(open/event stuff!) a cemetery where i marry the sea

[mindthebass]

Who ⬤ shinichi & you
What ⬤ event + one aftermath!
When ⬤ during tanabata and a week after.
Where ⬤ festival + a small ass bar.
Content Warnings ⬤ lmao so many. let's go. violence, underage sex work mentions, underage drinking, underage smoking, underage drug use, death, shock, trauma, etc.

Comments

gambling problem

[mindthebass]

(he's not going to gamble when there's no dime in him that can be wasted on such frivolous thing. this is food, cigarette, rent, alcohol and bills money. doesn't really stop him from looking around the tables, though. he's good at picking up games quick, and perhaps once he's better settled, he could sit on a table.

... not to mention, there's no mahjong - or at least, he didn't see it. if he is going to bet on anything, it would be his skills, and apparently, tonight's not his night.

all he's doing is checking out the place instead, feet guiding him wherever they feel like strolling by, until he finds the arena... and bolts out of there immediately, a hand over his heart to calm the fluttering and anxiety peak he experienced. not that he had really seen anything, but still, the screaming and bills flung in the air as well as grunts are not for the faint of heart.

better get the hell out before he was seen, anyway. let him calm, a hand picking a cigarette from within his (finally) properly-worn yukata, to his lips it goes, a deep breath and no looking back.

wow. what's up with this place, really?)

[karumic]

[Kazuma is in the area for a very different reason--that being, he works here, except he's just about had enough and is ready to blow off the rest of the night in favor of doing literally anything else.

He almost blows right past Shinichi in his rush to get away from this infuriating place, but stops and does a double-take. What is this kid, like fourteen? Looking like a spooked baby deer outside a place like this? Kazuma can't in good conscience just ignore him.]

What are you doing out here? This isn't the place for you.

[But there's also nothing saying he has to be nice about it.]

[mindthebass]

You don't say.

(it's protection. his arms are thin, his body can be broken without any effort from the offender, and his own ego is not even harmed by the revelation. all he has is sarcasm and a wall between him and others.

... but this man doesn't seem to want to harm him, though. he'll remove a brick from the wall he's already put in place.)

... I was just trying to get a feel of the place and stumbled upon it. I'm clearly no Shuten, so I left already.

[karumic]

[Kazuma raises his eyebrows. Why would this kid want to "get a feel" for a place like the arena in the first place?]

Did you get hurt?

[His tone is flat, but not unkind. Kazuma's not fond of the arena either, and nothing about Shinichi says he deserves to get his ass kicked. Yet, anyway.]

[mindthebass]

... No. Like I said, I saw what was happening and turned around.

(the tone, albeit gentle, makes him wonder if he did do something he wasn't supposed to do. therefore, trying to fix it:)

... I'm sorry I found your weird fight club? I don't know what to say.

(he's going to smoke this entire cigarette in a single drag from the anxiety. witness him.)

[karumic]

[Kazuma can't really blame him for being so prickly. It's his own inclination with strangers, after all.]

Just making sure. It's a dangerous place to be poking your nose into.

[It seems like Shin has already learned that lesson well enough, though, so Kazuma doesn't push it. The point is to make sure things are safe, not lecture him.]

Do you need any help getting back?

[mindthebass]

... Oh.

(so he isn't in trouble. it helps him take away a few bricks from the wall he already built to separate himself from the other, and he looks to the side for a second, two...)

... Yes. Can you make sure I don't end up in another arena?

[karumic]

I believe there's only the one.

[He's smiling slightly, though, and his tone is teasing more than anything.]

But certainly. Where do you live? I can escort you. [In case they run into any unsavory types...]

pleasure palace - feel free to threadjack!

[mindthebass]

(shin's made a promise. if his contract is entirely for hachiko's sake, he isn't going to engage in something she more than unequivocally asked him to quit - and he told her he had done.

kind of. maybe. unimportant.

so, while painfully familiar, and quite honestly, his finest expertise, he's not going to partake with the more personal aspects of tamamo. instead, he finds himself behind the counter, a chuckle every now and then leaving his lips at witnessed faux pas and successes. he's bartending, and he's judging, too.

come, friends, he'll make nice cocktails and use his charm in other ways.

at some point, shin holds a finger to the conversation as to ask for a second, as his observant eyes haven't really quit looking around.)

... Wow. That person's really good... They got the customer's taste right away from a single look... What a pro.

a celebration

[mindthebass]

(and so, shin performs. it's been fun and a trip to listen to the trajectory of music the years ahead of him, and from other dimensions? it's a blast even he wasn't expecting. shin knows - pop is a bit off to his image, but he does love to play the guitar, and molding songs to fit his own style of playing is a challenge that he didn't expect to be so blissful.

besides, it's not like he can play his own songs - it feels a little empty when it's just him, as much as he fears the day his bandmates come. it's not something he's nearly ready to address. "the company is in the red because of you" is just not a good conversation when he isn't even home to begin with.

once his off the stage, he's glowing from happiness, grabbing the first person he sees by the wrist.)

Hey! Let's drink!

[bratherine]

( Don't think she didn't see that look while he was playing a certain song. Or that she didn't immediately huff in response to it, flipping him off because ridiculous. Shin is ridiculous.

Cute, though.

Regardless, she's sitting off to the side of the stage, hair piled high in curls and one leg crossed over the other, the ends of her obi pulled forward and draped over her legs to stop it getting tangled beneath her, while her foot taps idly in time to the tune Shin's strumming. Post-shift and looking to relax, the invitation to drink is just fine but— )

Lemme stand up, jeez.

( Way too excited, here. )

[mindthebass]

Come on, Katie, come on, come on!

(his excitement isn't going to die down so soon, kate, he's beaming, he's hopping as he waits for her to stand up.

it's nice, to feel this light. this loved.)

Drink, drink, drink!

[bratherine]

( The mood certainly is something, because Kate laughs at Shin's excitement, standing up and smoothing down the short kimono (there's shorts underneath but she normally never wears anything that would even be analogous to a dress. Surprisingly comfortable, but weird) before following him to the bar. )

I got it. What d'ya want?

( She got some nice little commissions for selling bottles of expensive alcohol to patrons earlier, so... consider this a gift for a performance well done. )

[mindthebass]

(he's in a good mood and he is going to make it your problem, kate, his lips giving her a loud kiss to the cheek once she's on her feet.

as for the bar, to which he nearly skips to as they walk, there's only a shrug - whatever she'd like to drink is fine by him.)

Buyer's choice!

[bratherine]

Ay... ( He does get a gentle shove for that. Okay, calm down.

But since it's up to Kate, she comes back with some... actually decent beer. Something a bit pricier than she usually grabs for, because it's a nice night and they deserve nice beer.

Here you go, Shin. )

Cheers.

[mindthebass]

(he isn't even taken aback by the shove. kind of used to it? it makes him giggle once he takes a seat, taking the offered beer and clicking glasses with her before he takes a sip, perking up at the taste.)

Wow! This is so good! Thank you, Katie.

[bratherine]

( He wouldn't need to be used to it if he stopped acting like she was cute! But alas, here we are. )

... 'S not bad.

( Okay, it's good enough that she goes in for another drink immediately. Still a bit too expensive for regular purchase on a grunt salary, though. Sad! )

the murder - happiness is fleeting.

[mindthebass]

(there hasn't been so much for shin to worry about in hell, not thus far. familiar, yet not so, but always in a way he could make do. sex sells, drugs sell, bad, violent neighborhoods should be avoided, one needs money to survive, he still doesn't know

what isn't so familiar is the thud of a body hitting the floor, the cracking of bones echoing in his ears, and he can't help but look in utter shock, salt and water filling his eyes before he can even process what they had seen.

and even before he does, he sees kate, fleeing towards it. he can't deal with this, the whitenoise of scream and panic filling his ears and he just finds a corner to sit on, trying to steady ever shaking hands as he finds grounding on the cigarette he attempts to light with no success. there's no strength in his thumb to push the button.

and the tears don't stop falling. fuck. fuck. fuck.)

aftermath

[mindthebass]

(well, nothing like good old trauma and fighting with the girl you're the closest to to make one want to drown feelings, right? he can still hear it.

he's not coming home so soon. one drink, two drinks, keeping it cheap even if he has money now. stuffing his nose when no one is seeing so more booze can fill his stomach.

3am. he's outside the designated bar he chose for this bender, where drinks are reasonable, the music doesn't suck, and he can be at peace. teeth press against the joint he has between them, smoke held in his lungs, before it slowly trickles down his nostrils.

silence. finally.)

[empression]

[ OR NOT. Because Haru is--

Not kicking down the door or doing anything dramatic. Because he's right outside of it, maybe, but if asked, she will insist that she did not kick down any doors in her pursuit of her (soon to be former) roommate, just merely poked her head in, scanned the place, and left. There are a lot of bars.

But there he is and she's hurrying towards him now. ]

Shin-kun!!

cw underage drug use

[mindthebass]

(he's so out of it. a joint to finish the night hanging from his lips, calm the heart that worked overtime with all the uppers he has taken. he was fine, enjoying the muffled sounds of the bar, the breeze on his face, and

FUCK

THAT VOICE.

his first instinct is to hide the stick, like a child who was caught with something they weren't supposed to be doing, right behind his back - until he realizes that he is truly already doomed. the smell is a cloud around him, and he doesn't believe haru to be naive enough not to know.)

... What are you doing here? It's not a place for you!

(shifting the blame, yes. that totally works.)

[empression]

I'm not here to smoke or drink, so in that regard, you're correct.

[ And she is not naive enough to miss the smell that clings to him, even if he had followed through on instinct and tried to hide the joint. She's panting lightly, curls clinging to perspiring skin. She's been running, perhaps. ]

But I'm here for you. And here you are. So I would say I'm exactly where I want to be.

[mindthebass]

And I say you need to go home! I'll go back eventually, just-- let me deal with my shit, alright?

(poorly as he may. he already is barely home, anyway. what difference does it make at this point?)

[empression]

When is "eventually"? Do you absolutely have to deal with your... conflicts alone??

[ Fussers gonna fuss. And also not say "shit". ]

[mindthebass]

Why should I do otherwise?

(and stubborns will be stubborn.)