[Friendship is so beautiful, they're both just crying on the couch-- but Watty is starting to look Concerned, which is enough to have Ranpo sniffling and reining in the tears.]
...Lucy-chan, then.
[Don't push for a first name without honorifics okay he'll blush--]
But you know, you're pretty lucky, getting a recommendation from me. You probably won't even have to take an entrance exam!
[--naturally any offers to Poe or Bunatsu still need one, since the Love Bias is too strong there.]
[Lucy, too, remembers to keep it together for Watty. Her beloved... what is he. Nephew? She's not sure. Her cute catepillar loving friend. That works.]
An entrance exam...? Yeah, I wouldn't pass that. I barely know any math. Stickin' with you.
[Though, why does the Agency have an exam? It's not university, is it?]
Oh, it's not that kind of exam. It's actually pretty unconventional-- for Atsushi's, everyone staged a hostage situation in the office with a bomb threat to see how he'd handle things. Dazai was assigned a case straight-away to see how he'd solve it, and Kyouka-chan was accepted after preventing Moby Dick from crashing into Yokohama and killing hundreds of thousand of people.
[ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER--]
But seeing as I'm one of the founding members of the agency, my word holds a little more sway than everyone else.
[Huh. You know? Atsushi’s anxiety makes even more sense now. She want only imagine how that went...]
...please tell me he didn’t throw himself on the bomb like an idiot. [She likes to imagine he could talk a bomber down instead, but damn. That boy is stupidly selfless. This suggestion was a joke, so please laugh.]
I don’t think I could do any of those things. I’m not that nice.
[Everything she has done so far was out of self interest.
But they don’t need to talk about sad things, like Lucy being a rotten person.]
You’re a founding member, huh? Funny... I guess I never thought about how the Agency wouldn’ta just sprung up outta no where. Someone would have to plant it, huh...
[She won’t call him old! Not when his story sounds so charming. Instead of defending Dazai (sorry, dude,) she giggles and tries to press for more story details.]
Humble beginnings! That’s such a lovely start to a story.
[Since he doesn’t seem reluctant to talk about it, Lucy lets the conversation wander that way. It’s better than him being sad.]
Did you know your dad had some an amazing origin story, Watty?
[Channeling Watty is by far the best way to get Ranpo talking about it, because no one can resist a smol fox tilting his head and chirping-- "Papa has an orange story?"]
Oh, it's some story, all right!
[His smile softens, growing more fond.]
It was just a coincidence that we crossed paths that day. The gruff bodyguard and sheltered orphan who was too smart for his good... but he let me follow alongside him, and pretty soon, I was putting him out of business by solving all his client's problems. After a while, I was the one they were calling for instead. And so we started the agency with the hope of helping even more people -- with whatever they needed.
[He's more than just a founding member -- it likely wouldn't exist at all if not for him.]
I may not be an ability user like you, but I've still got a gift. And using our gifts to help people is what the ADA is all about.
[She giggles, only gently repeating the pronoun is toon for Watty one more time. Otherwise, Lucy is sincerely engrossed in this tale. She didn’t know that Ranpo was an orphan like her. It frames his cheerful demeanor in a completely new light. How are people like Ranpo and Atsushi, and even Dazai, so strong and bright? Meanwhile, Lucy hangs in the shadows and tries to drag people into the darkness with her.
No. She could never join the Agency. They’re different from her. Right now, she’s lucky to bask in their light at all.]
Hmm. Hear that, Watty? Your Papa sure is amaz—-
Edited (Rip your notifs basically) 2020-08-13 08:46 (UTC)
Ranpo has no ability??? But after all that shit he pulled to save the Agency—- no way! He changed an engine, planned those rescues, pulled a fast one on the page hunting whoevers... And she’s supposed to believe he’s just a normal human??!!]
[You would think he'd look proud of the fact that he's a normal human keeping up with a bunch of ability users, but no. Instead, he looks a little sheepish about it.]
It's still a little more complicated than that. I don't think it'd be accurate to just say I'm really smart-- it's more like I see the world with a lot more detail than most people can.
But when I was kid, I didn't realize I was special. It caused me a lot of grief-- it still does, sometimes. But Fukuzawa-san saw that, and he made up a story about me being an ability user to help me understand myself better.
Maybe it wasn't the most ethical thing to lie about, but... I wouldn't be the person I am today if he hadn't.
Lucy wants to be a kind and supportive friend for Ranpo right now. She knows how to put others first. But it’s hard. It’s hard to be kind when you’re drenched in selfish misery. Her despairing tendencies deep forth before she can catch her tongue.]
I would be furious... And seeing the world in more detail? I’d go insane. The world sucks enough in normal vision.
I don’t understand you Agency people...
[But does she ever love them. They make her think that maybe the world could be a beautiful place after all.]
[The words come out softly, revealing something he's never actually talked about.]
I believed it for a long time. The only reason I know the truth at all is because of Edgar's ability -- the world inside his books doesn't allow for supernatural abilities to exist. But I solved it anyway.
[Twelve years of thinking he was an ability user. Even now, accepting that it was all a lie is something he's still grappling with. There's a reason he still uses those glasses, after all. And why he fell prey to addiction so quickly with alcohol, given the way it turned his mind off.]
But even if it was a terrible thing to lie, he only did it because he saw how much I was suffering. I was a lot angrier back then. I could see too much about the people around me, and didn't understand why they'd get so angry when I pointed it out. I don't think I would have gone as far as Dazai, but... it would have been hard to live like that. It was hard. But Fukuzawa-san saw different path I could take, and really... it's thanks to him that I'm still here at all.
[Ahh. He's getting emotional again, his eyes shining as he smiles back at her.]
I can talk about lofty ideals about helping people and changing the world-- but really, we're all just searching for a way to live. And if we can help others as we help each other, all the better.
[Lucy is a good listener. Even when she doesn't understand, she at least knows how to turn her two ears on and give it a try. So it comes as a surprise to her when Ranpo, who she had written off as impossible to understand, makes near perfect sense. His situation was hard and upsetting, but she also understands where Fukuzawa was coming from.]
... Nope. You do-gooders are still strange.
[She sighs, not sure how to help with his eyes. Making him cry more was not the goal tonight, but here she is! At least she carries a package of tissues in her pocket. There are too many crybabies in her life not to.]
Give yourself more credit. I, for one, only cared about me. Finding a way to live, sure, but it takes an extra something to care about whoever you run into along the way.
[The tissues are appreciated-- excuse him as he just holds one over his whole face to soak up the tears instead of wiping them like a normal human being.]
I guess so. But there's nothing wrong with caring about yourself, either.
If anything-- that's something that some of us are still working on.
[Ranpo knows, after all, that his relationship with Inaba wouldn't have become so toxic if he cared about himself more. Maybe then he could have seen the signs earlier and put a stop to things before the hurt could hurt so much.]
I know I'm crying again, but-- I do feel better, talking to you.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
...Lucy-chan, then.
[Don't push for a first name without honorifics okay he'll blush--]
But you know, you're pretty lucky, getting a recommendation from me. You probably won't even have to take an entrance exam!
[--naturally any offers to Poe or Bunatsu still need one, since the Love Bias is too strong there.]
no subject
An entrance exam...? Yeah, I wouldn't pass that. I barely know any math. Stickin' with you.
[Though, why does the Agency have an exam? It's not university, is it?]
no subject
[ONE OF THESE THINGS IS NOT LIKE THE OTHER--]
But seeing as I'm one of the founding members of the agency, my word holds a little more sway than everyone else.
no subject
...please tell me he didn’t throw himself on the bomb like an idiot. [She likes to imagine he could talk a bomber down instead, but damn. That boy is stupidly selfless. This suggestion was a joke, so please laugh.]
I don’t think I could do any of those things. I’m not that nice.
[Everything she has done so far was out of self interest.
But they don’t need to talk about sad things, like Lucy being a rotten person.]
You’re a founding member, huh? Funny... I guess I never thought about how the Agency wouldn’ta just sprung up outta no where. Someone would have to plant it, huh...
1/2
[He's not even here to defend himself smh]
no subject
Of course, we're a lot more professional now, but back then, we were just a former bodyguard and a genius kid detective.
[Emphasis on kid here okay he's not that old.]
no subject
Humble beginnings! That’s such a lovely start to a story.
[Since he doesn’t seem reluctant to talk about it, Lucy lets the conversation wander that way. It’s better than him being sad.]
Did you know your dad had some an amazing origin story, Watty?
no subject
Oh, it's some story, all right!
[His smile softens, growing more fond.]
It was just a coincidence that we crossed paths that day. The gruff bodyguard and sheltered orphan who was too smart for his good... but he let me follow alongside him, and pretty soon, I was putting him out of business by solving all his client's problems. After a while, I was the one they were calling for instead. And so we started the agency with the hope of helping even more people -- with whatever they needed.
[He's more than just a founding member -- it likely wouldn't exist at all if not for him.]
I may not be an ability user like you, but I've still got a gift. And using our gifts to help people is what the ADA is all about.
1/3
No. She could never join the Agency. They’re different from her. Right now, she’s lucky to bask in their light at all.]
Hmm. Hear that, Watty? Your Papa sure is amaz—-
2/3
[Wait, hang on. No ability?
Ranpo has no ability??? But after all that shit he pulled to save the Agency—- no way! He changed an engine, planned those rescues, pulled a fast one on the page hunting whoevers... And she’s supposed to believe he’s just a normal human??!!]
3/3
[Oops! Sorry, Watty. But also: Aunt Maudie is in unfiltered shock.]
What are you— a human utility knife for brain stuff?? How! I can’t even solve a puzzle!
no subject
[You would think he'd look proud of the fact that he's a normal human keeping up with a bunch of ability users, but no. Instead, he looks a little sheepish about it.]
It's still a little more complicated than that. I don't think it'd be accurate to just say I'm really smart-- it's more like I see the world with a lot more detail than most people can.
But when I was kid, I didn't realize I was special. It caused me a lot of grief-- it still does, sometimes. But Fukuzawa-san saw that, and he made up a story about me being an ability user to help me understand myself better.
Maybe it wasn't the most ethical thing to lie about, but... I wouldn't be the person I am today if he hadn't.
no subject
[Seriously! She doesn’t get it!
Lucy wants to be a kind and supportive friend for Ranpo right now. She knows how to put others first. But it’s hard. It’s hard to be kind when you’re drenched in selfish misery. Her despairing tendencies deep forth before she can catch her tongue.]
I would be furious... And seeing the world in more detail? I’d go insane. The world sucks enough in normal vision.
I don’t understand you Agency people...
[But does she ever love them. They make her think that maybe the world could be a beautiful place after all.]
But... mysteries aren’t bad.
no subject
[The words come out softly, revealing something he's never actually talked about.]
I believed it for a long time. The only reason I know the truth at all is because of Edgar's ability -- the world inside his books doesn't allow for supernatural abilities to exist. But I solved it anyway.
[Twelve years of thinking he was an ability user. Even now, accepting that it was all a lie is something he's still grappling with. There's a reason he still uses those glasses, after all. And why he fell prey to addiction so quickly with alcohol, given the way it turned his mind off.]
But even if it was a terrible thing to lie, he only did it because he saw how much I was suffering. I was a lot angrier back then. I could see too much about the people around me, and didn't understand why they'd get so angry when I pointed it out. I don't think I would have gone as far as Dazai, but... it would have been hard to live like that. It was hard. But Fukuzawa-san saw different path I could take, and really... it's thanks to him that I'm still here at all.
[Ahh. He's getting emotional again, his eyes shining as he smiles back at her.]
I can talk about lofty ideals about helping people and changing the world-- but really, we're all just searching for a way to live. And if we can help others as we help each other, all the better.
no subject
... Nope. You do-gooders are still strange.
[She sighs, not sure how to help with his eyes. Making him cry more was not the goal tonight, but here she is! At least she carries a package of tissues in her pocket. There are too many crybabies in her life not to.]
Give yourself more credit. I, for one, only cared about me. Finding a way to live, sure, but it takes an extra something to care about whoever you run into along the way.
no subject
I guess so. But there's nothing wrong with caring about yourself, either.
If anything-- that's something that some of us are still working on.
[Ranpo knows, after all, that his relationship with Inaba wouldn't have become so toxic if he cared about himself more. Maybe then he could have seen the signs earlier and put a stop to things before the hurt could hurt so much.]
I know I'm crying again, but-- I do feel better, talking to you.