poly_chromatic | Follow you forever; Action;

Entry tags:

darker than black - yin

Follow you forever; Action;

Scenario A, out and about:

[Yin listlessly looks through the cat food, grabbing at random cans. It doesn't matter anymore since the current pet is unable to express which food he prefers. Still, he gets fed. She's graceful enough not to back into anyone else, but her basket might look a little full for a woman of her slim build. She wouldn't be opposed to anyone offering to carry it, or let her go forward in line. Not that she's capable of being appropriately appreciative of that either, though.]

Scenario B, at the Welcome Center:

[Ever available, Yin is at the front desk, staring in front of her. She never reads, or otherwise distracts herself when there's nothing to do. She either organizes and cleans up, or simply stands there. It might weird her co-workers out, or maybe they're just accustomed to it by now. If anyone needs assistance, though, she will respond immediately, giving a calm and soft, "Welcome to the Welcome Center. Do you need assistance?" as soon as someone enters.]

Scenario C, meant for Al and Hei (to stalk), falling in love:

[After grocery shopping, Yin steps out on the sidewalk and stops at once, her gaze falling on a man she has never seen before. But that's all she needs, one moment, and then, without a single comment or other gesture, she quickly pulls back into the shadows and waits for him to pass. This was just so she can fall into step behind and trail him. She has no plan, but she will watch this man, and keep an eye on him, until he either notices her and tells her to stop, or this new desire vanishes.]

[As for the bags, she continues to carry them, even when they get ridiculously heavy. Only when they become too much and drag her down will she leave them in an alleyway.]

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Yin. I need you to do something.

[Pai speaks quietly, still lurking in Cain's cafe, stalking him.]

[Just as quietly.]

Yes?

[Well Korra's had an awkward day. You wouldn't think being at the Welcome Center with her creepy coworker would be an improvement, but then, you wouldn't have been hit on by some weird lady with game. Food game, not playah game.

She taps her foot impatiently on the floor and browses the network without really seeing any of it. Finally she looks over at Yin.]

What are you doing?

[Yin doesn't even turn when Korra speaks to her.]

Waiting.

I need you to gather all the information you can on Cain Hargreaves. [Information is a form of power, and in this instance, Yin is her best weapon. She can't protect Cain if she doesn't understand what might be threatening him.]

[Yin nods, and immediately starts looking through whatever available entries there are. And, she will send her observation spirit after him. Still stalking Al, though.]

[ Hei's spent the day divided between monitoring Yin and Pai. ]

[ Admittedly, a vital portion of his routine is allotted to the activity. But with today's curse, he's in a red-zone. He's familiar with Yin's daily patterns -- grocery-runs, work schedules, time off. She goes through them like clockwork. He's only observed a deviation once, during that mess with Elis Kastinen and the Russian Contractors. But in this case, it's not her observer spirit that's been snatched. She's clearly cursed. And one look at who she's cursed to stalk is enough to trigger a moue of distaste across Hei's face. ]

[ He tails her at a distance, keeping a steady eye on her. The fact that she's so obvious -- and oblivious -- might be amusing, if it weren't so disconcerting. Unlike her, Hei goes for the oblique approach, following her in a circuitous route through the street to avoid anyone noticing him -- Yin, Al, or a nosy bystander. When she shucks her grocieries into an alleyway, he shakes his head. At the entrance of a mall, he glides in close. These areas are natural choke-points, with lots of civilians who unintentionally offer good concealment for ambushers. It's what Hei needs to get Yin's attention without tipping off Al -- especially if he's the watchful type. ]

[ Darting from behind a young couple holding a toddler, a colorful bunch of balloons trailing after them, he grabs Yin's arm. It's not a rough gesture, but it's not particularly friendly either. His voice is flat when he leans in to ask, ]

What are you doing?

[The bags - she might forget about them entirely in this curse, and certainly she would never waste money without the curse. Most of her personality remains in tact, though. When she feels Hei's hand on her arm, Yin stops, but she doesn't take her eyes off of Al.]

[When she speaks, her voice is quiet as ever.]

Following that man. [She points at Al, just in case Hei didn't realize which one she meant.]

[ He knows perfectly well who she's following. ]

[ But he wasn't expecting such a literal answer. Then again, that's a fixed facet of Yin. The curse might tug her after Al like a pretty kite on a string. But apart from that, she's the Yin of always. The realization sends a slow relief bubbling through Hei. But nothing about him softens -- not his grip or his gaze. ] It isn't smart to start following people, Yin. [ Not unless you have something practical to gain from it. Spies may skate the fine edge of stalking, but it's a job, not a hobby. ]

[ Lightly but firmly, he tugs Yin's arm. ] Come on. If he sees you, he'll be either uncomfortable or suspicious.

Edited 2013-08-22 06:45 (UTC)

Report back to me in two hours.

[ The sensation of being followed is not a new one when it comes to making the rounds with monthly collections: one has to know when to attribute the feeling to paranoia and when to be reasonable suspicious. In most cases, the best method is to be safe rather than sorry.

Al tucks the hefty envelope of cash into his coat pocket; contained within is a monthly collection of fees from several businesses in the neighborhood. He stops in a small nook, familiar with it, and lights himself a cigarette as he casually scans the area for any unfamiliar faces in the crowd. ]

For what?

Patrons.

[When he stops, Yin stops. Her eyes are almost downcast, half-lidded, but her face is turned unmistakably towards Al's.]

[A simple nod. Expect whatever available information there is to be had on Cain in a short time.]

[She doesn't outright argue with Hei, nor does she resist, as she should not. Yin, however, for a moment, hesitates, her feet not quite walking in the direction Hei pulls her.]

[ The faltering doesn't go unnoticed. While she isn't beaming heart-shaped rainbows from her chest, or bursting into sprigs of flowers or sonnets -- she is exhibiting all the signs of a smitten introvert. One with very warped ideas of affection, autonomy and control. (He refuses to connect the bits of this puzzle to Yin's frequent behavior around him, and vice vera. They're teammates, friends -- keeping a close eye on each other is practical. That's all there is to it.) ]

[ Keeping his fingers curled on Yin's arm, he draws her resolutely forward. His voice is quiet when he asks, ] Has Pai contacted you? [ Because if Pai's hit by the curse, chances are she'll resort to the same obsessive watchfulness Yin employs. (And, frequently, Hei himself). ]

[As she's pulled away, Yin turns to look in Al's direction. And if she can't personally follow him, she'll send her observer spirit. Hei's question gets a simple word answer.] Yes. [But even from Yin, even without a snippy attitude, it's distracted.]

[ While Yin's manner is always aloof, it's never distracted. She can't seem to focus on Hei, or their route. Like a cat when you try to get it to look at the TV, she looks everywhere but. Hei's fingers tighten a fraction on her upper-arm, giving it a little squeeze. It doesn't feel like a tender thing; he's measuring the range of her attention. ] Yin. [ Flat and calm, but with an undernote of Hello, I'm talking to you. He doesn't really blame her for the odd behaviour. She's cursed. But damned if he's going to indulge it, and risk anything happening to her. ]

[ Tipping his head, following her stare to its source -- it's Al, of course -- he says, ] Did Pai ask you to watch anyone for her? Did she mention where she is?

[ It takes a minute before he finds the source, but once he does his stare remains fixated. She's not someone that Al has seen before and he finds that very unfortunate. She's quite beautiful and different from any woman he's seen in the City or back home.

Attempting to get their gaze to connect, he straightens in stance but stays anchored to his side of the street. From afar, he offers a smile and a wink. ]

[Her eyes widen, a fraction, at the smile and wink combo. There was return attention being paid to her. She didn't smile, but her lips seemed to quiver for a moment. It might be hard to tell at that distance. A distance which she suddenly was aiming to close.]

[She was casual in her walk, but Yin was definitely aiming straight for Al, now.]

[When the pressure on her arm increases, she does, at least, turn towards it, away from Al at long last. She does not, however, look at Hei, even when her name is called.]

[And where Yin might have freely given the name of the person Pai wanted more information on, or an explanation of how it wasn't watching but information gathering, Yin didn't this time.] Yes. No.

[ There's something appealing about the way she makes her way towards him. He doesn't move, but suddenly the money feels quite hefty there in his jacket. It's when she gets closer that he notices the bags only because they're encroaching on his view of her face. ]

Afternoon. Want some help with those?

[ A flicker of irritation makes Hei's brow twitch. ]

[ Exhaling, he slides his hand down her arm to wrap his fingers in hers. Again: companionable on the surface. But it's another layer of careful control. Not necessarily control over Yin, but a countermeasure in case the curse proves stronger than expected, and she tries to break loose. (He doesn't think she will. But this is the City. There are no predictable elements.) ]

Details. [ The Who-What-Why-When. His tone is remarkably patient, but a sharpness cuts through it. ] What was the person's name?

Oh.

[Back to her keyboard. Bored. Bored. Bored. Boooooooooooooooooored.]

Hey Yin. Has anyone creepy been following you today?

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