the_campus | ANNOUNCEMENT 012

What if I'm not sure which he's more of?

[See, 'cause Kai knows Bakura's an asshole. But he's trying to deal with him, partly for Karasu's sake.]

I know he'll stab me in the back at some point too, so. Kind of makes the fact I've been teaching him magic really, really stupid.

[And now Kai does thunk his head onto the table, so say goodbye to that card house of yours, Niko. If it's any consolation, he's really sorry about it.]

[Down goes the cards, and he doesn't look too put out. He just starts stacking again.]

I wouldn't help someone I knew would stab me in the back later. [Bakura doesn't seem to have stabbed him in the back yet, from what he's been hearing, just been a dick.]

[Kai's voice is muffled from where his head is pressed against the table, but understandable.]

Neither would I.

[He sighs, gently thunks his head one more time, then sits up, shifting to tug up his left sleeve to expose the jagged scar on his forearm above the elbow.]

I already got stabbed in the front, see? But it was my fault.

[He's maturing, admitting things like that. Kai shoves his sleeve back down, crossing his arms across the table again so he can rest his chin on them, watching Niko stack.]

It feels complicated, but part of it...I'm trying to help him protect someone. So while it's stupid and dangerous, it's a good thing, too. If someone needs help, I can't just walk away from it.

[Sometimes he wishes he could.]

Who are you helping him protect? The girl?

[He decides to shuffle for a little bit, that way he won't be over-eager and screw up his next attempt.]

Karasu? No. Another friend of his.

[Sorry Niko, he can't give you details since he doesn't have too many himself.]

Her though? I'd be her knight if she wanted.

[Oh Light. Why did he say that out loud? Kai simply groans, burying his face in his arms. For the love of- He lifts his head enough that his eyes are visible, glancing first at Niko's hands as he shuffles, then up at the man's face.]

What're you supposed to do with girls, anyway? [As soon as that's out, Kai turns red. That just sounds wrong.] I don't mean that! I mean-

[He doesn't bother to explain what he did mean, opting instead to bury his face again. Geeze.]

[He snorts. He sees what's happening there.] You get them things that are nice and that they like and you remember girls have hard lives.

Most ladies do not have men remember this for them.

[His mother, for one. But at the same time, Niko's met some annoying, terrible women. Hell, it's most of the women he dates. And the last one he fell for? Well, she was faking the whole thing for information and he's still not over it.]

I am unlucky at love. I am not the best one to ask.

Already done the first part.

[The paper flowers and the little vase he'd made for her birthday, the cloak and wooden sword for their games...

He feels like he's back in grade school, suddenly.]

The second...yeah. I'll remember that.

[Sighing, he pushes himself back up, chin going back into his propped up hand. He's pretty sure he's still blushing, but it feels less. He hopes it is, anyway.]

I don't really have anyone else to talk to about it. Well, kind of, but. [Yeah, trying to talk to Ryou about this...same position as Niko, almost, with the added 'bonus' of the Creeper popping out to interrupt. Nope.]

She's just- I never had a crush on a girl, not once. Ever. Great friends, but...and then I met her. And at some point it was like being hit with a tidal wave or a really pissed off Neoshadow wielding a Keyblade of it's own-

[How does the way he describes things make sense in his own head? Kai rolls his eyes.] I wish there'd been someone else before her, it'd make this easier to deal with.

This is... Like you have never felt things for a girl or you are still a virgin never liked a girl?

Because buddy, if this is the case one day you might have bigger things to worry about. But I guess one thing at a time. [Well, it was a matter that he'd think to address.] I the meantime it at least sounds like she would very much like to keep you around.

She has already forgiven a lot of shit just for a friend. That must mean something.

[Kai could be talking about flying sharks for comparisons. There's nothing about this place that makes sense except emotions. That part he can get.]

[Ugh Niko Light damn it. The blush comes back full force, but at least Kai doesn't bang his head into the table. Instead he buries his face in his hands, muttering to himself before raising his voice just enough for Niko to hear him.]

Both. Just shoot me already, would you? And...

Don't know how much it means. If it means anything. I'm her friend, and Karasu's a very forgiving person.

[She'd have to be, after dealing with him and Bakura.]

...Not sure if I should even bring it up again. Not now. Just be happy we're friends and take this whole thing as a learning experience.

Well... [He's amused enough to be smiling.] Learning experience or not, it is better if more learning experiences are based off successes than mistakes. [He's made plenty of the latter.]

Hey, look. You say a nice thing to make her know she's appreciated, don't expect anything back. Sometimes it's good for people to know that they're cared about.

[Niko sucks at advice. His cousin and his mother are the ones that say they care about him, and that only helps him a little. Sometimes he feels like he's much more of a problem for them than someone they should care about. He never masks that he cares back, though.]

[He sees you smiling there, Niko. See him peering out from between his fingers? He's just going to...stay like this a few moments longer, though.

What is his life.]

Well yeah...and I don't! I mean, I say nice stuff and never expect anything because I'm not a creep and I wouldn't know what to do with it anyway-

[So embarrassing. Please just shoot him.]

No no, I mean...

[He holds up his hand, a two of hearts in it.] Nice things. Like all the things you like. Like I say, women are not given many reasons to think well of themselves, or they learn that to think well of themselves they must be very fake.

Telling a girl good things can keep her genuine. Not just small things. The important ones.

She knows I think she's beautiful.

[Still mumbling through his hands here. Sigh.] I drip sap half the time I'm talking to her anyway. And she's smart and brave and-

Yeah, I need to actually tell her that, okay.

[Kai gives the card Niko's holding a look, as if it's responsible somehow for his current misery, before forcing himself to stop hiding behind his hands and sit up straight.]

[He puts it back into the deck to straighten it out again, doing the thing where he makes a point of making sure all the cards are the patterned side up.]

If you have a chance to do normal teenage things here, you should take them. I didn't. I grew up in a war.

We already do the cuddling thing, sometimes. Though-

[Okay, brain stopped at that. He frowns, staring at Niko in silence for a few moments. What?]

Your whole childhood? Or just-

['Just' what, the important bits? All of it was important. Kai sighs, rubbing the bridge of his nose.] Sorry. That must've been- Sorry.

Hey, don't worry about it. It just means I'm an overgrown kid sometimes now. Always with cops and robbers. [He just chuckles a little.]

Cuddling, though, that's a good start. Means that she trusts you close. Probably even likes you close.

I still build pillow forts and play with wooden swords. [Probably real cops and robbers. Kai grins a bit at that, shaking his head.]

Yeah, well...

['Yeah, well'. Really, that's the best he can do?] I sure like having her close.

...This is a conversation I should be having with my dad or even my uncle...No, wait, we did that already. Sort of.

[They had 'the talk' when he was eight and that was it. It wasn't like Kai ever felt the need to go bug them about it after that. Video games and magic were more important than girls.]

[That observation makes him a little sheepish and it seeps into a smile. While it makes him a little angry about how his father treated him, it gives him that slim bit of hope if he lives to see that day maybe he wouldn't be a terrible father after all.]

Mothers usually give better advice on how to treat women. Mine always told me to always remember that there is some part of any woman that is beautiful and to do things they like for them because one day they could raise your children.

Most of the women I date? I would not want children with. But I still remember to do things they like and that they are very nice looking.

[Kai needs a father figure while he's here, Niko. Want to volunteer?]

I haven't seen mine since I was a kid, but I can pretty much guess what her 'advice' would be. 'Stay away from us, we're trouble.' [Really, Maya would've been serious.]

Your mom sounds smart. [He laughs as he pushes his bangs out of his eyes.] I think being a dad would be pretty neat- [Wait, stop.] Someday! A really long time from now...and I'd be doing a lot of nice things for their mom if the kid turned out to be anything like me.

[Kai has a feeling he'd be apologizing constantly for that. Trouble seems to literally run in his blood.]

[The poor guy is only 30 but war has kicked his ass left and right through the years so he looks older than that.]

Well, they're that. But they're worth it. [He knows that he has some of his father in him and he deeply, deeply wishes that he didn't. But it's there. An angry raging asshole on one hand, his mother's desire to take care of people on the other. They're not a useful mix.] My mother is the smartest, kindest, most intelligent person I know.

...But if she was your girlfriend, I don't know how this place works. Do you have condoms here? [This is suddenly relevant to his interests too. Eventually, at some point, Niko's going to go want to get some.]

[Kai's eighteen but acts younger, so it works out? Somehow.]

Karasu's sure worth it. [At least Niko knows where he gets things from. Kai has no idea what his biological father's like, so he tends to assume most of his behavior issues are inherited from his mom.

It's pretty close to the mark, actually.]

That's a big 'if'. I'm not sure how she felt about me before I screwed up. Maybe I had a chance then, but I kind of doubt it now. [So does that mean he's just going to give up and not bother? ...Doubtful.] 'Sides, I can't even hold her hand without going three different shades of red and-

[Wait, back up, condoms? Oh Light. Kai stares hard at Niko, the blush from earlier coming right back. Geeze.]

I, uh. Um. There's...yeah. [Coherent thought. This is something he knows how to do...once he's done getting his brain to reboot, anyway.]

The nurse's office. Stumbled over some when I was raiding for painkillers once. [And then he'd died a couple deaths and put them back before getting the hell out of dodge.]

Yeah, I know it might seem kind of embarrassing, but is better to have one on you just in case. There is a very fine line between "good idea" and "bad idea".

[Niko has a lot of trouble telling "good ideas" from "bad ideas". It's a chronic condition.]

Maybe it doesn't do me so much good. Not many ladies that are my age around here.

[It's like March of the Dicks. Jesus.]

'Kind of' embarrassing? Only a lot.

[So does Kai. It's how he gets himself into so much trouble, but really, at least half his ideas seem like good ones at the time.]

But it's the responsible thing to do, I know. Raising a kid while trapped here would be brain breaking and horrific, honestly. [He spends enough time freaking out that his dog'll disappear, and the way he reacted when Karasu did? Bad Idea.]

Well... [He grins suddenly.] Maybe one'll turn up? Not that I'd actually wish this place on anyone.

[He makes a so so motion with his hand.] Think of it like this. It is a little embarrassing when you are not doing anything. If you are? It is many more times embarrassing to not have it.

[But yeah, it sounds pretty horrific.] I never thought twenty something women would be so difficult to come across. [Seriously, he's seen maybe two. And they're variations on the same person. And that's really confusing.]

[He considers how desperate he'll have to be before he goes looking for companionship with a man. Jesus. Pretty desperate. Niko's an affectionate guy. In cases like this it bites him in the ass.]

Yeah...okay, I'll go...get some. [Soon. Tomorrow. Or maybe the beginning of next week. He has serious doubts something like that is going to happen this century.]

Maybe if you poke around the North Wing enough something'll turn up? I mean, those rooms are weird, I wouldn't put it past them to generate mock-people or-

[Wait, it sounds like he's saying Niko should find the equivalent of a hooker. Oh geeze. Kai sighs, facepalming. Please ignore him, he has no useful ideas here.]

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