jigokulogs | [open] a real nightmare

[ She really... Should not be surprised to see Majima around anymore. Somehow they've managed to find themselves in the same circle, and at this point, she's just going to start expecting him around every corner just to save herself the trouble.

Anyway, he's not wrong. She looks like she might have fought a couple hot dog guys. Maybe that's not exactly what went down, but she doesn't seem like she feels the need to clarify either. Instead: ]

Hey yourself. [ Wryly: ] Don't tell me you moonlight as a fucking doctor too.

Edited 2022-05-15 13:29 (UTC)

[ His mouth twitches into almost a smile. Andy really is getting a whirlwind tour of his shit. He's not quite sure what to say. That his life is a little crazy? That he's a little crazy?

Like he usually does, Majima just chooses not to say anything. ]

Nah, yer lookin' for Em.

[ He motions that she can follow him back down the little hallway. ]

I assume she found ya bleedin' in a gutter?

[ More of a smile, a little snake fang. ]

[ Ding, ding. She is, in fact, looking for Em. And if Majima chooses not to say anything, then Andy chooses not to ask. She won't ask about his relationship with the good doctor, or the feminine voice he used on the phone the other day, or that fucking eyepatch, or how his teeth seem a little too sharp — nah. None of that. She's never really been the type for personal questions. Instead, she follows Majima down the hallway, trailing cigarette smoke as she goes. ]

Close enough. [ The gist is right anyway. ] Guess she must pick up a lot of bleeding idiots from gutters.

[ He fell in love with her covered in blood, not sure what he'd done. It's still blurry, she might have saved that yokai he mauled. She might have lied to him to soothe his conscience. He doesn't really care, her softness is all that mattered. Emily can soothe the broken thing inside of him. ]

She's a nurse, kinda comes with th'job.

[ He sounds fond of her. ]

[the aforementioned Em is currently moving boxes in one of the rooms, setting them down with a huff and then cracking one open. supplies need to be tucked away, but she's still amazed at the overwhelming amount of support they've recieved for this project. and of course, that Goro carves time from his busy schedule to be there as well. she appreciates it more than words easily say, and instead sometimes copes with the gratitude in her chest by just kissing him on the cheek or the like. she's happy, and it shows.

hearing two pairs of footsteps, she straightens up from her work, box in her arms, and somehow she isn't surprised to see who accompanies him.]

Thank you for greeting her - hopefully this place wasn't too difficult to find. How are you currently feeling?

[the medicine last night had been her own devising and preparation, made to press the body into service and command it to heal faster. a necessary addition to her arsenal considering the sorts she met. if it functions as it should, Andy's injuries might have done several days worth of healing in one night, and would proceed accordingly.]

[ The state of affairs is certainly an improvement from the night before, where Andy's concerned. Sure, the black eye is still ugly, but it's fading to yellow-green, and underneath the bandages, her hands seem to work fine. If it hurts to move them now, she doesn't show it. A far cry from regenerating a severed limb or half her brains, but she'll take what she can get in this mortal body. Either way, she doesn't seem like she plans to let it slow her down, already rolling her sleeves up and knotting her long hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck.

If she notices the particular atmosphere, she knows well enough to mind her own damn business. She's too old and too tired to exert energy on being self-conscious of third-wheeling. ]

Everything's in one piece. [ One of these days, she'll respond to a polite inquiry after her health with some sincerity, but today's not that day. ] That'll hold until the next time I punch somebody, but you know what they say about idle hands. Better put me to work.

She's got plenty work for ya.

[ This is Majima studiously focusing on Emily right now. It's not that he thinks she'd be upset or judgmental about what he gets up to when he isn't with her. Fuck if he told her that there's now a wing of bullshit branching off of Nishitani, she wouldn't even be surprised.

It's more... that he is acquiring an increasingly sprawling mess of toxic emotional problems that he is not particularly ready to address. This is what Goromi does, though. She is unconcerned with the fallout of anything that she does; they are all Majima's problems and Majima would prefer not to deal. So for now, he's going to be Emily's faithful dog and fall into step with her energy. ]

[truthfully, she wouldn't care even if he was advertising it. their arrangement exists with an understanding that whatever happened, they'd come back to each other. as long as she can trust in that, can believe that the core is still steady, then Emily doesn't see the point in getting herself bound up in the details. it's how she keeps herself from overthinking and instead pouring all her energy into whatever type of work is needed. just move, and let the threads of thought bind themselves up in the background.]

Right now, the most important things are fairly straightforward. People have been kind enough to donate supplies in addition to what I've purchased, so it's a matter of putting them away. Anything fragile gets set aside, but anything heavy or not needing of special care, that can go...

[and she walks to where the box in her arms needs to go, in what she's now using as a supply closet.]

So it's that, or cleaning the windows in and out so that we can look presentable. Your choice.

[ Whatever happened the other night between her and Goromi, she still doesn't think what exists here is any of her business. People live entire lives outside of her bedroom, and most of the time, she knows better than to get too involved with those things. It gets too complicated. And she's keenly aware that she's a damnably sentimental creature. Better to nip those things in the bud. No questions need to be asked. No special talks need to be had.

That's between them. And she'll keep telling herself she's not involved as long as everybody else lets her get away with that. She's just here to repay Emily. To move boxes and soothe her pride a little. ]

I can probably manage both. [ She reaches out, bandaged fingers brushing against Emily's as she goes to take the box from her. Wryly then, as she gives Majima a sidelong glance: ] We shouldn't let you do the heavy lifting. Your hands are actually good for something besides hitting people.

What she said.

[ Majima agrees. He also happens to know about his girlfriend's incredibly light little bird bones. He gives Emily a smile that's definitely I told you so, but he's too soft for her to really say it. So he just brings Andy one of their innumerable supply of box cutters. ]

She's already got the shelves labeled.

[ Which bemuses the shit out of him, he's not that organized. But that's why Emily's in charge. ]

Of course.

[why wouldn't she have them labelled? how else would one ever remember what went where? it was invaluable, when needing to make quick and accurate decisions, but she will hand the box off with a smile, and move to examining the more fragile pieces that she'll have to see about either sterilizing or at least making sure are kept out of trouble.]

But surely you don't really think that's all your hands are good for?

[she says it with all the sincere certainty of someone who believes otherwise, glancing at them both with a bit of confusion. as long as they had hands, they could be for anything they so pleased.]

[ The shelves are labeled, as promised. Makes Andy's job easier, so no complaints here. Setting the her burden down by said shelves, she crouches down with the box cutter in hand, making deft work of opening things up, even with her hands still covered in bandages. ]

Definitely don't have a doctor's touch. [ A little shrug. Maybe she could have learned medicine — or science, or philosophy, or any number of useful things in her long life. But she always returned to violence, so violence is what she knows. ] Not saying I'm bad with my hands.

[ She gives the box cutter a quick twirl around her fingers. ]

Just not gentle with them.

[ He's the same. One of many unwanted kids out on the street who fought for everything he had. Typical yakuza backstory. He knows Emily likes to look for what's good in people though. ]

What were ya doin' before the trip t'Hell?

[ Mild enough small talk, plenty of room to avoid a real answer as desired. If they've got boxes he supposes he can be doing windows. He goes to find the cloths and window cleaner from one of the other boxes of supplies. ]

[it's mild, but it's something she's happy to facilitate. retrieving glassware, she lines it up where it needs to go for now - her mind buzzing with a hundred thoughts on what to do, where to do it. if she keeps moving, then she doesn't need to address anything else in the room, anything that might catch up or address why she goes around pulling people from the gutter.

so for now, she's quiet, giving Andy room to speak without seeming like she's expecting anything.]

[ Andy doesn't glance up from her work, even with Majima asks her that question. For a second or two, it seems like she doesn't intend to answer at all — and maybe she didn't, at first. It probably doesn't make much difference whether she answers or not. Or if she lies. Honestly, she's not entirely sure why she doesn't just make something up. But when she opens her mouth, the truth comes out. ]

...I was a mercenary. Black ops. Lead a group back home. My boys.

[ Fuck. She shouldn't do this. The back and forth. Getting to know people. Letting them know her, even a little bit. And she doesn't want to think about what kind of pathetic, lonely sentimentality even compels her to share small pieces. It's a deflection when she moves on, adding dryly: ]

Guess that tracks with Doc's habit of picking up blood-thirsty strays.

Yep.

[ He agrees without any sign of surprise or even curiosity. It answers the question of who her people were, a formation that Majima can empathize with easily. ]

Bet that's what th'Enma wants ya for. Black ops.

[ Otherwise she would have been Shuten for certain. Majima is imagining how the Enma and Toraguma probably had a very long stare down over who was taking that soul. ]

You think they had ulterior motives like that for everyone?

[the question slips out without her thinking, before she shakes her head.]

Sorry to interrupt. Please, continue.

[they don't need her ill informed commentary, on such a subject.]

[ Wryly, without missing a beat: ]

Maybe they just thought I'd have too much fun with Shuten.

[ Though the truth is, she doesn't really understand the ins-and-outs of it completely. She was too resentful when she showed up to bother more than necessary with the logistics anyway. She wasn't curious — just pissed off. Still kind of is. Who knows, maybe the Department took her because she ruled once, queen of her people, with her mother's axe in her hand and hair braided thick as pythons, hanging up over her throne and into the rafters —

But that was a long fucking time ago. She's no queen now. Not much of anything really. Might be less than even that, except Emily took mercy on her pride and gave her something useful to do. ]

Doc's not one of you though. Or one of us. [ A considering pause as she looks up at Emily, then a guess: ] Sutoku?

[ Does he think they have ulterior motives? He answers blithely. He doesn't trust the Enma for shit. ]

Yeah, I do. An' if they didn't want us havin' fun they wouldn'ta sent me right where I belong.

[ Just saying. But as for Emily's clan, he will cede the floor to let her speak for herself. ]

You guessed correctly. I imagine my spirit wouldn't have lasted long in a place like the Shuten Clan...it seems to be a group where one needs a particular type of tenacity.

[she's not going to point out the blatantly obvious, that they could have put her in the Alliance because of the tengu in her soul. that's just low hanging fruit.]

Beyond that, I couldn't guess.

[ She finishes with her first box, using that box cutter to methodically start breaking it down, folding it into something flat and manageable as she talks. Nonchalantly, to Majima: ]

Then maybe I'm just the kind of mean bitch they thought belonged with the Department. Fuck if I know.

[ She doesn't care much about the logic either. It is what it is now. And to be frank, it hasn't stopped her from fraternizing with the Shuten Clan entirely more than is healthy.

Brushing herself off absently, she comes to retrieve another box. As she does, she gives Emily a wry little look. ]

I'm sure you would've been fine. You handled me last night without any problems. [ Dryly then, jerking her thumb in Majima's direction: ] And if there were problems, Mr. Manager doesn't seem like he's keen to let you get hurt.

[ Just the kind of mean bitch for the Department? ]

That's th'one.

[ He agrees just as lazily. It's really obvious neither one of them is paying much attention to these quips. He's paused in what he's doing long enough to spray down the next window pane, glancing over when he gets called 'Mr. Manager'. ]

It's Manager-han, actually.

[ An Osaka-ben honorific, specifically. And then he goes back to wiping down windows. ]

[Andy probably catches how on reflex, Emily's eyes go to Majima, before returning to her duties. yes, he has his obvious moments, but she's not entirely the pinnacle of secrets herself.]

Handling reasonable people is a sight different than being enlisted into an entire clan without a single choice in the matter.

[which. still happened. but the Sutoku are known more for cunning instead of the sort of straightforwardness that results in their reputation for recklessness. really, it's only generalization, but one can't deny the air of attack headon persists.]

I hardly know a thing about it, anyway. How Manager-han hasn't gotten sick of my endless questions is a mystery.

[ Truthfully, there's any number of reasons that any of the factions might have suited her perfectly well. She's lived a long time, been a lot of different things, had many different names. It's made her a mercurial creature — strong and noble at times, cruel and petty at others. These days, she's mostly tired. Tired and sad and maybe a little pissed off, which is how Emily found her outside that club last night with a black eye and split lip to begin with.

They're all products of the shit they've lived through. She knows the same is true for the other two people in the room too. Shared shit, judging by the looks of things, but it isn't her place to pry either. Her place is over by the shelves, unpacking boxes.

Still, she can't help a little quip: ]

It's not that much of a mystery.

[ She gives Majima a knowing look as she passes by with another box. ]

[ His good eye just narrows slightly. He's dating the woman, what do you want from him? To say it out loud? Fuck forbid. ]

Cuz it don't bother me none answerin' questions.

[ He's been doing it nonstop since he got here. It's almost like the intricacies of a yakuza-run Japanese entertainment and red light district is a little alien to most of the Lost Souls. ]

(no subject)

medicative - 2022-05-27 06:53 (UTC) - Expand

(no subject)

killtime - 2022-05-28 04:40 (UTC) - Expand

[open] a real nightmare

no subject

no subject

no subject

+embly time

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)