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WHO: Kaito, Aoko
WHEN: January 29
WHERE: A library in the city
WHAT: Time to figure out where to go from here
WARNINGS: None!

One of the small perks of having been through the process of being dragged to an alternate dimension before meant that Kaito at least had some sort of idea how to proceed. The House's continued hospitality throughout the snow storm had been a much needed gift, but the thief knew that there was no way he and Aoko could stay there forever. Not with the number of secrets they were sharing between them... especially when many of these secrets needed to be discussed, and couldn't be discussed in the presence of anyone else.

Furthermore, there was the issue of money-- neither of them could mooch off of the Newcomer's Fund forever. Nor did they want to. If they were going to afford their own, private place, they would need some sort of steady income. A way for both of them to make a living as long as they were stuck in this city.

With how hectic things had been upon their arrival-- adjusting, the bombing, the snowstorm that had trapped them in house-- the duo hadn't really had the chance to sit down and talk. But now that things had calmed down... they had both stolen away to a quiet and secluded area in the back of the library. A place where both of them could discuss matters alone.

Kaito idly flipped through a random book he had grabbed off of the shelf, thumbing through the pages and barely taking note of the words that were written on them. "Should drop by some other time and see if they have anything worth reading," he mumbled out loud, though to no one in particular.

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"'S a little cold for that, isn't it?" Aoko queried. Her foot dangled back and forth, back and forth, connecting with the tile with a faint squeak she barely noticed. "We had all that snow . . . And don't you need to buy supplies even before you can do that? Maybe you'd do better at an established place, like a club or a restaurant or something. They might even pay for stuff."

Her nose wrinkled at him, goading him: "If you're good enough, of course."

A snort, and Kaito slumped in his seat, gaze flickering back down toward her, eyebrows furrowed, "Oooi, I'm always well-behaved," he pointed out with a scoff, "I'd attract them so many customers they wouldn't have any choices but to pay for my stuff."

A beat, and then a sigh, and his hands dropped to his lap. It was like he couldn't stay still, every bit of him twitching and fidgeting as he tried to work things out. "But you're right, I'd need to get supplies first. A magician is no good without an arsenal of props up his sleeves."

In truth, she'd meant her comment to be a poke at his skills more than his behavior . . . because while Kaito didn't seem to care particularly about how he acted, his skills as a magician were a point of pride and bound to attract rampant indignation.

But she let it go.

"Seems to be a lot of places around here," she noted. "If you can prove yourself, should be pretty easy, I would think?"

It hadn't crossed his mind that she was really insulting his skills as a magician, though that was merely his own confidence in his abilities showing through. Why would anyone question how good he was when he was very much aware that he had talent? It was a bit egotistical, but his confidence in his magic was one thing that would never be shaken.

"Yeah," he acknowledged with a nod, and then added with a teasing smile, "And how could anyone say no to someone as talented as me?"

He didn't allow her time to comment to that statement though. "And what about you?" he asked, "What would you want to do?"

"I don't know . . ." More foot scuffing, but this time Aoko's eyes slipped away towards the textbook. "Haven't really got magic tricks or anything. 'M good at math, but haven't even graduated high school, so what good is that?"

It wasn't difficult to recognize when Aoko's self-esteem issues were beginning to surface, and Kaito reached out to tap his fingers against the textbook she was staring at in order to catch her attention.

"Oi oi," he began, "You don't have to finish high school to find work. And there are plenty of things you're good at other than math. You can plan pretty awesome parties, and you're not a bad cook." He paused to shrug. "So all we have to do is start from there."

"Parties?" She peered at him slantwise, chin still leaned into her hand. ". . . I planned my birthday party. That you weren't even there for."

Her eyes slipped away again, staring into the table near his chest. "I just want to do something worthwhile. Meaningful. You know?"

"You planned that Christmas party, too," he pointed out, withdrawing his hand to mimic her action by resting his chin in his palm as well, "I was there for that. And it was a lot of fun."

A small, understanding smile worked its way onto his lips. "I know you wanna do something worthwhile. And you will. You're good enough for it. We've just gotta find out what that is."

A small mental sweatdrop, particularly as he echoed her. "I don't think that really makes me a party planner, Kaito."

Her nose wrinkled and she slid downward, head resting on folded arms. "No one's really going to take someone without even a high school degree. You can maybe get away with that in Japan, but I don't think so here. And I don't want to do waitressing or something like that. It won't bring in enough anyway."

And in spite of Kaito's talent, she refused just to rely on him.

He let out a low, thoughtful hum as she continued, slipping into silence as he searched his brain for solutions to this issue. Waitressing didn't suit Aoko at all-- neither did something mundane or ordinary, such as working a cashier or selling movie tickets.

He shifted in his seat a bit to brush his fingers through his hair. "You never know what places will hire you until you ask," he pointed out, "So why don't you start with the things you like to do and see what kinda jobs correspond with that?"

Dunno what I like to do, the stubborn part of her mind muttered. Aloud, it simply manifested in a "Mm . . ."

Shifting the conversation, she dismissed the former with, "I'll find something."

A long hesitation. "What are you going to do . . . about Kid?"

It was a clear diversion-- a way for her to avoid thinking about the issue at hand. A frown curled down the corners of Kaito's lips when she asked, and for a moment, he debated not following this line of conversation.

But it was an important question. It was something they would have to think about eventually. And now was as good of a time as any, particularly with the way their first conversation had stalled.

He drummed the fingers of his free hand across the wood of the table and lifted his shoulders in a light shrug. "Dunno," he responded, "Not much need for Kaitou Kid in a place like this, is there?" A beat. "... at least not yet."

The 'yet' being a very caveat.

"Not unless you want to be some freelance person for justice." Aoko's voice was still soft, but faintly wry. "The great Kaitou Kid, reduced to doing something in the confines of the law . . ."

Another pause, long. ". . . How do you feel about that?"

A blink. And then a few more. One eyebrow quirked up at her in surprised, and he pushed away from the table to rest his hands in his lap.

"... are you suggesting I become Batman?" His tone was humorous and wry, but there was a hint of genuine curiosity in his words. He had picked up the mantle of Kaitou Kid for a just reason, but he had never truly thought of himself as a vigilante.

Aoko stared at him a long moment . . . then abruptly broke out with a snort that erupted into a giggle in spite of herself. (Apparently this was a good mental image.)

"I meant . . . are you okay not being Kid?"

Somehow the question now lacked the solemnity the occasion required.

"Though if Kaito wants to be Batman . . ."

His own lips curled into a smile as she laughed, a sense of relief flooding through him as the levity filled the room. It was much nicer than the trapped tension he had been feeling ever since they had arrived in this dreary place.

As for her question... he gave a shrug and leaned back in his chair casually. "Kid was created with a purpose," he continued, "And without that purpose, then he has no role to play." A beat. "... so for now, I'm okay."

'For now,' once again, acting as the caveat to his response.

Somehow she doubted that . . . both literally and figuratively, Kaito was never good at sitting still. Even as her laughter faded, she watched him, blue eyes lingering for long moments. Unconsciously, her fingers moved to her pendant, fiddling with the form of the feather.

"So what will you do?"

She may have been right... Kaito was the type of guy who always had a bundle of pent-up energy tightly coiled under his surface, threatening to burst whenever it went unused for a lengthy period of time. It was something he recognized in himself, but he wasn't about to admit to this out loud.

He didn't respond to her question right away, either, particularly since he wasn't quite sure how to respond. Eventually, he gave a light shrug and answered in the best way he knew how. "Find my footing first," he said with a nod, "Focus on trying to figure out how this place works. Maybe try to see if there's a way for us to get back home." A beat. For now... we can only take things as they come."

Her fingers continued to move, twisting in restless, anxious patterns. She couldn't say how she felt about Kaito not being Kid. On the one hand, it was a relief, almost a release . . . some freedom from worry and a lingering dread at having to face that gleaming monocle again.

On the other hand . . . Kid was support.

"'M still Dove . . ." the words came out barely a murmur. "I tried it the other night."

Another hesitation, his blue gaze studying her carefully.

"... then what about you?" he finally said, turning her question back onto her with as much curiosity as she had held for him, "What do you plan on doing?"

She didn't look up to meet his gaze. "I've . . . got to learn, right? I mean . . . there are things here too. Or I'd just be wasting it . . ."

He nodded. "Wouldn't want those cute magical girl skills of yours to get rusty, would we?" he teased lightly, a hint of serious understanding lacing his words.

Another pause.

"D'you still want my help?"

A sharp, sudden flush at that. She knew it -- just knew it -- and he always had to go and be a jerk. Her eyes jerked up in a glare as though her eyes aimed to spear him through.

"'S not cute, Kaito!"

Growl. Answering beyond that was even more difficult, and so came out in a bare mutter.

"Yes."

Her reaction took him off guard a bit-- it hadn't been a comment meant to anger her-- and he blinked a few times as she snapped at him. "Ooooi oi," he said, lifting both of his hands up and holding his palms forward, "I was just teasing."

It wasn't so much that Aoko was genuinely irritated so much as indignant, embarrassed. Frankly, she hated the fluffy outfit, and if Kaito said it was cute, it could only mean something negative.

A fierce tongue poke solved the matter.

"Jerk."

In his personal opinion, the outfit was cute-- but if Aoko was so adverse to being told that at the moment, he wouldn't press the issue.

He would, however, protest to being called a 'jerk.'

"Oi," he shot back at her with an air of grumpiness, "I was giving you a compliment. That doesn't make me a jerk."

"Hn." She poked at him under the table with a toe, still clearly not believing it.

". . . I did say I still wanted help?" A brief pressing together of the lips. "If you're willing."

He shifted his foot to poke her back teasingly. Hesitation, only brief, and then a nod, a grin curling up the corners of his lips. "'Course I'm willing," he answered, "All you have to do is say when."

Edited 2012-02-25 02:54 (UTC)

She couldn't say she felt easy about it, let alone good. The sight of him in that white suit still made her stomach churn, the feathers on her arms prickle in an anticipation that reminded her all too strongly of before he'd removed the shard from her.

But she had to learn . . . and in a way, perhaps, she owed him to try.

Not to mention that, with what apparently lurked out there in the dark, learning to control her power, whether from Kid or otherwise, was far better than the alternative.

She gave a half smile, absent, poked him back, and returned to the book.

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