fandomtownies | Pick Your Poison, Wednesday

Ino had given serious consideration to not coming into work at all today. But Zack's mood had driven her out of their apartment before dawn and after wandering down to the beach and kicking stones aimlessly for a while, failing to be comforted by either the rush of waves, the emptiness of the area, or even the rising sun, she'd come into work.

If she were a different person, she'd be spending the day drunk off her ass.

Rosa's text to her was short, and simple: Remember your promise.

Ugh. Like she'd forget.

Tseng, wise man, hadn't sent her a text at all. Though she'd found an email advising her that her application for leave had been approved for the next few days. She knew that was his doing since Ino hadn't put in any application at all.

Ino wasn't mixing anything today. Nor was she playing with samples or trying to decide what to stock up on. Doing that today, with her mood as it was, was just asking for trouble. It'd be too easy to mix something… wrong.

She just put her head down on the counter and decided sure, that was good enough.

Zack had to have it harder today, the day he'd been in Nibelheim and his world had gone to nothing but torture and pain, but all Ino could remember was the way her life had shattered like broken glass when the Turks had lied to her and told her he was dead.

Pick Your Poison is… open.

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To leave the tread of all time
And let it make a dark line
In hopes that I can still find
The way back to the moment
I took the turn and turned to

Begin a new beginning
Still looking for the answer
I cannot find the finish
It's either this or that way
It's one way or the other
It should be one direction
It could be on reflection

Okay, so they had plans for tomorrow. To 'do karaoke, bring Hera,' and while Kanan was totally game for discovering what in the world this karaoke thing was, it occurred to him that they hadn't ironed out things like 'where,' or 'when on Thursday.'

Which was why he figured he might as well make a pit-stop in town today during his usual walkies with Stance, who was told to sit outside and wait for just a minute while he went in to check.

The head down on the counter thing, though.

"... Hey, uh. I didn't catch you at a bad time, did I?"

He knew bad times.

Ino was locked down tightly today so there was absolutely nothing going on around her psychically. She couldn't help that. It was either utter emptiness or she'd be leaking at people.

At the sound of the door, and then Kanan's voice, Ino sighed inaudibly and pulled herself together.

"Just a bit of a headache," she said cheerfully, looking up. "Waiting for the painkillers to kick in, you know? Hey, what's up?"

Ino was a goddamn liar.

Kanan could tell. Not because of anything she was putting off, and entirely because of what she wasn't.

Which, of course, was anything at all. Still, he gave her an easy smile and shrugged his shoulders as he pulled out his phone and waved it around.

"I was in the neighborhood and figured I might as well stop by to ask about tomorrow instead of ticking away at this world's ludicrously small data allotment," he said easily. "Just wondering when and were you want to meet Hera and I for tomorrow."

And worrying a little, now. As one does. But that was about as hard to pick off of him as anything at all was to pick off of her, at the moment.

Yeah, well, if it was any day but today, Ino would've been able to keep from leaking and keep up the air of normal person that she usually put out. Today had been a nothing or all day and, so, since fewer people would notice if she locked down tight, she'd gone with that.

It left her a bit head-blind, but well, anything that tried to startle her today was going to get very, very dead quickly.

"Eightish or so?" Ino tossed out the number. "Ain't much fun going earlier if people want to drink at the same time."

...

"...ludicrously small data allotment what?"

"Eightish or so," Kanan echoed, nodding and contemplating for a moment mentioning that he was actually trying to kick his drinking habit. He supposed he'd see what it was tomorrow brought, anyway. "And yes, ludicrously small. The limits on the information you can send using these things, I mean."

He was waving his phone around again. Yes, now apparently he was bent on being a distraction for... whatever was going on, here.

"Earth is cute. Everyone hates it when I say that, but I'm going to stand by it. Earth is trying really hard, and that's adorable."

Yeah, that meant... just about nothing to her.

"At hom--" Okay, yeah, no, that wasn't happening today. Ino shook her head. "The place I grew up with never even had cell phones. Earth don't seem bad to me."

Huh. There was an interesting slip. Kanan made note of it, but let it slide.

He'd made the same slip on occasion himself, after all.

"The place I grew up in has interstellar travel," Kanan replied, "it kind of sets a high bar, I suppose. Earth gets by, and I can appreciate that, but I have to poke fun at it where I can."

"Might as well get your kicks where you can, huh?"

She didn't really get it and, today, didn't really care.

"More or less," Kanan replied, shrugging. "But I suppose I don't really have difficulty finding places to get my kicks anyway."

He paused for a moment, and then tilted his head a bit.

"How's that headache of yours doing?"

Headache. Heartache. He wasn't going to pry too hard, but he was worried.

"'Bout as good as it's gonna get, I wager," Ino said with a casualness she really didn't feel.

Kanan had at least two different ways to take care of a headache on him right then, and if he had thought for a minute that it was actually a headache, he might have even offered the bacta.

But bacta couldn't help some things. He nodded, looking thoughtful, and then just gave in and went for it.

"I know the type," he replied. "Get them all the time. You want to be left alone today, or would you feel better with company?"

For your headache.

...

"I dunno that that's a cure for headaches," she noted, despite herself, a little amused.

Kanan smiled faintly at that. So sue him, he had to extend the offer, okay?

"No, I suppose I'm confusing that with the cure for..." He snapped his fingers a few times. "Hibernation sickness? Bunkurd sewer disorder? Knytix pox? Or maybe just a stubbed toe, I really should have paid better attention in first aid."

Bacta. The answer was always bacta.

Ino leaned against the counter feeling both very tired and rather touched at the transparent (now that she was looking) attempt to fuss at her.

"Kanan," she said, rather gently, "go away. I'll see you and Hera tomorrow."

Kanan's expression softened a little, but he nodded.

"Tomorrow, eightish," he confirmed. He wasn't going to press. That wasn't going to do anything, here. He turned and headed for the door, pausing before opening it to look over his shoulder and offer her a wry smile. "You take care of that head, okay? Need you on your feet tomorrow to show me what the kark I'm supposed to be doing."

Sure. That was why.

That was the only why she was going to openly acknowledge anyway.

"I'll be there," she promised, "with bells on."

If nothing else, letting Kanan know he had to get up to sing was likely to amuse her in some fashion.

Kanan lingered in the doorway for a half-second more, then nodded, lifting a hand to wave and giving a little, "See you then, Iris," before heading outside to collect his dog.

He wasn't sure what was going on there, but it wasn't any of his business, either. Fair enough.

The turn I have just taken
The turn that I was making
I might be just beginning
I might be near the end.

Pick Your Poison, Wednesday

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