[ By now, Claude's equilibrium has more or less returned to him. It's not that he's unaffected by it - he is - or that it isn't haunting him in his own way, but it only took a matter of days for him to manage to slide the mask back on with the certainty that he needs to get by. He died, yes, but so did everyone else. In fact, it seems to him as though everyone else here has died more than once, so he needs to stop moping around about it, scrape himself up from off the floor, and get on with business.
Which is precisely what he's done. By the time Minato shows up, Claude is deep in organizing his inventory after having replenished some of his destroyed stores. It will take months to get his stocks back to where he wants them, he knows, but he's no stranger to a slow and steady ascent back to where he needs to be. As he busies himself with putting a glass jar filled with disinfecting herbs back on the shelf, he pauses, hearing a rustle at the front door, and then... nothing.
Claude frowns. That won't do, he decides. If it's a pest, then he must chase it away, but more importantly, if it's a customer... he really needs more funding for the projects he's planning on tackling next. So it's with a performer's aplomb that he thrusts the door open with a chipper, ] No need to tarry at my door! We're open! The mess out here hasn't impacted by goods at all, I'll assure... ah.
[ The one person he hadn't been expecting was Minato. He'd known that he had made it out of here safely through the grapevine, but no more than that. The boy had been an absolute wreck when Claude had seen him last, thin frame trembling, barely able to take in a breath, wracked with the horrific sight of seeing his friends dead at each other's hands -- it had been no wonder he wanted to avoid Claude, whether that was out of guilt or out of embarrassment. Claude could understand both feelings well enough and had decided not to push him at all as a result.
He'd been long gone by the time Claude had met his end. And while he won't lie to the boy's face, he has no intention of piling onto the kid's guilt. That was Claude's choice. The only person who needs to bear that weight is him, quietly grappling with what had happened to his sense of self-preservation. ]
[ "Ah," indeed, as Minato quickly releases the handle from his grasp as though he'd laid his palm on a hot stove, stepping back to avoid getting a face full of apothecary door. He blinks, stunned momentarily at how swiftly Claude's demeanor had made that sharp turn from boisterous to speechless. Only when he recovers does his outstretched hand return to his side, schooling his features back into a more neutral expression. It's not necessarily because he does not wish to wear his thoughts plainly on his face, rather, it simply seems like the polite thing to do as he offers Claude a quiet nod of acknowledgement.
Nevertheless, his gaze remains slightly lowered in deference to the man. ]
I... wanted to see if you were okay.
[ That fortunately seems to be the case. It certainly appears that Claude or someone else had been busy fixing the establishment up, and surely this must be cause for Claude's seemingly buoyant greeting.
Minato lifts a hand to fiddle with the music player around his neck. He's never been particularly good at this sort of thing, and it's even more difficult after he'd resolved to shed his subconscious desire to shape his responses in accordance with what he perceived as others' desires. He falls silent for a little longer as he parses the different answers he could give Claude, all while running a pensive thumb over the clear plastic protecting the device's tiny screen. ]
I never got to thank you for everything. ...hopefully I'm not too late?
[ Surely that term, "everything," can sum up that awful week in a neat little bow? Between allowing him safe harbor at the apothecary, even if it risked enemies penetrating through its walls, temporarily assuaging his wound, and then even going so far as to ensuring he successfully fled the danger he'd almost certainly unintentionally guided to the apothecary -- perhaps "everything" doesn't quite cover it after all. ]
Not in the least, [ Claude reassures Minato with a smile. For the first week or so, Minato had been the last person he'd wanted to see anyway -- aside from perhaps Miller himself. It's through no fault of Minato's own. But Claude had needed some time to sift through his own feelings about everything that had happened before he was ready to reunite with the boy who was at the heart of it all. Even now, thinking about what Minato had gone through that day astonishes him; he has no idea why Miller had been so hellbent on targeting Minato, and fears that he's lost his chance to ask.
No point in dredging up unpleasant memories, not for Minato and not for Miller. Perhaps a few months from now, the wounds will be less raw, and he can ask what exactly had happened that dreadful night, but for now? They're putting it all behind them. ]
Come in, come in! [ He tugs Minato inside and gently closes the door behind them, as though worried that too may simply fall from the doorframe if he's too rough on it. That Minato wants to thank him is natural, but something about it still feels a little uncomfortable. It almost feels as though it doesn't count, being that he came back no worse for wear and, even more than that, that for once this hadn't been a part of his plan. That if he'd had a moment to think about it, he may well have left Minato to the wolves, as it were. ]
As you can see, I'm no worse for wear. I can't say the same for my shop, unfortunately, but it was high time that I started to make some changes around here anyhow. [ His gaze is drawn to Minato, filled with scrutiny. ] How about you?
[ Minato blinks as he's pulled into the apothecary, a scene not unlike the last time he'd been at Claude's establishment. He's ashamed to realize the familiar gesture does put him a little on edge, though a quick glance at Claude's expression reassures him today is a very different day. There's no deep crease in the man's brow, nor is there a calculating sharpness in his eyes, leaving him exhaling to release a breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding in.
The door clicks shut behind Minato. Perhaps Claude had drawn him in to avoid holding the door open and making it work harder than necessary. On the other hand, Minato would certainly understand if the man wanted to keep the apothecary as closed-off as possible from any potentially unusual bystanders, given what had happened within the very four walls of the building.
He spares a quick glance at Claude to confirm the man's report. Indeed, that seems to be the case. He seems well. Good. Bad that his shop is partially in shambles. It's only when Claude gazes back at him does Minato avert his own eyes. After all, he's never really been fond of being observed. ]
...better.
[ It's the truth despite conveying little to no information. And while he doesn't mind sharing, he instinctively tries to slip out of Claude's metaphorical grasp. ]
...the last time I saw someone attacked with a gun, they died. So I thought, maybe you...
[ His voice trails off as he shakes his head. Claude's already said he was no worse for wear. Perhaps he'd managed to drive Miller off successfully or escaped to live another day after all. ]
[ That's the danger of guns, isn't it? The first time he'd been shown a proper firearm, he'd looked at it with deep envy; to have the sort of weapon that could mow people down in a single shot is something that he could only dream of. He'd had that impression for a while, that inkling that if he could just take something home with him, they could win the war in no time. He wants bigger, better, more effective weapons -- all in the service of peace, of course, but that could only be a good thing, right?
Only the more time he spent here, the more time he's shied away from using guns proper, the more he's turned around on how their efficacy can backfire. He's lethal with a bow and arrow to be sure, but he's the one who decides. You can't just kill someone on a whim, and you're unlikely to kill someone with an arrow by accident. But with guns, he had discovered, it takes just a squeeze of a trigger from even an unknowledgable hand, and you're dead.
It's a little ironic that it's only after he'd turned around on the idea had he personally found out just how lethal they could be. It took more than one gunshot to fell him (he can still feel the way his entire body was rocked with just the one bullet, more staggering than any other wound he's felt in his life, the smell, the noise, the speed) but it had done its job nonetheless. His smile barely wavers, though, something soft in his eyes as he looks down at Minato's concerned face. ]
I'll take a bow and arrow any day, I'll tell you that much, [ he admits, shaking his head. ] But I'm here now, aren't I? As hearty and hale as ever. I think that's the part that matters.
[ He will neither confirm nor deny his death. He knows what Minato's getting at. He's just hoping he'll stop -- not for Claude's own sake, but Minato's. Claude knows what it feels like, to be responsible for people getting killed. It's a sour, curdling sensation that lives within him, deep in the pit of his gut, something that he doesn't think will ever go away.
He doesn't want innocents to feel that too. He only thinks there's some that ought to feel it more. ]
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2024-09-23 10:26 pm (UTC)Which is precisely what he's done. By the time Minato shows up, Claude is deep in organizing his inventory after having replenished some of his destroyed stores. It will take months to get his stocks back to where he wants them, he knows, but he's no stranger to a slow and steady ascent back to where he needs to be. As he busies himself with putting a glass jar filled with disinfecting herbs back on the shelf, he pauses, hearing a rustle at the front door, and then... nothing.
Claude frowns. That won't do, he decides. If it's a pest, then he must chase it away, but more importantly, if it's a customer... he really needs more funding for the projects he's planning on tackling next. So it's with a performer's aplomb that he thrusts the door open with a chipper, ] No need to tarry at my door! We're open! The mess out here hasn't impacted by goods at all, I'll assure... ah.
[ The one person he hadn't been expecting was Minato. He'd known that he had made it out of here safely through the grapevine, but no more than that. The boy had been an absolute wreck when Claude had seen him last, thin frame trembling, barely able to take in a breath, wracked with the horrific sight of seeing his friends dead at each other's hands -- it had been no wonder he wanted to avoid Claude, whether that was out of guilt or out of embarrassment. Claude could understand both feelings well enough and had decided not to push him at all as a result.
He'd been long gone by the time Claude had met his end. And while he won't lie to the boy's face, he has no intention of piling onto the kid's guilt. That was Claude's choice. The only person who needs to bear that weight is him, quietly grappling with what had happened to his sense of self-preservation. ]
Long time no see, Minato! How can I help you?
no subject
Date: 2024-10-03 04:00 am (UTC)Nevertheless, his gaze remains slightly lowered in deference to the man. ]
I... wanted to see if you were okay.
[ That fortunately seems to be the case. It certainly appears that Claude or someone else had been busy fixing the establishment up, and surely this must be cause for Claude's seemingly buoyant greeting.
Minato lifts a hand to fiddle with the music player around his neck. He's never been particularly good at this sort of thing, and it's even more difficult after he'd resolved to shed his subconscious desire to shape his responses in accordance with what he perceived as others' desires. He falls silent for a little longer as he parses the different answers he could give Claude, all while running a pensive thumb over the clear plastic protecting the device's tiny screen. ]
I never got to thank you for everything. ...hopefully I'm not too late?
[ Surely that term, "everything," can sum up that awful week in a neat little bow? Between allowing him safe harbor at the apothecary, even if it risked enemies penetrating through its walls, temporarily assuaging his wound, and then even going so far as to ensuring he successfully fled the danger he'd almost certainly unintentionally guided to the apothecary -- perhaps "everything" doesn't quite cover it after all. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-09 08:59 am (UTC)No point in dredging up unpleasant memories, not for Minato and not for Miller. Perhaps a few months from now, the wounds will be less raw, and he can ask what exactly had happened that dreadful night, but for now? They're putting it all behind them. ]
Come in, come in! [ He tugs Minato inside and gently closes the door behind them, as though worried that too may simply fall from the doorframe if he's too rough on it. That Minato wants to thank him is natural, but something about it still feels a little uncomfortable. It almost feels as though it doesn't count, being that he came back no worse for wear and, even more than that, that for once this hadn't been a part of his plan. That if he'd had a moment to think about it, he may well have left Minato to the wolves, as it were. ]
As you can see, I'm no worse for wear. I can't say the same for my shop, unfortunately, but it was high time that I started to make some changes around here anyhow. [ His gaze is drawn to Minato, filled with scrutiny. ] How about you?
no subject
Date: 2024-10-20 07:45 pm (UTC)The door clicks shut behind Minato. Perhaps Claude had drawn him in to avoid holding the door open and making it work harder than necessary. On the other hand, Minato would certainly understand if the man wanted to keep the apothecary as closed-off as possible from any potentially unusual bystanders, given what had happened within the very four walls of the building.
He spares a quick glance at Claude to confirm the man's report. Indeed, that seems to be the case. He seems well. Good. Bad that his shop is partially in shambles. It's only when Claude gazes back at him does Minato avert his own eyes. After all, he's never really been fond of being observed. ]
...better.
[ It's the truth despite conveying little to no information. And while he doesn't mind sharing, he instinctively tries to slip out of Claude's metaphorical grasp. ]
...the last time I saw someone attacked with a gun, they died. So I thought, maybe you...
[ His voice trails off as he shakes his head. Claude's already said he was no worse for wear. Perhaps he'd managed to drive Miller off successfully or escaped to live another day after all. ]
no subject
Date: 2024-10-23 12:58 am (UTC)Only the more time he spent here, the more time he's shied away from using guns proper, the more he's turned around on how their efficacy can backfire. He's lethal with a bow and arrow to be sure, but he's the one who decides. You can't just kill someone on a whim, and you're unlikely to kill someone with an arrow by accident. But with guns, he had discovered, it takes just a squeeze of a trigger from even an unknowledgable hand, and you're dead.
It's a little ironic that it's only after he'd turned around on the idea had he personally found out just how lethal they could be. It took more than one gunshot to fell him (he can still feel the way his entire body was rocked with just the one bullet, more staggering than any other wound he's felt in his life, the smell, the noise, the speed) but it had done its job nonetheless. His smile barely wavers, though, something soft in his eyes as he looks down at Minato's concerned face. ]
I'll take a bow and arrow any day, I'll tell you that much, [ he admits, shaking his head. ] But I'm here now, aren't I? As hearty and hale as ever. I think that's the part that matters.
[ He will neither confirm nor deny his death. He knows what Minato's getting at. He's just hoping he'll stop -- not for Claude's own sake, but Minato's. Claude knows what it feels like, to be responsible for people getting killed. It's a sour, curdling sensation that lives within him, deep in the pit of his gut, something that he doesn't think will ever go away.
He doesn't want innocents to feel that too. He only thinks there's some that ought to feel it more. ]