[Mushverse: Ankh and Eiji, also open to other Greeed]

[catcameback]

I'm not a total jerk. Ankh asked me to tell him if I found out about any of the others coming back the way we did.

I could just call, I guess, I have a phone and I know how to use it and it would be easy enough to find the number for that crazy restaurant they live in.

But I'm restless. Lots of stuff has been happening at home lately, and I kind of feel like if I don't give myself something to do, I might go out and start a fight. With the stupid guy who kidnapped Katsumi, or that stupid pirate jerk who screwed up Joe's entire state of being, or... God, the list is endless.

But I don't want to, so I look up the address to Cous Coussier and walk there instead, toying with my Switch as I walk. Not pressing it, just sort of rolling it between my fingers, and wondering whether I should tell any of the other Greeed about it.

Comments

[hinooo]

It is possibly the most beautiful day in the history of beautiful days.

The thought of a purpose has been nagging at me. For Ankh. For me. But for now, the sun's out, there's a briskness to the air that makes me grin, and I'm scrubbing the floor of Cous Coussier while Chiyoko's out.

I'm happy.

[redgreeed]

I don't really mind doing the dishes for the restaurant, it gives me something mindless to do to pass the time. Of course it also has the negative side effect where my mind wanders in every direction, often to places I don't feel like visiting yet.

Life. Eiji. Mortality. Greeeds. Death. Love. Eiji.

Those sort of things.

I shake my head and blow a wayward lock of hair out of my face. I think I've been scrubbing this dish for a solid five minutes now, it's probably as clean as it's going to get.

[catcameback]

The restaurant seems dead when I arrive, but I haven't quite figured out which days are days that people do things yet. Maybe that's why.

The door is unlocked when I try it, though, so they must be open.

I slip my Switch back into my pocket and peek in.

"OOO? I mean. Um, Eiji."

[hinooo]

I look up, grinning automatically. "I'll be with you in a moment, sir!"

Oh, it's not a sir, it's a Kazari.

That didn't come out right.

I finish the last inch in the corner, then leap ot my feet. I can do behind the bar next. "Come in, come in, how are you?"

[redgreeed]

I hear a pair of voices wafting into the kitchen from the main room, one is obviously Eiji's, and the other... is Kazari?

I set the dish I've been scrubbing down in the drying rack, then move to peak my head out the door and see what's going on in the main room, drying my hands on a dish towel as I go.

"Eiji?"

[catcameback]

Sir. Yeah, okay.

He's oddly enthusiastic. I wonder why. I slip a hand into my pocket to touch my Switch again, then trail after him into the restaurant proper.

"Neat." I say. I'd never been inside, just sort of heard about it. "Um. I'm okay. Is Ankh-"

The bird in question peers around a door that I assume leads to the kitchens, and I lift a hand in greeting. "Ankh. Um. Hi?"

[hinooo]

Yes, please come in, because I don't know what to say to Ankh any more and...

I stop, and make myself take a deep breath.

I grin over my shoulder at Ankh. "Shall we sit? Can I get you something to drink?"

[redgreeed]

Yes. Kazari. And there's that familiar twinge of instinct, the natural desire to peck his eyes out. I can't tell if it's the fact that he was designed after cats and I birds, or it's just the old hatreds between us.

It's not as strong anymore though, which I suppose is progress. Eiji will be pleased, at least.

I toss the dish towel down on a counter before I leave the kitchen proper. I'm probably a mess but it's just Kazari and Eiji out here, I'm not sure why I really care.

"The others are back, aren't they?" I ask, and I'm not sure why there's a note of dread in my voice. It's not like they're likely to be anything more than human, just like us. "Or at least one of them."

[catcameback]

"Yeah we can sit." I blink then shrug. "Um, coffee? Is there coffee? Could I have some?" Ugh, why am I so weird around them?

Well, Ankh's not oblivious enough to think I'm here for any other reason. I throw myself into one of the booths and flop down over the table, folding my arms and resting my chin on them. "Uva and Mezool."

[hinooo]

I wish Ankh didn't sound so scared.

I bring out the latest pot, with cups, and pour us each some. I haven't been sleeping very much and I could use a cup as well.

"What are they like?" I ask Kazari softly.

[redgreeed]

I sit down across from Kazari, scooting over to allow Eiji room besides me, the motion practically second nature.

I take the sugar canister and upend it over my coffee mug. I've found I still prefer sweet things, though I am branching out from my previous all ice candy diet.

"That just leaves Gamel," I muse. I refuse to even entertain the thought that Maki could come back. He may have become part Greeed, like Eiji, but he was still human beforehand. He still died rather than fell apart.

[catcameback]

I accept the cup of coffee with a nod, frowning at how full it is and adding as much cream as I can anyway.

"Alright. Um, some people took them in, like my parents did. Only I think there's only two of them instead of three? I haven't met them." I sip at the coffee. It's a little too hot, mostly because there's not enough cream in it, but it'll do. "They're human, anyway. Mezool's really paranoid and Uva smells nice-" I hesitate. Did I say that out loud? How ridiculously stupid.

"So, I guess Gamel... I don't know. I haven't seen hide nor hair. Figuratively. Literally. I don't know." I look up, meet Ankh's eyes briefly and look away. He's thinking what I'm thinking. What about Maki?

[hinooo]

I slide in next to Ankh automatically, with his hip and thigh and knee warm against mine. Touching's fine. Reassuring. I understand touching.

"Uva smells nice?" Of all the things to say. How strange.

I don't think either of them have thought about this yet so I'd better mention it. "No sign of Maki?"

[redgreeed]

I snort into my mug when Eiji's repeats Kazari's little slip up about Uva's scent. Curious that, I wonder if Kazari will stop looking at us like we're deranged every time Eiji and I so much as brush knuckles.

I shift a little, so my leg is pressed more closely to Eiji's, moving my foot so it rests atop his.

Of course then Eiji brings up the one topic I think both Kazari and I were trying to avoid.

"Maki was human to begin with," I state plainly, voice tight. "He died. He's gone."

I can't tell who I'm trying to convince more: Eiji or myself.

[catcameback]

Ankh sounds about as uncomfortable with the thought of Maki coming back as I feel. Not too likely, I'm pretty sure Maki didn't put his arm through Ankh's stomach and take every single Core from him except for the shattered excuse that used to be his Head Core.

I glance at Eiji. I'm not sure what happened between him and the Bad Doctor. Maybe that's why Ankh's worked up.

He seems pretty sure. Maki won't be coming back. He wasn't a real Greeed. There's no precedent for him to come back, he died like the human he was born as.

There's just one problem with that.

"It's not just us." I say quietly, pouring more cream into my coffee and trying not to let my hands shake too much. "It's not just Greeed coming back, though."

[hinooo]

Ankh moves against me, foot on top of mine, making me grin. He's nervous, though, and with good cause, it seems. I'm not sure I believe him, but he wants it to be true.

I stare at Kazari. "Not just Greeed coming back to be happy families, then," I say softly, moving from Eiji mode into OOO mode. "Who else?"

[redgreeed]

This is not what I want to hear. It's just not. If it's just us Greeeds we can work toward figuring out why, what could be the driving force behind creatures once born of medals suddenly coming back as human.

Eiji seems to think there's nothing really behind it. That it's just one of those weird things that happens, fate or gods smiling on us and granting us second chances.

But maybe it's more than that. Maybe it's not so uplifting.

I sip at my coffee, keeping quirt while Eiji asks Kazari for more information.

[catcameback]

I look at Ankh again, but it's unnecessary. I can tell that we're both thinking how much it would suck if Maki came back too.

"No, not just Greeed." I lift a hand to run through my hair and sigh a little. "I don't know anything specific. My parents were talking about a guy named Kemp. Someone they fought, like, twenty, twenty-five years ago. Supposed to be dead, but he's not anymore."

[hinooo]

"Really?" I jolt forward in my seat. "An old Liveman villain, is he?"

I'm not asking because I don't believe him. It's just one of those reflexive horrified questions. "I wish I could transform," I mutter under my breath.

Okay.

So.

Most likely, Ankh's right. And someone's doing this. It's not just random.

[redgreeed]

"A villain," I muse softly, almost under my breath, staring down into my coffee.

Like Kazari. Like Uva and Mezool.

Like me.

I shake my head to clear it, trying not to get too lost to my own thoughts like I have been since my outburst the last time I saw Kazari.

Say something productive. "Do you think your, um, parents know why he revived?"

[catcameback]

I look at Eiji with a curious eyebrow raised. Has he met my parents before? Does he know what they used to do? They don't anymore, not really, but they probably will be soon.

"Um, yeah. An old villain." I rub at the back of my neck again. I kind of wish he could transform still too. Then again, maybe not. For him to transform he'd need Core Medals. I've made a lot of progress, but I think if I was presented with a Core Medal, especially one of my own, I think I'd do whatever I could to have it back.

My eyes turn to Ankh, and I feel bad for a second. He doesn't think of himself as a villain. I don't blame him, since he apparently turned over his leaf again before the last conflict. He probably broke apart in helping Eiji fight, so I guess that makes him less of a villain than I am.

Was.

I'm not anymore.

He doesn't have to be either.

"Not a clue." I say aloud finally, wrinkling my nose and looking into my coffee cup. "Jou was really freaked out about it. I mean, I guess they all were, but Jou was in bad shape. I found him in the river. He could... he could have died, I think. So, um, this Kemp guy, he's still bad." I look up at Ankh again. "Not like us."

[hinooo]

I give Ankh a sharp look, not liking how he says villain, but I don't know what's behind it. I can try to figure it out later.

I'm not sure what that look's for from Kazari, but I'm too busy thinking and worrying to focus on it.

I listen intently to Kazari's words. I don't know much about Liveman, just what I found on Google on Ankh's iPhone, so I'm not sure who's who. But this sounds terrible.

...Oh. That's what Ankh meant. Kazari figured it out -- I'm two steps behind them again. Just like old times. I squelch a rueful grin.

Maybe I need to approach Kougami-san. He might have a way for me to be able to fight.

[redgreeed]

I avoid glancing at Eiji, I just can't handle his looks right now, I need to stay focused. Keep my head clear and on topic.

I do keep our legs pressed though, keep my foot resting on top of his. I don't want him to worry that I don't care.

I just... can't right now.

"Maybe we should look into other odd occurrences happening, see if there are other revivals." I sip at my coffee, then add a bit more sugar. "See if it's just us and this Kemp guy. If it is, the events might not be connected, maybe he was revived by some other means."

"If it's more than that." Another sip of coffee. Much better. "Well, I don't really want to think about the implications."

[catcameback]

"That's probably a good idea." I offer to Ankh. He's not looking at Eiji and I think this is probably a bad thing. Did they have a fight? Was it because of the shit Ankh was saying the last time I saw them? Should I care? "I'll talk to my parents about it. Let them know about Uva and Mezool."

I don't want to think about the implications either. I clear my throat and shake my head. "So, yeah. I just thought you should know."

[hinooo]

Ankh can't even look at me.

I don't know what I'm going to do.

I nod at Kazari. "Thanks for letting us know. I'll come down after my shift is over, and talk to people. I'll see if Double's still around. He might know something."