(no subject)

[hellburger]

Kazuhira Miller has made himself at home at a cozy Nexus seating group. He pores over a spread of newspapers and magazines covering a plethora of universes and alternate Earth timelines. To one side, a text book on theoretical physics is opened to a chapter on string theory and a cup of black coffee has formed a puckered ring over Donald Trump's leering face on an issue of Time Magazine.

He lays his current paper flat on the adjacent coffee table, leans forward to rest his elbows on his knees, and loosely clasp his palms. "What's the strangest news you've ever heard? Or, if you'd rather: what world event would you say has affected you the most?"

Miller's head turns and points to a four-inch stack of glossy flyers. He sighs. "And ... while we're at it, when did newspapers become seventy-percent ads?"

Comments

[cardboard_boss]

"We have a dog back at Diamond Dogs. DD. Ocelot trained him up from a puppy to aid me in missions." Boss loved DD and loved how loyal the dog was to him. "He might even replace you as my best friend, Kaz." He was joking, of course. There were things a dog couldn't do that a human could.

"What answer are you looking for?"

[hellburger]

"Replace me, huh?" Miller smiles and rubs the back of his neck. "Hell, I wouldn't blame you. The mutt's probably way easier to deal with."

His head tilts to the side. "You're predictable: I know how much you value loyalty. Few things on this earth are as unquestioningly loyal as a dog."

[cardboard_boss]

"I would never replace you, Kaz. Nothing could. I'd miss all your useful advice over the radio." He offered his friend a fond smile. "Tell me to brush twice a day, huh?"

[hellburger]

"Aww, Boss. Glad to hear I'm so useful," he says with a laugh, as much as he knows there's genuine sentiment behind it.

"Take a shower once in a blue moon, brush your teeth. I'm not asking a lot." He shrugs emphatically. "If you wanna keep chowing down on raw reptiles, you'll need to keep those teeth firmly in your skull."

[cardboard_boss]

"You're useful, Kaz. You're my right hand man, remember." Because he wouldn't have it any other way. "I don't plan on having my teeth smashed out anytime soon." He raised an eyebrow at that.

[hellburger]

"A lot's depending on you, Snake. You gotta take good care of yourself."

He crosses his arms and arches an eyebrow. "I'm not always gonna be around to nag you about this crap."

[cardboard_boss]

"Don't talk like that, Kaz. We'll be around for as long as the world needs us." Boss looked at his friend for a moment before shaking his head. "I'd miss your advice over the radio."