overjoy | 01 ♞ Action ♞ Park

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01 ♞ Action ♞ Park

[ all things considered, it's a pretty pitiful sight. a figure in a dark black riding suit complemented by a bright yellow helmet slowly wheels its ride down some path or other. the motorcycle creaks, groans, barely plods along... on obvious last legs, a walking, decrepit piece of junk if there ever was one in Joywick.

so why is this person pushing it around at all, two hands gripped firmly over the handlebars? maybe even they forget the reason at this point, stopping to lean the giant beat up frame against a park bench. the rider stares down at the sad sight for a moment, drops their shoulders, and -- eventually -- shakes their head, hands gripping into fists before they cross over their chest. it appears the poor object won't be put out of its misery just yet.

how long would it take before the lone figure realized they were being tailed? though the bike had always been silent but for the roll of wheels on asphalt, as the rider's follower remembers, where it's lacking now indicates it will soon be silent for good. equally silent, this other person's attire of all black is brightened by the fur lining his coat. he breaks it with a sudden pang, kicking up a rock with the toe of his shoe and sending it careening into the worn motorcycle. ]

An urban legend reduced to such a sad state. What's the black rider without her black bike?

[ now that he's gotten the rider's attention, the young man speaks with familiarity. ]

Say, Courier. Don't tell me you've thrown everything away for one sorry dream. How do you know if what you're looking for is even here?

[ "her" back having shot up into an utterly scandalized pose almost instantly, said "urban legend" turns to face her unknown assailant, and... well, there's not really too much this "black rider" can do once she sees who it is, is there? looks like the poor object's owner won't be put out of its misery anytime soon either. ]

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[Going to the park seemed to end up part of the routine when walking around this city as well. Maybe with the play sets and fountain it was just enough of the familiar... or something. It was also something to see both Celty and Izaya walking by off in the distance. Really, it was almost unbelievable that they joined the game. ~~Why the hell would Izaya want to join it?~~]

[It was most by autonomous reaction that Shizuo picked up the biggest rock he could, though it was no newspaper vending machine or trash bin, and threw it right for Izaya's head.]

Izaya!

[He's stomping right for you both. Without actually being angry, it's enough time for him to also notice and get a better look at Celty's bike. Which is probably why the stomping turns to normal strides when he's close enough to point at it.]

What happened?

[ Shizuo could ponder the reasons all he liked, but it made Izaya neither more or less fulfilled. meaning, of course, he was here to stay regardless. he's not all too pleased to see Shizuo at first glance but once he's using the interval (of approximately 0.6 seconds) to dodge a flying rock, a moment of clarity reveals itself. much like the reason he's kept his enemy alive, there were uses for people like him in situations like these.

his knife is out quickly, Celty momentarily disregarded for the sake of his safety and future joypoints. at least, that's what he has in mind when he draws it, but his expectations are sorely met. why isn't he attacking again? his posture slumps some. ]

Huh? Hey...

[ naturally, the confusion can't last. as he moves closer to Celty and her bike, a lazy grin surfaces. ]

How wonderful. Even you can think on your feet.

[ being in Ikebukuro for as long as she has and keeping the same company she does while there affords one some pretty great benefits, even outside of the mythological figure mumbo jumbo. namely, 1. the ability to hone in on dangerous flying projectiles from distances off, and 2. the foreknowledge to Get the Hell Out of Dodge when these two are anywhere near each other. unfortunately, she's kind of boxed in between them right now, Celty's helmet whipping towards Izaya as quickly as it did to Shizuo, and back and forth a few more times, while she ponders what exactly to... do...

well, Shizuo did ask her a question. jumpy and surprised as she is (and only about half of that shock being from realizing he's here with them too), it's not impossible for the Dullahan to retrieve her JoyPhone and type out a quick text, holding the screen up to her bartending friend in a way it would be difficult, but not impossible, for Izaya to view. ]

I don't know! It hasn't been working right ever since I got here! Something's wrong with it!

[Even more unusual to Shizuo's reactions, the best that was given to the informant was one of the laziest glares that one could've imagined coming from him. The fact that he was here sucked, yeah, but that was all it was right now. Nothing actually happened to get angry over, now that he was able to really process things. It didn't seem... necessary. Just annoying and extra work. If there was going to be any response, there was just; ]

Damn flea.

[As he leaned over to read Celty's text. Getting out a cigarette, he stepped over to the front of the bike before kneeling down. Even if he had a part time job for the shortest of times at a garage, he really didn't know much about the black bike in the first place. Just that it was Celty's and connected to whatever she was. Tapping the top of it, all Shizuo could offer was a shrug before standing proper again. What to do... What could be done?]

You try asking the company or something?

[ it might be a little rude to just... er, ignore Izaya, but Celty's kind of at the point that she doesn't really notice she even does it. there's something odd about Shizuo, and although she can't put a shadowy finger on it just yet, whatever it is is distracting enough, and his response agreeable enough, she goes with the flow. another message is typed and displayed pretty quickly, her noticeably chilling out in the meanwhile. ]

The company...? Eh, no, I haven't.

You think they could fix it?

[ it probably takes him a little longer than it should to realize he's being ignored. he has a good reason for it though. it consists of staring pointedly at Shizuo with something between irritation and confusion, the latter vague enough to display itself in a narrowing of his eyes as if the sun was in them.

that's all he has to say?!

he steps a few paces away as Shizuo and Celty interact, eyebrows knit together as he thinks. there are plenty of things he could do to annoy him in some kind of retaliation, but there can't be any doubt that he'll turn their attention his way.

forcing his way between them, his aim is to kick the black bike right over in a crash. sorry, Courier. if he connects, he's not sticking too close to the scene, and is instead quickly backing away. ]

Don't tell me you've lost your fire, Shizu-chan. Losing the one thing that keeps you passably entertaining can't bode well for you.

[ if it wasn't any fun to play with him, Izaya might as well take him out. he raises his knife. ]

I'm expecting a worthwhile welcome.

[It's more and more noticeable the longer he's around. While it's definitely Shizuo, down to the clothes, glasses and bleached hair, his mellowness just ends up being more apparent. Which will show itself in just a few seconds.]

They should, right? Or at lea-

[It was the crash from the kick that cut him off. Just looking over with that cool glare at the informant. Not out of anger or annoyance, but because Izaya did something that was wrong. He doesn't even trigger into a rage at the knife being out and raised. ~~The routine is broken. The glitch has escaped.~~]

Hey. How many times have I said to stop calling me that?

[Taking a final drag of the cigarette, he- wait for it. Waaait.]

You can't complain about what happens, right? Even if I kill you.

[He... doesn't actually wreck and stomp on the stick though. It gets put into the extinguishing chamber to be saved for later.]

I'm not really in the mood for violence, though.

[Then again, he never is. Violence usually just happens.]

[ Celty, for her part, still doesn't really get the chance to completely figure out what's new about Shizuo. she doesn't really get the chance to do or figure much of anything, to be true. because soon enough--

BAM!

--the harsh sound of her beloved ride smashing into the rough ground is the sole concern of her thoughts. especially once said fall sends a piece of it flying, too.

it might be somewhat comical to anyone watching, the way the Black Rider holds her helmet, arches back in horror as if screaming, and flails her arms in panic. she drops beside her motorcycle in an instant-- shaking, checking things over, definitely not paying attention to these two bozos shizuo kill him please!!!!! ]

[ just what is going on here? he'd be lying if he said he wasn't bothered. still, he's certain there's an explanation lurking somewhere beneath this change. it's just a matter of finding it. hell, he hated being confused. he's an info broker, right? being out of the loop, totally clueless—that was the opposite of his shtick. leave it to Shizu-chan to throw a wrench into his expectations. in the meantime, Izaya was happy to take out his confusion on both of them.

he'd been waiting for Shizuo to strike, to hunt him down, and he doesn't so much as step closer. what's he going to have to do here? don't get him wrong—this would normally be the part where he ditched this popsicle stand. but here he is in a city where sending this monster raging would benefit him and he can't even get him to growl. ]

What a bore.

[ the annoyance on his face short-lived (but definitely there, so take it in), Izaya's knife hand lowers. casually, he rolls a shoulder, blinks slowly and with no further delay, turns his back to Shizuo to watch the Black Rider grappling desperately at her fallen motorbike. ]

Ah. Sorry. I must have missed. But what's the point in getting so worked up over a broken bike?

[He was already ready to do what was necessary in response to the bike getting kicked over. It was why the cigarette had been put away, despite the apprehension to actually do anything violent. ~~Why should he do something he doesn't like, right?~~ But it was messing with someone he knew, and now that someone was upset.

Really upset. Which really made him really irritated at what the flea had done.]

Really... Who said you had the right to do that?

[Who cared if Izaya had his back to him? Kicking someone's stuff made it all right to get kicked back, right? Which is why he's just gonna casually walk over to give a kick towards Izaya's back. Though he doesn't stay just in that spot; it was like a drive-by kick in that he's going over to help Celty with getting the bike standing again.]

[ "what's the point"? "what's the point"?! he knows what this bike is and what it means to her and he's still going to go and say something like that? the absurdity of the statement is what catches her mid-pat during a comforting caress to Shooter's former carcass (what would it become if it kept having parts of it destroyed? :( ), and Celty whips around with an accusatory mention of: ]

You bastard! You meant to do that and you know it!

[ ... which would be all fine and dandy and probably readable and stuff if Shizuo hadn't just... tried to attack Sir Bastard at the moment. ah, m-maybe it's best to stay put down here, at second thought... ]

[It is from across the park that Masaomi first notices the familiar oddity. It's far too perfect to be a fake. The Headless Rider is here... without much of a ride, apparently. He's not about to follow Ikebukuro's legend, but he doesn't leave either, slowing his pace until he's hardly moving at all.

What was she doing here? Of all people? Does she count as people?

The perplexed teenager doesn't get much of a chance to mull this over. He stops dead in his tracks when he sees another familiar figure approaching, perhaps the only person Masaomi can think of who belongs here even less. Outside of hearing range, he can't know what the man is saying, but it wouldn't have made any difference either way. All higher brain function ceases for much longer than Masaomi would ever admit as he processes what he's seeing.

He stands still as a statue for too long, far too long, before he snaps out of it and forces one foot in front of the other, picking up speed for a hasty exit.

Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope. Nope.

He hasn't seen anything.]

[ it's not a hasty enough exit. Celty didn't really notice him until the hustle and bustle of being around Izaya and Shizuo was over, but as she wheels Shooter along out of the park at any easy pace, she does spy the familiar blond teen in front of her, masked by the scenery. she doesn't think to think he's trying to make a swift retreat from anything -- who knows why, given what he might have seen -- so she stops where she is when she's blocking his forward path from some ways off.

hey, is he even noticing she's here? ]

[Not right away. He's looking back the way he came, watching his rear more than his front during his escape.

When he does notice her, however, he stops abruptly, throwing another quick look backward before settling his gaze where she stands several meters before him. This time it's just her and the bike, but Masaomi doesn't relax. Instead, he tenses. It probably won't be difficult for her to figure out that he's waiting for her move - for the motorcycle to kick back to life, for those disturbing shadows to appear again, or the much less popular but slightly more appealing option of walking past him.

He's seen her with Mikado and Anri both, but this... This side has never been his gig. After what happened when he met up with Mikado, he has to wonder what else it might have affected, and he knows better than to hope for the best.

Give him just a moment-]

So is it your turn to check me out today? How lucky! The lighting is so much better than last time. Be sure not to miss anything!

[ just because he was distracted with Shizuo didn't mean he was going to miss the action on the sidelines once that had dissipated. Masaomi might have escaped if Celty hadn't taken notice but apparently luck was not on his side—or his sneaky exits left much to be desired.

stepping out from the cover of a building, Izaya has his arms folded over his chest, the smug look on his face calm as ever. he hadn't caught all of the (thus far one-sided) conversation but it seems he's heard enough. ]

And another player emerges. Sadly, there's nothing new to take in. But I'm glad we could all meet up like this.

[ there are things to discuss, of course. ]

[ there are. those things don't involve Izaya until he makes himself known, predictably enough, but there are. Celty recognizes the boy, and he recognizes her. their meetings had indeed always been under somewhat frantic circumstances, never allowing her to get to know him as well or as much as the likes of Anri or Mikado, yet it is the very reason that she does know Mikado and Anri so well which makes her want to at least talk to him, supernatural trappings alongside his perceived anxiety or no. Masaomi Kida was a person important to them. she should at least see how he is doing.

this -- or her neutrality at worst -- might not be immediately obvious at first as all his comments receive is a moment of quite obvious and confused silence on her end, before she reaches into her breast pocket and draws out her phone, ready to start conversing. the sound of Izaya's appearance causes Celty to lift her helmet up mid-typing, glare on its reflected front aimed solely at the other person in the vicinity, pausing her task where it is for the moment.

she waits to see what will come. ]

Edited 2012-09-28 01:35 (UTC)

[Always too showy for his own good.

But at least he can say he'll never be like the man who interrupts his posing as if he has his very own mental radar. Shoulders slump along with his posture while Izaya talks, but this time he doesn't bother trying to leave or get out of the conversation that's sure to follow. There's no point in reacting now. It'll only give Izaya something to react to later.

Narrowed eyes coast from the smug information broker to the confused Headless Rider as she stops typing into her phone, then back to Izaya.]

A regular Addams Family reunion. [Flatly.]

[ though he had his assumptions about what Celty must feel towards Masaomi (he'd watched her interaction with Mikado with intent), the conversation he wanted to have completely disregarded their relationship. sauntering behind Celty, he looks briefly to the screen of her phone from overhead before he speaks. ]

The reason each of us is here isn't important. Yet our goals converge.

[ closing a hand over the shoulder of her shadowy attire, Izaya's tone is friendly and inquisitive. he raises the opposite arm to his side. ]

Tell me. Have both of you considered what's in your best interest? Just because you're in Joywick and you've been given the chance to be happy... [ chuckling, his skepticism shows. ] Well. That doesn't mean you'll be able to grasp it. But if we make the right decisions, we can strengthen our chances.

[ he's going somewhere with this. ]

[ he always is.

the fairly quick movement back of Celty's shoulder may not be ladylike, but it is most definitely enough to shrug off the grip of Izaya. not cool. she really didn't have anything interesting even remotely typed up by the time he so rudely decided to eavesdrop, but she'll blank the screen of her phone anyway and mix up a new message more relevant to the conversation at hand. ]

What's in our best interest? You mean not listening to anything you say, right?
It's true not everyone can accomplish what they set out to, and that the choices you make determine how far you go, but that's just the same as it ever was at home.

[ ... ah. Kida-kun is still here too, isn't he? Celty turns her helmet towards his direction and raises her device so he can see it, even summoning him closer with a beckoning gesture. the brief lift of her other shoulder almost seems to ask him to second the criticism of Izaya, if not outright reassure him it's okay to movie nearer beside them. she's on good terms with Anri and Mikado, remember? ]

[The reason Masaomi is here is pretty damn important, thankyouverymuch, but he's not going to complain if Izaya intends to brush it aside. Rather, the teen's focus is locked on the Headless Rider and her reactions, reactions he wouldn't have expected from Ikebukuro's premiere urban legend. Then again, it would take something of a legend to act so natural around Izaya.

Even though he agrees with her typed insistence, he can't be so enthusiastic about his delivery. With a grimace, he takes a few steps closer, noticeably closer to Celty than Izaya, though still about a meter away from either and facing neither directly. He shrugs in reply to both of them, shoving his hands into his pants pockets before looking away.

What's in his best interest is not talking to Izaya.]

[ To catch sight of the elusive Black Rider should be considered a privilege - if anything - and even more so in a place like Joywick. Mikado considers it to be nothing less. But what business would she ever have here? Did she do something in Ikebukuro that he's not entirely aware of? Is she here because her-- well, uh.. special motorcycle thing-y is broken? The point here is that he hasn't a clue as to why she'd come here, of all places.

As if she's managed to listen to his thoughts and somehow find them offensive (can she even do that sort of thing? As far as Mikado's concerned, it doesn't seem entirely out of the question considering the nature of her existence) her shoulders jump.

Huh?

He's apparently oblivious to the fact that the informant is there with her-- and, in turn, is also the reason behind Celty's sudden change in posture. What's going on? ]

Celty.. -san..? [ Much too shaky and unsure to be a proper "call", so to speak, but she's being addressed nonetheless. ]

[ you'd be surprised, Mikado. you'd be surprised by all the things that could happen, the reasons Celty actually does have to sign up for this game in the first place and be right in this park right at this moment.

of course, the combination of those reasons, her signature motorbike being anything but, and even Izaya acting like a tremendous dick isn't enough to completely drown out the sound of a familiar voice, plus or minus the adept hearing abilities.

she turns towards him without a second to lose, clearly still tense and a little shaken. if anything, it's slightly more! ]

[ this program really had been a stunning opportunity. all of the right pieces had made their appearance on the board. Izaya feels the excitement bubbling up inside of him where he quells it. it was more than he could have expected and simultaneously, a feat worthy of the keepers of his interest.

unlike Celty, his eyes have been trained on this familiar person approaching for some time, his position facing her allowing him to see beyond to the owner of that timid voice. he allows Mikado to linger nearer, unaware of him, for a moment. instead of speaking right off the bat, he directs a smile towards him—one that's almost proud. ]

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01 ♞ Action ♞ Park

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izaya's tag after this?

yes hello

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sorry for the wait! also izaya gets 50 points for mental trauma!!!

score

And another 10, because Shizu's annoyed by seeing Celty upset

bros b4... izaya...

[action] THIS TAG WAS DIFFICULT. Reply or don't reply, s'all good.

[action] i hope this works?

[action] Haha. It's perfect. I just knew that'd be a hard comment to reply to.

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[ action ] +1 ikebukurian.. ha ha..

[ action ] welcome welcome :)

[ action ] screams i'm so sorry for slowness