[CLOSED to Tobias]

[espio]

[PM]

Hey Toby, where did you disappear to?

No idea if you'll get this message before I run into you, but JUST IN CASE, I'll be around the library most of the evening, then my room - it's changed to A107, just across the hall from our old one. Drop by if you want, or at LEAST tell me what you're doing tomorrow.

Also a warning: don't touch the BBS. Grell's got some stupid idea in her head that's not worth even looking at, let alone discussing, and she's airing it all over the BBS. It's ridiculous.

ESPIO

Comments

[espio]

'kay. Rocks and stuff, then. That'll work!

[Adjusts his position a little, 'cause he was about to drop all his work and get papers everywhere.]

Not right now, though. I'm actually going back to my room.

[corruptedsouls]

Okay.

...can I come too? I don't like my room. It's empty.

[espio]

You can, but... my room's a single.

[corruptedsouls]

...I don't care. I just don't want to be alone again.

[espio]

Well... I don't mind if you camp out in my room. Just don't let Grell get the wrong idea.

[corruptedsouls]

Wrong idea?

[...Oh hey, that reminds him!]

What were you and Mom arguing about? Why is it important that I'm sixteen?

[espio]

"Age of consent" where I'm from, but seriously. Don't. Ask.

[He's still fuming about that whole conversation, actually.]

If you have to ask someone right now, ask Marco. Because honestly, I'm still trying to get over the fact I even had that argument.

[corruptedsouls]

[IDK WHAT IS CONSENT but he relents. He'll ask Marco, then!]

Um... okay...

[espio]

[Muttering, because this is just that annoying.]

I have no idea what kind of pervert she takes me for...

[corruptedsouls]

...I don't either. You don't seem like a pervert.

[SO OBLIVIOUS.]

[espio]

Oh good. Because I'm not.

I dunno. Forget about it. Grell's just insane anyway.

[corruptedsouls]

Okay.

[Just watches Espio now, waiting for him to lead the way.]

[espio]

[And lead the way he does, though apparently even talking about that conversation has put him in a bit of a mood. He's mostly silent. Still, it's not Toby's fault, oh no - it's entirely Grell's. Yep.

It's only when he gets to his door that his mood seems to wear off a little.]

It's a mess. Sorry.

[corruptedsouls]

It's okay!

[Eeee! Espio's room Espio's room~]

[espio]

[He's not even joking. It's not quite as bad as what it used to be, back in the shared dorm, but even so there's everything everywhere. Including quite a lot of Toby's old things... mostly his clothes, though, because as he'd said before, Espio's been borrowing them.

Oh, and apparently he hasn't been using his bed at all, going by the piles of stuff on top of it. He's developed a habit of sleeping on the ceiling.]

You sure about that?

[corruptedsouls]

Yup!

[He blinks a little, going over to sift through his old stuff. Hey, he remembers some of these...]

[espio]

[There's a small stack of Toby's sketchbooks in the corner. On the shelf nearby is a bunch of magazines, and... a Rayquaza plush wrapped around a turnip. A turnip that has a hat on - Espio had no idea where to put Mikuru's Christmas present.

Feeling a little awkward, Espio starts to pick a few things up and try to arrange things so Toby at least has somewhere to sit. This basically involves moving all of the things from the bed to the desk.]

There - you can sit down if you want.

[corruptedsouls]

[Hee, he kind of remembers that plushie. He thinks. Maybe?

It's adorable though, and Tobias smiles none the less, turning to watch Espio shuffle things to the desk.]

Thanks.

[He settles on the bed, kicking his legs a little and smiling. It's so much easier to do that around all of you, you know.]

How long have you been an instructor?

[espio]

[Notices Toby looking, and gives him a half-irritated, half-amused look.]

That? You gave me that the day you decided to freak me out.

[You know. The day Toby asked him out.

Espio jumps onto the bed and shuffles himself to sit next to Toby, back up against the wall.]

Hmm... Couple of months, I think? I've been an instructor for this whole Quarter. It's not too bad a job - though, now I outrank Marco, and he's not hapoy about it.

[HE, however, is clearly amused by this detail.]

[corruptedsouls]

...Dad was really mad. What's going on?

[espio]

Basically, the Garden's income isn't working out, so to save money they cut the ranks of every SeeD down to six, no matter how they've performed. You know, so they don't have to pay as much salary?

Instructors are all Rank Twelve.

Marco just got back from a mission to find out that suddenly, there was a new commander, non-humans like me now have to magically disguise ourselves in public - he really didn't like that - and that he'd been demoted despite doing tons of work for the place. Of course he wasn't impressed.

[corruptedsouls]

No... I get why he's mad now... But that's awful. Did they really need to do that? Couldn't they just say what was wrong and ask people to take less money...?

[espio]

If it's as bad as they say, I don't expect they're really in the position to. Even for someone like Marco.

In my case though, I got promoted, so the only thing I'm really bothered by is this stupid potion.

[Espio's SeeD rank was kind of shit. Mostly because he kept pulling stupid stunts like hijacking the Ragnarok and decorating a corridor in fake blood.]

[corruptedsouls]

[Yeah just. Don't ever tell Toby about that fake blood thing.]

...Why do you need the potion? It doesn't seem right that you have to do it...

[espio]

They want to present the Garden as being less full of outright weird and scary people, so that we get more mission opportunities and, by extension, more money. Don't think they should hide it, myself - we're part of the world, now, the general public should just deal with it.

Can't say I mind turning human once in a while though. It's like another sort of invisiblity.

Your clothes are too tight on me, though. I need to go shopping.

[pulls a face. Bleh. Doesn't sound fun.]