drear | god, he called for rain

[That question put her on edge, mostly because she was aware of how childish her behavior was. Her mouth curved downwards, her eyes narrowing as she focused on him.]

Why are you so interested in my family?

Well, you were asking about mine. [ disregarding who started the conversation. ]

And meeting Magato just makes people curious.

I don't know much about you, other than what was listed in your file. I'd rather hear it from you.

[Which was half true and half wasn't. As far as Naoto was concerned, she knew all the important things. That she could trust Rammsteiner, that she could depend on him to watch her back, and that they made a surprisingly decent team. The little things, the normal things, like family and likes or dislikes were a mystery to her.

She sighed at the mention of Magato, close to pulling a face.]

Not most people. Most want nothing to do with him.

[Because as soon as they had cultivated his interest, he was dogged and relentless about fighting them. It had been a real pain with Naoto was younger.

Still, answering a few questions then changing the subject couldn't hurt.]

What do you want to know?

Well, he's pretty weird.

[ heine allows that, but really, magato was at least interesting. ]

I dunno. [ he'd read fuyumine's file as well, but it hadn't answered a lot of questions. ] What about Fuyumine? The other one, not Magato.

['Pretty weird' is an understatement, and Naoto hoped she could convey that merely with a look.

Though it evaporates pretty quickly at the mention of Fuyumine, her mouth twisting downwards.]

He's... He took me in when I was young, but I can't say I know him all that well.

[It was probably odd, to live with someone so long and yet still not understand why they did anything. She turned her water glass in her hands as she tried to find the words.]

He's distant, and strong, better than even me or Magato, and yet...

[He seemed so small sometimes, like just surviving was too much for him nowadays.

She shrugged.]

Do you remember anything about your family?

[ heine merely shrugs again in response, a small movement of his shoulders. magato was definitely eccentric, but heine's not in a position to judge.

he shouldn't judge either, when fuyumine calls the older one "distant", first. heine rests an elbow on the table as he listens. ]

Is he gone?

[ hesitating before replying, heine tries to come up with some way to explain his expansive "family" and how it'd been living with them. there's nothing concise enough for his liking, but he answers after a moment. ]

They worked in K-Science. I grew up in a Shatterdome, basically. [ he extends a finger to touch the cool side of his water glass, dragging a nail through the condensed water. ] And I'm glad they're dead.

He comes and goes as he pleases. Every time I thought he might have died he reappeared.

[Honestly, she should have asked him how he did his disappearing acts. It might have helped for this.

She nodded as Rammsteiner spoke, eyes widening at the last part. While people who typically worked in K-Science were odd, she was hard pressed to think of what could have happened to make Rammsteiner be happy they were gone.]

What happened?

[To make him say such a thing or that killed them.]

[ wow, really? he doesn't sound like a very responsible parental figure. ]

They were shitty, that's all. [ heine scowls. ] You're done eating, right? Let's go.

[So she'll make a mental note not to bring up family for a while.]

Sure.

[Naoto dug out enough money to cover the meal, shouldering her bag as she got out of the booth.

Once they were outside, she wrapped her scarf tighter around her neck, tucking her hands into her pockets as she started down towards the harbor. It was lined with all sorts of shops, and she was curious to see what had changed since she'd last been here.]

[ heine looks around as they leave, investigating the various shops. it's been a long time since he's gone out to actually buy things. ]

Did you miss this place?

I wasn't off base often enough to miss it.

[She hadn't missed the bitter cold, that was for sure.]

Though my friends I did miss.

[She paused in front of a store display, canting her gaze over at him.]

Are you going to get homesick for the shatterdome?

...I don't think so.

[ he hopes not, at least. there are so many parts of that place that he doesn't want to remember, let alone miss. ]

It'll be weird not being there. [ he shrugs. ] That's all.

You think we'll need another job?

Did you not travel often?

[She tilted her head to the side to glance at him curiously, not that she was one to talk. But even she had made it off the base every once in a while.

The other question however made her shrug, moving away from the store.]

Not out of necessity, but to stave off boredom, maybe.

[There was the concern that their pensions might be canceled due to their departure, but it would make for bad press if it ever got out. Besides, Naoto was pretty frugal and didn't have any extravagant living in mind.]

Already have a job in mind?

Uh, not really. [ his "parents" hadn't let him, and though he'd disobeyed and snuck out, even after they were gone, he didn't particularly want to travel anymore by that point. ] Just around the city.

I can't think of any job that I'd be qualified for. [ jaeger piloting is pretty damn specific. ] So I don't know.

Did you have any plans before? [ before the kaiju, if she'd even been born before then... it's hard to remember the years, sometimes. ]

Entry level then, huh?

[The thought was enough to make her sigh, to have to start over from scratch. But at the same time, she had her fill of piloting. Maybe it would be nice to try to see where else her talents laid.

The question made her shrug, not sure if she should even bother sharing.]

I was very young when I became a jaeger pilot. Back then I wanted to be a detective. One too many mystery novels.

[She crinkled her nose, showing what she thought of that now.]

Like with the police?

[ fuyumine does kind of have that air about her. heine's sure she'd be good with that kind of work... if they're going to actually find jobs again. ]

[She glanced over at Rammsteiner as if trying to decide if he was teasing her or actually interested.]

Yes. But I was a child back then.

[Now she would take anything that wasn't piloting, but that required some component of physical labor. She couldn't imagine sitting all day and letting her body weaken.]

What would you do now?

No idea. [ he shakes his head lightly, looking off to the side. ] I didn't learn anything but how to pilot.

Anything else's got to be less stressful though, right?

True enough.

[There weren't many jobs where the fate of the world rested on your shoulders and there was a high likelihood of death.]

There's nothing that interests you?

[It's not like she could talk, really.]

If all else fails, maybe you should look into being a hairdresser.

Hey, your hair looks fine.

[ heine scowls, half-joking. ]

...I can't think of anything. But—I guess there're plenty of places to start.

[That comment will earn a snort from her, though she can't argue. Anything wrong with her hair was probably her own doing.

She stopped at the edge of the walkway, leaning against the railing and breathing in the crisp smell of the ocean. There were worst ways to spend the day, full of good food and walking along the harbor.

He's right, of course. There's no real rush to do anything, and they have the rest of their lives to figure out what they want to do now.

Then, idly as the thought strikes her:]

You don't have to accompany me when I meet my friends. We can always rendezvous later.

[Not that she would mind him coming along, but she didn't want him to feel like he needed to be with her at all times.]

[ that's... a reasonable suggestion, honestly. heine considers it—he doesn't know fuyumine's friends, and he doesn't feel the need to meet them—at least not right now. ]

I guess I could take a walk around.

[ and maybe consider finding a job... ]

[Naoto nodded at that, checking her watch thoughtfully.]

We can meet back at that restaurant again in four hours. I'll find you.

[Because it wasn't like Naoto had a phone. There had never really been a need for one. Guess they'd have to do this the old fashioned way.]

All right.

[ that works fine with heine. while fuyumine goes, heine wanders around in the streets, takes a break in a cafe after exchanging some currency. by the time she comes back, heine has picked up a book from one of the shelves and is in it. ]

[When she returned, her face was flushed from exertion and the cold, arms laden with bags full of gifts. It's a bit surprising to see Rammsteiner reading, and she tried to get a look at the title or description as she walked up to him.]

Good find?

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