[OPEN.]

[payingthepiper]

Who: "payingthepiper" and open!
When: All day Friday.
Where: Any sector, any place.
Summary: After putting away two remnants, Allen takes a rest. His body's shareholder wants to see the city for himself.
Warnings: D.Gray-Man spoilers, possible psychopathy and other ... things.

Comments

[topslug]

[ Lately, Yako's been having to drag herself out of bed through sheer will power alone. The endurance training that Sasuke's been putting her through is by no means as brutal as Neuro's more sadistic whims, but getting used to abusing her body again is taking awhile. Today, she smothers a yawn as she jogs briskly along the sidewalk, happy that she's wincing less with every impact of her feet on the concrete. She's running a bit late to work, but not horrendously so; if she hurries, she can still pick up a bite to eat at her favorite cafe (and it really will be a bite, she thinks, a bit mournfully, considering she doesn't have money left).

Almost too late, she notices the figure approaching her from the side of an intersection. Caught mid-yawn, she tries to avoid a collision by side-stepping, nearly falling as her legs get tangled up. ] Sorry--!

[topslug]

[ Allen Walker. She think the name should have been familiar to her, somehow, but-- no, whatever recognition she might have had is gone when his lips brush over her hand, startling her from her own thoughts.

it felt more than a little awkward-- he was younger than her, wasn't he? -- but she laughed off the oddness of it at his question. ]

They do. [ as evidenced by the way the staff at the counter freeze when she enters the restaurant ahead of Neah, staring at her like a deer in headlights before bursting into a quick, silent panic behind the counter. as Yako mentioned earlier, there's a shelf of cloth-lined baskets, each containing a different sort of bread; a glass display case holds some of the shop's more delicate creations. in any case, it's evident that she's approaching the food with a distinctly predatory air. ]

[payingthepiper]

[her shock was barely palpable, but it still gave him some deep-seated amusement; the same amusement that grew as he observed the staff abruptly begin to flutter around, trying their best not to look it even as they so obviously were.]

[as for how Yako approached food...]

Are you already deciding? [his own stomach gave a loud growl (he marveled at feeling hungry--), but he ignored it. he'd have to somehow remove that parasite once this officially became his body: the demands for food were annoying at best.]

[topslug]

I usually get the same thing every morning. [ That is to say, two of each kind, to go. But considering she's on a budget, a quarter of her usual intake ought to do. Deftly wielding the provided wooden tongs to load up the small tray she was carrying, Yako expertly picked out the selections that were ever-so-slightly heavier than the rest.

the growl of a kindred stomach, however, got her attention, and she turned her head inquiringly as she put something called "the theory of relativity" on her plate. ] Are you getting anything?

[payingthepiper]

Ah...

[his eyes were up on the menus, down at the displays, and even flickering toward the staff. half of the items didn't mean anything to him, and if he was to be honest, he couldn't exactly remember if he had any favorite foods or not.]

[well, by the feeling of things (his stomach, that was), anything would do. so he let his eyes land on the thing that caught his attention most and,]

Yes. A hamburger, and... fries. [there we are. the staff looked somewhat relieved to only have a single dish, but he didn't pay that any mind.] Thank you for taking me here, once again, by the way.

[topslug]

It's not a big deal, really! [ And she'd wave a hand in front of her face, embarrassed, if it wasn't holding a pair of tongs with a piece of bread held in it. She had aassed a modestly sized (for her) pile on her tray, and set it down on the counter, letting the (rather relieved) cashier begin to ring up her purchases while she fished out her wallet. ]

I mean, it was on my way, anyway. What about you, Mr. Walker? I'm sorry I ended up dragging you around like this-- do you have somewhere else to be?

[payingthepiper]

I don't-- this is actually perfect, since I was getting hungry. [a brilliant smile, his charm-the-ladies one that was leftover from a few dozen lifetimes ago.] It already all smells good.

[and it did. especially on hamburger-delivery. (why was this arm so pesky to take care of?)]

I was just headed toward the park, really.

[topslug]

[ --it's a nice smile. The effect is somewhat lost on Yako, in some ways, but it does prompt her to impulsively smile back. ]

The park's a nice place to be. { She nods in evident approval of his choice of destination, carefully gathering the paper bag of her purchases into her arms. ] Do you go there often?

[payingthepiper]

Not too often. [which was fine, really, but -- he leaned forward, starting to cut into his food,] Do you have a favorite place in this city, Miss Katsuragi?

[topslug]

A favorite place? [ She has to think about that, for a moment. ] Yeah, I suppose I do.

[payingthepiper]

What is it? [very easily.]

[topslug]

Hmmm. I like being out in the farmlands. It feels like you're in a completely different place, even if you can still see the city proper.

[payingthepiper]

Have you ever taken a boat out at the sea?

[topslug]

No, I haven't. Maybe in the summer-- I'd love to go fishing!

[payingthepiper]

The waters would be warm enough to swim in, too. [what a smile.]

[topslug]

Right! [ That smile... Almost absently, she picks a baguette out of her bag, beginning to munch on it. It's disappearing at a rather alarming rate. Between bites: ] Well, I think I'd better get going before I end up late... It was nice to meet you, Mr. Allen!