~♥TWENTY-ONE♥~

[generalflirt]

[Action]

[Okay, so after flouncing the house yesterday and taking up residence in a random apartment in the middle of the night, taking only his journal and the clothes on his back, Masaomi is now left with a few things to do today on the 8th, now that he rested all of the seventh. He is of course ditching school if there is any, but he will be heading to three different places:

1) The Smithy, to see if he can't find or request the construction of a collapsible baton, like the ones he used in the draft
2) The clothing shop, because he left all his hoodies/other outfits at home. In fact, he's still wearing the ninja vest he wore in the draft today, albeit mercifully with a washed pair of pants and a washed T-shirt.
3) looking for people

He is specifically looking for his closest non-Mikado friends, those who need to be protected, or those he respects/figures can do something (slatebreaker, seiriald, markofthebrave, boomchuka, wise_maiden, liketofu, heavenslament, poppetry, falenandawn, mischiefbreeder, its_troublesome, acowardlyoak, anddeathsdoctor) though will not object if other people run into him. He is however, in the darkest of all moods right now, and still is a little weak, despite a day or rest. He'll be all over town looking for these people (mostly because he isn't entirely sure where all of them live) and such.

-FOR THE RECORD IF YOU ARE ON THAT LIST AND DON'T HAVE TIME/ENERGY FOR A THREAD, FEEL FREE TO ASSUME HE GAVE THEM A HEADS-UP. EDIT: Also heads up if they can't be found for some reason or another. Just give me a ring somehow to know you saw. Also, like I said, anyone is free to tag whenever. Have at.

EDIT2: for context of why he booked it from the house see this thread (heavy spoilers for later DRRR novels)]

Comments

[markofthebrave]

[She tries to smile.] I hate being left behind, waiting to see if everyone is going to come back all right. And we never know how long we have with people here.

[A definite shadow crosses her face now.] And when they go home... [yeah, she falters before she presses on] it's just hard.

[They forget... you forget... nothing means anything here, but it hurts so much...]

[generalflirt]

[The topic changed entirely there. He looks at his mug for a moment, and then back at her. They're sitting, so the position isn't the best but... he's dumb. He doesn't understand what she might be saying (who is gone??) but he knows how he felt when Mikado left and he knows she faltered there.

So he leans over towards her, spreading his arms. He's not much of a hugger, but she is, so maybe he should offer?]

1/2

[markofthebrave]

[Katara blinks, startled by the offer.]

[markofthebrave]

[And then she laughs a little. The tea and their positions on the sofa make this awkward - but she can't really turn an offer like that down, now can she? She leans forward for a brief, half-hug.]

Thanks.

[generalflirt]

[And the half-hug lasts just a whole before he pulls off, smiling a little bit. But when he's off, he sighs]

Of course~

[markofthebrave]

[And she glances down, offers a brief explanation.] Zoro and Brook went home.

[Her 'son' and her 'grandfather.' Her friends, and the very good friends of her friends.]

[generalflirt]

[...] Ah.

[And the he takes this moment to take a sip of his tea]

[markofthebrave]

[...

Right. Setting that aside now.]

So, do you want to talk about it?

[The answer is probably 'no,' but that won't stop her from asking.]

[generalflirt]

About what, Katara?

[He says this lightly as he sets the tea down. So it's business time?]

[markofthebrave]

The draft?

[That's why you came, right?]

1/2

[generalflirt]

-Oh, right.

[generalflirt]

[...] Before that, I'm here to tell you that there is a certain someone in Luceti now.

[markofthebrave]

[She sets her tea down on the table, giving him her full attention.]

Okay?

[generalflirt]

One of the most dangerous people in Ikebukuro - if you run into him, just don't talk to- aaah, actually... avoid him.

His name is Izaya Orihara.

[markofthebrave]

[She nods.

Another dangerous person in Luceti - just what the town needs.]

How is he dangerous?

[...because while she might avoid him, she likes to know what she's up against.]

[generalflirt]

He.. [He pauses here. For a moment, his eyes squirm with emotion and his whole body trembles a little. He's bad. He's very bad. It's too personal, isn't it? Masaomi bites his lip. Mikado just agreed, he's found today that this might have been a rarity]

[markofthebrave]

[She frowns in concern, watching him become visibly affected. This isn't a generic warning - something happened. It's personal, isn't it.]

What happened?

[generalflirt]

--He's a liar. [That is more than he intended to say. His voice constricts a little, and a flash of anger courses through him. He could blame no one but himself, but]

Don't believe him. [Gritting his teeth] He seems nice, helpful... he's not.

[markofthebrave]

[Katara measures him for a moment before nodding.]

All right.

[But she leaves it at that - leaves it opened, in case he wants to say anything else.]

[generalflirt]

[His remains there, shaking in anger for a moment before a trembling hand brings the tea up towards his face. It takes some positioning, but he foes manage to get a sip from it without spilling any]

[markofthebrave]

[Right, because trembling isn't a dead giveaway or anything.]

Are you all right?

[There are questions to be asked like 'Is he some kind of a fighter' and 'How will I recognize him' but this is more important.]

[generalflirt]

I will be.

[He won't. He broken. But he will be better than he is now. Maybe]

[markofthebrave]

Masaomi, what happened?

[There's a time for tact, and there's a time for when Katara's concerns completely escape it.]

1/2

[generalflirt]

[...] Ah, well...

[generalflirt]

-One upon a time, a stupid boy believed he ["-could help him win a stupid war."] -Him.