not at fault | closed
He did know how to use texts, thank you very much. Sure, he was a little slower at times. Didnât check his phone for extended amounts of time⊠Still, at least he knew how. Speaking of which, heâd decided he should probably keep checking his phone if Aoba did happen to be in the area.Â
TO: Aoba FROM: Mink
Be right there.
However, the text that came after was disregarded. It was unimportant in comparison to actually locating the other.. A little annoying too. Really, farming wasnât so amazing that another moment of his time was spent reading another text. So now his phone was tucked away for safekeeping as heâd made his way to the destination.. It had certainly been awhile since heâd been to Paralia but he was still able to find his way without much of an issue. Plus, it wasnât too far from where he already was. Otherwise, he may have ended up changing his mind and telling Aoba to meet up with him later.
It was nostalgic.. These hills.. Even the farmland.
But he didnât allow himself to recall such memories.. Instead, he focused on the abnormal amount of blue that was now within his sight. Not the sky. Just a heap of blue. He regarded Aoba first with a nod when the other spoke, closing more distance between them before he stopped.
"Apparently."
Removing his phone from his pocket once more, he opened it to show the text that was last sent to it. âDonât waste time with things like this.â That was all he had to say on that matter apparently, seeing as the phone was put away once more when he was certain Aoba got the message.
"Your plans from here? Thereâs no transportation to Kairos so I assume you found someplace to stay for the time beingâŠ"
His pipe replaced the phone, the smell of tobacco drifting around after he lit it.. He stared at the other a moment before the slightest smirk formed.
"Or are you going to sleep in the fields you find so amazing? Idiot."Â
Flinching in reflex from the verbal insults -- Aoba turned on his heel and looked to the scene he had been taking in before Mink's unceremonious arrival. Suddenly it didn't seem as majestic as it had before and he couldn't take the time to appreciate it which admittedly, irritated him. It's not as if he could argue with what Mink said -- he really couldn't, he had tried to argue with him before and it only resulted in Aoba being scolded even worse. Furrowing his brows and spinning back on his heel to face Mink, Aoba flinched again from the  combination of smoke and a final comment.
"...Mink, you don't have to be so --"
Why did he always feel so defeated after encountering Mink?
He had been optimistic and even worried about him and instead of what he had hoped could have been a normal conversation, it was this again. Aoba knew that Mink wasn't all bad -- there were plenty of times(or maybe a handful) that he had talked to him and Mink genuinely seemed positively responsive. But, Aoba would likewise be lying if Mink didn't more often regard Aoba just like this. It's as if he was toying with him -- leading him on with the tiniest semblance, glimmer, that there was more than met the eye when it came to him - only to rip it away in the next breath.
Still -- Aoba took a strengthening breath and persevered. He tried not to let Min's words deter him and crossed his arms, leaning forward with a thoughtful hum from the back of his throat. He then explained that he had an option sure, but he didn't want to be a burden to that person either. A short sigh exhaled and Aoba mumbled that he'd already asked that person a big favor and couldn't just abuse their kindness. Glancing up next, Aoba curiously eyed Mink with a burning question on the tip of his tongue.Â
"What about you...?"Â
Well, it's not like he had anything to lose by asking. And besides it was a fairly harmless question -- whether Mink wanted him to or not, Aoba was still worried about Mink's situation too. Mink could try to deter Aoba as much as he liked but he wasn't going to back down or stop trying anytime soon.















