Youji nods. "Yeah! Yeah, happy new year," Youji says with a smile, leaning against the long hood of his car. He pulls out a small package, presenting it casually to the mechanic. "Youji-chan wanted you to have this, for fixing the car up so nice. Good mechanics are hard to come by, you know...--" Wait... he just screwed up, didn't he? Youjichan is what everyone -else- called that persona... x__X; ...maybe the guy won't notice. Shit, how could I make a mistake so fast...?
Kashino looks briefly puzzled; was that her name, the girl? He remembers Kudou.. but not the guy's first name, so he doesn't immediately wonder about Youji giving himself an endearment, thinking -families have all kinds of nick-names for one another, maybe that's just what he calls his sister. Anyway.. he clasps his hands low and bows to Kudou, before taking the package carefully in both hands. "Doumo arrigatou!" He's a bit stuck for further response, it's been a very quiet new year for him, and he shifts his feet, looking at the wrap. "Doumo.. We, aa, we have lucky Mishima keychains, but, I wasn't expecting.. Thank you very much for your generosity! I'm glad you've been happy with our service!" Nice save, he thinks, and bows again.
Youji smiles a little, being the reserved sort for the moment. It's a little model. -one of the car Rei seems to often be tinkering with all the time. Youji looks elsewhere as he waits, across the garage floor. He should probably act curious or something, but... it's still sort of embarrassing.
Kashino watches Kudou and figures he's supposed to open it up, so he looks behind him and finds a place to lean against the workbench. He wipes his hands again and carefully opens the package, folding the paper up and laying it aside, then holding up the model in its box and turning it about. He smiles. "Oi! This is really great! Something to use as a guide when looking at those silly fiche diagrams of the parts. Ha! And much cleaner than the poor old thing really is. Doumo!" He places the model, still kept in its box and safe behind celophane on a shelf over the workbench and smiles at Kudou, fitting his hands at his hips. "I still haven't decided what color she's going to wind up being. But at least she runs now!"
Youji looks over with a smile. "That's good news...! Glad you liked the gift." Youji looks around a little for the car, hands in his pockets. He wonders why he's here. Delivering presents from Youji-chan... he sighs a little. What the heck is he playing at now...?
Kashino watches the other for a moment before moving from the workbench. "Hey, you want a beer? If nothing's wrong with your car, I've got a break coming." He heads for the small fridge at the end of the workbench, covered in genki-auto-sprite stickers and taped up postcards.
Youji moves over to the bench. "Great. Sounds good, thanks..." I feel uncomfortable. I should just make an excuse to leave... But Kashino seems so... painfully... normal. He likely isn't, no one here is, really... But he could be... Normal, and not a dork. After all, as far as he could tell, Eiri was technically 'normal' too. But stupid. -__'-
Kashino pulls a couple cans of Sapporo from the fridge, and pulling a clean-ish rag from one pocket, wipes the tops off before offeing one to Youji. "Kampai!" He grins and cracks open his can. It's cold, very cold, and he moves to stand in front of the large old space heater jangling quietly by the door.
Youji isn't sure if he wants to venture -closer- to the door. He's dressed well, and can heat his own clothes if he needs to, which is strange, and slightly dangerous. But still. No matter how cold, it won't stay that way very long. The most annoying thing about winter is that he tends to steam, slightly. It's hard to look cool while steaming gently. No one really -notices- though... they just assume he's got hot blood or something... Youji falls back on his default question, with the feeling he's asked this before already. "How long have you been here...?" he asks, cracking open his can.
Kashino glances at Youji then back to middle distance. He shrugs softly. "Little less than a Year." And what a year it's been. Pale brows draw up into a slight frown as he sips his beer, thinking, then licking his lips he nods to Kudou. "You?"
Youji thinks about it. "I... I think a little more than two. I came in the fall... For you, was it eventful...? After the shock, anyway... -or does it still surprise you, some days...?" He's still ginger with his can, being careful how he holds it and for how long. He takes another long sip.
Kashino shrugs. "It's okay." He watches Kudou fingering his can and wonders if he should have given him something to protect against the condensation. Then he remembers the shop, the grease, the dust, and looks down at himself, then around. "Here, sorry.." He pulls a bright blue disposable towel from a roll and offers it to Kudou. "The school seemed mostly normal. So normal I cut classes and that was the end of that. I've seen some pretty strange stuff, I think. Guy blowing a hole in the middle of the street, flying out again? Another guy tearing open a vending machine with a mechanical arm.. right outside the police station? Flying cars brought in with dead batteries, hai, that was.. But it's quiet here. Nothing too shocking." He shrugs, crossing an arm over his waist and sipping his beer.
"Well, that's good. You don't really want any shocking stuff. It only ends up screwing you up..." He smiles and takes the cloth from the other. It might help, a little... "I've said it before, but you're really a nice guy. And I know people hate to hear it and stuff, but I mean that in a really good way. --Something good will happen..." Youji regards the top of his can passively.
"Something good.." Rei considers this, looking at the model Citroen, safe and clean up high on the shelf. "Maybe this year, again. There was some good last year. It's funny though, people." He thinks about the places he hasn't gone in the last few months, and the places he used to go quite regularly. He worries that he should have checked in, then worries about the insanity he couldn't fix or seem to help. The uselessness of trying. He looks at his beer and then remembering himself offers a smile to the customer, patiently sharing beer in the garage. "I should look in on some people this year. For New Years, like this. Thanks for reminding me."
Youji looks at Rei, studies him. He isn't sure what to say. Finally he looks away. "The holidays can be hard on people who have no families. Here or otherwise, I guess... I'm lucky I have some company at home, but it's always easy to get lonely. Unless I have a single person to dote on, I get like that, somtimes. It's silly." The beer is good. He should say something about it at some point.... "Uh, I guess my point in saying all that was that I wish I had my own. Family. --I dunno, maybe you're too young to feel like that..." Youji shrugs, trying to brush off his random ramble. You talk so -much- Kudou... just how lonely for attention are you? Don't get pathetic...!
Kashino feels his cheeks warming, telltale prickle, and he knows he's showing color there. So he nods, and ducks his head a bit, trying not to seem quite so tall, taking a couple steps into the bay and looking at the citroen sitting quietly under its dust cover. "No, I understand," he says quietly, turning the can in long fingers and setting it aside on the workbench. "You've got your sister, bet she keeps you busy." He smiles a bit, turning to look back at Kudou and trying not to look too.. anything. What? She was cute!
Youji stands. "Yeah... I guess she does." Youji manages to finish the beer before it gets warm. "She's not around much, I guess you could say, though..." Youji sighs in an odd manner, confused or frustrated. "...it's too bad." He sets down the can and moves over to the car. "I shouldn't take any more of your time..." Youji makes a face. "But here. You're a pleasent enough guy that here." Youji slides out a business card for the Koneko. "You've earned yourself Youji-chan's number." Sigh. "Can't guarantee she'll be around. --You know. Do whatever. Might be good to have some -positive- male role models around." Youji rolls his eyes.God, the lot of them are so dysfunctional. In a perfectly functional way. Weird guys, us... "Just in general. --Come by, have some tea... Whatever. Sometime." Yeah, you know. And stuff. Youji feels like a dork. Not in the top form of his breezing coolness. He feels just sort of lame. Guilt, his vice, probably has a lot to do with it.
Kashino smiles at Youji in a reassuring way, taking the card with both hands, not quite sure why the guy's so unhappy, though he supposes.. family business, probably not his business and he feels bad for making the guy unhappy. He knows you can never be too careful, the strangest things can bring up memories, or troubled thoughts. When he looks at the card his face freezes for a moment and he stills. "Aa." Speaking of strange things bringing up strange things.. "Koneko.. I am.. I know the Koneko." He lifts the card as if to show it to Youji, then takes it down and looks at it again. "Matheson-kun still work there?" He thinks he asks casually enough, then looks up to watch Youji's face.
Youji blinks. "Matheson... I- I think so." Youji cocks his head. "What was his full name?" o_o Youji waits for it.
Kashino tucks the card in his breast pocket anyway. "Bill. Matheson Bill." He's able to say that properly.
Youji is suprised. And surprised the kid's english is so good. Eiri's english is good too... what's with all these blonde japanese dudes...? "--...Bill...." It's obvious Youji knows him at least a fair amount. If only maybe professionally. "How... how is he?" he asks. "He left a little while ago because of problems... I wanted to do something, but... he's really not the type... I hope things are okay...? He was a nice kid..."
Kashino looks as calm and blank as he can, though color has again returned to his cheeks. He watches Youji's eyes, able to meet them directly despite his own, deep blue, appearing agitated, growing distraught. "I don't know. He.. didn't really talk to me after the hospital. After I put him there." He nods slowly, to himself. "I tried to make it right, helped him get out. After that.." Rei looks out the door and shrugs. "I'd hoped he'd gone back to work. Everything normal. But I don't know." And now he doesn't know where to look. He reaches up to rub the back of his neck.
Youji starts, and has a reaction to that, but it's cut very short, hidden. He gestures with his hands a little. "Um. ...let's talk about it sometime, hm...?" he suggests, then tentitively clasping one of Rei's shoulders. "For the moment, I should probably go. So... call me, we'll hang out." Youji shrugs with a strange nonchalance. "Why not, eh...?" Youji starts to climb back into his car.
Kashino nods, waving as he steps out of the way of the car so it can be removed from the narrow entrance. "I will. Take care. Thank you, and please thank your sister for the car." He takes a shop-rag from his back pocket and wipes his hands, waving the rag and watching the customer depart. "Drive carefully, after that beer!" he remembers to add.
"I drink all the time, I'll be fine," he says waving the other off though the windshield. He looks at Rei. "....But okay. And I will. We warned I will prattle at you, and be generally rather annoying," Youji adds. "Phone me if you dare." He waggles a finger at the other, closes the car door and starts the car. -____- Man. What was all that about...? I'm such a doofus. I could have waved a Be-my-Friend flag at him and been more subtle... RRrrg...
Links
Rei's Homepage - Return
Kudou Youji's LJ
Phoenix Muck
