03 [action/written] backdated to MONDAY 1/27

[wipesfaith]

[When Jean wakes up on Monday, it is with the heavy sense that something is missing. (Isn't it strange, how lacking can weigh more than having?) The skipped days - going to bed on Friday night and waking up to Monday morning - aren't what hits him first; these, he won't notice until he open his journal to send a message that won't be read by its intended recipient for a while.

The bed on the other side of the room is empty.

He's the only one in their apartment. This doesn't fall too far outside the normal rhythm of the day, but it drags him back to a few months ago when things were knocked off balance and disappearing was Marco's favorite hobby. So he sends that message, raises an eyebrow at the date, and gets ready for the day while he waits for a response.

It doesn't come.]

[Action]

[In the morning, he scours the village, walking the length of every road and checking inside every public building. He tries not to think about the last time he'd walked through still streets unable to remember with any certainty when he'd last seen his friend.]

Marco? [Cupping a hand around his mouth.] Marco!

[At some point, he dimly realizes that school started a while ago, but that doesn't mean shit to him right now. Two options have long since sunk into his brain: Marco has either been kidnapped for experimentation, or he has gone home to hit a dead end. Still, through wanting to prolong the inevitable, through wanting to feel effective in some way, he doesn't drop his search. He takes it out of the village, winding through the woods on horseback.

When he finally returns, with nothing to show for his efforts but exhaustion, a tightened knot of anxiety in his stomach, and questions, evening has settled in. He opens his journal - still no response - and starts asking.]

[Written]

Does anybody know of any missing persons cases that happened over the weekend?

Is there anyone who can remember anything that happened between Friday night and this morning?

[Then, because he doesn't know how to lock messages to specific individuals, he adds:]

Commander Smith, Captain Levi. I need to speak with you. If you're in your quarters, I can come up shortly.

Comments

action

[wipesfaith]

[He hadn't expected to see Haruka here - but he hasn't gotten far out of the village yet. Pulling on the reigns, he comes to a stop a short distance past.]

I don't know where Marco is. Can't find him anywhere. [Circling around to face Haruka.]

[aqueousliving]

[Man, Haruka had no idea Jean had a horse, much less the skills to ride one. Maybe he wandered off, is Haruka's dour thought.

But Jean looks surprisingly serious. That kind of worried face on Jean bothers Haruka. It sticks uncomfortably in the back of his mind.]

I haven't seen him.

[Haruka isn't about to offer searching for Marco, but--]

I'll keep an eye out.

[wipesfaith]

[What, surprised he can be competent in something?]

Thanks... [He doubts that will do much of anything, but...he supposes it's a big enough accomplishment for Haruka to give a shit.]

You probably won't need to make as much tonight. Dinner, I mean.

[aqueousliving]

[Yes.

...Mm. Haruka looks away. He's not worried about Marco. It just seems odd for him to just disappear.]

See you then.

[wipesfaith]

Yeah. [He's already turning to ride off, seeing no reason to waste time here.

But once day has sunk into the evening hours, and he's coming back downstairs after debriefing with his superior officers, he sticks his head into the community kitchen to see if Haruka's there.]

[aqueousliving]

[Like a horse peering over stable doors.

In the kitchen, Haruka's focused on poking through the fridge to see what they have so he doesn't see Jean until he shuts it and straightens. Given how worried Jean had seemed earlier, Haruka is fairly sure it'd be obvious if Jean had found Marco. So he doesn't ask the obvious question.

Instead, he says--]

What do you want for dinner?

[It's not an offer he's ever made towards Jean before.]

[wipesfaith]

[He steps through the door once he sees Haruka, and a look of vague surprise pops across his face. Because usually, he doesn't get a choice, and it ends up being something fishy. Give him a moment to think.]

Have any pork?

[Honestly, he's grateful for the absence of the obvious - stupid - question, although he can't be sure if it's because Haruka is refraining for his sake or if he just doesn't particularly care. He'll actually give him the benefit of the doubt for once. Maybe.]

[aqueousliving]

[It's not like Haruka really goes out of his way to buy pork, so he doesn't even need to check his part of the fridge to know the answer to that.]

No.

[Pork isn't really something he has much experience in, but he can think of a simple dish.]

I can make something if you have some.

[Weirdass food hoarder. Who puts potatoes in their room, anyway!?]

[wipesfaith]

[If there's ever a food shortage, you'll be damn lucky if he shares any of his stockpile with you. Except Marco would probably play a lot nicer. Dammit, Marco.]

We got some before the weekend. Let me go get it.

[He ducks back out of the kitchen, only to return a moment later with pork cutlets packaged nicely in a cellophane tray and plastic-wrapped, which he delivers to Haruka.]

[aqueousliving]

[You'd probably burn your stockpiled food without Haruka's supervision tbh.

Haruka gives the tray a look over before taking it from Jean.]

It should be done in fifteen.

[And he turns, intending to make ginger pork, expecting Jean to buzz off rather than help him.]

[wipesfaith]

[Oh my god, that was one time...!]

Good, I'm starving.

[Unfortunately for Haruka, Jean has nothing else to do right now, and nowhere else to be. He isn't too eager to return to an empty apartment. So he strides over to the counter to lean back against it, arms crossed over his chest.]

[aqueousliving]

[Haruka glances over at Jean before he returns to poking around the fridge for ingredients. Don't you have anything else to do? Like have a bath or something.

He starts on thinly slicing some cabbage.]

Does the horse have a name?

[wipesfaith]

[Eh, he'll shower eventually. What, are you saying he stinks?]

Huh? [Oh, right.] Yeah, it's Benoit. [Ben-wah. French-ass name. Not that Jean knows what "French" is.]

[aqueousliving]

[Yes.]

What do you feed Benoit?

[Listen to Haruka mangling the pronunciation. And, well, he's only asking because Jean kind of sucks at taking care of himself, so--]

[wipesfaith]

[Wow, he can so take care of himself.]

Oats, usually. Bran, barley, depending on what shows up.

...What's with you initiating conversation all of a sudden?

[aqueousliving]

[Wow rude. Haruka's expression flattens, and maybe he just used a little more force than absolutely necessary when he cuts an onion in half.

Whatever. He'd mostly been curious but in one question, Jean's annoyed him again and the desire to pursue his questioning about Jean's horse evaporated.]

Forget it.

[Which doesn't even answer Jean's question. If he hadn't been preparing ingredients, he would have abruptly looked away, annoyed.]

[wipesfaith]

Jeez, sorry I asked. [Except not really, if his tone is anything to go by.]

Just surprised me, is all.

[aqueousliving]

[Yeah, yeah, sure.

Unless Jean feels like interrupting, Haruka's just going to continue preparing the food in silence, slicing the onion quickly and efficiently without any tear inducing troubles. He soon moves on to actually cooking the meal of ginger pork, which shouldn't take long to complete.]

[wipesfaith]

[He watches out of a lack of anything else to do, silent for a long stretch because he doesn't have much to say for once. But silences with this guy tend to hang awkwardly, so eventually he'll fish for conversation.]

...Did you swim today?

[aqueousliving]

[By this time, Haruka's got the meat in the pan, the aroma of frying pork only beginning to waft from the pan.]

Yeah.

[When doesn't he? But it seems weird for Jean to actually be asking him questions about himself.]

...Do you know how to?

[wipesfaith]

[Smells good; his stomach grumbles as the scent fills his nostrils.]

Of course I know how. [The basics, anyway.]

[aqueousliving]

[Suffer the delicious smell, Jean; you've got at least another 7 minutes of it.]

Can you prove it?

[Because it's not like Haruka has a low opinion of Jean's ability in anything other than riding horses.]

[wipesfaith]

[...Huh.]

The hell do you want me to do, start pretending to swim right here?

[aqueousliving]

[...Sometimes he can't believe how dumb some of the things Jean says is. There's a slight hint of irritation in his voice as he speaks while he adds the sliced onions to the pan.]

There's a pool simulation in the Battle Dome.

[There's also real pools -- he's seen them!! -- and rivers but it's still too cold to swim in them...]

[wipesfaith]

[That was supposed to be sarcasm, asshole.]

Oh, is that where you swim all the time? [We wasn't sure if this guy was still trying to freeze his balls off in the river.]