[It's closing time at house Takeuchi. Nanami's gone up to her room and Akemi's gone home (we presume), but Kaede stays behind to finish up closing shop.] [Session Start.] * Kaede goes about moving boxes around. He hefts a particularly heavy one and grunts as he picks it up, walking down between the lines of bikes. * Kyon comes to the front door, holding a smaller black and red bag. He's changed into more normal clothes; the dark orange jacket with a grey shirt underneath, and dark blue jeans. He pushes it open and stands in the doorway, looking around. * Kaede looks over at the door as he hears the bell ring. "Sorry, we're cl--" He narrows his eyes as he focuses on who it is. "You?" * Kyon shakes his head bemusedly, and smirks. "Treat everyone who comes into your store this way?" He takes a few steps further in, towards the counter. Only ones I'm not expecting. * Kaede looks over Kyon curiously, particularly inspecting the eyes. (Kaede demands all of his customers have an appointment. :P) (But of course) * Kyon shakes his head quickly. He meets Kaede's eyes briefly, then looks over the counter. "You're a retail shop. And your sign says you're open. Should expect people." He looks around again. "Should may be too strong. Could." * Kaede pushes his glasses up satisfied, but still hasn't changed his expression much. "I do expect *customers*. Don't tell me you're here to buy a bike, Kyon." * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Got me. I'm happy enough with my bike." He takes a couple of steps towards the side of the counter, looking a bit behind it. "Here to help." * Kaede looks at Kyon again and stares for a while. After a few moments of silence, he lets out a sarcastic laugh. "You. Help. Why?" * Kyon puts his bag down on top of the counter, and looks over it for things that look business-related. "Because you obviously need it?" Yes, but since when did you care? * Kaede sighs and rubs his forehead. "Nevermind. What do you need?" * Kaede goes behind the counter and takes out a key to unlock the cabinet underneath. * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Your books. Need to see what you've been doing. Any business related materials. Looks like you could use an overhaul." * Kaede snorts. "I go over them daily. It's not really a problem with the books, it's a problem with advertising." But...if you really need them... * Kyon looks at him sidewise. "I need an overall image. So I need to see everything." * Kaede reaches in the cabinet and pulls out two things. One's a thick binder full to the brim of papers, invoices, orders, budgetting, etc. The other is his trusty small notepad that he's been known to carry around from time to time. * Kyon looks over at the notepad with a smirk. "Not going to be seeing any secrets you don't want me to know?" * Kaede sighs. "Well, I could tear those pages out. But if you want to see the whole picture, there it is." I don't know why you'd want to help me anyways, Kyon. You've been nothing but a pain in my backside since I met you. * Kyon takes the notebook and sets it down next to the larger book. "You'll work better if you're not worrying about bankruptcy all the time." * Kaede folds his arms over his chest. "I don't buy that for a minute, Kyon." * Kyon shrugs disinterestedly as he opens the binder. "Then don't buy it." Are you really worried about just making me the "most efficient" possible? If you are, then get out now. * Kaede snags the binder and the notepad from the counter before Kyon looks at it. * Kyon looks at him irritatedly. "Tell me you don't need the help. You know you do." * Kaede gazes back at Kyon just as irritated. "Sure, I need help. I just don't need *yours* At least not if you're going to continue to maintain that cocky, better-than-you attitude of yours." * Kyon shrugs tersely. "I'm who I am. But I'm good at what I do, and I'll give you what you need. Been doing this since I was a kid, and doing it well. That not enough?" I told you. If you just want to help to make me the "most efficient ally" possible, just get out. If you want to help because you're actually worried about me bottoming out and my grandfather being taken off life support and dying and my sister and me being thrown out on the street, then we'll talk. * Kaede thumps the binder back on the counter and lets out a long sigh. You don't get it do you? No, it's not enough. If you're going to be a bastard, you're going to get treated like a bastard. * Kyon looks at the binder where it lies. "Don't care how you treat me. I know what reactions I get. You really need a deep personal investment to accept something?" Not a deep one no. But I've got to accept that you're on my side. And the way you've been treating me all along, well pardon me if I don't exactly feel the comradery. * Kyon looks at him sidewise, and jams his hands in his pockets. "You doubt I'm on your side?" No. I know you're on your own side. I just haven't seen anything that includes me in it. * Kaede pushes up his glasses. "I'll admit it. You're useful enough. But you're just as likely to use me as well and that bothers me." * Kyon smirks. "I'm useful? If you're using me, where's the reciprocity?" * Kaede sighs and just shakes his head. "Screw it. If you don't see what I've been trying to do..." I don't owe you any favors, Kyon. And I don't want to either. * Kyon shakes his head quickly. "No strings. And what you've been trying to do is extract a statement of amiability. That I care." But we both know you don't, so we might as well end this charade here. * Kyon rolls his eyes. "What part of no strings don't you get? You're not beholden." He shakes his head slowly and bemusedly. "Can't even accept obviously beneficial offers." * Kaede looks at Kyon and gives him a steady look for a while before saying. "In writing." * Kyon rolls his right shoulder deliberately. "You want me to sign a contract. Saying you won't owe me anything. Really." * Kaede looks at Kyon then shrugs. "What have you done for me to really trust you, Kyon?" Fine, no writing. * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Not going to list things off. You just should. I'm a man of my word, always have been." You obviously want me to list off the things I've done though. If you cared at all, that is. * Kaede walks way from the binder and turns his back to Kyon, letting out a deep breath. "Fine. Look through all you want." * Kyon looks back down at the binder. "When did I ask you to list anything?" * Kaede throws up his hands, back still to Kyon. "Well, you obviously don't think I've done anything to benefit the group..." * Kyon looks halfway up at Kaede with a smirk. "Ask the teleporter or the Page whether I take people who don't do anything to benefit the group. One of the first things I ever told them." * Kaede folds his arms across his chest. "I never asked for you to take me, Kyon." (* snicker) (Hee. Oh dear.) (Bad parse. Bad.) (...Ow, my brain!) * Kyon looks back at the binder. "No, you just came along. And didn't get forced away. Must be a reason." So it's that simple is it? You decide all of this? * Kyon opens his bag, and rummages in it without looking. "No. Some things just turn out the way they turn out. But, got some say over who I deal with." * Kaede frowns slightly and silently contemplates that. * Kyon pulls out a pad of his own and his cell phone. "For example. Try not to deal with people who don't accept unconditional, necessary, competent help." * Kaede tilts his head towards Kyon. "I never said it was necessary." * Kyon gestures widely with one hand to encompass both the materials on the counter and the whole store. "Going to tell me it's not?" You said we all have some say over who we deal with. I don't deal well with you. I can always find someone else to help. * Kyon flips a page. "You could. But not someone as good as me, who'll do it for free." He flips a few more pages. "Something tells me you don't have money for consulting." * Kaede frowns at that. "Why are you doing this, Kyon? Is it really just that simple?" * Kyon looks up with a hard smirk. "Yeah. All from the goodness of my heart." * Kaede lets out a long breath and closes his eyes. "I know you don't mean it. But thank you." * Kyon waves a hand dismissively as he turns back to the pages. "No problems." He punches something into his cell phone. "Just relax." * Kaede chuckles and rubs his forehead. "Yeah...as if it's that easy." * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Right. So don't relax. Just worry less. Close to the same." * Kaede chuckles at that. "That works for me. Maybe it'll happen when you're less of a bastard." * Kyon makes a short note in his notebook. "Can't be what you're worrying about." * Kaede sighs and slumps forward on the counter. "No." * Kaede doesn't look quite at Kyon but speaks in his general direction. "Tell me Kyon. You're an ass. How do you completely piss off a girl so she doesn't force herself on you but don't piss her off so much that she wants to kill you?" * Kyon smirks. "What, now you want romantic advice?" Well, since you seem to get swarms of girls for god knows what reason.... ( He's hot. I mean he's a bastard, but objectively speaking, he's damn handsome.) * Kyon shrugs quickly. "There are reasons. So what, you want her just to be friendly?" (It's the attitude more than the physicality. They like talented bastards. Just not your kind. =P) (Moti: Then why is it that Kaede has more people after him than any other char except Tenjirou?) (It's not attraction. It's being easily amused at tremendously prickly reactions. Which I can understand, that's what I get from Kaede. =P) (Because he's fun to torture. Duh.) * Kaede sighs and leans his head to one side, moping a bit. "I don't know..." * Kyon snorts, and flips a few more pages. "You know." Glad to know that you know myself better than I do, Sorata-sempai. * Kyon doesn't bother looking up. "Don't want her gone completely because if you did, she'd already be gone. So. Either you want her as a friend or you want her romantically." He smirks, and taps his pen on the counter. "Not too many options." * Kaede sighs. "Yes on the first, not sure on the second. She'd be nicer if she didn't, well, *need* me. And get jealous at the drop of a hat. And scream the whole "woe is me" bit. And if she didn't take every single word that came out of my mouth the wrong way.... * Kyon nods quickly. "So, if she was someone else, she'd be nicer." ... I didn't say that... * Kyon shrugs quickly, and scrawls out another short note. "No, you said it in far more words." (The notes all say "Souichirou was Here" :P) * Kaede hmmphs and goes back to stocking. (The notes all say "Make Haruko pay more." =P) (Dang. :P) * Kyon shrugs quickly. "Can't change all the personality traits she has you don't like. Accept them, or don't. Could be she's good enough, anyway." * Kaede sighs and sets down the box, leaning his elbow on it. "Time will tell." * Kyon looks over into his bag, and pulls out a protein bar. "Right. So will you." Probably.. * Kyon looks up with a smirk again. "Back to predetermination again?" * Kaede shakes his head and doesn't look back at Kyon, busying himself with busy work. * Kyon shrugs quickly, looks down at the papers bemusedly, and works steadily away. [Session End!]