Montague-Dojima Apartment, Tokyo, Tuesday Daytime

[withoutverona]

Romeo's college required he take a business ethics course. It wasn't such a bad idea, really. In Verona, showing up with a few bodyguards and asking pointed questions about how attached a rival was to his cars was considered a reasonable opening salvo. He flipped through the text with a highlighter in hand, occasionally shooting worried glances at the door.

Yurika wasn't saying anything, but he could tell something at work was troubling her. A friend had died; that was as much as she'd told him, and that was worry enough.

He reread the passage on ethical hiring practices and hoped she'd be home soon.

[OOC: For the hime and calls/emails/texts.]

Comments

[withoutverona]

"Maybe that's why they don't live long," Romeo suggested. "It can't be such a fascinating life."

"Unlike mine," he continued dryly. "I am studying business ethics. My second class is tomorrow."

[intraspective]

Ino made a face at that.

"Well," she said fairly, "at least business ethics are presumably useful? Is it dreadfully dull?"

[withoutverona]

"Not dull so much as very different from home," Romeo shrugged. "I'm sure I will find it useful, some day long from now. What do you have this term?"

[intraspective]

"Infantry Tactics!" Guess which was Ino's favourite. "World Wars in the Media, and Applied Science."

Ino tugged her hair. "I got to tell a story in Media, and then we had this whole discussion bit 'bout that first world war thing and in Infantry he made us run and never asked for our names."

[withoutverona]

"I never had a class there where I didn't have to say my name," Romeo said ruefully. "Not that running sounds much better, on a first day. Was it far?"

[intraspective]

She squinted at the ceiling.

"It was only 'bout an hour," Ino said, "so probably far to you? We went round and round in the Danger Shop, and Anemone and I played tag to make it fun."

[withoutverona]

Romeo made a disgusted noise. "I'd rather have business ethics."

An hour of running. Ugh.

[intraspective]

Seriously.

Ino laughed. "It wasn't that bad," she said, thoroughly biased, "and I like the teacher. He's very--leaderish, and that's nice even if I don't get what his rank is at all."

[withoutverona]

"Is he one of the new ones?" Romeo asked. Not that he really understood military rank.

[intraspective]

"...maybe," she said, a bit dubiously. "I think I might just have missed him for awhile, 'cause he seemed pretty well adjusted, you know?"

[withoutverona]

"It does take some time to settle in," Romeo had to agree. "Speaking of which, how are things there? Tokyo feels so normal -- we never get snowstorms of food or turn into animals."

[intraspective]

"And yet you still turn into girls?" she teased. "And uh, it's been fairly quiet. Kissed a stranger the day I met him 'cause he asked nicely."

...that was pretty much the reasoning right there for that one, yes.

"Oh! And it rained syrup and then the whole island decorated itself for a party! Flowers and streamers everywhere!"

[withoutverona]

"You've taken to kissing strangers now?" Romeo teased. "I hope he was at least handsome. The rest of it sounds like" -- he made a gesture Ino wouldn't be able to see -- "silliness as usual."

[intraspective]

"He was handsome," Ino assured him. "I have taste, you know."

Albeit of dubious quality considering some of her past boyfriends...

"And silly is good, I think. A lot of people were pretty upset 'bout another universe a while ago, so it might be trying to make up for that."

[withoutverona]

"Another boy with orange hair, then?" Romeo teased, before going more serious. "Arthur told me a bit about the other universe. Vampires, he said, and people dying, and -- there was no me there." He was a name on a wall, but certain princes had kept their own counsel on that point. "Did you go?"

[intraspective]

"I'm not hair-picky," she sniffed, and fiddled a bit. "I didn't, I spent three days helping at the clinic, then the town hall, but no one ever said anything 'bout me being 'round there at all."

[withoutverona]

"We must not seem like vampire snacks in the other world," Romeo decided. "You helped? Could you heal the people who fell asleep?"

[intraspective]

"Nothing so exciting," she said, sighing. "I just made sure they were comfortable and hydrated. It was repetitive work, but honestly, it was creepy."

[withoutverona]

"I can't say I'm so sorry I missed it," Romeo admitted. "Though it can't have been worse than the zombies."

[intraspective]

"Maybe it was, for some people," Ino replied. "I mean, 'cause that other world? Really existed. The people who--died there, were dead. They never came back, you know? Not our people, they just seemed to have gotten bumped back to this world, but... another them really did all of that horror, and either survived, or didn't."

[withoutverona]

Romeo closed his eyes.

"You're right," he said. "I was just thinking about -- seeing people that way. Of course the ones who went to the other world did, too."

[intraspective]

Her smile, though he couldn't see it, was slightly bitter.

"I think I would have rathered be shoved into that other world," Ino admitted. "I could have--done something there, something with more action. The hall was just quiet and depressing 'cause there were so many in the cots."

[withoutverona]

"Well, I won't hope it'll happen again just so you can do something," Romeo said slowly. "But it does sound -- horrible. I would have felt useless too."

[intraspective]

She laughed softly.

"I don't want it to happen again either," she assured him. "I just want something where--I can do something. Maybe some good."

And if that was a bit more wistful than it would have been a little while ago, well...

[withoutverona]

"The island's never short on chances for that," Romeo said. "You've another two years, and then your work at home." He laughed at himself. "Do I sound 500?"