how could i ever forget // outside the morning was cool and wet

[monoceroscaeli]

[It's not often Ajax finds himself getting his head slammed down onto the hood of a car, least of all a cop car. Usually it's him doing the slamming.

But today the young man finds himself denting the hood, the sound of metal caving in under his head ringing in his ears. Not exactly the ideal situation he was hoping for, but he figured sooner or later he'd have a run in with the cops due to the sensitive nature of his profession, but that doesn't mean he has to like how inconsiderate they are with him as they cuff him and throw him in the back of the paddy wagon. Not that he was considerate to them when he was discovered, as evidenced by the blood all over his clothing and knuckles from the fight he'd gotten into with them. How he managed to avoid getting shot is beyond him- plenty of shots were fired, but that hadn't stopped him from knocking a few of them out.

It's just too bad he'd been instructed that he couldn't kill anyone, or else he'd of gotten out of there without being caught.

The lights of the police station are bright, almost too bright from the contrast of how dark it was outside. Ajax squints as he's dragged inside, held tightly by two cops who hurry him through the station, but not fast enough that he doesn't catch a glimpse of the secretary behind the desk as they come in. Pretty, blonde, looking like she'd rather be anywhere else. Gorgeous eyes, ones that catch his attention almost immediately as he's being shoved towards the back, shining with a radiance that captures him instantly. His eyes lock with hers, feeling something silent yet powerful surge through him from this tiny, insignificant interaction. He doesn't even have a moment to think further on it, before he's so rudely interrupted.

Get moving.

The curt voice of the bigger cop on his right cuts through the moment, anger welling up in Ajax's chest and something dark stirs in his core. If he wasn't cuffed and being restrained, he'd turn that guy's face into a new work of art, something so abstract some insane art collector would gladly pay millions for it.

No sooner had Ajax been ushered in, he disappears from sight as he's taken back into an interrogation room, the mysterious blonde no longer in his sights, now getting shoved into a corner of a room.]

What's with this? Don't you even have the courtesy of giving me a chair to sit in, at least?

[From outside of the room, muffled noises of a scuffle as the cops lay into Ajax can be heard, the loudest of which is a thud of a body slamming into a wall, accompanied by a groan from the ginger kid. Though little do any of them know, their real problems haven't arrived just yet, waking from their slumber right outside of the city...]

Comments

[niwabi]

[ Although she's not exactly in the brightest of moods after their squabble, Yoimiya appreciates he is willing to give her some much-needed space to cool her head. She picks up the apologetic hints in his voice and even though she's starting to feel guilty for also treating him badly it's not really enough until he's genuinely sorry. Nodding her head, she reaches for the notepad decorated with the hospital's logo, scribbling her phone number with a nearby pen and handing it over to him. ]

Sounds good to me. It will be better to talk about this in private, anyway. Since you're so familiar with them, maybe you know of a good location where we can avoid their prying eyes.

[ ... From the way she spits out that latter sentence, traces of her fiery temper are still there. Having some time away from each other probably will be for the best. If it's true that the Nizhnii corporation has eyes everywhere in the city, discussing their plan in a public hospital would spell their doom.

Another sigh spills out of her lips as she contemplates his words. His phone going missing sounds a bit concerning and despite everything, she's still willing to help him out since they're both in this together. ]

What does your phone look like? If I get a chance to stop by the police station to grab the rest of my items, I'll be on the lookout for it.

[monoceroscaeli]

Thank you.

[He accepts the piece of paper, glancing at it only for a moment before folding and palming it for now. He'll have the nurse help him later with finding a place for it among the small amount of things he has with him- namely his clothes and wallet, which he spots sitting on a shelf in a cubby with his clothing that they'd stripped off of him- and get everything situated from there. An amused sigh is snorted quietly out of his nose, even though he can tell she's still mad. To think someone as low on the totem pole as him knows all that much about the shady company he works for, it's funny, but that detailed explanation will have to come later.]

It's nothing all that special. It's just your run-of-the-mill smartphone in a thicker black case. There's no real distinctions to it, but if it's at the station it'll be the only phone that doesn't belong to someone. Thanks for offering to return it to me if it's found.

[He does appreciate that a lot from her, and he hopes it shows. There's contacts in there that might be very questionable to the police.]

Listen, [he continues on, his voice a little more somber.] Even if my employer doesn't know about us, still...be careful.

[It's been tugging at his heart since she started to stomp towards the door, that in the time between her departure and their reunion, something could happen to her. That monster might reemerge, maybe Nizhnii found out a different way, maybe she's in trouble with her job somehow. It's a bunch of scenarios he'd rather not think about, but can't dismiss.]

[niwabi]

[ A simple smartphone in a thick black case... got it, very easy to remember. There's no telling what sort of deep dark information is stored on that phone and who his contacts are, Yoimiya would rather remain blissfully ignorant than be privy to the details. However, she does know that if that phone ends up in the wrong person's hands, they will both be in danger. If it's in police custody, she'll have to wrack her brain to convince them to hand it over but gonna cross that bridge when they get there. For the time being, the two of them need to focus on some well-deserved rest. ]

Thank you as well.

[ A rare moment of her being short and to the point, unlike her usual chatty self. She has her hands on the handle, preparing to walk out. But for some reason, she can't bring herself to open the door, it doesn't feel right to leave in such a curt fashion. For a moment, she doesn't utter a word, standing at the doorway in silence until finally, she glances at him from over her shoulder. ]

... You be careful too. Get some rest and focus on making a full recovery. Try not to do anything too reckless.

[ Unlike the manner in which she chewed him out earlier, her voice is soft and her words are sincere. Regardless of his terrible job, she still worries about his well-being. Her heart can't take the thought of him kicking the bucket between now and the next time they meet. ]

[monoceroscaeli]

[Her curt answer is to be expected, watching her move to the door and sitting quietly as he waits for her to leave. But she doesn't, she stands there for a second and surprisingly looks back to him, meeting her gaze. He responds with a warm smile of his own, letting a sigh out through his nose that he wasn't realizing he was holding, happy that their parting wouldn't be so antagonistic after all.]

Thanks. Until next we meet, Yoimiya.

[And he'll watch her go, letting himself sink back into the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Yeah, he thinks he can do that, relax and focus on recovering. With a smile still on his face, Ajax closes his eyes, falling asleep almost immediately. The stress on his mind was greater than he expected, but he surprisingly has much better dreams now than when he was unconscious before- but they're still tinged with a darkness that he still doesn't understand. Hopefully, he can get answers to that someday.]