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[standalonehuman]

Togusa

This is Togusa. Feel free to message me at any time.

VOICE | TEXT | VIDEO | ACTION

Comments

[darkinferno]

auroras?

oh yeah, i think i saw something like that when i met up with alison there. neither of us got any curse marks though

[Still, this is sounding oddly familiar... even if he doesn't think it's the same.]

what'd it look like?

[standalonehuman]

I've got footage if you want pictures of it! I had to get the shots for Koutarou.

The mark, it started out as just a dark spot on my arm, but it started spreading like a disease, like liquid metal covering my skin.

[darkinferno]

maybe, pictures never do them justice

what is it with this place and weird growing tattoos

[standalonehuman]

Wait, do you have a tattoo, let alone a weird growing one?

[darkinferno]

i can't let you in on ALL my secrets can i

[standalonehuman]

I honestly don't know which I'd believe more, if you do or don't.

That was one of those pieces of culture shock, coming here. Tattoos and motorcycles, turns out they're okay over here.

[darkinferno]

[What a crazy strange happenstance! Has Togusa seen yet the ridiculous motorcycle that Vera got him for Christmas?]

when did you come over anyways, i don't think you ever told me

[standalonehuman]

[That is fantastically ridiculous, Vera is the best.]

Geez, it's over ten years now. 2007. Came for college, met Koutarou and Mariko. Met Ardyn the year after when I had his classes.

[darkinferno]

and aggressively befriending people ever since

[standalonehuman]

Aggressively. You make it sound like I go tackle people and decide they're my friend now.

..Closer to Mariko's strategy than mine.

[darkinferno]

oh really

you're really gonna have to explain to me why you keep warning me away from her as crazy if you keep this up

[standalonehuman]

Because she would eat you alive!

Okay, so a little after we'd met, all of us are hanging out with the Japanese Student's Association, and there's just this group of people orbiting Mariko, hanging on her every word, you know the kind. She tells this terrible joke, and I don't even remember it, and all the guys trying to get in her pants laugh, and I just rolled my eyes.

So she punches me in the arm and that's how I realized we were friends now.

[darkinferno]

and this is a bad thing

[Honestly by this point he doesn't even actually care, he just finds it amusing to watch Togusa's reactions.]

[standalonehuman]

Today I learned more than I ever wanted to know about Dante. Didn't think you were into that.

Consider the warning given! How you proceed is up to you!

[darkinferno]

i'll make sure to tell her i've got your blessing then

[standalonehuman]

[The reply is a shot taken in a mirror of Togusa holding a beer and flipping off Dante.]

[darkinferno]

[Dante's just cracking up over on his end; Togusa, you're making this way too easy!!]

🍑🍑👌

[standalonehuman]

[Dante is either in error about who would be on the receiving end of that, or that's another thing Togusa doesn't need to know.]

So I guess this means we need a formal 'we're in the same place' drinking night, at some point, too.

[darkinferno]

[Well. Not on the first night, of course. He's gotta know someone a little bit longer than that.]

name a time and a place, i'm pretty sure my schedule's a lot more open than yours

[standalonehuman]

[The response doesn't come for a few days, Togusa trying to clear out his schedule and deal with some things. But then he is quite abruptly taking Dante up on the idea.]

Still up for a drink? My place, yours, don't care.

[darkinferno]

[Luckily (?), Dante's pretty used to spontaneous plans. So it doesn't even occur to him that the offer is coming abruptly.]

how about yours, i can be there in a half-hour or so

[standalonehuman]

Perfect. I'm stocked up with beer and sake, you want something different, bring it along.

The door is unlocked when Dante arrives. Togusa gets up to greet him anyway, but he has definitely formed his settling in spot on the couch, laptop set up on the coffee table with a Japanese Kaiju flick ready go to. It makes for good background noise.

"Hey. I guess, once again, happy late birthday."

[darkinferno]

Dante's not bringing anything extra with him when he shows up at Togusa's--after all, Togusa said he wanted to treat him to a drink, right? And he's not got a problem with beer, so...

"Hey." For half a second, Togusa might be able to see a flash of discomfort on Dante's face, but it's gone a moment later as the boy runs a hand through his hair. "You don't have to keep saying that, you know. Monster movies?" he adds, almost as though he's hoping to prevent any sort of response. "I wouldn't have thought that'd be your thing, considering how we're always cleaning up after the giant messes Retrospec leaves."

[standalonehuman]

"It's a big birthday," Togusa insists. "But all right." He will relent. He goes to the fridge, digs around for a second, and comes back with a six-pack and a bottle with a large Japanese character on the side. He leaves both on the counter for Dante to pick.

"Ah, this was my childhood! They're classics!" Togusa waves a hand at the computer. "Besides, one look at the effects in these, and there's no way you'd mistake the rubber suits for the real thing. I think that's half the fun."

A small shrug, and he keeps his tone casual. "If things were normal, I'd be streaming baseball from home, but, I've got to work with what I have on hand." Even net streaming doesn't reveal anything of the outside world around the five areas that Retrospec has dominion over. But Togusa has dealt with that shock, has to keep telling himself that they'll get it back.