"Contrariwise," continued Tweedledee,

"if it was so, it might be; and if it were so,

it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic."-Through the looking Glass

He kind of smelt like pepper. It was just one of the small things Roose happened to notice.

He wasn't exactly sure why, or if the smell was actually pepper…since he couldn't honestly remember what pepper smelt like. But if pepper did have a smell it would be him.

And if he had a smell it would be pepper. He was pepper. That was that.

It was all Roose really needed to know. He didn't really care what pepper smelt like, as long as it tasted good with his food. Which it did because, as the saying went, pepper IS the best spice to everything.

And if he smelt like pepper then what did that mean?

And it wasn't like he smelt that way all the time…actually correction…it wasn't like Roose could smell him all the time.

Maybe he could ask Zero, maybe he would know.

Well…he should know considering how much time Yamagi spent trying to get his attention.

Then again it WAS Zero. And he didn't care about anyone other than Hiead.

Although sometimes it occurred to Roose that for someone named Zero…for someone named no one…maybe he'd be a little…well a little less stuck up. Not that Zero wasn't nice. Not that Zero wasn't his friend. But still.

Yamagi was their friend too. Yet everyone treated him like he was below them… and more than just height wise. Roose always wondered if he was fat, would they be treating him the same way?

He never ASKED though.

Someone once said, be careful of asking, you might just get real answers.

Like if Hiead had tried to kill Zero or Clay… everyone would have shunned him…permanently. No questions asked.

But Hiead tried to kill Yamagi, and in a little while he's be sitting at there table…acting as if he had somewhere to go…but in truth he didn't.

No one really wanted Hiead around. Other than Zero. And maybe his repairer.

Then again, no one really wanted Yamagi around…or they didn't act like it.

But then again, this was GOA. No one cared about anyone.

Everyone was just sort of there. They just sort of fit.

Kind of.

They hung out, they trained. That was that.

Roose knew it.

Every once in a while he thought about it. But it wasn't like he had anywhere to go.

It wasn't like it actually bothered him…it just was what it was.

But sometimes. Just sometimes.

He wondered. What if it wasn't?

What if there was no more GOA?

What if they all just stopped…BEING?

Maybe he'd be a chef.

Yea, that sounded right, a chef. He imagined his kitchen looking like a kitchen should look…not that he really remembered kitchens but he was SURE they were wonderful. And the smell of pepper. It would HAVE to smell like pepper, maybe sugar too. Maybe.

And he'd be fat, that he KNEW for sure. But it wouldn't matter…would it?

No in a place without GOA it wouldn't matter.

Then again…Roose knew thoughts like this led to nothing.

He knew that no matter how much he thought…tomorrow there would be victim.

Tomorrow there would be GOA.

Tomorrow there would be them just being.

And like Zero says.

Or like Yamagi says, even though Zero was the first one to say it… "leave all the thinking to Clay."

Roose didn't have a problem with that; it was better that way actually. It was apart of being.

Clay could do all the thinking, Clay SHOULD do all the thinking.

Because if Yamagi really DID smell like pepper, and if pepper was Yamagi…and if he was a chef in his kitchen…well what would that mean? It HAD to mean something.

Roose was sure of it.

But another thing Roose was sure of…was simply that here, at GOA…it didn't. It couldn't. It wouldn't.

Yes, here at GOA it didn't matter really.

No, not at all.