"Wait. You what now?"
When the words "I thought that you were a burglar" come out of Fuyuko's mouth, the tone of the room instantly changes, going from slightly awkward to almost relaxed in just a few seconds. Ji is, at first, unable to believe it, but quickly a large, delighted grin shows on his face. Wait, no kidding? This is a real thing? She thought he was--him? He's 5'4! He can't reach most people's chins, let alone beat them up and steal their money. He doesn't even have a knife... well, not unless his pinky-sized pocketknife counts. He can't help but laugh, just a tiny bit, before nodding and turning solemn again. Fuyuko's bowing at his feet, after all, and we can't have that. She probably feels downright guilty; she seems like the type.
"Don't worry about it," Ji tells her, a smile yet again on his face. "I, um, don't take offense to being called a... burglar." Heheh. He quickly swallows a laugh and coughs instead. "Ahem. I'm not gonna steal your stuff, not like I could sell it anywhere, we're pretty much trapped here." Wait! That sort of comment could be misinterpreted to seem like Ji knows how to sell stolen stuff! "N-not like I'm a thief! I may be broke, but I'm not a criminal! And please, don't feel like you have to bow to some drifter like me..." She's uptight, then. And definitely a scaredy-cat, no matter what she says. He almost feels bad for laughing. Almost. A burglar? Seriously!
"And sure. Consider it forgotten," Ji says, feeling himself relax a little as the tense atmosphere fades. All things considered... they might get along well. "And it's nice to meet you. Fuyuko." He tries to pronounce the name as softly as possible, not sure if she'll jump again, and rush to answer him. It's a pretty name; next to Ji's self-styled nickname/given name/name-he-gave-himself-because-certain-things-happened, it feels particularly fancy. And Japanese. Photography is nice profession, too, if not one that pays super well; since she's just looking out for herself, it's probably just enough. He's not extremely sold on the idea of becoming a model, mostly because he thinks he doesn't look the part. Short and messy are not adjectives usually used to describe models.
At the mention of money, though, Ji's ears perk up; he grins. Finally, something he knows about!
"Money, huh? You're talking my language now," he says, leaning forward to show he's interested. She probably did that on purpose, out of some sort of guilt, but Ji is frankly too broke to care. "If it's a model you want, it's a model you've got. But, uh." His grin drops, revealing a more shy, guilty face in its place. Never mind, how could he take advantage of such a cute girl like that? That would stain his conscience forever. "Don't feel obliged to pay me too much, you know? I can... I have survived on a few bucks before."
Noctis,
Crimson Flame,
DELETED08738,
pppppp,
Tortoise