thenearshore | Monday you can fall apart

Monday you can fall apart

Who: Gojyo and Tsuzuki
What: Putting the final touches on KINYOBI
When: early December
Where: a dive bar out east of Tokyo, in a run-down industrial area
Warnings: will update

[ He can’t believe they finally did it.

It’s taken a couple weeks, but the bar looks amazing. Gojyo takes a step back from where he’s been setting out the remaining bottles of alcohol in front of the new-to-them mirror shelf, and gives his distorted reflection a wink. Behind him, the bar is warm with mood lighting – strings of holiday lights are draped from the exposed rafters (the lack of drywall on the ceiling a fiscal choice, as well as an aesthetic one), all plugged into the liberated car battery behind the bar. They’ll get power back on eventually, when it’s safe to reopen. When it’s safe to take the cardboard off the windows and let some natural light in. When he’s sure that he’s been forgotten.

They’ve got plumbing still though, which is more important that lights, in Gojyo’s opinion. Plumbing, and a clean, sanded and refinished floor without even a trace of blood or brains, and re-plastered walls, everything cleaned and repaired and restocked with items found at flea markets, on curbsides, and – don’t tell Tsuzuki – occasionally outright stolen. (Look, that restaurant was charging way too much to make people sit on barstools. Gojyo did them a favor, really.)

It's cold, it's still pretty dark, they have barely a quarter of the inventory they'll need to open, and somewhere out there may very well be a couple mobsters gunning for a redhead with a couple facial scars. But for today, it's home. ]

We’re back.

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[Behind him, Tsuzuki laces his fingers together, stretches his arms over his head, and leans back until his sore shoulders threaten revolt. They've been hauling, scrubbing and redecorating the place for days. And now... now, this is a place worth drinking in again.

Actually?]

I think this place's better than just back. It could practically be new again.

[There are some benefits to having to sand and refinish everything. It's repaired decades of weathering, neglect and spilled beers along with taking off the bloodstains.

The floor's not even sticky anymore.]

[ The place smells like fresh paint and sawdust. There's something really satisfying about that smell, Gojyo thinks. ]

I don't believe this place looked this good even when it was new. [ Gojyo heads to the front door (and the six-pack of beer he's left there, in the coolest part of the room), clapping Tsu on the shoulder as he passes. ] You're one hell of a hard worker! You earned this.

[ There's hard stuff on the wall behind the bar now, but Gojyo's thinking that maybe limiting themselves to three beers each is a good idea. ...That may change in three beers, but for now he's trying to be responsible. See how responsible he's being?

He pops the tab on one, and hands it out to Tsuzuki. ]

Happy Friday.

Happy Friday.

[Three beers is a responsible amount of drinking, and also an amount they definitely both earned. The bar looks great, and it eases something buried deep in Tsuzuki's chest to see it clean and repaired, the air smelling of paint fumes and pine instead of blood and gunpowder.

He tips his head back, downing a swallow of the room-temperature beer.]

So, any ideas on a date for the grand re-opening?

[ Gojyo just toys with the edge of the pull ring on his own beer, not opening it yet. He's made so many bad decisions lately that involved alcohol... but finally he shrugs, laughs quietly at himself, and pops the top. ]

No idea. [ The beer's a little warm, yeah, but it's not terrible for all that. Mostly it's just refreshing as hell, and after all that hard work, it tastes like success. ] Hakkai's been checkin' up on the yazuka in the area, making sure that they aren't still looking for me. [ [ They've got this nice bar all finished -- how about sitting at it? ] As soon as he gives me the go-ahead, we can open back up.

[Tsuzuki takes another swig, throat working, before joining Gojyo at the bar. Those bar stools are pretty comfy. He wonders where Gojyo'd picked them up; they'd been on a shoestring budget....]

Sounds good.

[And he can't resist adding, because he's still suspicious of that guy, considering everything Gojyo'd said about him before deciding to move in:]

So... it's been okay so far? Being his shinki?

[ The secret is the thick layer of poly foam under the leather... and also, real leather instead of plastic. ...What? The bar's a big responsibility, and he needs to know how everything is put together. He was curious! ]

Can't complain. [ Tsu deserves more than a casual quip, though. Gojyo takes another swig of his beer and sets it down on the bartop. ] No, it's been better than that. I figured some shit out while I was sittin' in jail, about... [ He smirks at Tsu sideways. ] 'Bout who I am, what I want. ...What I am. You know, deep shit.

[ He picks up his beer again, but doesn't drink. It tastes fine but he's really just not thirsty, strangely enough. ] We're not quite seein' eye to eye yet, but it's good. It's been good.

Good. [Tsuzuki's plenty thirsty: sure, it's not like it's hot out this time of year, but they've been working hard all afternoon, and he has no compunctions about killing the last half of the beer in a few more gulps. Besides, a bit of bottled (or canned) courage helps him add, sincerely:]

You deserve it.

[Because Gojyo does. Also, because it's embarrassing saying shit like that, so he'll occupy himself squashing the empty can flat for recycling and avoid meeting Gojyo's eyes. His ears are a little red.

Friendship is hard, okay.]

[ What? Oh, no, hey, don't say things like that! Gojyo can't deal with being told things like that... especially by a guy he nearly got killed.

It helps with his thirst, though. ] Deserve, [ --he mumbles, embarrassed (and ashamed, so very ashamed) as he tosses back half his remaining beer. He slams it back down on the bartop with a accomplishment sigh and a patently false grin. ]

That reminds me! There's one more thing left to paint. [ He has to hop up to get it -- behind the bar there's a plastic grocery bag, and in the bag is a little paper box... of black hair dye. ] Me.

[ Whaddya say, buddy? Help a bro out? ]

Yeah, well, you've had shitty luck with gods so far.

[One of them blew himself up, one of them pissed Gojyo off enough he wanted to be released, and then she disappeared too... it's past time for him to get somebody he gets along with.

His eyebrows go up at the box of dye, though. It'll definitely help Gojyo fit in better, and if the yakuza have his description anywhere, well. So he can't do a lot about the one tattoo sleeve, still being in the same bar, and the scars on his cheek. Different color hair should help a little.]

Need a hand?

[ He can wear long sleeves, and there's always the age-old trick of putting a Under New Management sign in the window. Plus, he's keeping his head down -- that'll go a long way towards helping the memory of any remaining yakuza to fade. ]

I need two! [ Sure, it's a big of a strange thing to ask, but he can't go to Ayumu (not now, not when she's finally settling in to her her god's place), he can't ask Chikusa or Ken, and Hakkai seems to like the red for some reason. Tsu's his only option. ] I've never used this stuff before, but I'm bettin' it works better as a two-person job. [ What with needing to get the back of his head evenly coated and all. ]

And speakin' of gods... how's yours doing?

I bet it does. You'd miss spots in the back otherwise. [He reaches out to take the box from Gojyo, squinting at the label.] Where's the instructions for this stuff?

[It's too bad eyes aren't as easy to hide.]

Sakura's doing okay. She's been upset lately -- I guess she knew some new gods who showed up -- but things're better now.

[ There'd been a folded sheet of paper in the box, and Gojyo hands it over without even looking at it. He's putting himself in Tsuzuki's hands here! ...So if Tsu is feeling vengeful and needs to fuck with Gojyo a little bit, well, here's his chance to do it in a non-hurtful kind of way. ]

Friends of hers? [ Is her upset because her friends are dead, or...? He shrugs out of his shirt and jacket, draping them across the bar an arm's length down, out of the splatter zone. ] Or not friends?

Family. [So, yeah. Upset because they're dead, or, at least, here. Tsuzuki's still not sure gods actually count as dead the way that shinki do. He unfolds the paper and starts reading through it while Gojyo strips.]

You know, we should do this in the stockroom. It's gonna get black dye everywhere if I put it on you out here.

[ Whether they're really them or not, the idea that a friend -- or worse, family member -- is dead isn't something a sweet kid like that should have to deal with. Being here herself is hard enough. ]

Good thought. [ To the stockroom! ] Her family... they're shinki, aren't they? [ So she can't talk to them, at least, not the way she'd want to. ] That poor kid.

She doesn't talk about it much. I guess, maybe?

[She's been careful, and Tsuzuki hasn't wanted to push. It's a worse thought that whoever it is -- they are? -- might be shinki.

He shakes his head, and follows Gojyo to the stockroom, still glancing over the instructions. Okay, so, first... with Gojyo's hair as short as it still is, he figures he can skip past all the bits about separating into sections and combing through. First, then, he's supposed to put a towel over his shoulders.

Tsuzuki grabs one of the bar towels and hands it over.]

This's supposed to keep it off your skin. Apparently it stains.

[Dye stains. Who knew?]

[ Wrapping the towel around his neck like he's heading for the gym, Gojyo leads the way toward where their few remaining kegs are stored. They're just the right height to sit on, and they can stand up to a little staining. ]

Yeah? [ He holds up his wrong hand, the edge of the tattoo just poking out from beneath his sleeve. ] If there's any left, lets see if it covers this up. Might be a good extra bit of disguise.

[ Also, depending on how it stains, he may have some pranks in mind for a certain obnoxious teenage boy that involve being painted. ]

Maybe, though if you want me to paint a new tattoo on there, I've got to ask how you feel about stick figures.

[He grins, and pulls on the plastic gloves. There's step one. Step two, mix the two parts of the dye. Okay, he can handle this... squinting fiercely at the little mixer bottle, he starts squeezing the first dye component in. This one's gotta be the pigment; it's an inky black.]

[ Ugh, it stinks. ]

You sure you're doing that right?

[ This is beauty stuff -- it's got a picture of a pretty lady on the front of the box and everything. Why would it smell so bad? ]

Maybe it's gone bad.

I think it's supposed to smell like that.

[Every time he's been in a hair salon, the stench of whoever's getting their hair bleached, curled or straightened had been similarly chemical. Still, there's not a lot of ventilation in the back room. Tsuzuki wrinkles his nose, empties the other bottle into the mixer, caps it, and shakes vigorously.]

... It probably won't turn your hair green, don't worry!

[Or make it fall out. Or whatever.]

[ That's a lot more mixing and preparing than he was expecting. It's not just a pot of paint with a brush? What the hell? ]

It better not. Green's not my color. [ This said while batting his eyes. ] I'd have to get a bunch of piercing and a motorcycle if I had green hair!

[ He tugs the towel up tight around his neck and settles onto the top of the keg. It's not a comfortable seat, but that's fine. It's the height that matters, not the padding under his ass. ]

We doin' you next? Ever felt like a blond, Tsu-tsu?

I don't know, I think you could pull off the punk look.

[Piercings might not even be necessary: he's already got the tattoos and the badass cheek scars. Tsuzuki laughs as he eyes the bottle. It looks pretty well mixed, and his wrist's getting sore from shaking it. That should do.

So, next, there was a little comb in there for spreading it....]

Way better than I could pull off blond. With these eyes, I'd look like some kind of shojo manga hero.

You think?

[ Gojyo tilts his head back and closes his eyes. He doesn't really know what to expect, but having his eyes closed seems like the right idea. ]

I was thinkin' sports manga myself. Tennis Hero, or Summer Beach Babe Ichigo.

[ Please note: Gojyo has never once read a sports manga. ]

Are you sure about that Summer Beach Babe thing? 'Cause that sounds like it should be for, you know, adult audiences.

[That just doesn't sound like a sports manga title, Gojyo. It sounds a lot more like a porn title.

Tsuzuki leans over to squeeze thick lines of black goop across Gojyo's hair, combing it through with careful strokes of the disposable comb.]

You're gonna look more like a serious businessman type with this dye job.

[ If feels like bird shit. It feels like Tsu is combing bird shit into his hair. ]

Ha! Junior Manager Tanaka and the Beach Babe? You're right, I think I saw that movie once. [ They really have to get more girls in here. ...Not that Tsu is into girls, right? He's pretty much guys only? They haven't even come right out and said as much to each other, but all those drunken nights talking about hotties, he can't remember Tsu ever talking about girl hotties. ...'Course, he also doesn't remember half of those conversations! ]

What do you think about theme nights? [ They've had Shinki Sundays, but that just leaves six more days to come up with things to draw people in. ] I'm really lovin' the beach party idea, I have to tell you.

I'll take your word for it. [Tsuzuki laughs, and pokes a fingertip against the back of Gojyo's head.] Hey, lean forward?

Theme nights could be fun. So long as it doesn't take too much storage space, anyway. We could do beach parties, maybe a girls' night and a guys' night?

[ Obligingly, he tilts his head forward so Tsu can paint bird shit on the back of his head. The stuff already on feels heavy and weirdly cool, and the stink is just terrible. ]

Next time we're doin' this outside. Or someplace with a fan.

[ That's an apology, Tsuzuki. The fumes have to be worse from above the dye than below it! ]

You're not drawin' pictures on me back there, are you?

[It's probably at least a little toxic. Tsuzuki didn't check to see if it was supposed to be used in a well-ventilated area. On the other hand, dead guys also probably can't die from dye fumes.

He laughs.]

Yeah, or maybe a window, anyway.

-- What, didn't you want racing stripes? My bad.

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Monday you can fall apart

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