The coffee beans return...?!

[honest_cop]

[Dojima's minding his own business, wandering over towards the ramen stand to get himself something to eat. He walks through the main court of the mall, not really thinking of anything, when

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[bathhouse_boss]

*Satake's doing stamina exercises by walking around the mall. Can't let all that carefully-built endurance go to waste! ...Hm? Is that coffee he smells? Satake comes to a stop a little ways away from Dojima, looking up at the hanging coffee bags. He's not sure what to make of them.*

This mall just gets crazier and crazier the longer I stay.

[honest_cop]

You're preaching to the choir, here.

[bathhouse_boss]

*Satake glances over at the other man. Oh, look, another adult. Not that the teenagers here aren't oddly-mature anyway...*

Yeah? How long've you been stuck here?

[honest_cop]

I don't know. It's hard to follow the passage of time here. A few months maybe?

You look like a new face. I guess I should introduce myself - Dojima Ryotaro.

[bathhouse_boss]

Relatively new, yeah. Been here 'bout a week. Name's Kenzou Satake. Good t'meet you, Dojima.

*He looks up again curiously at the bag on the light fixture, wondering how it could've gotten up there.*

[honest_cop]

Likewise.

[Dojima follows his line of sight.] It's a long story.

[bathhouse_boss]

We really have anythin' but time in this joint?

[honest_cop]

Got me there.

You really interested in hearing about a bunch of coffee beans? It's more of a joke than anything else.

[bathhouse_boss]

*A shrug.* I've got nothin' better t'do...

[honest_cop]

These beans are tainted - drugged. I had to find a way to get rid of them, so I shoved them through one of the world portals. Next day, though, they ended up right back here. [Sigh]

[bathhouse_boss]

Drugged. Y'mean, like if a guy wanted t'knock someone out...?

[honest_cop]

Not exactly. And why do you want to know?

[bathhouse_boss]

'Cause it's the only thing I can think of when someone says food or drink's "drugged", but with the Mall, y'can't ever be sure. Why're you so suspicious, you a cop or somethin'?

*His look is a wary, measuring one.*

[honest_cop]

Police detective. Is that a problem? [Dojima doesn't miss the look, and shoots one right back.]

[bathhouse_boss]

Not particularly... Just don't appreciate the way they pry sometimes. Times I'm just havin' a soak and one of Kazama's goons barges right on in, sure he can pin whatever it is they've found on us. *He has a somewhat disgusted look at this.*

[honest_cop]

[suspiciouser and suspiciouser.] And why is it that your local police look for you first when there's trouble?