(Untitled)

[kamen_faiz]

The icon lies. Takumi is not wearing a suit.

But he is giving everybody who passes him very suspicious looks, as he sits at an out of the way booth and blows repeatedly on a mug of hot chocolate.

Botherable.

Comments

[guppy_sandhu]

"Hey." Guppy nearby, with tea.

"How are you settling in?"

[kamen_faiz]

"I'm not settling in," Takumi says, as if the suggestion that he might be is a personal insult.

[guppy_sandhu]

"Okay, then let's cut that down to 'How are you?'." Guppy says, sitting down nearby.

He wonders whether Takumi is secretly shy, or afraid to let people get close.

[kamen_faiz]

"I'm irritated that people keep interrupting my hot chocolate drinking." Guppy is, technically, the only person to interrupt him so far, but still. Flatly: "How are you?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"I'm fine, thank you." Guppy says. "You're not keen on company, I take it?"

[kamen_faiz]

"What do you think?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"I can't quite make you out." Guppy admits. "But I can tell that you care about people."

"Have you been out back yet?"

[kamen_faiz]

"You've met me twice. How can you tell anything about me?" Pause. "Out back?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"You saved my life." Guppy points out. "And you work to save the life of others."

He nods. "There's a garden."

[kamen_faiz]

Snort. "Only until I find somebody to take the Faiz Gear off my hands."

Headtilt. "A garden? How is that possible?"

[guppy_sandhu]

"No idea. But it's all safe, you don't float away or anything."

[kamen_faiz]

"I could've figured that one out myself."

[guppy_sandhu]

"Do you want to see it or not?"

[kamen_faiz]

Long-suffering sigh.

"Go on then."

[guppy_sandhu]

Guppy leads him towards the back door.

"There's a forest, a lake and some mountains."

[kamen_faiz]

"That doesn't sound all that interesting."