@Banana@BCTheEntity

Grant

He watched her fret about when Ketsu had shown up. Curious behavior. Even her response he could tell was elevated by Ketsu’s presence. How intriguing. People were always so intriguing what they would give up about themselves. So, she must have been a romantic. He’d write that down in his notes later. Slipping the voucher back into his pockets, he grabbed his carton of cigarettes and grabbed another one out.

Lighting it. He continued to study the both of them. Ketsu was exceptional in every way and Grant wanted to know what he would give up. It wasn’t like he was a fool, he noticed Ketsu oddities when he began to bring up coffee shops. Not good at talking about people? Or hiding something? The thought made Grant excited that anyone would try to hide something from him.

The Birdcage. Grant smirked only a little bit. Oh Ketsu you would suggest something like that. The idea made him curious. What would happen if they walked through the door? He heard things like it was meant to be a place of peace between Humans and Ghouls. What peaceful reaction would they get? He wanted to laugh at the idea. What else was hidden in Ketsu’s head? Let him in.

Though on a more logical point of view he didn’t want to be the one to start wars. Imagine the headlines. It was, what was the word, an amusing idea. Another logical reasoning was his current budget. He’d likely not afford the Birdcage right now.

“Ketsu you have such interesting ideas,” Grant said, he would, what was it, humor his talent he supposed. Grant paused in to take a long drag, before letting the smoke slowly out with an exhale.

“But, what would Yuno and I do in that circumstance?” Grant asked trying to “joke”, “You’d surely be more able in that situation if things didn’t turn out peaceful. Your rise to your ranks earns you such favoritism. Even I admire it.”

Grant tried a half smile on his good side of his face. Though most likely Ketsu already knew what he was. He turned to Yuno.

“I am though pleased you are willing to get coffee,” Grant said, “Sadly we won’t be able to go to somewhere as wonderful as the Birdcage. But I hope you enjoy affordable coffee just as much.”

Grant stepped aside as if to make the suggest, “Ladies first. Today is such a nice day we would be burdened to sit in a vehicle. So I suggest we walk.”

It was always nice to also see all the little people burden themselves with their inner turmoil. Again he was not in here to threaten his coworkers. Yuno was harmless enough that he didn’t think there would be any problems. He could handle her in doses. It be interesting to see what she was like. How she walked? How she interacted with the world? How closed was she? Would she give him everything he wanted to know right away or try to hide it, like Ketsu?

The possibilities excited him. Well as much excitement as he could feel. It was more like a burning compulsion, but he had learned to know that compulsion could be considered excitement.

---

Kazu had to think on Alice’s proposal. The group definitely seemed like a good idea, but was it right for her? It seemed a bit hypocritical for someone like her to be championing peace. Her whole life at this point was based around violence. There was nothing she loved more than the feeling of adrenaline in her brain and her fist caving in some fool’s face. She wasn’t exactly a “peace” person. However, her mind drifted to her parents. The thought surprised her; she avoided thinking about them so much that it had almost become second nature.

Her parents would have supported this cause immediately. Growing up, she always heard them talking about relations between humans and ghouls, and how they hoped that peace was achievable. She realized, sadly, that if they could see her now, they would be disappointed.

She shook her head. There was no use dwelling on what could have been. She couldn’t turn back time, set herself on another path, or bring her parents back. She wasn’t sure she would even want to. The life she had wasn’t perfect, but it was still hers.

That being said, she could still do her best to help the greater good going forward. Maybe do something her parents would be proud of.

She looked up from her introspection and smiled at Alice, “Alright, I’m in.”

Determination settled in Kazu’s chest as she got up to follow Natsuya to the roof.

Well well, look at Mister Smooth over here... at least until he didn't actually kiss her hand. What a cocktease that was. He liked playing hard to get, or at least, that's how Yu interpreted it. Hopefully he wouldn't mind if the feeling was mutual and she played hard to get. He already had a tough road to go down, but whatever kind of aura he had around him was making something happen. Something good for him, definitely.

Then Grant allowed Yu to lead the way. That... that wasn't the best idea for the group. "I would love to lead the way... but... I-I don't know where I'm going." Honest answer there. Yuno didn't have the ticket on her person, so she didn't know where the ticket was meant for. Plus, she was more okay with walking behind Grant than in front of him. He was just... she was afraid he'd try and grab her by surprise. He didn't seem like the guy who would derive any sort of pleasure from it, but still, he did seem like the guy who would find pleasure at watching her squirm.

In hindsight, maybe keeping Ketsu around is a good idea. Grant wouldn't do anything to her if Ketsu was around and witnessing the events. At least, she hoped he would do something about it if that point ever came up.

Instinctively, Yuno's hands reached into her bag and pulled out the Iron Grip and simply began to squeeze and release the claw in the air. There wasn't any distinct reason for it aside from a way to calm Yuno's nerves. Maybe Grant would turn out to be a good guy in the long run and this was her just being paranoid. Maybe. Hopefully.

---

She would have said something else, until Alice was abruptly kicking them out. Before she had time to protest, she was distracted by Alice’s order. For her to walk home with Katashi. Eh! Her heart wasn’t ready for this. Staring at Katashi as white roses bloomed around a border around the man who always had a red suit on hand.

Mika-Cam:

“Mika-san, are you ready? I be willing to take you anywhere else,” Katashi said.

Her face turned red, they were going on a date. This was actually happening. He might not be able to eat, but he’ll take her to get ice cream, and then he’ll take her out to go shopping. They’ll end up at her apartment and what do you do at the end of a date, but...kiss.

Katashi leaning his forearm over the door, her heart racing, his smell of nicotine, his chest close to her breast and they would lock lips.

Her heart was pounding fast. She could barely contain her nervous attraction.

“Walk...walk home with Katashi!” she said nervously failing her hands in the air, “O...okay! We won’t...ki...I mean we will be safe. Be safe Alice!”

The Red Tiger stood up straight from leaning against the doorframe from the back rooms and nodded to Alice and the others. ”I’ll report back with whatever I can find.” He replied to Alice. Katashi then turned to Mika who honestly looked a little… flustered? Hmm, maybe it’s being alone with a Ghoul? No matter. Katashi lead the way, waving for Mika to follow before smiling and bidding farewell to the rest of the group.

When the two went outside of the coffee shop, he looked around. ”Day’s still ahead of us. Anywhere you would like to go before I take you home?” Katashi asked the young idol.

This isn’t happening! Screams. It’s happening.

Mika looks nervously at Katashi. She swings her arms side to side, letting the tuft of her skirt swing side to side with her arms.

“Only…” Mika looks away nervously, her heart won’t stop beating so fast, her face is going hot, “....only...if you want to...Katashi.”

Katashi chuckled. She seemed so timid around him. It was cute. It was almost like she had a cru-

Oh… Ohhhhhhhh…

Katashi scratched the back of his head. Nah, that couldn’t be it. Right? ”Just name a place, Mika. We’ll make a day out of it.” He laughed.

Omg! Omg! Omg! Screams. It’s a date. It really is a date. It really is. Omg!

“Would….you like…” she blushes, “like to go to the fabric store? I need to make an outfit for a...function. And you can pick something out too….and I can make you a suit for later.”

Katashi waited a moment or two before smiling. ”Lead the way.” The Ghoul said, starting to walk towards where the stores were located. ”Uhhh, you know it’s going to be red, right?” He joked.

Mika looked at Katashi, when she moved her head abruptly her brown hair caught a glint of the light. She seemed to sparkle sometimes in these moments.

“Katashi, I like you the way you are, red or not, you can get anything you want,” she said with a smile and grabbed his hand to reassure him.

Katashi was taken aback a little bit when Mika held his hand. It was sudden but at the very least, it was also a comforting feeling. Katashi liked that feeling. A lot. He smiled, keeping her hand in his. If his assumption was right, it would make Mika happy. ”I’m glad you feel that way.”

She was about to faint. This was a dream, right? This had to be a dream. He was holding her hand. He was speaking to her. He was accepting her and her heart couldn’t take it any more. She wanted to look away, but couldn’t.

“I feel….that way….for everybody,” Mika tells him nervously, “No one should be ashamed of who they are. Each thing that makes them, them. Should be respected. It’s why I don’t care that you’re a Ghoul. Because to me….you’re just a human with a different dietary need.”

The world needed more people like Mika. That universal acceptance of not judging before you meet someone. It’s a quality that is sorely missed from the rest of the world. ”I wish the rest of the humans could see us through your eyes.” Katashi admitted.

The pair continued to walk down the street. Katashi liked the feeling of holding hands with Mika. It seemed she liked it too, otherwise she probably would’ve let go. Did Mika really like him? Can a human love a Ghoul? Can a Ghoul love a human? That was a crisis he would only be able to figure out with a cigarette later.

“I wish you could come up with a compromise,” Mika said, “Why is it always extremes? What if you set it up that Ghouls ate real bad people? Like they are still murderers, and robbers, and other bad people. Why do you have to kill people on the streets? Why doesn’t the CCG and Ghouls work together? Instead of against.”

Mika stared at the cement, but she continued walking.

“I just don’t want anyone to get hurt any more,” Mika told him, “Why are we even fighting? Alice saved me. You’re…..nice” she whispered the last bit, to me, “Natsuya protected me. If you are capable of that. Then why are we still fighting each other?” Mika felt tears stream down her face, “Can people stop being hurt? It doesn’t seem like any of you know what you’re fighting. Yourselves or each other.”

It took Katashi a moment to think of an answer. That was until he turned to see Mika’s face. Tears. He gently wiped away her tears with a finger. ”I dunno. People just don’t like the thought of people being eaten.” He began. ”Anytime I’ve had to feed, it’s been the dead. Suicide cases. There are Ghouls who don’t want to hurt anyone, but it’s those damn few… they want more. It’s just like human criminals. They want more, so they use guns, knives and fear. Those ghouls will use their tools that they have. It gives a bad name.” Katashi went on. He sighed thinking about it. ”I hope Alice has a game plan. This group can do some real good. But I don’t want to become Aogiri.”

It was then that Katashi saw a street musician playing a saxophone. An idea flashed across his mind that could cheer Mika up. ”Follow my lead.” He said with a playful grin. As they got closer, Katashi spun the music Idol around before starting to dance with her in the middle of the street.]

This was too much for her. She wanted to call it off. Run to her home and beg Alice not to do what she was doing. She wanted a better solution. One where she might have to think of Alice dead body on the concrete. Or Katashi’s. The idea of them dead haunted her because they were so close to her. They didn’t understand that just because they regenerated, someone still cared, and was scared that they would die. That someone still loved them enough that they didn’t want to see them hurt.

Before she attempted to run away, Katashi dragged her towards a street performer. He spun her around. Was he trying to cheer her up? She felt her whole face go hot and turn bright red. Oh Katashi. He was really sweet and nice. What did this mean, if they fell in love? For Ghouls and Humans. She...could possibly, truly fall in love with him.

Mika just smiled at Katashi, letting go of his hand.

“I’ll show you how to dance Katashi, just follow my steps,” Mika told him.



Moving her hips to the side, the end of her skirt swayed with her movements. It was then a crowd began to realize who she was. They began to crowd around the center, but she didn’t mind. This was her trying to show Katashi that she appreciated his efforts.

She spun around and lifted her leg up. She smiled at Katashi, reaching her hand out towards him to get him into the rhythm.

Katashi nodded and tried to follow Mika’s steps the best he could. It was abundantly clear that he certainly wasn’t as practiced to dancing as the Idol was. He noticed the crowd start to form, but shrugged at it. It wasn’t that big of a deal, Katashi could see why Mika would like performing to crowds. He tried his best to mimic the movements in his own manly way. Whether it worked or not, that would be up to the onlookers. The musician didn’t seem to mind. In fact, he seemed to be more into it as the music progressed.

The crowd was clapping in excitement and the musician was getting into the rhythm. She moved side to side, and hopped a little on her feet. She watched Katashi try his hardest and she laughed a little. This certainly did make her feel better.

It was always a good thing when the sun was up so high. Today was a nice day and something nice would come out of it, for everybody. As the musician begins to die, she begins to slow her steps, she twirls, and rolls into Katashi’s arm to do a romantic fall and drop to pose for the pictures being taken.

What would Alice say? She was scared that she could only love Katashi from a distance because of what he was. But she wanted to maybe love him more. Maybe he did too?

“Katashi….” she mumbles and looks away, as she is held in his arm, “....I like you.”

If that didn’t confirm Katashi’s suspicion, then what will? Although, not only did it confirm Mika’s feelings, but also confirmed his own. He looked into her eyes and smiled, before leaning down and giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

”I like you too.” He whispered back,

Mika felt her own heart rush with excitement. He kissed her cheek. And she felt like everything would be okay in the world.

“Should….we get you….” Mika paused, “That fabric.”

Katashi looked around, being reminded of the onlookers, going red in the face a little himself. ”Yeah… that sounds good.”

Mika couldn’t keep her anxiety steady. This wasn’t a dream any more. This was reality. She had initiated a reality and she was scared of the consequences. The image of Katashi dead scared her the most. Actually all of them. If she found any of them dead she would be heartbroken. She tried to smile though, and push past it.

Today was a beautiful day and there was no reason to look into a bleak future. Live the day to the fullest and make it to the next day. That’s how you kept on carrying on. Promising herself no more dark thoughts she smiled at the crowd and waved. She grabbed Katashi’s hand again, “Let’s go. You’re going to have run though. Or else they’ll be with us all day.” She laughs.

Oh boy. That was a frightening thought in itself. Katashi laughed along with Mika as they ran from the crowd, but not before Katashi parted a bit of change for the musician. The two ran off as they attempted to lose the crowd. It wasn’t the first time Katashi had ran from a group of people, but it was certainly the first time he found a bit of fun in doing it.

After turning a few corners, he looked over his shoulder. ”Think we lost them?”

Mika smiles.

“Only for a while,” she says, “They run away whenever Natsuya-san shows up.” She gives a little laugh, “This is my favorite store in Tokyo. They sell all kinds of pretty fabric. And you can make your own kimonos with most of the patterns because they are so pretty. I made this dress with the fabric in this store.”

The Red Tiger smiled. Mika seemed to light up talking about the materials in here. This was her area of expertise and passion. It certainly wasn’t his own forte. ”That’s awesome.” Katashi chuckled as they walked inside. ”I could never have the patience to make my own clothes.” He acknowledged. ”You’re the expert in all of this.”

Mika blushes as she walks into the fabric store, she tries to distract herself with a pretty blue color. She takes a second.

“I am not….really an expert,” Mika said, “I...just.” She frowned for a second, “I don’t really admit this to a lot of people. But when I was a girl, I was given everything to me. I grew up….to parents who made a name for themselves. My mother was a very famous model. But everything I ever wanted was given. Because I guess it’s how they show love and I am not complaining, I loved my parents very much. But when….I became an idol I made a promise to myself I’d always make my own stuff to remind myself what it must be like to work hard everyday.”

Katashi blinked in astonishment for a few moments. ”That’s… truly admirable.” He complimented sincerely. It’s not often you’d see someone go out of their way to make a point like that, but it was a fair point nonetheless, and there was something to be said for that kind of resilience. Katashi also looked around, but he wasn’t really too sure about the details. How to tell the difference between materials, the name of that shade of orange to that other one and so on.

Mika continued to look at the blue fabric. Something was bothering her right now. She turned back to Katashi.

“That boy, Kristian,” Mika said thinking about his tears today, the poor thing must have went through a lot, “I made him wear a dress. But he seemed really uncomfortable with it.” she continued to stroke the fabric, “Do you think I should make him some boy clothes as an apology?”

Katashi smirked and rubbed the back of his head, trying to think up of a response. ”I mean, it’s not like you knew he was a boy and then FORCED him to wear it.” He tried to joke. It was a little funny at the time, but it was clear that Mika was worried by the impression she might’ve left on the boy. ”Yeah… Yeah, I think he’ll appreciate that.” Katashi smiled.

“He seemed so sad today when Natsuya pressed him like that,” Mika said, “Natsuya should probably apologize to him too. Right?”

Katashi sighed, but spoke in a bit of a lower volume. ”The thing is, that kid helped Travis take on a Chimera. He’s more than what he lets on to be.” Katashi explained. He then folded his arms and leant against one of the tables displaying clothes. ”He’s definitely a little shady, and Natsuya… well, he’s gonna be Natsuya.”

Mika moved over to a shade of burgundy.

“Katashi would you like this?” Mika asked, she thought they were being overtly cautious. He was just a kid. “He’s just a kid. Any kid would react like that if they didn’t have a mom or dad.”

Katashi smiled. ”Yeah, looks good.” He said, nodding. Something about Kristian just rubbed him the wrong way. To just show up with a bloodied Travis by his side… ”I dunno. You’re probably right, there’s probably nothing to worry about. We just can’t be too careful these days.” Katashi looked around to see one of the store clerks glaring at him for leaning on the table. He gulped and held his hands up apologetically before turning back to Mika.

Mika giggled.
“Nay Katashi,” Mika said, “I really….do mean it when I say I like you...I’d like...this to continue. I won’t always have an off day. And you might see your….” her heart begins to pound once again, “your...girlfriend on the TV a lot with men….worshipping her. But I’d….like to know that girl on the TV could….maybe have a boyfriend waiting for her off the stage.”

She buried her face into the burgundy fabric, and the store clerk stared at her. She looked away embarrassed. She couldn’t believe she just said that. What if he rejected the notion? Why did she think this would go any further?

Katashi chuckled. Before Mika could blurt out anymore words, he pinched the fabric and peeked under it. ”That boyfriend would like that very much…” He reassured with a smile. He then managed to stop Mika from hiding under the material. ”Who knows? Maybe you can teach me to be a backup dancer?” He laughed at the joke. While that certainly wasn’t his thing, it was definitely an entertaining notion.

Mika squeals.

“You’d make a wonderful backup dancer,” she told him.

@knifeman @Old Amsterdam



What a disgrace. Not only was he a boy in a dress, unsightly as much as he understood the circumstances. He attempted to play him. With fake tears and disingenuous remarks. He would have strangled the air out of the boy if Alice hadn’t rushed the children off and out of the Birdcage.

“Tch,” Natsuya said, “Should have let me strangle the truth out of him. There is nothing more motivating than the slight chance of death to get the truth out of someone.” But that’s all Natsuya said before wandering up towards the roof access.

Who did that boy think he was playing? He was Natsuya, Oda Natsuya. His family had been in this world since the Edo period, before that. That boy should be lucky, on his knees being in his presence. And here he comes to disrespect him, Oda.

Training Alice said? Well he was in no mood to go easy on whomever it was they were to train. He folded his fan and then flicked it back open to fan himself. This was the last remnants of his family, his mother. This fan she use to use a lot on the hot summer days in the family shrine.

War. He didn’t see why Alice didn’t rise all Ghouls together, and enslave the humans to worship them. It worked for years in the Oda family. They were at peace. No Ghoul ever attacked a human in the family shrine because they often killed themselves for them. No trouble. No fuss. Ghouls were the superior species. And at least his family had the respect to understand that.

His eyes finally fell on the roguish girl. He hadn’t even noticed her. Was this the one then? He’d wait for Alice to say something.

@TheRedWatcher@knifeman

---

Alice shook her head as Nat moved up the stairs, quickly locking the doors and making sure the shop was closed up.

In a flash she was on the roof, having already changed into her mask and skirt. Her single Ghoul eye was shining as she took in the two.

"Nat, give pointers. Inspect her form," the Wolf said quietly, crouching low with her knuckles to the roof. "Come, show me what you can do."

---

'...yes, I do enjoy coffee and investigation,' Ketsu replied bluntly, honestly not really wanting to give more than that, a very deliberately neutral answer, to the mind-trawling First Class Investigator. He'd say it to himself as many times as he needed: Grant's thought processes were alien to him most of the time, but he highly doubted many of them were well-meaning, and certainly that they wouldn't be if Ketsu's race were revealed... but there was at least one point of his he could plainly refute, which he did shortly after Yuno mentioned that she didn't know where they were headed: 'Well, wherever we go, I think it's safe to suggest you'd both be fine if we got in a fight with some ghouls. Even if I am skilled for my level, I'm still only a Rank 2.'

As he spoke, he espied Yuno looking between him and Grant, only to draw out her weapon- a child's grabber, of some sort?- and begin clicking it together over and over. He didn't need a qualification in psychological profiling to recognise nervous behaviour, nor did he need any extra information to figure out what the cause was. To somebody unused to the rigours of real battle, Grant served as an unsettling reminder of the risks all investigators took, not to mention a demonstration of- ...a possible demonstration of the fact that there were investigators just as bad as some ghouls.

Regardless, they had a coffee shop to get to, so he quickly took another peek at the card Grant held, recognising the shop's name after a moment. 'You know what, I do recognise that place,' Ketsu capitulated, 'I've been there a couple of times myself. If you guys don't mind me leading the way...' He gestured to both investigators to walk on either side of him, an arrangement that would conveniently keep Yuno physically separated from Grant for the time being. She was admittedly quite cute, and whilst she'd have to learn to work with her partner eventually and vice versa, Ketsu felt there was no harm in making sure the more emotional of the pair remained at ease in his presence for now.

Travis nodded to Kristian and started to lead him towards the shops, he noticed he was holding onto his hand. He waited till they were a good distance away from the Birdcage before speaking “You can let go now, we’re far enough away now… I. I gotta ask something though. What the heck did Alice say to you?” Travis again sounded concerned. Alice frightened him, but perhaps he could manage to work his way through the shituation he’d gotten himself into.

----

Kristian looked at Travis. He didn’t know if Travis bought his whole scene in the Birdcage, but he felt it was logical to keep up the facade. He didn’t trust this little weasel, after the way he looked absolutely like he was going to shit his pants when Alice thought she could frightened him.

He let go of Travis’ hand. He stared at him with his sweet innocent charm, the only he often wore.

“Honestly she was a little mean,” he said to him, “She told me that she thinks I am hiding something. And
that I am dark inside.” he dug his toes into the cement, “I’m neither of those things. You don’t have to worry. Thank you I mean it for protecting me back there.”

He’d see how much he could pull along this sap. He might need it later with Alice. All he needed to do was prove to Travis he was no threat. Then he’d at least keep supporting him any time something like that would come up.

----

Travis hissed quietly not liking the sound of that. ”Jeez… Just uhhh, avoid pissing her off, for my sake. Cus for all I know you could get away, but me hooo no. I am far to slow for anything like that…” Travis nodded his head to signal to Kristian for them to turn down a corner. He sighed “The stores are just down this way. Let’s just go get ourselves some clothes.” As much as Travis wanted to take Kristian to a nice suit place he honestly didn’t think the kid would be that into it. And Travis himself would also need more clothes that weren’t suits, or else him helping out and fighting a lot might get very expensive. And being a manager at a fast McDonalds doesn't make you rich.

----

Kristian looked at Travis. So Alice was suppose to be the big bad of this city he was figuring out. She didn’t seem all that powerful to him. He’d just have to keep out his eye on her, that was all. She didn’t know anything about him, therefore he really had nothing to worry about. She was at this point making guesses. She had no concrete proof and he wouldn’t give the bitch any.

Clothes right so he could get out of this dress. He followed Travis with a little hop and simply tried to keep up his significant childish charm.

“What kind of clothes do you like?” Kristian asked curiously, probably the most genuine question he had all day.

Kristian never really thought about clothes. He just took what he could find and put it on. Except he never had put on a dress and he wasn’t so sure he liked it. He put his hands through his hair and paused, “I’d like my hair cut as well.”

----

Travis looked back at Kristian “What kind of clothes do I like? Mate I am wearing it, suits. Suits are easily the best kind of clothes. But alas they are expensive and I don’t think I can afford them getting broken so much. So I’ll be getting some more clothes as well.” He tilted his head at Kristian asking for a haircut the kid had fine hair, why’d he want to cut it? Guess it didn’t really matter. He just nodded to Kristan and then looked forward to see the place he was looking for, he pushed the door open gently and walked inside the store.

“Alright in here, this place has a pretty good selection. Just grab a few shirts and pants. Keep it simple, just because it ain’t our money doesn’t mean we need to spend it all. I’ll meet you back at the counter. Then we’ll talk about your haircut.” With that Travis walked off and started sifting through simple green and grey short sleeves, he also got some jeans. Not fancy kinds or anything like that just plain looking jeans. Could always trust “Cheap shrit” for cheap shirts.

----

This had been the first time he had walked into one of these stores. He had always passed them by, recently coming to Tokyo meant he really had no concept or understanding of these stores Travis talked about. He looked up and squinted at the fluorescent lights. The department store was huge inside and there were a lot of people. And different sounds.

The machines that beeped reminded him of heart monitors though and he didn’t like that. There were sounds of the racks clacking as hangers were slid side to side. Making a noise as they slid as well. There were kids screaming. There was the sudden sensation of being overwhelmed, that he never experienced before.

There were a lot of things here. Clothes. People. Machines. Lights. He had no idea what he was looking for. He also had no sense of monetary value when he said keep it low budget. Kristian looked around for a second. He didn’t know what he liked.

He didn’t know who he was. He didn’t know how to define himself by a style.

“Oh little girl,” a woman, who was rather overweight and had big purple lips, with bulbous purple pearl earrings looked at him. She had a bunch of bracelets that jangled and she was wearing a seafoam dress, with socks bunched at her ankles and a pair of sneakers. Her hair was quite curly and short, she smelled weird too like that perfume humans wore mixed with her meat scent, “You’re in the wrong section.” she said, “The girls section is on the other side. Want me to take you there? Where are your parents?”

Kristian felt a sudden rush of embarrassment. He was still in a dress. And he looked around the store, to point to Travis off in a corner.

“That’s...my big...brother,” Kristian told her, “I am being watched. I am okay. I’ll stay here. He’ll take me.” He tried to smile at the woman and give her one of his innocent charming smiles, but she looked upset. He didn’t understand why.

“Your big brother should treat a young lady with more respect, cannot believe he’d make you wait here for him,” she huffed and walked off.

He didn’t know what that was all about. But he also felt a little lost in this moment. Who was Kristian?

----

Travis was collecting his sets of clothes when he parts of the conversation between the woman and Kristian, oh joy… her frowned and finished stacking up the clothes then headed over to Kristian. He avoided looking at the woman who’d talked to Kristian and just directed him towards some short sleeve shirts. “Alright we’ll just start with something short sleeve shirts, sit still for a second.” Travis stepped behind Kristian and looked for a size tag on the dress, he go a few sizes up from that.

He found the tag eventually after some rather unintrusive searching and then backed off again. “ Alright so what colour do you want? Red, Blue maybe orange?” Travis was flipping through a few shirts in front of Kristian to show as many of them off as he could. God he hated shopping. With other people at least, nobody seemed to actually know what they wanted fast enough. There was always so much useless dawdling around with no actual results, Travis had know what he wanted before he even walked into the store so he couldn’t understand why it took people so long. He had developed this pet peeve form dealing with many customers who would line up only to not know what they wanted when they got to the desk.

Travis did notice Kristian looked a little out of it, he hoped he’d not just rattled off to many questions for him. He did want to get out of their quick but perhaps he’d just need to slow down a little bit for Kristian.

----

Travis was asking him a lot of question. Kristian had managed to keep up his guise for this long, but he was staring at the shirts and Travis rushy behavior wasn’t helping. It was probably the first time Kristian broke down for real, which wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t the same as the cafe as it was now and he hated that. They weren’t supposed to know or see him cry. He promised himself he wouldn’t cry in these circumstance.

“Stop it,” Kristian told Travis, “I don’t know. I don’t know. Just stop.”

----

As Travis had expected, he was going a little to fast. “No problem, sorry. I’ll stop. I am going a little fast. I’m just a little on edge…” He took a then stood back yo let Kristian think. He felt a different vibe coming off of Kristian, before he seemed fine but now. Something was up but Travis wasn’t going to ask what. He’d save the next question for the cashier. He took a breath and looked over his own choices in an attempt to tide himself over for a bit so Kristian had some time to process everything.

----

For fuck sake quit your crying.

I just….it’s…

It’s what. You’re such a baby. Crying in public. Like a small child.

I am not a small child!

Fuck. You look it to me.

Kristian scowled and wiped away his face grabbing a shirt from Travis hand. More like yanked it. He stared at Travis.

“I’m fine,” Kristian told him trying to wipe away his face as best as he could with short sleeves, “I am going to grab some shirts.”

---

Travis let the shirt go as to avoid it getting ripped something was up Kristians ass for sure, and Travis wasn’t going to go and find out. So he waited for Kristian’s choices standing there patiently as he watched the teen look around for some adiqiet clothes. He didn’t want to say anything because he was afraid he’d probably say the wrong thing and set Kristian off. And that would not be good, far too much attention. Jeez this kid has some issues. Maybe I’ll be able to help him out some day. Travis shrugged to himself and went back to watching Kristian.

----

Kristian sighed. Maybe he should have never left. Maybe he should have never went here. You got that fucking right. You were sitting pretty back then. You had everything promise to you. And you had to fuck it up because you’re a child. A child who barely recognizes what it is.

Was the consequence of wearing this disguise for too long? Oh come the fuck on. You were never wearing a disguise. This is who you want to be. Oh look at me, I have friends. I have control over my own life. But you really don’t because your blinded by the fact you know nothing about this place.

What would you have done? Stayed there. Trapped. Imprisoned. With no sense of why you exist. You know why you fucking exist! To kill! To kill people like Travis. And now you gone and fucked that up because you want to be friends with him.

I don’t want to be friends with him! Oh don’t try to play me. I Am you remember. I know what you want. What you yearn for as you run away from what you are.

Kristian stared at the clothes. You think you can lead a normal life. You’ve forgotten what you are, by separating yourself from what you are. God it’s so pathetic and I am stuck here having to watch you whine and complain about how you want this and that, but you do not know what you want at all. Let me kill. Let me kill Travis.

No. I am here because I wanted something different. To make my own choices. This is my own choice. To kill. Is it? I don’t know. Just.

He turned to Travis who was already walking a little away. Kristian walked after him grabbing his sleeve.

“I am sorry,” Kristian told him, “You….have helped me...when you shouldn’t have to. And I should recognize that.” he pauses, “There’s...a lot of things I cannot tell you. Or…..don’t know if I should. But please….I am sorry.”

----

Travis was surprised when Kristian ended up attaching himself to his sleeve. Kristian then spoke about not knowing about if he could or couldn’t tell him things. Travis’ face formed a slightly sympathetic smile “Don’t worry about it. You Don’t need to tell me anything, not if you aren’t 100% sure you want to. And don’t apologise, you’ve not done anything wrong... Lets just get you into some proper clothes then worry about other stuff after that.” Travis’ smile that went from sympathetic to just a generally warm smile.

----

Kristian looked at Travis. He still wouldn’t understand if he told him and what if he turned him over. Still, he let some of his guard down, “No one’s been this nice to me before.” Kristian said with a genuine thought that it scared him to think he would open up to Travis like that. But it was true. Travis had been nice to him. Nice to him in a way that no one had been nice to him before.

That scared him more than what Alice did today. Or what has ever happened in the past. He scowled though. He shouldn’t be this way. With people like Travis. But he was a Ghoul too. Was he? That’s not what they use to call him.

Kristian bit his lip, “Um….so...I have these shirts and these pants. I just copied what you got. And where, do I sleep tonight?”

----

Travis had honestly not thought about where Kristian could sleep, Alice probably had a room, but she was kind of freaky around Kristian so maybe he’d see if he could sleep on his couch. He nodded to Kristian “It is easy to just go simple sometimes. As for where you can sleep. I think you should sleep at my place, I’m not sure it’d be good for you to stay with Alice.” Travis then gently took the clothes off Kristian and piled them onto the counter. “Yeah just all this please. Thanks.” Travis handed the money over to the cashier then looked back at Kristian. He then hands him a set of clothes for him to change into. ”We can finally get you out of that dress now.” he said with a cheeky grin.

----

Without haste he grabbed the clothes and didn’t think about what to say next as he slipped out with a “Oh fucking thank god.”

Jericho Yuno - Rank 2

-Runs Late, could prove to be a disadvantage

-The Iron Grip, amusing

-Displays Neurotic Behaviors and self soothing techniques

-Took her Quinque Out during board day, could prove to be disadvantageous behavior

-Displays infatuation for junior investigator Bisuto Ketsu, curious development

-Deceitful behavior, tried to hide intentions to me. First meeting nerves? Perhaps.

-Compromisable behavior is acceptable

Bisuto Ketsu - Rank 2

-Exceptional navigation of people and the environment around him. A game?

-Displays infatuation for junior investigator Jericho Yuno. A ploy? Actual attraction?

-Joined only two weeks ago, and yet displays a exceptional track record, making a name for himself. Reasons? Prodigy? Maybe.

-Odd behavior as well, such as his placement of his body between him and Yuno. To keep her away from me? To spy? Trying to get on my good side? Or hers? All probabilities

-Nervous behavior upon mentioning Birdcage. Why?

-Guarded. Why?

He puts his notepad back into his pocket. More research would need to be done. People were a lot like fancy gift wrap. They painted themselves up, prettied themselves with courteous behavior, and distracted with visual looks or “decadent” smells. A “good” perfume, makeup that painted their face, men chose beards or non in order to display different aspects of them. Right now he felt like he was in a gift shop, looking at two very gift wrapped people. He’d eventually unravel them.

Ketsu provided a challenge. Somewhat guarded even if he didn’t realize it himself, Grant had been watching him. He was always watching. He didn’t understand how that was a new revelation to anyone. He’d give Ketsu a fair amount of benefit though, he had been only here for a few weeks.

Still the more you tried to guard something the more someone would try to notice you. It, what was the phrase amused him? Ketsu is amusing. Like a wind up toy, that you have to wind and wind and wind and wind until you heard it’s sweet musical notation.

While Yuno really isn’t a bother to him. Not really. He saw her uses and it be better to get her under his wing than Ketsu’s. He’d need her confidence and trust in him. He’d have to find a way to earn it favorably it seemed. She “amused” him as well though.

Nervous and neurotic, a very stereotypical behavior of a rookie. Simple, easy. He “liked” simple people. She was probably a lot more complex and he found the idea of figuring that out complexity desirable enough for him to accept her presence for the time being.

“Very well Ketsu,” Grant gave a very delayed response. He followed the rookie investigator. He’d watch. He’d always watch. He desired to find the door that would open up the doorways to their mind.

He’d let them flirt. Play the game of seduction. It didn’t concern him. He didn’t need to concern himself with it for the time being. If perhaps it worked out he had a key to the both of them. This was very different than the times he had ever met any of his Senior Investigators.

A tag along that wasn’t allowing a Senior Investigator to engage in his Junior Investigator with greetings. Then again Grant only knew how people greeted each other. He saw no real purpose for it. People called him mechanical, but didn’t see their own mechanical dance. Hi, are you well, I am well, what about you, I am doing well, this weather crazy isn’t it, mmm yes, did you see the new purse I got.
All that social dance was simply a programmed form of etiquette and they see him less genuine then themselves. The thought what was it made him laugh.

The coffee shop he discovered was only six blocks away from the headquarters. It’s why it was a beneficial choice, it is on the way to work. That and they had coupons, since he couldn’t always afford coffee. He had collected the vouchers and used free coffee whenever his monetary wealth was low and he needed to budget accordingly.

He found Japan weird. A lot of their cafes had influence of European designs that felt familiar to him. But they were always a little Eastern. It was a rather small, old building, but instead of a door they had a noren over the door. The building looked like it had been a small Japanese general store at once, renovated to look like a European cafe.

Or their perception. Pushing past the noren, the floors were still patterned like tatami despite wooden floors, and very modern machine at a counter. The coffee steamers and coffee containers. There was a leather couch near a cherry wood coffee table at a large window, that gave the impression it once was a shoji doorway turned into honeycomb windows.

Several armchairs in the corner of the small shop, with small round tables, with shelving used to display handcrafted tea kettles. Even bags of coffee beans. There was a display at the counter where the register was displaying several different confectionary items for the day. Made in back. There were on the side of the wall behind them and in front of the counter of two tables that four people with high chairs.

Now all of this might seem unnecessary to most. He saw it as an opportunity to learn more. People can be defined by so many things. What they chose to wear, Yuno’s lack of tucking in her shirt showed someone who wasn’t too serious about looking professional. Yet, she still wore a professional uniform. While Ketsu tucked in look gave the impression of someone looking to be taken professional. It also could be said the suit to be worn as a suit of armor. Those were of course speculations.

The mistake people made with observations was correlating too many theories as relevant. He’d start off with drinks. The girl behind the counter, had straight black hair, she wore makeup, and perfume. To wear a mask like everybody else did. Star earrings showed off a bit of youth or perhaps immaturity. She had rosy colored lipstick. Her name Takahashi Mizuki. She looked at him and greeted him with a smile.

“I was wondering when you’d show up,” she said, there was an inflection in his voice that he could never quite read, “And you brought some coworkers?”

“Yes,” Grant replied.

It wasn’t a game with her. Some people were simple. Miss. Takahashi saw him as charming. While Ketsu and Juno stood here looking like he came directly from a slasher flick. See Miss. Takahashi had manners. They did not.

"Hello!" Yuno cheerfully said as she put away her quinque into her bag, feeling the troves of random objects in her bag, including the Jenga blocks. Why did she carry Jenga around, again? Probably to act as a throwing weapon in a pinch, but why would she be in a pinch if that's what her claw did? It didn't make sense to her. If she was the one pinching, why would she be in a pinch.

Bah, whatever. She was getting a free drink. She didn't have to worry about the Jenga blocks right now.

Yuno calmly walked over to where you place your order as she thought about what she wanted to order. She actually didn't like coffee that much, but the menu had hot chocolate. Perfect deal. Plus, it was cheaper than the coffee, which meant less money out of Grant's pocket. Afterwards, Yuno turned to go and nab the trio of investigators a table.

The walk there was a perfect time to think about the two of them.

First, Grant. Ok, so, the guy didn't seem like he was threatening Yuno, at least, not enough to worry about. He honestly just seemed kind of... detached from reality. Like he was there, but at the same time, he wasn't there. It was pretty creepy, but if he was the superior and partner to Yuno, she'd have to learn how to get along with him. His file said something about him being emotionally absent, so all of his actions were still fitting despite them being not. Who knows? Maybe Yuno would be the person to make him feel again. Not sexually though. That was gross.

Then there was Ketsu. He seemed fine, if not pretty damn... not really attractive. He looked rather plain to Yuno, to be honest. He was magnetic, however. It made Yuno feel good to just be around him. Not to mention he seemed like a good guy, letting her walk on the side opposite of Grant on the way over. Maybe he meant something else by that and didn't just want tensions relieved? It was a sweet gesture nonetheless, and it definitely weighed him in Yuno's favor.

Yuno sat down at one of the tables as she looked over at the guys, waiting for them to come over as well.

---

Stepping outside the fabric store with bounty in hand, Mika turned to Katashi and smiled at him.

“You know you’re my first boyfriend,” Mika told him with great vulnerability and confidence that he would still accept her.

Katashi turned and smiled back. ”Really? Even with all those worshippers throwing themselves at your feet?” Katashi joked as he carried a part of Mika’s haul in his other hand. ”It’s kind of cute, now that I know.” He teased as he nudged Mika.

Mika giggles.

“Worshipping is one thing, but loving is different,” Mika pauses and looks at Katashi, “Do you want to continue the fun?”

Katashi nodded. ”Of course. I don’t think Alice was expecting me to report back so soon.” The Red Tiger added. It seemed odd how Alice interacted with Mika before sending the two on their way from the birdcage. Almost as if…

Oh that crafty lady…

Mika frowned and wondered if Katashi would be mad at her. She fidgeted with the ends of her dress as a cute little nervous tick. She looked at him with a soft expression.

“Do you mind if we get something to eat first?” Mika pauses, “I didn’t get my coffee and...I have different dietary needs.” she blushed and looked away.

The Ghoul nodded and smile. He could just order coffee. ”Where were you thinking of going?” Katashi asked as he looked around. No briefcases in sight was a very good sign for him. Not having to deal with Doves right now would be great.

Mika jumped excitedly.

“I know of a place,” Mika said, “It’s a little out of the way. But it’s a very cute cafe. I mean nothing will be as cute as the Birdcage. But it’s very East meets the West.”

She stares at all she bought and kind of goes pink, “Let….me call my driver.” she mumbles because certainly Katashi will think horrible things about her when she says phrases like that. Normal people didn’t have drivers. But she did get carried away.
Hey, if you got it, why not? Katashi shrugged, but he could tell by her blush that she seemed awkward about the whole thing. ”Oooh, I could get use to that.” Katashi smirked and laughed, trying to cheer Mika up about the situation.

It works as she smiles at him and gives him a sultry look, “Well stick with me Katashi and I’ll spoil you rotten.” She winks. And then she realizes that might have been more seductive than what she was going for. She flails her hands around and nervously blushes. Oh! Why would she say that to him.

She pretends to look for her phone and takes it out of her purse. Calling a number, it rings, until she gets an answer, “Sasaki-san.”

“Juubei-san, can you pick me up at the fabric store? I got carried away,” she says sweetly.

“Right away ma’am, I will be there soon,”Juubei hangs up and she still try to keep her distance from Katashi. She had a habit of getting carried away like that. She also wondered what Natsuya was going to say, he could be. She appreciated and loved Alice, even Natsuya. Sometimes though he could be kind of stiff and stern. She remembers the time Natsuya gave a lecture to one of her fans for stealing a pair of her panties out of her bag. It was a long lecture too, he spent an hour in the dressing room talking to them. It was sweet, but embarrassing.

Katashi laughed at Mika’s joke. ”Well, I’ll be looking forward to it.” He replied with his own wink. The two then waited patiently for the driver to turn up. If Mika recommended this shop, then it had to be good. Sooner or later, a limo started to pull into view. ”Oh wow, you weren’t kidding,” He said in surprise. Sure, it was going to be a nice car, but still. Damn.

Mika felt only a tinge of more embarrassment.

“I….am sorry,” Mika said, “Is this too showy?” As she asked Juubei, a tall man, around 6ft, in a black and white suit with sunglasses, and a bald head walked out from the driver’s side. The ebony skinned man bowed at the both of them.

“Will the gentleman be joining us?” he asked, “Where is Oda-san?”

Mika wanted to sink into the cement. She was use to all of this treatment, but she wondered if it made Katashi think lesser of her. The girl who was born to wealthy parents and inherited their heritage after their death. Who basically could skate on by without consequence.

“He….had another job,” Mika mumbled, “Yes, this is Katashi. He will be joining us. We were thinking of heading up to the Buddha Bean Cafe.” Juubei bows.

“Of course ma’am, let me put your bags away,” Juubei told her.

Oooh. She felt so spoiled right now.

Katashi blinked at Juubei has the chauffeur took the bags in his hand. He really wasn’t used to it, but bowed back in gratitude as the driver packed away the bags. Wanting to save Juubei the job, Katashi wasted no time in opening the door for his new girlfriend. He didn’t know how Mika wanted to be seen with Katashi by others for now. He could try and pass as a replacement bodyguard?
”After you, Mika.”

Mika giggled and got into the limo. This was fun. She had never felt like she had met her prince charming before, but today that’s what it felt like. With her phone out, her face got a bit bright pink and hot. There was already a blurry picture of her and Katashi on the internet as a leaked video. She began to waves her hands and squeal in a girlish way.

Katashi immediately darted inside hearing the high pitch noise coming from the limo. ”Mika!? What’s wrong?” He asked in alarm, thinking something was wrong.

She showed him the image of the video already being posted up.

“We’ve….” she pauses, “We’ve been made public. What is Honda-san going to say. She’s going to start barking orders at me. And and, but it makes me so happy.”

Katashi started rubbing the back of his head awkwardly for assuming so quickly. ”Ah, I thought you were in trouble.” He laughed nervously. Katashi closed the door behind them. ”Who is Honda-san?”

“My agent,” she replied, “If I am in trouble, I’ll scream your name real loud.” she told him.

Katashi chuckled. ”Noted, hehe.” He nodded. ”Sooo, that video will probably spread, right?” Katashi asked. It suddenly dawned on the Ghoul that he wasn’t going to be able to keep quiet about it with the others. Not that he was embarrassed by it, but he was hoping Mika would tell everyone whenever she was ready for them to know. ”Will your agent be mad?”

“It will,” Mika replied, she thought about it, “Honda-san won’t be mad. But she might make you sign a contract.” Mika smiled, “It’s nice being with you Katashi. But uh…” she paused it only dawned on her now as the car began to take off, “dates might get awkward with Natsuya. Not that I don’t want a date with you when I am being protected by Natsuya. But more like you’re okay with that.”

Katashi’s eyes widened at the mention. ”Oh yeah, Natsuya… Eh, I’m sure it’ll be fine. Natsuya likes me, right?” He asked in what was probably hopeless desperation. Natsuya has his… tendencies. No doubt he would try to have a “chat” with Katashi whenever he finds out.

Mika looked at Katashi with a little smile.

“I don’t know if Natsuya really likes anybody other than mildly tolerates them in a friendly manner,” Mika pauses, “You should have seen the glare he gave me when I posed in a bikini for a photoshoot to sell swimsuits.”

”That… doesn’t help.” Katashi chuckled. It would probably take a lot of getting used to with Mika’s lifestyle, but if that’s what it took to help make Mika happy, to protect her, then adapt Katashi would. ”So, you been to this… Buddha Bean before? What are the patrons like?” He asked curiously. Judging by looking out the window, they were getting awfully close to CCG headquarters. Katashi shifted in his seat.

Mika noticed Katashi getting nervous. She never thought about the location being close to the CCG headquarters before, only now did it dawn on her. But Katashi didn’t have to fear, placing her hand on his hands she smiled, “The CCG won’t hurt you because you’re on a date with a cute girl.” she smiles trying to reassure him.

Most of the patrons she saw there were people with lower wages, convenient store workers, people passing it on the way. But she loved it because of its unique and quaint design. It use to be a Japanese general goods store, then it was turned into a restaurant, to finally be converted to the cafe of today.

“People come and go, it’s not very busy, so I thought you’d like it,” Mika said, “Plus it looks super cute.”

Katashi turned and smiled at Mika, squeezing her hand softly. It really did calm him down. ”I believe you.” He smiled. It was probably going to be nothing wrong, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious. ”If you like it, I’m sure I’ll like it.” He reassured her.

Mika smiles.

“And if you don’t like it, that is okay too,” she said, as the car began to slow down a little bit at the corner of the Buddha Bean Cafe. Everything would be fine. Again today the sun was shining and the shining sun meant a great day.

The car stopped and Juubei walked out, and around the car to open the door for Katashi and Mika.

“Sasaki-san, Katashi-san, your destination,” Juubei told them.

”Uhmm…” Katashi murmured before stepping out of the limousine. He waited for Mika to exit the vehicle before turning to Juubei and bowing. ”Thank you very much, Juubei.” He said politely, wanting to be kind to the driver.

Juubei bowed at Katashi one more time, “Sir it is my pleasure.” He looked at Mika, “Would you like me to stay here?”

Mika looked at Juubei and smiled, “I think it will be fine if you go. I’ll call if I need anything else Juubei-san, Thank you very much. You’re always there when I am in a pinch.”

“Of course ma’am,” Juubei bowed and closed the door behind them. Mika grabbed Katashi hand.

“Are you ready? This might go on the internet as well,” she told him honestly.

Katashi laughed. ”It’s already happened once. Not like we can avoid it now.” He joked slightly. It was true though. No point trying to stop the inevitable. Katashi held the door open for Mika, entering the Buddha Bean Cafe.

The place definitely was east meets west, as the shoji door was replaced as a window, they still had a noern, and you could tell where they once had store shelves. That had been painted to look like upscale middle class shelves. She wasn’t use to seeing people here.
There was a young man with brown hair, he was actually kind of cute not as cute as Katashi, but cute. A young woman already trying to take a seat quick, she was wearing a button down shirt too, but it wasn’t tucked in. She was very pretty, Mika wondered if she had any beauty tricks she could use.

One of the man was classically handsome, albeit a bit gaunt, but when he turned around exposing his left she gasped a little. That poor man, she hugged Katashi a little for comfort. She was trying to reassure Katashi though they were just business workers. She hoped.

She saw no cases with them. They hadn’t immediately tried to attack Katashi. Or recognized who he was. Did he want to stay or go?

Katashi looked at the decor smiling until he noticed the trio of people. Katashi of course hugged Mika back, wrapping an arm around her as they walked to find seats of their own. However, the thing kept around one of the men’s necks wasn’t exactly any normal kind of trinket. That was a Quinque. Of fuckin’ course it was. Katashi had ran into a Dove once or twice. He never killed one, always just enough to escape.

Katashi averted his gaze, just smiling and looking at Mika as Katashi looked for what was hopefully going to be quite isolated from those three. Something about those scars. That particular dude was one creepy guy. He prayed to god he wouldn’t run into that man in a dark alley.

“I am going to get a pastry, coffee cake sounds good, and a,” she stared at the menu, she thought about Katashi in that moment, “cup of coffee.” she smiled looking at Katashi next.

Katashi smiled back, also looking through the menu. [color=9e0b0f“I’m not feeling that hungry right now, but a coffee sounds lovely.”[/color] The Ghoul replied as he turned away from the menu. There was nothing to worry about. It’s not like Doves found out by scent. How could he worry? He was simply enjoying a date with Mika.

Mika smiles and walks up to the pretty cashier, “Two coffees and a coffee cake please.” The woman nods her way.

She hoped there would be no problems on these beautiful day.

Katashi just kept smiling as Mika walked back. The smile wasn’t just a show for the Doves. He was genuinely happy being with Mika. No one would ruin this moment.

@Gardevoiran@AngelofOctober@BCTheEntity

Travis was quite surprised, he wasn't sure if he heard him right but Kristian might have just cursed. He grinned a stupid grin "Wow, I didn't know you had that in you kid. Good job." Travis carried all the bags full of clothes and nodded to the cashier as he walked towards the exit. H waited for kristian to open the door first because it would be a little hard for him to do it with his hands full of shopping. "I'd suggest you keep that kind of language to a minimum. But anyway, now all we need to do is get that hair of yours cut and get you back to my place. I'll give you the grand tour once we get there."

The walk to the barber shop wasn't long, and it was fairly stock standard. only thing that really stood out about it was the fact that all the hairdressers were in suits, Travis smiled and look down at Kristian "Ladies first" his smile was slightly smug. Now that he knew Kristan could curse he felt like he could treat him more like a mate then a fragile doll.

@LemonZest1337
Travis was giving him a strange look ever since they went shopping. He didn’t like that look Travis was wearing and wanted to hit it off of him. He had let his guard down because he was overwhelmed in that situation. Part of his cover had been blown.

“Don’t tell anyone,” Kristian told Travis or more like warned, he wouldn’t let Travis be the one to ruin his current security. Alice was already trying to get answers out of him with lines like, I know you’re dark inside. She still knew nothing and he was nothing like her hypothesis. But he also didn’t need her investigating too much into him.

When they got near the barber shop, Travis opened the door to a very creepy sight. They were all wearing suits. Projection much. When Travis mentioned ladies first, with a bit of his cover blown he socked Travis in the shoulder that was injured.

“I am not a lady,” Kristian told him very aggressively. He didn’t know they were going somewhere, where someone else would take scissors and cut his hair. Actually the idea sort of terrified him. The only time someone had scissors or objects near him. Kristian looked at the tile floor, he walked in.

---

Yes, of course he was taking notes. What psychopath didn't? Well, perhaps plenty, but it was nonetheless an annoying thing to observe as he glanced toward Grant. Of everybody, he was perhaps the most likely to figure out the truth about Ketsu for sheer bloody-minded determination to find out about him; everyone else took it for granted that he had normal human thoughts, like a normal human being, but Grant, it seemed, had to know exactly how people ticked, and that made him a very specific psychological threat.

Yuno, by contrast, was... well, green. A rookie. He'd argue as new as himself, but she had technically been in the field longer than he had; nonetheless, he'd not missed her slight looks toward him. She was already looking favourably upon him, a very open mind... too open, perhaps. Grant was going to read her like a book if she didn't ensconce her emotions more effectively, and there was no telling what he'd do with the information he got out of her.

That said, the coffee shop didn't take long to reach- nice place, very East-meets-West- and Ketsu was more than happy to have his drinks purchased for him. He didn't miss the tone of the server's voice when she spoke to Grant, though... how long had Grant been going to this place, had he said? And was he even slightly cognizant of how she felt for him? Either way, the poor woman was pining for somebody who barely even noticed her, and she had no idea. What a shame.

Eventually, he placed his order, a double espresso which he'd put in just half a teaspoon of sugar into afterward to take the edge off, before moving to sit at the table with Yuno. 'Nice place they have here,' he murmured to her. 'Very interesting style - middle of the road, is all, but never bad from what I've seen.'

Halfway through his sentence, his ear was drawn by the sound of the door to the place opening again, and blinked in surprise, nothing more, as his nose was hit a couple of seconds later by the undeniable scent of ghoul and... something sweet? Turning as though he were merely curious about the noise, rather than instantly on edge, he glanced between the two newcomers to the place, trying to figure out which was-

Well, one of them was actually an idol - he wasn't especially into all that, but the girl was plastered practically everywhere in Ward 8, so it was impossible to not know about Ms. Himehana, though apparently she had a secret fetish for the inhuman and a most pleasurable smell to her. Which meant the man she was practically hanging off of... tall, dark, handsome, a complete unknown, and if he paid attention the source of the smell? Ghoul, 99% certainty. And he had no way of proving it for sure without outing himself in the process. Shit. Best to play it cool for now, then.

'Y'see?' he continued quietly, turning back to Yuno with a grin. 'Not moments after we arrive, and there's already a couple of new customers. Perfectly reasonable place to have a drink and cake. Maybe I'll go here a bit more frequently than I normally do, after all, what do you think?'

Travis winched as he got socked in the shoulder, little prick heh. Travis shook his head and rubbed his shoulder. He put a hand on Kristian's shoulder and guided him in. He then nodded to one of the hairdressers "Can someone help my friend with his hair, I'll pay for it don't worry. a man who looked fairly similar to Travis except his face was notably older came over, he smiled to Travis who stepped aside and gestured to Kristian. "Just do whatever he asks, and give him a good blow dry at the end. That's always fun." The man nodded "Sure thing Travis, you've not been around in a while. How long you planning to grow your hair? Also what'd you do to your shoulder?" Travis chuckled. "I think I'll be pulling out my hair honestly I've been feeling a little stressed recently. And my shoulder... That was a workplace accident."

The barber tilted his head "But don't you work at McDonalds? N-never mind." The barber looked at Kristian and gestured to one of the many seats. "Take a seat and we can get started." The barber smiled as he went to retrieve one of those things that they put around your neck and it covers your body so the hair doesn't fall all over you.

@BCTheEntity@Gardevoiran



Hot chocolate stuck out to him. Not as suspicious. Just strange. Yuno was turning out to be quite peculiar. He’s starting to get the sense that he may be able to extend some shared mutual compromise with her. Her presence was easily tolerable for him, which is a favorable outcome to both parties. Ketsu was still guarded, however, stupid boy didn’t realize the more he tried to defend himself then let him in the more he would press.

Mizuki handed him a cup of coffee that he prefered black, with little to nothing in it. He always asked for his coffee in a to go cup. You never knew when you were needed somewhere and he rather be prepared than relaxed.

“I,” Mizuki began, Grant eyed her, “do you have time for a movie sometime?” Oh that’s what that meant. He hadn’t noticed it and she felt impatient enough to ask him because he kept missing the signs. He grabbed a pen from a container near her register, taking his receipt he wrote down his number.

“Call me and I’ll tell if I am available,” Grant told her rather flatly. She didn’t interest him much. Most of his relationships ended up in flames because he could not lend them the emotional security they needed. People were so insecure about how people felt about them sometimes.

Mizuki is simple. There’s nothing to figure out. Her hair done in a way to attract a mate, the makeup to entice the eye of someone who may persuade attraction to her physically, the way she spoke. The way she moves her body.

She fancied meeting the right man, settling down, and he’d save her from a life in a cafe shop. It was revealed in the conversations they had, since he had been coming here. He didn’t mind, it was something to manipulate when he was he strapped for cash.

The issue came in having to reciprocate behavior. People were fickle, if you did not respond in the way they expected they often shunned you. Their animal instincts. It’s why Ketsu, what’s the word, ah yes annoyed him a little bit.

Grant had learned a long time ago people do not like people who sound disinterested. So he tried to mimic their tone, fake the things he couldn’t physically feel. And he had the audacity to reprimand him for that with that look. With his actions and behaviors. Grant had a set of personal rules about his coworkers, but Ketsu was not someone he would be afraid to have the chance to kill.

He wouldn’t be able to tolerate him in large doses. It was in their best interest Grant kept a close, but distant relationship with the trainee.

He sat down, Ketsu was already pursuing his infatuation by speaking with Yuno. Before Grant had anything to say two individuals walked in. One recognizable, Himehana, Princess Blossom. He found her music obnoxious, something he sort of knew he felt towards her music. It was loud, her voice dainty and high pitched. It sounded to him like noise. Yet, he used it as another one of his “quirks” he didn’t have.

The other was a man in a red suit. A lot of red. It was a rather distracting feature. Ketsu continued to engage in mundane conversation that he had drowned out. He waited for the couple to sit down and he took out his smaller notepad and flipped through it.

He opened the lid of his coffee beforehand and took out a pink silly straw and placed it into the cup. Standing up, he looked to Ketsu and Yuno.

“Gimme one second,” he told them with a nod of his head.

Leaving his opened drink with the straw in it near Ketsu and Yuno, he walked over to the couple enjoying their time near the big windows. Holding a notepad and pen, he tried to smile though that never came out right.

“Himehana-san,” he said with a slight bow, he tried to make himself as delightful as he could, “I’m sorry for rudely interrupting your date. But I am a big fan of your work. Would you mind giving me your autograph?”

He honestly wanted a closer inspection of the two, especially the one in all red. Interesting color choice. As in it lacked nuance.

"I don't know... I'm gonna see how their cocoa tastes first..." Yuno hushedly says as she lifts up her mug, filled with steaming cocoa, putting it up to her lips as she calmly sipped away. Well... it was calmly sipping at first, but then she realized something.

Yuno put the mug down semi-firmly as she grunted and swore, trying to retain a hushed voice but still making a noticeable difference in volume. "GAH FUCK! Burnt my mouth!" She exclaimed, following that thought with a face of near-mortification as she realize what she did. She swore in a public place. In English. In front of this Ketsu guy. Great job, Yu. Really being the charmer, aren't you?

Eager to draw the attention away from the display of a fuck up that was, Yuno looked over at the entrants and Grant, coughing lightly as she spoke again. Damn, that cocoa was hot.

"... do you believe that Grant is really a fan of her music...?" Yuno leaned over to ask Ketsu a question. "... I might like him a bit more if that's true..." Her music wasn't bad at all. Hell, it was pretty fuckin' good. The high pitched voice got annoying sometimes, but the actual music was phenomenal.

@LemonZest1337
He had never done anything like this before. The chair was really uncomfortable and the tarp reminded him of the blankets they’d put over your body for an Xray or surgery. He saw the person putting things out like scissors, combs, and clippers. The person ordered to do his hair smiled at him. He didn’t like it, this place was creepy.

“How would you like your hair?” the individual asked him.

“I don’t know,” Kristian replied truthfully and defiantly.

“Well, do you have a particular style? How short do you want it?” the individual asked again, he wasn’t really paying attention when they were introduced or anything of that sort.

Kristian shrugged.

“I don’t know anything about that,” he replied.

They gave Travis a nervous look, but went to walk away.

“How about we give you a book and you can look through the styles you like?” the individual asked. They walked to a coffee table meant for people waiting with lots of books scattered on it. He grabbed the scissors and cut where his hair was tied up in a ponytail and let his hair down naturally.

“Done,” Kristian told them.

There was an uncomfortable amount of silence in the room now. Kristian didn’t really know why as everyone’s eyes were on him.

“Can we go now?” Kristian asked, “This is a big waste of money and you complained about clothes. This seems unnecessary with something I could do with a pair of scissors.”

Again the room only got quieter. But he saw no need to hide behind a facade now since he accidentally let it slip. Pathetic honestly. It pissed him off. He was meant to kill Ghouls and here he was overwhelmed in a clothing department blowing his cover. Now in a place where they made you pay lots of money when he was cutting his hair with daggers, knives, and scissors in the countryside by himself without needing to pay anyone.

---

Ketsu giggled lightly at Yuno's misfortune, more from the suddenness of her cursing and follow-up expression than the sensation of schadenfreude - though he couldn't admit there wasn't a component of that present. Not that he'd tell her as much; he was actually beginning to like her personality.

'It's okay, Yu. Most people I know swear,' Ketsu murmured quietly after a tentative sip of his own coffee, if only to soothe her conscience. 'It's not like it's a lethal insult or anything.' Speaking of, he got the feeling Grant didn't like him so much, judging by how he'd immediately found something better to do after sitting at the table than talking to the people he'd bought coffee for. Specifically, going over to the two individuals who had entered the building and asking for the idol's autograph. And that prompted a question from Yuno: did he actually like Himehana's music, or...?

'On the one hand,' he uttered quietly, leaning in toward her, 'she is fairly famous, and a lot of people like her music. On the other hand, Grant doesn't seem like a music listening kind of guy to begin with, never mind the fact he's in his thirties... I'd be surprised to see any guy in his thirties publicly admitting they like her music, unless they had no social grac- you know what, it's totally plausible, then, isn't it.' He cracked a grin as he cracked his joke, chuckling a little as he took another sip of his drink. Yuno wasn't wrong about the drinks being hot, and whilst his ghoulish biology would prevent any lasting damage from being had, he'd still prefer to avoid injuring himself in the first place. Little sips, little sips.

@Alias@AngelofOctober

She always tried to give an individual person the benefit of the doubt, but this man. He was charming, but he also creeped her out. She couldn’t tell if he was more creepy than charming or more charming than creepy. He didn’t seem like the same type of older man who liked her work. They weren’t normally so composed.

She doubted he liked her music, he seemed to be the person who liked to hear a violin make screeching sounds because it reminded them of a humans screams during torture. No Mika, that is not the way we talk. She went over it with herself. We always give people the benefit of the doubt. Look at Alice she saved your life and everybody wants you to believe Ghouls are bad.

Its rude to assume things about people. So she smiled pleasantly, maybe more pleasantly than she usually did. Sunlight seemed to bathe her, she sparkled, and gleamed with a dazzling brightness about her. Yes, if this many truly liked her music what right did she have to deny him her most pleasant attitude.

“Of course,” she said, “I’d be happy to sign your autograph. Who would you like it addressed too?” she asked grabbing his pen from his hand.

She didn’t want to ask about his face. She didn’t want to ask him anything personally. She’d simply treat him with all the respect she treated her fans.