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You know what's funny? People keep apologizing to me for me crashing their dreams, [Jaime says, resting his elbows on the table and offering Killua a smile that's small and wistful, but reassuring nevertheless.] You don't have to apologize for what's going on up -- [he taps his temple twice] -- here. I'm just sorry it's there in the first place.

[He remembers only bits and pieces of the dream - Illumi's dark, inscrutable eyes, the needles in his hands, Killua's cries beside him. It hadn't been a happy dream, and it had been far worse for Killua than it is for him.]

He's been tough on you, hasn't he. Your older brother.

[There's a small laugh at that, and he pulls his drink (a shake, actually) closer to slurp on it, toying with the straw afterwards. Tough on him? Hm.]

Something like that. [Trying to figure out a way to best describe or summarize this was a little hard, considering all he's dealt with. And while he's open about his past and how annoying his family is, it feels a little weird when he knows Jaime must be feeling bad for him. He shoves that feeling away, though, when he remembers their comments on friends.]

When I first took the Hunter exam, he disguised himself with his needles and followed me to take it, too. He's always hanging around Hisoka these days, and he's always telling me I can't make friends. [Sighing heavily and almost as if he's exaggerating (except for how he's not), he shrugs his shoulders a bit.] He just wants to keep me in the family business for himself. Since they all have such 'high hopes'.

Yeah, well, screw 'em.

[That's a rude thing to say, he realizes in retrospect, but if Killua's subconscious is of any indication of how they've treated him, there's hardly any salvaging them. He gives Killua an apologetic sort of shrug, but that's the only overture towards his realization that he had been less than polite.]

Seems to me like you've made a couple friends already - and you'll be making plenty more at this rate.

You think so?

[That's met with a smile, and if he's bothered at all by Jaime's comment on his brother, it doesn't show one bit. He's probably said the same thing down the line, after all, if not with cruder wording.

It's thinking on that for a minute that gets his expression to shift, and he points in a lightly accusing way at Jaime.]

Hey, but there's no way you'd be as stupid as in that dream, right? [In the end, he still has the tact of a kid. He hides genuine, distant worry behind over-exaggerated teasing, jabbing his finger in the air to emphasize his points.] My big brother can control people with those needles. If he shows up and you chase him down without thinking, you won't stand a chance! It was just a dream, so I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but that was seriously a bad move!!

Nobody acts in dreams the way they do in real life, [Jaime says, and he certainly doesn't only mean himself. He doesn't doubt that he'd run after someone like Illumi, of course - that's part of the superhero manual; you consistently go on suicide runs to beat people far stronger and smarter than you are - but he'd at least try to be a bit smarter about it.

He wouldn't resort to using a stick, at least.]

What d'you mean by control people, though? Like the Manipulator?

[Jaime feels his heart sink at the mere idea of it, and his expression falls with it. One of the only things saving him in the case of the Manipulator is the fact that he didn't know what Jaime is capable of. To think that someone could figure it out, could figure out that he essentially has nukes in his spine...

It's a chilling thought. There's a reason he hasn't told a single living soul, not Bart, not his mother, not anybody. Nobody can ever know.

And nobody can ever use him, not again.]

Edited 2014-11-15 07:05 (UTC)

[No one acts the same way. He hears it, and he understands it to a point, but he can't help but think that a lot of his points in the dream were ways he had acted in real life. But he was different now. He wanted to be different now, at least.

He'd certainly never heart a friend. Never.]

Yeah, he is a manipulator.

[Killua says that pretty casually before pausing, raising his index finger to clarify.] Ah, it's a category of nen... Meaning, how someone can use their life force. He can put his aura into his needles. Once he gets you good with those ones, you'll be his puppet until you die.

It doesn't really matter if you got them out before then, anyway. None of big brother's needlemen can function properly after that to live on their own.

Edited 2014-11-16 03:50 (UTC)

That's awful, [Jaime says, and he says it with feeling. There's nothing worse in the world than robbing someone of their free will and of their personhood - and no matter how Jaime cuts it, he can't help but feel that death would be a kinder fate than that.

Already, he's thinking about how you'd beat a person like that, and so is the Scarab, he knows. There's a thrill of fear there, even from the Scarab; it had spent a millennium as a weapon, and it doesn't intend to go back to that life again, not without a threat. Illumi may not be here, but when he is...

At least Jaime will be prepared for what he can do, if not how to stop it. He props his chin up on the heel of his hand, privately content that his thoughtful expression can easily be misconstrued as thinking about the situation, nothing more, nothing less.]

That explains the dream, then. Here's hoping he never comes here. One manipulator's bad enough.

Yeah, seriously...

[He doesn't even want to think about Illumi showing up, but sadly it's on his mind near constantly. Paranoia and the voice at the back of his mind that sounds so much like his brother's has him wondering if he's not here and in hiding somehow. Ugh.

Finishing up the shake, he slides it to the edge of the table.]

Next time, I'm not going to just sit by and watch people get hurt. [He knows Jaime's probably going to take worry with that comment, so he extends his hand, expecting something like a bro-grip from the looks of it.] But I'll ask if I need help, too. Thanks a lot, Jaime.

Anytime.

[Jaime shakes himself out of his own, private ruminations, and offers Killua a sheepish sort of grin.] If he shows up, I would tell you it's too dangerous, except I figure that'd make me a hypocrite.

[That, and Killua can clearly take care of himself. Why on earth would he listen to Jaime?]

Just be careful. I wouldn't want you to get caught in the crossfires of those needles. [He looks a little blankly at Killua's outstretched hand, raising his own a little tentatively.] Are - are we doing the Predator handshake right now?

[Next course of action: show Killua Predator, stat.]

[And not just with him, Killua thinks. If there's another incident like with the Manipulator, he's going to try to fight against that voice in the back of his head and do something.]

I'm always careful. [He was raised to be! Actually, it's his biggest downfall right now-- but he pauses from that, blinking curiously at Jaime with that question.]

Huh? What's a predator handshake? [Really, does he have to spell this out? He reaches over a little extra so that he can clasp at Jaime's hand, giving it a squeeze before he shakes it at him for emphasis.]

It's just this! Don't tell me you're too old...

Never mind, [Jaime says with a laugh, clasping Killua's hand right back as he was bidden to. It's strange doing this with a twelve year old, but hey, it's not like he cares too much about appearances... so long as Killua isn't carting him around again.]

If you keep calling me old, I'm gonna get a complex.

[There's a childish 'heheee' at the way Jaime gives in to it, and shortly after, he drops the grip. Whatever, he'll bug him about a predator handshake later.

For now, he zones in on the age comment, pointing at him as he speaks.]

Why? You're like, 19, right? [Leorio's age-- that's a safe, young guess right? He'd still call that old.]

[Jaime does a doubletake when Killua guesses at his age. Nineteen? Does he really seem that old to kids? Oh god, maybe he is acting too old! According to Killua's guess, he should be in college!]

What - you've seriously been thinking I'm nineteen? I'm sixteen!

[If that. He's not sure how to quantify his age after that missing year, but he and his family have made the collective decision to just ignore it.]

Ehhh?! Really?!

[Jaime's not the only one surprised here. Killua has to grip the table a bit. So Jaime is closer to their age than he thought?! He's even younger than Milluki! When the shock has a few seconds to set in, Killua narrows his eyes in childlike accusation, jabbing a finger in Jaime's direction.]

Then you should talk to Hisoka even less!

[This is where his train of thought goes, it's true.]

[Jaime places his face firmly in his hands, half because Killua genuinely thought he was that old, half because of what he said immediately afterwards.]

I can't believe that's the first thing you thought of.

[You're only sixteen? Then you definitely shouldn't be talking to the pedophile!]

That goes double for you too, you know.

It's too late for me.

[He's mostly joking to see if Jaime will react to that line, honestly, but it's got a bit of truth, doesn't it? It's not like he can just not talk to him and leave it at that! Jaime, though, still has a chance of being boring and slipping under the raydar.

It was a perfect chance to slide that comment in.]

I didn't know you could grow a beard at 16. [Pointing at any chin hairs Jaime happens to have right now. What a mystery.] You're pretty naggy, too. [But then, Kurapika can be too, and he's only 17... Hmm.]

I'm naturally naggy. It's in my blood, [Jaime says dismissively and absently rubs his prickly chin. He should probably shave more, but he always forgets... maybe one day it'll grow in all the way and he won't have to worry about shaving at all!

Maybe when he's nineteen. He leans back in his chair and picks up his own drink (a simple coke; he likes sweets well enough, but he hasn't got the sweet tooth Killua's got), slinging his free arm across the back of the booth, taking up space in the way only teenage boys know how, no matter their physical size.]

Which means I get to nag you about the fact that it's never too late, yeah? [He says before taking a sip from his drink. There's a grain of truth in that one, even if he's adopted Killua's light tone to say it.]

[At that, he makes a buzzer noise, forming an X with his arms.]

Wrooong! Even if I did, he's obsessed with Gon and friends with my big brother. [That light tone or not, he's wondering if Jaime's really worrying behind it. It's why he tries to leave it at that and press things on past it, kicking his feet a little below the table.]

If you're going to nag, you should tell Gon to do his own homework. It's not that I mind helping him, but he's totally going to fail any tests that come up!

What a combination.

[Oh, he's worrying about it all right, though he's trying his best not to show it. It's a bit of a vicious circle they're trapped in, because while he'd vastly prefer to not deal with Hisoka unless he's actively hurting someone, as long as he's got his eye on kids, he's Jaime's business.

Killua doesn't have to know that, though.]

Maybe failing will teach him to do his own homework, then. Even if I do nag him, I don't think he'd actually listen to me.

[Killua just smiles at that, taking the knife back up again to spin between his fingers.]

Yeah, but that's just Gon. He doesn't listen to anyone. [Which means he really just wants the nagging to be amused by, but details. He stops spinning the knife there and changes to a simple wobble back and forth, watching it intently.]

Don't take it personally. He does the same thing with me, too. [Aaaand he sets it back down.] But you don't have to worry, we've got each other's backs.

I know you do.

[That they have each other's backs, not that he's not going to worry. He worries like it's his job.

If he got paid for it, he would be a very, very rich man.]

Doesn't mean it hurts to have a few more people watching your back, is all. How've you two been settling in, anyway? Have you managed to make many friends yet?

[It can be a little lonely here without them. Jaime's not so sure that Brenda's made all that many friends... he's never sure whether or not he should be worried about that too. At least she has him.]

Of course!

[Spoken as if he's the cool kid in town, thank you. To prove this, he starts counting off on his fingers.] There's Kite, who we already knew back home. Then there's Jojo, Mabel, Kate... Though I don't know if we're friends yet. Ellie, too, I think.

[Well, at least one of them is also 12.]

I stand corrected!

[Jaime nods absently along with the list, though he doesn't know who Kite, Mabel and Kate are. He knows Ellie, of course, but... Jojo? He gives Killua something of an odd look.]

Jojo? Really? Where'd you meet him?

[He likes Joseph, he really does. He's also a rude ass.]

[Hilariously, he has no idea who Joseph is. In fact, the Jojo he's speaking about is Jonathan Joestar. But he doesn't know there's a misunderstanding here.]

Oh, he posted over the network about how he'd do favors for people so I got some free candy from him. [Delicious heaps of candy, in fact.] I thought he was a pretty cool guy after that, so I helped him out!

Really? What was he doing favours for?

[Likewise, Jaime has no idea who Jonathan is either. He only knows of Joseph and his apparently fish obsessed grandson! Doing favours for nothing doesn't sound like the Joseph Joestar way, though.]

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