MAY CATCH-ALL

[khajidont]

WHO: Jaime Reyes & OPEN
WHERE: Various.
WHEN: Throughout May!
WHAT: Various.
WARNINGS: None anticipated; I will update this if necessary! I'll be making specific starters for people, but if you want something in particular, feel free to either tag in with a starter of your own, or you can PM/PP me at feygasm, and I'll be more than happy to set something up for you!

Comments

[monster_san]

[It's been a little while since Jaime told Fuu that he was 'under the weather', which was--highly coincidentally--on the same day his neighborhood was on the news thanks to chunks of it being destroyed in a hero fight.

She hasn't seen much of him since then, and she's rather concerned. So she's brought over some pan dulce from the Mexican grocery and the makings for green tea, because one or both of those things probably won't hurt? And if not that, her 3DS. She's prepared for contingencies.

She rings the doorbell.] Jaime-san, are you in?

[khajidont]

[By this time, Jaime's let himself return to a modicum of daily life. He can't just drop out of school and lose his job, so he has to be able to do something. Even so, he's been sticking mostly to himself, no matter how guilty he feels for neglecting all of his social duties, the people he should be checking up on, the people he should be hanging out with.

Which means that once Fuu comes by, at least he's not forcing his housemates to answer the door for him. When he answers the door, he doesn't look as pale and tired as he did before, but certainly moreso than usual; if nothing else, it lends credence to the fib of him having had a really bad cold. He's certainly physically healed by now, but that's never been the worst problem when it comes to getting beaten up.

He opens the door, and while his smile is thin, he still manages to work one up for Fuu. He likes Fuu, and he hates lying to her, but... well, he's not giving away his secret after that debacle.]

Hey, Fuu. I'm in.

[monster_san]

[It's a relief to see that Jaime has all of his limbs attached, though his worn appearance does show that he's been under strain, and he's decidedly not his usual self. That means her own smile is not exactly forced, but conflicted--relieved and concerned at the same time.]

How have you been doing? [She's not going for a polite fiction that this is a normal social call.] I haven't seen you out and about very much, so I thought I should check up on you, and perhaps bring some tea if you're still feeling under the weather.

[khajidont]

I'm, um... I'm doing a little better now.

[It's not actually a lie. It would be hard to be worse than that first week, too torn up by panic and anxiety and dread to even consider leaving his room, let alone going to work and school again. It's not that he's feeling great, but it's hard to feel that pathetic for so long instead of letting it fade away into the background, a quiet pulsing worry, like particularly awful background music dogging his every step.]

It was nice of you to come by, though. Sorry if I worried you.

[monster_san]

I'm glad to hear it. [Still, his hesitance and manner tell her that he's not all well yet. She moves to the kitchen to start tea, figuring he won't object to it.] Don't feel bad. You couldn't help being sick and having your neighborhood attacked at the same time.

[So I mean if there's anything you want to elaborate on there Jaime do feel free.]

Do you like green tea? I figured it could be useful for getting back over the weather. [English idioms, they are unusual but fun to play with.]

[dualismum]

[ Sasaki - not Kaneki, totally not Kaneki - leads complicated days trying to pretend he isn't the one we shall not name. He is recognized by natives and other imPorts, and the more he tells them "I am not Kaneki" less certain of his words he is. And this was only the first week!

But even if he insists on it, Sasaki has Kaneki's memories from this world and it's not really easy for him to ignore them and the feelings that came with them; he can't separate himself from them and he certainly can't fight his need to check up on the people he knows and feels for. To him, it has been three years and a whole life ever since he last saw them. So this first month is dedicated to that, mostly. Checking on whoever he can, roaming the streets so he can get re-acquaintance with the place.

Even if he knew where Jaime lived, he wouldn't knock there, but as both live in Heropa's government housing, that meeting might not be so difficult.

After a day working as a police officer - except the sheriff doesn't take Sasaki seriously (sasirously) so his job is basically to talk to the elders, give pamphlets to people, help tourist to find their way around; PR stuff to show off they have an imPort in the task, but not really consider him part of it - Sasaki returns home with his blue uniform while carrying even more pamphlets that he didn't manage to give away today. But instead of entering his house, he decides to go for a walk instead, along the houses - maybe he will see someone familiar. He hopes so. ]

[khajidont]

[Jaime, for his part, has been busy enough that he has been both blissfully unaware of Ken's recent troubles, and of his subsequent disappearance. Going on your own little rampage has a nasty little habit of placing blinders on you when it comes to matters of local - and city-wide - importance. So when he leaves his house, looking as subdued as he normally is these days, focusing on not looking around him, he doesn't notice Ken there right away. He just wants to stick to his own business, get in, and get out as soon as possible.

But it's impossible for him not to notice Ken wearing a new uniform. His eyes widen a little, and he seems to jolt outside of his own stupor once he sees him, torn between commenting and moving along.

Then again, Ken's always been kind to him, and he doesn't want to give him the false impression that he's mad at Ken instead of dealing with his own set of drama.]

...Ken? What are you -- what happened to your job at the Lucky Cat Cafe?

[More importantly, what the heck is he doing as a cop? He can't think of a job that suits Ken less.]

[dualismum]

[ the name "Ken" haunts him. "kaneki", "Ken", "eyepatch", "centipede", these are all names that now haunt Sasaki; back in his world, he knew the name and the nicknames, however he didn't have to hear them every single day and he didn't have to see the faces of recognition from other people. It was easier. Here, he is constantly being reminded that he has the face of someone else, and he is constantly being reminded that he is not himself, and that everyone expects someone else, and that they are all waiting for Sasaki to turn and say "yes it's Kaneki" - but he doesn't want to do that, because even if he has Kaneki's memories and feelings, he is not Kaneki. he doesn't want to be. He wants to exist as himself, even though he knows that won't last long. So Sasaki will keep running away for as long as he can.

Like now.

When he hears the name, Sasaki turns his head.

Jaime. ]

... I'm sorry, I'm not Ken. [ running away.

And everytime he does, everytime Sasaki refuses to acknowledge a bond that kaneki has made and that he actually does remember, his head screams and hurts. ]

Uhm, I'm Haise Sasaki.

[khajidont]

Oh.

[And here he was, being social for no reason at all. Jaime's so well-acquainted with different universes that it doesn't occur to him that he could be lying (or, more accurately, telling a half-truth); if he could run into several different versions of the same people here, why wouldn't he meet one of Ken's? Even if he goes by a different name, different universes don't necessarily name people the same things.

He raises one hand in apology.] Sorry. You look like a friend of mine. But, um... I'm sure you've gotten that a lot already.

OPEN TO SEES + SENPAIFRIENDS

[khajidont]

[Maybe Jaime had wanted to lock himself away in his room until... well, until the impossible happens, but life doesn't work out that way. He can't afford to lose his job, can't afford to go on academic probation, and more than that, close friends disappearing is a way of kicking him right in the ass.

There are things that must be done, after all. Jaime had mourned their loss - Shinji's moreso than anything else, of course - had a solitary moment to cry, think about things that hadn't been said, then cry harder. He was supposed to go with Jaime back to El Paso, to live a normal life like he deserves, not one marred by tragedy and depression.

But you can't mourn forever, and someone needs to clean up their stuff, so it's off to De Chima he goes to clean up their stuff so that it's not just unceremoniously dumped out once someone else is unceremoniously placed into one of their rooms.

Jaime can be found mainly in their shared bedroom, sorting things neatly into piles, though he can also be found combing through their kitchen, putting aside the items he knows for a fact had belonged to Shinji. His eyes are dry, and while he doesn't look chipper, he certainly isn't putting his grief onto anyone else; on the contrary, he's made sure that there's both food and drink available so they can have a brief respite in between cleaning up a year's worth of crap.]

[homerunning]

[Losing people isn't new to Junpei by now. Between losing Shinjiro the first time back home...and then Chidori...news of Minato's death...

Akihiko and then the second time for Shinjiro... Dipper's absence...Kitty's death...it'd all piled up until Junpei just ran out of tears. He's tired--beyond tired to say the least. But like hell he was going to leave Jaime hanging and not join to clean out his senpai's apartment. Someone had to sort through this stuff.


Jaime wasn't even SEES, not officially in their world anyway, but here he was, pulling his weight to help them out. It's hard not to feel for the guy, honestly. As Jaime starts going through all of Shinji's cooking supplies, Junpei walks up with a box, setting it to the side a moment to put a hand on his shoulder.]

Hey.

[His voice practically strains out that word, Jaime's face making it incredibly hard to not just let out all his own grievances.]

You holdin' up okay?

[khajidont]

[No matter who they are, it seems like every person here is well-acquainted with death and grief -- too well-acquainted, he thinks, and it's something that only grows by the month. As much as Jaime loves the people here, many of them have brought him this kind of grief, and while Jumpei is no stranger to Shinji's death, that doesn't make the immediacy, the unexpectedness of Shinji's disappearance any better, nor does it give them any hope of closure; how long will they wait, hoping beyond hope that he'll be back and everything will be okay again?

He's gone through that with several people now, and as far as he knows, this is Junpei's first. Maybe he's warring with his own grief, but it doesn't take a genius to hear the strain in Junpei's voice, and his heart twists with sympathy for the guy. Junpei's decent, plain and simple, and he doesn't deserve having to clean this up again.]

Done this before. Cleaning up, [he says, nodding at the boxes. This is different, sure, but this ain't his first rodeo. He looks at Junpei, forehead creasing.] How about you? I'm sorry you gotta do this again.

[homerunning]

[Wheras Junpei seems to be experiencing someone leaving for the first time, this seemed all too familiar with Jaime, and it shows in just how tired the boy sounds. The only thing he'd known was that death wasn't permanent, and he'd found that out in the worst way possible. This was just another thing to add on.


But to Jaime, this was just another instance. One more tally to the number of people who had come and gone. It's hard to know what to say to someone like that, but hell if Junpei wouldn't try.

He'd lost people, he knows the pain.]


Heh, on the bright side, I'm not gonna find any surprises when it comes to knowing what Shinjiro-senpai does in his free time.

[An attempt at a cheerful tone, although there's a gentle sadness just underneath.]


Look, I've only been here for a few months but--now's a perfect time to say thanks. For looking out for all of em.


Even if some are gone.

[amadaman]

[Ken arrives not long after Jaime does with Koromaru in tow and a large, empty backpack slung over his shoulder. Packing up after people who've left is something he's done multiple times before, and he's here to do it again. This time, it just happens to be somebody (somebodies) he has a lot more history with. There are some things, he hopes, the others won't mind if he takes home with him. Memories are something he wants to hold on to.

But Ken checks on Jaime first. It's always the people left behind he empathizes with more, because that's usually the position he's in as well. Before he gets to cleaning Ken looks around, searching for Jaime and calling his name upon finding him.]

[khajidont]

[Jaime's in Akihiko and Shinjiro's room when he hears Ken calling, in the middle of folding their laundry. He'd done a load before Ken had arrived, mostly because he doesn't feel like figuring out what to do with dirty clothes nobody wants, and knowing Akihiko, they're probably drenched in sweat anyway.

He pops out of their room, looking as subdued as usual, but he, like Ken, is accustomed to picking up the pieces left behind by now.]

Ken?

[He jogs down the stairs to meet Ken halfway, still in the middle of folding a sweater. He should have figured Ken would come, though he's sad for him, having to clean up this particular mess after Shinji's presence had spurred so much bad, then so much good.]

Hey. I didn't know you were planning on coming.

[amadaman]

[To Ken it feels like when they sat around the dorm in March, trying to figure out what to do. Packing up their belongings, sending them off. Ken... Ken hadn't bothered to call his uncle. He moved into the old elementary school dorm, and Koromaru's things were assigned to Mitsuru. After their time in the Abyss, he instead stayed with Aigis.

How had they sorted through Minato's belongings then? What had Akihiko done with Shinjiro's old room? He can't ask anymore because they're both gone, together. Maybe that was for the best.

He smiles at Jaime when he comes downstairs, but it's a hollow one. It's not just Shinjiro and Akihiko's disappearances Ken's dealing with right now, but this... this one gave him something to do about it.]

How could I not? If he ends up coming back, Aragaki-san would get grouchy if we just let all his kitchen stuff get swept away by someone.

[penthesileia]

[Part of her doesn't want to acknowledge it. Part of her wants to ignore it. It hurt enough, losing a close friend once. The second time around may not be as much of a stabbing, raw grief, but it's painful nonetheless.

She wonders if Minato, too, will be snatched away at any moment.

Even if she'd known from the beginning that they were both living on borrowed time, Mitsuru resents this world for taking it from Shinjiro. Maybe from Minato someday, too. The one solace is that Akihiko had gone with him.

But she can't wallow in her grief. She's the leader of SEES. She needs to set an example.

She knocks on the door before opening it.] Ah... hello, I hadn't expected anyone else to be here.

[khajidont]

[Jaime offers Mitsuru a crooked smile once she steps in. It's not a genuine expression, not by half, and that much is obvious -- but it is a polite one, and a well-meaning one at that. Jaime and Shinji and Akihiko had gotten close, but he knows that while Shinji was one of his best friends, SEES knew him as a comrade-in-arms, had known him for far, far longer than him.

Especially the older ones. He finishes stacking the pot neatly in the box he had brought out and walks towards her to greet her.]

I wouldn't let you guys clean this up alone. They're my friends too.

[He is, however, studiously avoiding past-tense in this situation. There's still a chance of them coming back, and he has to hold onto it, hold onto those slim just-in-cases. He pauses, then says,] I don't mind doing it. If, um... you guys don't want to.

[That's why she's here, of course, but he wants to give her a decent out, at least. It's the least he can do.]

[penthesileia]

[The use of the present tense doesn't go unnoticed. It's hopeful, certainly, and she understands that hope. She even shares it, in a way. She wonders if that hope may not be misplaced.

She shakes her head.] Thank you, but you don't have to do it on your own. I'll help.

[Shinjiro and Akihiko were dear to her. Perhaps her oldest friends.] What needs to be done? You've been working hard already, I see.

backdated a from before!

[booyahh]

[ A flurry of emotions went through Traci as she thought about Jaime having lost control and the snowball that rolled through after. For a very brief moment she even had a second where she got mad at herself for not being there. The selfishness of the sentiment made her push that feeling down as quickly and strongly as possible. She sent him a text and when he didn't respond quickly enough (which translated to he didn't respond within a few minutes) she just teleported to his place.

She almost teleported straight into his room but she hesitated and thought better of that. Instead she teleported outside his door and then just knocked.

[khajidont]

[Jaime probably should have texted Traci first, to at least tell her that he was okay, to tell her not to worry, but he did nothing of the kind; after he recovered and Karen left once she made sure he wasn't going to die, he just wound up curling in bed and not doing much of anything in particular. It's the only way he could think of to deal with this whole debacle, even if it wasn't a particularly positive way of dealing with it.

Once he hears the knock on his door, he's actually not sure who it is -- it could be his housemates, but it could be someone else, too. He tentatively scoots up into a sitting position, though he doesn't move from his bed as he says,] Um, you can come in.

4 TIMTAM

[khajidont]

[Jaime had run into Tim on patrol the other night, and, for the first time since he stopped, felt a twinge of: I should be doing that. It hadn't lasted long, though, and he hadn't stopped to chat for long; just long enough to tell Tim he was done with the business (and to say sorry, he knows Tim could use an ally, but probably not one that might rip someone's head off involuntarily), but that didn't mean they couldn't be friends anyway.

Tim could probably use a couple more, anyway.

So he invited him over so they could hang out at some point, even if neither of them probably feel like it, because, well, that's what you do. You get on with your life. And if getting on with your life involves junk food and television, all the better.]

[alreadywon]

[It seems like, lately, the only times he gets out to do anything other than patrol or work is when someone asks him to. He's been wanting to check on Jaime, anyway, so this qualifies as a good excuse to see how he's doing.

There's no excuse for him to wear a mask of any kind, though, so he shows up in jeans and a t-shirt, which is honestly more him than most of what he wears out lately. (The Wayne Public Image has to be maintained, after all.) Without the Blackbird mask or the suit as a distraction, though, he just looks... drained.

It's been a long month and a half.]

Hey. How're you holding up?

[khajidont]

Oh, you know.

[It's not really an answer, per se, but one that he suspects that Tim will understand nonetheless. Nobody gets into this line of work without them having been through something, if not like this, then something traumatizing in a different way. They can't exactly say that they're good, but they get by. It's all they can do, sometimes.

It's probably not healthy that the disappearance of one of his closest friends had spurred him to crawl out of his own hole long enough to feign being functional, but there's nothing like a dead man returning to becoming dead that gives you the kick in the ass needed to do right by the people that are still here.

And, like it or not, Tim's one of them. Titans Together, even when neither of them are Titans right now, right...?

He gestures for Tim to follow him deeper into his house - more appropriately, the kitchen, because Jaime has the sensibilities of a grandma - to have a pan dulce chucked at his head.]

How 'bout you? You look beat.

[alreadywon]

[It isn't really an answer, but Tim can relate to it and will accept it for now. It's not like he was expecting much in the way of detail. He knows that Jaime's doing well enough to reach out to company.

Besides, it gets turned on him pretty quickly, along with the flying food.] I'm fine. Just been busy, with the company and... stuff.