[ open ] i raise my flag and dye my clothes

[hedonistic]

Who: Shuusei Kagari (hedonistic) & you!
What: January catch-all for various Wyver and Olympia shenanigans
When: all month
Where: Wyver and Olympia (The Wyvernest, Fields of the Exalted, and Wyver outskirts)
Warning(s): mmmild violence in the last prompt?



i. we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone [ olympia ]

a.
[Kagari wasn't in a huge rush to get back to Wyver after the holiday ball. While he was nearby, he figured he'd check out Olympia, too. There was that really cool dragon cafe Ryuji had mentioned, and even though he technically had a job that involved seeing dragons every day, the novelty of a dragon cafe was too good to pass up.

...The best-laid plans. Unfortunately, it turns out one of the employees had seen him wearing a Wyver pin at the holiday ball and he's told "politely" that his patronage will not be necessary, have a good day sir, and Kagari is taking this disappointment with dignity and grace and maturity.

I'm just kidding. He's actually making a huge scene about it, there's a lot of yelling.]

--What the hell's your problem, silver is silver, right?? And don't you guys need money for repairs or whatever??? Come on!

[or maybe you come upon this argument later on, when the tone becomes less peevish and somewhat more hostile:]

Yeah well, screw you too, asshole! There's real dragons in Wyver, anyway!

b.
[The bad decision train doesn't stop there, of course. Because obviously the best way to deal with not being allowed into a place of business is to try to sneak in after hours. Which might have worked...if it hadn't started raining, and the ledge he was on while trying to climb in through a window hadn't gotten slippery.

Luckily, his belt catches on something as he's falling, but that does leave him...hanging....in a precarious position....in the rain......halp???]

ii. i'll take 'job for which i'm deeply unqualified' for 500, alex - [ wyver ]

[The Wyvernest might have been a bust, but at least there's still actual Wyver and its dragons. The Fields of the Exalted are still kind of a magical place to go to work, in all honesty--as is the idea of being able to choose where he works--but it doesn't entirely change the fact that Kagari isn't exactly possessed of a caretaker's mentality. He's not particularly gentle or patient, nor is he particularly capable with anticipating the dragons' needs.

He's trying, though. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but there's something...satisfying, about taking care of another living creature. He wants to be good at it, even if he's not the image of the ideal caretaker.

Still, it's definitely a bumpy road, and today is more challenging than most:]

Owowow! Hey, stop! My fingers aren't part of the meal here, you know! Chill out, there's plenty for every--ow! Sonofa--shit, ow!!

[Do u perhaps also work here. Would u lend a kind hand to ur poor, hapless colleague. Or maybe ur just here for a visit and to laugh at his misfortune. Either way works tbh.]

iii. the first rule of fight club is you don't talk about not wanting to be part of fight club [ wyver outskirts ]

[The more the days pass, the greater the tension in the air is. Even Kagari can feel it, despite coming from a country which had cut itself off from the rest of his world entirely to prevent those wars from reaching its shores.

He doesn't like it, doesn't want to have anything to do with the conflict at all, but he remembers the way people in Olympia acted because he wore a stupid pin at the holiday ball. It's uncomfortably reminiscent of the way he was treated as a latent criminal in Japan, something he tries to avoid thinking about as soon as it occurs to him. He sticks a little closer to Wyver after that, though sometimes he goes exploring a little -- just because he can.

It's on one of these little excursions that he comes across an altercation. An argument about Olympia that escalated, and one older gentleman who was overheard sighing and muttering something about it. Kagari doesn't hear what it is exactly, but all of a sudden there's yelling about deserters and both of the arguing parties have descended upon the older man about his supposed lack of loyalty. Kagari almost leaves; it's not his business or his problem, he rationalizes, and he doesn't need the trouble coming to his doorstep. But then a picture of a young kid (maybe a niece or a nephew or even a grandchild) happens to fall out of the man's pocket, and something snaps inside of him; before he knows it he's deep in the fray, kicking one of the Wyver men viciously in the crotch while he sinks his teeth deep into the arm of the other as he tries to grab him.

But it's still two against one, and for all the viciousness with which Kagari fights, he's still relatively small and slight in stature; the deck is rather stacked against him, as it were. Maybe you witnessed part of the scene before Kagari jumped in, or maybe you're a good samaritan who noticed the still-cowering older gentleman and stepped in to find out what's going on.

Or maybe you just enjoy a good fight and wanted in on the action. At any rate, there's a fist of dubious origin coming in your direction. Better duck!]

Comments

iii

[planetary_bonds]

[Yusei is neither one of them. Instead, he's a bystander who's testing out his motorbike out on the Wyver roads and nearly ends up running over some debris knocked into his way due to the fight. Swerving to the side, he ends up skidding dangerously close to the brawl, and almost as soon as he puts his foot down he ends up having to duck under someone's fist. Out of instinct, he lets that person's momentum carry them over him, before crossing his arms over his head and ramming them in the chest, vaulting them over the other side of his bike while still halfway sitting on it.]

Tch...! What was that all-

[Oh. Now he sees it.]

[hedonistic]

[The sudden presence of the newcomer catches everyone off-guard, but Kagari's the first to recover from it; while one of the Wyver men lays dazed near Yusei's motorbike, Kagari takes the opportunity to ram his elbow into the other's midsection to knock the wind out of him, before further using his momentum to shove the guy to the ground, pressing a foot to his back so he doesn't get back up. Only then does he turn to look over his shoulder at the other man.]

That was a sweet move you pulled, back there.

[planetary_bonds]

[Yusei shakes his head, still trying to collect his bearings. It comes off as a dismissal of the compliment, but really he's just glancing around - a cowering old man, two locals, and another unfamiliar face.

It doesn't really explain much of anything.]

...What happened here?

[hedonistic]

[Kagari offers an exaggerated shrug in response.]

Turns out opinions in Wyver contain free surprise fists. [He winks, the gesture only slightly marred by the bruise forming above his eyebrow.]

What a bargain, am I right?

[planetary_bonds]

A two for one deal, it seems.

[Yusei, that was a bad joke, and you know it. Delivering it with such a neutral looking face doesn't help.

He glances at the man still lying dazed on the other side of his bike, then at the one under Kagari's foot, pensive.]

I just moved here a little while ago, so I can't tell whether Wyver's always like this, or because of... [Tensions.] ...recent events.

[hedonistic]

[It's okay that it's a terrible joke, Yusei, because that's exactly the kind of humor Kagari appreciates. He all but cackles; the stoicism with which the punchline is delivered makes the whole thing absolutely priceless.]

Hahaha shit, that was a good one.

[The old geezer is still standing there sort of frozen while these two young nerds just converse over the unconscious bodies of the Wyver locals, and Kagari takes a moment to address him first:]

--Oi, ojisan! Don't you have a kid or a grandkid to get back to or whatever? C'mon, get outta here before these bastards come to, scram.

[Once that's taken care of, he turns back to Yusei, shoulders again lifting and falling in the universal gesture for 'who knows']

Beats me. I only just woke up a little more than a month ago.

[planetary_bonds]

[His smile is barely visible at that remark, but it's there. Seems like the man has a sense of humor, even if it is a bit dry.]

A month ago?

[Yusei blinks a little owlishly, trying to recall when that would be.]

So...a little bit before the gala? When everyone was sent to Wyver?

i.a

[inaurare]

[Linneus is minding his business, honestly - running out for a few necessities before the shops close. Yes, it's cold, yes it's raining, but the errands needed running, and he had planting to do while the weather was holding. No harm in one getting a little damp, after all, though he does own an umbrella now.

It's passing by the Wyvernest he sees a strange shadow - one that shouldn't have been there, by all accounts (had one of the creatures escaped? Surely it was too large for one of the miniature dragons...). A little bit of straining and standing on tiptoe and a shaft of moonlight through the clouds yields him his answer - that is clearly a young man struggling there.

He looks left, looks right, hisses a strained whisper at the figure above-]

What are you doing?!

[that's pretty compromising, as compromising positions go...]

i kept reading his name as linnaeus like the taxonomic classification guy LMFSLKDFJLS

[hedonistic]

[That sure is a guy with bright pink hair. Kagari spares a moment to wonder, even from his rather precarious position, where the guy found dye. So far, he hasn't had any luck...his brunette roots are going to start showing, soon. :T

Anyway, the pink-haired man approaches, asking what Kagari sees as perhaps the most obvious possible question, and he offers a vague, casual shrug, which nonetheless looks rather odd upside-down.]

Oh, y'know. Just hanging out.

[it's ok, linneus, you can just leave him there. he deserves it.]

I actually work not far from the Linnaean Society, so its weird seeing that every day...!

[inaurare]

Hanging--

[oh, that was the man's idea of a joke. Still holding his umbrella, though the basket of groceries gets set down as he ventures closer. There is a waxed waterproof cover over his items - they'll survive.]

You're going to fall.

omg that's amazing

[hedonistic]

No, really? I hadn't noticed.

[It's almost impressive how dry he sounds. Especially considering the rain]

[inaurare]

I’m not strong enough to help you down...!

[but is there a way up, perhaps? The way the other went... it’s not like climbing trees, or even the Teahouse, but the brickwork makes it possible...]

...if I can get up I can help you get your handholds and perhaps see if I can release you?

[How is he caught exactly? Is it his belt...?]

[hedonistic]

That'll work, yeah. Just grab me so I can climb back onto the ledge.

[A beat, and then he adds:]

It's slippery up here, so watch yourself.

[Cause it'd really suck if his would-be rescuer fell off the ledge himself.]

i.a

[winddaughter]

[She doesn't know why she's even bothering. She doesn't even know him. But he's loud and irritating and that combination means he'll probably continue to be like that in other places around the city. Around her work environment.

She charges past him, a package in one hand, her other suddenly closing down tightly on his shoulder in a vice-grip. Her strength does not match her build.]

Be quiet, idiot!

[Whether or not he actually shuts up or reacts poorly to her grip, she's already moving away, handing the package to the employee he's yelling at and getting a few silver in exchange.]

Sorry, sorry! Please forgive him, he just doesn't understand.

We don't need people like him spying around our streets, Anemone!

I know, I know. He's not a spy, he's just naive. [God she hopes he's not a spy or something. She'll break his arm if he is.] I'll get him out of your hair, don't worry, we can talk later when everyone's calmed down.

[And then she marches right back towards him, hissing under her breath.]

Let's go if you want to ever get a meal again.

[She's only sticking her neck out for him once though, and if he wants to refuse her help, he's on his own.]

[hedonistic]

Wh--

[When she first grabs his shoulder to tell him to shut up, he's about to squawk in indignation about how this wasn't his fault, how these people were being rude to him for literally?? no reason????

But then she's already marching away and talking to that employee and even if he twitches a bit at "naive" (and almost starts yelling again), he's not actually stupid. He can tell what she's doing, and if he had to go out on a limb and guess, she's probably a refugee like him.

He grumbles, following her with hands shoved in pockets. Once they're out of sight of those employees, he huffs loudly, aggrieved.]

I can't believe they're making such a big goddamn deal about pins. I don't give a rat's ass about their stupid politics!

[Well, no, he can believe it. It's just so phenomenally absurd to him.]

[winddaughter]

I know, okay? Look, I get it, they're overreacting and feeling like you've insulted their sensibilities, and I don't know, some other stupid stuff. [She sighs and tilts her head skyward, but her eyes are making sure there aren't any locals around to eavesdrop. He's already on their shitlist; she's not and she'd like to keep it that way.]

You might what to start caring though--at least not rub it in their faces. Or go to Wyver.

[hedonistic]

[He groans, irritated.]

I came from Wyver. That's where the orbiters sent us when I woke up! I didn't even know about any of this stuff then, or I wouldn't have picked a fucking pin!

[He glares balefully in the direction they came.]

It's not like I'm asking for--state secrets, or anything. I just wanted to eat at a goddamn cafe and take a picture with their stupid mini dragons.

[winddaughter]

[Sounds like you're SOL then.

She doesn't say that out loud though. Shockingly.]

I guess there's not really a memo about it when people wake up.

[She can't really blame him. Pictures with mini dragons are AWESOME. ...She may have a few, alright.

She sighs.]

Give it a few days, maybe it'll just... all blow over? We can all hope? [Ha. Yeah right.]

[hedonistic]

There should be.

[He huffs. Huffily.]

It's not gonna blow over. If they're holding grudges over shit this stupid already, it's only gonna get worse.

[He kinda wants to ask her if she would go in with him and vouch he wasn't any kind of threat, but Kagari's too cynical to ask it of her; she has no reason to put herself in that kind of position with the locals for a stranger, after all. He's not even sure why she stepped into the argument.]

a;

[ax]

[ the yelling was what got shinji's attention.

it's not like he likes doing this. it's just that he keeps coming across people doing dumb shit and then being unable to turn away. it reminds him a little bit of that time when those idiots decided to stick their noses where they didn't belong, in a crowd they definitely didn't have any business messing with. ]

Hey, shut up.

[ he steps forward and puts himself between kagari and the shop employees, who have started to advance with a none so friendly air. ]

He's leavin', alright?

[ and then there's a warning look back over his shoulder at kagari. he'll drag him out if he has to. ]

[hedonistic]

[If Kagari was even remotely a mature adult, he'd probably take the hint from Shinji and back off, now that the opening has been provided. Unfortunately, he's basically still a teenager in a 22-year-old body, with some Issues about people deciding things for him, so he uh. Does not leave. He puts his hands on his hips and squawks, indignantly:]

What if I don't wanna leave, huh??

[ax]

Are you 5? Let's go before you get hurt.

[ alright, maybe he doesn't know how old this guy is. maybe kagari's an actual adult that just likes to throw tantrums. either way, he doesn't care. the employees are glaring at them again, which is cue for him to pull kagari away by the arm. ]

[hedonistic]

[The very first thing Kagari did when he joined the MWPSB was pick a fight with the biggest toughest member to try to secure his position in the division, this is definitely just How He Is.

He's also resisting that tug?? Digging his heels in as much as possible.]

They wanna fight, I'm ready.

[ax]

[ excuse? you? ]

It ain't the time and place, dumbass.

[ he's pulling harder, practically dragging kagari out of the shop under critical eyes of the employees. in that moment, something hits the back of shinji's head, dripping down into the back of his coat in slimy tendrils.

well, he'd just been egged. ]

[hedonistic]

[Just be glad he's not kicking or biting, Shinji. It's what would be happening if an Olympian was the one trying to drag him away and not a fellow refugee.

And then there's an egg thrown at Shinji and he glares balefully at the employees.]

You gonna let them get away with that?