(Untitled)

[fated_end]

WHO: Jin and YOU
WHERE: Around. Jin's likely to be found in any place with free wi-fi (cafes, libraries, etc.) plus probably the occasional crappy arcade. OH AND SHADY BACK ALLEYS, he loves those. Random streets/parks/whatever are fine too.
WHEN: Any day this week, afternoon to evening.
WARNINGS: Probably none? Unless you pick a fight with him or

Comments

[afeatherpillow]

Katurian was also in a rare, almost good mood. His life in the City had been a roller-coaster of crippling depression and comparative well-being, but now, with a publishing deal, with friends to congratulate him, with a small amount of optimism, he was starting to get better. Granted, Katurian's optimism was another person's skeptical hope, but it was something, and he was unspeakably terrified that he would die without that something.

(Still, sometimes he looked at himself in the mirror and felt the world swallowing him up, bugs under his skin, holes in his head, feathers under his fingertips, a cold refrigerator, screaming screaming screaming--)

He'd spent the whole night editing the works he needed to have published, and the morning looking after a new hospice patient, Jane-Ann, telling her what he could remember about the months Death personified lived in the City. When his shift had ended, he was buzzing with pleasant, albeit slightly delirious sleep deprivation, and so he stopped by a local coffee shop for fuel to keep him

[fated_end]

Jin wasn't paying much attention to the other people in the cafe. He'd wandered in there maybe an hour ago, bought some crappy, cheap little drink, and proceeded to station himself in a corner with his laptop. Most of the other seated customers had given him a fairly wide berth, which wasn't due so much to his appearance (it was nothing unusual in a city this big), but because of the way he tended to talk to himself while working. --Not that he could pull his eyes away from the screen long enough to notice it, and not that he'd care even if he did.

"Tch, stupid-," he mumbled quietly, glaring at the screen. He gave a few sparse taps at the keyboard as he deleted a line or two of faulty code, resuming his usual rapid-fire typing moments later. Jin normally wouldn't let himself become so oblivious to his surroundings, but... it was a coffee shop, in the middle of the afternoon, with tons of other people around. Nothing was going to happen here.

[afeatherpillow]

Katurian bought the coffee without much error. He idled in line, he managed exact change, and he even smiled at the barista when she handed him his cup, thanking her for her time. It was on his way out that he heard a muttered curse that shouldn't involve him, and yet... and yet--

Even on minimal sleep, Katurian recognized the voice instantly.

He gripped the cup tight enough that the lid popped off and hot coffee gushed over the sides, dribbling down his fingers and onto the floor below. He stifled a yell and shot down to pick up the top, his heart pounding in his ears.

[fated_end]

The small commotion by the exit managed to register somewhere in the back of his mind. He glanced over only for a moment, fingers still moving over the keyboard, and -- stared.

He'd seen the guy in person once. In the middle of the night. When he'd been distracted and confused and barely managing to keep blind rage and panic from overwhelming him at every moment. He didn't think he could be sure sure, at least not yet, but...

His fingers curled away from the keyboard, into fists. What were the chances? Seriously, what were the chances? The spike of adrenaline at seeing Takaya's enemy, his enemy, left his heart pounding and his stomach twisting. It made it difficult to think. Had the other man noticed him? If he left, should he try to follow him? What should he do? Nothing, pretend he hadn't seen him? That didn't seem right.

In the meantime, he kept his eyes trained on Katurian, just watching.

Friday - Evening - Some random shady back alley

[erasemeplz]

It was strange, providing for himself and having a proper job rather than being in the business of killing people for Hattori, for Kairoushuu, in that world... Even now when it had been so long, it was sometimes a bit difficult to believe that he was doing something so harmless as tending to and selling flowers and plants. Technically, he wasn't the kind of person who should be looking after anything alive even if it was just flowers, but it was a peaceful job where not a lot of people came in, so he didn't mind it too much as long as his co-workers stayed at a distance

[fated_end]

Jin thought he heard some commotion coming from down the street. The closer he got, the more distinct it became. A fight? His walking slowed a bit, listening intently. But as quickly as the noises started, they stopped. Huh.

Okay, the correct thing to do would be to keep walking and pretend like he hadn't noticed anything. But curiosity tore at him, and when he got near the entrance of the alley, he slowed. Peered down it. Though the lighting was dim, he could make out the slight figure of the boy standing there -- as well as the slumped forms of the thugs.

He didn't say anything yet; just raised an eyebrow. Ooh, wow. Looked like a deal gone wrong. He wondered idly if the boy was connected to it, or if he had just happened upon the scene, like Jin. And if he was connected, would he tell someone that Jin was a witness? That would be a laugh; someone trying to hunt him down for a stupid thing like that. It hadn't occurred to him at all that the kid himself might be the perpetrator.

[OOC: It's quite alright!]

[erasemeplz]

Yoite tilted his head, looking at the other boy who had appeared. He wasn't running away or screaming for the police, so that at least was good. Last thing Yoite needed was to get into a fight with the police in this place, considering the amount of imPorts that worked there. He was well aware that his own power was weak compared to most people here.

With a sigh he began walking toward the other, moving to brush past him without a word, keeping a firm grip on the bag he had taken from the men. After all, he had used a piece of his own life in order to obtain it and didn't want to lose it if someone else decided to take a chance on stealing it from him because of how weak he looked.

[fated_end]

Jin laughed. Just laughed a bit, and stopped. He moved to the side to let him pass, but as he did, he couldn't resist saying something.

"You didn't do that, did ya?" Because either way, it looks like that kid was making off with the loot.

[fated_end]

Jin didn't pay much attention to the girl who was sitting nearby. She seemed a bit young, and the chocolate milk only added to that impression. However, that thing sitting in her lap was enough to make him curious.

"What is that?"

[fated_end]

"Those live around here?" He had no idea what the local flora and fauna was like, now that he thought about it. Martens could be totally common pets around here -- he had no idea. He examined the animal with interest.