track three; closed

[hopediesalone]

Who: Raul "Blues" Light and Kotetsu Kaburagi
When: July 19, night
Where: A bar somewhere
What: Drinks, food, old friends catching up, and some serious talk.
Warnings: Bitterness, profanity. That's all that comes to mind so far.



Blues had been... surprised--to put it mildly--when he ran into Kotetsu on the network. He hadn't spoken to the other man in nearly two years, not since their last attempts at continuing their weekly meetings for drinks after he left the force. There were a lot of lingering problems there.

He'd never borne any ill will towards Kaburagi, but to be honest he thought his former colleague was a fool. He didn't want to gloat, not when he hadn't wanted to be right to begin with.

Blues just wanted to talk to him. Needed to, with everything that was happening. Checking his phone again, glowing eyes hidden behind wraparound shades, he sits at the bar.

Just nursing a Blind Russian and waiting.

Comments

sorry for the delay!! uwu

[earnedmystripes]

It's only a couple short minutes after Blues checks his phone that last time that Kotetsu appears. A few minutes late, but mostly because he'd needed to make an actual effort to look less like a (metaphorical, the distinction needed to be made now) zombie than he felt.

The dim lighting of the bar hides much of the most evident signs of fatigue, but even so Kotetsu still looks...worn out, at best when he raises a hand to signal his presence to his old friend and settles down at the bar beside him. Insomnia hasn't been an unfamiliar companion since his wife passed away seven years ago, but it's hit especially hard in the last couple days, as the memories of all this insanity came crashing back in on him after a sudden week of normalcy.

The corruption in the police force has been weighing heavily on his mind ever since he first saw that video of the murder of Paul Ben, and now that he's run into Blues again, it's strange to think of their parting of ways. The other man had been right all along, even if the reasons likely went deeper than even he'd thought, and Kotetsu...doesn't really know what to say to his old friend now.

"It's...ah, good to see you again."

At least that much is true, even if the circumstances of this reunion are anything but.

[hopediesalone]

Blues raises a hand and flicks two fingers in greeting when Kotetsu signals him, taking a sip of his drink while doing so.

His view of police came out of study, experience and learning how the pigs really worked--though, admittedly, being a tool of an alien invasion was probably (hopefully) unique to Locke's boys in blue.

Still, it's...hard for him to not see that Kotetsu's fucking tired. "Same to you. You look like hell, though. How's an Irish coffee sound?"

He tries the beginnings of a smile. May as well start this lightly even if the subject won't let it stay there for long.

[earnedmystripes]

Kotetsu laughs weakly at that remark, one hand scrubbing at his face. He's pretty sure "like hell" is putting it gently at this point, but nevertheless feigns offense, though the mock pout is dampened by the fact that his facial muscles seem to be on strike themselves.

"That bad, huh? Maybe I oughta invest in makeup." A beat, and he shakes his head. "Irish coffee sounds fantastic."

Coffee and alcohol are his best friends in the world right now, he swears to god. And it will...probably make this conversation a little bit easier, not to be one-hundred percent sober.

"So...how um. How've you been? Before all the numbers and crazy, I mean. Er, or after, I guess, if you wanna talk about it. It's just, it's been a long time, and all...."

He...sort of trails off there, realizing he's babbling. Some things just never change.

[hopediesalone]

"Couldn't hurt. Might have a harder time explaining that than the network if it came down to it though, huh?"

Raul laughs. "Thought so. This one's on me." Aaaand he makes the order. For what it's worth, Kotetsu, your friend here had basically the same thought.

"No, yeah, we should at least. Catch up before it gets serious." He nods, trying not to laugh at how the older man really hadn't changed despite the situation.

"I've been playing piano at a lounge downtown. Steady gig, most nights a week for a few hours a night-- and it's a pretty upscale place so it pays well. Little busking on the side. Got my PI license a couple weeks or so after the last time we talked, so I do cases too. Between all of that and my other shit I've been busy, but I'm doin' well enough."

He hits his drink again, before the bartender gives Kotetsu his. "What about you? Before all this nonsense."