It isn't raining yet, which is both unexpected and unwelcome. She's been fond of the weather these past weeks; the sun is hard on her predilection for black clothing and it's quieter around the island when it rains. More familiar. Of all things home, it turns out she's most sentimental about the weather.
Even so, Effy wanders along the beach the same way she has since she arrived, with a lit cigarette in hand and slow, heavy steps. It isn't typically busy these days, again due to the rain, but even when it is, it's rare that anyone is caught completely in the nude.
With a raised brow and the touch of a smirk, she calls out, "You know, someone less permissive than I might take issue to that whole complete lack of clothing thing you've got going on there."
Crouching in the water Tooru was splashing his legs and groin with sea water when Effy arrived, but he stood up as she called. He only really caught about half that sentence - "permissive" was definitely an unknown word - but he caught her tone. It wasn't as though he had really been expecting to be alone here, but as the first person he had met it was as though she had broken the bubble of his dreamlike state and forced him back into everyday mode.
"Hi," he replied in heavily accented English, unselfconscious about his nudity and smiling a default charmer's smile. Inwardly, he was cursing himself for never really trying in English class. And that had been a while ago. She was cute, in a foreigner way, but looked too young. Not that Tooru would turn down a high school student, but a girl with experience was usually more fun.
"Hi," nods Effy, with a short laugh, taking in the accent. She wonders how much of what she said got through, whether it's even worth it to keep speaking. Contrary to popular belief, language isn't the only way to get a point across; it isn't even the most effective, half of the time. All those years of not bothering to use it taught her as much.
She holds the cigarette up to her lips, inhales, and tries again. "What's your name?"
"Tooru," he replied, glad to be able to recognize at least that much. "You?"
Unlike most Japanese he was prone to using his first name for everything. Most of the other guys for sale had aliases, but it had just been too troublesome to come up with one. Most people assumed Tooru wasn't his real name anyways. It was a kind of artificial intimacy.
Deeper in the jungle, it's still a fucking mud pit, but out here by the shore, the ground has almost started to dry out. There's sunlight peaking out over the trees, and even though it's obvious it's not going to last -- there are angry, dark clouds hanging low over the horizon -- it's a pretty fucking welcome change from the damp hell we've been slogging through for the last few weeks.
But for now, that takes a pretty obvious backseat to the naked guy standing there in the sun. I watch him for a long moment, amusement tugging at the corner of my lips, then finally, I say, "You're gonna get sunburn on your ass, walking around like that."
Trying to wash off with sea water was turning out to be a bad decision. It just left me as itchy as before and the wind was cooler than expected. Yet the freedom, as transitory as it might be, is relaxing. It was very peaceful, up until someone called out and, surprised, I turned to face him. He looked like he was enjoying the view, regardless of what he'd said.
"I tan. Looks good?" I questioned with just a little teasing and a smile. It's good to be distracted from the same painful thoughts of everyday, even if just for a moment.
"Still gonna be skinny as hell, but maybe," I tell him, like I'm one to talk. He's new. So new he might as well have a goddamn sign around his neck, and I'm not even sure he understands everything I'm saying, but the smile is something I recognize.
sorry for the random tense switchingotherbedsJuly 21 2010, 03:24:14 UTC
It takes a lot of attention to keep up, translating one word at a time. Skinny, sure, he's heard that one before. Some clients have even complained he's too bony, but there's nothing he can do about it. He perks up a bit at the word "shower" and when he's actually interested the come-hither flirting smile fades a bit.
Any time that Tooru spent not working was usually spent alone, but there was something about being naked in the wilderness that made it a little better. Any imaginings of Matsuoka on this beach were bittersweet and quickly suppressed. He was just thinking about getting up because the sand was itchy, but he could just as easily have fallen asleep there listening to the waves if someone hadn't called out. He rolled over and blinked at the seemingly giant man walking down the beach towards him. It was kind of scary, but in an exciting way. Tooru just smiled in a slightly confused manner back at him.
"Sorry?"
It had sounded like an order, but if he was supposed to go somewhere he had no idea where. So he just laid back on his elbows and waited.
Waking up somewhere unknown was the first marginally interesting thing that had happened to Tooru in a while. It was worth acknowledging as strange, and outside the usual realm of sexual and urban underground strangeness that was, for him, normal. Death wasn't really something to be feared since he was only living because he thought Matsuoka would want him to, and pain both physical and emotional was a part of everyday life, so what's there to get upset about? A beach, a nice view of gathering stormclouds. And a tall helpful stranger who knew how to speak Japanese like a foreigner.
"It's new to me," he replied, speaking in his native language a little slower than usual as he would to The Frenchman back when he was still new and his Japanese wasn't exactly fluent. "I just woke up here a little while ago."
Angel had done a stint in Japan back in the day. Darla had really liked the Kimonos, and while Angelus had been far from being whipped, a happy girlfriend meant, well...
Anyways. It's the language that attracts his attention, a name and an honorific, and its the panic in the man's voice that leads Angel to believe that he's brand new.
Though he has no idea why he's sunbathing moments after arriving, Angel approaches regardless, though he feels uncomfortable doing so. This is evident in how he clears his voice. "I think there's a storm coming. These tropical islands - it's sunny one moment, and the next...are you new?"
Tooru was clearly not expecting to be interrupted, especially not by a random stranger speaking English. Maybe God, finally come to tell him what he'd done wrong with his life. He got to his feet and brushed off some sand, making a bit of a face where it clinged.
"Sorry, my English not good," he tried with a slightly apologetic smile.
He tries again, this time in Japanese. His might be a little bit rusty, on account of his visit having been a long time ago - and languages were always changing anyways. "It's been raining for the past couple of days, and I think it's about to start again. Are you new?"
A foreigner speaking bad Japanese, sure, it happens. But a foreigner speaking bad archaic Japanese?
"Are you a history scholar or something?" he asked, smiling a bit more now. He was lazily comfortable in his nudity and the surreality of everything didn't really leave much time to think. "I've never been here before. And it's just rain."
Comments 36
Even so, Effy wanders along the beach the same way she has since she arrived, with a lit cigarette in hand and slow, heavy steps. It isn't typically busy these days, again due to the rain, but even when it is, it's rare that anyone is caught completely in the nude.
With a raised brow and the touch of a smirk, she calls out, "You know, someone less permissive than I might take issue to that whole complete lack of clothing thing you've got going on there."
Reply
"Hi," he replied in heavily accented English, unselfconscious about his nudity and smiling a default charmer's smile. Inwardly, he was cursing himself for never really trying in English class. And that had been a while ago. She was cute, in a foreigner way, but looked too young. Not that Tooru would turn down a high school student, but a girl with experience was usually more fun.
Reply
She holds the cigarette up to her lips, inhales, and tries again. "What's your name?"
Reply
Unlike most Japanese he was prone to using his first name for everything. Most of the other guys for sale had aliases, but it had just been too troublesome to come up with one. Most people assumed Tooru wasn't his real name anyways. It was a kind of artificial intimacy.
Reply
But for now, that takes a pretty obvious backseat to the naked guy standing there in the sun. I watch him for a long moment, amusement tugging at the corner of my lips, then finally, I say, "You're gonna get sunburn on your ass, walking around like that."
Reply
"I tan. Looks good?" I questioned with just a little teasing and a smile. It's good to be distracted from the same painful thoughts of everyday, even if just for a moment.
Reply
"You need a shower?"
Reply
"I can use?"
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
"Sorry?"
It had sounded like an order, but if he was supposed to go somewhere he had no idea where. So he just laid back on his elbows and waited.
Reply
(The comment has been removed)
"It's new to me," he replied, speaking in his native language a little slower than usual as he would to The Frenchman back when he was still new and his Japanese wasn't exactly fluent. "I just woke up here a little while ago."
Reply
Anyways. It's the language that attracts his attention, a name and an honorific, and its the panic in the man's voice that leads Angel to believe that he's brand new.
Though he has no idea why he's sunbathing moments after arriving, Angel approaches regardless, though he feels uncomfortable doing so. This is evident in how he clears his voice. "I think there's a storm coming. These tropical islands - it's sunny one moment, and the next...are you new?"
Reply
Tooru was clearly not expecting to be interrupted, especially not by a random stranger speaking English. Maybe God, finally come to tell him what he'd done wrong with his life. He got to his feet and brushed off some sand, making a bit of a face where it clinged.
"Sorry, my English not good," he tried with a slightly apologetic smile.
Reply
Reply
"Are you a history scholar or something?" he asked, smiling a bit more now. He was lazily comfortable in his nudity and the surreality of everything didn't really leave much time to think. "I've never been here before. And it's just rain."
Reply
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