substitutable | (no subject)

[Orientation was... stressful. Matt feels overloaded after the second day and he doesn't have the energy to turn down Shintaro's invitation to visit. His bag discarded in the passenger side of his car, he examines the apartment in detail, to check for any changes. Once he has observed none, Matt drops face first onto his couch.]

How do they expect us to remember all that?

You don't.

[It's hot outside, but Shintaro keeps his apartment cooled so that should feel nice. He drops all the orientation leader stuff into his desk chair (his desk is in the living room instead of the bedroom because there's better lighting and more space)]

You'll figure stuff out as they come up. You want anything to drink?

Why bother telling us? [He groans into the couch cushions. Sorry you have lost your couch, Shin.]

I think I'll survive.

[He does not mind. He's making his way over to his fridge to grab a bottle of soda for himself.]

It's usually to just answer any questions their parents have. Mine were like that. See anything that caught your interest though?

A couple clubs. One with a lot of volunteer work. [He peeks up.] It'll look good on my resume.

Yeah, it definitely will. Good thinking. And the other one?

Fencing. [He rolls to sit up.]

I am not gaining the freshman fifteen.

If you're eating as much as you do already and doing fine without the fencing I doubt you'll be getting it in college.

I won't risk it.

I guess there's nothing wrong with that...

[He will sit down at his desk with the soda, setting it down and opening up his computer. Even if it's summer, he has a graduation thesis he's been planning out. He's not paying much attention to it though -- it's just habit to open it up every time he sits. He's spinning his chair around to peer at Matt.]

How're you doing?

Aside from exhausted? [He shrugs.] Don't know, yet. A lot of information. Wondering if it's going to matter considering we might have alien overlords by the time I graduate...

In the case that you might, still have a degree so you can say you at least did something.

[He's not watching where he kept his soda...]

I don't think alien overlords would be interested in a budding politician.

Who knows? Maybe they'll want to get you on their side.

Mm. [He sighs.] If I become a politician I'm just going to become a dick like the rest of them. The aliens will love me.

As long as you're a dick only against the people who're dicks to the ones you want to protect, right?

It'll make them target us all the more. [He drops back down to the couch, hand over his face.] I understand why adults are alcoholics.

You are too young to be saying that.

I am 35 if we add my lives together.

Reincarnating usually means a reset unless you're Buddhist good try.

It adds up when you remember the lives.

[Sigh.] Right, right. No alcohol for you if you're tempted to be an alcoholic.

Drug addict? Smoker?

[Another sigh.] Sorry, sorry. Not things to joke about.

You must really be tired... [He sighs and shakes his head and moves to get up again, eyes on the bookshelf behind the couch so he can grab some stuff but he accidentally elbows the open soda bottle over on the desk!!]

[He hears that fall and his eyes fly open and he sits up. That isn't good at all. He tries to think of where Shin puts towels--]