[closed] every path is nothing but pain and suffering

[ohspearme]

Who: Harada Sanosuke ohspearme & various other people (starters below)
When: Up to about a week after the event? So ICly end of October, beginning of November
Where: All over the place
What: Sano gets to play damage control after the disaster that was his body-snatching. And also go drinking. A lot.
Rating/Warning: ANGST, booze, probably language, possibly violence???

Comments

Souji

[ohspearme]

[When in the Shinsengumi, do as the Shinsengumi do. Or something. At least when it comes to less-than-productive ways to spend money or have a good time or bond with other captains. And what a happy coincidence it is that going out to the bar happens to qualify for all of the above.

The ghosts wreaking havoc had treated Sano badly, so one of the obvious ways to cope is to drink. But he also hasn’t spent very much time with Souji ever since they all showed up in this technological hell. Two birds with one stone.

Souji isn’t his usual drinking buddy, but sometimes Sano wants a more relaxing time out than what tends to transpire when Shinpachi is in tow. And in Sano’s recent memory, at least, Souji has known his own limits and kept himself under control. An excellent candidate for this sort of outing, to be honest.

Besides, Sano just wants to keep a closer eye on him. After what Shinpachi had told him a while back concerning Kaoru and how he had given Souji the ochimizu, he’s admittedly curious to see how Souji’s dealing. Not that he’ll bring it up, of course, not unless it becomes necessary, though he sincerely hopes it doesn’t. Just one time he wants a good time out with a friend with no surprises.

As he throws back a cup of sake, accentuated by a satisfied sigh, he turns to Souji.]

Tell me again why we don’t this more often?

[tuberculosis]

[it's definitely not much of a bad thing to hang out with sano once in a while. it was something they rarely had the chance to do for a number of reasons, but he never was able to mind it when it did happen. despite the short temper, sano's always been one of the reasonable ones, and someone souji had enough respect for not to push his limits too much.

he can get away with teasing many of the others to an endless degree, but that's not the case with sano—right now, that's not really a bad thing. he tends to resort to it when he wants to endlessly avoid the heavier topics, and that's been plentiful around saitou and hijikata lately; even he and shinpachi had found themselves in the throes of a heavier topic of conversation than usual. here, like this... well, there's not really much telling where the conversation will go, but now, it's not bad at all.

sitting back and having a drink is something he feels like he sorely needs. souji may not be the biggest drinker, but there's enough of a need. what better way to cope with endless issues, right? he sips at his sake slower than the way sano tosses his back, savoring the taste a bit before letting out a light, amused chuckle.]

Because that old lady Hijikata-san worries so much, probably. Who else would stop me from going out at every opportunity? Really, you'd think I was just going to drop dead from doing anything at all. [even if he says it lightheartedly, there's an edge of bitterness that remains from the years of being more or less bedridden or confined to the compound because of his illness. even here, he was sure hijikata didn't trust him at all to be able to handle himself, despite often acting on his own.]

[ohspearme]

[Sano fills up his cup while Souji answers. And he shouldn't be bothered by the morbidity with which he speaks because it's Souji and he has the habit of going a little too far, but it does give him a little pause. Before arriving in Zelien and this place, back in Kyoto, Souji had been sent to Osaka to recover from his illness. And then after Shinpachi had told him that Souji had taken the ochimizu...

Understandably, that's a good deal to weigh on Sano's mind, though he doesn't mention any of it. He just sips his sake this time.]

Maybe he's just jealous you can actually hold your liquor.

[That's not the case at all, but they're not exactly here to have a heart-to-heart about Hijikata.]

[tuberculosis]

[that earns a solid laugh from souji. it's true, they're not here for that sort of thing, and it's definitely not what souji wants to get into. he definitely doesn't want to get into being a rasetsu either, so it's good that sano elects to keep the topic of conversation a bit light.]

I don't think I'd be surprised by that. He's the only person I know who gets more grumpy after drinking. I bet that pisses him off too. [okay, so maybe all of that is an exaggeration, but it's a lot better than admitting the truth of the matter anyway.]

[ohspearme]

[Sano relishes in that for a moment. It's so good to hear his friends laugh, really laugh, regardless of whether or not he was the cause. It reminds him of the old days back in Edo at the Shieikan. Back then their biggest problem was usually keeping rice on the table and yet their spirits were always high.

Not that Sano regrets going to Kyoto to help people; of course he doesn't. But it's been so long since they all could be together like their mismatched family and just enjoy a dinner. Everything got so much more complicated, Souji got sick, Kondou got shot...

Then Zelien and now this place on top of everything. Laughter is rare. But Sano doesn't dwell too long on these thoughts, especially when this outing has already proven to be pretty damn nice.]

Not all men can do it. Congratulations to us for making the cut.

[tuberculosis]

[it's definitely a nice change of pace. for the most part, things here seemed to be pretty peaceful on the surface, and given what they'd both come out of, that alone is something of a welcome change of pace.

kyoto was just about to fall into the throes of all-out civil war, and haven had been more hell than anything else. there was never a moment of reprieve there, and definitely no time to sit around leisurely and have a drink. so while things are far from perfect now? it's at least preferred to the last situation.

of course, there are plenty of reasons not to be happy. they haven't really had peace at all, they've been in a bunch of messy and dangerous situations and lives have been lost as a result. even if death holds as little weight here as it did for him in haven, it's still not right that they've had to turn swords on each other because of situations that were well beyond their control. those things are the ones that weigh on him, and those things are the ones he's trying to not think about right now. it's sort of strange and contrary, but not necessarily in a bad way.

after all, even with all of those bad things, they can have moments like this, where they sit back and have a few drinks and find dumb things to laugh about. it was like that in kyoto too, and even if sano and souji didn't often have these sorts of outings together, they've known each other long enough that there's nothing about it that's awkward or strange. they're like extended family, and this is the perfect reprieve from the heaviness that's surrounded their very large group as of late.]

Well, someone has to be able to, right? It wouldn't be much fun the other way. [and for now, it's better that the conversation stays light. he'll definitely take this over the other options right now anyway.]

[ohspearme]

[Smiling, he lifts his cup in a casual salute toward Souji.]

You got that right!

[He takes a more generous sip of his drink this time, starting to get more comfortable with everything. And if he's comfortable then surely that means the conversation will stay away from the heavier subjects.]

Can you imagine, though? If everyone in the Shinsengumi was a big ol' stick in the mud. We'd never go to Shimabara.

[And clearly this is a travesty, if the way Sano leans closer to Souji is any indication, his expression suddenly serious. And overdramatic, but shhh.]

All those pretty geiko and maiko would get so lonely.

[This is why everyone thinks you're a player, Sano.]

[tuberculosis]

[souji doesn't hesitate to return the gesture, raising his cup in a casual kanpai sort of fashion. of course, he's not as generous with his own drink though, still sipping at it slowly and savoring the flavors. it works better for him this way anyway, so he doesn't quickly end up drunk and bumbling.

someone has to keep their wits about them after all, and souji knows full well that he's gotta be the one to make sure nobody sets off sano's temper after he's been drinking. better to just prevent situations that will end in fights and lectures from hijikata.

either way, when sano leans in, souji's brow arches... only to be thoroughly unsurprised by how ridiculous what sano has to say is.]

Right, right. Sumiya would likely be out of business by now if not for Sano-san and Shinpachi-san, after all. [obv...ious...ly....]

[ohspearme]

[And there's the assumption that the red light district is only still standing due to two brave men's efforts.

Yes, Sano does consider himself and Shinpachi brave, but to take all the credit? Nah, that's not him at all.]

Hey, hey, it's not just us two. We're not nearly that popular.

[He takes another sip.]

Now, Kondou-san on the other hand...

[tuberculosis]

It's not like many people could compare to Kondou-san, anyway.

[and by "not many," of course, souji means nobody at all. it's kind of a bittersweet topic, given how much souji misses kondou. they've been away from kyoto for so long now, and even if there's a lot souji's gotten used to, and even a lot he doesn't mind...

well, he minds this. the fact that it's been over a year since he's seen or heard kondou is something he often tries not to think about—enough so that he rarely even brings the topic up on his own these days. he's a bit quicker to finish what's in his cup now, and there's the briefest flash of bitterness in his expression before he masks it with a laugh.]

He's the only person who could charm a room full of women by sticking his fist in his mouth.