seishirou ❀ 001

[treefeeding]

Who: Sei-chan and YOU
Where: Espoir
Style: Either is fine with me!
Status: OPEN

[Sunset over Espoir finds Seishirou Sakurazuka taking a seat on a bench in the central plaza, looking towards the church. He crosses his legs as he pulls a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his coat pocket, sliding one out and setting it between his lips. Once it's lit

Comments

[nouniform]

Sorata prefers to be happy. There are certainly times where he isn't; when he's tired or upset or even frustrated. But he doesn't like to be, so he does his best to smile and brush it off. The same goes for acting overly serious. It's dull, and stressful. It's better to just take it easy. Even with the Dragons of Earth… of course he'd fight them if need be, if they hurt others, if they tried to destroy things. But he doesn't think that's a reason to hate them just for existing: they were born into it just like he was. That pimp guy was even pretty charming.

He's only really seen this guy once or twice in passing, but he's heard more than enough, knows more than enough, to be less willing to extend the same courtesy.

Besides. There's another problem. He's dead. Kamui, Arashi, and of course Subaru-san all saw it. All reported it. He shouldn't be here. Is he a ghost? It's possible. Sorata doesn't have as much of a sense for those things as some people. But he still doesn't seem like a phantom.

The dead don't come back. This can't be an afterlife, Subaru-san is here at a young age-it can't be an afterlife, Arashi is here, and he would never, ever, allow that- but- Maybe… maybe it's another world? Like with the Kamui here…? But then why is he being waved at? Would a different Sakurazuka Seishirou recognize him?

He's not quite frowning, but there's a definite visible tension in and around his face. After a moment, he decides there are two possibilities: the man is from the past, like Subaru-san, just not as far… or he's from another world where he knows some form of Sorata. The second one would be better.

He has to try and find out. "Sakurazuka-san, isn't it?"

[treefeeding]

Seishirou plucks the cigarette from between his lips so that he can answer. "Yes, it is." He taps the ashes from the end of the cigarette against the edge of the bench. "And you are Arisugawa-kun, if I am correct?" Which he knows he is, of course. He's entirely polite, and even gestures with one hand to the bench beside him, indicating that Sorata is welcome to take a seat, if he so wishes.

He's certainly behaving less rashly than Arashi had earlier, at least. That understandable, though, as he'd crossed paths with her very soon after she'd arrived.

Seishirou is, for all his complexities, a simple man. He seeks out things that amuse him, and doesn't bother with things that don't. That's the reason he hadn't bothered to engage any of the Seven Seals personally, with the exception of Subaru-kun and Kamui. Subaru-kun is obvious; in Kamui's case, he'd merely been curious. But the truth is, Seishirou had and has no interest in the cause of the Dragons of Earth. He'd simply used it as an excuse.

But truthfully, he knows as little as Sorata does about why he's living now--that is, assuming he really is alive. Still, he takes things as they are, and doesn't bother to question them beyond the stretch of his own curiosity. If he finds out, he does. If he doesn't, it won't bother him.

[nouniform]

He doesn't want to get that close to Sakurazuka, so, with uncharacteristic rudeness, he pretends not to see the gesture and remains standing. But he also doesn't know exactly how to proceed. Threats and grandstanding really aren't his style. He could act friendly, but… is there a point to that, with this guy? "That's right," he says with a forced smile. "I didn't expect to see you here." He hopes that maybe no one else knows he is yet. Or rather… that Sakurazuka doesn't know they are here.

[treefeeding]

"Neither did I expect to be here," agrees Seishirou, shaking his head. "But I am sure you could say the same." Even if Sorata isn't being outright hostile, he's obviously wary--and not without good reason. For a moment, though, Seishirou drops a bit of pretense to say, "You seem tense, Arisugawa-kun." Punctuated by a drag on his cigarette, before adding on the exhale, "This isn't Tokyo." As if that's enough of an explanation.

[nouniform]

…So it is the one from back home. The dead one. No, it's probably just a timeline thing… either way, as much as he hates the news, he's kind of relieved. Mind games aren't something he's good at. He'd rather just be straightforward. "Do you only hurt people if you're in Tokyo?"

[treefeeding]

He gives a sort of half-shrug in response. "I do my job. Here, though, it is rather irrelevant. In any case, I have no reason to hurt you, or Miko-chan, who I met formally earlier today. Ah, though I suppose to you, she would be Arashi-chan, wouldn't she?" Have another fake smile, Sorata. "I confess, the primary reason I got involved in the affairs of the end of days was to play with Subaru-kun." His smile shifts to a convincing replica of mild embarrassment, as if he'd admitted to pulling a girl's pigtails as a child because of a schoolyard crush.

[nouniform]

Sorata instantly decides two things. One, that he doesn't want Sakurazuka to call Arashi by her first name, so casually, ever again. Two, that there is no way in hell he can talk to her, either. He tries to hide his expression, to moderate success. The news about Subaru really doesn't reassure him in the least. How could it? "Like you just said, this ain't Tokyo."

[treefeeding]

"Precisely," he agrees. "So there is very little need to worry about such things as 'Dragons of Heaven' and 'Dragons of Earth' in a place where there is nothing to fight over. Wouldn't you agree?" Seishirou is utterly ignoring how uncomfortable Sorata seems, of course. "As you may be aware, I am supposed to be dead at the moment, so I am both baffled and thankful to exist at all." A complete lie; he can't really care less.

[nouniform]

He shakes his head slightly. "There's still a reason to fight, if we have to." He's frowning now. God. He doesn't want to fight. He doesn't like fighting. The idea of hurting anyone makes him sick. But. Even if this isn't Tokyo, his comrades are here. Arashi is here. It's as simple as that. His duty as a man… or something.

[treefeeding]

"And what is that reason, Arisugawa-kun?" His head tilts, mimicking curiosity. In this case, though, at least a little of it is genuine. He's beginning to realize that, if nothing else, Dragons of Heaven are comical enough, with their outstanding morals and dedication, to warrant occasional interest. And, then, smiling, "Do you feel threatened by me?"

[nouniform]

"Not really…!" Oddly enough, this is true. He knows that he can't stand up against the Sakurazukamori's brand of illusions, and even though theoretically their other powers are about equal, his personal distaste for violence is enough to give the other the advantage… but he's not afraid. Then again, he's never held his life as too sacred. If you're purpose is to die protecting someone, then there's no point, he figures, in being overly cautious with it.

So he doesn't feel threatened. Not personally. He scratches at his head, and then looks Sakurazuka in the eye. "It's just that I don't wanna have to fight you for hurtin' other people."

[treefeeding]

Ah. Such bravery. Very commendable. It seems to be a common trait among the Seven Seals. Then again, having a heart which desires to protect other people is one of the staples of being a Dragon of Heaven, isn't it? He wonders, for a moment, whether here is a similar qualification among the Dragons of Earth. Lack of faith in humanity, perhaps? No, that can't be it; he doesn't care one way or the other, after all.

Seishirou's cigarette, spent, gets dropped unceremoniously to the ground, where it gets crushed underfoot. "You think I would do that?" He wonders conversationally.

[nouniform]

"Yeah," he says, not really trying to be polite about it. He doesn't know the whole story between Sakurazuka and Subaru-san, but he knows enough that it's alarming, and he certainly knows about how dangerous the man is. People can hide their true selves. Hell, he even slept on Kamui's couch for a couple of nights, back when he was still Fuuma.

[treefeeding]

"I see." Seishirou doesn't make any attempt to sway Sorata's opinion in his favor. It doesn't make enough of a difference to be worth the effort. "What are you intending to do, then?" He wonders. "As you clearly do not think that I will be able to live peacefully."

[nouniform]

He doesn't know. So he kind of shrugs. It's a little weird, but for the first time he's aware that he's essentially ordering a man nearly twice his age around… even in a vague way. It's kind of uncomfortable. "Even a murderer gets a second change. To be honest, I dunno if that's right in your case…" He doesn't exactly sense heaps of remorse… "but if you behave, I ain't gonna do anythin'."

[treefeeding]

"A second chance? How kind of you." Seishirou observes with amusement, rather than false cheerfulness. "And here I thought that you might try to send me back death's way, as your comrade attempted to earlier." He leans back, comfortable despite the cold and the conversation. "However, she desisted soon enough, when she realized I was not interested in conflict." He seems incredibly entertained by this, overall. "You are all very kind, aren't you? Not many would show mercy towards someone they know to be killer."