sunfloras | 𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕥 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕥'𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜

𝕔𝕙𝕚𝕥 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕥'𝕤 𝕙𝕠𝕝𝕕𝕚𝕟𝕘 𝕞𝕖 𝕓𝕒𝕔𝕜

[Lien Kha DID owe him one.

Being a private investigator and an informal information broker lands one in a lot of trouble and without the proper connections and self-management skills, one can only land in hot water so many times. Lien knew, after being pulled out of a nasty situation by one, Tajima Takahisa, that she can avoid being boiled alive if she got this punk as a backup while she was staying in Japan.

So that's why she's currently holding out her ungloved hand to the young man and with an extremely serious expression, she demands of him this:]

Alright. If we're gonna do this, you need to give me all your bank account information.

This is totally not a scam.

[oh no]

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Haaah... Why am I ain't surprised that there ain't a sexy bone in your body?

[If he were allowed to smoke in here, Takahisa would be taking the LONGEST drag of his cigarette right now. Instead, he opts for pulling out a box of pocky from his coat pocket and sticks that into his mouth to lightly nibble on the end.]

Also who the hell waste ¥3000 fucking yen on some crunchy corn!? You could'va buy yourself a whole cake with that much money over some pocket food.

[Now if he were in her position, he would absolutely blow it on some food with his bottomless gut! Or a video game! Or porn magazines! Or all of the above... This boy has his priorities in line.]

Crunchy snacks are better to eat when I'm thinking and solving cases. Duh.

[Isn't it obvious? Lien tones it down a bit by taking a sip of her strawberry and mango tea boba drink she's treated herself to before continuing. It's funny how she can be a complete off-the-wall oddball first and then next, completely normal.]

Anyway. I do want to hire you to be my bodyguard during my investigations. I think the more important matter at hand here is if you're willing. I wouldn't be offering you any pay if I wasn't taking you seriously.

[She plays around with her boba in the cup, making the red and yellow drink mix together to become orange.]

I'll even provide paperwork and a contract that we can both sign to keep it on record and make it official. Whaddya say to that?

[There's a pause on Takahisa's end as Lien starts talking more business-like. He could certainly relate wanting to eat a snack or not whenever he's out on an adventure of his own. Not only was he a natural glutton... It helped with keeping his own fire powers under control too. But if she was being more serious, he should wisen up more on his end too.]

Huh... So you're serious 'bout payin' me in cash, huh? Well, you've seen what I can do in a fight. And I'm definitely down for this deal, Lien-chan, but...

[There's a pause on his end... He knew that she had a power for sure, but it made him curious what kind of cases that she's experienced so far. There was saying about 'bizarre powers attracting bizarre powers' and he certainly knew what that had meant.]

Though I got a question for ya. What kinds of investigations do you go on? Bustin' regular criminals? Or are ya walkin' more on the supernatural track of things?

[Lien sets down her boba drink. It's challenging to parse the expression she's making because it's so neutral as she listens to his question.]

It can be a little bit of Column A and Column B. Regular crimes where the criminals try to hide their tracks is usually my steady line of work. Uncovering really huge fraud schemes, some unsolved murders, or in some grimmer cases, missing persons.

[The psychometer clasps her hands together frowning lightly.]

The latter two are tough for different reasons. And I'm not so arrogant to say that my success rate is 100%. I'm very good at uncovering really details, but sometimes they're just more dead ends.

And when you mix in the supernatural, it definitely gets convoluted. For one thing, I usually don't assume that first until all possibilities are off the table.

[It gets Complicated™.]

And THEN when I'm holding onto so many threads of information, it inevitably crosses hairs into other dire matters that didn't have to do with my initial workload in the first place and I have to handle a lot of angry people!

[Like the goons who tried to mess with her before Takahisa stepped in for instance. The self-management has become a precarious mountain lately.]

In other words... You're bitin' more than you can chew as an entrepreneur here.

[And here he thought ruling over the streets with an iron fist could be difficult. At the very least, Takahisa knew how to intimidate people with a few choice words and a wild smirk to show that he meant business. Still, he had his own connections in more grey areas if he had wanted to get information. Being a delinquent and being street savvy certainly helped with those matters...]

I know I said that I'd help ya out by bein' your muscle, but I probably add more to this by sayin' that I can reach out in a few places that you might not be able to get into. I've got some pals who can probably help me out if I give 'em a call.

[Reaching back into his pocky box, Takahisa holds it out to her as an offer. He loved eating food, but sharing it with others felt so much better. He flashes her a very bright smile.]

Besides, I can tell that you're an absolute scatterbrain who's runnin' around like a chicken without a head, so I can lighten your work load a bit. [A beat.] Here's Street Rule #1: If you were bein' tailed by a bunch of small fry, then that means you might've been onto something big. If the bozos hear, then the head honcho will hear.

Nn. That just about sums it up as loathe as I am to admit.

[Not that being dependent on other people is aversive to Lien. She knows she's lacking in a lot of areas and no one is meant to do anything alone. Jonah reminds her of this constantly even Ai Thao, who regards her older twin clone with some disbelief at her antics, never hesitates to lend her powers.]

If you have your own connections, even better.

[When Takahisa holds out the pocky box, Lien squints at the offering and then at him.]

Excuse you.

[She gingerly takes a pocky stick between two gloved fingers and shakes it at him.]

I'm a scatterbrain who's gonna pay for your services. Speaking of which, is that gonna be a yes or no?

Now, now. I don't give free food to people I dislike.

[Takahisa flashes her a little wink before he pulls the pocky box back and into his pocket.]

So that's a "yes", boss. From here on out, I'll be in your care! Now if you end up accidently putting an extra zero here or there, I won't complain much. ♥

[Lien returns his wink with a grin, not while shaking the Pocky stick as if it's an extra finger at him.]

Only if you do a super-great job. I might even add a shiny sticker for your efforts!

[he's not five c'mon]

I guess from here on out, I'll draft up a contract, have my handler look it over, and after you sign we'll be good to go. You can start next week since I have a pretty interesting job that just came up. You'll definitely have to come along.

I'd prefer a kiss on the cheek, boss!

[He laughs a little mischievously whenever he says this. Flirting with your boss wasn't proper work culture, Takahisa!]

Oh yeah? So what kind of job are we talkin' here? I'm kinda curious if there's gonna be other folks that I'm gonna workin' with too. If I'm your bodyguard, then I oughta know more about some of your connections.

[At the very least, he wanted to be more familiar with the people she trusts. The last thing that he wanted was to do was suspect someone that she was friends with as an enemy. Not only would it leave a bad impression on himself, but also Lien as well.]

Gross. Cheek kisses are not part of the standard benefits package.

[She sticks a piece of pocky into her mouth, moving it back and forth between pursed lips.]

I don't know whether to call in help for this particular lead I'm following. And it's veering on the supernatural side of things, unpleasantly so. Basically, we're in the investigation stage.

[Lien crosses her arms looking more serious than when they started.]

There's someone or something that's taken root somewhere in the city and from what I hear, it's been giving something to people. The payment isn't very promising.

Givin' something, huh? If we were talkin' 'bout the supernatural, then I would've assumed that we were pointin' to drugs or somethin' like that.

[His gang would've heard the rumblings of a drug ring going on. It wasn't uncommon for other delinquents to be playing around with substances that they wouldn't had been doing. Takahisa was one of them, but he still wanted to keep up his standards of what a hero of justice should do in moments like that.]

But it sounds like it might be a little more serious than that. [His instincts were sharp like an animal sometimes. His face also reflects some seriousness as he thinks about the possibilities.]

What have the reports described? Could it be some kinda scrub who's givin' out superpowers like candy?

[That was one of the worst case scenarios that he was thinking. A town where everyone had powers wouldn't had been a good one. Not if they didn't use them responsibly He of all people knew the consequences of yielding great power.]

[Illegal drug dealing and following the many trails is a forte of Lien's, but it doesn't totally interest her. Usually, too many people are involved and when it comes down to it, the underlying reason it all happens is just money. She'll handle an aspect of a case, but she can really only tug at the ropes.

This particular case is a little out there for her but...]

Mm. It's a story that started off on an internet forum where people were exchanging stories of the supernatural and spooky kinds. Supposedly, these are real experiences, but you know. People make shit up and lie on the internet.

[No kidding...]

But in this case, the story is about how people found this individual at an underground bar not offering drugs but offering people to relive their most precious memories.

[Lien crosses her arms frowning.]

And the only thing they have to give in exchange is... Teeth.

--What the fuck!? Their teeth?!

[He couldn't help and stand up from his seat in pure surprise which does get some people's attention, but he clears his throat and sits down more properly. If anyone were passing through and overheard them, then it would've been dismissed as non-sense for sure.]

T-This is startin' to sound like a literal creepypasta. I've been to my fair share of bars, but I've never heard of a joint like that. Just what kinda creep would want people's teeth? Unless they've got a damn fetish for this shit.

[Even with some of the personal experiences under his belt, Takahisa couldn't help and look disturbed at hearing this information. It was the first time that he's heard of someone wanting to collect body parts in exchange for such a big thing.]

[Lien taps her fingers against her arms, unmoved by Takahisa's shock. She's stewing in her thoughts as she goes over the case she was presented with not too long ago.]

It's kind of a lot, I know. I don't think it's a fetish though.

[The psychometer holds up a gloved hand to stare at her palm.]

There are creatures we're familiar with because they're passed down through stories, tradition, and recreated in modern media. Vampires, werewolves, and so on. But what we're dealing with here, and this is just my theory, are the type of unknown monsters that have their own inherent logic. Like in this case, we have something that's able to draw out precious memories, but needs a price in return for its service.

[Blinking she looks back at Takahisa, the air of her humor barely lingering around her.]

Ah, sorry. Rambled there a bit. Basically, I'm just saying that whatever this is my goal is to find out if they're planning something sinister, or if they're just sustaining their existence through that exchange. If you're gonna help me out, you better steel yourself. I don't think it's gonna be an explosive sort of confrontation, but you never know.

[Normally, you'd think Takahisa would have a joke to say about this... But he's listening intensely. Whenever it came to supernatural creatures, he's certainly had his experiences with dealing with them. Whenever he thinks back to that dark world with the monsters there that sucked him away... On one hand, he felt like it was a reprieve from having to hold back the devil in his heart. He could cut loose as much as he'd like...

But this wasn't the time to dwell on his own selfish thoughts. If this was a monster who was taking advantage of people and stealing memories, then shouldn't he do something? He had power and he wanted to be a hero of justice... And most importantly, he couldn't let this girl be wrapped up in an incident that felt bigger than herself.]

So we're dealing with these kinds of psychos, huh? I've actually got some experience with dealin' with monsters. Humans ain't the only asses that I can kick!

[He tries to sound confident there, but he's still a bit nervous. The fact that Lien was taking this serious really did hammer home the gravity of the situation.]

Well, it's definitely somethin' worth taking a peek into. I dunno how I feel 'bout losin' teeth for some memories, but as long as the contract is mutual here... Then we can just keep a close eye on 'em. [A beat.] I do got a suggestion if we're gonna do this, though.

Hm? Okay, I'll hear you out.

[She doesn't even joke as a reply, that's how serious she is.]

Before you say anything though, although we are going to prioritize our wellbeing overall, if we can step in and help someone within our means, we'll do it. I'm not that heartless.

Hah! That goes without sayin'! The great Takahisa-sama is a hero of justice, after all.

[There's a rather cocky smirk on his face as he says this. But his next suggestion...]

We oughta open the floor with a cake. If ya ask me, I'd say sweets are an easy way to lower someone's guard.

[Or you were just a glutton like Takahisa here... A part of the reason why he ate a lot was to keep his pyrokinetic powers under control and another reason was old habits. Was he really being serious here?!]

Bring a cake...?

[She thinks about it, REALLY thinks about it... And surprisingly Lien shrugs and nods. ]

I'd say go for it. I've done stupider things to infiltrate a scene.

But you have to buy it!

[He was almost expecting a rejection here, but it's her next set of words that makes him BAWK.]

--ME!? We haven't even stepped on enemy territory and you're already havin' me do the heavy liftin'!?

Hey, you suggested it, and you execute it. And if all goes well, you can have your cake AND eat it too!

[Takahisa walked into this and he should absolutely know it.]

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