it.]
Phew. Never doubted you a second, but great driving.
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(But, okay, nobody tell Tadashi about the time she sabotaged her own bike for attention.) ]
Thanks. [ She finally pops off her helmet, hanging it off a handlebar. She grabs one of her pigtails and starts wrapping it back up into a bun — something she didn't even bother doing when arriving at his place. ] Lots of practice.
[ She does up her second bun while he gets off the bike, and when finished she hangs up his helmet and dismounts as well. ]
Fewer people on the road get nervous, when they can't see who the driver is.
[ Her head cants toward the restaurant entrance. ]
Shall we?
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[Tadashi does have some manners and holds the door open for her before following. They're shown to a couple seats on the longer side of the belt, brought waters to start and left alone.]
I really don't like how easy it is for you guys to find my new address. [It's not like he could ask Khaji not to do it either.]
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[ Her nose scrunches when she says it, and it's... somewhere between a tease and a threat. She's a friend! This is a friendship thing! She's just a scary friend to have!! These are the decisions Tadashi now has to live with. ]
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[It's still teasing! They're friends! She is though. A very scary friend to have, he's just glad he's known her as long as he has, otherwise he'd be terrified all the time.
He reaches for a plate to pull to himself.]
How've things been?
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[ In practice, it would probably not be a full four weeks, but it would feel like a decade. She punctuates it with a shrug, taking a simple plate to start. ]
Things are okay. Winter was pretty rough for both of us, so we've just been trying to keep it steady for right now.
[ Winter was rough is a light way of putting it. The almost-apocalypse in November, the dimensional shift in January; both were difficult for everyone that had to endure them, even at the periphery. As for Ruka... ]
Spent the anniversary at home. Stuff like that. My projects are still pretty regular, though, so it's easy to keep busy.
[ Maybe the months of distance have made it easier to deal with, or maybe it's too many things too large to talk about over the first plate, but she doesn't elaborate either way. ]
What about you? I know the move must have eaten a lot of your time.
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I'm glad you're all right. You were on my mind when all... that happened. ['That' being that... weird city. Stuff. Things.]
Not as much time as you'd think? A lot of my stuff was still in boxes already so it was just. Getting a truck and driving it over.
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I'm kinda the same way, actually. I always wind up moving around a lot. Between that and yo-yoing, most of the time I never finish unpacking. I still don't know what I'm gonna do with any of Rua's stuff, either. [ That's a name he's never heard before — but she shrugs, tugging another plate off the conveyor, pressing on. ] It can get hard to trust that things will be stable this time. Yeah?
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It can be. I also just... Had a lot of stuff I found in storage. From after Hiro left and I was gone. I never even got the chance to unpack it so.
[Yeah it's... A lot. All their research, notes, prototypes. Everything. And then there's just the stuff he needs for every day life he hasn't quite gotten unpacked yet either.
He grabs a second plate.]
At least I've got a little more space now.
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[ She hums again a little, thoughtful. She glances at Tadashi — the set of his jaw, the way he holds his shoulders, his chopsticks. Measuring. ]
... Was he still here, when you exPorted?
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