♦ ♦ 12th Contract

[mortemscintilla]

A breach in the City's barrier?

[ He's noticed this population-influx in past Network entries. Tourists. Some leave with the weekend, taking Citizens with them. Others stay behind -- semi-replacements. A law of equivalent exchange -- something gained for something lost? ]

[ He doesn't know. ]

[ He's caught between observing the phenomenon up-close, or retreating Underground. But parsing his separate threads of choice, he decides to stay Topside. To, for once, maximize instead of satisfice. There might be familiar faces. There might be outsiders with answers. He wants to learn more about the City. He wants out. ]

[ And solving any problem is predicated on understanding it completely. ]

It's really crowded today, isn't it? [ Li sits in a bustling little caff, enjoying breakfast. He slices into the strawberries with a fork. The juice runs out, dark-red, like blood. He smiles at his device -- calculated, a perfect mix of innocence and sweetness. ] It almost reminds me of rush-hour in Tokyo. But hopefully there's no need for train-tetris or pushmen. It's sort of a Fact Of Life back home. But not everyone here would enjoy that, would they? [ He skates the strawberry around with his fork. Bites into it neatly. ] I wonder how many of these visitors have been here before...?

[OOC: Gimme all the trolling! Gimme! Just please avoid spilling his real identity over the Network :3 ]

Comments

[stillnotshion]

[And another person who is probably not so familiar wanders in to hear the tail end of that message.]

Hei? Who are you talking to?

xDDD

[mortemscintilla]

[ Hei? ]

[ His face expresses neither concern nor alarm. But the gears in his head are whirring. His codename isn't something he bandies around carelessly. How is this girl privy to it? Who is she? ]

...I'm sorry.

Do I know you?

X3

[stillnotshion]

[Was he playing dumb? He could seriously be so annoying.]

[She figures this is her cue to slide into the seat across from him as inconspicuously as possible.]

Come on, don't give me that. [She lowers her voice and leans forward.] What's going on here? I know this isn't Japan.

[mortemscintilla]

[ Who are you, Strange Loli? He maintains an expression of polite confusion. Privately, he's calculating where to drag this girl to interrogate her. He knows the City has divergent timelines. Past, present, future. ]

[ Could she be someone he hasn't yet met? ]

I'm sorry, Miss. [ He offers 'Li's timid smile. ] I think you have me confused with someone else.

[stillnotshion]

[Suou's starting to believe him. There's no way he'd pretend to just not know her without some reason or another.]

[Either way, this means she should get going. She gives him a look before standing up abruptly.] You're right. You kinda look like him, but that's pretty much it. Sorry.

[With that, she stuffs her hands in her pockets and walks away. If he wants to be like that, fine. He's not exactly great company anyway.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ With an apologetic Sorry-I'm-not-who-you-thought moue, he watches the girl go. Gauges the direction she's heading in, before casually quitting the cafe. He tails her at a distance, hard-eyed, watchful. He doesn't know her. But she seems to know him. ]

[ He intends to learn how. ]

[stillnotshion]

[She wanders through the crowded streets almost aimlessly. She feels a little tingle at the back of her neck, but tries not to think about it as she weaves arounf everyone. There's nothing familiar here at all and half the people look like they're in costume.]

[Not that she really cares or anything. It's just weird, and even with all these people, she hasn't seen July anywhere. After a while, she just resigns herself to sitting against the side of a building.]<>

[mortemscintilla]

[ He keeps pace with her, out of sight, blending with the rhythm of the crowd. Gaze fixed on the back of Suou's head, mind running strings of options. ]

[ Where to corner her. What to ask. ]

[ When she settles by a building, he makes a quick sweep of the area. No witnesses. Good. The pedestrians mill about, absorbed in their polyglot. He weaves through them, unseen. Seizes Suou by the coat-collar, dragging her without warning into the adjacent alleyway. It all happens too fast for anyone to notice. One minute the girl sits by the building. The next, she's gone. ]

[ In the shaded alleyway, he pins her back against the wall, his grip viselike. ]

Who are you?

[ His face is impassive, the half-shuttered eyes cold, hard. ]

[stillnotshion]

[ Suou can barely get a squeak of surprise out before she's grabbed and turned all around and slammed against another wall. ]

[ Hei... Her eyes narrow. She knows she can't get away from him, so she doesn't bother trying to struggle (though she's obviously tense and obviously annoyed). Besides, there's obviously something wrong with him and she does not want to know what he'll do. ]

[ She's not above yelling at him. ]

What do you mean, "Who am I?"?! I'm Suou!

[mortemscintilla]

[ Suou. The name means nothing to him. There's no chord of familiarity in her face, her voice. She just seems like a normal girl. Except any girl privy to his codename can't be normal. Thin-lipped, he tilts his head. His grip, his gaze, are unyielding. ]

I've never met you. [ A beat; an assessment. ] Are you a Contractor?

[ She can't be more than thirteen. But age means nothing in his profession. He and Pai were hired by the Syndicate when they were even younger. Outsiders underestimate the threat children can pose. Their loss. ]

[stillnotshion]

Why does it matter to you? Get off me.

[ He's really starting to make her uncomfortable right now. All she can do is glare at him and try not to look worried because this is not the Hei she knows. ]

[ ...Despite that, she's still thinking Don't shoot. Maybe she can get away without summoning her gun. And he's the one that showed her how to do that, too... ]

[mortemscintilla]

I'll ask the questions. [ Back home, Hei is constantly in flux. Officially he doesn't exist. She made herself a target of suspicion by addressing him. He returns her glare impassively. ] Who do you work for? [ Talk. He's reaching the end of his limited patience. ]

[stillnotshion]

[ She knows he is. It's almost like when they first met, and that's not anything close to a good memory. ]

I don't work for anyone! [ Her voice is shrill and pretty panicked. She reaches up to grab his arm and dig her nails in. ] Listen, you're the one who took me; I don't want anything to do with you or your business. Let me go.

[mortemscintilla]

[ He doesn't need instinct to catch her panic. She telegraphs it loud and clear. Real panic, not an elaborate ploy. But his pokerface remains intact, his grip immovable. There's only a faint crease between his brows -- a subtle sign of confusion. ]

Took you in? [ His eyes narrow. What logical reason would he have to take in a -- child? ] What year is it in your world? [ Insert any year, fandom never specifies, pfft. ]

[stillnotshion]

[ sob, I will make something up, then! ]

[ He really doesn't remember her. This isn't an act..., she thinks. Part of her still kind of expected him to drop it and reprimand her soon enough. Her expression mirrors his as she looks back up at him. ] 2003.

[ What did you think?, she wants to ask, but she keeps her mouth shut for now. She just watches him and thinks of what she should do. ]

[mortemscintilla]

[ 2003? His grips slackens briefly on her coat. But he doesn't release her. Mind whirring, he stares her down, trying to find some sturdy thread of reality to cling to. Two years. She's two years into the future. Part of him wonders how she crossed paths with him -- a hostage, a go-between, an assignment? Another part marvels he's lived that long. The final part is disgusted there are still Contractors two years from now. ]

[ None of the turmoil shows on his face. ]

You mentioned Japan. Is that where you're operating from?

[ Congratulations, Suou. He'll grill you until Doomsday. ]

[stillnotshion]

[ Leaving Suou to wonder what made him loosen his grip (is he really so out of it he doesn't know what year it is?) and wonder even more what she didn't just steal that opportunity to run away. (Though part of her still knows he'd just find her again even if he doesn't even have a reason to now. Maybe that's why...) ]

[ But she channels that confusion into frustration. ]

Huh? Are you listening? I already told you: I'm not working for anyone! Besides, going to Japan was your idea. [ Even if it worked out for her too. ]

[mortemscintilla]

[ A logical voice in his head warns: The past and future are traps. Leave them alone. He's better off focusing on the Now. If he can't survive, neither timeline will matter. But his curiosity is sparked. It's impossible to let go. ]

[ His features transform by slow degrees into a glower. ]

What business do I have in Japan? [ A beat. ] Does it have something to do with you?