Video-backdated a few hours to early afternoon

[inthejunk]

[The kid on the video doesn't look so hot. Not in an ate too much candy sort of way, either. He's pale and clammy and his lips aren't a healthy color. His eyes are dilated. He should probably be in bed. In fact, he probably is. But he's got something important to say first, judging by the serious expression on his face.]

Ah. I hope it doesn't ruin the holiday atmosphere, but I guess I should warn everyone. If someone gives you chocolates and you don't know them very well-

[He stops, curls up a bit. Ow, his freakin' insides...but before he can properly complain about those, he bumps something behind him. It turns out to be a plastic IV line, and when the cart falls over it tugs him hard enough to make him knock his head against a vacuum chamber, hanging around conveniently in case any patients in the area need their stomach pumped. Yosuke makes a frustrated, whiny sound.]

Ow! Ugh...anyway, please don't take candy from strangers. It might make you sick.

Comments

[inthejunk]

Hnn?

[It takes him a minute to finish chewing and swallowing it, and a little of the juice drops off his chin. He crinkles his nose, but not the way he does when he's served vegetables. It's sort of...playful.]

I guess so? You just make the best apples. They taste so red when you make them. I just really like red, you know? I like your apples.

[retraced]

[This behavior, however, feels more or less normal. Or rather Yosuke saying things that make little to no sense feels normal so he turns back to his apple.]

It's just a matter of picking the right produce.

[inthejunk]

[This conjurs up images of Gilbert climbing orchard ladders and carefully inspecting the apples there. Maybe with an eyeglass. And a funny hat. And a pipe. Yosuke snickers, but he leaves the apple alone now. He's forgotten about it. He's too busy admiring the aura Gilbert casts. Strange and deep, like a shadow, but in the light. Cool...]

Your coat...I just remembered. I gave your coat away.

[retraced]

Huh? What do you mean?

[He eats one of the apple slices himself. Talking to Yosuke is exhausting and works up an appetite as it turns out.]

[inthejunk]

When I was...um. A man exploded. And you gave me your coat. You know? That day? But I gave it to someone else, because he was cold...

[Total devastation, here.]

He promised to give it back, but I never even checked. I'm such a crap friend!

[retraced]

[Are we being self deprecating now? Don't challenge Gilbert at this - he's a master of it!]

Oh...a-ah, no! It's okay! I have another one, so it's fine if he didn't bring it back yet! Plus he probably needed it more than either one of us, so...

[inthejunk]

You do?

[Damn. Where is the badass coat store at around here, anyway? But hey, panic over.]

...Okay.

[retraced]

[Well, the one he has now is his less badass one! So he expects that badass one to get back to him eventually, though it doesn't feel like right now is the best time to say that. But as a show of good faith to try and make Yosuke feel better, he picks the chocolate up and takes a small bite of it. Huh. Surprisingly not terrible.]

Do you remember who you gave the coat to?

I haven't missed his guilty icon at all until just now lol

[inthejunk]

Um. Yeah. But he made me promise not to tell you.

[Guilty face is back. Yosuke bites a fingernail unhappily, and ducks his head. Usually he enjoys winding Gil up a bit, but today he seems to feel bad about it.]

He said he'd give it back to you...

I can picture it in my mind...!

[retraced]

It's not a big deal. Even if he loses it, I can always find another.

[And even if he can't find one in a store, he can just make one. Hell yeah Victorian handicraft skills!]

Ah...so don't worry about it, all right?

Good idea!

[inthejunk]

[Encouraged by that, Yosuke dropped a few more chocolates on he bench for Gilbert, giving a sort of hopeful look.]

Maybe he's just having it cleaned? It was kind of...gooey.

[retraced]

[The chocolate wasn't too bad so, sure, he'll have another.]

You gave it to him when it still had pieces of...goo on it?

[He's trying to eat here, man.]

[inthejunk]

There wasn't time!

[And it didn't seem like a big deal...shit up...]

[retraced]

You didn't...tell him what it was, did you?

[It could have been ketchup! And potatoes. But definitely not brains and things.]

...autocorrect no

[inthejunk]

I don't think he noticed,

[Like Vincent has never had a bit of human brain goo on him before.]

[retraced]

How could you not notice something like that?

[He leans against the counter and eats another chocolate, but really, nothing feels weird about this conversation yet for some strange reason.]

[inthejunk]

He was busy squirming around and being dramatic I guess.

[As usual, his sympathies really only extend to his own problems.]

[retraced]

Are you sure we're not talking about you?

[It was meant to be teasing, but it comes out too deadpan.]

[inthejunk]

[Glare.]

No way, that guy is way worse than me!

[Shit. Wait...]

I mean-!

[retraced]

Now I know you're making things up.

[Because no one is more dramatic than you, bro.]

[inthejunk]

Aw, shut up.

[Have a friendly shove, and a face hug between your shoulder blades. Ooh, your shirt is soft...]

You're gonna be late, aren't you?

[retraced]

I am, so let go...

[He stops himself short and blinks, eyes trying to focus on the ground. The ground...whoa, why does the ground feel so far away all of a sudden? Actually, everything feels sort of fuzzy. His brain, his skin. That's probably wrong...]

Hey, Yosuke. Where were we going?

[inthejunk]

Hmm. The park! Or...or maybe just the garden. The garden is closer.

[Or possibly to school and work, but who cares about those things?]

[retraced]

[Oh, right. That makes sense. He's got a lunch out in front of him, and you can definitely eat in the garden. He blinks down at the meal, curious as to why it feels like the colors all just ran together across the counter for a second before turning back to normal. Well, if they're normal now...]

All right, let's go. [He picks up the bag, checks to make sure that he has keys in his pocket (but not his jacket or weapon or...anything important) and starts for the back door.]

[inthejunk]

[Yosuke is up early anyway. Gilbert leaves for the bakery way earlier than he leaves for school. So what's the harm in a little stroll through the gardens? He can't see one.

So he grabs the back of Gilbert's shirt, the way he used to as a child trying not to get lost during shopping trips, and he follows. Some fresh air sounds nice.]

Hey, why don't rats live in the garden? Aren't they supposed to? Rats and snails?