01 ♞ Action ♞ Park

[silhouetted]

[ 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. ]

Comments

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

[mellowyellow]

[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!

[valhallan]

[ 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. ]

[silhouetted]

[ 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. ]

[mellowyellow]

[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.]

[valhallan]

[ 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. ]

[silhouetted]

[ 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? ]

[mellowyellow]

[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.]