Deerington Inbox

[almightythirst]

Hey there, stranger. Don't think I gotta explain the situation: you called, I didn't pick up. Leave me a message and maybe I'll get back to you.

[ Audio / Video / Text ]

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Video; UN: Godisdead

[in_loveless_memory]

[At Atsushi's encouragement Ritsuka contacts Jesse.]

Jesse-san... I... I don't know how to even ask this without-

I guess... with the bears gone and the trials done, did... you want me to move out? I'll understand if you say yes, I don't want to burden your kindness further.

[almightythirst]

[ Jesse supposes he shouldn't be shocked by the question--it's reasonable to ask--but still. Does the kid think they're just going to kick him out with no prep and no warning?

After a moment, the surprise on his face softens. He doesn't know what Ritsuka has been through, but he can guess he hasn't had a whole lot of kindness thrown his way. Maybe he'd been waiting for the other shoe to drop for a while now. ]

We're not about to put you out on the street without a place to go. You can stay long as you need to 'til then. But what brought this on?

[in_loveless_memory]

[Ritsuka expects nothing in his life... and is still always disappointed back home. So yes, yes he expects the worse and functions as if the other shoe is always about to drop. It makes things less surprising when they ultimately do for him.

At Jesse's comment he blushes and his ears press against his head.]

It's just, I'm not... in imminent danger so... you don't... I mean, I'm extra food, extra water- just all sorts of extra resources. So... I just... I mean, you don't have to keep wasting them on me.

[almightythirst]

Well you aren't wrong about all that... except the part where you call it a waste. We've got plenty to go around. I've been here for ages, and Ashe about half as long. What I mean is, we've got enough stored up that you aren't gonna wipe us out of resources anytime soon.

[ He leans back in whatever he's sitting on, scratching at his beard with a thoughtful look on his face. ]

To be honest, I was more concerned you'd be sick of livin' with a couple of old folks like us. If you want your own place again, I'd be more than happy to help you out with that. But there's no fire at your back to get you out of here.

[in_loveless_memory]

Oh, no, I don't mind living here, I appreciate the quiet, honestly... And- [And he doesn't really know HOW to take care of himself COMPLETELY as well as he'd like. He can manage and he's smart enough to figure all of that shit out. But his selection of food would be unhealthy, to be sure, and limited until he learned to cook.

But also... he doesn't want to be lonely. He hates it. He hates it so much.]

I didn't... I don't want my own place. [He voices it, whatever it is. A desire, perhaps, something he's willing to let himself have, if tentatively, delicately holding onto it but ready to be disappointed and let down in a moment's notice.]

I- if I could... I-I'd like to stay. Please let me stay.

[almightythirst]

[ Jesse is a tough guy. He can handle a lot, and he’s pretty good at being immune to sob stories (given a lot of them are fake anyway, and as a grifter, he’s good at spotting those). But Ritsuka’s plea is nothing if not completely genuine, and it hits him hard. He’d been that scared kid once, but he’d never had the chance to ask anybody else for help. ]

… I’ll have to talk to Ashe about it. Make sure she wouldn’t mind, since this is technically her house, but… if it were up to me? I’d give you the okay right here and now.

[ He smiles, the expression soft and uncharacteristically sad. ]

And I don’t want to lie to you. Y’know we’re up to things here that aren’t strictly legal, right? It could make this a dangerous place to call home.

[ It’s not a no. But he wants Ritsuka to know what he’s getting into here. ]

[in_loveless_memory]

[His ears press against his head.

He nods.

But in his mind, he begins to prepare himself. He hasn't met Ashe so he doesn't know what to expect. So his mind begins the process it always begins. She won't like him. She'll see right through him to the liar and horrible person he is. She'll see him as an unnecessary drain on their resources. His mind prepares every possible reason on why she wouldn't want him to stay from absurd to as simple as "she wasn't asked until now." Because it can be just that simple, as he's learned.

He takes comfort in being told that he's okay with it, that he'd say "yes" but that feels too much like hope and having THAT hurts too damn much. He doesn't feed hope anymore.

At the mention of "a dangerous place to call home." Well, that's fine, he's never known a safe one. He's sure his old self before the accident did, but Ritsuka has never known peace and rest in his house since coming home from the hospital.]

What... kind of "not strictly legal" activities are we talking about? [And honestly, what did that even mean in a place like this? So long as it wasn't murder or something like that it was fine.]