(no subject)

[loose_cannon]

"Hey, uh . . . anyone here ever had to, you know . . . reconnect with anyone before?"

The question comes from a man seated at the edge of the forum. A heavy, fringed overcoat is draped over the back of the speaker's chair, and he's kicked his pair of dusty boots up on a nearby tabletop. Overall, it looks like the man would be more at home in the American west: he wears a bolo tie and bandana around his neck, embroidered denim shirt, heavy belt buckle holding up crossed gun holsters and reinforced jeans. The tanned, scarred skin of his face contrasts starkly with his shaggy white hair. At a glance, he appears to be (at least) in his late 40's, but his eyes have a youthful, fiery spark to them.

The gunslinger swings his boots down off the table so he can sit forward and pour himself another shot from a brown-bagged bottle.

"Family in particular?" He adds before taking a swig.

Comments

[sumarusfinest]

Katsuya takes it. He has similar callouses to Mr. Black's on his hands--years of shooting and cleaning his firearm.

Ah, there was no getting around it, was there? They couldn't talk about family without...
"My brother and I have a similar age difference. I don't know their situation, Mr. Black, but believe me when I say that children are stronger than they look."

Katsuya gives a sort of nostalgic smile. "Even if we wished they wouldn't have to be." If his kids have seen half the things Katsuya knows his brother's seen, he can understand the concern Mr. Black must feel. Those so young shouldn't have to shoulder such a burden.

[loose_cannon]

He cracks a half-smile. "That's some comfort. Sometimes I look at those two and I'm blown away by how well they handled everything. I'm damn proud of those kids."

"Shit, maybe I'm just overthinking this stuff?" He looks at Katsuya for confirmation. "Stupid, isn't it? How easy it is to be in, say, a goddamn gunfight and not so much as bat an eye, but when it comes to family, the stakes feel so much higher."

[sumarusfinest]

"My brother often brought a katana to those gunfights, and won." Katsuya shakes his head. "Having them along worries you constantly, every time they feel they have something to prove. But...it also lets you know they're alive. And a chance to see how capable they've become."

Katsuya isn't a parent, even though he's tried to be one for his younger brother. He can only shrug weakly.

"If your children are being distant toward you, you have to give them time. If they're not, then perhaps yo0u are overthinking it."

[loose_cannon]

"Hah! Sword to a gun fight, huh? I've known some morons who happily did the same. Also won without hardly breaking a sweat, crazy bastards!" He slaps a palm on the table, making his glass jump.

"But yeah, you're right. Maybe just let the kids get used to the idea of having their pop around again. Can't force these things to mend."

[sumarusfinest]

Katsuya feels a twinge of comradery between the two of them. If he wasn't such a weepy drunk maybe he'd imbibe more often. Still, it tugs a smile onto his face.

"As long as you make it clear the door will always be open...they'll come when they're ready." Waiting was the difficult part. This much the officer knows all too well.

[loose_cannon]

"Thanks, Kasu ... uh, Kat ... ? Sorry, I'm fucking awful with names." And the booze doesn't help. "Thanks for the perspective. Kinda weird talking to strangers about this personal shit, but sometimes you need an outside opinion."

[sumarusfinest]

"Katsuya. It's alright. Lots of people from the Nexus have had trouble with it."

At least Jesse was trying. The officer bristled at the nickname he'd gotten the last time he was in the Nexus. Butchered versions of his name were so preferable to Spanky. Or Pansy.

"Nothing to apologize for. I realize how...difficult reconnecting with family can be."