You would have to push me very far to do that, Mr. Todd.
[ their patience... infinite. but they will wave jason on to join them, heading for the kitchen. orion is quiet during the walk, but eventually, as they're politely bowing to the shadowy kitchen staff, who bow back and leave them alone, they say: ]
...From what I have read of his files, Hua Chengzhu is... an extraordinary person, in many ways. Good and bad, and surprising, perhaps, more than anything else.
Did you believe what he said, today? About Miss Kocho.
Walking along with Orion, he isn’t bothered by the silence. Surprisingly(?), he is an introvert. He prefers the silence. He, like, flicks a wave at the kitchen staff, but he isn’t a kitchen person either so that’s all they get.]
[ he can take it but he will fail. jason... get on yizhen's level.
anyway orion does not deign that with a response, and then steps into the kitchen to pull out the proper ingredients to make a really good dish of mapo tofu.
as for jason's question, they make a soft noise in confirmation, while they're gathering ingredients. yes, that one. ]
Orion is the cook, and Jason doesn't want to get in their way, so he hunts for a chair. To which he brings over nearby and spins it around to sit in it backward exactly like the hooligan he is.]
Well... [He sort of shrugs, but seems to be thinking. He flicks a hand.] I can't throw any stones about revenge. That's mostly my whole MO usually. Maybe judge him a little for the frame job, but that's more of a personal distaste even though I can understand the logic behind it.
[ of course he sits like this. im not even a little surprised.
orion gets right to work, starting to chop vegetables - he makes a soft noise, a sort of laugh, but doesn't answer about his grade. maybe you are getting graded, jason! no pressure. ]
Mn. [ agreeing, at first.
and then, in that steady, quiet voice, after a pause. ]
... From what I have read about him, many people would believe that 'Xue Yu Tan Hua' would kill indiscriminately, or take vengeance indiscriminately. He is a complicated person, to say the least. He tends to get a bad reputation, because he terrifies the gods in the Heavens - and by no means is he not fearsome, or deserving of many of the rumors of his reputation - but... he is also the type of person to extend a hand to someone at their lowest point, and give them a reason to live when they had none, and to do so repeatedly.
[It's so he can rest his arms on the back! (No, it's so he can be Cool and Edgy.)]
I don't have the best reputation either. So I get it. [He also always lends a hand to most people, but he will not say this because he doesn't want anyone to perceive it or acknowledge it.] It almost sounds like you're speaking from experience.
[He smirks, but that's all he says on it.]
His hostage is guaranteed at least. And we're... Well. [He doesn't wanna say blatantly.] I imagine he'll be trying to get back into the lobby whether he can or not.
orion will let jason have his smirk, as he pulls a pan down from a taller shelf and sets it on the stove. ] I know you get it, Mr. Todd.
[ they are also very aware that you lend a hand to people. big softy. there's just a faint amusement to their tone as they say so, but they let that go, and... their shoulders stiffen a bit, at the experience, and then they shake their head. ]
I just read up on his story upon his arrival, is all, and it struck me.
[
ok sure. ]
His hostage is very important to him, and... truthfully, if the words of his story are true, those of his type are quite difficult to kill, and not simply out of stubbornness. I imagine that he didn't care about today's results so much for many reasons.
[ ... ]
... Still, it... He surprised me a bit, here, and spoke to me as a friend, too.
[First of all:] Jay. [It's a correction and an offering, but not anything mean.] You can just call me Jay. [He'd say they could just call him Jason, but, well, when you spend two months burying people together in the dirt. You know.]
Pitting us against one another is what these games do. The week before, it would have been Diluc probably if we hadn't found Dimitri. Could have been Molly, but not when we're dominated by five of his friends, plus the rest he's made along the way. It isn't much different than the seven or eight swords from the island who could control how our game went. They moved as a unit, were loyal to each other.
[ ….weh. to all of this; their voice is soft, and they briefly pause in their food preparation. ]
…Jay, then.
[ that means a lot to them. they listen to the rest of his explanation, nodding slightly but resuming in their motions once more, pouring some oil into a pan. ]
I’m an employee. [ a pause. ] Nor am I one to stand out in a crowd, to say the least.
Unless you're a sociopathic jackass, [and even THEN looks at HARLEY] there is going to always be at least one person who cares about you. Probably more.
I think out of the three of us, we're going to have to learn to admit that. Uh. Maybe not right now, but. You know.
[ their sad little depression family kills me every single day
orion huffs something that might be a slight laugh, transferring ingredients over to the warm pan. the kitchen is starting to smell very good, now - aromatic and spicy. ]
...I wonder if perhaps that would be best left to the two of you. It's difficult to teach an old dog too many new tricks.
[ and orion do be old ]
That being said... I think perhaps I am better about it than I used to be. Being in these sorts of situations has had some benefit, despite everything.
[ a pause, and then, a little warmer. ] If nothing else, then, we can try.
[ they make a soft noise, a little amused. they probably will weasel out of it because jason will clearly forget who they are after like an hour of this being over that's how that goes when you're [redacted], but they do not say that. ]
... I see that you've grown a little. [ a tiny, tiny bit of teasing. ] There is something about being trapped together in a situation of life and death - perhaps even one where you die - that forces you to reconsider some of your viewpoints, isn't there?
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[But he sort of shrugs and nods.]
Alright… I’ll wait. I don’t mind. I’ll annoy the shit out of you while you try.
[A joke…]
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You would have to push me very far to do that, Mr. Todd.
[ their patience... infinite. but they will wave jason on to join them, heading for the kitchen. orion is quiet during the walk, but eventually, as they're politely bowing to the shadowy kitchen staff, who bow back and leave them alone, they say: ]
...From what I have read of his files, Hua Chengzhu is... an extraordinary person, in many ways. Good and bad, and surprising, perhaps, more than anything else.
Did you believe what he said, today? About Miss Kocho.
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[Or he’ll take it because he’s stupid.
Walking along with Orion, he isn’t bothered by the silence. Surprisingly(?), he is an introvert. He prefers the silence. He, like, flicks a wave at the kitchen staff, but he isn’t a kitchen person either so that’s all they get.]
What, you mean at the end?
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anyway orion does not deign that with a response, and then steps into the kitchen to pull out the proper ingredients to make a really good dish of mapo tofu.
as for jason's question, they make a soft noise in confirmation, while they're gathering ingredients. yes, that one. ]
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[He's mostly joking.
Orion is the cook, and Jason doesn't want to get in their way, so he hunts for a chair. To which he brings over nearby and spins it around to sit in it backward exactly like the hooligan he is.]
Well... [He sort of shrugs, but seems to be thinking. He flicks a hand.] I can't throw any stones about revenge. That's mostly my whole MO usually. Maybe judge him a little for the frame job, but that's more of a personal distaste even though I can understand the logic behind it.
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orion gets right to work, starting to chop vegetables - he makes a soft noise, a sort of laugh, but doesn't answer about his grade. maybe you are getting graded, jason! no pressure. ]
Mn. [ agreeing, at first.
and then, in that steady, quiet voice, after a pause. ]
... From what I have read about him, many people would believe that 'Xue Yu Tan Hua' would kill indiscriminately, or take vengeance indiscriminately. He is a complicated person, to say the least. He tends to get a bad reputation, because he terrifies the gods in the Heavens - and by no means is he not fearsome, or deserving of many of the rumors of his reputation - but... he is also the type of person to extend a hand to someone at their lowest point, and give them a reason to live when they had none, and to do so repeatedly.
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I don't have the best reputation either. So I get it. [He also always lends a hand to most people, but he will not say this because he doesn't want anyone to perceive it or acknowledge it.] It almost sounds like you're speaking from experience.
[He smirks, but that's all he says on it.]
His hostage is guaranteed at least. And we're... Well. [He doesn't wanna say blatantly.] I imagine he'll be trying to get back into the lobby whether he can or not.
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orion will let jason have his smirk, as he pulls a pan down from a taller shelf and sets it on the stove. ] I know you get it, Mr. Todd.
[ they are also very aware that you lend a hand to people. big softy. there's just a faint amusement to their tone as they say so, but they let that go, and... their shoulders stiffen a bit, at the experience, and then they shake their head. ]
I just read up on his story upon his arrival, is all, and it struck me.
[
ok sure. ]
His hostage is very important to him, and... truthfully, if the words of his story are true, those of his type are quite difficult to kill, and not simply out of stubbornness. I imagine that he didn't care about today's results so much for many reasons.
[ ... ]
... Still, it... He surprised me a bit, here, and spoke to me as a friend, too.
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Pitting us against one another is what these games do. The week before, it would have been Diluc probably if we hadn't found Dimitri. Could have been Molly, but not when we're dominated by five of his friends, plus the rest he's made along the way. It isn't much different than the seven or eight swords from the island who could control how our game went. They moved as a unit, were loyal to each other.
[But anyhow.]
You're surprised people care about you?
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…Jay, then.
[ that means a lot to them. they listen to the rest of his explanation, nodding slightly but resuming in their motions once more, pouring some oil into a pan. ]
I’m an employee. [ a pause. ] Nor am I one to stand out in a crowd, to say the least.
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Unless you're a sociopathic jackass, [and even THEN looks at HARLEY] there is going to always be at least one person who cares about you. Probably more.
I think out of the three of us, we're going to have to learn to admit that. Uh. Maybe not right now, but. You know.
In the future.
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orion huffs something that might be a slight laugh, transferring ingredients over to the warm pan. the kitchen is starting to smell very good, now - aromatic and spicy. ]
...I wonder if perhaps that would be best left to the two of you. It's difficult to teach an old dog too many new tricks.
[ and orion do be old ]
That being said... I think perhaps I am better about it than I used to be. Being in these sorts of situations has had some benefit, despite everything.
[ a pause, and then, a little warmer. ] If nothing else, then, we can try.
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[Orion be old, but Jason is a brat. No escape. This is why Bruce and Al are always so done with him. Also? The food smells really fucking good.]
Hey, you should've met me when I was on the island. I was a real jackass. Mouthy. Mean. I trusted people twice as less than I do now.
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... I see that you've grown a little. [ a tiny, tiny bit of teasing. ] There is something about being trapped together in a situation of life and death - perhaps even one where you die - that forces you to reconsider some of your viewpoints, isn't there?
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A little. [Like maybe a millimeter in maturity. That's all.] Yeah, sometimes. I guess it really depends on the game.
Sometimes, they reinforce things instead of making you see them different.