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Hahaha, probably! He's totally like an old man even now.

[This coming from the kid who thought Jaime was 19, but still. Only a slight difference! Smiling, he assures his phone is in his pocket as he turns to face out of the booth, staying sitting for now.]

I'm glad, too. I guess I can keep it a secret, though, since you've helped me so much.

[Jaime's educated guess is that Jonathan is probably in his twenties to qualify as an old man, if that. Killua's view in age is a bit... skewed.

That, and they don't have many old guys around here.]

Good. Here, I'll walk you, uh...

[He had been about to offer to walk Killua home - which is no less than he offers to many people, especially when it's this late - but again, he's forgotten who he's talking to. His smile is a little sheepish.]

Well, I guess you don't really need anyone to walk you home.

Edited (what missing word you're a missing word shut up) 2014-11-22 08:16 (UTC)

[At that, Killua gains a pretty smug smile, but for once he doesn't comment on it too much. Slipping out of the booth, he rests his arms behind his head.]

I don't need it, but if you want to, you can. Where do you live, anyway?

Then I will.

[Capable or not, Jaime will certainly rest easier that way.]

Oh, I'm just over at house 15. How about you?

So you live just as far from Gon as I do!

[That's the first way he notices as they head out. Probably to transportation, because even if he could walk or run again, he had lazy tendencies too.]

I'm in house 35, and Gon is in 25.

[Jaime's gotten spoiled when it comes to going from place to place, but no matter how well Killua can take care of himself, it's always his first instinct to make sure everyone gets home safely.

Which means he can't fly. Darn, he thinks to himself. He's gotten spoiled.]

You guys don't live together? I thought that'd be the first thing you two would try and figure out.

[Flying would be so much cooler damn it. Alas, here they are being boring.]

Well, I'd like it if Gon, Alluka and I could move into our own place somewhere, but I just sort of assumed it'd be a hassle for us kids. [He blinks up at the sky as they walk, frowning a little thoughtfully.]

Besides that, they're both making their own friends. I'm worried that if we stay together too much, I'd prevent them from doing that. Gon's always making friends, but I just think it's easier this way.

I don't think it'd be too big of a hassle, so long as you can find a place with three empty slots.

[Killua's next words are surprising ones, though, if not only for the fact that it's oddly considerate of him to think about what may be best for Gon and his sister, even if it's not the most fun for him.]

I'll have to take your word for it, but I got a feeling that Gon won't stop making friends just 'cause you're living together... unless you guys spend most of your time at home?

There's no strict laws about it?

[He'd sort of assumed there would be. His expression softens a bit, and that adult tone of his stretches into his next words.]

Well, Gon and I don't, but Alluka is used to. I want her to meet friends and try not to use me as a crutch, even if I want to support and protect her. As for Gon, it's more like... it's hard keeping up with him.

It's just a short time I'm allowing him away from me, but it might help him do everything he wants to.

Nah. If we were natives, there would be - but if we were natives, you wouldn't be allowed to live on your own. You'd be put into some kind of home or foster care system. Me too.

[At least until he applied for legal emancipation, which he would have absolutely done if that were the case. He could get away with it. Kids as young as Gon and Killua? Not a chance.]

What do you mean it's hard to keep up? [Gon's a high energy kid, sure, but so is Killua.]

[He grows a little quiet at that, seemingly thinking about the difference in rules between natives and imPorts. All he can think is that it's a good thing those laws didn't apply to them right now. They had enough to deal with as it was.

The silence stretches even past the question for a few seconds. He's trying to figure out how to word this without saying too much.]

He's a stubborn idiot, so he's always trying to do everything himself. [He lets that settle for a few seconds as he thinks back on more recent, unfortunate memories.] I just want to help, but lately it doesn't really feel like I've done anything.

[Realizing that that's a little dampening, he perks himself up and looks over with a small smile.] Not that I'm giving up or anything! I'm going to do my best to help him here, too.

I think you're helping plenty just by being here.

[Like so many other things Jaime says, it would seem like a platitude if the words didn't sound so genuine the moment they leave his lips. For him, it's not a platitude, but a reality; even if she doesn't do anything but make fun of him, coming home and seeing Brenda every day helps, no matter how bad of a day he's had. He hopes he does the same for her.

He has plenty of friends, but really good friends, the sort that Killua and Gon have found in each other, those don't come around very often. Still, it's a little troubling how this conversation has gone, isn't it? It's best for Gon if they stay apart, he's sad about not being able to help him more, but he'll keep on trying...]

You gotta do some things for yourself too, though. You know that, right?

You think so?

[The smile persists as he thinks on it. He knows Gon likes his company and that it can help in smaller moments, but it's just the recent, huge weight that's come on them both that has him worried. It's just a nagging worry for now, hidden in the back of his mind.]

I know! That's what I've been doing all this time. [Staying by Gon's side, that is.] He helps me, too.

Just making sure. Having friends is great, but you're allowed to be a little selfish sometimes.

[He glances over in Killua's direction, smile a little sly.]

It's just our job to call you out if you're being too selfish. Give and take.

He's the one who's too selfish!

[It comes out pretty teasingly, with Killua puffing out his cheeks and the sadness from his smile before slowly fading out.] Okay, well, sometimes I am too, but he just runs into things without thinking about how anyone else is going to worry!

He's hopeless without me. [But he'd be really lonely without Gon, in turn. So it's probably like that.]

Do you have a friend like that?

We-ell...

[Killua's probably thinking about a friend by Jaime's side, not the friend inside his head, but he can't help but think about the Scarab. It has a kneejerk reaction to the world around it, and if it had its way, Jaime knows that it would charge in and take everything it wanted by force.]

I think I can think of someone. People like that are kind of a pain, but you wouldn't give them up for the world, right?

Exaaaaactly!

[He moves to drop a fist down on an open palm, nose turning up as he huffs at the thought of it all. Hearing it plainly spelled out like that just makes him think of more and more instances! So Jaime had someone like that too?]

He's always saying things like "only I can say stupid things!" or "you're the one who's supposed to keep me cool!" How can I do that when he doesn't even follow my plans if I lay them out? He always has to do things his way! It doesn't matter if he ends up losing blood or a hand, he doesn't regret it one bit!

Aghh, just thinking about it is making me mad! [Affectionately and worriedly so, though, and it's clear on his face as his hands drop to his sides, balled into fists.] It's so stupid! Right, Jaime?! If you have someone like that, you know what I mean!

[Jaime's halfway following along, nodding as Killua gripes and moans - which is probably a good thing; everyone has to bitch about their friends sometime - but he freezes when Killua mentions losing a hand, face going ashen.]

Uh -- sorry, lost? I mean, hand? [Whoa, get it together, Jaime.] He lost his hand? Or is that just a hypothetical?

[Oh. It looks like he lost Jaime somewhere along the understanding road. Nervously, he looks to the side, expression stretching as he tries to cover it up.]

Uhh. [A great start, too.] Well, I guess if you're asking like that... Yeah.

[Yeah maybe he did technically lose his hand, okay!! He holds his breath for a second before letting it out in a huffy sigh, giving in a bit more.] It was a video game that used our real bodies and actually just took place in the real world. But we were able to use a spell card to heal him up afterwards, so don't worry.

[Gon lost his hand because they were in a video game that wasn't a video game but it's all okay now because they used a spell card, and oh yeah, he still doesn't know how Gon lost his hand.

Do adults actually exist in their world? Are they ever present? because Jaime's starting to think he needs to fix up the Porter and set up child services and --

No. No, he needs to fix up the Porter, get his Mom, and sic her on that world. They wouldn't know what hit them.

A little numbly, he says,] I think a game that uses your real bodies in the real world is actually just called real life.

Not exactly.

[He's kind of eyeing Jaime's expression and response here, because he's pretty sure that's shock or something along the lines of it, but unlike Gon, Killua is not good at social cues like this. So all he can do is find it a bit odd as he focuses in on correcting a small misunderstanding.]

It's a video game for Hunters called Greed Island. If you used your nen, you'd be pulled into the game-- but it would actually teleport you to a remote island isolated from the rest of the world where those spell cards actually worked. If you tried to leave against the game's rules, one of the NPCs would probably try to kill you. Gon's dad created it with his friends, so we were looking for clues.

He just finished up the game before he showed up here, actually.

[Some more staring, and he leans in a bit, jabbing at the side of Jaime's arm curiously.] Hey, are you okay? Like I said, he's healed now! We all were.

Edited (PUNCTUATION) 2014-11-25 08:34 (UTC)

That doesn't mean that the fact he lost it in the first place is okay!

[That explanation makes no sense. He's not even going to touch it for now. Later, he'll have Khaji play him back the conversation and he'll just about manage to muddle out the fact that Hunters - lunatics, the lot of them - went to some exclusive island where they could use weird magic and where... oh, who knows? Where they could be crazy in peace?

It's not really the point. He squeezes the bridge of his nose.]

And before you get on me, it's not just because you're kids. Something like that is traumatic for anybody.

[Or, at least, it should be.]

Of course it's not okay!

[Killua doesn't actually grasp how it hadn't seemed like he'd thought that, too. Between the casual mentioning and attempts to cover it up so Jaime wouldn't go on a rant about anything, he doesn't seem to notice any signs of this being ingrained in him or all of them from that world of theirs.

He frowns a little more, raising one of his hands in a weighing motion.]

I had a few weeks to work on a plan, and I came up with a trap that worked in the end! But Gon got caught up in the fight and wanted to test himself. [He drops that hand again.] I was really mad! But at the same time, with Gon, you learn to expect things like that. I'd kind of already figured it into my planning, too.

[He pauses, thinking. Gon treated it really like it was nothing. No big deal, they fixed it and it was done.] He's seriously weird. I don't think it bugged him at all, because in the end, he got his way.

He could really get into trouble going around like that. Especially here.

[People from their homes are doubtlessly strong, but people from Jaime's world are stronger. He considers Darkseid and Lobo. He considers himself. If you tangle with people like that, you're dead. Those consequences go beyond being hurt.

Though if Gon isn't troubled by missing limbs, what would he be troubled by?]

Have you... talked to him about that?

[Talked to him... About his lack of care?]

Kind of, a few times. He doesn't really listen. [Not that he has room to talk. He stares down at his own hands now, brushing past one person on accident as he clenches and relaxes his fingers.] And I think I get it.

[Dropping his hands, he looks back to Jaime.] We're best friends. He's really strong, and he's probably going to make a lot of mistakes, but I'll be there to help him out. I can protect him.

He's beat some reaaaally big name guys, you know. You should worry more for whoever tries to mess with him or his friends.

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