(no subject)

[entertainheir]

WHO: Yuya and you!
WHERE: A store somewhere
TIME: Day 9
DESCRIPTION: Shopping is hard, especially when you're dead broke.

[One minute he's being locked into a jail cell, then when he turns around he's suddenly in an open city holding a pamphlet that definitely wasn't in his hands a minute ago. It takes some staring at the pamphlet and a little time spent making sure he's not dreaming (pinching, running around to work up a sweat, various failed attempts to scare himself, and so on) before he accepts that this is real...

And that maybe this could be an opportunity?

So it's not too long before he's hanging around the first shop he finds, checking out the hairpins and trying to look A) like he knows what in the world he's doing looking at hairpins and B) innocent, like he's not hoping to take up lock-picking based on vague memories of movies he's seen and the faint hope that any attempts at lock-picking will actually work.

It's not working very well, and when a thought strikes him and he riffles through the bunch of coupons he just groans and considers giving up. What a time to have no money!]

They have all these ways to stay places for free, but everything else...

Comments

[breakrecord]

[Hibiki was browsing through the store at another rack of accessories, but it's impossible to ignore that outcry. He turns, finds the distressed looking guy, and nods solemnly as he approaches from his side.]

Welcome to the I'm Broke Club. We'd have t-shirts, but they cost money too.

[entertainheir]

[See, Yuya recognizes that's a joke - but he's not in too much of a laughing mood right now. He just sighs instead.]

I guess I'll just have to find something else.

[And because Hibiki mentioned also being in the Broke Club--]

What are you doing here if you're broke, too? You can't get anything either.

[breakrecord]

[Said flatly:]

Research.

[Hibiki isn't lying, exactly. He's researching what's available since he'd like to pick something up for his friends. Or, rather, hopefully convince someone else to pick something up for his friends. One day. Maybe. In a normal tone of voice, he says:]

What are you looking at hairpins for, anyway? Is your girlfriend's birthday?

[entertainheir]

I don't have a girlfriend!

[But hey, that is a good excuse. Except without the girlfriend part.]

...I am looking for a friend, though. Her name's Yuzu.

[breakrecord]

[Hibiki grins mischievously.]

Oooooh, so a girl who's a friend who's not your girlfriend. Got it, got it. Hey, good luck! I'll be rooting for you, stranger. And if you need any help with impressing her, I've been told I make a good wingman.

[entertainheir]

It's definitely not like that!

[WHY. This isn't even the first time it's happened come on why. But the indignation fades, because it's actually kind of different when Yuzu isn't right here to make the mortification worse.]

...She is a good friend, though, and it's been a while since we last saw each other.

[Technically it's only been like a week, but it's been one hell of a week okay.]

[breakrecord]

[To continue teasing, or to not continue teasing... Oh, what the heck. You only live once.]

I'm sure you'll see each other again soon. If the bonds of love are true, then neither distance nor time can truly tear you two apart!

[Sorry, but Hibiki's not gonna make his week much easier.]

[entertainheir]

[Oh god no.]

Stop it! Uh--

[He flails for a moment before trailing off, at a loss for words because what do you say to stop the trolling? Nothing, there's no way to stop it. Send help, please.]

Just help me find a hairpin!

[breakrecord]

All right, all right.

[Hibiki's still grinning, though, so Yuya's not off the hook yet.]

What kind of stuff does she like?

[entertainheir]

Music. And singing.

[That's an easy one. And yeah, technically he should be looking for something that makes a good lockpick, but when he has no idea what to look for he might as well find something that Yuzu would like and hope.]

She already wears pigtails, with these big blue things on the ties. But we do a lot of running around and jumping, so I think she could use something to keep her bangs out of the way too.

[He brings his hands back and up on top of his hair, indicating where the ties would be, and looks thoughtful.]

[breakrecord]

[Hibiki tries not to laugh when Yuya tries to indicate when the hair ties are, but his grin is definitely in smirk territory at this point.]

Music and pigtails, huh? Hmmm, well, she seems to at least be okay with wearing blue, so you can go with something like a blue music note hairpin for her!

Or you can go wild and get this.

[He grabs a barrette off one of the display racks. It's a very large, brightly rainbow-colored cloth flower. It's...very flamboyant.]

[entertainheir]

That's too much, isn't it?

[TO SAY THE LEAST. But oh, that gives him another idea.]

A red flower might work, though! Or, maybe not red...

[Does red go with pink and lighter pink? Plus the blue - and okay, he's not so good at this.]

[breakrecord]

Awwww, but makes such a statement! [He reluctantly puts it back, then listens to Yuya's suggestion.]

Well, what color's her hair? Red does look good with a lot of colors!

[lockwouldnt]

[A comment like that's hard to ignore, even if Tyler didn't have super-hearing. He'd been purchasing school supplies (for once in his life), but he sets his stuff aside to approach the kid.

It's only when he's face-to-face with him that - hey, he looks kind of like the kid from the fair.] What're you trying to buy, anyways?

[Because he's not going to buy it for the kid. Of course not.]

[entertainheir]

Huh?

[Yuya turns around to see who's speaking and wait a minute, he looks familiar.]

It's you!

[lockwouldnt]

Yup. I kind of live here, so...

[Well, "here" meaning Coba. Tyler can't quite hide the smile, though, at seeing a familiar face.] I was asking you what you were gonna buy. You were muttering something about "everything else" costing money.

[entertainheir]

You live here?!

[Yeah, it's possible...but Tyler doesn't seem like a native, and Yuya doesn't see the point in living here if you have a home outside the city too. Unless he doesn't? Hard to tell.

Also hard: explaining just what he's looking for right now. Definite change in subject might be good.]

Uh...I'm not doing anything important, but what do you mean?

[lockwouldnt]

I mean, for college? [Cue the exasperated eyeroll.]

I can always go back to Mystic Falls whenever, sure, but like I'd stay there willingly for four more years. [It's said bitterly too, not that he particularly notices.]

[entertainheir]

[The evident bitterness there surprises Yuya, and he can only guess that something's up with Tyler and wherever Mystic Falls is. Yuya sure wouldn't be all that eager to return to the City if he didn't have a mission there.]

That's...where your old school was?

[lockwouldnt]

Yeah. I also grew up there. [He presses his lips together just thinking about it.]

Nice enough place, but when you've only got six thousand people, it gets annoying fast.

[entertainheir]

Six thousand? That doesn't sound like much. Maiami City's got a lot more than that, although I don't know how the colleges are...

[College is not one of his concerns right now. Or possibly ever, if his career aspirations work out.]

[lockwouldnt]

It's really not. Everyone knows everyone, and I think at some point, everyone ends up marrying everyone...

[Like he's one to talk, dating his high school sweetheart.] Point is, it sucks. So sticking around here's better than the alternative.

[entertainheir]

You can't find some other place, too? Hey, can we visit other people's homes?

[Nobody's mentioned it before, but if he can go back to where he came from, it seems like it'd follow that you could go to where others came from.]

[lockwouldnt]

Don't know. I'm not much of a world traveler.

[Heck, he's never left the United States, prior to Coba madness. This is an excellent question, though, and one he's considering pretty badly.] But you know, someone here might know the answer.

[entertainheir]

Really? Then do you know someone who would?

[He'd probably name names if he did know, but it's worth a shot.]