chasing the sun // [vertigo]

[vertigo]

J was taken aback. hot cocoa ... wasn't healthy? how could this be? he had obviously been kept alive by it every day he was in proserpina ... the label said sugar and cocoa and milk, which meant proteins, glucose and calcium and some nutrients. wasn't that healthy? it even included fiber, apparently.

"... it has sugar and cocoa and milk," he echoed his thoughts, and glanced down at addi. it tasted good, too. obviously, it was healthy.

(holy fuck why, J)

[king]

addi stared. and stared. was J for real? "you... should need more than just hot chocolate really. there's vitamins and minerals you need. how... how are you not hungry all the time?" she stared for a moment longer, before bringing him back to the library, dragging him by the wrist. she would get him his hot chocolate then bring him somewhere else to drink it. preferably somewhere that allowed singing.

her music fix was nagging at her after recent events.

[vertigo]

J glanced at addi, confused. what was the big deal about hot chocolate, anyway? it was a drink that tasted good ... and was good for health. it was even recommended by the pokémon health association as a great way to start the day.

he allowed himself to be dragged along by the ranger. he wasn't in the mood to fight back, and besides, hot chocolate. that was reason enough.

[king]

J had his hot chocolate, and addi was heading for her own fix now. she brought him to a small pub, mostly empty because of the time of day. there was a booth that she directed J to, rondo settling down on the other side.

meanwhile, addi left to the stage. after a brief conversation with the tender, she was allowed a microphone. only a few people were there to hear her sing, but she didn't mind. her head entered a different space, words flowing from songs remembered before the scourge. long-short, long-short, long-short. her words followed a simply jazz melody, eventually the correct song being played in the background. stress from trying to please J fizzled out, muscles visibly relaxing. everything was the way it should be, in addi's head anyway.

[vertigo]

J sat quietly at the booth; he enjoyed the music, and the beer and cigarettes. it didn't matter that he was falling asleep either; today seemed to be a lethargic, slow day for him.

[king]

eventually someone else stepped up to sing, and addi took her leave. she settled down into the booth and relaxed, eyes closing and resting her head on her arms, all crossed on the table top.

[vertigo]

at this, J decided to fling some cigarette ash at the singer, just for the sake of. she seemed sort of tired, when she had been so happy and excited after their stint at the juno restaurant.

he glanced at her, watching for a response.

[king]

what the--

addi sneezed, startling even herself. it was an interesting sight as her eyes widened, blinking as if wondering what had caused it. her fingers brushed off the cigarette ash and eyed J with raised eyebrows.

of course, now she had to flick him back with some ash.

[vertigo]

J dodged the ash and used cigarette ash flick again. no, not really. he took the flick remarkably well, and put his smoke out. he glanced at addi.

"happy?"

[king]

"much." she tilted her head and eyed the cigarette. "do you smoke often?" when she exhaled, there was no smoke, obviously. addi had always been too terrified of losing her voice to start smoking.

now was the time when she wondered what J would sound like if he sang.

[vertigo]

that was a tough question. J wasn't sure what constituted often. he smoked when he felt like it, yes, or when he needed to wake up like right now urgent. he looked at addi, couldn't find an answer written on her face. not on the ceiling, either.

he shrugged as an answer.

[king]

durr, addi forgot that j wasn't much of a talker. "i'll take that as an occasional smoker then." she opted for. "it'll damage your voice though. poison your lungs and whatnot." she hadn't really heard much of J's voice to determine whether or not he had a smoker's voice. she assumed he didn't, anyway.

[vertigo]

J shrugged. that was fine by him. addi's calculations, though sometimes inaccurate, was usually what she thought. there was no point in contradicting her thinking. "okay," he said, and snacked on a few peanuts. he wasn't processing much mentally.

[king]

addi took a deep breath and sighed heavily. she patted rondo on the head while resting, eyes closed once more. she was tired as well, and the lack of stimulation wasn't doing much to keep her awake.

[vertigo]

J glanced over addi, waited until she fell asleep, then gestured for the bartender to bring her some sort of blanket before he left.