[ THREAD ] 4TH WALL - DAY ONE

[neo_mod]

Who: EVERYONE
Where: EVERYWHERE
When: DAY 1 [December 2]
Summary: Hello hello new citizens.
Rating: Anything.
Other: Don't forget to read this & this. You are free to create your own location threads or hop into someone else's thread. Remember to mark your thread "CLOSED" if you want a limited group. Also, there can be more than one thread per

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[riflecraft]

There was something wrong here. -- That, in itself, was not a difficult thing to pinpoint. Nonetheless, it seemed to summarize the gravity of the situation well enough. The thick wad of bills and the handheld device did little to alleviate the danger of the fact that he had woken to find himself in a strange hotel in a strange city. A quick glance through what looked like some sort of message board made the message clear: something was wrong here.

Still -- he couldn't simply wait for things to fix themselves. Having culled whatever information he could from the mess that was the message board (was this the main form of communication here?), Shun immediately donned the most inconspicuous outfit he found in the bag (gray sweatshirt, jeans, light jacket) and took to the streets. The pistol at his belt was perfectly hidden beneath the hem of his jacket, and his outfit allowed him to blend in seamlessly with the city's crowd. A lesson that had been drilled into his head: never, ever stand out. It's the easiest way to attract trouble.

And so, walking down the streets with his hands in his pockets, glancing over the storefronts -- they all looked painfully normal -- Shun wondered what to do. Information was what he needed most, obviously. Then -- the library? Or a bookstore? Some place where he could first come to some understanding about this place before he decided his next course of action.

[mouthabuse]

Well, there was one thing Kakihara was positive about. This wasn’t Shinjuku. That, and his head hurt like hell. But this place didn’t look like hell either. What a shame, he was actually looking forward to that. But there was no mistake that he had fallen to his death - and for that, he rubbed the back of his head as he looked around the city. The cash was in his pocket and those clothes? Some people had no style at all. So he wore what he died in.

The thought of signing into the actual network seemed like a bunch of bullshit to him. What type of freak would just dump him here and just give him a message? Maybe! Maybe he was in a coma or -- or well. Maybe Ichi didn’t die either and had set this game up for him. What a nice guy.

He walked the streets casually, the corner of his mouth twisted into a look of bemusement as he gazed around the tall buildings. First he thought of what he could spend the cash on, if maybe that perhaps he could find a little fun and see who the local sadists (and masochists) were. So he picked up a daily paper which simply made him quirk up a eyebrow at the names of -- of; who the hell were these people?

But lucky for him, when he walked around the next corner he bumped into some asshole, and Kakihara could only give a startled little noise of, "Oi." That came out almost unintelligent before he looked at the other. He looked rather. ’Moe’. And so acting like a complete gentleman, he folded the paper and tucked it under his arm before continuing with a smile that was half chipper, and half lost as he gazed around with his voice rich with Japanese, " -- Do you know where Shinjuku is? I think I took a wrong turn."

[riflecraft]

Admittedly, it was partly his fault. He'd let his thoughts wander a bit while he walked -- too absorbed in wondering what on earth this situation was, how this could have happened, where this place was -- and wasn't exactly looking ahead. So it wasn't that much of a surprise when the next moment, Shun walked face-first into a figure rounding the corner from the opposite direction. Falling back a step, he looked up and noted the flamboyant features for a moment -- some sort of rock star, maybe? -- before giving a small nod. "I'm sorry, please excuse me, I should have been looking where I was going." A quiet apology in polite, respectful English --

-- but wait. Shinjuku? Shun had lived his entire life in New York, but he knew enough to recognize the name. This man was also probably not a native of this city, then -- someone from Tokyo. Given how many people were on the network panicking, it shouldn't have been surprising that he would eventually run into another newcomer. But -- this soon? It was a little jarring, and garnered more attention than he would have liked.

Pausing for a moment, he hesitated over his words before answering slowly. "I'm afraid I can't say for certain, but I would have to guess that it's not anywhere near here. You're currently in Terra." His Japanese was flawless, and he gave a small, almost apologetic nod following his words. 'Terra.' 'Earth.' Whoever had named this 'level' hadn't been terribly creative, he guessed. Either way, it would probably be best to end this conversation as quickly as possible and be on his way.

[mouthabuse]

With the newspaper folded under his arm -- which slipped, incidentally, as Shun started to talk in English (Not that Kakihara couldn’t understand it. He could perfectly, and he wondered for a moment why was he talking to English if he wasn’t a tourist? That would’ve been pretty useless. ) -- Kakihara scratched behind his ear briefly as he listened to the other, giving a slight nod here, and just a quirk of a eyebrow over there. His gestures were completely strange as far as they went, not to say that they were rude as he kept eye contact the whole time.

And panicking? Who was panicking. Kakihara hadn’t even checked the network. Though he did try to ring his cellphone a dozen times only to be answered with a disconnected signal or something or rather. And Kakihara just looked at Shun for a long silent moment before giving him a nod, and continuing his words in a mixed jumble of broken thoughtful English and flawless soft-spoken Japanese, "Aaah. So. You’re from here I take it?" Not really a question, more so he was completely determined and positive that Shun wasn’t in the same boat as his own.

Another thoughtful pause before he continued in a rush " -- Not here here. But here here. You know. From here. From..." -- Picking up the paper once again and he read the English lettering, slowly, "...Ne.o.Gen.esis. NeoGenesis." And mumbled as an afterthought of what type of crappy name for a city that was.

"Then, I guess you can take me on a tour." Kakihara said with a masking smile added to his scarred and pierced visage as he rocked on his heels with hands in his pockets.

[riflecraft]

"A -- tour?" No. Not what he'd intended. Shun couldn't help but look vaguely taken-aback for a moment at that request. -- did a normal person ask someone they ran into on the streets for a tour? It seemed like such an odd request, even for a newcomer.

Not to mention, now that he'd spent a few moments in this man's company, Shun was starting to notice the small, strange qualities of his appearance and mannerisms. The scarred face, the flamboyant clothes, the rambling words -- all pointing towards something out of normal. And of course, there was always the possibility that this man was some misplaced celebrity -- but regardless, they were already drawing some stray stares from passersby. Attention. Always a danger factor.

Giving his head a small shake, Shun shied away a fraction. "I'm afraid you're mistaken." A low, nervous laugh escaped his lips -- perfectly faked for the sake of etiquette -- and he went on politely. "I've also arrived to the city fairly recently, and I wouldn't be able to do much for you at all. But I'm certain that there are agencies and such that would be able to provide you with such a service more than adequately?"

A thought: maybe he could find a map at a place like that. Somewhere where he could ask for the location of the nearest library or bookstore or information center. -- but not with this man. It would be best to move alone. Giving a small nod towards the folded up newpaper, he added quietly, "Perhaps you could find a number to contact in the newspaper?"

[mouthabuse]

And what is a normal person - really? From the moment that Kakihara had met Shun, Kakihara had thought of seven ways to eviscerate his fragile frame and thirteen ways of how to break his neck as well as the rest of the bones in his bodies. But really, Kakihara had thought the same about all those that stared at him, in which he had only returned with a look of complete lack of common sense, as though he was stupidly gazing along them.

This acting as a distraction, Kakihara barely had enough time to hear at what Shun was saying. And it was only when Shun nodded towards the newspaper that Kakihara gave Shun a very ungraceful, very dumb, " -- Huh?" and took the newspaper in his hand. Thinking for a moment that Shun must want to read it. And Kakihara was already half-way to handing it to himself before he rewind his brain for a moment and remembered with Shun was talking about, in which Kakihara replied with a childish well-humored mumble, "You could talk louder you know. Just a suggestion."

Flipping the paper over, Kakihara squinted as he looked for a phone number. And then he committed an acute inhale as eyes scanned one that said ’XXX BDSM; your supreme courage will be sorely tested with our new store of Abyss criminal sadists!’ And perhaps he made a faint impressed sound.

With a few mumbles and some page flipping, Kakihara took out his phone and started to call the correct phone number for a tourist agency. Unlucky for Shun that his phone soon enough disconnected. "That was useless." He muttered before looking at Shun, and with a sledge of his hand that preformed a wave, he muttered lightly, "My name is Kakihara Masao. I’m the Yakuza boss for the Anjo-clan in Shinjuku. You’re going to be my tourist, and we’re going to be friends. It's nice to meet you." With a pause, Kakihara got into Shun's personal space and smiled, "So, do you have a name, or would you prefer tourist-chan?"

[riflecraft]

This person -- didn't make sense. It was the only evaluation that Shun could make so far. That, and that they were also dangerous. Though Shun didn't know the details of what was going on in the man's head, the blank stare was enough to make his nerves prickle. This really wasn't what he'd intended. And he almost flinched back for a moment when the newspaper was suddenly halfway offered in his direction before being withdrawn. -- what was this man thinking?

But was really set him on edge was the fact that this man was a self-proclaimed Yakuza boss. 'Boss' might have been self-promotion for the sake of intimidation, but Shun didn't doubt for a moment that Kakihara really was a mobster. The scars, the confident swagger, and the fact that he instinctively felt wary -- it made sense. And Shun really couldn't help tensing ever so slightly at this reveal. The last thing he'd wanted was to attract the attention of someone like this so soon.

Shying away a step when Kakihara edged closer, Shun hesitated over his words, brows furrowed. "I'm --" Pause. What was he supposed to say? It didn't look like the man was armed, but making an enemy so quickly wasn't a very pleasant option either. "-- It's Shun." A name wasn't very much. He minced over his next words before speaking, though.

"-- I'm sorry, Kakihara-san, but I'm afraid I wouldn't be of much help to you in this situation. I've also just found myself here and am looking for information -- I doubt that I would be a very good companion for you. And -- if you woke up in the same circumstances that I did, you will probably have some sort of communicator device that will probably double as a cellphone to contact a service." Pause, and he gave a small, nervous half-bow. "Please, if you will excuse me."

[mouthabuse]

As bland, and as subtle as they were, Kakihara did have his suspicions that Shun was in the same situation before. Several minutes ago he would have claimed otherwise, to believe that Shun was none other than the type who would seemingly walk the streets with no problem at all. But now that Shun had spoken of simply awaking here the same as he himself did, that just turned the tables a little bit. As much as Kakihara would display himself as one that was confused and lost, that didn’t mean he was completely stupid.

He smiled, almost childishly as he rocked on the heels of his shoes once again with his hands deep in his pant pockets. Lips twisted into a corner purse and he looked around the streets, as well as where they were standing listening to Shun’s words. "Oh -- ? So, Shun-chan then." It was undeniable that Shun was relatively cute, almost looking like someone that was out of a anime. Though, he did quirk his head in the slightest as he heard of the other speaking of a communication device and --

-- Ah. That thing in the large bag. "I’m afraid to say I like to travel light." He said with a wry-smirk as fingers searched their pockets. The only thing he had in them was a small nail filer as well as a pen. That certainly wouldn’t help either them at all. Also, Kakihara was not oblivious to the fake that Shun wishes to abandon him (But who could blame him when he was faced with a pierced faced freak?) so he muttered slowly, "Is there something on my face?"

But the question was dismissed as he scratched the side of his head and continued, "It looks like I have to go with you then. After all, did you read the paper? There are super powers. Mutants. Not like circus acts or the elephant man. That would be something. But aah. Supernatural abilities, they seem scary, don’t they?" But the corners of his mouth only tightened as though he was anticipating meeting one, and hopefully his lungs would burst from his rib cage. But the thought was interrupted as he gripped onto Shun’s arm and started to drag him along, "Lets get to know one another, we don’t know how long we’ll be for. -- What do you do?"

[riflecraft]

'-chan.' It was a childish honorific, and for a moment Shun felt almost as if this man were mocking him. Treating him as a child. Though -- on second thought, it didn't seem something so malicious. Kakihara didn't look like the type to bother with things like that, from what little Shun had seen so far. The man was difficult to read, what with the little smirks and twitching movements, and Shun couldn't pin down just how dangerous he was -- and how urgent it was to get away. Perhaps it wouldn't be too bad to stick by him for a while to gather information?

The question made him look away quickly enough, though, with a quietly muttered, "I'm sorry." Because it was only then that he realized he'd been staring. How could he help it? From top of the head to the down to the bottom of that flamboyant outfit, this man was a walking spotlight attracting attention. Even now, passersby were giving the pair of them inquisitive stares before moving on. It was still too much attention.

But before Shun could protest any more, he was suddenly jerked forward by a sharp tug, fingers clasped tight around his arm. "Mutants?" The words came out halfway to a surprised yelp, jolted out of him by the abrupt pull. "That doesn't --" Make sense. -- then again, neither did the fact that he was in a strange city that he was sure existed nowhere on Earth, being tugged around by a so-called yakuza leader dressed in a glittering purple jacket.

Pulling his jacket front close to keep the hem from riding up and exposing his pistol, he stumbled along after Kakihara until he managed to catch his footing and regain his balance. "-- I -- own a bookstore. Where are you heading?" The answer and the question blurred together, sounding more hesitant than he would have liked.

[mouthabuse]

Chan was just added for a little bit of randomized spice. Shun, to Kakihara, looked like a man who jumped out of a manga comic. And he himself was surprised that everyone was paying attention to him and not Shun who almost looked like he could have been from a pop band and half-expected girls to suddenly come up to him squealing for his autograph. Aah. And as he let his thoughts wandered, he almost missed the apology, but caught it just in time to answer with a coy casual (Almost stupid) reply with a wink, "Do you like them?" He asked, pressing a finger to a scarred cheek with a blank expression, "I think they add character."

Loosening his grip around Shun’s arm, the appendage found it’s way around Shun’s shoulder and he pulled him close in a gesture that resembled something along the lines of buddy-buddy, but he backed it up anyway, "I wouldn’t want you to get lost. You may never know what type of weirdos live here." Not that he wasn’t weird himself, but it was best to bullshit reassurances in a sense.

Fingers of his spare hand dug into his pocket and he pulled out a half-empty packet of cigarettes, giving the small carton a light shake he motioned it to his mouth where lips coiled around the end of the small smoking instrument before passing it to Shun, " -- You don’t look like the type to smoke. But you can keep one as a souvenir." And even then, the way that Kakihara exhaled the smoke from the slits of his cheeks was much more disturbing than having a total stranger handing you a pack of smokes.

For several minutes, he dragged Shun through the streets and purposely had himself bumping into people and giving them threatening glares. That in itself opened up a path, and as they reached Chinatown, Kakihara’s lips twitched up into a smirk and he muttered, "Aah -- bookstore? That’s cute..." Not answering Shun's question as he wandered throughout a sight that looked almost like a red-light district.

[riflecraft]

The inquiry about the piercings, Shun glibly ignored, pretending not to have heard amidst the bustle of being dragged down the street. How could anyone answer that, really? 'How did you get them' probably wasn't a savory story, and 'I think they make you look like a serial killer' was probably too close to the truth to say. Shun was feeling more uncomfortable around this person by the minute.

And the constant jostling wasn't helping much either. Flinching slightly at the momentary grip to the shoulder, he jogged along after Kakihara with some effort -- keeping his head partway bowed to avoid having to look at the people who were giving them dirty stares. "-- you should slow down --"

His words were cut off by the half-pack of cigarettes that suddenly dropped in his hands, and he fumbled with them for a moment before gripping more firmly at the pack with a small sigh. Probably best he didn't drop it. And not think about the way that Kakihara was blowing smoke sideways. This situation was growing ever stranger, and Shun started to actively look for a reason to excuse himself.

Especially when they turned the corner and Shun found himself staring down the street of what he could guess was probably a red-light district. The gaudy lights and billboards, the people loitering about storefronts, the giltzy windowfront -- everything signaled 'Chinatown badarea' and Shun ground to a stop, trying to pull his arm away from Kakihara with a small plea. "Kakihara-san, I really don't -- feel comfortable in a place like this."

[mouthabuse]

If Shun was to say either option, Kakihara would only explain in a blank tone that it was his friends in the former Anjo gang that gave him these scars -- a very blissful nostalgic memory really where he would explain in great detail the feelings of scissors piercing flesh and snapping the muscle pass flesh and how the cold blades hovered over his molars, stinging with all that bloodied galore. And if it was the latter, Kakihara would have just smiled and take that as a compliment, as such degrading descriptions would have fed his vanity.

And when Shun spoke that he should’ve slowed down, then Kakihara did. Perhaps too slow, taking every option to the extreme and only had his languid posture equal that of his lazy strut, only to murmur against Shun’s ear so that other people would not hear, not that they had to hear anything that indicated a sort of innocent reply, " -- Slow enough for you? I can be very gentle."

Lips coiled around the cigarette in his mouth, inhale, exhale, he dropped it to the floor and let his shoes step on it before the situation suddenly changed from innocent sidewalk to beaming guttered whores and junkies, and when Shun had stopped him, pierced lips quirked up and he let out a low exhale, "Aah, now this is familiar, it feels like home."

But when Shun had protested to go any further, Kakihara had to let out a little whine coupled with a blank stare of mock-awe. Not disappointed at Shun’s need to suddenly flee, but because every growing moment with the other, Kakihara could’ve sworn he had gained more cavities, so he tugged Shun closer so his lips met black strands of hair and muttered, "Shun-chan, you’re not backing out now, are you? We’ll just go over there -- " Pointing to what looked like to him to be the Yakuza headquarters, home sweet home, "It looks like a hostel, I’ll buy you some ramen..."

[riflecraft]

It wasn't that Shun was new to the concept of a red-light district. His time as a terrorist had ensured that he spent more than enough time to get used to the back-alley sights and ubiquitous scents of danger. But it was just that it was the last sort of place he wanted to be at the moment -- not now, when he was in a strange city for an unknown reason, with minimal means of self-defense, and no information whatsoever.

He'd been staring at a pair of burly thugs -- looking away quickly when they made to glare back at him -- and he couldn't help but give a small flinch when Kakihara was suddenly speaking far too close to his face for comfort. "That's nice for you, but..." His voice trailed off as he caught sight of a pair of scantily clad women glaring in their direction before turning away -- well, at least they wouldn't bother to heckle if they thought he and this other man were -- . Well.

Regardless, he craned his head away a fraction when Kakihara pulled him close, glancing up from the ground to catch a glimpse of the grungy building before looking away again with a small frown. "That doesn't look like a hostel." It looked more like some sort of office, if anything -- and he knew what kind of offices usually had their bases in these sorts of areas.

Still. It looked like Kakihara was quite insistent on his company, and it looked like he was being treated as some sort of innocent tag-along. In the worst case, this traipse into Chinatown's depths could end in disaster, but at best, it might give him some sense of the state of the city. A small pause, before he spoke with some hesitation. "-- May I leave afterward? Unlike you, I don't -- feel very much at ease at a place like this."

[mouthabuse]

Well, if Shun was that uptight about whores coming close to them and asking for a romping foursome, then Kakihara would’ve just replied that no -- it was Shun’s first time and they wanted it to be something special. And they could have just wandered towards the love hotel that seemed to just be opposite to the Yakuza HQs, how convenient. But he didn’t. With the glares of the thugs that were now doubt packing a little more than heat, Kakihara only smiled at them in a rather threatening nature. He wasn’t asking for a fight, but who could give up the opportunity if there was one?

Even with the way that Shun had craned his neck away from Kakihara’s mouth, the comment on this not looking like a hostel went completely ignored and instead he journeyed into the building…rather freely. As though he almost felt as though he should have owned this building, and once the doors closed behind them, Kakihara released his hold on Shun and gave both of his arms a large stretched over his head before canting his head in a innocent-like curious manner, "...I wonder where the boss is." He murmured to himself.

But still, he glanced at Shun, turning around and rocking on his heels with a pleasant smile and muttered his reply, " -- Oh, leaving me to soon Shun-chan? Alright then." His voice dipped thick with faux-disappointment as he took out the small PDA device that all visitors were given ( -- And yet didn’t he say he had forgotten it?) "So, Shun -- Shun what? Shun...I’ll just put your name down as Kakihara Shun." He smiled as he pressed the numerous keys on the small device, complete with a small heart at the end of his name.

"Where are you staying?" Then he added as a afterthought, " -- I’m at the Terra hotel, we should meet up again."

[riflecraft]

The more time he spent with this man (more being relative -- it had been, what, ten, fifteen minutes now?), the more he felt like he was speaking to some sort of savant detached from reality. The way that Kakihara gave the hookers a casual glance over, and the way that he shot the yakuza men such a thoughtless grin -- Shun could feel his skin prickle with caution at the glares that the burly, suited men were shooting in their direction, but Kakihara didn't seem to notice. Then again, Kakihara did say that he was a yakuza boss, didn't he?

Not that Shun really believed that entirely. Especially when Kakihara pulled the communicator out of his pocket. Though the man was difficult to read, Shun could guess that Kakihara was a liar. Typical.

But it was only with the strange mutation of his name in Kakihara's hands that he looked up, startled. "Shimizu. It's Shimizu Shun." An answer that he normally wouldn't have given -- he was always a bit wary of using his full name liberally -- but he couldn't help it. What on earth was that supposed to be? Kakihara suddenly attaching his own surname like that.

Shun was slowly starting to feel immensely unsettled, not just by the setting, but also because of the difficulty he was having in reading Kakihara. It was near impossible to tell what the man was thinking, and Shun uneasily jammed his hands in his pockets and gave a small shrug. "I'm also at that hotel." An awkward pause. "I just think that gathering information is a higher priority than socializing at the moment." Hesitating in his words, he looked up, peering down the hallway with a tentative stare. "-- do you know where you're heading?" He was starting to grow increasingly unsettled here.

[mouthabuse]

And the more time Kakihara spent with Shun, the more the sadomasochistic wanted to put a pair of faux-kitty ears on his head and call him Shun-nako-chan, but there was a low chance of that happening. So the next best thing Kakihara could do was just to smile widely (Enough so that the scars of his glasgow smile twisted into a disgusting grin where the slits of his mouth were see-through) as he continued to press the small keys on the PDA rather slowly, spelling out Shun’s name and stopping half-way to mumble to himself that he made a mistake or complain unintelligently that he didn’t know how to backspace on it.

"That is a cute name," Kakihara mumbled indirectly, "Shimizu Shun." To him, it almost sounded like a woman’s name, the type of name showgirls would pick up as their stage name, and even that made Kakihara give out a low chuckle as he scratched the back of his ear and placed the PDA in his pocket.

"Don’t know you Shun. The Yakuza are basically informative professionals. They are much more honest than the police and more informative than tourist guides. No one wants to know where and how the biggest pancake was made and how many diameters it is, all they wants to know is if they can eat it." Though, such an explanation was a little bit off-topic, but nonetheless it would have gotten the point across.

He tilted his head in a gesture for Shun to follow him -- hands in pockets as thuggish-clad men were gazing at them. Though Kakihara ignored them with a blank stare as he continued down the long hallways trying to pinpoint the Yakuza boss’s room. Now, Kakihara wasn’t stupid enough to not be wary, but to him, it was just feeding his anticipation on how he could not wait to meet this Yakuza boss in this city he had never been in before.