[OPEN] A guaranteed personality

[spes_phthisica]

WHO: Souji, anyone who agreed to go shopping with him, and anyone else who wants to tag along.
WHAT: You know in high school movies / chick flicks when there's this awesome empowering shopping montage where everyone is laughing all the time and no one isn't fabulous?
This probably isn't going to be like that, let's be real.
WHERE: New York, I'm guessing. No, they didn't take the jet there, sorry.
WHEN: Saturday, 13/9
WARNING(S): This is a company consisting of a man who used to eat people, a woman with a PhD in Sexual Innuendo, a teacher who still has romantic feelings about someone who is technically a high school student, a high school student suffering from mutation-induced violent tendencies, and a rape survivor with PTSD. So, probably yes. Only Bridget isn't a walking CW/TW in and of himself, but people's reactions to him might warrant it.
Will add more specific things if required.

This will be a collection log of random things, so just throw up a header inside and play things out at leisure <3

Comments

[spes_phthisica]

He was going to have to wait a while longer for an answer, because Souji was still far too busy laughing himself silly to reply just yet. But once he manages to get himself under control a bit, he treats Hijikata to a winning smile, shifting the candy into one hand and winding his free arm around one of his.

"Well, I assumed that's one of the reasons he thought I was a girl. People often think I act like I'm flirting, and most people don't really tend to assume that you're two men if you seem intimate to them - especially if one looks rather girly." And the fact that saying this to a teacher might be rather inappropriate escapes him completely, apparently. "I'm used to people assuming I'm someone's girlfriend."

[koukai_kirai]

Something about that does strike him rather uncomfortably, and he tries to keep his expression impassive. What he feels, though, is... is protective.

"Are you?"

He knows they aren't real, the men Souji alludes so flippantly to, but the thought of Souji being so desensitized to being treated like someone's damn eye candy makes his blood boil a little.

[spes_phthisica]

Hijikata seems to be tensing up, apparently bothered by what Souji had said, which was strange considering... well, he doesn't think that Souji's memories are real, does he? So it's hard to see why it should matter so much to him.

"Well, a lot of the men I kept company used to dress me up too, and often in girl clothes. You know, the sort of thing you'd expect a high-end hostess to wear?"

And if it bothers Hijikata, why is Souji telling him? He tightens his grip on the older man's arm a bit, gazing up at him more solemnly now. "But you don't think this ever happened. So it doesn't matter, does it? It's just thoughts in my head."

[koukai_kirai]

He shakes his head, teeth gritting briefly, glancing around for actual Japanese tourists before he answers, voice low and sharp.

"You aren't someone's damn accessory. I don't much your head making you think it's all right to treat you that way, either."

[spes_phthisica]

Souji tilted his head to the side, watching Hijikata intently as if trying to figure him out. It wasn't that he lacked insight as such, but people in general still tended to confuse Souji; Hijikata, however, was different. There was something about him which just came naturally for Souji to understand, and he tried not to think too hard about the reason for that.

"You almost wish that those people really were real, just so you could get back at them for treating me like that, don't you? It bothers you because it's just in my head, and that means you can't protect me, is that it?"

[koukai_kirai]

As always, Souji cuts to the heart of the matter, like his defenses are nothing. He straightens up, shooting Souji a cold look to warn him off of this line of discussion.

"It wouldn't be acceptable either way." Not on Souji's part, on the world's.