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[Let the boy have his orange juice, Hinata... surely you understand...

Dirk takes a pretty noncommittal attitude to all of it. He is apparently very chill.]

I went hunting for URSULA's servers on Mountain Island with Jake. It was all of his Lara Croft fantasies come true.

What about you?

[He does....]

Did you find them? The servers, I mean.

[That's important enough that he lifts his knife from the fish meat he was slicing, staring back at Dirk for a second before returning his attention to what he's prepping.]

But as for me... I went to the island with Jake, too. Mostly I've just been trying to rest and study... That reminds me, have you met Souda yet?

Half, we think. We were given a clue for the other half.

[His tone is really flat? He thinks it is absolutely stupid that they were sent on a treasure hunt. What the everloving fuck.]

I'm relieved you've actually been resting. [Dirk has no right?]

Super High School Level Mechanic, right? He's making Rapplejack a sweet ride.

[YEAH THEY MET.]

A clue.

[He sounds just as flat. That sounds like some minigame bullshit. Or some motive bullshit. Or the kind of bullshit he had to deal with on Jabberwork Island.

The stare he shoots Dirk is equally as flat, because wow. Pot, kettle. At least he can admit when he is, though?]

Yeah, I overdid it trying to get the hallway to the showers fixed... It's annoying, but at least I was able to get that done, with help.

[Ah, but he brightens at the mention of Kazuichi and nods, lips curving into a fond, if exasperated smile.]

Yeah, that's him. I know he can seem kind of weird, but... he's a really good friend of mine. Just be careful that he doesn't try to take Rapplejack apart for pieces...

[Fish ready to grill, he moves past the other teen to hunt through the cabinets for some kind of fake honey or syrup that anyone's managed to get from plants. Soy sauce seems like too much to ask for.]

Yes.

[It is bullshit. But at least Hinata is resting now, and Dirk will make sure he keeps doing so. Dirk knows about grilling fish, but he watches Hinata curiously to see what he does with it. Dirk's own spices/sauce supply was pretty limited.]

He'd get hit with her stasis rifle if he tried.

[Rapplejack is programmed for self-defence.]

Aah... just be careful not to hurt him too much. He's, uh...

[A whiner. Delicate. Cries easily.]

He dresses like a punk, but he's not as tough as he looks.

[He still sounds incredibly fond of the other boy, even as he sighs. Kazuichi sure is something.]

Anyway, what was the clue?

[This... kind of looks like syrup? What plant did it come from... he pops open the can and sniffs it carefully. If it's in the kitchen, it's probably not harmful?]

Mix this in with the juice you got from the oranges. That should thicken it enough that it'll work as a marinade... I think.

I'll try to be careful.

[Dirk isn't... delicate, exactly. But he wasn't planning on beating up Souda or anything? Disabling if it came to it but not hurting him.

He takes the bottle, sniffs it in curiosity, and then adds a little bit to the juice.]

"Where Atlas Stood." According to Hesoid, that's the westward ends of the world. So I guess it's "Go West, young man" for us.

Atlas...?

[He brings a hand to his chin, frowning as he tries to think about it. He's very Japanese, and not anything more than an average student in spite of how hard he tried, but...]

That's... the guy who carried the Earth or something, right? You don't think it means on the entire other side of the planet, do you...?

[That sounds terrible. He can't even fathom how far away that is.

Fish he can do, though. He takes the bowl from Dirk and stirs it a little, sniffing it a little carefully. Whatever was in the syrup-like stuff smells kind of peppery, so it should be a fine combo? He tries it off the spoon and decides that it tastes alright, anyway, and he offers the same spoon to Dirk to try. Eat some mystery orange sauce, tell him if it's good. Maybe don't die from it.]

Try this.

It might, or just the west side of the island, or another island more west. We'll have to find out.

[Dirk accepts the spoon and tastes it. It's a little spicy, which is fine (he likes x-treme doritos!) but it's also very orangey which is even better.]

Good to me.

Great. I've never actually messed with this stuff before, so...

[If it was terrible, he'd have felt bad?? But anyway he just drops the fish in the marinade and moves to put it on one of the pans to grill on the stove.]

But yeah, we will. If it's not a bother... I'd like to go with you, when you investigate that stuff. Not until we're both fully recovered from being sick.

[That includes you too, asshole.]

[He does pause for a moment. Because Hinata isn't a coward, but Dirk feels like he's someone who should be protected.]

Are you sure?

Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be?

[Crap, veggies... he pushes past Dirk to grab those, wavering a little as he tries to figure out what to do with them. Cook them, right...? There's no steamer, though, so... just boiling them? He guesses??

He picks up a piece of carrot and holds it out to him, first, though. Just in case he somehow fucks it up, he wants Dirk to at least have eaten a little vegetables along with the oranges.]

[Oh. Carrot. Well, he accepts it. (It is orange.)]

Have you done any training in self-defence and survival?

[He crunches down on a carrot.]

...These are cool.

[Add carrots to the pile.]

...

[Oh. That's what Dirk meant. It's easy for Hajime to get caught up in the process of wanting to solve the mystery that he can forget that here, he could be killed by something without a motive, without malice or intent. There'd be no trial.

He finishes covering the vegetables with water and setting them on the stove before answering,] Probably... not enough to be of any help. You're right, sorry.

Okay. Do you want to train in it?

[With no shades, Dirk isn't really much easier a read. His face just isn't expressive, it never had a reason to be, but his eyes are focused on Hinata now and there is no sign of unhappiness. It's an honest offer.]

I'm better at water survival than land. Jake has been teaching me how to survive with jungles. Me and Dave do swords, Jake and Roxy do guns. All of us know a certain amount of unarmed combat, but Rox is best of us at fists. There are definitely other combatants on base if you want self-defence training in something none of us know.

I...

[he closes his eyes, exhales quietly, and runs a hand through his hair, mentally trying to tell himself to focus. He glances back to Dirk as if to try to tell if the other teen is making fun of him, but of course he can't do that. All he can do is believe that Dirk wouldn't do that to him.]

Jake's been teaching me to shoot. When we first met, he gave me a pistol. I... don't really like carrying it around, though. I keep it in my locker most of the time.

Self-defense sounds fine, but... I wouldn't even know where to start. I don't think I could even use a gun if we were attacked by monsters. Especially if you're using a sword...? I'd be afraid of hitting you.

[He flips the fish over, shifting the pan with maybe a little more force than necessary, frustrated with himself.]

You start by learning.

[Hinata seems frustrated, and Dirk wonders if he pushes at Hinata too much. Maybe he pushes at everyone too much. A frown touches his expression, and he looks away over to the stove counter.]

Sorry. I was just thinking that it'd help if you wanted to explore with us. I've gotten the impression you'd rather be able to take care of yourself than be protected all the time, but I've been pretty off my game in reading people lately.

...No, you're right. I don't want to just be protected.

[He glances back in time to catch that frown, still almost surprised to see Dirk without his shades even though he's the one who indirectly asked him to take them off.]

Sorry. I think... I just keep trying to find something I'm naturally good at, even though I know I won't. I do want to keep learning.

[It's just frustrating for him, to know that almost everyone else on this base has something they're good at, something they can apply. Most of them have spent years learning it, even if they weren't naturally gifted with talent; he doesn't want to spend years on this planet. He wants to go home.

But he didn't drag Dirk out of the lab to talk about his own problems. His gaze flicks over the other boy's face one more time before he goes back to cooking.]

What do you mean, off your game? I can't picture you being off about anything.

I've mentioned this before, but I'll say it again. You really need to reconsider the approach you take to the concept of talent and skill.

[And there he goes—pushing again. He realizes it the second he does it. Why the fuck does he keep making the same mistake over and over? He remembers what Dave said, that he can't let alone a weakness in himself or in others. But it isn't like he's trying to make Hinata stronger. It just frustrates him seeing Hinata tear himself apart over something like this.

He really needs to get a handle on his entire existence. SHSL Miracle that Hinata is still sticking around.]

Trust me. I'm off far more frequently than is any kind of acceptable.

...

[He just sighs quietly through his nose, just letting the crackling pop of cooking fish fill the silence between them. Maybe Dirk's right; it's a thought he'd had several times already. But people can't change that easily, and it's just easier to think what he'd always thought.

But he pushes that away for now, glances back to Dirk again. "Acceptable...?"]

I... think I'm missing something. Reading people isn't something you have to be right about all the time, is it? That's why we talk to each other.

[To fix first impressions, to learn more about people instead of basing opinions solely on one's own thoughts.]

That's the theory.

[It's not a helpful reply and he knows it. He isn't trying to be difficult, and maybe that's visible in the way his eyes focus on the floor, in the pressing line of his mouth. He can't figure out how to express it. Is he even allowed to? Dave was so worried that Jake had even a sense of what was going on. He definitely has never told Karkat jack shit. Even if Dirk could find a way to speak, he shouldn't.

Even so, he doesn't want to leave Hinata like that. He tries, but he doesn't think he can do well.]

Unfortunately, that assumes too many ideal conditions about interlocutors. Truthfulness, a willingness to share, the self-knowledge required to express accuracy. Not all of those can be consistently present. It's why you're trying to read me right now: the conversation isn't in its ideal form. Right?

[There he is, breaking things down again. Hajime can recognize that, at least. It's what they all did during trials to try to form a more complete picture, to dismiss possibilities until only one remained. Individually, none of those statements are incorrect. It's when it's put all together that Hajime can't help but feel like there's something that's out of place at the most basic level.]

...You're right. [Again. As usual. Is that why Dirk's so worried about reading people incorrectly...? He's so used to being right that when he's wrong, he doesn't know what to do?

That doesn't seem like the right answer, so Hajime moves back to resume cooking again, checking the rice, making sure the fish isn't burning.]

But if we're looking for the conversation to be in it's "ideal form"... I pulled you out of the lab because you've released more projects in way too short of an amount of time to be healthy. You've eaten nothing but oranges for-- what, fifteen hours? Maybe I'm wrong, but... what I'm reading from the situation is that something's bothering you. Something you're trying to avoid by working yourself to a point beyond what's healthy.

Am I wrong?

[Dirk doesn't look up from the floor. He hears the searing of the fish, the shuffle of lids and pots. Noises he never would have heard on his own, all those years ago.]

I'd argue that I'm not trying to avoid anything. It's nothing less than understanding that there's a point at which making an effort is counterproductive, and I'm at it. So I'm doing other things.

If that's your argument, I'd point out the contradiction between not making an effort, and not taking care of yourself aren't the same things.

[He checks the rice, turns the heat off on it. Turns down the heat on the fish so it doesn't burn, turns down the heat on the veggies so they don't boil over, so he can turn his full attention on the other boy. This isn't Make Your Argument, this isn't a Panic Time Attack. He doesn't have to break Dirk's argument apart and point out exactly where he's wrong until the other has no objections left.

He doesn't want to do that. Instead, he reaches out as if he might put a hand on Dirk's shoulder, thinks better of it, and instead asks quietly,]

Do... you want a hug?

[It's what Dirk had offered him before, but he'd had too much pride then to accept.]

[He follows Hinata's movements by sound rather than sight, knowing what he's doing, knowing when he's close. He notices the moving hand, too, but it doesn't prepare him for the question. His head raises, eyes widened before they fall focused again.

It's confusion. How does he respond to something like that?]

Do you want to?

[Dave doesn't want to be near him. Jake is trying his best but it's hard not to see his limits. Roxy loves him but the old guilt is coming back to him. Why would anyone want to be near Dirk? Why would anyone want to comfort him? How could anyone tolerate him when Dirk can't even tolerate himself?]

I don't want to make you uncomfortable.

[Dirk lived sixteen years without real human contact. He can manage a couple hours if Hinata really doesn't want to do this. Which would be fair.]

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