[ Open ] 知らない知らない僕は何も知らない

[kaba]

Who: Koujaku (kaba) & YOU
When: 01/14–01/16 (OOC: 06/02–06/07)
Where: Various; see below
What: A general catchall open post full of misery mystery and adventure!
Rating/Warning: Drunkenness, innuendo, and mentions of drug use in the first prompt; nothing comes to mind for the rest. Consider yourself warned character-wise, however.

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01\\Novus/Replea (Evening, the 14th)

[ He finds his stool on the creaky side as he downs yet another cocktail—some bitter radioactive swill that does little but to dull his taste buds yet does wonders to chip away at his memories of the week before. Synthpop throbs in the background, bodies undulating on the dancefloor behind him, some of them with their minds all drugged up and floating freely into an alcohol-fueled ether.

It’s a shitty place that’s about as intimate and human as a robot’s chrome-plated bum and he hates it here; hates the noise and the drinks and the company (or his lack thereof), but the latter is precisely the reason why he’d chosen to come here instead of seeking out someplace smaller and cozier for a drink. Company feels a little weird when they’re likely going to tell you to stop drinking anyway (dammit Yang and Natalia).

So he’s drinking here and trying to man up a little, trying to smile. The latter’s easier with alcohol, of course. As the evening wears on and the music gets louder Koujaku gets some of his cheer back, to the point that he’s singing along (terribly) to whatever the deejay puts on and throwing his arm over the shoulders of whoever happens to be seated next to him. Be afraid. ]

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02\\“Thistle Do Nicely” Flower Shop (Afternoon, the 15th)

[ He’s slept off as much of the hangover as he could this morning, but for the most part he’s peeled himself off of his bedroom floor, straightened his hair, and wandered out into the outside world whilst squinting at the light. The dark circles under his eyes and a persistent, throbbing headache made worse by catchy club tunes from the night before do little to alleviate his condition, but fuck it. He needs a walk.

He wanders the first mall he’s stepped into until he stops at a flower shop, only blearily recognizing some of the floral arrangements as the ones that might have appeared in Natalia’s winter bash not long ago. Huh. He could definitely use the company of flowers, in any case—he’s still reluctant to go into the CERES Gardens, after all, but strewing a few of these babies around his apartment might liven his place up, if not his mood outright.

He saunters down the aisles, examining the wares with interest before he stops at one flower in particular and has to catch a whiff of it. Alien or otherwise, this one isn’t anything he’s familiar with. ]

Wonder what these’re called.

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03\\Shopping District (Basically the wildcard option; Daytime, the 16th)

[ One advertisement in particular catches his eye as he’s walking down the streets with you, either because one of you is on an errand and the other’s offered to help, or because you simply decided to walk together for no other reason than because you felt like it.

Koujaku isn’t very interested in shopping himself, nor is he intent on setting up his hairdressing business out on the streets like he normally would have done. He simply wants to disappear into the crowd for a little while, to drink in the bustle and noise of the place, because in a hopeful kind of way he’s seeing people still getting on with their lives despite the Flamines’ rudely cutting their previous ones short. And Koujaku knows all about abrupt endings, doesn’t he?

He stops at an advertisement playing out over one of the giant holographic screens—a trailer for some sappy romcom—and hey, at least movies came with proper endings.

He looks away from the screen as some lovey dovey pop song begins blaring out from the speakers, self-consciously scratching at the back of his neck as he does so. ]

Let’s move on. [ He shouldn’t be getting distracted right now, anyway.

Unless you’re Natalia, in which case you would’ve caught on already… ]

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04\\Niteo (Wildcard Option the Second; Evening, the 16th)

[ Well someone’s sure in a better mood tonight. Maybe it’s the concert, maybe it’s the company, but Koujaku’s feeling all fired up and this time he hasn’t got any alcohol to blame it on. His suit’s neatly pressed and he’s still got his sword strapped to his back—presumably to make him look even more intimidating as a bouncer, if the tattoos don’t already help—but he’s perfectly comfortable in his uniform and perfectly at ease around practically everyone that comes inside.

Are you a fellow bouncer just starting out? Or maybe you’ve just started working this shift together? Maybe you’ve both been at it since forever?

Or maybe you’re one of the performers for tonight, and regardless of the audience’s reception to your act, Koujaku’s still got a kind word to toss your way. On the house.

Whichever the case, if you happen to be exiting the premises by then or are lingering nearby to pass the time or something (so long as you’re not causing any trouble or keeping the customers away), he’ll pretty much give you a wave from his post. ]

Yo! Good show tonight.

Comments

[sewayaku]

Of course. I do my best for the young lady.

[ on the other hand, he accepts this praise without batting an eye... he takes it seriously, too! Well. With her, anyway. It's not pure egotism to say she probably would have died a few times over without his presence, though. ]

I've no shame in being a private doctor. I'm just not the hero you described - that's all.

[kaba]

[ Par for the course for an otome game protag, come to think of it. ]

Sure you are. Whether it's saving one life or several…it's not the number of people that matters.

[ Still more quietly: ]

I got a hero like that, too. [ Like Skeens. ]

[sewayaku]

[ he's better than the standard in his game by virtue of not wanting to lock her up in a cage and/or feed her to hungry wolves...

Zara seems slightly surprised by his insistence - surprised and flattered. Not that his master - his family, really - treated him badly, but he's not used to such straightforward praise. ]

Well... In that case, thank you. [ those big ears of his aren't just decoration, either - quiet as that last comment is, it's easy for him to hear. ] I hope that you tell your caretaker as much sometime.

[kaba]

[ Man, that sounds fun… ]

Yeah…Yeah, I will. [ Not. But weird canonpoint mumbo jumbo is the reason he'd taken to drinking in the first place. He doesn't want to think about how he can't get any closure from some guy—being a bro to the Doc seems like the better alternative. ]

And…thanks, Doc. For the advice, I mean. [ Exercising his hangover away sounds like a good plan. ]

[sewayaku]

[ he smiles gently, not recognizing the internal conflict going on in Koujakuville. ]

It's nothing at all. [ a pause; then, he extends his hand politely. ] My name is Zara, by the way - Zara Skeens. I apologize for the late introduction.

[kaba]

[ Just take a detour to stay right on track to sanityville my friend ]

Heh, no, it's fine. [ Scratching the back of his neck. ] I mean, I was kinda…

[ dumb ]

I'm Koujaku, by the way. Good to meetcha.

[sewayaku]

The pleasure is mine, Mr. Koujaku, [ he responds brightly, bowing his head just slightly in respect. ] It's good to find a few friendly faces around here.

[ considering all the horrible/weird/otherwise unwanted activity that goes on most of the rest of the time. ]

How long have you been here? In this city, I mean.

[kaba]

Way too long. [ Don't make him do math—okay, but no seriously he's had it up to here with all of CERES's weird antics lately. ]

But meeting a new friend does make things a little easier.

[sewayaku]

[ that answer says nothing while simultaneously saying a lot. Zara chuckles. ]

I'd argue that any length of time spent here is too much. I was quite done with it all after just a week.

[ yet here he is... seven months later. someone save him. ]

[kaba]

You too, huh? [ Then again, he's only met a grand total of one (1) person who actually thought being here was a good thing.

She was an otome protag too ]

You've held up a lot better though. [ Than he has, anyway. ]

[sewayaku]

Unfortunately, I've become used to keeping a cool head in times of crisis.

[ that doesn't mean he isn't panicking on the inside... he is. one day he'll have a normal sleep schedule again. maybe. All things considered, this situation actually is better than the one he was in back home, for the most part. He wasn't being hunted down by the tyrannical monarchy or taking refuge with bloodthirsty cannibals. That's a plus. ]

Have you been having difficulties?

[kaba]

Yeah. [ A laugh—and it's not entirely of the cheerful kind. ]

I think it's all coming back to me, too. [ Somebody please get him drunk again. ]

[sewayaku]

Aha... [ a small, apologetic laugh. ] Don't strain yourself, now. Would you like me to see if I can find some water for you?

[ he feels like talking to the poor guy is just exacerbating it all... ]

[kaba]

No, I'm fine. Really. [ It feels like he's been telling people that all day… ]

Sometimes you just gotta deal with it, you know? [ The hangover? Or his…other…problems… ]

[sewayaku]

[ both, maybe. Zara nods, seeming to get where he's coming from either way. ]

Of course. I understand. [ honestly, he's probably exacerbating it... who wants a random stranger giving them advice when they have a hangover? Politely, he bows his head. ] Well then, I'll let you rest up. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Koujaku - and do take care. If you're feeling unwell again, feel free to contact me.

[kaba]

[ He knows he's not the only one around here with a tragic backstory, so he figures that Zara's probably speaking from experience, even if it isn't firsthand. He certainly doesn't begrudge the guy for it. ]

Koujaku's fine, hey? None of that "mister" stuff, all right? [ It's weird, and he's not usually one for formalities. ]

But thanks again, Doc. I probably will. [ i.e. he might plan on getting into enough trouble to warrant medical attention. Yay? ]