poly_chromatic | ♦ ♦ 19th Contract

Entry tags:

darker than black - hei

♦ ♦ 19th Contract

~~Tch~~. It was a smarter option to stay indoors.

But if Pai is out there. Or Amber...

[ Under the awning of a ramen-stand, 'Li's sits belly up in a pyramid of empty bowls. Yes: he ate every single one. And no: he's nowhere near done. As he starts on his twelfth serving, chopsticks poised in mid-air, noodles dripping, he smiles shyly at the Network device. ]

I guess it's another of those weekends, huh?

Please try to keep the panic and shoving at a minimum. If you're lost and need directions, don't hesitate to ask.

[ Also: don't expect him to share his noodles. Get your own. ]

[ OOC: Anything that is anything goes! Just avoiding outing his true identity on the Network. Replies will be slow ~ but BACKTAGS ARE GLORIOUS! ]

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[Britta throws herself down next to Li and sighs angrily. If this is an acid trip, it's the worst one ever.

I mean, come on. Most of them are at least interesting.]

[ Impetus cannot eat as much as Carla. She is, however, very very pregnant and the pregnancy itself is... a strange one. She is very hungry: eating for two. Or maybe it's stress. She's here alone and due any day. ]

[ She is not normally a clumsy woman, but... he's made a mess, and when she stands to make a trip to a bathroom in the store across the street, she knocks over his pyramid of bowls. ]

[ Quietly slurping his noodles, 'Li' regards her sidelong. ]

Um...

Is something the matter? [ Other than the whole Abducted Into A Strange Universe deal. ]

How long does it take to get peyote out of your system?

.....I'm asking for a friend.

[ Hei wouldn't be what he is if he weren't aware of every micron of his surroundings. He's kept his eyes politely averted from the pregnant lady with Carla's face (a body-double; a shapeshifter; a product from an alternate universe -- the possibilities are endless, but, ultimately, not his problem.) ]

[ When she upends his little pyramid, he switches automatically into 'Li'-mode. A little flail, a clumsy (unsuccessful) grab for the bowls, and a hasty, ]

Ah! I-I'm sorry about that, Miss. [ Although she's the one who knocked everything over. ]

Um...

A what-ote?

[ He knows what a peyote is. But 'Li' would never touch that shit. ]

[ two small hands cover his eyes. she leans in to murmur ]

And if I'm not lost?

[ He shouldn't be caught off-guard so easily. Yet he is. When she speaks, his insides tilt and skew. Time plays such surreal tricks -- the months since they'd last spoken collapse into nothing, and at the same time, the events of just hours ago fade beyond recall. ]

[ He doesn't jump. Doesn't gape or stammer. He does what he always does when confronted with the unexpected. ]

[ He stills. ]

... Amber.

[ the stool next to his is empty. she removes her hands and sits there, one knee bent, both arms wrapped around it, the pin-up pose. she's not sixteen this time around; the angles of her face are sharper, but her smile is soft, ]

It's been a while [ she glances at the empty bowls and giggles ] But some things don't change.

Never mind.

[She rests her chin on her hand and stares at him.]

Stress eating much?

[ He colors up, shifting self-consciously in his seat, ]

Stress eating?

N-Not at all. In fact, I usually order more than this.

[It's like she's not even listening.]

Awwww, don't be shy. Lots of people stress eat.

[She inches her stool forward.]

Why don't you tell me what your problem is. Oh, don't worry! You can tell me anything. I'm a licensed psychology student.

[ He nixes her little crack with a shrug. ] I'm not buying you dinner. If that's what you're angling for. [ There's no heat in his tone; he sounds dry, almost lighthearted. He is glad to see her. His whole body-language, loose and easy instead of high-shouldered and rigid, reflects that. ]

B-But I don't! [ Sigh. Forget it. When she inches forward, he edges nervously back, clutching his brimming bowl to his chest as if she might snatch it away, ] Problems? I can't, um, think of any...

[ she's glad to see him too, she always is. they don't have much time, but she wouldn't be Amber if she didn't try to find him, even in this city. he is BK201, he is a native of shadows, but she'll always learn where he hides ]

It's not. [ she puts a hand out, but doesn't touch him. her fingers rest on the table, a few inches from his ] I see you're not angry with me anymore.

THIS IS AWWWWWWWWWESOOOOOOOOOMMMMMME!

[ He watches the movement of her hand. Doesn't scowl or draw back, but doesn't make contact either. Instead he exhales and sinks into his stool. Her presence, the remark, drags through him like a sharp rake. Even in a lifetime of strangeness, part of him feels like this is some sort of neurological phenomenon, a projection of his unconscious mind -- the image of Amber: green and gold and white. ]

[ Except a hallucination wouldn't be so vivid and detailed. ]

I can't be. [ Not after everything he knows. He hesitates then, a thousand yard stare taking in nothing. ] But sometimes I'm not sure I made the right choice, either. At the end. [ Forfeiting a world with all his friends, with the real stars, in favor of a third option. A society with humans and Contractors together. Did he do the right thing, or worsen a situation already veering toward total ruin? ]

[ Aghast, he stares at the screen, ]

Erm...

H-Hello?

[ she makes the contact for him, covering his hand with hers and squeezing. there is always something hollow in his voice, noticeable to her not as he speaks, but in the silences between. as if he is so far away.

It makes her sad. she would rather see him smiling. ]

Right or wrong doesn't matter. It was your choice. It was the bravest choice of all. [ she is the one who couldn't let him go. but in this timeframe or the hundreds in between, she'll do everything to keep him safe, even if she can't make his journey easier.

he has such a long way to go, still. ]

Don't be stupid. Everybody has problems.

HIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!

Are you... [ his frown deepens ] are you a talking spring?

Are you a talking person?

That may be so. But mine aren't really that ...problematic.

[ Liar, liar, noodles on fire. ]

Liar.

[Not that she knows. She just wants him to have problems so she can fix him. She leans closer and pokes him in the chest.]

Come on. Don't you think you can trust me?

[She might also be flirting a little. Those are some damn fine collarbones.]

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♦ ♦ 19th Contract

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