vatheon | > First Stop: Slippery when wet

Who: Shinjiro and You
Where: Wandering confused in the plaza
When: July 29th
Style: Starting with prose but feel free to switch to action and I will match up
Status: Open!

Had to be the drugs.

At least that's what he told himself as he continued to walk, his shoes making noise from the water buildup. His hat did little to protect him from the pouring rain, and his hair was already stuck around his neck. His coat was in no better shape and he grunted as he idly put his hands in his pockets, walking along confused. The coat hid his hospital outfit well...considering upon waking up, Shinjiro had remembered the promise they had made, and his first thought wasn't to get properly dressed, but to grab what he could from his room and make a dash for the school.

...only to end up here. Really, it had to be the drugs. He'd managed to catch a date on his way out, and he knew it had been a while. Maybe painkillers with a a side effect. Who the hell knew. But he'd certainly wake up any minute now.

Strange how it felt so real...he looked up to the sky before sighing.

"Tch. Think I'd be done with dreaming after so long..."

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The last thing Shinjiro expected was his phone to start ringing. Wait...he had a phone? Tentively, he took out of his pocket and stared at it for a second as it rang a second time. The hell was this red little starfish design with an angry face on it? By now he had figured out he wasn't dreaming, just gone into some sort of weird-ass rabbit hole that he couldn't leave. Just his luck. That didn't quite give him the answer of who had this number, however.

Third ring. Only one way to find out. He opened it up and took the call.

...somehow he should have expected Aki here too. He didn't even have to wonder if he'd visited him at the hospital during his stay. Still, it would have been unlike him to have acknowledge that. He wasn't going to bother him with much of a hello either, just shake his head in annoyance, even if there was a small smile on his lips. Very tiny.

"Figures it'd be you. Tch. Can't leave me alone for even a few minutes can you?"

If only he knew.

This was just the sort of response he would expect to get. Akihiko's smile is a lot more obvious. Seeing him there -- moving, speaking, breathing -- makes him forget about his own problems. He tries to stand up, but yelps in pain and settles back down on the couch.

"Try a few weeks. Wh-why can't you think of someone else for a change?"

It was really hard to keep cool. He wondered if this was just a dirty trick to get his hopes up.

He doesn't even bother to answer him about how long he's been there because the minute he had yelped in pain, Shinji's expression has gone right back to passive (worry). The gears are already turning in his head. If he's talking about weeks and he's injured that wasn't something from when he arrived...

"The hell's happened to you?" If you listen hard enough, he might almost sound worried there.

"I'm fine." It's just like the broken ribs; it'll heal eventually. Right? Either way, Akihiko feels that he should be the one doing the worrying right now.

"It's good that you're here," Actually, it's great. Because you're alive. "but you need to be careful."

"Bullshit. You're not." You were talking with Mr.Worrywart himself, he could tell about those things. Also you had yelped. He sighs and shakes his head. You were such an idiot, Aki. ~~And you were such a hypocrite, Shinji.~~

"Tch. Lemme find some clothing first, I've still got my hospital robes under the coat." Wait what did he mean by that. He needed to be careful? "Already got the brochure from your welcoming committee. I know about the curses. Unless it's something else?"

Edited 2012-07-30 06:59 (UTC)

It had been treated. But Akihiko's being Akihiko, so it's taking longer than it should.

Hospital robes? Akihiko's sudden confusion is obvious. Shinjiro'd been declared dead the moment they dragged him there. Even before the official call, Akihiko knew. There was no way he could be saved. Maybe it had something to do with how the dead arrived in Vatheon.

"...Strega. Their leader is here somewhere."

A reaction that doesn't escape Shinjiro's usual observations, but he chooses to remain quiet about that for now, considering the weight of what he just said.

"...Takaya." The word is said with a strong dose of vitriol. He looks down to where he was shot, the robes making it easy once he's opened his coat and...

"Damnit..."

So that's where his symbol was. Of course. Aki doesn't see anything, just Shinji's head going downwards for a second, before he snaps it right back up.

"Is he armed?"

"Yeah." Akihiko swallows as he watches Shinjiro look down at where the fatal shots left their mark, guilt returning to creep on him. He was doing well ignoring it, but he had yet to put it behind him. It's even harder now that Shinjiro's here, for some strange reason.

He quietly nods in response to his question. Most definitely armed. He would know...

"You need to come here now." He's not losing him a second time.

"..." Great. Takaya is armed, and here he is, not even having a proper shirt nor a pair of pants, only an angry starfish phone. Shinjiro knows when he's outmatched...at least for now. He looks around to make sure the other isn't around, considering everything that's been happening so far. With the events so far, he half-expects Takaya to bolt out of an alley or from the sky, really.

"Alright. Where's this 'here' exactly?" He was new, after all. There are actually a lot more questions he wants to ask, but he'll wait until they can see each other eye to eye.

Edited 2012-08-01 05:12 (UTC)

"It's a dormitory that we're all staying at." Akihiko started, testing his leg off-screen to see if there was a possibility he could handle putting weight on it. He winces on screen; nope, not quite yet. It's still pretty tender.

"I'll do what I can to lead you here."

"Whatever you're doing, stop it," Shinji replies. He saw that wincing (but it's not like he cares or anything, of course) and manages to somehow glare through the video phone's function (it was a glare of non-caring). "Here. Look at this instead..." Taking the phone, he holds it up and then twirls at the nearby surroundings. "That give you a good idea where I'm at?"

It felt bizarre for him to be the guy who didn't know where to move in the city...

"...You're in the plaza. That's where most new people end up. It's got a pretty big business district, and a lot of stuff is free. But you shouldn't go there without someone right now." He wasn't going to lose Shinjiro a second time, let alone as soon as he entered Vatheon. Seeing him there would only incite Strega's leader to act.

"The dormitory's easy to get to." He continues by providing the directions to the building.

> First Stop: Slippery when wet

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