crowspace | call me out v. 11.0

[He would make alternate Odasaku sad. Can he handle that?]

I'll be waiting!

[Siiiiiiiiigh. Once he's finished for the day, or as close to finished as he ever gets, Ango frowns at his phone for quite a long time before finally sending:]

Are you familiar with Bar Lupin?

[He shouldn't go there at all, never mind with someone else, but... where else could he take himself?]

If not, something tells me you'll have no problem finding it.

The one in Tokyo, or do you mean something closer? It wouldn't surprise me if every Ango's been to a Bar Lupin with an Odasaku and a Dazai.

Ah. There's one here in Yokohama as well.

[He doesn't even know what to make of the other Dazai and Odasaku, never mind any other iterations he may never meet, but Ango still feels a pang of jealousy that his experience hasn't been entirely unique. If it couldn't last forever, he hoped he could at least claim it as his and his alone.

Could that ever be possible with three of them, though?]

I must admit, I'm curious to see if you really could find it yourself now.

Don't underestimate me when it comes to finding bars. Just pick a time and I'll be there.

An hour from now.

[And exactly an hour from that time, Ango clears Sensei off his usual stool at the bar and orders himself a whiskey... then makes it two, leaving the other beside him on a hunch.]

[The person who walks into the bar a few minutes after could not look less like this Ango if he tried, but he slides in and takes that whiskey anyway.]

At least your taste in booze isn't too bad!

[Ango's been trying to play it cool, at least enough to keep from watching the door in anticipation, so he does have to turn in order to glance at the newcomer -

- which promptly leads to a double take, and then outright slack-jawed staring. Is other-him wearing biker gloves? Does that mean he actually rides a motorcycle? And are those actual spectacles or is he just wearing tinted sunglasses indoors for the sake of fashion?

(They've got the same hair, though. Not in shade or style, but lord, does Ango ever recognize the persistent outward flip at the ends.)]

I'm sorry - are you - ? [There's no doubt in Ango's mind or his tone, only disbelief.]

[Their hair can't be tamed, and even if Ango was interested in keeping neat and presentable - which he isn't - it's impossible to defeat that flip.]

Sakaguchi Ango, the one and only... is what I'd normally say.

[Buuut, for obvious reasons, it doesn't quite apply anymore.]

[Not only is this not him, and not even anyone like him - this isn't even someone he has any idea how to interact with. Everything about his cool, casual air, the crooked tilt of his smile and the stylish hang of his clothes, speaks to such a profound difference in priorities that Ango's at a loss.

Well. That's one of the reasons he's at a loss. It certainly doesn't help that his other self seems to be half charisma and half good looks, and both have him utterly captivated. What are the rules around narcissism in a situation like this, does it even count when faced with his polar opposite?

He needs to say something aloud, but his tongue feels like it's been coated in paste.]

Ah. Mm, well. It's - a pleasure to meet you. [Clearly not true, but he's trying.]

[Ango's impressions of his double thus far: far too uptight for his own good. Could benefit from falling into decadence, but pretty much anybody could. Nervous and terrible at hiding it, even though Ango can tell he's trying.

He's adorable.]

Likewise. [Ango lifts up his drink.] So - shall we toast to Sakaguchi Ango, or did you have something else in mind?

[He laughs at that. He can't help it, because the whole situation is too absurd to take seriously. It's just a light sniff of laughter, but his lips quirk into a hint of a smile as well, which makes it clear that it's not a mocking laugh.]

We might as well, at this point. [After their toast, he cocks his head curiously in Ango's direction.] Is "Ango" your birth name?

Heigo. [Ango takes a drink of his whiskey - he's more than used to the burn.] Pen names were pretty standard back then. Dazai's really 'Shuji Tsushima', but he might have a heart attack if you called him that.

[Ango doesn't mind Heigo so much... maybe he should use that in brackets so it isn't confusing...]

[That might be a good plan, since it's already getting pretty confusing...]

And Odasaku? Is his a pen name? [It's hardly necessary for Ango to glance away when bringing up Oda, which makes the fact that he does speak volumes; he tries to hide it by pulling out his cigarettes and offering the pack to Heigo before taking one for himself.]

He doesn't have a pen name. Guess he figured his real name was catchy enough.

[Heigo accepts a cigarette, but that doesn't mean he missed Ango looking away.]

...I heard this world's 'Oda' died before we got here, but nobody's told any of us writers anything specific.

[Dazai tried to get it out of the native Dazai, but that... didn't seem to go that well?]

I pity whoever was callous enough to ask for specifics.

[Yeah. Ango's not giving anything up either, and his voice is audibly frosty at the very suggestion that it's something he'd want to share.

He did bring up the topic of Oda, though, and the realization of his unfairness shows in the slump of his shoulders as he slides his lighter over to Heigo.]

If you'd like to ask about his life, I'll share what I know. Nothing else is worth celebrating with continued remembrance.

Dazai's got no stops in between 'sucking up' and 'no tact whatsoever'.

[Heigo thinks a second... then shakes his head.]

Why don't you tell me about yourself instead?

[Dazai. Of course it was Dazai, and presumably asking the worst possible person for more details - the other Dazai. It may seem cruel for the notion to bring a hint of a smile to Ango's lips, but smiling always causes his features to soften in an appealing way, even when inspired by less-than-moral thoughts.

He blinks in surprise when Heigo changes the topic, then looks down at his drink and clears his throat uneasily. About himself? He doesn't know if he should try to blind an alternate self with his usual webwork of lies and non-answers, if there's even any point, but telling the full and hideous truth holds absolutely no appeal to him either.]

Myself... I work for the government, in the second-highest attainable position for ability users working in that specific sphere of influence. My job leaves me little time or opportunity to develop a social life or maintain hobbies. To someone like yourself, I'd probably seem like the most boring person you could imagine.

I can imagine some pretty boring people.

[ But Ango’s right thinking they’re complete opposites. ]

So you’re not the guy who’d be censoring my work, but you’re close. Never thought I’d be sharing drinks with a government employee.

Oh? And what's the exact nature of your writing, that your first thought on meeting a government employee is of censorship?

[Oh, now Ango's amused, and actually as close as he ever gets to playful. His department is the furthest thing from a moral arbiter or dictator of social acceptability, and while Ango can be rather easily flustered on a personal level, even that rarely comes from a place of moral outrage. Tightly-wound is a better descriptor for him than uptight, really.

Head slightly tilted, smile lingering on his lips this time, he turns his attention more fully to Heigo while awaiting his answer.]

Essays and short stories, but that's the boring answer. Decadent, against traditional Japanese values, counterproductive for the war effort... Disgusting, immoral, take your pick. I've heard everything.

Personally, the more public outrage it gets the more I'm proud of writing it. If nobody complains then I must have written something boring, and I'd rather go to jail than be boring.

Rebellion for the sake of the act itself rather than a deeper purpose? [Ango considers that, sipping at his drink with a rather lofty arch to his eyebrows, almost all the way to haughty.] That leaves you toeing a very fine line between rebellion and contrarianism, and I'm not sure anyone could find the latter as admirable as the former.

Can't I have both?

[Ango takes a swig of his drink.]

You're too young to have been around during the war. 'Traditional Japanese values' are the stuff that sends men off as pilots to die and women to cheer their husbands as they leave. I want nothing to do with that. Rebellion for the sake of rebellion is the kind of guy I am - but it isn't as though I haven't thought about what I'm rebelling against.

I'm not too young to have studied history and sociology, for the record. I am aware of everything you just said.

[He also understands more than a little something about holding societal values above those that resonate with the very heart of you, but he's not about to say something so personal. He's clearly piqued, though, annoyance showing through his cool expression.]

I didn't mean to suggest that your work has no value, which I could hardly know before I've read it, only to ascertain if there was more than recklessness behind your motives. Now I know there is.

If you were more like me, you'd have skipped out on your history classes.

[This man was briefly a teacher.]

call me out v. 11.0

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manually logs in to this account just for you

aaaaangos <3

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