[ which is... a lot, yeah, he knows. when dealing with other ghosts, it had never seemed like that, but here — well, it's impossible not to know how different his afterlife is, compared to the mostly human lives of those here. ]
What? No, course I can say. [ with a light laugh, ] But there's loads of different kinds. Anything someone wants us to look into. Sometimes we solve the causes of their deaths, but other times it's that a building near them's haunted, or someone's gone missing, someone they know's behaving weird... all kinds of things.
[Thirty-four. Yu exhales. Even Adachi was only, what, twenty-eight? Thirty? Adding to how old he was when he died, Charles is even older than his uncle. That-- it's weird to think about, huh? On the other hand, Charles's whole thing is so weird already that it's just...par for the course.]
So you've got some experience, is what I'm hearing.
[He plays off the surprise pretty casually, putting levity in his tone and expression. Yeah, it's kind of weird. A lot, maybe. But everything around here is weird, right? And his own story isn't exactly more normal. Besides, he's sincere when he says:] That's pretty incredible, actually. My friends and I...back home, we got involved with a murder case. It probably would've been easier to crack with someone like you on the case.
[ he can't quite help the laugh that he lets out at that — because, damn, that's got to be the easiest way someone's ever taken this whole thing. and he really, really appreciates the effort. ]
Yeah, you could say that.
[ but then what follows sweeps all the laughter away, leaving just his furrowed brows as he looks at yu. ] Wait, shit, really? How'd that go, then?
[He'll have to start working on some old man jokes...
Yu pauses at Charles's change in tone, at the question that comes out of it, and he can't help a slight grimace. They had all really been amateurs, hadn't they? Well, all but Naoto, and she had judged them all plenty for their rash inexperience.]
It could have been better, [he admits somewhat reluctantly. If someone had been able to figure things out earlier, maybe Saki-senpai would still be alive.] My uncle wasn't pleased, either. We caught the guy in the end, but...it took a lot of effort.
but in response to yu's slightly reluctant admittance of their not entirely smooth detective operation, charles only has a soft, understanding look to give in return — he knows, after all, what it's like. what it's like to muck up a case, what it's like to find out the truth and wish you hadn't, what it's like to solve a case and have a client go vengeful in response... it's a rare thing where things go perfectly. ]
Hey, you solved it, though. That's what matters. And yeah, maybe someone else could have done it differently — better, even... but they didn't, did they? You cared enough to try and solve it, and got to it, in the end. [ and that's no small thing. ]
Hmm, [is his first response, neutral, uncommitted. Maybe Charles is right. Izanami could have picked anyone, but it was him. He could have ignored all of the strange things happening, but he didn't.
In the end, he's better for it.]
You're right. No matter what could have happened, in the end, it was us. [Sorry not sorry, Uncle. --anyway, back to paying attention to Charles instead of him.] You're pretty good with pep talks. Do you do them often?
[ what is this conversation, some kind of attention-deflecting tag game where every few topics they bounce the ball onto the other's court, and with it the spotlight... ]
What? [ he blinks, and, well, ] Not really. But I talk to clients often. [ and he's very good at reading a room, excellent at finding the right words to say, the ones that he believes whoever he's talking to will want to hear. and though the reason why he can do that is... well, kind of traumatic, at least he can put his skills to good use. ]
[Honesty chicken with two guys who would rather talk about anything but themselves... Unfortunately, Yu looks at this as a challenge. And he sure does love a challenge.
His smile tugs wider at the initial response, as well as the follow-up.]
I'd say it counts. It's not easy, reassuring people who need help. [But it's definitely necessary. Yu hasn't had years of experience with it, in the same way, but they had to do plenty of that with the kidnapping victims, after they rescued them. Even before they really became friends.]
[ charles just sort of gives a shrug in response — one that seems to mean i guess, and actually means it has always been easy for me for reasons i will not get into, but, you know! same difference.
so, with an easy smile, ] Sure, if you say it counts.
But you're not bad at this whole being encouraging thing, either. So I reckon you've got some experience with it, too, yeah?
Yu's shrug mirrors Charles's, maybe for a sense of poetic justice. Yu's a little less cagey about this particular stuff; he's just used to helping people out. It's not as deep, for him. So he takes the ball, this time, waiting for an opportunity to send it back.] I guess I do, yeah. Maybe I just have a face that makes people think I'll help them out.
[ look, there's only so much trauma that is acceptable to bring up in a conversation — that being, you know, none, which means his secrets do indeed stay his. for him, being friendly had been the only option: as a biracial, working class guy growing up in the eighties, his easygoing attitude and ease at winning people over had been his only defense, until even that hadn't saved him.
the comment makes him take a more careful look at yu, almost exaggeratedly so. ]
Yeah, guess I can see it. [ he grins, then. ] And let me see — they think you'll help out and then you do?
[There's some irony in this statement; Yu has a great poker face, so he's actually not easy to read at all. That can make things a lot more fun when he's joking or generally being weird, but it's harder for him to show when he's being sincere...and harder to open up, in general. It's not even intentional at this point, really, but he's been doing it habitually for so many years that it's just hard to shake.
Doesn't make Charles' assessment less accurate, though: Yu Narukami will drop almost anything in order to help someone, at any given time.]
[ that actually makes him chuckle — but he is definitely casting a wry look at yu, because as much as charles has made it his thing, so to speak, to be good at reading people, knowing what they want out of him, knowing exactly what he should be like for each person... with yu? sometimes it's like looking at a blank wall. ]
Well, I got a suggestion, then, if you're so keen on helping people. I have some time to kill and nothing really to do, so... you got anything going on right now you can't postpone?
[Uh oh. Charles has his full attention now by way of being entirely too curious. One of these days, maybe it'll get him into trouble. (Or, well, more trouble.) As much as his expression can be opaque, seemingly when he wants it to, he's openly interested now.]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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[ which is... a lot, yeah, he knows. when dealing with other ghosts, it had never seemed like that, but here — well, it's impossible not to know how different his afterlife is, compared to the mostly human lives of those here. ]
What? No, course I can say. [ with a light laugh, ] But there's loads of different kinds. Anything someone wants us to look into. Sometimes we solve the causes of their deaths, but other times it's that a building near them's haunted, or someone's gone missing, someone they know's behaving weird... all kinds of things.
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So you've got some experience, is what I'm hearing.
[He plays off the surprise pretty casually, putting levity in his tone and expression. Yeah, it's kind of weird. A lot, maybe. But everything around here is weird, right? And his own story isn't exactly more normal. Besides, he's sincere when he says:] That's pretty incredible, actually. My friends and I...back home, we got involved with a murder case. It probably would've been easier to crack with someone like you on the case.
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Yeah, you could say that.
[ but then what follows sweeps all the laughter away, leaving just his furrowed brows as he looks at yu. ] Wait, shit, really? How'd that go, then?
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Yu pauses at Charles's change in tone, at the question that comes out of it, and he can't help a slight grimace. They had all really been amateurs, hadn't they? Well, all but Naoto, and she had judged them all plenty for their rash inexperience.]
It could have been better, [he admits somewhat reluctantly. If someone had been able to figure things out earlier, maybe Saki-senpai would still be alive.] My uncle wasn't pleased, either. We caught the guy in the end, but...it took a lot of effort.
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but in response to yu's slightly reluctant admittance of their not entirely smooth detective operation, charles only has a soft, understanding look to give in return — he knows, after all, what it's like. what it's like to muck up a case, what it's like to find out the truth and wish you hadn't, what it's like to solve a case and have a client go vengeful in response... it's a rare thing where things go perfectly. ]
Hey, you solved it, though. That's what matters. And yeah, maybe someone else could have done it differently — better, even... but they didn't, did they? You cared enough to try and solve it, and got to it, in the end. [ and that's no small thing. ]
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In the end, he's better for it.]
You're right. No matter what could have happened, in the end, it was us. [Sorry not sorry, Uncle. --anyway, back to paying attention to Charles instead of him.] You're pretty good with pep talks. Do you do them often?
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What? [ he blinks, and, well, ] Not really. But I talk to clients often. [ and he's very good at reading a room, excellent at finding the right words to say, the ones that he believes whoever he's talking to will want to hear. and though the reason why he can do that is... well, kind of traumatic, at least he can put his skills to good use. ]
So if that counts, then I guess, yeah, actually.
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His smile tugs wider at the initial response, as well as the follow-up.]
I'd say it counts. It's not easy, reassuring people who need help. [But it's definitely necessary. Yu hasn't had years of experience with it, in the same way, but they had to do plenty of that with the kidnapping victims, after they rescued them. Even before they really became friends.]
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so, with an easy smile, ] Sure, if you say it counts.
But you're not bad at this whole being encouraging thing, either. So I reckon you've got some experience with it, too, yeah?
[ attention: shifted. ball: over the net. ]
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Yu's shrug mirrors Charles's, maybe for a sense of poetic justice. Yu's a little less cagey about this particular stuff; he's just used to helping people out. It's not as deep, for him. So he takes the ball, this time, waiting for an opportunity to send it back.] I guess I do, yeah. Maybe I just have a face that makes people think I'll help them out.
[Which he does. Constantly.]
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the comment makes him take a more careful look at yu, almost exaggeratedly so. ]
Yeah, guess I can see it. [ he grins, then. ] And let me see — they think you'll help out and then you do?
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Guess I'm just that easy to read, huh?
[There's some irony in this statement; Yu has a great poker face, so he's actually not easy to read at all. That can make things a lot more fun when he's joking or generally being weird, but it's harder for him to show when he's being sincere...and harder to open up, in general. It's not even intentional at this point, really, but he's been doing it habitually for so many years that it's just hard to shake.
Doesn't make Charles' assessment less accurate, though: Yu Narukami will drop almost anything in order to help someone, at any given time.]
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[ that actually makes him chuckle — but he is definitely casting a wry look at yu, because as much as charles has made it his thing, so to speak, to be good at reading people, knowing what they want out of him, knowing exactly what he should be like for each person... with yu? sometimes it's like looking at a blank wall. ]
Well, I got a suggestion, then, if you're so keen on helping people. I have some time to kill and nothing really to do, so... you got anything going on right now you can't postpone?
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[Uh oh. Charles has his full attention now by way of being entirely too curious. One of these days, maybe it'll get him into trouble. (Or, well, more trouble.) As much as his expression can be opaque, seemingly when he wants it to, he's openly interested now.]
I've got time. What do you have in mind?