RW   hey

RW   whatre you writin

You look up. Rowan's crouched down, squinting at your notepad. You give him a gentle smile then return to your work.

CV   Notes.

CV   How things have been going… what ive learned…

RW   like a diary

CV   Ahaha sort of.

CV   Its definitely a sequence of events.

CV   It moreso helps me keep track of things.

CV   Ive been doing this for so long ive forgotten what its like without it.

RW   thats easy

RW   you just remember everything thats important

CV   Unfortunately i cant quite do that.

RW   why not

RW   dont trust your memory or somethin

CV   Ah not exactly.

CV   Its just...

CV   A lot to keep track of.

You take a second to look at the page. You erase a word and rewrite it with something more apt.

CV   Thats why i brought a spare all the way here.

CV   I know the episodes and whatnot will be preserved.

CV   But this works better for me.

RW   i dont blame you

RW   you can kinda lose yourself in the glitz and glam around here

RW   plus with all the worryin about trials

RW   i bet this is a lil relaxin

CV   Ahaha yeah.

CV   You can sit if you want.

CV   You dont look very comfortable bending over like that.

RW   sure w/e

As he sits down next to you, you flip to one of the previous pages.

CV   Here.

RW   whoa whoa wait

He turns his head away and averts his eyes.

RW   arent diaries private

RW   youre basically psychologically flashin me right now

CV   Odd comparison.

CV   I dont mind though.

CV   I like talking about my thought process.

CV   As long as youre okay with hearing it i mean.

RW   uh

RW   ok

He turns back towards you and peers over, studying the pages intensely.

RW   so whats with the doodle right there

CV   This was when that car nearly ran over me.

CV   I made sure to write it down as soon as it happened.

RW   hold on

RW   skkkrch

RW   pump the breaks

RW   wait is that insensitive

CV   It doesnt bother me.

RW   whew ok

RW   so first and foremost holy crap dude are you ok

RW   second

RW   that is not something you bring up so casually

CV   Ahaha im fine.

CV   It wasnt a particularly serious one.

CV   Besides - this particular incident hardly takes up a page.

CV   Whats important what happened afterwards.

RW   what

You point to the next paragraph.

CV   In my desperate attempt to get out of the way...

CV   I tripped on the sidewalk and fell flat on my face.

RW   yeesh

CV   See? You can see the smudge where i hit the concrete.

RW   wait

RW   you wrote this as you were on the ground

RW   on the sidewalk

CV   Lucky that i carry my notebook with me everywhere.

RW   is that stain what i think it is

CV   I had to rip out some paper to clean up the blood.

RW   dude

RW   heard of a hospital

CV   Yes im very well acquainted with them.

CV   Ive survived all kinds of things you know.

CV   Since i was able to walk away from this one i didnt need an emergency room.

RW   i dunno if thats hardcore or really dumb

CV   It just makes sense.

RW   uh anyway

RW   whats the point

RW   its kind of a decent story i guess

RW   w/ some twists

CV   Ah its not for some grand narratives sake.

CV   Like i said - its to keep track of everything.

You smile wistfully down at the pages. Your life has been so much easier with this. Before, it all seemed so... random.

CV   Bad fortune was that car was heading in my direction.

CV   Good fortune was it not hitting me directly.

CV   And yet bad fortune was my fall onto the sidewalk trying to avoid it.

CV   And down here you can see something good happening to me later.

CV   You see?

CV   Everything balances out.

CV   As long as i take notes on everything that happens,

CV   I know when to expect the good or the bad.

CV   Its a lot more manageable that way.

RW   huh

RW   and its... worked out like this

CV   Yup.

You hope to see clarity wash across his features, but they're still stuck in that confused expression. Not that you expect someone to understand right away. Still, it's a touch disappointing seeing yet another person struggle to see things from your point of view. At least he's been fairly sympathetic about it.

RW   thats got a lotta pages

RW   what have you written recently

CV   That... id rather not show.

CV   Sorry.

RW   oh wait

RW   is that cause im in there

RW   kehehe

CV   What makes you say that?

He gives you that toothy grin of his, showing off his sharp incisors.

RW   hate to remind you clo-bro

RW   but im bad news

RW   thats what they know me for

RW   i wouldnt be surprised if im causin a bunch of your bad stuff

CV   Hm.

CV   No.

CV   No i wouldnt give you that much credit.

RW   wha

RW   why not

CV   No one should ever want to embody bad luck.

CV   And i wouldnt blame you for whats happened.

CV   It stretches far beyond you. Such is the nature of fortune.

RW   ...

Does he look upset? You wonder if you've misinterpreted his words.

CV   But... if you were?

CV   I can definitely see it.

RW   ...

RW   yea?

CV   Yeah.

CV   Youve got that whole tricksters gambit thing going on.

CV   If you want blame for a bad fall then i guess i know where it goes.

RW   kehe yea

RW   youll never get rid of me

No, he definitely sounds more pleased. You laugh.

CV   Alright.

CV   If you are the 'bad luck' you say you are then...

CV   Feel free to stick around.

RW   cause im bringin good things to you too

RW   it balances out

You match his smile.

CV   Yeah.

CV   Exactly.