mineo.

[enfangs]

Comments

[sengokus]

[ . . . . ]

I won't look a gift horse in the mouth.

I just don't want to get reliant on it.

[enfangs]

... Yeah, we didn't really do a lot of mystery-solving, huh?

[sengokus]

[ . . . . ]

.... it's cramped, to try to do any of that in nine hours.

[but there's still something unsatisfied in his tone anyway]

[enfangs]

... Well, considering how much people were trying to distract us or whatever, we did what we could.

[sengokus]

[ . . . . his frowns deepens at that again, shoving another chip in his mouth]

.... yeah.

[enfangs]

[...]

Okay, what self-loathing thing are you thinking right now.

[sengokus]

[ . . . . he just falters at that, bristling a bit at the phrasing.]

.... it's nothing.

[enfangs]

[he sighs.]

... Come on, Mineo. I'm not gonna judge.

[sengokus]

[he bites back a rude 'are you sure?' because he knows that it's his own defensiveness and irritation. he probably takes a second, sipping on his drink before he can say anything.]

.... I don't think I'm actually an idiot. I think that I have to keep things separate so I don't get stuck, or overwhelmed - but even if everyone else thinks I'm a moron, I don't.

[ . . . ]

But I felt like such a fucking fool today.

[enfangs]

[...]

'Cause of the curse, or...?

[sengokus]

Not just one. Two.

[and he scowls]

I got used twice - back to back, even. I said 'sorry, I didn't mean to distract anybody' and then immediately did it again. Like I didn't learn anything.

What the hell is wrong with me?

[enfangs]

[he listens quietly.]

... You're human. That's what's wrong with you.

I mean... I'm basically the champion of never learning from my mistakes! [he takes a chip, though he doesn't eat it just yet.] If it happens too soon after the other, you got no time to process, but if they're spaced out, you've already half-forgotten.

It just kinda sucks either way.

[sengokus]

[ . . . . . ]

That can't be all there is.

[he frowns]

It happened to me because they knew about my faults and shortcomings, and they exploited them. I'm tired of being the weakest link.

[enfangs]

[immediately,]

You're not the weakest link. You said it yourself, right? You're not an idiot. You contribute more to investigations than the rest of us, honestly.

[sengokus]

[his frown deepens at that because he clearly doesn't seem to believe it]

..... what's the point if I'm so easy to take out.... and throw everyone else off while I'm at it?

[enfangs]

Mineo.

I. Nearly. Ate. Poisoned. Evidence.

[sengokus]

You haven't tried again since. But yeah - and I smacked you over the head last week about it. So what?

[enfangs]

'Cause you then keep talking about how much I contribute—so why can't I do the same for you?

[he shrugs.]

Look, sure, you were a distraction. But given everything that happened in the last half hour, I doubt we were gonna come up with anything new, so your curses probably didn't make that much of a difference in the long run.

I'm pretty sure no one walked out of that thinking, "fuck that Mineo, he's more detrimental than helpful". And if anyone did, I'll beat 'em up. But seriously, if anything, we wasted more time with stuff like not 'fessing up to powers.

[sengokus]

[ . . . . .

he's quiet after that, like he's really letting it sink in. the logic's there, which probably gets through to him more than anything else - but it's coupled with white's defensiveness on his behalf which manages to slam it the rest of the way through.

after a long beat, he just huffs faintly]

... okay.

I get it.

[enfangs]

[well, mineo's reaction makes him weirdly embarrassed, as he munches on his chip and glances away.]

... Good, 'cause I wasn't gonna repeat that.

[sengokus]

[mineo will just breathe out a laugh as he reaches for another chip]

Really? Not even if I asked nicely?

[enfangs]

[...

all he can do is aggressively eat more chips without looking at mineo]