Already choking on my pride [OPEN]

[hellshot]

WHO: Reaper hellshot and OPEN
WHERE: Within the Fleet, some automated cafeteria
WHEN: Various times within the month, whenever he needs to eat.
WHAT: Reaper needs nutrients, touchscreens aren't his friend.
WARNINGS: Possible mention of how horridly deformed he is under his mask. It's bad.


[Dark fingernails tap against the metal counter he's currently standing in front of. If he wasn't wearing a mask, it would be easy to see the look of frustration on Reaper's face with his current predicament, so for now, the only way of knowing that the ghost of a man is pissed off is the wisps of black fog escaping from under aforementioned mask.

He hadn't gone on the previous mission with Sombra, and he had no interest in rescue missions, either. Which meant he hadn't seen the field of battle in little over a month--which meant he hadn't been taking in new nutrients from his surroundings to keep his body from decaying to a point of discomfort. Which meant he had to partake in his least favourite of activities: Eating.

Eating was difficult enough when your face was barely suited for it--but when the cafeteria closest to his living quarters was a fully automated one? It was like a really bad joke. Touchscreens worked when pressure was applied with an electrical charge--human skin was a great conductor for said electrical charge. Dead flesh didn't hold any sort of charge. So this was his predicament. He couldn't eat if he couldn't get the damn screen to work.

Frustrated, Reaper finally turns his head to glare at the individual waiting for their turn after him. He hated asking for help, so instead:]

Work this damn thing for me and I'll pay for your food, too.

[He's too tired for this bullshit today.]

Comments

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku freezes in his seat when the red eyes focus on him, shivering slightly. He's not really scared but that is pretty freaky. He shrugs it off and focuses on his burger, finishing it off and moving onto the next one.]

It's not like I like killing or anythin'. [At least, not most of the time. Maybe Reaper would be less surprised if he'd met the Seiten Taisei first.] But fighting's fun and dyin' would be embarrassing.

[So that's the choice he's left with.]

'sides, some assholes really do gotta die. It's not like I'm gonna let them kill me instead.

[hellshot]

[At least he doesn't take offense to the comments of 'Creepy' or anything related. Or even the stares. It's something he's, unfortunately, almost gotten used to back in Talon, and maybe it's assuring to know that even out in space people can be unnerved by his face.

He stirs a bit of yolk around with his fork, mixing it over a piece of cut steak as he stares at the other, taking in what he has to say. 'Fighting is fun'.]

Dying is embarrassing. [His tone is almost flat.] But at least it's quiet, if you can get it to last.

[He's not bitter at all.]

...

It's a good attitude to have. Somehow, I expected the opposite of you, despite our conversation on the network. [Where Goku had told him it was okay to not play hero.]

[rockthemonkey]

No offense. [He's sure your death was super cool and only a bit embarrassing, Reaper. Goku bunches away on his burger, reflecting a little and not too happy about it. He's thought about this before.]

... I don't like quiet. [Now there's something that's probably less of a surprise.] An' if you're dead, you don't get hungry. [And Goku never wants to be stuck in silence, never feeling hunger or the warmth of the sun, ever again.

Come to think of it... Why is Reaper eating? Dead guys don't get hungry.]

I told ya I'm not a hero or anythin'. I'm just doing what I wanna do.

[hellshot]

[He doesn't reply with a 'none taken' or anything equally positive. Goku doesn't need the encouragement, he's already decided--and he doesn't want to talk about his death either. It's a touchy subject even if he's still up and walking around after it.

Another bite of dripping steak that disappears in his maw without so much as a single chewing motion, and he makes a bit of a scowling face. If Goku can recognise the torn mess as anything like a scowl. Though, if he does pay attention, he will notice that the torn-open wounds in Reaper's face are weirdly starting to look... better.]

Not hungry in the conventional way. [He doesn't remember what it feels like to get that twisting, growling feeling in his gut. It's a feeling he'd miss, if he could. Hunger was different for him, after all.]

And what is it that you want to do. Bumble through life, eating too much food and asking too many questions?

[rockthemonkey]

[Goku is distracted again, watching the wounds heal themselves with fascination. Amazing... So that's what he needs the food for? Maybe it's like Hakkai's healing powers.

It takes him a second to register Reaper's question.] What do I wanna do? [He blinks and pauses for a second to think about that. He wants to be with his friends, he wants to stop the Minus Wave, he wants to see Nataku again for some reason... He shrugs again, grinning.] That sounds pretty good, actually, what's wrong with that?

[Eating lots and asking questions, sounds fun!]

[hellshot]

...

[A moment, and then a smirk. And even a bark of a laugh--as weird as it sounds through that odd echo that made his voice crawl from his throat like something other-worldly.]

For a brat like you, nothing. [He rolls those glow-red eyes in his head a moment, before gesturing at the piled up order of cheese-fries.]

It's just smart to have actual goals beyond stuffing yourself sick with junkfood.

[rockthemonkey]

I don't get sick! And I eat all kindsa stuff!

[Though without his family here to keep an eye on him, he has been eating pretty crappy. Space Dad took the job right on time. Goku finishes off his second burger and pulls a hotdog and the cheese-fries closer to him to dig into those.]

Anyway, I've got goals, I think... I wanna get back to where I was before this, and then there's some people me and my friends've gotta beat up. There's some stuff happening that's gotta be stopped, so I'm gonna take care of that.

[And then, after that... He's never really thought about it before. He guesses he'll just follow Sanzo wherever he goes.]

[hellshot]

[If Space Dad was going to accidentally take up the job, then Goku had best enjoy the biggest fastfood meal of his life here--because the Wraith will probably take it on himself to make sure he eats Proper food next time. And all the times after that.

Finishing off his first steak, he pushes the plate aside. Staring at Goku as the other conveys to him the most vague life goals he's ever heard.]

...That tells me a whole lot of nothing. But I'm not asking for your life story. If you've got shit to do, then take care of it. [He waves a fork around.]

You're taking care of nothing out here, just like the rest of us. Did they even give a cheeky brat like you a job?

[rockthemonkey]

[He grew up in a Buddhist temple, okay, he can eat vegetables. He can eat anything.]

Are ya gonna help if I tell you everythin'? [Reaper doesn't need to know the details, they won't mean anything to him anyway.] I'm gonna take care of it.

[Buuuuut now they're talking about here. Goku scowls and shoves a fistful of cheese-fries into his mouth.] Not a real one.

[Door-to-door banana salesman. He's not amused (but at least his diet is high in potassium these days).]

[hellshot]

Not unless you plan on dragging me back to your world when you leave this place. [That dry sarcasm is back as he reaches a thumb up, rubbing a bit of egg yolk off of now mostly healed lips.

A small scoff is all that's given after that. He's already learnt the kid has no problem with killing if he has to, so... he'll give him the benefit of the doubt this time.]

Yeah. Me either. Half wonder if the loonies who own this damn fleet have any idea how to assign jobs to people properly. [His job sucks too, man. Kudos.]