tampered | log; ongoing

When; 25 October, Evening
Rating; PG
Characters; Watari Yutaka [

scienceinacan] & Muraki Kazutaka [

roy_de_epee]
Summary; Two great minds finally brush against each other, to exchange pleasantries, greetings, and to gauge the danger each may pose against each other.
Log;

Well, Yutaka thought to himself as he walked back to the Laboratory carrying several plastic bags carrying the lot of costumes he'd purchased on a whim that day, he'd certainly indulged his spontaneity. Of course, it had been done on a whim. The blond scientist liked celebrations, parties, and all that, but it's not like he often actually remembered them until a co-worker reminded him about it. This year (was that even applicable considering the time difference between their world and this place?) he actually remembered the existence of Halloween and was able to buy costumes for it ahead of time without any actual reminder.

This year, he'd decided on going as the famed fictional detective, Sherlock Holmes. Somehow, he'd decided he was also going to coerce Tsuzuki into becoming his Watson. It was only right, after all, considering the pains Tsuzuki had inadvertently caused him in the past week. That wasn't going to by unforgiven.

"Sherlock Holmes can even have an owl, 003. A special owl~" Yutaka explained cheerfully as he neared the building that had become his home for the past few months. "Of course, of course, you could have been my Watson too! But see, I want Tsuzuki to do it... it's a special kind of punishment! .... or maybe it would be better to make him come as something humiliating? Like a banana... that would work too, don't you think?"

He paused and, unbidden, the thought of Tatsumi in a ridiculous bright yellow banana suit surfaced in his mind, sending an unpleasant shudder across his slender frame. No, that wasn't going to work.

"Tsuzuki, it is!" he muttered to himself finally. He didn't want to deal with Tatsumi in a while unless he really had to and that was that.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

There was something so delightfully dark about meeting a cooperating scientist in the middle of the evening; it was almost as though it was ripped out from a storyline, and the thought brought a slight smile to his face. The meeting had been relatively innocent, even with the discussion about new deviations of scopolamine, but that didn't mean the feel of leaving the laboratory itself was any less film noir.

Fortunately, the scientist he had met - a young, enthusiastic specimen eager to prove himself - hadn't outlived his usefulness just yet.

The night was cool enough to merit that white coat - a decent cover for the sample he had taken with him. That could be tested later, he surmised as he lit a cigarette. Dark alleys were convenient enough - that black and white feel was only enhanced by the shadows. One inhalation, and things seemed better already. He chuckled to himself; things had been relatively smooth since his arrival here, even though Tsuzuki was out of reach for now. That would come later.

The alleyway opened into a sidewalk - all the better to keep suspicion off, really, and he took it in stride. That is, until he saw someone that looked rather familiar. Blond hair... lab coat, glasses.... Oh, he knew who this was. Research was only too easy to come by sometimes. Just a faint smile, and he stepped out, sweeping past the scientist casually. It was entirely likely that the scientist knew who he was.

It was his move now, though.

Edited 2008-10-26 04:00 (UTC)

The blur of white - silver, white, with a splash of blacks - made Yutaka stop instinctively. The cheerfulness was drained from him in an instant as he recognized that man easily; Kazutaka Muraki. He'd only seen the man personally once or twice, and from a very comfortable distance too, but actually being mere feet apart from the reviled doctor brought a strange feeling of uneasiness that Yutaka couldn't quite point a finger at. He knew he didn't like it. Thankfully, he couldn't say he was experiencing what Tsuzuki or Hisoka probably felt whenever this man was within close proximity; it was an uneasy feeling, but Yutaka was far from feeling threatened.

He smiled automatically; that easy smile that he used when doling out sweet lies to assignments. "Oh, if it isn't a familiar face ~" he said nonchalantly. "Fancy meeting you around, Kazutaka-sensei ~ "

And then the bluff was called. He stopped right where he was, turning on his heel with an innocent stare. Oh, of course the famed scientist knew who he was; not too much of a surprise, considering the company kept in the division. But, there was one thing he likely didn't know.

He kept that chuckle to himself - there was an ace up his sleeve that no one yet knew about.

"Pardon?" he answered simply. "Do I know you?"

Oh. The gears in the scientist's mind were turning; he had two options for a reaction. He could declare indignation for not being recognized, or introduce himself cheerfully as one of Tsuzuki's livelier co-workers. Either way, mentioning Tsuzuki was bound to reel-in the doctor's interest. That was some sort of golden bait for the man, if golden baits were actually effective in capturing fish... but enough of that train of thought.

Despite his suspicions - he knew there was a possibility that Muraki didn't quite know him but to actually not even have an idea who he was? - Yutaka chose the second option.

"Watari Yutaka ~" the blond said cheerfully, beaming. "Tsuzuki's co-worker I was pretty sure we'd met a few times before, but I guess it wasn't significant enough!"

"I'd shake hands with you too, but as you can see ~ my hands are full!" He lifted his hands a bit to demonstrate how "full" they were from the plastic bags he was carrying. Really, though, shaking hands with Muraki was the last thing he wanted to do. That would be courteous. He had no intention of giving Muraki that kind of courtesy.

Well, that was an interesting answer. Admitting to being a co-worker of Tsuzuki's, to him, was as good as affixing a target to one's chest. Certainly, though, this man knew well of his capabilities; hell, the entire staff of Meifu might know about him with more detail than usual in regards to an otherwise complete stranger.

"Ah, I see," he replied casually, taking an intense drag from that cigarette. Best to keep it up, after all - it would ruin the later effect of his own potent knowledge. That, well, he was going to save that for much later. Only a blankly acknowledging stare met this man, Watari Yutaka; as far as the other knew, he knew nothing. "What a coincidence, then - I'm surprised you haven't reached for an ofuda."

"The ofuda will come later," Yutaka assured the doctor with a brilliant smile. "If you give me the reason for it. And speaking of overzealous guardians of death... you mean Tatsumi, don't you? I'm afraid he's always had a bit of a problem with that temper ~ I apologize on his behalf, Kazutaka-sensei ~ "

"So what brings you out here?" he asked finally, honestly curious, but only asking for the sake of squeezing as much information out of the doctor as possible.

This one certainly loved to chatter; all Muraki really did was watch idly while puffing thoughtfully on that cigarette. And to think of the importance this one man contained... the irony wasn't missed at all. That, though, he filed away into the personal cabinet in his mind; a façade, perhaps, but an interesting one, at that.

He still had to remain on guard with this one, of course.

Just a few seconds was all he really needed to think of an acceptable answer. He didn't need to know anything. "A simple stroll, that's all," he responded with a casual nod. "Fall evenings are rather lovely, aren't they?"

Would he even pick up on the loaded statement that phrase had? It wasn't Kyoto, this city - but it was good enough.

Yutaka picked up on that easily; who wouldn't, really, given the situation and the man speaking those words? Kyoto was within his jurisdiction, and that place was famous for its Fall scenery...

He'd let Muraki know that implication didn't slide by unnoticed. "Yes, but it's nothing like the ones back home. It's was always nice to drop by one of the small stalls for sweets and then to sit and watch those leaves fall slowly ~ Only on day-offs, of course "

"I'm sure those are rare, hmn?" Oh, of course the shinigami would catch on to the not-quite-hidden sentiment behind that casual statement. Oh, of course it was intentional - what was the fun in having borderline-friendly conversation without the emotionally charged few words here and there? It made the conversation just flow better.

He chuckled, allowing a simple smile to curl his lips. "More's the pity for those who haven't the luxury, isn't it?"

"I'm sure they manage well enough!"

That topic closed, Yutaka worked on how to drag the conversation into one that would benefit himself more. He was curious about Muraki's plans, and why he was here at all. Actually, now that the silver-haired doctor was in front of him like this, it made him wonder if the doctor had been covertly going around the network with some well-made codes. That deserved some intensive looking into.

"You know, it's a pleasant surprise to see you around here. I don't think I've spotted you on the network ever... I consider myself pretty attentive, too, when I want to!"

He hadn't seen him on the network - and for good reason. It was designed that way, and certainly this man knew why. Far too obvious, at times, really. But there was no need in him knowing the grand design he had in his mind at all times. There was nothing he could do about it, anyway.

Muraki simply chuckled, watching the other man attentively while puffing on the nearly-consumed cigarette. Playing a game that he had already lost... it was fascinating to see the psychology behind it all. "I must admit, business has been keeping me away," he admitted ambiguously. "Certainly you understand."

"Patients to treat, mouths to pour medicine into. That kind of pending business?" Yutaka put in. "That's okay ~ I better get back too, anyway. Busy busy too "

"It was interesting seeing you around, though, Kazutaka-sensei ~ Or maybe Kazutaka-kun might be cuter nickname? It doesn't matter, does it?"

log; ongoing

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