That's correct, yes. And I assume you must be Travis?
[ she meets travis's gaze for a moment - and only a moment. she's far more focused on jeane in the moment, after all. she looks down at her. she takes her in. when jeane speaks up, satoko gasps, delight clear on her face.
she might be a person of questionable moral integrity. she might have committed some light murder. she might be older than travis and jeanne added together, three times over. but wow, does she genuinely adore this cat already. ]
How wonderful! I'm glad you know better than to take insults from someone like him. [ she reaches forward, to jeane's head - hesitates - and draws her hand back a bit. ] Ah, I know he just said, but is it alright if I...?
[Satoko doesn't need to finish her thought. Jeane boosts herself up, butting her head against the girl's hand, a faint purr rolling in the cat's throat.]
Oh, knock yourself out. I like it behind the ears.
[Travis snorts.]
See? I told you she likes girls.
[He throws an arm over the bench as he keeps a leisurely eye on Satoko and Jeane; leaning here, he takes in the pleasant day, the warm sun beaming down, the faint breeze of the late spring. Dragging his cat around for kids to meet? It's all so... quaint. Nothing at all like what his life's become after so many years in the business. A dose of innocence, he recalls, some old match with a kid Satoko's age replaying in the back of his head.]
[ ohhhh. now, this? this is good. satoko doesn't hesitate in giving jeane the scritches, with some extra love behind the ears. ]
As well she should! Young men are so brutish with their affections, are they not? [ feel that, jeane? that's the good shit. satoko's even rubbing lightly with her fingertips right at the base of the ear. ] Miss Jeane is a discerning woman, clearly!
[ she laughs, high and pleased - almost theatrical in the way it comes out. and while it may be a bit of acting, it's not for any untoward reason. right now, she honestly isn't thinking about looping, or the knife wrapped in silk around her calf, or the pain she's given and been given in return. she is thinking entirely about cat.
well, almost entirely. travis's question does bring her back to reality, though, and she responds with a smug, snaggle-toothed smile. ]
My, who can really say? Some days I feel seventeen, and some days I almost forget how many years it's been!
[Jeane's really eating this shit up, isn't she? The cat shuts her eyes in bliss, purring away, and Travis leans back, easing up a little.] Ha! Sure is. You two look like you're best buds already.
[Oh boy, that's almost a fuckin' ojou laugh. It's ridiculous, but a little contagious: even Travis feels the grin tugging at him in response. And then--
Well, and then she answers the question, doesn't she? His smile fades a little and he raises an eyebrow.]
I meant on Noctium, actually. Only been a few months for me. [It's an honest misinterpretation of the question, even if something about it... rubs him the wrong way. He shakes it off and continues.] So, you're an old soul, huh? I sorta get that vibe from you.
[At last, Jeane breaks away from the head scritches. She starts slinking over Satoko's feet, rubbing her furry body against the girl's leg...]
[ oh. for a brief moment, satoko entertains the thought of just restarting the loop now and not dealing with that awkwardness - but it's only for a moment. it's not like she enjoys dying, after all. so she just lets it happen, clearing her throat and trying to answer in a substantially more cowed tone. ]
It's only been a few months, yes. Three, I think...? Something like that. [ she manages to pull herself together, at least a little, before he mentions the "old soul" bit. (jeane's cuteness is probably helping on that front.) ] ...you do realize it's rude to call a lady old, yes? Besides, I'm hardly as bad as Miss Mion. She calls herself Uncle Mion, you know.
[ she looks down to the cat rubbing on her leg and smiles.
the cat rubbing on her leg.
that leg.
gingerly, and with all the respect that she can muster, satoko moves the leg jeane is dangerously close and daintily crosses her legs. for one, it'd be awkward to find the knife bound to it; for another, she really doesn't want to watch jeane nick herself on it. it's not like she has a sheath for the knife, after all. (maybe she should go shopping...? but that might look suspicious... oh, this is a dilemma, isn't it?) ]
[For the moment, Travis still speaks casually, if not a bit bemused.]
Heh, obviously, you're still a fresh-faced teenager: it's just the kind of air you've got around you. Don't mean anything by it. Unless you're gonna start making me call you Uncle, too.
[So she's a weird kid. So was Haru when he first met her. Oddballs and eccentrics are hardly new territory, so he's content to brush this off too, for now.
He nearly moves on, too, until Jeane brushes up against Satoko's leg; until the girl crosses herself with care. Of course the cat feels something, although she can't be fully sure of what it is. She utters a confused chirrup, eyes big as they flicker up to Travis; she bounds back to his side a moment later. In itself, it doesn't mean very much. It isn't like Jeane's figured it out yet. But, a warning flag lifted by Jeane's behavior, Travis looks at Satoko again.
For the first time, Travis really looks at her.
Feeling out his own kind is one thing. The career killers are all different, but the weight of their presence is always the same, like a frequency Travis is always tuned to tease out of the white noise of everything else. This girl, however, radiates something else entirely. Even Kamui Uehara-- walking through the doors of a roadside diner, his innate bloodlust emanating from every pore-- didn't feel quite like this.
Something is wrong here.]
You find a job here yet, Satoko? [he asks, tone tentative.] Been looking for a better gig myself.
[What the hell is this kid? An assassin? Something else entirely?]
[ for all travis's trepidation... for all jeane's newfound wariness... satoko completely misses the heavy air in the room. she's more torn up over jeane leaving than someone potentially thinking ill of her, clearly. ]
I've little interest in joining the workforce. Certainly, I can accept taking jobs from Mr. Ardbert, but the idea of becoming a kyariauman sounds simply miserable!
[ she breathes out in a huff, finally letting her irritation at the idea drain away before she looks up at him again. ]
If you're looking for a job, though, might I suggest checking the network? Someone was just looking into such things the other day. They... goodness, what was their name? Sha Haoiu?
[ xia haoyu, actually. but it was. it was a good try, satoko. just don't mind that part where bringing up an assassin probably isn't the best way to distract travis from his current line of thinking. ]
[That’s it, then, isn’t it? His suspicions have been totally confirmed. Travis’ hand strays to the beam katana at his side, and Jeane, sensing her human’s own trepidation, ducks behind him: after all, a cat’s no match for a human in the end.
His voice drops lower, in volume and tone.]
You, me, Haoyu. No wonder we all ran into each other here: we’re like sharks, attracted to blood.
[All the leisure’s gone out of his bearing—- every muscle coiled spring-tight, even as he sits in this verdant park on this lovely day; no longer a friendly cat owner, now the assassin that he truly is and always will be, Travis’ voice signals warning. If Satoko strikes, he’s ready to strike right back.]
Little young to be an killer, though, aren’t you? By far the youngest I’ve seen in years.
[ something's gone wrong. travis's hand moves, and even if she hasn't read the room so far she can certainly pick up on that - the motion to something he's kept hidden, the way jeane hides behind him. this wasn't safe. she knew it was a possibility going in; she has nothing to fear from dying. so why does this feel different? why does this feel dangerous?
"we're like sharks." "attracted to blood."
"little young to be a killer, though, aren't you?" ]
Goodness. That's quite an assumption, isn't it, Mr. Touchdown?
[ her tone is calm, though only through sheer force of will. he knows. what does he know? what she's done? what she is? is it an assumption, or an accusation, or a joke? it doesn't matter. this was a failure of judgment. she must fix it immediately.
she sighs, almost wearily. kicks her leg up onto the bench, methodically, smoothly, calmly. rolls up her right pants leg. ]
Was it the employment? Or was the knife simply too obvious? [ it's not the knife of a trained assassin. it's a regular kitchen knife, clean and well-sharpened, strapped to her calf with a bit of adhesive bandaging. she slowly unwraps it, sets the knife in her lap when she's done. ] Come now. Surely two killers can exchange tips, yes? Consider it a professional courtesy.
[He follows the glint of that blade as it moves from the girl's calf to her leg to her lap. A normal weapon sometimes belies an assassin's real killer instinct-- he'd learned that the hard way, nearly getting his skull caved in by some woman with a plain wooden baseball bat many years ago. There's the most minute shift in a muscle in Travis' arm. He's got his finger on Blood Berry's activation trigger.]
You hid that knife pretty well, I'll give you that. I didn't notice until Jeane did.
[Be careful, Travis... murmurs the cat herself, her tail finally pulling out of sight as she tucks it beneath her furry body.]
Your "age" and Haoyu tipped me off. The guy's a mercenary: his hands're as bloody as you or me. Really, it's on me for just looking at you like some kid... [He huffs, displeased. A few inactive months on this planet haven't done him any favors: he's getting sloppy.] Now that I'm actually paying attention, I can feel it. People like us change the atmosphere the moment we step into a room.
[Par the course, isn't it? It's like he can't walk five feet without picking up on somebody else's bloodlust these days, even all these lightyears away from Santa Destroy. Travis continues, cool and even.]
Frankly, I don't give a fuck. Ain't like we're fighting over a hit here or anything. So long as you don't hurt what's mine, you can do as you please.
Clearly not well enough. [ it's odd; like this, barely suppressing the panic, satoko's voice takes on an almost lecturing tone. ] I should have chosen somewhere less likely to disturb Miss Jeane, at the very least.
[ she listens intently to travis's explanation. that was it? an off-beat comment about her age, and the mere mention of the chinese man asking for jobs? goodness, what sort of supersleuth is this man? how utterly inconvenient. ]
I do appreciate your openness, Mr. Travis. But to be quite frank, I've no interest in giving you the opportunity to let my secrets out.
[ her hand tightens around the knife, but her muscles don't tense. what is it she's doing...? ]
...Miss Jeane, my apologies for the first impression. I do hope our next meeting goes more smoothly.
[ she doesn't move with lethal intent. she doesn't strike like an assassin, or lunge like a snake. she just raises the blade, slowly and with absolutely no wavering, up to her own throat.
and then, in a single clean thrust, she neatly severs her own jugular. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
[ she meets travis's gaze for a moment - and only a moment. she's far more focused on jeane in the moment, after all. she looks down at her. she takes her in. when jeane speaks up, satoko gasps, delight clear on her face.
she might be a person of questionable moral integrity. she might have committed some light murder. she might be older than travis and jeanne added together, three times over. but wow, does she genuinely adore this cat already. ]
How wonderful! I'm glad you know better than to take insults from someone like him. [ she reaches forward, to jeane's head - hesitates - and draws her hand back a bit. ] Ah, I know he just said, but is it alright if I...?
no subject
Oh, knock yourself out. I like it behind the ears.
[Travis snorts.]
See? I told you she likes girls.
[He throws an arm over the bench as he keeps a leisurely eye on Satoko and Jeane; leaning here, he takes in the pleasant day, the warm sun beaming down, the faint breeze of the late spring. Dragging his cat around for kids to meet? It's all so... quaint. Nothing at all like what his life's become after so many years in the business. A dose of innocence, he recalls, some old match with a kid Satoko's age replaying in the back of his head.]
So, Satoko, you been on the planet long?
no subject
As well she should! Young men are so brutish with their affections, are they not? [ feel that, jeane? that's the good shit. satoko's even rubbing lightly with her fingertips right at the base of the ear. ] Miss Jeane is a discerning woman, clearly!
[ she laughs, high and pleased - almost theatrical in the way it comes out. and while it may be a bit of acting, it's not for any untoward reason. right now, she honestly isn't thinking about looping, or the knife wrapped in silk around her calf, or the pain she's given and been given in return. she is thinking entirely about cat.
well, almost entirely. travis's question does bring her back to reality, though, and she responds with a smug, snaggle-toothed smile. ]
My, who can really say? Some days I feel seventeen, and some days I almost forget how many years it's been!
[ satoko, you little shit. ]
no subject
[Oh boy, that's almost a fuckin' ojou laugh. It's ridiculous, but a little contagious: even Travis feels the grin tugging at him in response. And then--
Well, and then she answers the question, doesn't she? His smile fades a little and he raises an eyebrow.]
I meant on Noctium, actually. Only been a few months for me. [It's an honest misinterpretation of the question, even if something about it... rubs him the wrong way. He shakes it off and continues.] So, you're an old soul, huh? I sorta get that vibe from you.
[At last, Jeane breaks away from the head scritches. She starts slinking over Satoko's feet, rubbing her furry body against the girl's leg...]
no subject
Oh.
[ oh. for a brief moment, satoko entertains the thought of just restarting the loop now and not dealing with that awkwardness - but it's only for a moment. it's not like she enjoys dying, after all. so she just lets it happen, clearing her throat and trying to answer in a substantially more cowed tone. ]
It's only been a few months, yes. Three, I think...? Something like that. [ she manages to pull herself together, at least a little, before he mentions the "old soul" bit. (jeane's cuteness is probably helping on that front.) ] ...you do realize it's rude to call a lady old, yes? Besides, I'm hardly as bad as Miss Mion. She calls herself Uncle Mion, you know.
[ she looks down to the cat rubbing on her leg and smiles.
the cat rubbing on her leg.
that leg.
gingerly, and with all the respect that she can muster, satoko moves the leg jeane is dangerously close and daintily crosses her legs. for one, it'd be awkward to find the knife bound to it; for another, she really doesn't want to watch jeane nick herself on it. it's not like she has a sheath for the knife, after all. (maybe she should go shopping...? but that might look suspicious... oh, this is a dilemma, isn't it?) ]
no subject
Heh, obviously, you're still a fresh-faced teenager: it's just the kind of air you've got around you. Don't mean anything by it. Unless you're gonna start making me call you Uncle, too.
[So she's a weird kid. So was Haru when he first met her. Oddballs and eccentrics are hardly new territory, so he's content to brush this off too, for now.
He nearly moves on, too, until Jeane brushes up against Satoko's leg; until the girl crosses herself with care. Of course the cat feels something, although she can't be fully sure of what it is. She utters a confused chirrup, eyes big as they flicker up to Travis; she bounds back to his side a moment later. In itself, it doesn't mean very much. It isn't like Jeane's figured it out yet. But, a warning flag lifted by Jeane's behavior, Travis looks at Satoko again.
For the first time, Travis really looks at her.
Feeling out his own kind is one thing. The career killers are all different, but the weight of their presence is always the same, like a frequency Travis is always tuned to tease out of the white noise of everything else. This girl, however, radiates something else entirely. Even Kamui Uehara-- walking through the doors of a roadside diner, his innate bloodlust emanating from every pore-- didn't feel quite like this.
Something is wrong here.]
You find a job here yet, Satoko? [he asks, tone tentative.] Been looking for a better gig myself.
[What the hell is this kid? An assassin? Something else entirely?]
no subject
[ for all travis's trepidation... for all jeane's newfound wariness... satoko completely misses the heavy air in the room. she's more torn up over jeane leaving than someone potentially thinking ill of her, clearly. ]
I've little interest in joining the workforce. Certainly, I can accept taking jobs from Mr. Ardbert, but the idea of becoming a kyariauman sounds simply miserable!
[ she breathes out in a huff, finally letting her irritation at the idea drain away before she looks up at him again. ]
If you're looking for a job, though, might I suggest checking the network? Someone was just looking into such things the other day. They... goodness, what was their name? Sha Haoiu?
[ xia haoyu, actually. but it was. it was a good try, satoko. just don't mind that part where bringing up an assassin probably isn't the best way to distract travis from his current line of thinking. ]
no subject
[That’s it, then, isn’t it? His suspicions have been totally confirmed. Travis’ hand strays to the beam katana at his side, and Jeane, sensing her human’s own trepidation, ducks behind him: after all, a cat’s no match for a human in the end.
His voice drops lower, in volume and tone.]
You, me, Haoyu. No wonder we all ran into each other here: we’re like sharks, attracted to blood.
[All the leisure’s gone out of his bearing—- every muscle coiled spring-tight, even as he sits in this verdant park on this lovely day; no longer a friendly cat owner, now the assassin that he truly is and always will be, Travis’ voice signals warning. If Satoko strikes, he’s ready to strike right back.]
Little young to be an killer, though, aren’t you? By far the youngest I’ve seen in years.
no subject
"we're like sharks."
"attracted to blood."
"little young to be a killer, though, aren't you?" ]
Goodness. That's quite an assumption, isn't it, Mr. Touchdown?
[ her tone is calm, though only through sheer force of will. he knows. what does he know? what she's done? what she is? is it an assumption, or an accusation, or a joke? it doesn't matter. this was a failure of judgment. she must fix it immediately.
she sighs, almost wearily. kicks her leg up onto the bench, methodically, smoothly, calmly. rolls up her right pants leg. ]
Was it the employment? Or was the knife simply too obvious? [ it's not the knife of a trained assassin. it's a regular kitchen knife, clean and well-sharpened, strapped to her calf with a bit of adhesive bandaging. she slowly unwraps it, sets the knife in her lap when she's done. ] Come now. Surely two killers can exchange tips, yes? Consider it a professional courtesy.
no subject
You hid that knife pretty well, I'll give you that. I didn't notice until Jeane did.
[Be careful, Travis... murmurs the cat herself, her tail finally pulling out of sight as she tucks it beneath her furry body.]
Your "age" and Haoyu tipped me off. The guy's a mercenary: his hands're as bloody as you or me. Really, it's on me for just looking at you like some kid... [He huffs, displeased. A few inactive months on this planet haven't done him any favors: he's getting sloppy.] Now that I'm actually paying attention, I can feel it. People like us change the atmosphere the moment we step into a room.
[Par the course, isn't it? It's like he can't walk five feet without picking up on somebody else's bloodlust these days, even all these lightyears away from Santa Destroy. Travis continues, cool and even.]
Frankly, I don't give a fuck. Ain't like we're fighting over a hit here or anything. So long as you don't hurt what's mine, you can do as you please.
1/2; cw: suicide
[ she listens intently to travis's explanation. that was it? an off-beat comment about her age, and the mere mention of the chinese man asking for jobs? goodness, what sort of supersleuth is this man? how utterly inconvenient. ]
I do appreciate your openness, Mr. Travis. But to be quite frank, I've no interest in giving you the opportunity to let my secrets out.
[ her hand tightens around the knife, but her muscles don't tense. what is it she's doing...? ]
...Miss Jeane, my apologies for the first impression. I do hope our next meeting goes more smoothly.
[ she doesn't move with lethal intent. she doesn't strike like an assassin, or lunge like a snake. she just raises the blade, slowly and with absolutely no wavering, up to her own throat.
and then, in a single clean thrust, she neatly severs her own jugular. ]