Book Hunt | Jack + Asuka | Library Car

Asuka Fukuda

Honestly, Asuka could bother taking the situation seriously, but right now? After everything she had to deal with last car, she wants some time to just be able to do her own thing! And Asuka’s own thing usually meant somebody else was going to be bothered.

The problem was, she’d actually had some… okayish conversations with people lately? Don’t get her wrong - they’re all freaks, and Asuka still stood by the fact she was clearly one of the only normal people present. It was just…Okay, so, maybe they weren’t totally awful freaks?

(Some lingering remnants of anger still demand she lash out at Viper, but the embers have stilled lately. And RNA…

Well, Asuka hates to admit it, but she trusts them. She wants their approval more than she thought she would.)

There was one person that Asuka could banter with without worry: Jack. No matter the insult she threw out, he had one of his own waiting, or could brush off her own remarks with ease. He didn’t take things seriously. He lost a fight to her, and while Asuka was still kind of scared of the body count, Asuka could at least hold her own. She wasn’t going to back down any time soon!

But…Well, Asuka had kind of let Jack approach her a bunch, huh? Maybe she needed to establish the fact she wasn’t scared. Jack wasn’t going to do anything to her - Asuka bet he couldn’t if he tried! Plus, y’know…. Boredom!

So, under the guidance of boredom and the need to enforce the hierarchy that lived in her head, Asuka actively ran through the library (who cares about rules!?) on the prowl for a certain “friend.” Surely he wouldn’t be too worried about finding his own book, right? Who cared about stuff like that anyhow?

Ah! And there he was. Asuka, a huge smirk on her face, approached, snickering slightly.

“Lemme guess - you can’t even read properly? We’re totes gonna be stuck here forever cuz of you, huh?”

Definitely not the best way to greet somebody - but everything was fine, right? Why would it ever matter?

Roadie 🪶Jack

Hey, Jack was totally normal! That’s why he was charging erratically down the halls, ramming full-stop into a shelf every once in a while, probably on accident. With a trail of random discarded books and the occasional stepstool or ladder he’d managed to completely knock over with no shortage of noise, he wasn’t exactly hard to find. So much for that high-level stealth build.

Currently clutching a single book to his chest like it was made of gold, he was too busy staring down titles to notice Asuka’s approach. Where was he now? Where was he at all? He didn’t recognize any of these names. Was he supposed to? What was he doing? It was important. He should know this. He…

Despite some low-level shaking and his shoulders hiked up to his ears, he didn’t startle at Asuka’s words, either. Read properly? He was supposed to be reading…? Where’d he come up with that? There were books. Uh.

After a significant delay and a jump in response to absolutely nothing perceptible from the outside, he finally turned to see Asuka, half-stumbling over his own foot in the process. He leaned into a shelf to steady himself, somehow looking even worse for wear than the last time she’d seen him. Concerning when then the bar for that was already on the ground with him. But it’s fine! He’s fine! He didn’t need sleep or anything! Probably just uhhhh dehydrated. He coudl fix that. After. What else was he doing?

Asuka Fukuda We’re totes gonna be stuck here forever cuz of you, huh?”

He laughed, still no louder than usual but for a little too long.

“They sure are!”

Asuka Fukuda

Roadie 🪶Jack ey, Jack was totally normal! That’s why he was charging erratically down the halls, ramming full-stop into a shelf every once in a while, probably on accident.

Yeah. That seemed pretty normal. Asuka honestly had such a low opinion of Jack’s ability to function that none of this would have surprised her in the least, nor would any of it be a cause of concern. Classic Jack, being as chaotic and messy as possible! He’s going to be annoying so many people, and it’s gonna be a blast to watch.

Still, it was admittedly a little unnerving that there was such a large pause. Usually Jack would have said something stupid, so Asuka could retort to it. Rather than let her discomfort show, however, Asuka continues to do what she always does with Jack: Keep smiling and confidence her way through this!

…Wow, that sure was a long laugh, huh?

Roadie 🪶Jack “They sure are!”

“Oh my god, you are soooo dumb! That answer doesn’t even make sense. Seriously.”

Rolling her eyes, Asuka tries to make a show of examining her nails to make herself feel better. It doesn’t work, not fully, but it’s more familiar ground. Something safe to return to, and nothing that will put Asuka at risk in particular.

“Soo….Haunted by the dead, huh? You admitted you, like, killed people, yeah? I bet you got a lot of stuff you’re trying to hide. I’d be a shame if I found the right book and just took a little peek, right? A real shame.”

The grin on her face, stretched as wide as it will go, tells Jack exactly how much she actually views it as a shame. Provoking Jack should at least get a fun reaction, right? The classic game of seeing how much you can poke the bear with a stick before it rightfully annihilates you.

….She still can’t shake the oddness of this entire scenario though, no matter how she tries to.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Asuka Fukuda That answer doesn’t even make sense. Seriously.”

“Well! Maybe if we all made sense, we wouldn’t be here!” That was… almost a point! Not in context!

Asuka Fukuda Rolling her eyes, Asuka tries to make a show of examining her nails to make herself feel better.

He watched a little too keenly before suddenly snapping his gaze to a space between books. Nothing there, of course. Fine and hinged behavior.

Asuka Fukuda “Soo….Haunted by the dead, huh? You admitted you, like, killed people, yeah? I bet you got a lot of stuff you’re trying to hide. I’d be a shame if I found the right book and just took a little peek, right? A real shame.”

Aside from a mental knee-jerk “sure did!” in there somewhere, Jack clearly did not register that entire commentary. There was nothing behind those eyes right now. Hello? Good morning?

He scanned the titles again, at least the ones with large enough print he could make them out right now, and flung a couple more aside. What was he looking for? What was he looking for.

He squinted at Asuka like he wasn’t sure of her actual presence.

“What’m I lookin’ for?”

Maybe she’d know either way.

Asuka Fukuda

Roadie 🪶Jack “Well! Maybe if we all made sense, we wouldn’t be here!”

Honestly, that statement doesn’t make sense in context, but it’s enough to work on Asuka! Besides, to her, none of these people make any sense.

Still, the fact she agrees sucks, because she came here to argue! Ugh, things must be bad if Jack was making sense…

Roadie 🪶Jack Fine and hinged behavior.

Asuka still refuses to acknowledge it. If she lets herself get too nervous to do anything, after all, then she’ll be losing. And Asuka hates losing a fight moe than anything.

Roadie 🪶Jack There was nothing behind those eyes right now. Hello? Good morning?

Still…That probably wasn’t a good sign. Did that mean Jack was in a stabby mood? Because Asuka didn’t know if Jack got all silent and stuff if he felt like stabbing.

…No. Nobody was going to stab her! Asuka was fine. Jack didn’t stab - he just said stupid things and then they argued.

Roadie 🪶Jack “What’m I lookin’ for?”

Like that! That was totally stupid. She could get behind that and ignore all the other bad signs. Yeah!

“Oh my god, you’re so stupid, I swear. We’re looking for, like, books related to us? Or the dead people we’re connected to. So….Do you have the names of people you’ve killed? Any juicy secrets that could be revealed?”

There’s no way Jack would just admit to that and give away that info. Or if he did, he’d do it in such a backwards way Asuka wouldn’t get it! It was the perfect way to get them back on track!

Roadie 🪶Jack

Asuka Fukuda Besides, to her, none of these people make any sense.

Even more agreement between the two of them! Things must have been very bad indeed.

Jack pulled out another book and peered at the cover very hard. Upside-down. He did know how to read in at least one language, didn’t he? Maybe not right now!

Asuka Fukuda We’re looking for, like, books related to us?

…Related to him. Ah. That niggled at some memory somewhere. But wait, books? Uh, yeah, those sure were books, in his own hands. One of which… He winced and pressed it to his chest. No dropping this one.

Asuka Fukuda So….Do you have the names of people you’ve killed?

Another delayed laugh that ran a little too long.

“Oh, ’f we’d had time to stop and swap names, half of ’em probably wouldn’t’a died!”

“Only half!”

He pressed the book tighter against himself.

Asuka Fukuda Any juicy secrets that could be revealed?”

“Some, prob’ly? But t’anyone in particular… Hmm.”

He slammed shoulder-first into a shelf, apparently unable to form statements and remember how to stand up at the same time. The noise was loud enough to sound painful, but not enough to make him look any more awake.

Now would sure be a nice time to ask Asuka about hers in kind, but he just wasn’t much of a conversationalist at the moment.

Asuka Fukuda

Roadie 🪶Jack He did know how to read in at least one language, didn’t he? Maybe not right now!

Honestly, Asuka probably wouldn’t have been surprised if the answer was no. Sorry Jack, she has negative faith in you.

Roadie 🪶Jack One of which… He winced and pressed it to his chest. No dropping this one.

…This was definitely weird though, and it was killing Asuka’s vibe. She was here for familiarity, and to ward off some stress, not to just…

Honestly, Asuka doesn’t know what’s happening here, but she can be certain she’s really not a fan of it. She doesn’t feel bad for Jack - she pities him at this point, really - but she’s not exactly happy that he’s not doing well right now.

Roadie 🪶Jack Another delayed laugh that ran a little too long.

…Also, he was totally giving serial killer vibes. Which…Okay, yeah, technically he was a serial killer, but that was besides the point! He gave sad loser hobo vibes normally - not whatever vibes Jack was giving now that was fully getting to Asuka!

Roadie 🪶Jack “Only half!”

Asuka manages to at least force a laugh slightly, even if the joke isn’t really funny. Like… It’s not even that good of a retort. What was happening here? She couldn’t show that she was nervous, but…Ugh. All of this was so bad.

Roadie 🪶Jack “Some, prob’ly? But t’anyone in particular… Hmm.”

“Oh, y-”

Roadie 🪶Jack He slammed shoulder-first into a shelf, apparently unable to form statements and remember how to stand up at the same time. The noise was loud enough to sound painful, but not enough to make him look any more awake.

Oh. Oh boy, this was waaaaaay worse than Asuka had first thought it was, wasn’t it? Asuka doesn’t flinch, but her eyes are wide and it’s clear that she’s losing steam at this point. There’s got to be a way to fix things, but Jack’s being weirder than normal and it kind of seems…bad. Really bad.

“Um, you do know that’s not how shelves work, right? If you’re trying to, like, fix your face and stuff? Still look like shit. If that’s the goal though, good job, I guess. Doing amazing, A+ effort right there, and it shows.”

It’s the best she’s got.

…It’s better than whatever Jack’s going to manage to say, at least.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Asuka Fukuda Asuka manages to at least force a laugh slightly, even if the joke isn’t really funny. Like… It’s not even that good of a retort. What was happening here? She couldn’t show that she was nervous, but…Ugh. All of this was so bad.

Thankfully, the odds of Jack noticing she was nervous were about the same odds as him handing her all his cash and leaving to take a nap on purpose. Did he even register her semi-sympathetic laugh? A mystery.

Asuka Fukuda …It’s better than whatever Jack’s going to manage to say, at least.

So true bestie.

Asuka Fukuda “Um, you do know that’s not how shelves work, right? If you’re trying to, like, fix your face and stuff? Still look like [crap]. If that’s the goal though, good job, I guess. Doing amazing, A+ effort right there, and it shows.”

Oh great, what was wrong with his face? He’d thought it was mostly his neck right now… Was he bleeding? He ran a hand under his nose just in case, but it seemed fine, whatever he was checking. Uh. What did she say?

“What, you gotta whole demonstration on how shelves work? Sounds pretty borin’.”

Asuka Fukuda

Roadie 🪶Jack He ran a hand under his nose just in case, but it seemed fine, whatever he was checking. Uh. What did she say?

“Why are you- Y’know what? You always take things waaaay too literally and stuff, so, like… Forget it. I wasn’t being super literal. You just look weird.”

That surely narrowed things down, huh? Asuka seems pretty convinced she’s communicating clearly though.

Roadie 🪶Jack What, you gotta whole demonstration on how shelves work? Sounds pretty borin’.”

“I’m super glad you asked about my cute lil’ demo though!” If Jack wanted to give Asuka an opening, she was going to make him regret it! And that opening just happened to be bringing up a potential demonstration involving shelves, it seems.

“So, you see this here?” One of the shelves is pointed out, Asuka speaking in an exaggerated sweet tone. “This is a shelf. S-H-E-L-F. It is meant to hold objects, see?” She points to the part of the shelf occupied by books. “You are meant to use your hands,” grabby hands are made in the air, “and pick up the object to use. When you’re done with it, you place it back.” She demonstrates exactly how’d you expect.

“Do you know what you don’t do with shelves?” It’s like she’s speaking to a toddler. “You don’t run into them, or try to fit on them. That’s a no-no action, and we can’t do that, right? That’s what you need to know about shelves.”

By the end, despite it not being that funny, Asuka’s holding back a laugh.

Roadie 🪶Jack

Asuka Fukuda “Why are you- Y’know what? You always take things waaaay too literally and stuff, so, like… Forget it. I wasn’t being super literal. You just look weird.”

Ahh, okay, she just didn’t appreciate his fashion sense. That worked too, sure.

Unfortunately, there was simply no clear communication with this guy as the recipient.

Asuka Fukuda She demonstrates exactly how’d you expect.

Jack somehow managed to watch the whole shelving demonstration with the rapt attention of a guy binging a How It’s Made marathon after a really rough day and a couple of cold ones. The power of science is amazing.

This was soooo making it easier not to laugh, huh?

Asuka Fukuda “You don’t run into them, or try to fit on them. That’s a no-no action, and we can’t do that, right? That’s what you need to know about shelves.”

“Now tha’s quitter talk. Just ’cause you can’t fit on ’em?”

Possibly the most sense he’s made all day!

Asuka Fukuda

Roadie 🪶Jack Unfortunately, there was simply no clear communication with this guy as the recipient.

To be fair, Jack’s talking to Asuka. Asuka doesn’t communicate well on a good day.

Roadie 🪶Jack Jack somehow managed to watch the whole shelving demonstration with the rapt attention of a guy binging a How It’s Made marathon after a really rough day and a couple of cold ones. The power of science is amazing.

This was soooo making it easier not to laugh, huh?

Asuka decides she deserves a medal for this one. It’s fun though. It’s a lot easier to manage than anything else had been so far in this conversation, and with how Jack was acting, so she’ll take it! This was the break she had been looking for originally!

Roadie 🪶Jack “Now tha’s quitter talk. Just ’cause you can’t fit on ’em?”

“Is that a challenge? Because, like, have you seen me? I’m waaaaay more likely to fit than you are.”

This is absolutely a challenge now. She’s going to prove Jack wrong!

Instantly, Asuka’s going to try and take the books off one of the shelves so she can try and crawl into it. They’re piled neatly on the ground to the side, where they hopefully won’t be damaged.

Is the shelf going to hold her, or are we about to see an embarrassing situation?

Roadie 🪶Jack

Asuka Fukuda To be fair, Jack’s talking to Asuka. Asuka doesn’t communicate well on a good day.

A horrible combination altogether!

Asuka Fukuda “Is that a challenge?

Was it? …What had he said? Well, knowing him, even as poorly as he did… Probably? Yes. Sounded good. Nod.

Asuka Fukuda Because, like, have you seen me? I’m waaaaay more likely to fit than you are.”

Jack squinted. He was seeing her right now, right? She was talking? Felt like she was.

“What, ’cause you’re just that pink?” What that could have to do with it he sure didn’t know, but it was the most obvious difference here. She wasn’t that much shorter than him.

Asuka Fukuda Instantly, Asuka’s going to try and take the books off one of the shelves so she can try and crawl into it. They’re piled neatly on the ground to the side, where they hopefully won’t be damaged.

Why was she doing that? Why not! He just looked on with mild amusement. Not exactly present, but close enough!