The Silent Treatment (Silent Sorcery RP thread)

Silent Sorcery RP for Storm Front (episode dated Sept. 30th, 2018)

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Boundaries, Bounding and Bonding
Sept. 30th, 2018
Evening (low tide)
Hours before Storm Front
——————————

Behind the Georgia Dome on a warm summer's eve, Tsukiko Mizuno and Oki-Kira are making their way from the lot to a rear entrance. Wearing casual attire and wheeling their suitcases along, the two bear quite different expressions. Kira's is, as usual, more understated and hard to read than his partner's: it's a look that suggests mild concern, perhaps. Tsukiko's face conveys what might be called "amused annoyance"; a tight expression with somewhat narrowed eyes, betrayed only by the slight quavering of one corner of her lip; it threatens to break into a poorly concealed smirk at any moment. It's the kind of look that stems from great familiarity—and recent experience—with a friend or partner's endearing "quirks". Oki-Kira lowers his head slightly as he walks, eyes darting around hungrily. Tsukiko is keeping watch of this in her peripheral vision when abruptly, she releases the handle of her suitcase.

Tsukiko: Dammit!

Kiko stops dead in her tracks, unzips the second-largest pocket of her suitcase and begins rummaging through its contents. Kira eyes her curiously, then taps her on the shoulder. Kiko turns her head slightly and Oki-Kira signs to her in Japanese Sign Language.

Need help?

Tsukiko opens her mouth to reply, but simultaneously lays hand on a black shoebox. She raises it with a look of triumph.

Tsukiko: Got it! Wait—

She holds the box aloft in one hand; it bears no weight other than its own. Tsukiko chuckles wryly. After returning the box to the bag, she stands and faces her friend, whose typically stoic visage has been compromised by a poorly concealed layer of mischief. With his hands situated behind his back and an oddly troubled kind of grin trying to break loose, Kira looks decidedly guilty. Kiko raises an eyebrow and sticks her foot out like a mother losing patience with her misbehaving child. Her tone is firm.

Tsukiko: What did you do, Kira? "Need help?" Heh. Feeling saucy today, huh?

Kira readies himself as Tsukiko approaches. She makes a move to his right and makes a grab round Kira's back with impressive speed, but her longtime trainer is half a step quicker, effectively evading her.

Tsukiko: Give it back, Ki!

Reluctantly, he moves his left hand from behind his back and unclenches his fist, revealing a balled up gold chain.

Tsukiko: Wait—that's not mine. Where did you get that?

Kira cocks his head to the right. Tsukiko looks past her teammate to where he's indicated: 30 feet away, at the rear entrance, Nik Waverly and Zak E. Justice seem to be caught in an endless loop of exclaiming "BRO!" to one another. An alternative explanation may be that they're competing to find the better (louder) delivery of said monosyllable. Justice appears to be a chain shorter than usual, and none the wiser.

Tsukiko: Not to encourage you or anything, but I have to admit that's an impressive lift.

Kira heaves his shoulders in an exaggerated shrug of false modesty.

Tsukiko: You're returning that the second we get to the door.

Kira nods glumly. Tsukiko's mind returns to her empty shoebox as her gaze falls on Kira's half-hidden right arm.

Tsukiko: Give it back. If Sery's experts give it the go-ahead, I'm gonna need some ASAP! I feel an "episode" coming on.

Oki-Kira doesn't fuss or muck about; instead, he simply holds out the item he'd nicked, waiting for Kiko to take it back.

Tsukiko retrieves the item and replaces it into her black shoebox.

Tsukiko: Thanks. Prick.

Kira sticks his tongue out at her, earning himself a middle finger in return. Tsukiko chuckles; Kira grins in his exaggerated fashion. As Kiko and Kira resume their stroll to the arena entrance, they notice Sery speaking with Justice and Waverly. Silent Sorcery reach the entrance and set their suitcases to one side.

Justice & Waverly: BRO! BRONETTE!

Kiko glares daggers at the two 'til they just look down at their high-tops in uncomfortable silence.

Sery: Hello Kira. Hey, Paige's ex-girlfriend.

Tsukiko looks ready to rage. Sery chuckles.

Sery: Easy, Tsukiko. Just a little joke. I'm sure you don't have the fondest memories of Skywolf's time as GM, but don't worry—I won't forget your name or add any zany stipulations to your contract. Especially now that you're making such big waves.

Sery and Kira share an idiot-grin.

Tsukiko: Damn right you won't.

Sery: After all, it's all over that shiny new contract of yours. I admit, Skywolf's stipulation is high unusual, but also pretty air-tight, and you've rescinded your request for re-negotiations. Noble! Tricky and frustrating, I'm sure, but noble. So in that arena, your mouth is silent and my hands are tied! But it's not all bad news—I've just been handed the test results from my experts five minutes ago!

Tsukiko's eyes light up.

Tsukiko: And?

Sery: It's a go!

Tsukiko: Yes!

Tsukiko and Kira high-five. Waverly and Justice seek some love. They look between Tsukiko and Oki-Kira with uncertain hope.

Tsukiko: Ki can't. He just... can't. Personal thing.

Justice: What about you?

Tsukiko: I just don't want to. Kira—air five?

Kira nods and air-fives with Justice and Waverly. Then the GM gets in on the action. While no one is looking, Kira sneakily places the balled-up chain on a crate next to Justice.

Justice & Waverly: BROS!

Sery: I'll catch you bros later. Kiko, Kira—walk with me, talk with me.

Silent Sorcery wheel their bags across the threshold. Tsukiko is about to speak when—

Sery: Stop. You can't speak anymore, you're officially in the arena. So scratch the "talk with me" part from just now. Sorry about that!

The three of them stroll down the hall, hang a right and stop beside a door that reads "Silent Sorcery".

Sery: Well, this is you. I'm off to tend to some official business. Busy, busy, busy! See you out there!

Tsukiko holds her hand up to him in a "stop" gesture.

Sery: Hmm? What is it?

Out of habit, she begins to sign in JSL. Sery smiles and retrieves a pen and paper.

Sery: Write it. You can keep those, by the way. They're Sery™ brand's own. Visit SeryShop.com for all your stationery needs!

Can I speak in the privacy of the room?

Sery thinks about that.

Sery: Y'know, as air-tight as I thought Lord Skywolf's stipulation is, he and Hazel did allow you that much breathing room. Keep calls at a minimum—business, emergency, that kinda stuff. But hey—it's sort of a win. Go you!

The GM moseys off, and Silent Sorcery enter their first-ever personal locker room as a team. Oki-Kira closes the door behind him, takes one look at the big leather sofa to his left and springs forward, clumsily tumbling over the arm rather than sticking the landing as hoped. Tsukiko laughs as Kira de-accordions himself and sprawls across the sofa as casually as is still possible, like a cat after running into a pane glass door. He grabs a remote off the nearby coffee table and flicks on the TV, but as far as Kiko is concerned, the show is now over and thus turns her attention elsewhere.

Tsukiko: Alright. Come to me, magic elixir!

Kiko digs through her bag and retrieves her shoebox. She sets it down on a small writing desk, still wearing the lingering smile brought on by Sery's good news. Licking her lips, Tsukiko removes the lid.

After popping the top on her patented Anti-Bitch Juice™, Tsukiko brings the bottle to her lips and downs roughly a third of the bottle's contents in one go.

Tsukiko: Ahh. That's the good stuff!

She caps the bottle and sets it down on the desk. Afterward, she turns to Kira, who's off in his own world—marvelling at the stupidity of some generic reality show. Sensing Kiko's eyes are on him but wholly enthralled by the television program, a few moments pass before he meets her gaze.

Tsukiko: Sorry to be a buzzkill, but is this really what you'd call, "Spending your time wisely", Ki?

Kira thinks about this for a moment, then shakes his head. Kiko nods.

Tsukiko: Right. So we need a plan of action, okay? Do you wanna do something here before we hit up the training room?

Oki-Kira nods, then signs his reply with a mix of JSL and the ASL alphabet.

Tsukiko: Good. Me too. Umbra are a powerful pair, no doubt about it. This is a big opportunity, and it's okay to be nervous. That's why we need to focus up 110%, right? They're gonna be on their A game. But so are we.

Kira nods again; more emphatically now.

Tsukiko: You thinking what I'm thinking? On three.... one, two, three!

They both sign in sequence with one another, saying the exact same thing in the exact same order.

瞑想 (Meisō—Meditation)
会話 (Kaiwa—Conversation)
研修 (Kenshū—Training)

They smile in tandem as well.

Tsukiko: Can't beat the classics! And hey, don't forget—we have something unique on our side. And we just did it.

Kira nods.

Tsukiko: We stay focused, play our cards right and keep communication frequent? They won't know what hit 'em! Now—if you're ready—get the candles going. I'll take care of the lights.

Soon, Silent Sorcery sit on the floor at either end of the low coffee table, faces lit by the eight white candles Kira has placed upon it. And with that, meditation begins.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~

Last edited by Witch Hazel (Sun-30-Sep-2018 10:15:21)

Silent Sorcery RP for 4CW Gallows End 2019

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Tiers for Fears

Oct. 31st, 2019
New York City, New York
Evening (low tide)
Three hours before Gallows End
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Tsukiko Mizuno tosses her gym bag onto the floor of a wood-panelled room, exits with haste and locks the door behind her. She then goes striding off through the halls in the backstage area of the MSG arena, clearly on a mission. Upon reaching the currently barren catering area, she inspects the items on the table from right to left. At the far left of the table, Tsukiko finds her eye drawn to a small, wooden pepper grinder. She lets out an amused snort and calmly shakes her head, chuckling lightly to herself: Lo and behold, the grinder has one of Kira's printed cards propped up against it.

Kiko: Wow. All on your own, huh? Way to go, Ki.

Kiko smiles and knowingly addresses her silent companion, who now stands a ways behind her.

Kiko: How long have you been standing there? Whole time, right?

Kira nods.

Kiko: Right—let's go make our room a little more comfortable.

~☆~☆~☆~

(A little later...)

The locker room now looks like a decidedly more zen place than before, with the duo's characteristic mood lighting, as well as pops of colour peppered throughout the room: turquoise candles, sky blue coffee mugs and teal throw pillows. Unfamiliar, however, are the items Tsukiko is currently setting up on a table in the middle of the room: two separate rows of plastic cups at either end of the table, six per side, all the colour of royal blue. Kira, unsurprisingly, is mellowing on the sofa nearby.

Kiko: So! Tier Pong, or Fear Pong?

Kira lifts an eyelid with a breakneck speed only matched by a three-toed sloth. After stroking his imaginary beard for a while, he raises his right arm and musters up a wobbling hand gesture, using his wrist to tilt it side-to-side.

Kiko: Feeling adventurous eh?

Kira goes Super Saiyan, using all his stored energy for a few words in JSL.

Kira (JSL): 常に冒険的! (Always adventurous!)

Kira smirks, then sits himself up... somewhat, at least. Kiko scribbles something on a good sheet of folding paper and repeats this action for five more.

Kiko: There. I've got a handful written up on your origami paper. Get to foldin'!

Kiko sets about filling the cups on one end of the table: each cup is filled with a mixture of mineral water and Anti-Bitch Juice™, an liquid from a bottle marked "Kira's secret ingredient". On Kira's side, Kiko fills the cups with water. At the centre of the table, Kiko turns some cups upside-down and forms them into a four-tiered "pyramid" structure, serving as an obstacle for a harder game. Working at her typically quick pace, Kiko soon completes her task and absently addresses her bestie.

Kiko: Thanks for the help, Ki.

Off in his little paper-folding world, Kira responds with a thumbs up gesture so absent-minded and lazy that elsewhere, Orange Cassidy starts to blush. When Kira completes six little paper boats, he stands up, faces the table and sets a boat afloat in each cup. Kiko grabs two cups full of ping-pong balls and hands one to Kira.

Kiko: First to three, cool?

Kira nods, and Kiko comes round from her side of the table with a 25-cent coin.

Kiko: Heads, right?

Kira nods once more, and the coin is tossed. Kiko slaps her palm over it upon its landing, then raises her hand to check the result. She grins.

Kiko: Ooh, bad luck, Ki! Looks like I'm up first.

Each competitor gets into position at the appropriate end of the table. Kiko takes a few steps back, trying to internally work out the best shot while having no clear visual past the pyramid. Facing forward, she plants both feet; takes a breath; raises her arm at a straight angle, then her forearm at 90° and flicks the ping-pong ball with a good follow-through on her wrist movement. The ball floats gracefully over a "shoulder" of the pyramid, skewing slightly left and...

PLUNK!

Kiko: WOO! That's how ya do it, Ki-master!

While Kiko is busy revelling in her early lead, Kira lifts the relevant paper boat from its watery perch and unfolds it to read the message hidden within.

Kira (JSL): "握手をする" ("Shake hands")

He shows this to Kiko, looking a little flustered.

Kiko: Oh, that's a good one. C'mon, you can do it, Ki!

Kira retrieves his fingerless wrestling gloves and puts them on, but Kiko isn't having any of this.

Kiko: Uh-uh. We slap hands every time we head to the ring, you and your glove, me and my nothing. I'm talking hot palm-on-palm action here, Ki!

Kira looks uncertain.

Kiko: : I know. I know it's hard. But I also know you can handle this! Just look at all the progress you've made. It's just you and me, no one else around. I'm your best friend. If I didn't believe you could do it, I wouldn't have written it. I won't force you—you can always pick another. A little incentive serves you will. So whaddaya say, Mr. Competitive? Shake, swap or just let me win 'cause you know you can't beat the Pong Queen?

Kiko moves his head into view around the cup pyramid and sticks out his tongue in reply. With some hesitation, he comes out from behind the table and meets Kiko beside it.

Kiko: Just for a second, that's all.

Kira's face becomes tricky to read as Kiko talks.

Kiko: Look, we wrestle and train all the time. Hell, remember that match we wrestled in Sapporo last winter? You literally fell face-first onto my boobs off that big guy's botched facebuster! Not quite a handshake but from my side, this is a step down from that.

Kira laughs his silent laugh and slurs his signing. Kiko raises an eyebrow and puts a hand on her hip in mock annoyance.

Kiko: Yes, I did get my ass handed to me in that match. But in case you forgot, I destroyed you at that arcade—

Kira protests, shaking his head and signing frantically that he led the DDR scoreboard all that night. Kiko sighs.

Kiko: Poor Kira. Losing your memory at such a young age. Now come on, your ass-whooping awaits.

Kiko holds out her hand and to her great surprise, Kira slips off a glove and locks hands with his BFF for the very first time. He scurries off to his end of the table once one second is up, and pulls his glove back on. Tsukiko is momentarily dumbfounded, but collects her thoughts and approaches Kira.

Kiko: Damn, Ki. That was fucking awesome. You should be proud of yourself for that; I sure am.

Kira absently nods, looking at his hand like it's a source of hitherto unknown powers. He looks up, grins and flashes a proper thumbs up to his pushy pal. Then it's right back into game mode.

Kiko: The spirit of competition is strong in this one! Let's see if you have the skills to match.

Kira turns sidelong and casually flings the minuscule ball overhead in a semblance of a hook shot, releasing it in an upward arc over his head.

PLUNK!

Kiko: Argh! Nice shot, Ki.

She removes the ball from its cup and holds it in front of her at waist-level, face scrunching up in anticipation of bad times ahead.

Kiko: What's the secret ingredient this time, Ki?

Kira shrugs in comically innocent fashion, earning himself a middle finger.

Kira (JSL): 飲み干す! (Drink up!)

After a few moments of hesitation, Kiko grins and bears it, bringing the cup to her lips and tipping it up high to chug it down as quick as possible. It takes a second or two, but soon enough, Kiko's face is contorted in disgust.

Kiko: Ech! What the hell is in this thing?!

Kira is in stitches and takes a bit to reply.

Kiko: Well?

She's met with a mischievous grin.

Kira (JSL): ピクルスジュース + 骨スープ (Pickle juice + bone broth)

Kiko: UGH! Blech!

Kiko pours herself some water and downs it in a futile effort to wash the taste away. Kira is delighted with this result, but his smile fades when Kiko returns to her side of the table, ready and rearing to go. Kira does the same, looking a little nervous now.

Kiko: Don't worry. There's nothing too bad in there, or too challenging. Well—except for one. But hey, what are the odds I'm gonna get that specific cup, right?

Kiko repeats her wrist-flick technique from earlier, but turns her body slightly to compensate for her tendency to throw slightly wide of her goal. The shot makes a clean break over the top of the pyramid and...

PLUNK!

Kiko: Hell yeah! How d'you like me now, Ki?!

Kira offers up a gloved golf clap in reply.

Kiko: Exactly. Now, let's get that boat unfolded and see what it says.

When the task is complete, Kira holds the paper up to Kiko's face.

Kira (JSL): "A taste of your own medicine."

With unbridled glee, Tsukiko retrieves a cup from her end of the table and saunters over to her dear friend and mentor, whose expression has turned to unease. She hands the cup over.

Kiko: Here you go. Enjoy!

Kira takes a deep breath, brings the cup to his lips and... takes a big sip. And another. And another after that. Kiko is bewildered, shaking her head in disbelief.

Kiko: What the—you like this hell-swill?!

Kira smiles and rubs his belly in delight, then takes yet another sip. Kiko is stuck somewhere between disgusted and impressed

Kiko: Holy shit, Ki. You're on some next-level stuff, you know that? WOO!

With a shrug, Kira swigs down the remainder of his unholy concoction and sets the cup aside. Kiko, meanwhile, retrieves her gym bag from the floor and dumps it on the sofa.

Kiko: Damn. Feel that adrenaline! You ready to train, Ki?

Kira nods. The two high-five and share a confident smile.

Kiko: Alright, then. Let's gear up!

Silent Sorcery RP for 4CW Storm Front: Battle in the Bayou (Feb. 2020)

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Two in the Hand is Worth One in the Beak

Feb. 23, 2020
Fight Island
Mid-afternoon (low tide)
Six hours before Battle in the Bayou
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Tsukiko: It isn't gonna work, Ki! Look at that form!

Standing by the water's edge of a large pond somewhere on Fight Island, Kira ignores his friend's criticism and readies his arm and stance for a bi of stone-skipping. Just as Kiko has anticipated, Kira awkwardly releases the tiny, disc-like stone and watches on in head-cocked confusion as it hits the surface and merrily plunks into the depths below.

Tsukiko: See? Bad form, terrible stance, miserable positioning.

Kira (JSL): (I tried 6 near-identical positions. None worked, and one time, I accidentally used a fishing rod! It's not me, this place is really weird!)

From a nearby bench under a big oak tree, Kiko takes a swig of Anti-Bitch Juice™, scoffs and rolls her eyes.

Tsukiko: Suuure, get your excuses in early, Ki. Like I'm gonna believe it's the island's fault. This isn't the island from Lost, old friend.

Kira shrugs, abandons his task and leaps up onto the bench currently occupied only by Tsukiko. Unlike his ill-fated stone, Kira successfully skips along the bench seat, then plops down on the end of the bench with his teammate. Kiko looks amused.

Tsukiko: Lucky for me there's no ranged attacks in the squared circle or I'd be on my own, huh, Ki?

Kira sticks his tongue out and waggles it in reply, signing in JSL as he does so.

Kira (JSL): (Saying you can do any better?)

Kiko nods with all the kinetic fervour of a bobblehead on a pogo stick. Kira raises an eyebrow, then gestures to the pond.

Tsukiko: Pssh. Watch and learn, noob!

Kiko saunters away from the bench, promptly scoops up a flat stone in her right hand and plants her feet at the water's edge. She then holds her arm out straight to the side, grips the stone between her thumb and forefinger, and whips it sidelong at the surface of the pond. The stone skims along the surface, lasting for a solid six skips. Kiko is quite pleased with this result; she makes this quite clear to Kira by pumping her fist and whooping loudly as she returns to the bench. Kira pouts in typically exaggerated fashion.

Tsukiko: Awww, cheer up, Ki! This place is beautiful; the air is clean; we've got our health, not to mention championship gold... things are looking pretty good for us right now...

Kira doesn't take the bait and simply awaits the inevitable instead.

Tsukiko: But just a little better for yours truly!

Kiko playfully jabs her elbow into Kira's side.

Tsukiko: Now—time to feed the birds! Let's head to the other end of the pond and bring treats to some avian friends.

Together, they set about on a calm stroll in the warm sunshine, eventually catching a break under a thick canopy of huge willow trees as they approach an area that is populated by ducks, geese, pigeons and a handful of other walks and duck-feeders. Upon stopping, Tsukiko turns to her bestie; Kira's head is turning this way and that as he studies the congregation of birds with the child-like wonder she first became endeared to a decade ago. Kiko takes a moment to quietly admire Kira's penchant for losing himself in the simple things. Ironically, she nearly loses herself in this moment,, but snaps out of it when Kira produces ziplock bags full of grapes and uncooked rice from his jacket pockets.

Tsukiko: Ah, lunch and crunch! Nice one, Ki.

In the process of extracting these items from his pockets, something else falls out. Standing very close by, Kiko's arm shoots out and she neatly stops the item from hitting the ground with her quick reflexes. Kira pockets his bag of grapes and makes a swipe for the other item, but Kiko casually evades this; she doesn't even take her eyes off the object she now clasps in her right hand. Kira picks him moment, finds his opening and snags it back. Kiko looks up at Kira and sighs out of instinctive, familiar frustration and sadness—but her eyes tell a different story.

Tsukiko: Huh. That's a new one.

Kira shrugs and waggles the loot in his clenched hand: a clear plastic bag filled with pieces of sandwich bread. He replies, surprisingly, in somewhat slurred ASL.

Kira (ASL): (Processed bread is bad for birds!)

Kiko is torn.

Tsukiko: So... this is a weird one. On the one hand, kleptomania relapse; on the other, caring about animal health. Also—and I don't aim to encourage you here—but daaamn, Ki! A crinkly-ass plastic bag?! How?! I can't even breathe on one of those without the bag having something to say about it. Oh! On a decidedly positive note, your ASL is improving!

Kira half-smiles, half-grimaces. Unsure to what else to do in the moment, he puts the baggie away and guiltily scratches the back of his neck. Tsukiko takes a sip of her bizarre drink.

Tsukiko: Y'know what, let's just enjoy the day out. We can talk about this and work on it later. Cool?

Kira nods, then digs back into his jacket pockets and tosses a bag of grapes and rice to Kiko. Many feathered friends in the area bristle at the prospect of enjoying a mid-afternoon snack, then go wild as Kiko sprinkles the rice around and starts tossing grapes. Kira, meanwhile, realizes something is wrong: the bread bag is no longer in his pocket. He gestures and signs wildly to Kiko, who then joins him in looking out for the bread thief. Tsukiko spots something and points.

Tsukiko: A-ha! There's your culprit!

A short ways away, sticking out like a sore thumb, a very large goose is sitting in the middle of a group of ducks by the pond, pecking away at the bag. Kira is initially unsure how to react to this, but eventually lands on looking impressed more than anything. He turns to Kira and shrugs.

Kira (ASL): (Game recognizes game.)

Kiko, in spite of herself, chortles at this. Meanwhile, Kira  focuses his attention back on the goose. Predictably, his roulette wheel of facial expressions lands on "pondering a bad idea".

Kira (ASL): (I bet I could...)

Tsukiko: Oh, no way! C'mon, Ki! You're good, but you're not that good. Career cat burglars aren't that good!

These words go in one ear and out the other, and before Kiko even knows what's happening, her partner in crime is actually trying to sneak up on a duck-guarded goose. This works exactly as well as it should, and moments later, Kira emerges from a hail of beaks and feathers, yelping like a wounded puppy as all the ducks take flight. Soon, all that remains of their little camping spot is a goose with a belly full of bread, one of Kira's apology cards and a newfound taste for human flesh.

Tsukiko: Toldja! Now, let's get your silly ass to the arena and sort you out. Well—physically, anyway.

Kiko and Kira head back along the tree-lined path the same way they came, all the while pretending not to notice an old woman holding a white card aloft as she puts on her reading glasses.

Last edited by Pilgrim Paige (Mon-8-Jun-2020 23:01:35)

Silent Sorcery RP for 4CW Revival XIV (2020)

Note: For ease of writing, I'll be sticking to English text for the dialogue in this RP, despite the fact that the speakers would actually be speaking exclusively in Japanese. I like to go deep, but not that deep—well, not always, anyway!
– Paige

Symbology note:
~~~ = brief time pass
~☆~☆~☆~ = end of part
~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~ = end of EP

Out of the Frying Pan... and Into the Ocean: A Two-Part Tale of Things Stolen and Things Reclaimed

——————————–
Part I: Out of the Frying Pan

City of Osaka
Shinsaibashi Street
2014年09月18日
Saturday
Moonrise
~8:00 PM
——————————

???: GET THAT LITTLE BASTARD!!!

Like a shot in the dark, a thin, black-clad young man takes off through the roofed, neon-lit shopping street known as Shinsaibashi-suji, the little charms on his grey backpack bobbing about as he goes.
~~~
Weaving and bumping his way through the throngs of excited shoppers at every step of the way, Kira knows damn well he can't afford to stop for a single second, for there are now two pissed-off looking beat cops pushing their way along the busy street, knocking down shop display units and alarmed patrons alike.

Eventually, Kira breaks out into the open and pumps the brakes for the first time in minutes. He chances a glance back into the sea of humanity behind him and—luck of all luck—the street beat is still caught up in the hectic throes of Saturday night consumerism. Satisfied with his lead, Kira turns away and allows himself a moment to catch his breath. Beginning to feel the night's humidity for the first time since the adrenaline kicked into overdrive, he pushes back his matted mop of layered hair to wipe his sweaty forehead. Feeling a sudden jolt of concern for his take, Kira un-shoulders his little grey backpack and kneels down, bringing it carefully onto the surface of the sidewalk to dig into it comfortably.

Officer: THERE HE IS!!!

By the glow of a nearby streetlamp, Kira hurriedly checks over his purloined precious for signs of damage. Finding none, the raven-haired shoplifter from Shiga shoulders his bag and takes flight once more, shoes pounding on the recently rain-stained pavement. Making full use of back alleys and his growing parkour skills to keep well ahead of his uniformed pursuers, after a while, the only sounds Kira hears behind him are coming from the rush of cars on the neighbouring streets.
~~~
Back at his modest rented flat in Ōtsu, Kira slips his shoes and backpack off, then zombie-shuffles his way through the house and sets the bag down gently beside an old sofa and unzips it for one last check of its contents. Job well done, he trudges a gruelling 10 foot distance to the sanctity of his bedroom, wearily Flair-flopping onto his tatami bed as soon as he gets there.

Heaving a long sigh, the exhausted young man turns over onto his back and stares absently up at the ceiling. As he pushes back his damp bushel of black locks, Kira's hazy gaze falls on his backpack and the decorative plastic charms on the keychains. His lips pull to the right and curl up a little—a slight, wry smile that goes as abruptly as it comes. Indeed, the irony isn't lost on him that the aforementioned items were all recently appropriated from nearby shops and stalls. This thought gives way to the now-familiar pangs of guilt and sorrow that have begun to feel familiar; this emotional ache sticks with Kira for the remaining few minutes before exhaustion wins out and sleep overtakes him.

*~*~*

——————————–
Part II: ...and into the ocean...

City of Ōtsu
Kira's flat
2014年09月19日
Saturday
Sunrise
~7:00 AM
——————————

The next morning...

*KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK!!!

Bleary-eyed and confused, Kira zombie-shuffles away from his warm bed and over to his front door. Unused to morning callers and the blinding yellow shafts of light that have taken up residence in his two (only) windows, the young man scratches his head and muses to himself that a little natural light wouldn't be so bad if the damn sun would just chip in on rent now and then.

With all the enthusiasm of a sloth on holiday, Kira does a pure muscle-memory grab-and-twist of the knob and pulls the door open.

With all the enthusiasm of a Girl Scout who's gotten sugar-high on her own supply, Kira's visitor introduces herself.

Tsukiko: What's up, Ki? Long time, no see, huh?

Kira thinks on this for a bit: (Has it? Wow... I don't actually recall how long it's been. A month? Two? Ugh. I can't even remember the last time I saw the sunrise from this side of the sleep coin.)

Kiko spots Kira's modest ikebana arrangement on a low table beside him and decides it may be a good way to return him from his reverie. She gestures at the table.

Tsukiko: Great arrangement you've got there. Good job, Ki!

A long, silent moment passes in which Tsukiko stand there with her right arm outstretched and fingers held to the sky. This exchange ends in anticlimactic fashion when Kira's response is a shrug of his slumped shoulders and a lazy gesture toward his little rack of shoes and slippers.

Tsukiko, meanwhile, remains giddy; in fact, she is completely undeterred by this lukewarm welcome.

Tsukiko: So can I come in, or should I go bug one of my other mute 'n' moody friends-slash-former-trainers?

Kira musters a curt nod, then shambles away and flops down on the old, well-worn sofa in his sitting room. A few moments later, Tsukiko enters, sits down and sticks out her foot, effectively shoving one of her worn-out guest slippers in Kira's face.

Tsukiko: Y'know, I'd bet good money that these are older than I am.

Lying prone on his ancient (but historically insignificant) upholstery, Kira's shrug makes him look like a literal fish out of water, flopping sadly at the feet of a fisherman with terrible footwear.

Kiko: Yep—someone definitely died in these slippers.

Kira wrinkles his nose and shoves Kiko's foot away in reply—an action that results, incidentally, in a light kick of the backpack that's still sitting beside the sofa. All at once, Kiko gets that curious cat look in her eyes; Kira's eyes go in a rather different expressive direction.

Under-slept and thrown off guard, Kira makes a clumsy move to grab the bag, but is outmaneuvered by his hyper-energetic friend and ends up tumbling to the floor in a heap of exhausted humanity. Kira muses to himself that he's tired enough that lying like a discarded pretzel on the floor isn't so bad, and also makes note of his growing suspicion that this madwoman's blood is caffeinated.

Kiko: Nice try, my—actually, no, that wasn't a nice try at all. Now, let's see what we have here...

Tsukiko's hand exits the bag as a fist, within which is a broad assortment of small, shiny items; setting everything down on the floor to and observing them more closely, she finds that Kira's haul is comprised mainly of jewelry: watches, bangles and necklaces. Kiko shakes her head, bewildered.

Tsukiko: Whoooaaa! I—wait a second—I know the shop that carries this stuff! When the surgical money started rolling in, mother would go to Shinsaibashi street and treat herself to a little more than just window shopping. It's been a hot minute, but I know Shinsaibashi and I know this is way beyond your price range—well, some of it, anyway...

In her left hand, she holds aloft a 12k gold chain necklace; in the other, a comparatively quite cheap fashion necklace, adorned with some stainless steel charms and the like. Kira returns himself to his more familiar non-pretzel state and looks from one item to the other, then back again.

Tsukiko: So... I don't get it though. Half this stuff is junk, half of it is slap-me-silly expensive. What kind of criminal makes it out of Shinsaibashi—scot-free, I might add—with half the take being worth next to nothing?

Kira has no idea what to do with himself for a remarkably long moment. Eventually, he crosses the room to collect his long-since-charged cell phone, only to be jump-scared by Tsukiko's unexpected closeness upon turning around.

Tsukiko: You want to type stuff for now—fair enough. Thing is, you've just officially become about 100 times more fascinating, and now I want more than ever to have direct, dynamic, unfiltered in-person conversations with my ! I mean, come on—most of your body language is unintentional and you never use emojis or stickers in IMs! Fascinating thievery exploits aside, I know you've got a lot more going on than you let on.

She raps her knuckles playfully against the crown of Kira's cranium.

Tsukiko: There's a whole, complex, funny and rounded person in there! I just want to be able to chat with him once in a while. You told me months ago that you feel you've been dragging your heels on expanding your modes of communication. The time is ripe!

Instinctively keen to continue doing as little overall as humanly possible, Kira shakes his head in the general direction of where he knows this is going.

Tsukiko: That settles it, then: Tomorrow; dusk; JSL; first lesson. Awww yeeeaaah!

Kira attempts to reconfigure himself into his prior pretzel-like state—a much-too-late attempt at trying to convince Kiko that he's physically unable to do anything an inanimate object cannot. Tsukiko stands and looks down on this ridiculous display, grinning from ear to ear.

Tsukiko: Not gonna work, Ki. Pretzels can't be master thieves, or cat burglars, or Robin Hood... or whatever it is you are! I mean... wow! Mind... blown!

By the time Pretzel-Kira clambers his way awkwardly back onto his sofa, Kiko is already putting her shoes back on nearby.

Tsukiko: I'm gonna go for my morning jog and then head home to plot out some day 1 beginner stuff. Take care, don't sleep too hard!

And with that, Kira is left to ponder his interpersonal future.

(Hmm....) *snore*

Well, maybe later...

When it's dark outside.

~☆~☆~☆~☆~☆~