Morning Scavenge [Yuri & Patty]

Today was a most beautiful morning, the sun was shining bright, the skies clear, and a gentle wind kept things feeling just the right temperature, not too hot, not too chilly. The majority of the student body was not up and roused as of yet, as to be expected on a weekend, yet here young Yuri is, already busy. Two plastic bags lay on the ground next to him, while he has his arm reached down into a trash can, rummaging about. Every other week, he makes his rounds, scavenging from the school's garbage. No one has stopped him. No one can stop him.

"What the Hell are you doing?" was the Hot Question of the Week, and Yuri had been asked this countless times. Though the occurrences had decreased, they were still not entirely uncommon. The answer to this is something very important. The trash cans are the bearers of infinite resources. Yuri has all the resources. Yuri will obtain every resource.

So it was the AM. Like, that was a time that existed apparently. Patty really didn't know, she was never conscious for it except like maybe once a week. But she couldn't sleep through the morning. The sun was too bright even through the shades and she was way too fresh off her hangover to just be able to do whatever she wanted. Stupid birds were giving her a migraine too. She'd just be awake with her eyes closed. So Patricia decided to face the day ahead with absolutely no enthusiasm. She'd try to get her morning routine out of the way in the meantime but she had a few hours still before she had to do anything.

Climbing out of her window in her pajama bottoms, track jacket, and without any shoes she shuffled into the common area with what was left of her cigarettes from the night before, bleary-eyed and totally not ready to take on the day. She loped over to her usual favorite spot on one of the shaded benches and began to light up. Patty really didn't give a shit who saw this early in the morning. Like, she was an adult and not in class so she could do what she wanted, she was at least 50 feet away from the building too so she wasn't doing anything wrong. Part of her wanted someone to fuckin' say something about it so she could rip them apart but that was probably the morning suckitude talking. She wasn't the only one out there though. Like, she often wasn't, someone was usually hanging out but they kept their distance which was good, she was a people person but just NOT before noon. Some weirdo was like, digging in the trash and stuff. Like at first she thought he was changing out the bags, people had jobs, y'know? But after a while it just looked like he was... digging around in the trash.

"No." After hearing someone's voice directed at him, Yuri slowly turned to face the source. "It's okay... I am wearing protection." He lifted a hand to show a tattered leather glove, when he noticed on her person she carried the item cigarette. This certain stranger has really gained his attention now, whether she wished it or not.

He took a second and a half to glance her over, and process how he should act. "I do appreciate your concern." He raised his ungloved hand to hold his bangs out of his face, and closed his eyes as he made a gentle exhale before opening them again. "Huuuuu..." Yuri tilted his head and asked "Will you be okay, though? You could step on something sharp too, without shoes." Hopefully he had chosen well. The first sentence you exchange with someone affects their perception of you the most. Every word choice, the way it's pronounced, your gestures, both major and minor, they all have to be perfect. These are the thoughts that raced through Yuri's mind at maximum speed. 'Yes... that response most likely did not create tension,' he internally assured himself.

Yeah, that explained it. He was weird. A lot of people she ran into were, but maybe the weirdos were just more memorable or something? Whatever, she didn't mind the freaks. They were entertaining. Better than the drama queens anyway, at least stuff happened with them that wasn't who was fucking who or dumb shit like tests. Like, she liked to dish on all the petty shit but like it got boring, y'know? Nobody ever, like, cut their leg open trying to run from the cops or anything crazy and interesting like that. It kinda made her homesick, just a little. She smirked a little bit when he talked about wearing protection though.

"Shyeah gotta wrap it 'else you'll catch a disease, y'know?" she joked, "Just don't put your mouth on it and you'll be good, you'll never get rid of it if you do ahehah!" So morning still sucked but she could have some fun on her weekend, laughing at her own innuendo. It'd get her in a good mood enough to actually do shit later instead of hang around her room until 1 in the afternoon trying to come to life. Her eyes were still kinda dreamy and bloodshot but she noticeably perked up, crossing one leg over the other and leaning back against the bench to splay her arms. She watched him get smooth, wiping his hair out of his eyes before asking if she was okay. It was actually kind of adorable.

"Well yeah, as long as you're not like throwing the needles that you find on the ground. I got out here didn't I? Okay, so like, seriously watch out for needles. Like the junkies like to come out at night, y'know? Oh and if you're out here by then don't get near'em, they can get preeeeeetty crazy." Patricia, of course, was lying through her teeth but she didn't break face when she did. It'd be fun to start a rumor that meth addicts were running around the school, she wanted to see how far it'd go. But it was time for the obvious question. She drew a breath from her smoke and tilted her head back to blow it away from the conversation.
"*Pheeeeeew...* ...so like, you're one of the... I dunno, custodians? I don't wanna say janitors but like sanitation workers, right?"

His mouth... on his glove? Why would he do that? To insert a glove into one's mouth is not something an individual would have legitimate cause to do. Yuri decided to not waste any time pondering such things. This woman had stated that drug addicts frequented this location late in the night. If they are disrupting peace, they must be confronted. He made mental note of this vital information.

"Not at all, I am not performing a job at this moment. I have come here to collect the various sheets of paper people have disposed of, for my own documentation purposes, in addition to learning information about the area. For example, in this garbage bin, you can consistently find at least three oranges worth of rinds when you inspect it on a weekend, such as today. However, this is not the case for the bin on the other side of the common area. This would mean that several times a week, someone eats an orange here, somewhere within a small distance where we stand. Do you agree that this information could be useful, or, at least, interesting?" Yuri believed that there was possibility that she would be the first to understand. Hopefully this was the case.

...

.........

...............

Okay, so like, freak was an understatement. Patricia just sorta stared slack-jawed for a moment. Homeboy was like, obsessive-compulsive or schizo or some shit. Like she had fun saying that the druggies came out at night and junk but this guy was seriously on something. The bad shit too, like, stuff she'd never consider like ice or bath salts or... he was just... she didn't even KNOW dude. She made a mental note to keep any documents she had like credit card offers and spam and pretty much anything on paper until she could use the grill and take care of it then. A stalker was the last thing she needed for sure. FUCK dude it might be dangerous just talking to him, guy was clearly nuts.


Okay. So. She was gonna admit it might be interesting to dive down the rabbit hole and see just how mentally fucked up this guy was but HOLY SHIT was his brain fried. Still, she was here, and against her better judgement she wasn't going to leave. At least not until she finished her cigarette. This was her bench, dude. She wasn't gonna give it up just because some psycho was around. Even if he was dangerous she'd be okay, she had a Persona and shit. Without even summoning it she'd noticed she was quicker than normal people, even without her shoes on she could just beat his ass if he tried anything.
"So like, no? What do orange peels have to do with anything anyway? If it was needles or some shit I'd get it but like, someone eats fruit every weekend? What does that even matter?"

She leaned back further on the bench, drawing her cigarette to her lips.
"Okay, so like, if you go around collecting paper from the trash to learn stuff about people they're gonna think you're a stalker. 'Cause like, ya kinda are. So um, not suuuuuure if you know this yet but like you know normal people don't do that, right?" He was seriously creepy, but not like she wasn't gonna at least tell him he's being a weirdo. Someone owed him that much, maybe he just didn't know?

Was this a negative reaction? Unfortunate! "Your thoughts are true. Most all of this information is ultimately useless in virtually every possible scenario. I still find it fascinating nonetheless." If an atomic bomb appeared, and the only way to disable it was to input how many pencils were thrown away at Seven Stars Academy this year, Yuri would have the answer. Thankfully, that is not a thing that would ever happen in the first place.

What was also true is that this was not socially acceptable behaviour, and he knew that. "I am fully aware of the social consequences of all of my actions. However, other people's thoughts and perception of me inevitably don't matter. It only matters what those I plan on communicating with feel of me." Unless he was gonna have a form of interaction in which he needed to persuade and individual into doing something, he failed to understand how it could possibly be important what others thought.

Yuri leaned back against the wall. "Anyways, earlier you mentioned the presence of drug junkies here." As he spoke his tone and expression grew stern. "Are they violent? Do they harass the public? Do they gather here every night?" He held a hand to his head "We cannot have that. I'm gonna make sure they are not problematic. Do you have anything else to note about them?" Yuri's plans for the night had already been decided. He must remain vigilant. Rowdy gangs of addicts plaguing our community? Unacceptable. Attention must be drawn towards this alarming situation.

So like that was a super weird hobby to have. Digging around in the trash and junk. Like, she was all for weird hobbies and stuff because sometimes they were really interesting like that one weird girl she knew back in NorCal that dunked her head in paint and headbutted canvases. Some of those turned out pretty cool too. But like fishing through the garbage was just gross. Unless you were dumpster diving, then you could find some pretty cool stuff. His brain seemed like it was pretty obviously scrambled but hey, everybody was messed up somehow. She sorta picked up that he was trying to relate to her or something when he was talking about how interesting it was and if she thought so too, so she wasn't gonna be a bitch to the weirdo about it. She'd play along.

"I mean hey, as long as you know what you're about let your freak flag fly, dude," she encouraged with a friendly grin. "Like, I feel like a gotta tell people 'cause some people just don't know, y'know? Like, there was this guy Devon who was like that, and he liked this girl a lot so he like just... followed her around like a stalker. Not even talking to her, like just standing arm's length away and staring. After like a couple weeks of it the chick blows up on him 'cause he's totally stalking her and he starts crying. Like, he seriously didn't know." She crossed one leg over the other and took a long drag.
"*tzzzzzz... phewwwww* ...so like apparently he wanted to talk to her and was shy or awkward or something? Like, I pieced together he was waiting for her to talk to him first but did that everytime? I dunno, it was weird, but like I kinda feel like I have to if someone's doing that. It's total social suicide."

Patricia didn't let the panic outwardly show when he got serious, though showed a fleck of concern.
Oh god fuckin' dammit. I'm not gonna be able to hang out here and drink at night and I PROBABLY shouldn't throw my bottles out here either. NOW I gotta smuggle my trash out. This fuckin' blows.
But she was gonna let this rumor sound as she could get it before busting it, it'd be cool if it became a legend.
"Yeah kinda? I mean they're junkies, they're not all that there in the head. I don't think they've hurt anyone since you'd hear about it but they sorta hang out and make people uncomfortable. I've got no idea when they're out here, I work all night and try to keep away from'em. Like, you're not thinking of doing anything are you? Pfff, you're gonna get fuckin' stabbed, bro."

Okay, this is epic. Drug users in our local Academy? This is truly the time of a prime opportunity. "As long as they're behaved enough to talk to, I can ask those silly men where they obtain their drugs. Perhaps I can buy some, then resell it for a profit! Ohohoho! What a wonderful idea!"

He sat down, and leaned back against the trash can. "Do you know anyone who would purchase such products? You could become Endymion's number one drug kingpin if you wanted to. You could use the money to buy the fruit of the highest quality. Though you wouldn't do that, would you? You'd rather buy a pastry of the highest quality, right? Which is it?" Looking into the sky, he said "I've wondered all my life which I should take, the fruit or the pastry. To be in the best health or to experience the tastiest treat? I'd take the fruit, but I want to hear what you think."

Hokay, so like hypothetical situations or not this kid was asking to get a box cutter to the stomach. You can't reason with junkies, not the hard ones anyway. All they care about is the fix, nothing else matters. She'd seen enough of them to know, even if the cooler ones didn't care. And like, you TOTALLY don't slip charge drug dealers. Everything this kid was thinking about doing was gonna get him killed, it was like watching a car crash play out over the course of several hours. Whatever, it was funny for a little while but not if this guy was gonna run off and wind up a gutter corpse.

"Uh, no? Dude. I was messing with you. There aren't any junkies that hang out around school." Except for her that she knew of and some of the rich kids "You're gonna get hurt trying that. Besides this place is where a bunch of Cadets go, like there isn't any crime miles near this place, they'd get tackled and cuffed in a heartbeat, man." Patricia tapped her foot against her knee, leaning her body to one side as she sat. Now it was on to fruit. Yeah this guy was a total nutjob, but like he was an interesting nutjob so that was okay. He really liked fruit or something, whatever floats your boat.
"Aha, dude I think I'd get a Lambo with some serious dough!" she laughed as he thought about food. Was he hungry? That might be why he's digging in the trash huh? "Hmmm... I'd take the pastry. Like I like pineapple but I get what you're saying and stuff. It's all downhill once you hit 30 anyway and you might not get something that good again, why would you even? What do you even got to look forward to that's worth something awesome now? I think it's a pretty dumb gamble, like you're banking on something amazing happening way later instead of just getting it right then but like... for what, y'know?" Philosophy made Patty's head hurt but at least this kind was easy enough for her to follow along with it. She usually didn't like talking about crap that didn't affect her or she couldn't enjoy.
"Yo, you hungry or something? You talk about fruit a lot."

Shocked. Appalled. These are only two of the many verbs he was feeling right now. "I cannot believe it. I was deceived." Yuri held his head in dismay. "This is the worst thing that has happened to me within the last six hours and twenty-seven minutes." His attitude immediately shifted as he said "It's alright. This is most likely for the best. It's excellent that the facility is safe from the terror of junkies."

"A car? Yes, that's a wonderful choice. High end properties to assert one's monetary dominance is something I too am interested in. People give respect to those who are successful, and getting others to obey you is how you accomplish things in life." Such is what he strived for. Yuri put his hand on his chest. "You haven't heard me cough once, have you? I'm the prime example of peak human health." He licked his lips. "The only things I ingest are to maintain the perfect condition of my body. I need to live as long as I possibly can, in order to do more than anyone else. I can't rule the world if I don't have enough time in my life to get that far. I'm not hungry, it's only that fruit is the answer! It keeps the body functioning perfectly." It must be pleasurable not being concerned with that, but taking a bite out of a chocolate bar could be fatal. He wouldn't allow himself those luxuries, for the sake of maintaining perfect condition.

"Ahahaha my dude, it's not the end of theworld," Patty chuckled. So she was right, he was weird. He was a strange, crazy weirdo. But he was also incredibly funny. Especially about the junkies part, like they were some cartoonish archetypes out to cause trouble then, like, freakin' crackheads and stuff. Well it was kinda hit or miss anyway. Then he got super, like, fascist for a sec and it made her frown.
"Uhhhh..."

...before starting to be funny again. Dude this kid was hilarious! Ruling the world with fruit? It made her think of like fruit nazis walking around in apple costumes throwing oranges at people and she'd pay to see that. Or do it. Patty thought she had the beginnings of a Halloween costume on her hands, The Apple Fuhrer, she who would concentrate the juice.

...nah, nah she already decided on slutty angel. But yeah he was a health nut. And a regular nut. Explained a lot, vegans were crazy dude, doesn't matter who you ask but she could relate kinda. Sure she ate whatever she wanted or whatever she could get her hands on whenever she actually did feel like eating or at least remember to but she stayed active enough to be in better shape than the people who, like, never left their rooms or went out and did anything. Not like an athlete but she could run all day and it wouldn't kill her. Still wouldn't stop her from eating nachos though.
"Shyeah man, go live it up! Hey if an apple a day keeps the doctor away put his ass out of a job, yo!" Patricia grinned and stretched. Couldn't argue with being out there doing stuff and taking over the world, she was doing the same thing just way more fun. "Car's more for fun anyway, like those Bentley's are pretty sick but I mean I'd take something I could open up like a Mustang. Something I could hit 120 with in 6 seconds, ya know? That'd be hella dope." Patty wished she had her own car instead of taking the subway like a loser, but she'd want something nice and fast and worth losing her license over reckless driving for.

Yuri was glad to hear this woman applaud his healthy activity, however, he did hope that no doctors were to lose their occupation. That would be unfortunate. However, it is also unfortunate that individuals suffer in the first place. Even still, there are still times when doctors are needed outside of sickness or injury, such as to assist in childbirth. Health in mind, it was unfortunate that she was smoking. 'That stench of tobacco... She is going to die from smoking. That would be unfortunate. I hope she decides to quit.'

As she spoke of driving fast vehicles, he grew concerned. He hoped she surely didn't mean to say she would like to speed within the city streets, as that would be extremely dangerous. "Driving at high speeds may be enjoyable, but I would advise against it. You may hurt yourself and others, however, if it is at the time necessary to reach such speeds, or you believe yourself capable of maintaining them while driving properly, then you may do so." Yuri sugared his warning with the mention of times acceptable to do otherwise, as to reduce the displeasure induced. He feared that she may one day endanger others in an automotive accident. That would be unfortunate. 'Yes... Perhaps I should acquaintance myself with this individual. It may benefit society if I pushed her towards more responsible behaviour through a friendship of sorts.'

Yuri struck a pose he believed normal for a human to make during social interaction. "A hip kid like you must know where all the cool kids hang out, yes? I suppose it would be satisfactory for us to 'hang out,' as they say." He continued to stand bizarrely, waiting for a response.

"Ha! Yeah, sure I can!" But Patty didn't elaborate on that any further. Whether Sure I can! meant Sure I can be responsible or Sure I can abide by those rules was iffy, but Patty meant Sure I can drive that fast. Driving wasn't hard, it was easy! Just floor it and don't hit stuff! She hadn't driven for a while though, since like a year in some pretty desperate circumstances but it was like riding a bike. The lanky girl didn't even have a license but that didn't mean she couldn't drive. She just couldn't get pulled over. Patricia jiggled her foot and puffed off her cigarette with a smile. At first she thought he'd be one of those crazy freaks and he was but like he was pretty funny too and those were the best kinds. Normal people were never this exciting to be around, they wanted to do dull shit like go to the movies or whatever and they didn't really have anything to talk about she hadn't heard before unless it was gossip.

She had to keep herself from snickering when whoever this dude like exaggeratedly put his hand on his hip and tried to talk lingo. He was hilarious! Freaky sure but TOTALLY funny.
"Snrrrk! Hmmhmm yeah I'm Patty!" she stifled her chuckling, "We can make plans! I'm sure we can think of something to do. Like....... I dunno what you like, the arcade isn't bad if that's your scene. Oh snap, yeah! The inn! They rent dirt bikes there but I can't afford it, mountain biking might be fun!" Patty continued to spit out idea after idea for activities to do, just fun things in general. Skateboarding, swimming at the water park, doing the Backlight french fry challenge, concerts, paintball, hiking, cookout, even crazy things like gluing a silver dollar to the ground and seeing how many people try to pick it up for how long and stuff like drunk double-feature. Anything she could think of really. Patty wanted to do'em all but she'd save the good ideas for other people. Fry challenge she wanted to do with her boyfriend but with beer, it'd be a pub crawl!

"And my name is Yuri. Those indeed sound all fun ideas," he said, truthfully uninterested in the majority of them. Biking had the potential value of exercise though. He realised they'd been talking for a while and now was a good exit point. He should end this before it took up too much of his time. Looking at his watch, Yuri announced "Oh dear, I have places to go!" He did not. "I suppose I'll see you around." He started to take off. 'That Patty... the epitome of a carefree youth.' He didn't have anything else to say other than 'I hope that changes.'

[Exit]