everythinglost | IC Inbox

everythinglost

Call for a good time

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From:

everythinglost

Fitz does give the question thought. "Eh, story-time goes best with hangovers."

From:

wildguardian

Yunlan raises one finger. "All right. This isn't for public consumption, mind. But back before Shen Wei and I got here... things went real fucking bad at the end. Guy with superpowers gathering powerful artifacts to end the world, kind of thing. We were both captured.

"So he took the last hit for me, see." He stretches his legs out, sprawling deliberately as he toys with the juice bottle, projecting nonchalance as hard as he can. It's mostly for himself. It's still a sensitive subject. "Used the last of his power to hit back, took the guy out, died.

"Problem is, the guy'd done enough damage in the process that Dixing was crumbling, and it had a good chance of taking the surface of the planet out with it if it went. The artifacts had to be activated to keep Dixing stable and save the planet. And, well, Shen Wei was dead anyway, so since it took a human life to activate them...

"Anyway, point is, declaring yourself expendable all on your own's a shitty thing to do."

From:

everythinglost

"Damn, I suppose that means I have to think of a different story for book group." Fitz isn't as good at being antisocial as he'd like, sometimes, but, more honestly, in the various ways he chooses to be an asshole, sharing stuff a friend has told him isn't really on the list.

He sighs. "I'm pretty sure the code bans taking things written during the extremely self-pitying - even for me - stage as an honest assessment of fact. Actually, talking about drunk, I'm pretty sure back when we first met you told me a little of this story, and I said it sounded like Shen Wei shared some of the Doctor's worse qualities." He's quiet for a few moment, looking down at where he stubbed out his cigarette.

He looks up to meet Yunlan's eyes, expression completely serious now, even if he keeps his tone a little lighter. "But since you came close to being subjected to the time when I was ten and no one wanted me on their football team - I don't actually think I'm expendable, as nice and dramatic as that is. Would I ump in front of a hit for the Doctor? Yeah, probably, but it wouldn't be about saving anything but just forcing him to live with what I could. Which, to be fair, he has way more experience at. He's, like, a thousand and hangs out with humans. Most of his friends are dead, depending on what time it is. But when I say survive... I'm not talking about how he enjoys, and manages to get away with, fucking with people with guns. I saw him right after the war didn't happen. When there was nothing there. Telepathic, right."

From:

wildguardian

"In vino veritas, you know. Especially about the embarrassing shit. But... yeah, I can buy that bit about Shen Wei and the Doctor having some of their problems in common. From what you've said about him."

He sighs, one foot bouncing.

"I just mean, I worry about you ranking your own health and safety practices a little bit too low down on the scale."

From:

everythinglost

“I’ve always been skeptical of that. In vino… drama, or something, I don’t speak Latin.”

From:

wildguardian

"I learned about ten phrases to make me sound smart," Yunlan assures him. "I can't speak it either. But hey, alcohol does way too good a job of turning off the brain-to-mouth filter if you let it. Believe me, I've been at a lot of shitty after-work parties with superior officers, and they say the damndest things four or five rounds in."

From:

everythinglost

"See, I don't believe in turning on a brain-to-mouth filter. If I'm not willing to say stupid shit when I'm sober, then what's the point of not caring about saying stupid shit? I have to say, just in terms of work, beyond the actual 'work' part, few things more horrifying than the thought of having to finish up and then still go to a party with my boss." He does a quick mental list of various times he's been employed. "Besides, the people I've worked for are usually willing to say whatever they want to people who have to answer to them. But I've heard that some places have policies about that."

From:

wildguardian

"Please. We all have a brain-to-mouth filter," Yunlan says with an expansive wave of one hand. "If it's not for filtering out the stupid shit, it's for filtering the embarrassing shit, or the shit you're afraid no one will look at you the same again if they hear.

"And I have been to so many work parties." He shudders theatrically. "Truly, the curse of management is having to butter up all the assholes who need to sign off on your budget."

From:

everythinglost

"Solid point. I split mine between choosing when to say I find someone attractive and not insulting people who have knives. Unfortunately, that doesn't leave room for solid control over saying weird shit."

Fitz shudders, a little less theatrically. "You know, traveling with the Doc can be a risk to life, limb, and sanity - but there are zero work parties. All the temporary bosses I hate generally ending up in prison. Free room and board, plus any other stuff I might want... I always thought life as a kept man seemed very appealing."

From:

wildguardian

"I was going to say 'because there's no work,' but it sounds more like it's because any odd jobs you get don't last all that long.

"Truly there are worse things than being a kept man!"

From:

everythinglost

"And they usually end pretty spectacularly. Were you ever interested in a job other than 'cop'?"

From:

wildguardian

"I did some odd jobs here and there in college," Yunlan says with a shrug. "Bartender, convenience store clerk. But no -- I always knew I wanted to go into the police force."

As much as he hates thinking of it this way, he is following in his father's footsteps.

From:

everythinglost

Fitz takes another drink, not getting any closer to deciding how he'd describe the flavor. "I was going to say something about doing the same job as your dad, but I don't actually know what my dad did. I think he might have been in prison once, so any comment about following father's trail could be hypocritical."

From:

wildguardian

"Yeah, yeah," Yunlan says with a huff. "When I was a kid I thought it was the most important job in the world, when I grew up I just figured someone ought to try doing a good job at it instead of a shitty one, but I never changed my mind about doing the job."

From:

everythinglost

"My mum taught music, when she wasn't sick. I'm pretty sure I thought it was the most important job in the world. Of course, in my case, I was correct. Still, you always sound like you enjoy it." Perhaps especially in the nature of his complaints.

From:

wildguardian

"Yeah, to tell the truth, I really do." And he's not entirely over the childhood idealism of thinking it's the most important job in the world to make sure that people are safe and they get justice.

"... Though teaching music's not a bad life choice, too."

From:

everythinglost

"My aunt was weirdly convinced it was a sign of a life of moral degeneracy or something. She'd be all, this sort of thing is exactly why your son is like this and mum was all, birds give you a lot of experience as a parent, do they, Beryl, and it was another Christmas where the options were sit through that fight or go listen to grandpa describe his dreams about caves. I can't say I ever wanted siblings."

From:

wildguardian

"Every day I feel more gratitude to be a member of a small family."

Awkward sibling fights between your parents and their brothers or sisters would probably have livened up his teenage years, but not in a good way.

From:

everythinglost

"Extended relations are a nightmare. And then you're not allowed to say that, even if they've been shouting at each other for the last three hours. I think there's actually quite a bit to be said for not having people who've known you from childhood." People who've known him for only a few years already have more than enough ammunition.

"Do you think it's been good, overall? The cop thing."

From:

wildguardian

"Actually, yeah. I won't say there's not some bad bits -- and not just having to butter up the brass; you see a lot of dead bodies in my line of work and some of 'em might be dead because you fucked up. Long hours, tough to keep a relationship going with anyone who's not working the same job. Lots of paperwork and after you arrest the bad guy it's out of your hands whether actual justice gets done.

"But it's a job where your decisions make a real difference. You're out there meeting people on their worst day and getting them to the other side of it. You get to make sure that everyone gets a fair shot at justice, and everyone can access the protection of the law against those who hurt them. I'll do a lot of ass-kissing to make sure I can keep doing that if I have to," he adds, with a half-smirk.

It's possible he hasn't gotten over his childhood idealism at all.

From:

everythinglost

Fitz squints at him for a few moments, before shaking his head. "Possibly it's the personal lack of idealism - or morals, but I don't how all you people who're into those sorts of things can just say shit like that."

From:

wildguardian

"Just because the world's shit doesn't mean you can't work to make it slightly less shit," Yunlan says, smirk widening into a crooked smile. "Is that better?"