thenearshore | [Open]

Entry tags:

[Open]

Who: Shin and Open
When: December 8th - 10th (bass shopping) or 24th (Other things)
Where: All over
What: A bit of a catch all for things Shin's doing his first weeks here

I. Bass Instincts Ahahaha see, I said the username, that's kinda like saying the title right?
Adrien had told him to get himself a bass, along with some clothes. He was given full reign on it, much to his shock. That didn't mean that he wasn't going to be conservative... with the clothes. The bass he seems determined to find the perfect instrument. He'd gotten three days worth of clothes on the first day, then went to the nearest music shop and tried every bass in the place. He'd then gone to the next nearest one, trying everything there as well. He left most of the people he'd talked with confused, as he couldn't tell them what kind of music he planned to play, or what kind of feel he liked best, or what string type he liked most. The first person he couldn't even tell if he prefered strumming with his thumb or a pick. Yet every time he played well enough that it left the attendant shocked. And then he handed the bass back each time, feeling like it wasn't right.

He didn't quite connect the glares he was getting with him lighting up his cigarette in the store. Sure, a lot of people seemed to be willing to forgive it when they heard him playing, though there seemed a few even more pissed at him over it. Sure, it's not technically illegal in Tokyo to smoke in stores, but public opinion has shifted since he had developed his habit of smoking where ever he felt like. At least he carries around a disposable pouch for his cigarette butts so he's not littering too much. He found himself still lighting up as he starts to realize what the glares are for, the irritation of not being able to find something that felt quite right starting to get to him.

II. I got Twenty Dollas in my Pocket
Shin finally finds a bass, and so he spends the next several days looking through thrift shops, finding for himself new clothes. He is pretty consistently drawn to the designer suits hidden in the back of some of these places, usually with all kinds of holes that made them unwearable to their previous owner, but gave Shin a ton of possibilities. Between his obvious leaning in style once he started picking out clothes and Marinette at least being able to teach him how to mend, he was thrilled to be getting all kinds of clothes second hand. It might be difficult to find him under the pile of band shirts while he looks through countless old shoes for things that might fit him in the back of a overstuffed store. His favourites all tend to share major design elements with 90's era Vivienne Westwood. He likes a touch of leather fringes, platform shoes, and upholstery type fabrics mixed in with his plaid pants with hanging belts and band tees. It's not long before he's picking out all the icons of early 2000's punk fashion.

IIIa. Hello from the Other Side
It didn't matter that Adrien insited that Shin shouldn't feel like he needed to pay anything back. Shin knew he'd want to be able to have his own money to spend without worrying about bothering Adrien for it. He didn't want to make things hard on Adrien, having already noticed his own expensive tastes. Not to mention, he couldn't secretly get Adrien his own bass for Christmas with Adrien's money. That just wouldn't feel right.

He'd gone out searching for jobs, and after passing over a lot of other options, he'd stayed out later than he had before, trying to get jobs in bars. Most bars thought that he wasn't old enough looking to work there and didn't want trouble. He worked his way deeper into the city, and before he knew it he was surrounded by some things he was pretty sure would make his god blush, but he felt drawn to. Expensive clothes, expensive drinks, big lights. It took almost no time for him to decide to start asking some of the men if they knew anywhere that was hiring. A few of the men he'd asked laughed, called him too little, or didn't seem to notice him at all, which he suspected was going to be the biggest issue of all.

Finally he found a group that were willing to humor him. They told him that if he, said with some words about his baby face, could get a girl's number that night, then he would be able to work at their place. It doesn't take him that long to realize that they didn't really notice him since he's dead. He decides to stop his first approach and instead waited to find a certain kind of person. He looked around for girls that looked overwhelmed by the lights and pretty people. Sure, it might be kind of like taking advantage of someone, but it was just a number. The moment the right kind of girl hesitated nearby against a building, Shin lands on his hand in front of her, slamming his palm against the wall. It would be hard to miss that sound, even if he was otherwise easy to miss. But he wasn't putting on some cheesy tough line, he's instead asking with a surprising gentleness, "Is everything alright, miss?"

IIIb. This is Fine
It works at least once during the night, though it's possible they egg him on to get another number. By the end of the night, though, he's agreed to work at the host club and set up his first working days. It was nice to see that he'd have a pretty flexible schedule, mostly working when he decided to come in. Of course, it would be having regulars that brought in the best cash. It was an easy swing to get into, and one he enjoyed. He mostly did daytime and early evening dates so he'd not worry Adrien too much with nights out, but he knew that was where the real cash was, and it was bothering him to be missing out on it.

But he was worried that Adrien would judge, so he hadn't actually told basically anyone from the Far Shore, at least anyone that hadn't gotten caught up in his trying to get a number, that he'd gotten this job yet. Not when Adrien gave off this rather disgustingly obvious vibe of overly sheltered rich boy. It wasn't that Shin held it against him, but he didn't need to remember anything about his life to know that Adrien's type did not really get involved in this kind of business unless they were the ones paying for the date. Needless to say, if he recognizes anyone as being from the far shore, while he's entering, leaving, or taking a cigarette break outside of the club, he'll be trying to blend in with the surroundings as best as he can.

He's definitely not hiding, he's just trying to make things run smoother.

IV. Riverside Music
Shin usually practiced bass in one of the studios he had access to, either in Adrien's mansion or with Yui at Mirei's place, but sometimes it is nice to actually get some sun. He found that one of the bridges over the river in the Far shore actually gave pretty great acoustics, so some afternoons he can be found out there, practicing some kind of rock music, though it almost all leans towards grunge and punk. He's able to pick things up quickly, playing most songs decently well after a day or two without the tabs in front of him. He is able to play things much faster with tabs in front of him, and even has an app and a stand for his phone so he had access to a much larger list of music than he could easily carry printed out. The portable amp was already more than enough bulk attached to the guitar case.

V. Wildcard/Other Did we discuss something else? Got an idea that didn't fit into the others? I'm still open to it. I'll let you know if there's any reason something wouldn't work.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Assuming Shin is outside the music store - is this okay?]

"Those things will kill you," a familiar voice says ironically. It's Joscelin's first solo trip to the Near Shore and so far it's gone swimmingly. He's been doing a bit of shopping too; in one hand he carries two large shopping bags and in the other he's got a massive crepe--filled with all manner of goodies and chocolates and even ice cream on a cold day--that looks almost comically oversized in his small fist. He plops down next to Shin without so much as a hello.

He takes a massive bite of banana and nutella and grins at his friend with chocolatey fangs.

"You look a damn sight better now that you aren't in your prison uniform anymore." They make quite a pair; the teenage rocker and a child dressed in such a fastidiously preppy way that he looks like he stepped out of a Brooks Brothers Kids ad. "I've got a name now, by the way."

Shin was going to get a little defensive when he notices it's Joss telling him off. He laughs at the bad joke, and just relaxes against the wall. "I feel better too. I guess I feel more myself," he looks down at Joss with an easy smile, laughing at his chocolate vampire fangs.

Shin gives Joss another glance over, looking for his name with an excited grin, "Awesome! What is it!?"

Joscelin shrugs. "I think not being in a prison uniform will do that." He licks ice cream off his fingers, seemingly unconcerned with the cold. He examines Shin's new outfit. "I like this better, but it looks rather ragged, doesn't it? You should complain and get your money back." He understands it's the fashion (which he doesn't agree with, secret old man that he is), but Shin seems to be taking it to the extreme.

When Shin asks about his name, he shoves the crepe at him and removes his shoe and sock, showing off the character for calamity on the top of his right foot. "It's fitting, isn't it?"

Edited 2018-07-08 20:57 (UTC)

Shin laughs at his remark on his clothes, brushing it off. He gets distracted by the name. He blinks at the kanji, "I can't read it." It's way above the kanji level he'd learned to, and not a word he'd have much reason to use.

"I can't either," Joss admits. Though he had an excuse; he'd learned to read in English (and Latin, and Ancient Greek, and French, and German, and Dutch), during that mysterious long-ago lifetime that he couldn't remember. "Apparently it means calamity or disaster. Which is why I thought it was so fitting."

Shin could read in English. And much more than many of the other Shinki could in Japanese on arrival, but he hadn't gone to high school, and wasn't exactly a star student before that.

He laughs to hear the meaning, "It is!" He ruffles Joss's hair a bit, "and you wouldn't have it any other way."

"Hey, get off." Joss ducks his head to try to escape the mussing of his hair, but fully escaping means potentially dumping the contents of his crepe in his lap so he settles for looking extremely put out.

He glares up at Shin, his hair wildly askew. The cowlick he takes pains to control each morning has been freed and is standing straight up on the back of his head like a cockscomb. "I hope you're happy," he sniffs, trying vainly to force it back down.

Shin can't help but laugh a bit, rolling his eyes. He puts out his cigarette part way through, "Give me a second."

He heads back inside, and a minute or two later comes back out with a bit of hair gel, "You want me to get it back down for you, or do you want to try to get it first? Generally a bit of gel will come out looking way better than your spit."

Joscelin looks at the gel skeptically.

"Will I end up with a mohawk? I don't want a mohawk."

"Of course not. You just want to get rid of your ahoge, right?" He moves in to try to get at Joss's hair if he lets him. "And we should probably move a little bit away, not sure how the boss'd feel about hanging outside the club with my little brother."

“My...what?” Joscelin once again tries to flatten it in vain, looking flustered. It keeps him distracted enough that he acquiesces to Shin’s suggestion without really understanding what he’s agreeing to. “Yes, that will—wait, little brother?!”

"The bit of hair." He gets his fingers there as best as he can putting just enough gel around the root and a bit of the way up so it would stay down for him.

He starts to walk away, looking back to Joss, "Maybe half-brother," he jokes. It's at least what he figured at least some people would think.

Joss looks Shin up and down and then glances down at himself.

“We don’t really look all that much alike though, do we? Still...”

He picks up his bags and licks the last of the chocolate off his fingers, “I suppose it’s better than you being the random freak who hangs around with small children.”

"Now you're making it sound weird," he whines. "Besides, I've been asked before if I'm really full Japanese." It was once, a few days ago with slightly too tipsy client he was struggling to keep from getting drunk while also indulging her. She'd asked him, insisting he was to pretty and too pale to really be full Japanese. It did make him wonder, but then it also seemed like a good number of people from the Far Shore weren't Japanese, so at least it wouldn't be a problem in the place that actually mattered now.

"Should I invest in one of those hard rucksacks I see the primary school children wearing?" Joscelin muses, teasing gently. "It might help sell the act a bit better, big brother." He pokes Shin with a bony finger. Oh, this is going to be fun.

"Plus, it could even help you get more customers. If you're a faithful big brother supporting your little brother through school, the ladies will love it. They'll lap it right up. And I can help! I'll only demand 30% of your take." He grins. Is he being serious? Who can tell.

Shin's just laughing at the idea of this little punk-spirited kid wearing the stereotypical elementary school uniform or something, but then Joss jokes about using him, his laugh quickly dies.

He glances to Joss, unnerved and uncertain. He unfortunately wasn't exactly wrong, and Shin had been having trouble getting the attention of people. But even considering it as briefly as he does sends a sickly guilty feeling through him.

It's probably the first time Adrien's had even a hint of a sting from Shin, unless he decided to lecture Shin on something like smoking indoors in public. He makes a clicking sound with his tongue, "No way. You shouldn't even be in this part of the city."

Hmm? Why does Shin look so concerned all of a sudden? Joscelin was joking.

Only he wasn't. Not really.

He quirks his head to the side, studying Shin with those large, blue eyes.

"Why not? You're here. And you're not an adult either, even if you pretend to be. You don't look old enough."

Edited 2018-07-16 01:07 (UTC)

He could practically hear his own voice from Joss's mouth as he pushes his definitely-a-joke. It's a method he'd used all too often. Offer something preposterous in a slightly joking tone, and if they aren't receptive, just pretend it was supposed to be funny.

"But I'm not as young as you," he says, his voice strained. "I'm not going to use you to lure in women for money, Joss," he insists, fear in his eyes. God, was this how he started? Did he have a brother figure that did this work or something?

More importantly, how the hell does he help him?

Shin is scared.

That surprises Joscelin. What on earth had he said? He'd made a business proposal, not a very serious one, and been rejected. That should have been the end of it. Instead...

"Are you...trying to protect me?" Joss's voice is quiet, thoughtful. "You are, aren't you? I'm not some silly infant in need of saving, you know. I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions."

Shin's phone goes off, and he takes a moment to look at it, needing to figure out what he has to say. He types back with one hand a quick message before looking to Joss, "I know. You're anything but some kind of infant."

He stops at a vending machine, buying as much time as it takes to get two beers. It was a rarity to find these machines anymore, but this one is hidden in a bit of an alcove in an alleyway that advertises cheap hourly rooms at the motel hidden in the depths. He hands one to Joss with a sigh and slumps against the wall, dropping his head back to look up at the starless sky. "But you're right. I want to protect you," he covers his face, "but it's not because you're a kid. It'd be the same if you were my age, so... let's pretend you are for a bit." Maybe it might make it feel a little like he had to be the adult, or like he was trying to lecture a kid. He doubted that would get them anywhere.

"Just, ignore me on the phone. Adrien can tell somethings up, I'm letting him know everything's fine." And maybe even getting him to come over.

Joscelin is just as surprised by the beer as everything else Shin has said in the last five minutes. "This is for me, really?" He pops can open but doesn't drink just yet. He stares at it as if he doesn't quite know what to do with it. Shin really is treating him like an adult, like an equal, and he isn't sure how to respond.

He watches Shin type furiously on the phone for several seconds with those same large, innocent eyes. "How does he know something's up?" he asks before taking a cautious sip of the alcohol.

"Really, Shin, you're not making any sense. What did I say? What has you so frightened?"

Shin frowns, "Your god can feel when you're upset." Didn't Joss's god ever check in on him?

He stares at his phone, desperate for an answer. He takes a drink from his beer, able to juggle it with his cigarette so he can also still smoke. He sighs, fidgeting. "I know you were joking," he starts, but then sharply says, "no." He looks sternly at Joss, "I know you were pretending it was just a joke." He closes his eyes, turning his head away from Joss, "It's the same thing I do all the time. You're trying to avoid conflict, so you can say it's just a joke when people are shocked, or disgusted."

His phone goes off again, and he shoots off another quick message with a furrowed brow. He glances to Joss again, "I don't know how to say it." Even if he was speaking Swedish, he wouldn't be able to find the words to explain to Joss why he suddenly felt this existential dread. "I can see the direction you're going, and it's not one that's good." He takes another drink of his beer, and gets himself some more nicotine.

"And what if I was?" Joss shoots back, getting defensive. "What if you're being too bloody sensitive?"

He wants to get up and leave, run away from Shin and all the uncomfortable emotions inside him. He clenches the beer can in his hand and swears when it crumples, sending alcohol shooting up onto his sleeve. "Shit!" The boy glares at Shin like it's his fault.

"You don't know anything about me, so stop pretending that you do. You're not my brother. You're just some asshole I let get too close." He's shaking now. "Get away from me."

Shin walks like he's going to listen, to leave, but he only gets between Joss and the street. "I do know. I know because you're just like me. You're so much like me it hurts. Because it hurts being me. It's painful and overwhelming and I can't help but hate myself," he's shaking, wondering vaguely what Adrien must be thinking, feeling this overwhelming sense of terror and despair for Joss. "But I don't hate you, or seeing it in you. I'm terrified for you, because I don't want you to hurt like me."

Joss throws the can on the ground. "I never asked you to care!" His eyes are stinging. Why does he cry when he gets mad? It's so stupid and weak. "I never asked you to take me on as your...your project." He spits the word out like it has a foul taste. He's angry and upset and it's all Shin's fault.

He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself.

"Let me pass."

I

Sure~!

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject