almaredemptoris

[For all that Kagari tries to feign indifference, Jean Valjean notes that he appears to be in far higher spirits than when last they encountered one another. He pauses in his step and in greeting gives a cordial smile.]

Good day to you. You are taking well, then, to the climate of this city?

[Sorry, the pun sailed right over his head, hailing as he does from a time before “cool” became an all-purpose colloquialism...]

[He's always in higher spirits than at the stasis unit, man. It's awkward in there.]

Oh my god, you're so old.

[He lets out a short laugh, though it's not an unpleasant one.]

The climate's the worst part of this place. But they've got tech.

[the only place he gets access to tech is the station, and they can only go up there once a day, typically]

[Even so, he cannot recall ever seeing the young man so well, without the sharpness to his smile and the edge to his eyes.]

I beg your pardon?

[But when he says this he appears equal parts puzzled and amused rather than offended. He will not deny his age, but he wonders what prompted such a comment.]

It was a pun, man.

[That sharpness is never particularly far away, with Kagari, but it's not always at the surface, either. Right now, things are good. He's out of the storm, as far as he can tell nobody he likes is dead, they're in a high-tech city with plenty to entertain himself with. One of his friends even came out of stasis. He's riding about as high as he gets, at the moment.]

You know, how people say something's cool, or awesome, or kickass?

Edited 2018-07-20 06:12 (UTC)

Ah, I see.

[His countenance betrays not a ripple of agitation. He possesses an almost preternatural essence of serenity.]

Then it inspires awe in you, yes? Indeed, the people here seen quite ingenious.

[But he had been quite impressed with indoor plumbing and gas stoves and other technologies made quaint by the astounding advancements of the Nadril.]

It's a little lower-tech than Japan was, but some of this stuff is just neat. We definitely didn't have anything like thought-to-speech.

[Which is kind of ironic, given that they'd developed a system such that certain kinds of thinking could be criminalized.]

Your world's kinda ancient, right? If there's stuff here you're confused about, I can probably show you.

Ancient, perhaps, from your vantage point. I have nevertheless managed to survive.

[This is said drily, but in good humor.]

Your offer is kind. I’ve had no trouble yet.

[A pause as he looks at Kagari with that same serene look.]

Have you had dinner yet? [Or “lunch” as the kids these days are calling it.]

[Survive, huh. For a bare moment, Kagari's thoughts travel toward the negative--how he definitely survived for a long time with basically nothing, but it still sucked--but then it passes, like a cloud pushed away by the wind.]

Little early for dinner, isn't it? But nah, I haven't eaten yet. I've been looking around first.

[Exploring, searching discreetly for anyone he likes, nbd.]

There is rather a lot to see. I was on my out, to find somewhere to eat. Perhaps in your looking about you have seen somewhere suitable?

[The offer to join him is subtly embedded in this question. He knows that he risks repelling the young man with charity, a simple act of decency a threat to his bleak perspective of the world, and so he couches it in terms less blatant.]

[Fortunately for Valjean, a simple social invitation isn't the sort of thing that gets his hackles up. As prickly as he can be, Kagari does enjoy the presence of people, and the older man is someone he's come to see as a friend by now--much as he hasn't quite admitted it to himself, yet.]

I didn't, but we can look for one, if you want. You think their restaurants stick to the whole frozen theme here?

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don’t make fun of grandpa

it's how he shows his love

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