nexuses | 13 | the boy who ran

[ That response is oddly just frustrating to him. Because he's still confused and lost and unsure of what on earth this guy is after. He can't just be some good person who helps random others in need. Especially when that random other is Aiden and he would normally be left alone or turned in within moments in the situation they met in. He was vulnerable, too. It wouldn't have been hard!

He watches 13 closely while he talks to the bartender, because he's concerned about him and wants to make sure things aren't too out of the ordinary, all the while contemplating just ... running. But, ultimately, that idea falls flat — the way he looks is definitely too suspicious, and anyone in the right mind would turn him in in a heartbeat if they saw him wandering around anywhere else looking like this. Not to mention, he's sure there's soldiers being dispatched all over the place at this point.

But 13 returning empty-handed is a little weird, and he's got reason to be concerned, he thinks. ]

What'd you talk about?

[ What's the point in talking to the bartender and not returning with a drink, huh. ]

[ It's a small wonder that the boy stayed put for all that. Given his suspicious behavior up to now, the chances of him running off versus staying should have been fifty-fifty – or just about. 13 can't well vouch for the boy's character yet.

If Aidan is watching, he'd see the bartender disappearing into the back from his peripheral vision. Meanwhile, 13 props his elbow on the table and rests his chin against his knuckles. ]

Gauze and adhesives. [ He eyes the boy, taking in the latter's battered state. ] They don't have medicine, but, all the same, you wouldn't have taken it.

[ The bartender disappearing into the back is definitely an immediate cause for alarm for him, but 13's explanation at least ... maybe helps. He's still not sure whether he can trust him on this, so he's almost ready to run for it if he has to. He's stuck glancing between 13 and where the bartender was.

He wishes he could feel as calm as 13 looks right now. ]

Of course I wouldn't. [ Huff. Brownie points for noticing that. ] But you're still not telling me why you're getting yourself involved with me. Don't you know what they'll do? This can't just be because you have some weird urge to clean up blood.

[ Okay, he knows it's not some weird blood-cleaning urge, but he's a little frustrated, here. What's the pont in getting involved at all in the first place? You don't just meet some kid being chased by the military and decide "I'll clean up his blood!" Because that's the only answer he's been given so far. ]

[ "Some weird urge to clean up" makes 13 think about what he'd said. It was a strange answer then, and it's even stranger now. ]

I told you, didn't I? If I stayed, I would have been in trouble. [ Does 13 look like he belongs in a military base? His attire may be a tad out of place to the rest, but his weapons are concealed, and in no way does he dress like someone affiliated with the military. He's a foreigner; he has nothing to do with this place. ] You were there, so I took you along.

[ Closing his eyes, he readjusts the placement of his chin. ]

I can't say I know what they'll do to me, but I've heard about their unsavory behavior.

[ Ghhh. He doesn't look like he's involved with the military, but maybe that's just what he wants him to think. He can't just assume things are safe, you know! ]

You took someone like me along just because I was there? Isn't this a little too much trouble you're going through for a decision you made on a whim?

[ Man, he can't just give a straight answer, can he? Everything he says either sounds vague or dodgy, to Aiden. Maybe it's just because he's so paranoid — he can't tell. But he can't afford not to be.

But that last bit is a little weird. ]

... Do you live under a rock?

[ Most anyone here knows first-hand what they're like. The fact that executions are public and common should say enough. Anyone knows that. He should be able to easily deduce what they'd do to him. ]

[ He's about to explain his case – as much as he's allowed to, because it's classified – when another question gets asked. 13 opens his eyes and raises his head, letting his propped arm drop to the table surface. ]

I'm not from here.

[ To date, he's yet to witness any military brutality. He's only heard, and no more than fragmented pieces. There's a thing about fear and resentment, and it's that the former can lock the latter in with tight lips. His statement invites the boy to elaborate, if he's willing. ]

[ Well, instead of elaborating right now, he'd rather just be shocked at this revelation. So his eyes will widen a bit and he'll lean forward and talk a little louder than before. ]

Th-Then what are you doing here?! [ Akjhsdg quieting down a bit though because they're not supposed to attract attention right now. ] What's wrong with you?

[ This place isn't exactly a tourist attraction, if he couldn't already tell. People don't just visit this kind of place because it's fun. He guesses that could be why he was all the way out there so close to where the military resides — maybe he just didn't know? Of course, he still can't dismiss the idea that all of this is a lie, but ... ]

[ 13 blinks, just a bit thrown by the question coming from the ragged boy. The wonder fades, giving rise to a small smile as he thinks on the circumstance that brought him to this town. He draws back a little, enough to dispel the air of secrecy that might have surrounded them. ]

I was asked to come here on business. It didn't exactly have a brochure.

[ He can probably owe that to the looming military presence. ]

[ ... S-Smiling? Smiling? There must be a lot wrong with this guy, regardless of why he came, honestly.

He's still suspicious of this, so he's going to keep asking questions. ]

'Business', huh? [ Sitting back again and sinking into the seat a little, while he crosses his arms. And he eyes him with a bit of suspicion. ] What kind then?

[ What could possibly bring him here? ]

[ Oh, all manner of things. There's nothing stopped him from entering an open town, as tense as it is. But 13 sticks to the most basic reason, expression watering down to a milder smile. ]

Inspection. The rest is classified.

[ Nobody likes an inspector on the premises. Add to that the stress of an escapee, and the result would have been ugly. ]

[ Inspection. Uh huh. While that can be a valid answer here, he doesn't like the second thing he says. ]

That doesn't help you look any less suspicious.

[ Saying things are classified is, like, the most common way to cover things up while pretending to be official! ]

[ A corner of 13's lips twitch upward from an insistent tug. Just then, the bartender returns from the back with a small kit, and that's 13's cue to rise from his seat. ]

It can't be helped. You don't have the clearance for me to talk about my job. [ His hand drags over the surface of the table to the edge as he heads for the counter. ] I can at least say that you have nothing to do with it.

[ Then he's gone, off to pick up the kit. The second he returns, he'll offer the kit of gauze and adhesives to the boy. ]

[ H-Haah ... He can say that, but without any sort of proof, there's only so much believing it that Aiden can do.

He'll give a huff, then, and sink further into himself when 13 leaves. Dealing with this guy is hard for him, especially without Elise to back him up. He doesn't have anything to fall back on — no one to bail him out if he makes the wrong judgement. And he's nothing like her in terms of fighting ability; he'll be cornered the moment anything gets bad.

But he'll watch closely as 13 leaves and returns with the kit, and inspect it carefully once it's offered to him. His only reaction is to ... be a little shocked, oops. ]

You ... were telling the truth about this, at least.

[ Okay that's ONE THING. ]

[ As a general rule, 13 tends to be honest. Whether he tells the whole truth is another story, which doesn't make him too special. The world's a complicated place, though, and he doesn't take the slightest offense to the boy's words. ]

You'll have to clean your injuries first. [ He motions to a narrow corridor near them, next to the bartender's counter. ] The washroom's that way.

[ From the way he stands still in front of the table, it's evident that 13 doesn't intend to follow. He's not the nanny. The boy can do what he wants. ]

[ Wow, it's not like he even wants 13 to follow. He doesn't need 13 there to clean up his injuries, okay. He's an adult and he can take care of himself! ]

Uh, right — okay.

[ Then he'll pick up the kit and look down at the floor as he awkwardly makes his way to the washroom. It's not until he's in there that he feels concerned that 13 might do something suspicious out there while he's in here, but all he can really do right now is take this chance to clean himself up so he's not as suspicious-looking. There's still cuts and stains on his clothing, but the least he can do is fix himself up ...

As fast as he can. Because he gets more nervous about 13 the longer he spends separated from him. Even if he told one whole truth so far. ]

[ After Aidan goes off on cleaning duty, 13 finds himself approached by the server. He orders a light drink and slides back into his seat, where he folds his arms atop the table.

This wasn't part of the plan. But he might as well help out while he waits for the military to calm down and disperse again. Then he can infiltrate the area again, unseen, and investigate what 4 had asked of him. How troublesome . . . and, yet, this is exactly what he'd offered to do. At his core, 13 doesn't mind at all.

The server beats Aidan to their respective jobs. By the time the latter returns, 13 will still be at his seat in the booth, nursing a drink. ]

[ Hahah, the military calming down after this ... That's hilarious. Now that they've been shaken up over the issue of Elise, like hell they're going to calm down.

But he'll finish up as quickly as he can, and emerge from the washroom a little cautiously. Hopefully no one sees him slowly opening the door a crack just to make sure nothing is outside waiting for him. And then he'll walk out as casually as he can and quickly move back to the table where ... 13 is surprisingly still sitting. Well, that's some sort of relief, he guesses.

He'll sit back down across from him, silently placing the kit on the table. ]

I, ah — I finished. [ A pause. Aiden's a good kid, at the very least. ] Thanks, I guess.

[ For getting him the kit, and stuff. It's hard thanking someone you're still suspicious of but he'll feel wrong not doing it. ]

[ The boy is a good kid. 13, having looked up from his drink, smiles upon being thanked. ]

You look better. [ Cleaner. ] How do you feel?

[ Of course, the clothes still look banged up, but there's nothing they can do about that. Taking care of bodily needs is priority. Looks are secondary, if advantageous for better blending in with the crowd. That's accomplished easily enough in the bar. ]

[ Having a stranger concerned enough about him to get him that kit and now ask how he feels ... is weird. He'd gotten used to not associating with many strangers, for fear of anything bad that may come from it.

Awkwardly hesitating for a moment before answering, kind of quietly and looking down. ] Th-There's still some pain, but it's better.

[ Ew, being honest with 13. Gross.

Aiden is just going to quietly sink down into the seat now out of this odd embarrassment over his honesty. ]

[ Fingering the rim of his glass, 13 eyes the boy. The improvement he's seeing this soon is quite remarkable, given that the boy had been ready to hit the ground back at the military base. It highlights a small part of what people are capable of accomplishing and doing to each other. ]

They must have been harsh. I heard they were brutal, but nobody would spare me the details.

[ Rather, the reaction he'd received from asking had been much like the one evoked by the boy. "Common knowledge," an elder had said in the typical old voice before hobbling away. ]

[ Ghh, don't remind him. He quietly shuts his eyes tight for a few moments, before inhaling deeply and letting it back out, while his eyes relax a little and then open again. Awkwardly glancing back up at 13. ]

I — I hope you're not expecting me to detail it for you.

[ He'll only feel more embarrassed with that, and it's so fresh it's a little difficult to talk about in the first place. ]

[ That's not a good sign. No, it's more like a hint of trauma.

13 raises the glass and takes a large sip. It's his way of giving the boy some time to relax in the quiet while he enjoys a drink. The good news is that he wasn't expecting to have it detailed for him, so he won't press the subject. ]

I wasn't asking. You don't have to explain anything.

[ A lot of the things that happened are hard to get out of his head, okay.

He'll cross his arms, remaining sunken into the back of the seat a little bit. ]

Good. You can make up mental pictures on your own.

[ He should have enough information from how Aiden looks to be able to figure it out for himself, anyway. At least, that's what he thinks. When you're covered in wounds, especially when they still hurt, it just feels like they stick out a lot. Too much. ]

[ They stick out like glowing signs. 13 knows the feeling – the vulnerability and the brand of fresh injuries – all too well. Even the superficial wounds are more than skin-deep, penetrating deeper into the core and provoking a sense of humiliation, among others. Bandaging them doesn't conceal what lies underneath.

13 doesn't indicate that he can "make up the mental pictures" with depressing ease, because it's something he doesn't need to do. He'd rather not.

He takes another sip. ]

What are you going to do now?

[ Mmnn, that's a bit of a difficult question — one he hasn't thought enough about yet. He knows in a situation like this he's going to have to figure out pretty quickly what he's going to do next, but — he's kind of lost on that. He's got ... an idea of what he should do next, but it's daunting and scary and he doesn't know if it's even worth it. As far as he's aware, Elise might still be back there, somehow. She could've gotten away, of course — it's not like he can see her — but she wasn't around him at all before and that's weird. Really weird.

Mmnn. ] I-I don't know, I — [ Shaking his head in defeat, closing his eyes. ] I don't know what I should do.

[ Go back? In case Elise is still there? Not go back and avoid risking it? Agh ... Maybe his indecisiveness is clear, he doesn't know. ]

i always welcome new universes in the world of food, you know. show me more, jaejae

let's dive into the world of chocolate so you can have some milky way bars

OKAY ;W; aaaah i want chocolate nooooow ...

sends you e-chocolates from my table

takes your e-chocolates and cherishes them ;o; also why are you still awake and so fast w/ tags

you asked just as i went to bed oops - but good eat all e-chocolates

pfff yeah i noticed and was like 'lol dat timing oops' but DEVOURS THEM

your timing is incredible and summoned my bed also yes GET CHUBBY

but i don't wanna summon your bed ;o; also KJHSDG OH GOD DON'T EAT ME

but we can roll around on it ;u; I'M THE KIND OF WITCH WHO CAN'T EAT JENAS; IT'S OKAY

uu ok as long as we roll but don't sleep ;w; CAN I BE SURE OF THIS .... YOU COULD BE TRICKING ME

but sleep is important . . . ! I JUST WANT MY FRIENDS TO BE HEALTHILY CHUBBY

not more important than rolling around together!! IS THAT BECAUSE THEY'RE MOST RIPE THEN??

this is a convincing argument . . . NO IT'S BECAUSE THEY'RE THE CUTEST THEN

see so we must roll forever ... SO I HAVE TO BECOME CHUBBY TO BE AT MY CUTEST FOR JAEJAE ...

rolls forever with jenajena . . . TO BE HONEST YOU'RE ALWAYS AT YOUR CUTEST

never stopping only rolling ... U-UU HIDES FACE IN HANDS

rolls after jena and pets hehe

rolls away from the witch and blushes kjhsg

lies on bed and cries

gjkhsg crawls back to you and pats your back? ;w;

purrs uwu

;w;!!! shhh shh i didn't mean it you're my favorite witch

huu . . . i'll strive to be the best witch out there for jena

aaa but you already are!! as long as you never eat me