savetheearth | More Monster Adventures

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More Monster Adventures

Who: Hajime, Tony, Shou, and L. Anyone else who may have been in Aikawa's at the time of the shootout; just contact me and I can probably work you in somewhere!
What: Monsters meeting for sushi and monstertalk, followed by a Yakuza shootout just outside the restaurant.
Where: Aikawa's
When: Evening of December 16
Warnings: Gang violence and giant bugs.

[A - Early Evening]
The worst of the dinner rush was over, and Hajime was taking a couple of moments to relax.

Ever since the big mafia fight that had seen Albero taken care of, he'd been thinking of letting his parents know that he was a Numbered. That he wasn't exactly a human anymore. Walking away from a fight you should have died from kind of tended to put things in perspective, and although he'd known for some time that he needed to let his family know (his sister in particular had been bugging him over it lately, seeing as how she'd already found out), figuring out the best way to tell them was a thing that continued to elude him.

He'd been getting into more and more trouble these days, and checking up on some of his fellow troublemakers seemed like a good idea. So he'd issued an invitation to the others who had been a part of that attempt to track down Tony's doppelganger--with the exception of Luca, who he still didn't trust any farther than he could throw...okay, not even that far. Come by that night, get a meal on the house, possibly help him break the fact that he was a Numbered to his parents. Good plan. Best plan. Nothing could go wrong.

[B - Late Evening]
After that scintillating discussion over udon, sushi, and whatever else Hajime brought out from the kitchen, the peaceful evening was interrupted by a sound Hajime had hoped never to hear so close to this place--gunfire. He barely had time to stand up from his chair and look towards the street, towards where he heard the sounds of gunfire. He'd known there was Yakuza--and Yakuza wannabes--in the area, and he knew that Albero's death had left a power vaccuum and that there was violence all over the city, but still, he'd never expected it here--

--Hajime's train of thought was interrupted as a hail of bullets shattered the front window. Collateral damage. The restaurant wasn't even a target, just the wrong spot at the wrong time. The gunfire outside was still coming fast and furious. Messing with Hajime himself was one thing, but it was a very unwise idea to go messing with his family. With the restaurant where they made their living. There was a lot of screaming and ushering people back towards the fire exit in the back, but Hajime didn't move. He wasn't going anywhere--except maybe out there to show the Yakuza wannabes outside that they'd picked the wrong bug's territory to have a little scuffle in. His other self was some kind of destroyer? Fine, then. He was going to destroy them. The silver transformation belt unconsciously appeared around Hajime's waist. He took a step out from behind the table he'd reflexively flipped over for cover, and he moved to go charging out of that shattered window only to be interrupted by something grabbing his arm.

"Hajime Aikawa!" Though his mother was not a terribly large woman, she had a firm grip on her idiot son's arm and was trying her hardest to drag him away. The gunfire would not deter her so long as he was there. "What do you think you're doing?! We've got to get out of here! This is not a fight on the playground!"

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Except for the part where Tony thought that not only was the invitation awesome, but possibly also a good time to bring by the sword for Hajime to look at. The fact that Hajime hadn't broken the news to his folks hadn't even occurred to him, given all the issues with the mafia and Yakuza lately he thought that would have been at the top of the list.

You really gotta lay ground rules for your strange friends, Hajime. It's bad enough he has startlingly white hair for an 18 year old and an eye patch, now he has a sword too. You're welcome. He showed up early because, well, he didn't really have anything better to do and why not chat with Hajime for a bit before Shou and L showed up?

Edited 2014-12-20 03:28 (UTC)

Luckily (or unluckily) for everyone involved, it's not an uncommon occurrence to see weird cosplayers roaming around Japantown. The restaurant staff assumes that's what they're dealing with here--a weird cosplayer. That he's the manager's friend is causing the manager's mother to give her offspring the stinkeye.

Hajime pretends not to notice. Maybe his mom would at least think the sword in question was an umbrella. They'd had a couple of kids bringing those in once...though Hajime had ended up yelling at them and throwing them out. That had been a good day. He gives Tony a lazy wave and steps out from behind the counter. The place isn't that busy, at least. It's been a slow night. "You hungry?"

Fortunately as far as strange looks went, Tony was used to them. He had plenty of reasons for people to look at him funny, the least of which was the big sword on his back. That didn't mean he felt any more comfortable about them, though, so he ducked low and kept closer to Hajime. Maybe it was a bad time to be in this neighborhood?

"You in trouble?" He spoke low, nodding slightly in the direction of Hajime's mum. For a one-eyed kid, he was pretty keen to his surroundings. The mention of food, however, was more than enough to brighten his demeanor. "When am I not?"

"I think she thinks my friends are the reason I've been acting weird," Hajime said, glancing back at his mom and trying to give her a smile. "I've never been very social, and you look like a cosplayer. Her mom-sense is tingling, I guess."

But he's got to crack a smile at the way Tony perks up at the mention of food. "So, you got anything in mind, or should I just grab you whatever?"

Hang on, give him a moment to piece that toge-- "You haven't told her?" He hissed softly, shaking his head. Hajime, you're really asking for trouble at this rate. "She's not wrong, technically." He murmured. "What's a cosplayer?" Cue the baffled expression.

Food, the number one guaranteed way to distract him. Unless he was particularly dead set on something anyway. "You know me, I'm not picky."

"How am I supposed to tell her that her son's a giant bug? Not just any bug, the crazy one who's been on TV. I thought I could hide it, but..." He shrugs, grateful for the distraction that is explaining cosplay. "Cosplay's when people go around dressed like anime or video game characters or whatever. We get some in here sometimes. They're usually trouble."

But hey, at least he can supply Tony with a little of whatever the chef feels like making extra of.

"She's not gonna like you've been holding out on her all this time," Tony warned. Not to mention that it put everyone in just as much danger, whether or not they knew. Only this way they couldn't prepare for it. But, he was also happy to be distracted because tonight was not going to be doom and gloom. Even if his hair did look kind of ridiculous and splotchy right now. Like a dye job gone bad, because that is exactly what happened.

He tried okay.

"That sounds kinda silly, why would you do that? And then go cause trouble for that matter..." He just wanted Hajime to have a look at the dumb swo-- oh. "It's the sword isn't it?"

The day and night before had been all kinds of hellish. Fires, fevers, taxi rides through riots were bad enough, but a very brutal dressing-down in front of Tony by a furious doctor had probably been the day's highlight.

Most 26-year-olds have very little trouble fighting this infection. You're malnourished, dehydrated, your organs are straining to pick up the slack, and your immune system is not able to do its job. If you brought a child in your condition to see me, I'd do everything in my power to take them away from you, so just how am I supposed to proceed in treating someone who cares so little about his health? Let me be very clear, Mr. Lawliet, this could actually kill you, and if it does it'll be entirely your fault.

Difficult to hear, indeed, and overwhelming, given the habits he now had to break and the tedious bed rest. The fever had broken that morning, and while he was still coughing hard and often enough to bruise his ribs, he knew he'd be able to put in an appearance at Hajime's restaurant that evening. It was important, and if he wore a mask, he could hopefully avoid making anyone else sick while he was wandering around with fluid-filled lungs. He wasn't horribly hungry, but maybe something spicy would help to wake him up and clear his sinuses.

He arrived after Tony, freshly showered and wearing a clean set of clothes. He looked exhausted, but still raised a hand in greeting, his words muffled as he spoke through the mask covering his lower face.

"Sorry I'm late. What can you serve that knocks out as much of the food pyramid as possible?"

As long as Tony saw he was making an effort.

"The hell happened to you? You look terrible." Hajime did have a way with greetings. As for L's question, he considers it. "I'll get you some udon with a little of the vegetarian sushi on the side." Something with a lot of broth and something with vegetables sounded good.

"I got sick. It's that time of year," L replied briskly. Though it had been serious, was still serious, it doesn't appeal to him in the least to make that obvious. "I wasn't going to pass up your invitation, but all the same... I probably shouldn't stay too late tonight."

He nodded in answer to the offer of udon and sushi; it wasn't his normal style, but then again, there wasn't much "normal" about L's diet to begin with.

"There's sick," Hajime points out, "and then there's looking kind of like death warmed over." But he leaves to go put in an order with the kitchen, and he comes out with a bowl of soup that he sets down in front of L.

"Miso soup," he explains. "Probably the best thing for a cold...and I don't think you're getting out of here without eating any if Mom has her way." There's sort of an embarrassed, apologetic shrug at that. Such was the peril of having people over to your workplace when it's a family-run business. "Probably good for the cold, anyway."

"He's been getting better," Tony chimed in on L's behalf from his spot nearby. Mostly keeping to himself but he had edged closer when L came in. Bit of a protective air about him. He'd been L's caretaker for the worst of this illness, so while he wasn't going to make an overt fuss about it in public he was going to hover like an obnoxious mother hen.

Because that is what little brothers do.

"Yeah... the doctor already didn't let me hear the end of it," L mumbled, nudging aside his mask when Hajime brought out the soup. He bit his lip, seeming conflicted about it.

"I don't suppose its Kosh--"

At a Japanese restaurant, it's really unlikely, and you know it.

He glanced over his shoulder, aware of Tony's presence. A tinge of pink touched his ashy cheeks; if he was going to keep getting better, he had a lot of terrible habits to make up for, habits that had failed so far to keep him in good health. Something had to change, and even if it hurt a lot to put aside the rules was used to living his life by, to cling to them now would be spitting on everything Tony had done to help him the night prior.

Carefully, he picked up the miso soup and sipped at it, trying not to think of all the reasons he wouldn't have let himself eat this a year ago.

"I figure you wouldn't have let him out if he weren't." Hajime understands that little brother feeling. He'd be doing the same thing albeit in an older brother fashion if it had been, say, his sister who was sick like that.

Asking for Kosher food isn't something Hajime often hears in this restaurant, and if L had gotten the rest of the question out, he would have been horribly confused. "Well, the soup's going to help. So will the udon--it's got more broth." He shrugs. "Different broth, but still broth."

Tony seemed satisfied when L decided against arguing about Kosher and ate his soup. Good for you, L, Tony is proud. He shot L a reassuring smile and went back to probably bugging Shou about his awesome sword. Because nerds.

"You're darn right I wouldn't." Tony agreed, straightening up slightly. He was a little proud of himself he'd managed to take care of L, and had taken it upon himself to see to his getting better. Being a mother hen was something most probably wouldn't expect out of him, but every now and then he was the most ferocious caretaker.

"Thank you," L said earnestly, glancing up from his soup; his eyes were red-rimmed and sunken, but he meant it. "And thank your mom, too, if I don't get the chance to see her. This is really good." He raised it to his lips again, only pausing for a moment to blow on it. He could feel the warmth all the way down as he drank it, and he absolutely thought it would help. The fact that it wasn't Kosher stopped mattering so much when he saw Tony smile at him; efforts mattered, little victories mattered.

And the fact that Tony cared enough to henpeck him about it mattered, strangely enough.

"Will Shou be here soon?" he asked, before taking another sip of the miso soup.

"Glad you like it." Hajime's got to smile at that; enjoying it when people enjoy your food is the best reason to go into the restaurant business. It's a point of pride that the soup be good. "And I'll let her know." It would seem his mom's mom instincts were strong, even if she wasn't very approving of her son's weird friends. She still hadn't picked up on any numbered connections.

He looks out the window. "It's dark enough now that he's probably on his way."

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