September Catch-all

[ghoulking]

WHO: Kaneki and others
WHERE: all the cities
WHEN: All through September
WHAT: catch-all for Kaneki.
WARNINGS: TBA

Prompts are in the comments. If you'd like a prompt, you can contact me through PM or on my plurk vilani , OR you can always go wildcard on me and make something yourself, I'll tag along c:

Comments

[ghoulking]

Of course. That has always happened, hasn't it? It never went wrong. [ the exact same reason why kaneki has been in and out of the country finding leads to OTO and Heaven Scent, and everything else to the point of exhaustion.

He sure trusts the government and their little show offs about how everything is fine, and how everyone forgives everyone. ]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo chuckles as he sets his cup down again, hands clasped around it to feel the warmth seep into his bones, and his eyes rest on a point of the table. He pauses seemingly to hear the quiet bustle of the cafe for a moment, and then he's sure no one else can hear them.]

You've been here a little while, haven't you? [He gestures around the cafe.] To be established like this.

How is it, in your own opinion, that so many imPorts have eaten this crock of shit for so long?

[ghoulking]

Oh- yeah. For three year. [ Kaneki touches his own chin ] It wasn't so hard, we imports always have it a bit easier when it comes to things like this.

[ kaneki pauses at the second question ] Which one are we talking about? [ there is so much crap going on as it is ]

[hellrisen02]

If you're Registered. [He smiles thoughtfully.] --Well. I suppose even without, there's always some in-community sense of support.

Or cheating. [Bless bullshit powers, sometimes. Pickpocketing carried him through his early days in The City, that much was sure.]

[Duo munches on his bagel, apparently content to answer with half a mouthful.] Th' gov'm'nt reg's.

[ghoulking]

I think even though there is a divide between Registered and Unregistered, it's still easier for an Unregistered imPort to open a place. [ than a native, at least. Sure, he can't really buy land, so he is paying rent for the space, but all the paperwork for the coffee shop went very smoothly just because he is an imPort. ]

I can rant all day about the registration, but it's never what people want to hear. [ kaneki smiles and shakes his head ] People expect a conspiracy theory, but I think registration is a political move with us as prizes - not really because they are going to suddenly turn evil on us and force us to obey. [ if they wanted that, they could do that. The Russians did it before, after all. ]

[hellrisen02]

[Swallow.] Anything's a 'conspiracy theory' until it's proven or disproven. [Duo says matter-of-factly, and takes another bite. Chewing again,] P'litical move 'r wha'e'er, 'ey can 'f 'ey wanna. [Swallow.]

[Siiiiiip. Ahh.] In any case, registering or not registering isn't the thing anyone should focus on. And the implications and effects of the government's behavior and treatment of us doesn't end at us imPorts.

Everyone is so focused on themselves that they miss the big picture. [He takes another bite.]

[ghoulking]

[ please don't talk with your mouth full sir......... ]

And what is the big picture, then? [ oh kaneki loves to hear this sort of thing. In a way it makes him feel better because he is extremely paranoid, but some people just go over the top and are even worse than he is. So he just can't wait to see what will come out of Duo's mouht ]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo glances up at the skeptical tone, brow pinching and vague irritation entering his expression as he swirls his coffee.]

...That we get out of this scot-free when Lachesis decides she's bored with us, and it's the natives that are stuck here, committed to whatever crazy bullshit this government sees fit to foist upon them. Including us.

[Nothing so insane, Kaneki. Just empathy.]

[ghoulking]

[ it's not insane and it's actually new - kaneki never heard ANYONE mention the natives before. maybe kanaya has, but she usually voices her opinions in an imPort point of view, that import screw up, that imPorts do a lot of bad things, that imports have it easy. ]

... You know, you are probably the first person to mention the natives. Nobody thinks of them.

[hellrisen02]

[Duo waves a flourished hand as he sips his coffee, as if to say, see?]

imPorts always miss the forest for the trees. They were so focused on getting home in the beginning that they didn't consider the larger reason in our being brought in the first place, didn't realize the identity of our original keeper as a fake until it was too late, didn't realize Lachesis' true identity, probably, until she told them. [He was gone by that point, but... it was probably.] No one can stop feeling sorry for themselves for 5 seconds to consider that anyone else is being affected that they don't talk to on the network.

[Duo pauses thoughtfully.] ...How many native customers do you tend to get? I mean... you know. Before the whole vandalism mess started.

[ghoulking]

You are from the city, aren't you? [ the mention of how their keeper was "fake". Kaneki heard a bit about that, but nobody ever went into a lot of detail. ]

Uhm- I'd say, in average, 30% of my clients are natives. But when school is done for the day, probably 80% of my clients are highschool native girls. [ who look at kaneki as if he is Edward Cullen.......... ]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo gives Kaneki a little smile.] A long way back. A long way, apparently... Before Stark, if that gives you an idea.

--Ah. Ahhh. [Duo laughs] That's pretty good, I guess; if a little ...artificial. The basis in hormonal fixation thing, I mean. But that's right, you're pretty popular for an imPort, aren't you?

[Oh no, look at that teasing grin. Kaneki, do you know what floodgate you've opened?]

[ghoulking]

[ kaneki has no idea about Tony Stark. Kaneki never spoke to him, only heard of him. ]

I'd rather not deal with any of that, to be honest. It's pretty embarrassing to have a legion of children with a crush on you...

[hellrisen02]

[Gigglesnort] I wouldn't know.

[So he thinks]

But hey, influence is influence. Maybe you can use yours to forge stronger connections with natives, huh? [He gives a little wink and finishes off his bagel.]

[ghoulking]

Aha- [ kaneki shakes his head ] I don't need influence or anything like that. I'm fine with just being a coffee shop owner and not a celebrity.

I don't want connections and influence.

[hellrisen02]

The good ones never do. [Duo says aloud, maybe to himself, into his coffee.] Just finds you, right?

--How'd you end up hiring Deedee, anyway? [Hello, abrupt subject changes.]

[ghoulking]

Oh- D33 [ yes, Kaneki says the full name ] asked me for a job. His last one didn't work out, so I suppose he wanted to give it a try somewhere ran by imPorts. [ at least that's what Kaneki thinks. D33 never gave him a reason why he wanted to work at the Coffee Shop and Kaneki never asked for one ]

He is of great help, too - since he usually stays here until closing time. [ most of his employees don't because the shop closes around 2am ]

[hellrisen02]

[Duo's small smile flickers a little at the full name- heh, what a polite kid. And kinda naive, too, he thinks as he listens to Kaneki's explanation. Guesses that Kaneki didn't know anything about his background, hadn't gleaned the kind of person he was made to be.]

[Well, hey, if it was working out for them--] That's good. Kid's eating better now, at least. I was getting a bit worried.

--Don't let him know I said anything, but sometimes it seems he needs a little help taking care of himself and has too much pride to ask for it.

[So he stays here late, huh... Duo will have to keep that in mind, the next time he's looking for him.]

[ghoulking]

[ Kaneki doesn't pry. If D33 wants to talk about his upbringing, he can, but Kaneki is not noisy - he doesn't feel comfortable talking about his own history, after all. ]

Hm- well. I don't think he has issues asking for what he needs. [ he asks for the leftover sweets, he asks for Kaneki to come over to his place, he asks for books , he was the one asking for this job. So... it's because it's you, Kaneki. He still hasn't realized that ] Maybe he only asks when he really needs something- [ like a breaking point? Well, in any case ]

- I offer dinner every day, so he doesn't go without eating one meal, at least.

[hellrisen02]

[Duo was used to that- him and all his friends, they only ever knew what they guessed or happened upon by incident of each other. Certainly Duo was never one to share his own mysteries- but that didn't mean he couldn't guess what was up. Especially with the way the kid reacted to some things.]

Mmhm...? [Duo quirks a brow, apparently amused for some reason.] Well, whatever the case is, I'm glad someone's taking care of him like that. [He flashes Kaneki an appreciative grin, if the slightest bit teasing.] I don't think he's used to any sort of uh, domestic care.

--Not that I'm calling you domestic or anything. [He's definitely calling you domestic.]

[ghoulking]

[ kaneki waves his hand dismissively ] Ah- no, it's true. My kids were always saying I am a huge motherhen, so I guess I am pretty domestic.

I even have an apron. [ which he wears everyday ok ]

[hellrisen02]

--Your kids? [Duo repeats, looking a little surprised, then cheerful.] ...Wouldn't have pegged you for a dad. Little ones you've taken in?

[Well, after all it was fairly well known that Father Maxwell worked in orphanages, so of course this would be of interest to him. The bit of popularity he'd gotten, as an imPort, told his reputation of being popular in all the Porter cities' orphanages.]

[ghoulking]

Hm! [ kaneki smiles, thinking about his "children". It's a small smile, with some sadness behind it, but kaneki covers it up rather well by smiling wider. ] They aren't that small - the older ones are 19. The younger ones are 14, but they probably don't like the idea of me calling them "my children".

[hellrisen02]

[Duo knows that smile, but he won't pry. He knows it too well.]

That's great. [Duo returns one of his own, genuine.] --Obviously, that's something of an interest to me. Although I have a lot more little ones now, going between the cities, than I ever did before........

[...Hopefully they wouldn't meet similar fates.] Heh, big kids never do. But deep down, doesn't everyone want a parent to look after them?

[ghoulking]

It must be a really enjoyable thing to do. [ spoken with sincerity. Kaneki likes children, even if he doesn't think he will ever one of his own. he adopts them instead, that works too ]

Aha- probably. [ kaneki always wanted a parent. he still does. he clings to parental figures very fast because of it, even though he has had so many things happening involving parental figures. ]

I mean, i had a very good mother, so I wanted them to have someone who cares about them like that too.