(Untitled)

[hellcash]

This was pretty much Baofu's Wednesday night routine: hit up the Hirasaka district. Red Light Shiraishi was a great place for ramen, baseball and booze. He always stayed until closing, lost in his own thoughts or conversing with the owner of the establishment while the radio provided background noise

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[sumarus_finest]

Even before his hand pulls the door open, Katsuya knows he will not be alone in Shiraishi tonight. Though the place looks empty from where he stands at the door, the faint familiar Resonance that he'd picked up on was all he needed to know.

"...Not tonight..." He grumbles, dropping his hand back to his side and letting the door close again. Even though he'd lost touch with everyone again...somehow, Baofu's jeering was the last thing he wanted to see right now.

[hellcash]

Baofu sensees the other Persona-users chi before Katsuya even touches the doorknob. Well, this would certainly make things interesting: tonight could either go amazingly well, or spectacularly bad.

"Well, look who it is," Baofu says without even looking at his only friend.

[sumarus_finest]

"Evening." Instead of finding his own isolated part of the small shop, Katsuya pulls up a chair next to Baofu.

For a minute he says nothing more, but a first in their friendship occurs. Katsuya tugs the ashtray from in front of Baofu to between them and puts down his lit cigarette while he removes his jacket.

"...I trust you're doing well." He picks the smoke back up.

[hellcash]

He quirks a brow as Katsuya steals the ashtray, as he'd forgotten that the older Suou had taken up smoking again. There is no return greeting or even a nod of aknowledgement from the rumormonger.

A few moments after his own cigarette is lit, Baofu turns to face Katsuya.

"So, riddle me this: where the hell have you been?"

[sumarus_finest]

A prickle of anger creeps on Katsuya, but it passes before he could even tell himself he was being stupid. It was Baofu's backasswards way of caring.

He knew that.

"My apartment back in Konan. Work. I've got my job back." The monotony could have been a default for Katsuya, except he didn't sound like business. More like he hadn't slept in a couple days. Also not unusual for Katsuya, all things considered.

"Where have you been?"

[hellcash]

Oh, of course it's Baofu's backwards way of caring. He has to make the person he cares about feel like complete shit, point out all their faults, get them drunk, make them feel even worse than ever so subtlely say he's concerned about them... while they're drunk, so they won't remember.

"Work, huh? Well, good to know that you're no longer subject of a criminal investigation. Want a beer?"

Dodging the questions directed at him, as always!

[sumarus_finest]

"Up to no good then." Katsuya answers for him, though doesn't seem to be bothered by this assumption.

He takes another drag off his cigarette. "And no. Wait....alright. Sounds fine."

Another listless silent moment, this time spent staring at the television. "Don't get caught, whatever it's been."

[hellcash]

"Beer for the police officer, miss!" Baofu calls out. The owner of Shiraishi gets one for Katsuya, and another for Baofu.

"On the house," she says, and then retreats to the back.

"What makes you always assume I'm doing something illegal? Honestly, Suou," he mutters and adjusts his glasses.

[sumarus_finest]

"The fact that your cheerful self hasn't come over once on the prospect of a free meal. Never needed an invite before, so I assumed you didn't want to see me." Partially true. Katsuya hadn't exact;y gone out of his way to go see Baofu, either.

"Thank you." He just barely fails at a smile to the owner.

"...You're team's losing again, I see."

[hellcash]

"Hey, I've been working too! Not like you ever came to see me or clean my house or anything in the past few months either, so quit your bitchin'." Baofu grumbles, taking another swig of his beer.

"They let their opponent think they're winning, then go in for the kill. Y'know, Jaguars and shit." The rumormonger briefly thinks of that Nate kid from a few years ago-- fan of a rival team, and loaded but still a good kid. He hadn't heard from anyone in their whole Save the World crew in... well... forever.

[sumarus_finest]

"...." Katsuya can't help it, but he can't really believe Baofu just said something like that either. He cranes his head and gives the rumormonger a look that's halfway between annoyance and real surprise.

Really, he should have considered a compliment.

"You did not just address me like an incompetent maid." It was not a question, but rather a statement of the obvious.

[hellcash]

Baofu can't resist snickering. He pushes his ramen bowl to the opposite end of the table and sets his beer down, sneering.

"Oh, I went there, Suou. I got a corner in the apartment that's lookin' kinda bare."

And that would be Baofu's way of saying "being roomies was kind of fun and I actually do miss you a little bit, why haven't you visited me D:"

[sumarus_finest]

For another half second Katsuya finds himself getting angry again, but then he finally thinks long enough to realize what it is Baofu's trying to say.

The tension fades, and after tending to his drink for a little bit, he heaves a sigh.

"Didn't want you to see me moping around was all. Though I should have figured you wouldn't have wanted to be around Tatsuya and Jun. Sorry..."

Baofu might not have been the only one that missed it, either.

[hellcash]

"I thought those kids, like, died or something. I haven't seen 'em around at all. Haven't seen Serizawa or Amano around either, though..." He says, stroking his beard in thought.

Ah, well, Suou's here. He's finally got someone to pick on!

[sumarus_finest]

"Jun doesn't go out much...and...Tatsuya is Tatsuya." The elder Suou shrugs. It was good to have his pseudo family back again, even if they were distant of late.

"Jun's convinced everyone hates him again. He's getting better though." He'd love to be happy, really Katsuya would. His family is very important to him. But...he finishes off his beer.

[hellcash]

"...Not surprising," Baofu mutters, "fuckin' kids."

He'd go off on a tangent about how much he hates kids, but the ones in the Save The World crew weren't that bad, but the Jun-being-the-Joker thing was kind of weird.

Fucking kids.