"nah" ] You can drink, if you want. I don't care, just tell me why you got so pissed.
[ here, want some shitty booze? he stole it on his way back from one round of investigating in the quarantined zone or something. a shopkeep he got out gave him the keys to the booze store. ]
[Ironically, the goading isn't what gets him. It's the fact that this guy keeps asking, even after he told him to take a hike. It's not like when he's trolling someone, when the subject doesn't matter.]
Why the fuck do you care?
[He's not taking the booze just yet. He doesn't want pitybooze.]
[That sounds like something Akane would say, and that in itself pisses him off, because Miles is nothing like Akane, otherwise. He's more like himself, if he were inclined to look into that particular mirror. But even though he searches, he can't find anything either insincere or patronizing about that remark, and that pisses him off even more. He doesn't want to be friends with these people. He doesn't want to accept ALASTAIR because he doesn't trust ALASTAIR, because his life with the MWPSB may have been shitty, but at least he knew how everything worked. At least he had friends who understood, because they were all in the same shittyass boat.]
What if I don't want you to?
[...but of course, as much as he might believe that, in the end it's a lie. He craves it, after all -- acceptance. For someone to take him as he is, with all his faults and bullshit, without judgment.
You say "them" and I keep thinking it sounds more like "why not me".
[He wants to resist further. He wants to slam the door in Miles' face and drown his feelings in watching stupid shit on his magitek. He'd do it, too, except Miles would probably fucking knock or some shit or find another way to interrupt him, and aside from all that ... there's only so much energy a person can have for spite at one time. He lets out a harsh exhale.]
You're ridiculous, you know that? It's like you enjoy having someone be garbage to you.
[...Damn it. Fine, he'll do it.]
The people here are super naive. Which wouldn't be so bad, Akane-chan's like that too, but they're all super up their own asses about it. Like they're living in some kind of alternate fantasy-land where there's straightforward right answers and wrong answers to everything and everyone lives happily ever goddamn after.
Funny enough, what you throw my way nothing compared to what I've been through.
[ It's an offhanded comment, because this moment isn't about him, it's about what he wants from Kagari. An answer, a reason. Illuminate the situation, let him know what he can expect in the future. Is it always nasty comments and vicious defenses? Or was he right, to think that all Kagari wanted was someone to look at him and see past that.
That's romantic, helpful shit, though. And Miles isn't a therapist, he's a journalist. ]
The ball is back in Kagari's court now, and Miles wants to see him refute it. He wants to see what he'll do, and what he'll expose about himself when he does it. It's a wicked way of learning things about his and Waylon's new roommate, but it's one of the only ways he knows how. Besides actually interrogating Kagari, which he feels would raise his defenses.
His laugh is small, brief and humorless: ] Are you a journalist, too? That's the kind of shit I hear from people in my field. The ones who've really gotten a good look at how bad things get.
Kagari pointedly refuses to confirm or deny that statement, which probably says something in its own right. He does, however, give Miles a hyena-esque laugh of his own.]
I skimmed it. I saw enough to work out where both sides were coming from.
[ It's funny - he's a journalist; his entire life and career is about digging up people's secrets, their knowledge, facts surrounding them. Yet, when it comes to Audentes, he tries his best to not root around on their posts. They're his allies, in the end, whether he winds up close to them or not. Their business is their own, unless they want to share it.
Or he feels close enough, or empathetic enough, to ask after it - like he is right now. ]
You're an investigator of some sort. I got about that much - based on your behavior and from your comments.
[So he didn't read the nitty gritty details at the end, huh. Kagari's not exactly sure what to make of that--his first thought is that it's a bit weird, but then, it's not as if anyone's ever respected Kagari's privacy in any way, shape or form.
But then that leaves the matter of answering Miles's question, and he's not even sure where to begin. After a moment:]
Close. I'm what's called an Enforcer. Officially, that'd be about my job description, yeah. But that's the nice version, all shiny and smoothed over for public consumption. What I really am is a hunting dog, who gets pointed toward whoever's not good enough to be part of society and take them in.
[A beat. The smirk takes on an almost predatory glint.]
Or kill them. That part's not really in my hands, see.
[Those words are practically a challenge, just defying Miles not to ask what he means. There's something vicious in Kagari that gets a small taste of satisfaction at seeing other people's discomfort when he tells them about this. It's petty, but it gives him just the slightest sliver of agency back over all the misery he's endured throughout his life, the pain that's made him into the person giving Miles hell today.
Being able to make people uncomfortable at will is a small slice of power--and for a man who's never had any control over anything, it means a lot.]
[ It's posed as a half-question, a request for confirmation; the world as he knows it does not have Enforcers and the Sibyl System does not exist.
But, he's known assassins. He's met them in broad daylight, in open marketplaces and interviewed them on the last days of their lives. Publications, made in Miles's name, say as much. This is the work that he does - investigative, invasive journalism. He rips into corporate wrongdoing, exposes corruptions and besmirches those who take advantage of the vulnerable. Kagari calls himself an Enforcer, and really, Miles can't envision anything beyond "assassin". One who kills at the behest of another. ]
Who's considered "not good enough to be part of society".
[ That's not a question, it's a demand for information. The venom curling in his voice is not directed at Kagari, even still. ]
i'm finally caught up enough to get back to this orz SORRY FRIEND
[It's intoned just a slight bit mockingly, familiarity used as a jab at the journalist wanting to dig below the surface and get to know him better -- him, personally, when he doesn't even know Kagari's first name. His walls won't be coming down that easily.]
You're right about the second part, but I was being completely literal about it not being in my hands. It'd be a PR nightmare for the Public Safety Bureau if people thought we got to make those kinds of decisions for ourselves.
[He shakes his head, grin still too-sharp.]
Nah, there's a supercomputer network that's responsible for all that. The Sybil System, we call it. Sybil gets to decide who's allowed to be in society, who gets locked up, and who's worthless and dangerous enough that they might as well just die right on the spot.
Really, most of it's done by drones. We're only there for those situations where a pre-programmed bucket of bolts isn't enough. When there's some kind of whackjob unsolved murders that need to get brushed under the rug before it causes an area stress alert, or some idiot decides to flush his life down the toilet by resisting being taken to therapy. But once we catch up to the suspect in a case? our part's pretty much done. The Dominator takes care of the rest.
[He stretches his arms up behind his head, making a nice nest for it to lean into.]
It makes it easier for people to think about, that way. If Sybil's the one that decides what happens when we squeeze that trigger, they don't have to think about their way of life being protected by the same people they threw away.
[He leans in, then, as if he's imparting some great secret wisdom to the journalist.]
We're just the tools for the system's objective judgment. [A wink] Cogs in their perfect society.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
leaves this here...
so u don't sleep
but u do drink right
(if the answer to that is no i might need to throw myself to the zombie hordes so consider ur answer carefully)
[hi miles he's in a bad mood due to a certain trainwreck and u have the honor of being his first line of distraction. do u accept this mission y/n]
AUDIO. bc he doesn't text you, pal.
[ yeah he saw that, and he is not enabling or defending ur angry kitten ass, kagari ]
You know, when you're worried about something it's okay to just say so.
no subject
are u just allergic to fun, is that it
does the idea of doing fun things make u break out in hives
no subject
[ u two hardly know one another to be honest ]
Wait --
no subject
now he's in the doorway to your room, what are you gonna do kagari? HUH!!!! ]
Why'd you get so upset about the lock-in?
no subject
Oh my god, what are you, my fucking therapist? I had enough of that when I was five, before they decided I wasn't fixable, thanks.
If you're not gonna drink with me, then fuck off.
no subject
"nah" ] You can drink, if you want. I don't care, just tell me why you got so pissed.
[ here, want some shitty booze? he stole it on his way back from one round of investigating in the quarantined zone or something. a shopkeep he got out gave him the keys to the booze store. ]
You get tetchy over the dumbest shit.
[ /goading ]
no subject
Why the fuck do you care?
[He's not taking the booze just yet. He doesn't want pitybooze.]
no subject
[ Surprisingly, aggressive sincerity is his strong suit. ]
I don't have an ulterior motive, you know.
[ And, when presented with something he's curious about, he is like a hound that's got its teeth in prey. Re-fucking-lentless. ]
no subject
What if I don't want you to?
[...but of course, as much as he might believe that, in the end it's a lie. He craves it, after all -- acceptance. For someone to take him as he is, with all his faults and bullshit, without judgment.
You say "them" and I keep thinking it sounds more like "why not me".
Miles has never been more right, after all.]
no subject
[ He thinks of Jin. Asher. Haise, stubborn and relentless. Shuyi, sad and severe.
And that's just it. That's how it goes, simple and messy but steadfast.
He's still there, waiting in the doorway to Kagari's room - doesn't move a step further, not into the room and certainly not in retreat. ]
I'm not your therapist. I'm not looking for your life story. I just want to understand you better.
[ You're like me, he doesn't say. Something inside of you isn't meant to be fixed. ]
no subject
You're ridiculous, you know that? It's like you enjoy having someone be garbage to you.
[...Damn it. Fine, he'll do it.]
The people here are super naive. Which wouldn't be so bad, Akane-chan's like that too, but they're all super up their own asses about it. Like they're living in some kind of alternate fantasy-land where there's straightforward right answers and wrong answers to everything and everyone lives happily ever goddamn after.
no subject
[ It's an offhanded comment, because this moment isn't about him, it's about what he wants from Kagari. An answer, a reason. Illuminate the situation, let him know what he can expect in the future. Is it always nasty comments and vicious defenses? Or was he right, to think that all Kagari wanted was someone to look at him and see past that.
That's romantic, helpful shit, though. And Miles isn't a therapist, he's a journalist. ]
And that's why you got mad at those kids?
no subject
(Or maybe it means what he'd really want it to mean, deep down--that he's fine as he is, that there isn't something fundamentally deficient about it)
Kagari clicks his tongue, patching the dam closed again from where he poked a small hole in it a moment ago]
This is stupid. I'm over it anyway, they can do whatever they want. If all of them die, it's not my problem.
[Except that's not really true either.]
no subject
[ Hypothesis: shared. With confidence, at that.
The ball is back in Kagari's court now, and Miles wants to see him refute it. He wants to see what he'll do, and what he'll expose about himself when he does it. It's a wicked way of learning things about his and Waylon's new roommate, but it's one of the only ways he knows how. Besides actually interrogating Kagari, which he feels would raise his defenses.
His laugh is small, brief and humorless: ] Are you a journalist, too? That's the kind of shit I hear from people in my field. The ones who've really gotten a good look at how bad things get.
no subject
Kagari pointedly refuses to confirm or deny that statement, which probably says something in its own right. He does, however, give Miles a hyena-esque laugh of his own.]
Shit man, we don't even have journalists anymore.
[His smark is too-sharp, showing teeth.]
How much of that thread did you read?
no subject
[ It's funny - he's a journalist; his entire life and career is about digging up people's secrets, their knowledge, facts surrounding them. Yet, when it comes to Audentes, he tries his best to not root around on their posts. They're his allies, in the end, whether he winds up close to them or not. Their business is their own, unless they want to share it.
Or he feels close enough, or empathetic enough, to ask after it - like he is right now. ]
You're an investigator of some sort. I got about that much - based on your behavior and from your comments.
no subject
But then that leaves the matter of answering Miles's question, and he's not even sure where to begin. After a moment:]
Close. I'm what's called an Enforcer. Officially, that'd be about my job description, yeah. But that's the nice version, all shiny and smoothed over for public consumption. What I really am is a hunting dog, who gets pointed toward whoever's not good enough to be part of society and take them in.
[A beat. The smirk takes on an almost predatory glint.]
Or kill them. That part's not really in my hands, see.
[Those words are practically a challenge, just defying Miles not to ask what he means. There's something vicious in Kagari that gets a small taste of satisfaction at seeing other people's discomfort when he tells them about this. It's petty, but it gives him just the slightest sliver of agency back over all the misery he's endured throughout his life, the pain that's made him into the person giving Miles hell today.
Being able to make people uncomfortable at will is a small slice of power--and for a man who's never had any control over anything, it means a lot.]
slides back in here
[ It's posed as a half-question, a request for confirmation; the world as he knows it does not have Enforcers and the Sibyl System does not exist.
But, he's known assassins. He's met them in broad daylight, in open marketplaces and interviewed them on the last days of their lives. Publications, made in Miles's name, say as much. This is the work that he does - investigative, invasive journalism. He rips into corporate wrongdoing, exposes corruptions and besmirches those who take advantage of the vulnerable. Kagari calls himself an Enforcer, and really, Miles can't envision anything beyond "assassin". One who kills at the behest of another. ]
Who's considered "not good enough to be part of society".
[ That's not a question, it's a demand for information. The venom curling in his voice is not directed at Kagari, even still. ]
i'm finally caught up enough to get back to this orz SORRY FRIEND
[It's intoned just a slight bit mockingly, familiarity used as a jab at the journalist wanting to dig below the surface and get to know him better -- him, personally, when he doesn't even know Kagari's first name. His walls won't be coming down that easily.]
You're right about the second part, but I was being completely literal about it not being in my hands. It'd be a PR nightmare for the Public Safety Bureau if people thought we got to make those kinds of decisions for ourselves.
[He shakes his head, grin still too-sharp.]
Nah, there's a supercomputer network that's responsible for all that. The Sybil System, we call it. Sybil gets to decide who's allowed to be in society, who gets locked up, and who's worthless and dangerous enough that they might as well just die right on the spot.
Really, most of it's done by drones. We're only there for those situations where a pre-programmed bucket of bolts isn't enough. When there's some kind of whackjob unsolved murders that need to get brushed under the rug before it causes an area stress alert, or some idiot decides to flush his life down the toilet by resisting being taken to therapy. But once we catch up to the suspect in a case? our part's pretty much done. The Dominator takes care of the rest.
[He stretches his arms up behind his head, making a nice nest for it to lean into.]
It makes it easier for people to think about, that way. If Sybil's the one that decides what happens when we squeeze that trigger, they don't have to think about their way of life being protected by the same people they threw away.
[He leans in, then, as if he's imparting some great secret wisdom to the journalist.]
We're just the tools for the system's objective judgment. [A wink] Cogs in their perfect society.