PCs with Denji

[silentscout]

shitpost later lmao

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Week 1, post-trial

[silentscout]

[This time he's going to reach out to Denji via text, since he's been feeling absolutely shitty ever since trial ended.]

Where are you?

[sawboned]

Hey was just about to go eat since the snack bag is empty what's up

[silentscout]

I'm hungry too, I'll meet you there.

[It doesn't quite answer Denji's question, but he'll get an answer soon enough. Lalli will be heading off to the cafeteria after sending that text.]

[sawboned]

[Denji's already sat at a table waiting whenever Lalli arrives, since he was probably just about there

He's got a couple plates spread out, all of which are different kinds of tempura]

[silentscout]

[Lalli had placed a hotdog, a hamburger patty, and like 20 cookies on his plate. Yes, that's all he's taken. Meat with no buns, and cookies.

He does look at Denji's food curiously when he sits down though.]

What's that?

[sawboned]

Oh, damn, cookies, nice!

I got some tempura, because I thought, like, you said you only like crunchy veggies and tempura's real crunchy!

[sure enough, under the panko coating there's a whole selection of different veggies, some of which would not normally be crunchy like pumpkin plus lotus root and other double-crunchers]

[silentscout]

[Oh. Oh that hits Lalli in a way he hasn't been hit since he arrived here.]

You remembered that?

[He's staring at the plate wide-eyed. He definitely didn't expect anyone to remember a one-off detail like that.]

[sawboned]

Huh? Yeah, duh. It's no good sharin' food if someone's just gonna waste half of it. [he sounds casual, but is perceptive enough to know he did a Good Thing so he grins a bit]

[silentscout]

[He definitely did a Good Thing, remembering little things like that is the best way to get Lalli to care.

And care he does, because he's actually going to reach out to take a piece of tenpura and try it. We'll say he's going for the lotus root because of the unusual shape.

It's cronchy and he likes it way more than he expected he would, and it practically brings tears to Lalli's eyes. He doesn't actually cry but it looks like he has to focus a bit to keep a neutral face.]

[sawboned]

[given his only other picky friend would throw or spit out stuff they don't like, the fact Lalli's eating it seems positive, so Denji grins wider]

Good, right? Usually you gotta pay premium for this stuff!

[silentscout]

Mhmm. I've never had anything like this.

[It's boiled foods as far as the eye can see for him normally. But this tenpura, he is definitely interested in it. he's going to finish that lotus root and go for another piece.]

Did you make it? Or do they just make it here?

[sawboned]

Nah, I can't make anything 'cept Cup Noodles or microwave grub. I'm havin' a blast eatin' so good. Almost makes bein' trapped worth it.

[dips some tempura into salt and chows down, then, mouth half-full:]

So what'd you wanna meet up for? Find some cool new animals?

[silentscout]

[That makes him stop mid-bite, and he lowers his hand for a moment.]

...no. I tried to hide but I kept overthinking things. So I thought talking to someone else would help make me stop overthinking.

[sawboned]

Hmm, yeah, thinkin' too much about depressin' stuff will do that. [denji doesn't stop eating]

So what's in your brain you need to get rid of?

[silentscout]

[Denji's a champ.]

Onni always told me that our family can't afford to make mistakes. But I keep thinking of all the mistakes I've made. Both today and in the past.

[sawboned]

[quizzically, with his non-tempura-eating-hand, he pokes Lalli in the arm]

[silentscout]

[he blinks, looks down at where he was poked, and then up at Denji.]

What?

[sawboned]

[another poke, a little squeeze]

Yeah, you're definitely just a human, right? Never heard of a perfect human, but thought maybe you could be one of those super advanced robots.

[he shrugs] Can't really say anything about family other than I only ever got buttloads of crap and millions of yen in debt from mine. Who cares if you make mistakes, dude.

[silentscout]

[Lalli doesn't quite get where Denji is going with the robot stuff, but he understands the other part: never heard of a perfect human. He's not wrong, humans aren't perfect. It's just hard to give up on old habits.]

...

[Lalli reaches back and pulls his hood up over his head, like he's hiding from something. His face is still visible to Denji though, so it might be more of a comfort thing too.]

It matters if people die because of those mistakes.

[sawboned]

People die because they're killed, not because of mistakes or whatever. Don't see why you should be all guilty about it if you didn't kill 'em.

The only people I blamed for killin' me were the people doin' it.

[silentscout]

...

[Sorry Denji, that particular topic runs deep in him, and he's not going to be able to stop feeling somewhat responsible. But he does nudge the talks away from it at least.]

We still don't even know why they did it.

[sawboned]

[Denji's not one to press a topic, and easily distracted on top of that, so he moves along with the change]

Prob'ly think it'll help 'em get out of here or survive or whatever. Usually what it is. [shrugs]

[silentscout]

"Usually"? Are you used to this kind of thing?

[sawboned]

Yeah, more or less. People get trapped, some Devil tells 'em they can go free if they kill the others, blah blah blah.

Scared people do all kinds of stupid stuff, ya know?

[silentscout]

...mmm, they do.

[He is not thinking of any specific situations, nope. This has totally never happened to him.]