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[closed]
Who: Saitou (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
iaijutsu) & Hijikata (demarcates)
When: Backdated to a couple days before the murdertrain event, I guess?
Where: the tech shop
What: Serious adult men shopping for Cybuddies.
Rating/Warning: ...serious adult men shopping for cybuddies.
[He'd been avoiding this.
Saitou had seen the Cybuddies at the job fair when he arrived, of course. But cute things were far lower on the scale of importance than the immediate concerns of securing housing and a means of supporting themselves, of rounding up those of his comrades who'd also arrived and regrouping, of figuring out just what was going on here, because CERES was clearly untrustworthy in his mind -
(And he of course had no idea what everyone else meant when they gave him knowing looks and asked about the things, because of course Saitou has no weakness whatsoever to cute things. That would just be ridiculous.)
Hijikata thought they were important, though, and when Hijikata thinks something is important, that's enough.
So they're standing in the tech shop, looking down a line of adorable cuddly animals that - as he understands it - are not really animals, looking perhaps a bit uncomfortably out of place, because for all that they are Serious Men on a Serious Mission, it's hard to feel like that's what this is when confronted by a sight like that.
...there's one that looks like a cat sitting near the end.
Oh.]
iaijutsu) & Hijikata (demarcates)When: Backdated to a couple days before the murdertrain event, I guess?
Where: the tech shop
What: Serious adult men shopping for Cybuddies.
Rating/Warning: ...serious adult men shopping for cybuddies.
[He'd been avoiding this.
Saitou had seen the Cybuddies at the job fair when he arrived, of course. But cute things were far lower on the scale of importance than the immediate concerns of securing housing and a means of supporting themselves, of rounding up those of his comrades who'd also arrived and regrouping, of figuring out just what was going on here, because CERES was clearly untrustworthy in his mind -
(And he of course had no idea what everyone else meant when they gave him knowing looks and asked about the things, because of course Saitou has no weakness whatsoever to cute things. That would just be ridiculous.)
Hijikata thought they were important, though, and when Hijikata thinks something is important, that's enough.
So they're standing in the tech shop, looking down a line of adorable cuddly animals that - as he understands it - are not really animals, looking perhaps a bit uncomfortably out of place, because for all that they are Serious Men on a Serious Mission, it's hard to feel like that's what this is when confronted by a sight like that.
...there's one that looks like a cat sitting near the end.
Oh.]
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[ it's a damn robot thing he already finds them displeasing by default after that stupid ass hug-giving dinosaur one! ]
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[Although he has a feeling that Hijikata's tastes don't necessarily go towards...well, most of these things.
But that only makes it all the more imperative that he choose well!]
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hijikata sort of wants to know what the fuck that is supposed to mean— ]
Yeah, well screw that and just fucking do it, anyway, Saitou.
[ —nah. ]
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But that does, at least, take his attention off that cat (because the cat doesn't seem right for Hijikata at all, really) and get him to start going down the line on the counter, examining every one of them very, very carefully.
What, did you think he was just gonna shrug, nod, and point at the first one that looked okay?]
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hijikata just sighs lightly once saitou is out of reach, before stepping over to the cat on the edge that saitou was oogling and stares down at it, trying to look really unimpressed at it. The cat, of course, has a really stupid cute face, though, so it doesn't work for long and he finally snorts, resigning to giving it a couple pets. ]
You even feel like a real cat, I wonder what you're really supposed to be all about in this place...
[ yes he's talking to it, he's the secret cat whisperer in the group, no one must know. ]
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But then he stops, face to face with a jet black wolf.
Oh.]
...what do you think of this, sir?
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It's just an outward appearance as far as he knows and a wolf is always welcome in the company of a pack, even a little robot one. ]
All right, I'll get that one.
[ probably could have given him anything here, but hey ]
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He's just going to go stare at that kitty again.]
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Hijikata doesn't say anything, letting Saitou go back to the cat, Hijikata just lingering a moment as he observes the Cybuddy. Against his better judgment he reaches out to scritch behind its ears, but upon contact he jerks back rather suddenly as if he just got a nasty shock.
For a moment he looks about as confused as he is slightly horrified but the puppy makes a small whine as if wondering why it didn't get ear scratches like the ones that had seemed to be in its future. Refocusing on it, Hijikata reluctantly reaches to touch it again, and this time settles his hand on its head without problems. Its quite happy, too, its tail thumping a little bit eagerly at being acknowledged.
Well, it's a good natured... Robot or whatever they are. ]
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...and it gracefully hops onto his arm and starts making its way up to drape itself over his shoulder.]
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—true to pup form, it decides that it will try the cat's method that had been executed with Saitou. And true to its form, it doesn't seem to recognize that it's a lot bigger and clumsier than they are. Oh well, it's a minor setback when it leaps at Hijikata and basically gets all over him trying to perch on his shoulder.
Hijikata grunts in surprise but tries to keep it mostly to himself until the Cybuddy is practically on his face and either going to suffocate him or poke his eye out. Just like a damn kid— ]
Hold on, goddamn it—
[ he manages to pry the puppy off, holding it up in front of him and takes a deep breath. The pup's hind legs wiggle impatiently along with its tail but Hijikata holds it still. ]
You can't just go climbing all over people like you own them. [ tail wagging suggests this has not registers and Hijikata sighs a little in defeat, bring it closer now that it's in his hands anyway to inspect it.
Which succeeds in getting himself licked on the nose unexpectedly. ] you can't just do that, either...!
[ tsuntsuns at robot wolf pup; a Hijikata Toshizou life event. ]
—Saitou, are you doing okay picking another one? [ can they leave before this turns even more embarrassing for him... ]
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Saitou, who has that much calmer cat now draped around him and its claws tightened in his scarf. Saitou, who is perhaps looking slightly bashful at the fact that Hijikata just remembered to notice what he's doing, but who otherwise looks perfectly at peace with this cat, who (for now at least) doesn't seem all that different from Saitou himself in temperament.
It's like some kind of match made in heaven.]
It would seem to be decided, sir.
[The cat picked him, more like.]
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All right, good, let's pay for them and leave. I need to get back to work. [ that could mean anything, though, since all he does is work. But at least saitou understands his dedication... Even if in an entirely unhealthy way by getting himself overworked. ]
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So he simply nods, moving to follow behind Hijikata as they approach the register. You know, like a good puppy.]