thenearshore | (no subject)

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(no subject)

Who: Gojyo and a lot of really bad dudes
What: Jailhouse visits?
When: /shrug Between 10/26 and 10/30
Where: The big police station at the edge of town
Warnings: Abolish the fucking prison system already

[ They keep forgetting he's here.

Bad enough that he got arrested – bad enough that that last guy was faster than he'd anticipated, fast enough to duck under Gojyo's arm and bury far too many inches of his knife's blade into Gojyo's side. Bad enough that he hadn't been able to finish the job – there's at least three of the yakuza in jail with him right now, any by his count another half dozen who managed to avoid both him and the cops.

(And let's be honest, one inch of knife is too many inches to get stabbed with).

But they keep forgetting about him.

He woke up in a cell, in jail (jail is where you go when they arrest you, he's found out; prison is where you go only after they convict you), his shirt glued to his side with dried blood. There were six other guys in the cell (one of whom was part of the gang he'd just decimated) in a cell that was in no way big enough for six people, and every single one of them had opinions about his presence when he was discovered. Every time he was 'discovered'.

The last four days have mostly been a blur of guards yelling in his face, and being forgotten about and left alone in various parts of the station for hours on end. He's getting really goddamn tired of being yelled at.

He's kicking himself, too. He should have taken advantage of the confusion in that first day and snuck out, but he realized it too late. Realized it just about the time the guard was dragging him back to his cell. His new cell, way in the back, with all the terrifying new roommates. And yeah, the guard was only human, sure – they all were, nothing but human strength and limitations – but still Gojyo went along with him. There were too many people here, and the only way out would leave behind a lot of bodies. He'd done enough of that for now, thanks.

Just like he'd done enough of this fucking detention cell. But before he could figure out a less-lethal way to make his escape, the heavy steel door clanged shut, barring his view of the world, and Gojyo felt his stomach drop. He couldn't get through bars like that, not without making a big show of his otherworldly magical space monk weapon that he was pretty sure would get him their attention in a way he should avoid. He hadn't given much thought to the risk of arrest – why would he? He's a shinki, it would never happen.

He's pretty sure he can hear the universe laughing at him for that one.

(One of the younger guards, fresh out of training, is convinced he's not a magician but a ghost. It's the little things that get him through the day.) ]

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[Gojyo will get a nice, good long while to sit there, sinking into the misery that is being in jail. After a while, however, a sound that's no doubt become familiar to him will click throughout the hallway right outside his cell. When one is in a jail cell, and one has been constantly forgotten in a jail cell, they get a lot of free time to do absolutely nothing besides pay attention to the things happening around them. That means he'll probably recognize the sharp sound of police boots hitting the floor, headed right for him. In fact, it's not only one set of boots, if he listens carefully. It's two separate and distinct pairs: one where each footstep is spaced out significantly, and the other which is a little quicker. No other sounds accompany them, no sneakers squeakily grinding against the ground or shoes being dragged.]

[That is probably a new one for him. After all, with the way he's constantly forgotten, most officers in the building end up stumbling upon him by complete accident when they move to add in a new individual to a cell that's actually occupied. Still, there's no denying simple facts. Whether he's waiting in interest or not, that doesn't really matter. A very tall man in what is indeed a police uniform comes striding towards his cell, the brim of his hat tugged down low, and stops....]

...You were right, Ken. He's here.

[Oh, look, it's one of Gojyo's favorite people.]

[Chikusa debatably wears a police uniform too well. In fact, he wears it like someone who is strangely used to being in uniform. Along with the fact that he's not actively slouching as he usually is, well. A Chikusa that stands up perfectly straight is almost an entirely different Chikusa. Gojyo would be forgiven if he didn't realize it was one of his favorite shitteens up until just now, as Chikusa leans against what little doorframe there is with one hand nudging up his hat and the other idly spinning around a pair of handcuffs.]

[Gojyo doesn't want to make him use the handcuffs.]

Of course he's here, dumbass kappa. My nose never lies.

[The other teen is shorter, stockier, blond, and...well, to say he doesn't wear a uniform nearly as well as his partner is an understatement. It's rumpled and being worn to the absolute minimum requirements of passing as a police officer. The shirt's barely even buttoned halfway up. He appears to be modeling a new style, perhaps named something like 'dressed under duress'.

He's never seen Gojyo before - or if he did, it was before the man had any significance to him - and so he peers through the bars at the redhead curiously.] You look better than I thought you would for how much of your blood I've been smelling, byon.

[ Jail isn't just terrifying and confining -- it's also boring. The other men in his cell -- there's five of them, a heavily tattooed yakuza, a wiry dude who looks like a businessman, and three disheveled toughs -- are all old hands at this jail thing, and they just sit quietly, kneeling on the floor, waiting out their time.

Gojyo's really bad at sitting still, he's discovered, but pacing gets the attention of the guards and then everyone gets yelled at, and that's not the way to make friends. So he's sitting too, cross-legged, leaning against the wall with his head back and his eyes closed, willing the times to past faster. But whoever answers shinki wishes is apparently an asshole, because instead he gets a visit from these two fuckers.

He startles on seeing them, but the surprise quickly settles into disinterested anger. ]

I'm not interested. Fuck off.

[ He's about to lean his head back against the wall again and pretend they aren't there, but then a thought occurs to him. If they've gone to the effort to sneak uniforms, maybe they snuck something else, too? ]

You got the key?

Are we fucking off or giving you the key...?

[Chikusa has the key. Of course he has the key. He also has a police baton and pepper spray, because one might as well when they're masquerading as an officer of the law. Yet there's no level of petty asshole that Chikusa can't descend to, so long as it doesn't take much effort to make the move.]

[Besides. He figures it's fair to harass Gojyo a little. His nonsense with Hakkai is one thing, and which one could debatably say that they brought down upon themselves. But dragging Ayumu into a yakuza war..?]

[That sort of careless sloppiness is inexcusable.]

Not interested in what, byon? We haven't even offered anything yet.

[Ken is eyeing the other prisoners in the cell now, before he turns his head to Chikusa.] Hey, Kakipi, even if they can't see us, they're gonna see the door opening, right? They might cause a big scene with the cops if they leave the cell...

[Which Ken wouldn't necessarily mind, but he's worried Chikusa or Gojyo might get shot in the chaos as a result. Most of the concern is for Chikusa, really. Chikusa has a track record of being shot and dying.]

[ Slowly, quietly, with one hand pressed firmly to the seeping wound just below his ribs, Gojyo rises to his feet. The businessman cocks his head slightly as though he can hear the movement and Gojyo freezes, barely breathing for the few seconds it takes for the man to 'forget' him again.

The guy's part snake, Gojyo's sure of it. He's easily the most dangerous person in the room, and Gojyo's including himself in that count. ]

If you open the door, they'll see you. [ Why Chikusa and the other one are here, what they want him for, how the even found him... none of that matters. Those are arguments for the time after he's out of the cell, not before. He keeps his voice even and low, so as not to attract any more attention than necessary. ] You're in uniform, dumbass, they'll think you're guards. Just open the goddamn door.

...He has a point, Ken.

[Being thought of as a cop was the main reason Chikusa pulled these uniforms out from the moths, after all.]

[Still.... This is going too smoothly. From him, at least, he would have expected Gojyo to complain or argue more considering the redhead's issue with Hakkai, let alone Chikusa. So, hooking the handcuffs back onto his belt, he reaches into one pocket to pull out the keys to the cell while using his other hand to grab the baton. Just in case.]

Ken.... Make sure to go get him.

[Sure, even if Gojyo ran, Ken could track him down anyway, especially with how much he's bleeding.... but that's really way too much effort when they've found him now. So with that order given to his partner, Chikusa takes a slight step back...]

[Before smashing his baton right up against the bars.]

[Doing it purely to see the reactions of the other criminals? Maybe.]

All of you. Up against the wall, now. [With enough force, an otherwise blank voice can almost sound commanding.] We're only here to transfer one of you out of this.

I don't want any of you to try anything, if you know what's good for you.

[After all, he doesn't need much to lash out himself... and Chikusa knows Ken would have even less patience if anyone tried anything against his partner.]

[Chikusa waits long enough to make sure that his orders are followed though before taking the key to the cell, opening it enough for Ken. If Gojyo tries anything stupid, which Chikusa never doubts he will, his partner should be able to handle it.]

Oh. [Ken sounds almost disappointed.] I thought I might get to kick their asses, byon...

[Gojyo's not familiar with Ken, so this statement may seem ludicrous coming from a teenager. But the way Ken strides into the cell full of people, completely unafraid, his own baton swinging at the end of his arm like he's looking for an excuse to use it and with a grin that bares fangs that don't seem quite like they belong in a human mouth...well, that utter confidence has to be coming from somewhere.]

Get moving. [His voice is lower now, more gruff - he may be trying to put on a show, like Chikusa.] You can stand around wasting time when you're dead!

[He doesn't appear to have thought his dialogue through as carefully, though.]

[ But Gojyo doesn't get to take a single step toward the open door before one of the gorillas speaks up. ]

You're not going to handcuff him? [ The man sitting next to him stiffens slightly, then bows his head lower, trying to visibly separate himself from the idiot prisoner who's decided to dictate policy to the guards. But the gorilla doesn't take the hint. ] I always get handcuffed when I get taken for a walk. [ He sounds confused, and a little put out.

Mr. Snake doesn't move a muscle, but Gojyo could swear the asshole's smiling. ] They don't need to handcuff me because I'm behavin' myself, [ --he retorts, with a warning glance at Chikusa as he shoves past Ken and heads for the cell door. There will be no handcuffs. He's not turning himself over to to Hakkai's adolescent shitheads without the use of his hands, no way. ]

Edited 2018-03-26 18:39 (UTC)

[Gojyo can consider his warning firmly ignored, as the bars to the door rattle with the way Chikusa shoves it closed... but not locked, at least. Really, it's almost more of a favor for the prisoners and Gojyo than it is Ken. If any of them try anything against Ken, it's going to be a huge regret on all their parts.]

[But in the meantime... He sighs at Gojyo.]

If you're going to lie... at least do it when you're not doing the thing you're lying about.

Officer Joshima... [There's a certain dryness to the words, a kind of faint enjoyment towards an inside joke.]

[Ken is the worst sort of cop, and not only because he's a fake one.]

Hah! [Ken gives a wild grin at the gorilla, who doesn't impress him much. Ken can out-gorilla that guy any day of the week, and he knows it.] That's 'cause I've never taken you on a walk, byon. I'd love for him to be dumb enough to try something with me!

[Ken's shorter than Chikusa, and not particularly physically imposing in any way when he's not channeling. But he compresses a lot of pure animalistic hunger for violence into a small teenage frame, and more than enough confidence to take on grown men of any size; his grandiose talk doesn't feel like bravado.

Ken has clearly embraced the role of bad cop to the fullest, perhaps because he could never in a million years play a good one even if he wanted to.

When Chikusa closes the cell with them still inside, he blinks, then huffs as though being shut in a cell with six hostile criminals and one semi-hostile one is just an annoying inconvenience. Fortunately, Chikusa was thorough enough to make sure to give Ken all the proper accoutrements of his fake office, and so Ken's able to pull out a pair of handcuffs.] Alright, c'mere.

Edited 2018-04-02 20:51 (UTC)

[ And things were going so well, too. ]

No way.

[ His refusal is enough to get the attention of the rest of the men in the cell. Not one of them is looking directly at Gojyo and Ken (or at Chikusa, for that matter), but they're all clearly listening intently to every word that's being said.

Gojyo can feel his chances for an actual escape slipping away with each passing second. ]

You're not fucking handcuffing me. [ This is directed at Chikusa, who is clearly the brains of the operation. Ken's just his lackey, right? Just the muscle? ] I don't care what instructions he sent you with. Just open the damn door!

[Chikusa is pretty sure that the moment when someone has ended up in jail or prison, things aren't going well at all, but hey, what does he know. He's just a teenage felon.]

[A teenage felon in a cop uniform keeping some dumb asshole in a cell, and he's not opening the door anytime soon no matter how much Gojyo threatens him with. Instead, content in the knowledge that Ken will take care of the matter soon enough, he sighs at Gojyo.]

Wrong pronouns.

[That's all he has to say.]

[Well, they tried doing this smoothly, and Gojyo's not cooperating. In fact, he's risking blowing their cover; even Ken's smart enough to know that a prisoner isn't allowed to dictate to the cops whether or not he gets handcuffed.

How convenient that his attention's on Chikusa.

Ken bares his teeth in what is technically a smirk as he fishes out a cartridge and slots it over his teeth, shifting into Wolf Channel. The changes aren't the most extreme his body can undergo - nothing beats Kong Channel for that - but there's still some definite visual shifts that the other prisoners may notice. Not that Ken cares; if they're freaked out or intimidated, let them be. So long as they stay out of his way.

Gojyo goes from standing unassisted to being bodily shoved against the bars by someone a lot stronger than Ken looks to be, with a growl in his ear that carries predator harmonics all the way down to the bone.] Who said we were offering you a choice, byon? [The hand that's grabbed Gojyo's wrists, pinning them together behind him, is unmistakably clawed.] We're the ones calling the shots here, not you!

[Ken is doing a pretty convincing act of Bad Cop, albeit with a side of Werewolf. The bad cop thing seems slightly more literal considering the slight unfamiliarity and fumbling with which he operates the handcuffs - those claws probably aren't helping - but he gets them on Gojyo after a few false starts.]

Open up, Officer Kakipi!

[ Wrong pronouns, says the deadpan brat, and Gojyo can't even manage to ask what's a pronoun? before the smelly brat behind him slams him against the bars of the cell. He's not so injured that some kid should be able to manhandle him like this, but there's something different about Ken... and it's not just the prickle of what feels like suddenly very sharp fingernails against Gojyo's bare wrist.

The other prisoners have sure noticed something, though. Gojyo's vision is fuzzing out a bit from the blow his head just took from the bars, but there's no mistaking their reactions. The two biggest guys are on their feet, hands outstretched, immediately ready to take on the threat while the smaller bespectacled man has smoothly withdrawn to the far side of the cell, away from the monster in a cop suit. They're hesitant to attack, though -- Ken might be a monster, and Ken might be a cop, and either of those things comes with consequences. They hesitate long enough for Ken to get the cuffs on Gojyo (which is not an easy process, given how strong Gojyo is in his own right)...and, let's be honest. They're probably enjoying the show.

Gojyo, let's be clear, is not having a good time. ]

Get your fucking hands off of me! Let me go!

[It's not only the monster in a cop suit that they should be careful about. At the second that the two with no common sense get up to their feet, Chikusa's quick hands are already in motion and slamming his baton against one of the cell bars. The sound is a warning ring, bouncing off the walls and rattling through ears. For how sharp it is, Chikusa doesn't react at all. He merely stands there, dark eyes narrowed from beneath the brim of his cap.]

I... wouldn't do that.

[Getting up, getting ready for a fight, doing anything but sitting there and not saying a damn word. Chikusa is more than ready to beat down anyone he has to... and he'll gladly do far worse.]

[Most of the people in there most likely deserve it.]

[When he's gotten the impression that he's being listened to, he finally turns back to the door with a sigh and puts away the baton so that he can reach for the door instead. His other hand reaches over for the pepper spray also on his belt.]

It's either Officer or Kakipi... Both of them together sounds worse...

[But there's that cell door finally opening, with his eyes on the prisoners the entire time.]

[Ken bares his teeth over his shoulder at the other prisoners, not the least bit intimidated by their rising in preparation, half turning from Gojyo once one clawed hand digging into his shoulder is enough to hold onto him.] Anyone feeling really stupid, byon? [He flexes a clawed hand.] 'Cause we're going out to eat after this, and fighting all six of you might help me work up an appetite!

[There don't seem to be any takers, which is a good thing, but Ken seems almost disappointed. He snorts and pulls Gojyo away from the bars, shoving him toward the door.] Coming out, Officer Kakimoto. [Ken's tone in saying those last two words is somewhere between sarcasm and mockery. What's wrong with Officer Kakipi?]

[ Ken manages to get the cuffs on him, and Gojyo goes... well, not still, but less actively violent. He needs to get out of the cell, he realizes, and playing nice for a minute is looking like the only way that's going to happen. So he sucks it up and only jerks back a little when Ken's claws dig into his shoulder, swearing fluidly under his breath but not making any motion like he's trying to get away. Not until he's through the door, that is.

The rest of the prisoners are confused -- the guards are never polite, sure, but this young recruit's behavior is far beyond anything they've seen before. One of the gorillas, torn between the possibility of rushing the door and living with the very real likelihood that the guards have finally gone too far (and if they're willing to treat the little tough this way, won't they come back and beat on him, too?), finally makes up his mind.

Guards! Help! He bangs the flat of his huge hand against the wall at the far end of the cell. Help! Escape!

It's the distraction Gojyo's been waiting for. The second the gorilla opens his mouth, Gojyo kicks out at Ken, aiming for either his knee or his gut, whichever is in better range. The motion tears open the knife wound in his side, but the pain is manageable -- he'll bandage it again when he's free. Another kick for good measure and then he'll be off and running -- those long legs, plus a shinki's ability to leap long distances, should have him out the door in under a minute. And once he's got his feet on the street, nobody will be able to catch him. ]

[Well. It's officially all become a mess now, and thus far too much effort for Chikusa to have any desire in keeping up the charade. Sighing, he lets Gojyo burst through the door- assuming Ken doesn't tear out his god damn throat-]

[And, very casually with his free hand, tosses up a borderline right down the hall.]

[One time, Ken sped into it so fast that he knocked himself completely unconscious. Chikusa is pretty sure that Gojyo is around the same levels of intelligence, even if he's not going as fast as a cheetah. In the meantime- ]

Ken, stop messing with them... Let's go.

[Especially before the actual guards arrive and realize what's going on...]

[Ken's got better reflexes than Gojyo gives him credit for, especially while channeling; the kick only grazes Ken as he jumps back, startled. However, this still creates distance enough between Ken and Gojyo to give the other man his opening, especially with Ken's attention divided between him and the noisy prisoner.

Gojyo is promptly forgotten. Not because he's unimportant, or that Ken's bad at prioritizing(although he can be); it's more that Ken is acutely aware that Chikusa still stands between Gojyo and freedom. Even if Gojyo wasn't handcuffed, Ken would expect Chikusa to be able to stop him easily; he knows his partner is even more competent than he is. So instead, he turns his full attention on the stupid mortal who's trying to make things difficult for them. They'd expected Gojyo to be a complication, but who the hell is this idiot to make himself a pain, too?

Still, Ken's not about to kill someone without orders from Hakkai as his god, or Ayumu as the person who actually wanted them to fetch Gojyo; he's not actually sure if shinki are supposed to, or are even allowed to, kill mortals. But he's not about to let the guy get away with being a pain without some form of retaliation, so with a growl, he stalks forward and swipes out a hand, to knock the guy's head against the bars in front of him. It's not remotely as hard as he could hit, it doesn't even use his claws, but he wants the guy seeing stars after his forehead hits the bars.]

Shut up, jackass!

[He doesn't hang around after smacking the guy - the attack was more an explosive expression of pique than any intent to get into anything with a human. He turns and trots to the door of the cell, slipping out and closing it behind him. Chikusa, he knows, is focusing on Gojyo now.]

[It's not hard to figure out where Gojyo has vanished to.

It's not easy, not when Sharak isn't part of the yakuza fighting circle herself and she can no longer track Gojyo through a shinki bond. She has to notice he's missing first. She has to catch offhand comments from Ayumu and Hakkai to give her a picture of what's been going on. One afternoon she has to spend standing on a street corner smoking, quietly listening to a pair of thugs trying to figure out why they've been told to keep an eye on this particular bar.

After that it's some good, old-fashioned conjecture and a visit to the nearest police station on a hunch. Not easy, but certainly not hard. One thing she can be grateful for is that a lack of subtlety seems to be unaffected by the transition from living to shinki.

Her footsteps are quiet, walking down the dimly lit corridor leading to the jail cells, drowned out by the sound of metal scraping across the floor. She probably should have been stopped by now, but she walks with such confidence and certainty that anyone that manages to notice her just assumes she's where she's meant to be. She stops outside Gojyo's cell, not bothering to look inside, and roughly places a metal chair in front of it. Then she takes a seat and lights a cigarette.]

... Ah, do they allow smoking indoors here?

[ He hears her coming -- of course he does, what else does he have to do but listen to the guards moving around? -- and he's carefully sitting on the floor along with the other prisoners, quietly marking time until their release or their court date.

He's really bad at sitting still. He's really bad at being still, period, at keeping quiet, at doing nothing but waiting. But pacing pisses off the guards, and talking pisses off the guards -- exercising definitely pisses off the guards -- and when the guards are pissed off, the whole cell gets punished. The guards want them quiet, the guards want them still, and the guards want them obedient. Gojyo's learned a lot about himself over the past few days, and right at that top of the list is that jail fucking sucks.

It's almost a relief to see Sharak. Whey else would she be here, if not to let him out? ]

If I say no, are you gonna put it out?

[What else indeed...]

I might. [Takes a drag from her cigarette. She might, but she won't.] I brought enough to share, but I'm starting to think you'd have appreciated a cake with a file in it more.

[She'd break him out herself, but she's not sure that's the best think right now. Not if Gojyo's likely to start up the same behaviour that got him here in the first place again.]

[ She's starting to think that he might have wanted something to get himself out? He scowls a bit at that, but he bites his tongue before saying anything stupid. The last thing he needs is to pick a fight with her and have her walk out on him. He'd deserve it, probably, but that doesn't mean it has to happen! ]

Cake's good. A burger would be better.

[ He leans forward just a hair, careful to keep his movements slow. That businessman sitting on the other side of the room, he's been way more aware of Gojyo than Gojyo's entirely comfortable with. He wouldn't be surprised if the guy -- who Gojyo can't actually see from this angle -- was aware of Sharak and was listening to their whole conversation. He's a sneaky bastard. ]

There's a great place not far from here, American-style, you'll love it. My treat.

[ Let's go! ]

[If you can't break yourself out of jail, can you ever truly leave it? Some philosophy to ponder while he's sitting here with nothing else to do.]

Sounds good. Let me know when you're free and we'll go.

[Get it. Did you get it, Gojyo? From the slight twitch on the businessman's face, he got it and probably has the same sense of humour as Sharak. Great. Sharak doesn't pay him or any of the others much mind. He can listen if he wants to.]

In the mean time, let's talk.

[ Talk? Talk? She wants to...? ]

I think we've talked enough, don't you? What else is there to say?

[ She's a liar, she betrayed him, yadda yadda. It's getting old.

He slumps back on his heels, defeated, arm pressed tightly against his side where the knife wound (it's a small thing, by Saiyuki standards. It'll close by itself in a week or so, probably without even getting infected or anything) is still seeping blood. ]

I'm not here for your entertainment. If you aren't gonna let me out, then you can fuck right off.

Do you want me to? [She doesn't think he does. She'll pass his location on to Ayumu when she leaves here and she can decide what happens to him next.] You told me you didn't want any help from me.

[He made it very clear, actually. A couple of times. Sharak's eyes flick down to his injury briefly. Ah, that does change the situation slightly. Only slightly though, it can't be too serious or the guards would have noticed it.]

I'm not here to be entertained. But you've started a whole lot of crap these past few weeks and it's not just affecting you anymore.

[ You know what's awesome? When the guard notices that you're bleeding, and heads off to notify the on-call medic, but then forgets on the way what they're doing, comes back to their patrol in this hallway, notices that you're bleeding, heads off to notify the on-call medic...

It's a good thing Saiyukis are sturdy. ]

Oh bullshit. I left the... [ he lets his voice trail off for a moment, not quite shooting a glance at the other folks in the cell with him. Maybe they're listening, maybe they're not, but he's trying not to be so stupid these days. ] ...I left, after everything that happened, and I don't even have a god to blight.

And as we all know, the world and all the people in it cease to move the moment Sha Gojyo stops looking at them.

[The situation is never too serious for sarcasm, apparently. Seriously though, Gojyo, you start a turf war and expect to be the only one to feel the consequences? Grow up. She's tempted to go burn that bar down for all the trouble it's caused.]

Blight is far from the worst of your troubles, brat. [But it's probably not a good idea for a nameless spirit to be hanging around the Near Shore like this for so long. He's going to attract ayakashi soon. Maybe she will encourage Ayumu to take steps.] Do you even have a real plan for dealing with this business you've started?

[ Yeah, yeah, all his decisions are bad ones, if he'd only listen to her everything would be fine. He's so tired of this conversation. ]

Yeah. Get out of here and keep going.

[ Mr Snake over there is yakuza, without a doubt, so he's not going to outright say "I'm going to go kill all the yakuza I can find", but Sharak should still be able to hear that nonetheless. ]

It's what I'm here for, right? Makin' the world a better place for all the humans?

[For what it's worth, at least Sharak is quiet for a moment while she glares at Gojyo. So it's still like that, huh? She flicks some ash from her cigarette onto the floor.]

Violence isn't what makes the world a better place. For humans or anyone else.

[It's a necessity sometimes, it's occasionally a start. But it's not what makes people's lives better.]

[ Her cigarette smells really good. He doesn't want one -- and he wouldn't ask her for one even if he did -- but it smells good. Familiar.

And as soon as he realizes that it's the familiarity that he's enjoying, he turns his face aside to try and avoid the smoke. How does she keep getting under his skin like this? ]

Well, I tried askin' them nicely to stop. You think maybe I should have brought some cookies? A tray of sweet buns?

[ Violence is what changes things. The world needs changing, and he's a dead man with a lot of ability for violence. This is his purpose. This is how he proves that he's got value. ]

Besides, can somebody like you tell me violence isn't the answer?

Well, I am the resident expert. [A dry comment, for all her real frustration with the situation. She never claimed to be peaceful herself.]

Some people won't give a choice beside kill or be killed. I won't comment on that. Sometimes it does help.

[She takes one last, long drag from her cigarette before letting it fall onto the cement floor.]

But it's not what improves people's lives. If it was, it'd be far easier.

It's been pretty easy so far.

[ Says the man sitting in county jail with a hole in his side, a dead dog, and another man's arm stitched to his shoulder. ]

[Stares at him. His arm. His blood. His life in general.]

... So I see.

[Sharak sighs. Didn't this all start with wanting to help some kids that were being taken advantage of? What the fuck, Gojyo.]

Killing people is easy, Gojyo. Helping them isn't.

[ Yes, and he's killed the people who were taking advantage of the kids. And their bosses, and he's working up to their bosses. Sometimes you just have to travel across the country killing a lot of people in order to make the world a better place, Sharak.

Her comment grates, though. ]

What the fuck else can I do? [ He's leaning forward again, hissing through clenched teeth. That comment landed hard. ] I'm not the kind of guy who saves people, okay? I'm not gonna open an orphanage or run for mayor. All I'm good at is killing people.

[Yeah, and now those kids aren't being used in drug dealing, which is great, but has anyone checked who's feeding them now? There needs to be some follow through there, is what Sharak is thinking.]

There's a middle ground there somewhere. [She has some sympathy for Gojyo's obvious baggage, but not much. You're a grown man, Gojyo, deal with it.] And you can multitask.

No one's only good at killing, whatever they've been told. You don't have to save everyone with your own two hands to make a difference, Gojyo.

[ Look, if he was the kind of guy who planned things out and followed through, he wouldn't be Sha Gojyo. ]

My two hands?

[ That's actually kinda funny. He raises his two hands, palms toward her -- one hand is slightly larger and darker than the other. No more than you'd expect on somebody's driving arm, maybe, but it's enough of a difference that Gojyo's pretty much constantly aware of it. ]

These hands, you mean?

[ He's a killer, Sharak. A monster. Only a monster would steal another man's arm. ]

I'm not going to judge you for buying things second-hand. [Is this the time, Sharak?

She already wishes she had another cigarette in hand. Gojyo seems to drive her to chain-smoking more than anyone else ever could. She won't even ask how and where he got it. However stupid and rash Gojyo's decisions are, they seem to be motivated by a desire to do good more often than they aren't.]

... I'm not going to judge you for anything.

[She can't judge anyone.]

[ God. He's really just so tired of all of this. ]

You know, I don't actually give a fuck whether you do or don't.

[ His hands fall to his sides. ]

Why are you here, Sharak?

[ His wrong hand's sticky with blood. It's between his fingers, pulling at his skin. He rubs his sticky fingertips together and thinks about what a terrible a metaphor it is, his literal blood-stained hand.

He's never going to be free of her, is he? Of her or of Hakkai. They're going to be here, with him, forever, a constant reminder of his failings and the filth he used to be. ]

You're not here to get me out, so... What do you want from me?

What do I want?

[Sometimes she has to ask herself that too. She could get Gojyo out of her pretty quickly, but he won't listen to her after she does. He'll run off and get into more trouble just to spite her. Ayumu has a better chance of getting him to actually listen. She'd suspected that would be the case before she even got here, so... What is she doing here?]

... I wanted to see you. Make sure you hadn't vanished or died or something ridiculous like that.

[Hakkai gets himself killed when she's not paying attention, so does Dokugakuji, Genjo vanishes and who knows what's happening to Shizuo right now.]

These past few months... I've seen a lot of people disappear. It's a real pain.

[ She's still talking like they're friends. A swell of fury boils through his gut, and he turns away from her, staring off at the far wall beyond the cell bars. ]

Maybe you should take the hint and disappear too.

[ Ayumu might disappear, or Tsuzuki. But Sharak? Sharak's his own personal devil. ]

My life's going bad enough without you fucking it up worse.

[Sharak is quiet for a moment before getting to her feet.]

I'll get out of your way then.

[Gojyo can fuck his life up on his own. In the end, she's never been much help to him. She turns to leave.]

But don't count on people disappearing to solve your problems, Gojyo. Life's rarely as easy as that.

[Leaving behind the chair and cigarette butt as a confusing mystery to the next officer to check on the prisoners, Sharak walks away.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

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A day or so before the cop LARPers arrive...

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