[ He's going to smile over that, over how quick his baby sister is on the pick-up and how at ease he feels at the idea of opening up to her about this even as he feels nervous because it hasn't been a full day since the pieces fell into place.
He's always made it a point to shoot straight with this one though. So. Yeah. ]
What if I told you I was... seeing someone?
[ He'll admit it. Cindy's pretty resourceful when it comes to watching him. Always was and always will be. Tossing news as big as this at her out of left field is going to amuse him. So much. ]
Is it terrible that the first thought she has is "How did you even find the TIME"? Maybe not. Your schedule is kind of really insane, bro, and it's insane because of the Vigil --
-- wait.]
Okay... [Slowly, as she's studying the look on your face.] someone from one of the conspiracies, I'm assuming?
[Now she's got her Thinking Face on as she runs through every single possibility in her head. To be fair, her mind moves quickly.
It is also drawing up blanks.]
It's not someone from the Hounds. [Pause, staring at you.] Is it?
[Because she knows Kaz and Taning are both taken? And Brianna seems uninterested, and not exactly a smart choice. Yulia too. As for Brigade? Just. No.]
[ That her mind actually went that way earns her a laugh from her brother. The Hounds are more family than anything else to Josh now, and while his rapport with Yulia is its own thing, and he'd admittedly once harbored a crush on Brianna... well.
As for the guys... just... no. He's an 'equal opportunist' but... no. ]
No. [ Well. Hikaru is their unofficial Seventh but--
Of course he is. He'd like to see you piece things together -- and if you can't, he's going to be upfront about it. But this approach is always better. ]
No. It's not anyone from Rhiannon.
[ Taking another puff. There's a thoughtful look that crosses his features, because of the nature of the people in Rhiannon and how it's funny how he can track that back to Hikaru anyway. ]
[Well, that removes the most logical choices from the drawing board. Now she's sitting down on the nearest available bench, bringing her cigarette up to her lips, and keeping her eyes fixed on somewhere pretty far away while she's thinking.
Who else was close to her brother? She knew Josh well enough to know that not just anybody could catch his attention. His last run-in with anything remotely along that level had been Rethe Kyriff, and that in itself had been a crush. Annie was off the table as well.]
Give me some hints?
[No, she's not going to say "tell me". She's always been a fan of puzzle games.]
Well, [ resting his elbows on his knees at that, one hand running through his hair as he figures out how to phrase this.
Seigi was a pretty big hint, enough to give the answer away. He knows that he wants to see Cindy come into the revelation on her own though. ]
You could say that it was tense. And we weren't quite on the same page. I figured it was the engagement at first... and then my gut was telling me that it wasn't.
[ A thoughtful look now. ] You know how I hate being left in the dark. Especially when I'm left to wonder if I did something wrong but no one's telling me anything.
[Half-listening to that, and half-busy putting more of the facts together, aligning all of the pieces...
...Wait a second. There was only one person, at this point, who seemed to make sense. Especially now that she is certain that Josh mentioned Seigi on purpose.
Holy shit.
Outside of your sister's head space, Joshua Lee Brennan, you may notice that she's very slowly turning towards you with wide eyes, jaw agape.
Just a bit more. She has to be sure. (And maybe she doesn't quite believe it yet.)]
[ There's a thoughful look that crosses Josh's face then. Because that's an accurste description as any of what Hikaru does -- just because he can; just because he's a giver.
His response to that question is quiet, a little somber: ] Yeah. Yeah, he does.
[ And he's just going to stand up to finish off his cigarette, dispose of it at the nearest bin and light up another as he comes back to take his place beside his sister again.
Quietly smoking now. Because he doesn't want to read too much into that silence. Not just yet. ]
Tossing Cindy a Look that starts out amused before it just mabages to slide towards a little helpless -- the good kind.
Looking down at his hands now. ]
He's... [ remembering the way they'd been that morning, the hours before, that exchange at Relik and Hyve before that. ] He's one of my best friends, Cinds.
[Seeing him like that and hearing him say those words is oddly reassuring. If anyone else had told her that they were gunning for the Blade King (with the possible exception of Inquisitor Aria Skye, because yes, Cindy is aware of the history between those two), Cindy would have been incredibly cynical.
That, and this is her brother. Joshua Lee Brennan never does things half-baked, especially if they pertain to human relationships.]
You certainly appeared to be one of his, for a while.
[Yeah, she keeps close tabs on the people who matter. She's also very observant.]
[ He knows you like he knows himself, Cindy. That is something he is happy hasn't changed -- at least the core of it. You're still the kid he helped raise, the little girl who kept him on his toes, who served as his anchor to all things good.
Smiling now, and reaching over to tweak his little sister's nose. ] Ask.
And yes. I am. [ There's a shy look as he smiles. He's clearly thinking of that one. ] He does.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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Okay. What's up?
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He's always made it a point to shoot straight with this one though. So. Yeah. ]
What if I told you I was... seeing someone?
[ He'll admit it. Cindy's pretty resourceful when it comes to watching him. Always was and always will be. Tossing news as big as this at her out of left field is going to amuse him. So much. ]
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Is it terrible that the first thought she has is "How did you even find the TIME"? Maybe not. Your schedule is kind of really insane, bro, and it's insane because of the Vigil --
-- wait.]
Okay... [Slowly, as she's studying the look on your face.] someone from one of the conspiracies, I'm assuming?
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Yep.
[ Go on, baby sis. ]
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It is also drawing up blanks.]
It's not someone from the Hounds. [Pause, staring at you.] Is it?
[Because she knows Kaz and Taning are both taken? And Brianna seems uninterested, and not exactly a smart choice. Yulia too. As for Brigade? Just. No.]
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As for the guys... just... no. He's an 'equal opportunist' but... no. ]
No. [ Well. Hikaru is their unofficial Seventh but--
--yeah. He's just going to grin at you. ]
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Is it somebody from Rhiannon?
[That seemed like the next logical choice. She isn't even going to bother naming the folks from her blade, or from Mia's.]
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Of course he is. He'd like to see you piece things together -- and if you can't, he's going to be upfront about it. But this approach is always better. ]
No. It's not anyone from Rhiannon.
[ Taking another puff. There's a thoughtful look that crosses his features, because of the nature of the people in Rhiannon and how it's funny how he can track that back to Hikaru anyway. ]
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[Well, that removes the most logical choices from the drawing board. Now she's sitting down on the nearest available bench, bringing her cigarette up to her lips, and keeping her eyes fixed on somewhere pretty far away while she's thinking.
Who else was close to her brother? She knew Josh well enough to know that not just anybody could catch his attention. His last run-in with anything remotely along that level had been Rethe Kyriff, and that in itself had been a crush. Annie was off the table as well.]
Give me some hints?
[No, she's not going to say "tell me". She's always been a fan of puzzle games.]
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Remember when you asked me if something else was wrong while I was in Seigi?
[ It's a hint. Lots of people were at Seigi. ]
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[She remembered it quite clearly, in fact. And now she's going through what she had managed to hear from him and from the reports in her head.]
You never did tell me what happened.
[Explain?
Giving you a look now. No worries; she's working the rest of it out. Just a few more pieces.]
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Seigi was a pretty big hint, enough to give the answer away. He knows that he wants to see Cindy come into the revelation on her own though. ]
You could say that it was tense. And we weren't quite on the same page. I figured it was the engagement at first... and then my gut was telling me that it wasn't.
[ A thoughtful look now. ] You know how I hate being left in the dark. Especially when I'm left to wonder if I did something wrong but no one's telling me anything.
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...Wait a second. There was only one person, at this point, who seemed to make sense. Especially now that she is certain that Josh mentioned Seigi on purpose.
Holy shit.
Outside of your sister's head space, Joshua Lee Brennan, you may notice that she's very slowly turning towards you with wide eyes, jaw agape.
Just a bit more. She has to be sure. (And maybe she doesn't quite believe it yet.)]
This person's a... guy. Right?
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Looking away now. Still trying ( vainly ) to keep that smile in check. ]
Uh... maybe?
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Wow. Okay. Man.
Okay.]
And... he does a lot for a lot of people. Right?
[Just give her this, all right? Because wow.]
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His response to that question is quiet, a little somber: ] Yeah. Yeah, he does.
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Excuse your sister, Joshua Brennan, as she turns away and just. Stares out towards nowhere, looking utterly shell-shocked.
This is a bit of a surprise. Just a bit.]
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Quietly smoking now. Because he doesn't want to read too much into that silence. Not just yet. ]
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Well.
[Um. Turning to give you a funny sort of smile?]
You always did aim really high, bro.
[And Hikaru Shinta, Blade King of fucking Zangyaku, is probably the highest target in the Fifth World.]
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Tossing Cindy a Look that starts out amused before it just mabages to slide towards a little helpless -- the good kind.
Looking down at his hands now. ]
He's... [ remembering the way they'd been that morning, the hours before, that exchange at Relik and Hyve before that. ] He's one of my best friends, Cinds.
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That, and this is her brother. Joshua Lee Brennan never does things half-baked, especially if they pertain to human relationships.]
You certainly appeared to be one of his, for a while.
[Yeah, she keeps close tabs on the people who matter. She's also very observant.]
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Yeah. [ A shrug. ]
And then he ran. Or was trying to, until I cornered him.
[ A pause and smile. ] Figuratively speaking.
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-- then again, given the premise that they were both starting on, it was starting to make more and more sense? Huh.]
Well, if this really makes you happy, then...?
[Turning to him with a smile, and a querying look.]
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Smiling now, and reaching over to tweak his little sister's nose. ] Ask.
And yes. I am. [ There's a shy look as he smiles. He's clearly thinking of that one. ] He does.
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[She's trying very hard not to smile too much. You know her, ah, preferences as an anime, manga and video games fan. Don't you?]
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famous last words, josh
LOL
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