Welcome to Tokyo, Japan. January, 1991. The world has entered the technology era, portable phones, home computers, internet, video games. Japan quickly became the epicenter of the latest and greatest. Companies and factories flourished. Where money was, people followed. And while many rose to live a comfortable, happy, and delightful life from this new found money... Others did not. You see, money has this effect on people that can't be outdone. People will do anything for it. And when it starts slipping into the wrong hands, it's impossible to stop. Benethe the day time laborers and the double-shift workers, a seedy underbelly of syndicates exists. Narctics, black market, organized crime, money laundering, you name it and it's been growing as fast as the upper world economy. While many do it just to stay alive, there's those who make it their posh lifestyle. Either way, there's only one question. What would you do if the money was good enough?
JAN 29 2021: Welcome!! ƎLEMENT has been open for two weeks now and we're so happy to see such a bright beginning! If you're new feel free to drop into the discord and say hi before joining.
Although it had been a slow night, it had almost seemed to fly by for some reason. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but time just seemed to go faster; especially as Tokyo approached the wee hours of the morning. This was generally his favorite part of his shift, it was quiet and he was left relatively alone to clean and enjoy the few hours of peace on the little side street. He’d been working at the little booth for some time, and although it tired him having to deal with people, he did enjoy it somewhat. It paid well enough for him to take care of himself and occasionally buy unnecessary things that made him happier.
The raven found himself staring off into the distance as he cleaned up the counters on the inside of the ramen booth, which honestly looked like it had seen better days. It looked like shit when he got hired, but the food was good; so people came regardless. It wouldn’t be long until his shift was over, maybe about 10 minutes until he had to get out and whoever ran it during the day would come in. That position seemed to always be changing, maybe customers were worse during the day than at night. He’d see all sorts during his shifts, people who were just hungry but didn’t want to talk, people who would order food but then not eat it and tell him things that they shouldn’t about themselves, people from the streets, rich idiots caught in the wrong part of town, drug dealers, hookers, you name it; he’d probably seen them recently.
His mind wandered a bit, somewhat giddy in his own quiet way about the walk home, he always enjoyed the stroll under the neon lights, humming away or singing even since no one was around to listen. It had a way of putting him at ease, to feel so alone in some place so big with so many beautiful lights. In those few moments on the way home, the world was his; or it felt like it at least. There was something soothing about opening the door each day to his apartment just as the sun rose, getting to watch it as he made dinner and then hopping into bed just as everyone else was waking up. It was peaceful, sometimes, and peace to Milo was something to be savored. So when he began to package up the remaining food from the day, something he’d often eat himself or would pass off to someone less fortunate who needed it more, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. Another day almost over, he could return to his cave then.
Oh Raven won't you sing me a happy song[break][break] Oh Raven won't you sing me a happy song[break][break] Scorpion sting, I don't wanna bleed[break][break] Tell me that I'm not lost[break][break] Oh Raven won't you sing me a happy song[break][break]
The only thought echoing through that little courtesan's mind as he tugged on a ragged midnight blue duffel coat. He looked immensely out-of-place among the painted walls of the brothel. The walls of that building coated in all manner of fineries to draw the eye of affluent men, heiresses, prodigies, and the like. While the boy was certainly exotic; his work had come to a close that night--no longer some lovely little hydrangea on display; just a foreigner in an over-sized cardigan and a pair of black leggings; his coat in such poor shape that it would be easy to believe he had just wandered in off of the streets.[break][break]
With a hesitant sigh; he finally stepped out from within those warm, extravagant confines--immediately gripped by a chill in the air. He didn't make a habit of leaving his room; least of all so late at night in a city he barely knew the name of. However, hunger and thirst had gripped him; the kitchen within his little establishment long since shut down for the night. The countless buildings that lined the streets of Shinjuku were all still so difficult for him to differentiate between--only having called this place his home for about three months now. All he knew was that one of those buildings with the glowing signs happened to be a 24-hour convenience store... and a quick, cheap meal was everything he needed to help his aching body recover before finally letting himself sleep.[break][break]
His footfalls were as quiet as a gentle breeze; even with his legs as heavy as lead--there was a grace to his movements. With ashen locks lit by moonlight; one could be forgiven for thinking the young man some specter. A slight timidity--a fear in that otherwise sleepy visage as he floated through the streets so familiar yet so vastly unknown. An intense shiver sent his petite frame trembling; already nervous by how far he'd come from his place of work.[break][break]
Did I already pass it...? I thought... it was closer...[break][break] Anxiety quickly gripping his heart as he wandered.[break][break]
Milo finished cleaning up the booth just as the clock ran down to zero. His time that day was done, he was free, and he left the booth spotless as usual. In silence he put sealed bowls of ramen into a few bags, tying the handles together with knots after slipping chopsticks and disposable ladles into them, just in case it wasn't him who ended up eating it. There was never any telling who he would run into on the way home, if anyone at all, and how much they might need the food more than him. He felt lucky to have a gotten a job all those years back, or it's very likely that he'd be among those starving, poor people lying on the concrete and freezing half to death; he'd been there for only a month, and it was horrible. You got no rest then, more often than not you were too hungry or scared; least that's how it was for him.
With one handful of ramen bags, he went about locking up the booth, pulling down the metal curtain of slats and walking outside to lock it with the keys he had. Once this was accomplished, he sighed in relief, putting the keys into his jacket pocket to be fished out the following evening. The wind howled down the street, taking a few stray papers with it and causing him to shiver. God it's cold, best get moving, home's warm At least that's what he hoped as he started walking down the street. As he passed a side street, he didn't even notice the only other person out at this time of night, or early morning. He was far too consumed with thoughts of getting back to his place, where it was warm, he had his things, and could get comfortable in peace. In most instances, Milo was terribly hyper aware of his surroundings, though something about tonight was just different.
It wasn't long after that, on his stroll amongst the neon lights and advertisements, the papers shuffling around the street and the lights that gave off a dim, weary glow, that he started to sing. His voice was pretty in an almost dreamy and ethereal sort of way, optimistic, yet scarred among the brilliant lights and the chilling winds. Given his assumed aloneness, he was unafraid to sing instead of his usual humming on the way to work. What could he say? The raven was like a songbird, given an ounce of boredom and silence, he was determined to fill it.
I've been singing the same old songs, They remind me of where I belong, Thinking I'm not the guy you used to know
As that fearful feeling began to envelop him; his heart pounding far too violently in his chest, the quiet of late-night turning early-morning was slowly pierced. A soft gasp slipping from the young man’s lips as the surrounding city slipped away into watercolors. The streets empty aside for one; a stranger cloaked in blacks; who caught his attention. A voice that filled the emptiness; caressing his fitful mind. Before terror-coated questions had a chance to entangle him; they were replaced by lyrics.[break][break]
I've been singing the same old songs,[break] They remind me of where I belong,[break] Thinking I'm not the guy you used to know[break][break]
The voice was wholly enthralling; something utterly ethereal. His pursuit of food fell away—in favor of pursuit of that man on the street. Like a street rat following the pied piper; the music moved his feet. The young courtesan in a trance as he ghosted behind the other. He was mesmerizing; that dreamlike voice—the countenance of that tone; the emotion within each syllable.[break][break]
It wasn’t long before he was led astray; each step gliding along the concrete path; those neon light drenching the man in a heavenly glow. To Emile, it appeared as though his very existence gifted color to the surroundings in each step. Perhaps it was just the introduction of another songbird to those streets that so enamored him with that presence. Always one who was weak to the allure of unexpected melodies; after a short time—that little dove had hopped and fluttered his way right to that lovely raven’s heels.[break][break]
While his footfalls were near silent; the gentle coo that parted from his lips as he drew closer; certainly wasn’t. [break][break]
“Pretty... so pretty...” [break][break]
A breathy rasp barely above a whisper; he may as well have been hypnotized. The words that left him were in English; not even aware that he had spoken. Wide-eyes, vivid blues that matched the neon lights of that strange city are what would greet the stranger as he turned.[break][break]
NOTES feeds himb noods and pat his head with one fingee, more noods are waiting in his pocket
He'd remained blissfully unaware that he was being followed for the majority of his trip, and it's very likely that had he been aware, his singing would've faded like a memory. In spite of how pretty his voice was, he kept it hidden away. His self esteem was already abysmal, what if someone didn't like it? Then what would he have left? So for the most part, this raven didn't sing, at least not for an audience. At home was a different story entirely.
Maybe I should've let it be Hangin onto a dead end dream Broken hearted, the scars are still with me
He carried on his lovely tune, his voice echoing wonderfully throughout the streets among the buildings and their cracked bricks and mortar. He'd nearly reached his apartment building when he heard the faintest, softest little voice behind him; and it nearly made him have a heart attack. His singing died instantly then, and turned around wide eyed and more than a little frightened looking. Though as soon as he saw the source of the voice, his fear faded considerably, at first glance he thought the small young man before him was homeless; considering his jacket looked like it had gone through a few tornadoes. His eyes were a brilliant blue, given their surroundings they almost looked like a window into the sky; big and...endless.
Had Milo not just been scared halfway out of his skin, he might've stopped to glance longer, though now he just wondered what this little fool was thinking. Surely, it had to have registered to him not to follow someone who looked like Milo off anywhere, someone covered in tattoos, piercings, and probably a million other things that people liked to claim were "red flags" around here. Though...he supposed that didn't matter in the grand scheme of things, and it was only then that he remembered that the smaller man had said something to him. In truth, Milo had no clue what he'd said and before he even thought about it a slew of Japanese left his lips, very fluent and with only a slight accent.
"Are you alright? Need something?" He asked, his tone friendly, yet laced in suspicion as he turned to fully face the other man then. His hand still clutching the ramen bag, as he tried to figure out why on earth someone so small would risk their lives by just wandering off after a stranger. It was only then that he realized that the ashen haired stranger had likely been following him for a while, and must've heard his singing. The thought made him nervous, but he tried not to let it get to him and focused more on finding out what the other's intentions were. Perhaps he was mistaken and they were just walking the same way, but he'd never seen him before...and Milo had lived in this area for a number of years now. He knew most of the denizens of this seedy, but very lively part of Tokyo.
Emile had hung on every lyric; every note, until the second that the stranger’s singing halted. Another soft gasp spilling from his lips as Milo turned to face him; the young man’s fingers nervously fidgeting amongst themselves. He hadn’t been in quite his right mind; following that alluring sound—like some siren’s song beckoning him to come closer. As the music faded out; the city faded back in. [break][break]
He swallowed hard; trying to focus on the pretty face that greeted him. He hadn’t seen the man’s front when he’d begun his pursuit... He was—alarmingly pretty. A face to match that rapturous voice. His cheeks traitorously tinting as he took in the details of that unexpected companion—each visible design that decorated his skin; and the piercings scattered through his form. “Pretty...” he whispered once more, in English. [break][break]
Though; the longer he took him in; the more the city came back into view. The more that young boy fidgeted—his fingers slowly tugging at and white-knuckling the cuff of his jacket. [break][break]
”Are you alright? Need something?” [break][break]
Right. Right; Em... Japanese. You’re in Japan. [break][break]
He shook his head for a moment; taking a deep breath. Fortunately, the foreigner had picked up enough of the language in his last few months to at least understand the question; and the good-natured intent behind it—despite the notes of suspicion in his tone. [break][break]
“Am ok! Not plan Japan...” he began; a horribly thick American accent; his Japanese painfully broken. “Speak... only little. ALWAYS lost.... help?” Each syllable was drawn out slowly; long breaks between his words as he contemplated the proper phrasing—failing rather impressively. None the less; as he finished—a look of pride fell upon his features; his lips curling into a small smile as he beamed up at the beautiful stranger. Nailed it! ...Kind of...! [break][break]
His eyes sparkled; looking like he may have started in on a new thought—though as he took a breath; a rather monstrous growl disrupted the quiet of the air between them. His face quickly tinting; the vibrant scarlet managing to pierce through the layers of makeup coating his face. His hands shooting to cradle his stomach as he averted his gaze. Those oceanic eyes washing over the nearby ground rather than admiring his companion—far too flustered by the noise that had left him. [break][break]
NOTES feeds himb noods and pat his head with one fingee, more noods are waiting in his pocket
Milo couldn’t help but be taken aback by how this man beamed at him, it was like looking into the eyes of an adoring puppy; there was something about it that just made some of his defensiveness melt away like mist. Though when the stranger’s cheeks flushed a bit and he whispered something that Milo couldn’t make out, it certainly made Milo raise a brow, perhaps he was coked out on something real nice. Given this part of town...it wouldn’t have surprised him. Though nothing, no years of living in a questionable part of a huge city, not a thing on earth could’ve prepared him for the broken and botched Japanese he was about to hear.
At the sentence, he merely blinked a few times in a mixture of shock and confusion. “Ehhhhh?” He said, the confusion quite obvious in his voice as the sentence looped in his head over and over again, though finally Milo did manage to pick out that this young man was lost, and obviously knew very very little Japanese, he probably couldn’t even read the signs to get back to wherever he was supposed to be. Though it was only then that it dawned on Milo that he too...spoke English …, this guy was obviously an American by the accent, as Milo once was. He felt more than a little stupid then, but he managed not to dwell on it in favor of getting more information from this strange, yet sweet looking little follower.
“Oh you’re lost?” He asked for confirmation in English, his voice surprisingly sympathetic. He recalled the time when he didn’t know how to read anything here and when he needed to rely on many Japanese people knowing English to get around. It was...incredibly limiting and frustrating, so he could empathize with the small stranger quite well. Though his eyes went wide again at the loud growl of a stomach, and he had to mentally check that it in fact wasn’t his stomach.
With the way the other man reacted, blushing so brilliantly and averting his eyes, clutching his stomach, it most certainly came from him. All Milo managed to let out in that moment was a nervous chuckle, this was...quite the predicament that he seemed to have gotten this stranger into. The raven could feel guilt beginning to prickle at his skin, oh how far from home had he lured this little dove? Anyone else wouldn’t have blamed Milo, but Milo blamed himself for everything.
“I’m sorry I got you lost, do you know what the place you came from is called or what it looks like? I could walk you back there.” He offered, deciding that he was better off speaking totally in English to this one, they’d never get anywhere if he tried Japanese. Some part of Milo wondered how long the other had been here...he certainly didn’t look the part of a tourist. Was he really from America? What part? How did he end up in a part of down like this? Milo had a lot of questions, but doubted that he’d leave this situation with more than a handful of answers. He supposed that food and his bed would have to wait a bit.
Oh dear; that utterance of confusion from the stranger’s lips certainly wasn’t a good sign... He clearly did not, in-fact, nail it. He shifted in worry; altering putting his body’s full weight on one foot; then leaning back to do the same with the other. The young man’s body language kept him transparent. He was an open book; his nerves on full display while he tried to puzzle through how to re-phrase his predicament in Japanese... Thankfully, he didn’t have to remain on that particular line of thinking for long.[break][break]
”Oh you’re lost?”[break][break]
Emile’s oceanic gaze washed back over Milo; distracted from his embarrassment by the introduction of English to the conversation. Oh; thank god... the voice in his head exasperated; deeply grateful for his own mother tongue. “Y-yes! Yes, I’m very lost!” He chirped in English; his hands raising from his stomach to his chest; fingers clasped together nervously. Em wasn’t exactly one who made it a habit to talk to strangers if he didn’t absolutely have to. Hell; that was a big part of why he rarely left his room.[break][break]
This stranger, though... seemed kind. On top of that, there were only a handful of people that he was able to communicate with fluently. It was nice—so nice to finally just be able to talk![break][break]
”I’m sorry I got you lost, do you know what the place you came from is called or what it looks like? I could walk you back there.”[break][break]
The young man shook his head emphatically at the other’s apology; that sweet raven hadn’t really been the reason he was led astray; it was his own absent-minded act that had done that.[break][break]
“No, no! Please, don’t apologize! I just... Your singing was beautiful. I got distracted; it’s not your fault I followed you!” Emile’s voice was a gentle rasp; the type of dream-like voice you would expect to hear from someone who’d just freshly awoken from a deep slumber. He returned that nervous chuckle; his fingers releasing so that one hand could anxiously rub at the back of his neck. [break][break]
“Yeah, I think it’s called—“ Em began, quickly cutting himself off. Shit! You can’t tell him you came from the brothel... He’s probably a local; he’ll know... he could call the police or... god, no. Just, no. Too risky! his thoughts ran a mile a minute; his breath hitching as he squirmed with the unexpected dilemma. He’d stared at that neon sign of the establishment next door for months... He could give him that name![break][break]
No, actually. He couldn’t.[break][break]
How... do you sound-out kanji...?[break][break]
A cold sweat immediately found his skin as he realized he had no way to communicate the name of the building—his sketchbook back in his room. Why hadn’t he brought his backpack with him? He always brought his backpack with him... Oh well, hindsight 20/20 and all that![break][break]
“W-well... the sign on the side looks like...” he started to pantomime the outline of the kanji in the air; his cheeks puffing slowly— repeating the motion in some huffy attempt at communication.[break][break]
“Fuck...” he mumbled—all too quickly realizing the futility of his actions. “Do uh... do you have a paper and pencil, by chance...?” His face a portrait painted entirely in embarrassment.[break][break]
NOTES feeds himb noods and pat his head with one fingee, more noods are waiting in his pocket
At the sudden display of nervousness, Milo’s heart dropped, jeez now he felt like an ass. Poor guy was probably hoping he’d done a good job, he remembered how hard it was to learn this language, it wasn’t more than three years ago no. Though it seemed that once the English reached his ears, his eyes zoned back in on him and any traces of embarrassment just vanished. If he could’ve sighed in relief without alerting the smaller man, he definitely would’ve. Milo never wanted to make anyone uncomfortable, especially when they were asking for help, sometimes that took guts. At least now he knew for certain that yes, this poor little dove was quite lost from his nest. Given how small and just generally...harmless this stranger appeared, it concerned him that he was wandering around in such a...frankly questionable and sometimes dangerous part of town; especially given how nervous he was acting.
If there was one thing Milo had learned, is acting nervous would get you messed with, and some part of him was very determined to make sure that didn’t happen to this hungry, very lost boy with oceans for eyes. Typically, Milo wasn’t one for eye contact, but with this guy it just felt...different, it probably helped that his eyes were such a brilliant blue, very much unlike the gloomy variety that the raven had. In fact, they were near opposites other than clothing, but there were more pressing matters to attend to he supposed.
The compliment to his voice made him clam up slightly, oh how he wished he hadn’t been singing tonight. His voice had put someone in quite a predicament, though some part of him was very pleased to hear that someone else liked it so much. That brought a touch of pink to his cheeks, but he tried to get rid of that quickly by murmuring a sheepish “thank you” and looking away for a fleeting moment as bashfulness took him over. He was quite nervous about his voice and didn’t particularly enjoy talking about it with strangers...however this one seemed nice.
After a few seconds of silence, he managed to bring his attention back on the task at hand. Nodding attentively as he listened to the first parts of the other’s sentence, before he promptly cut himself off and seemed to have some sort of dilemma. Perhaps he’d forgotten? Perhaps he didn’t want to tell Milo where his house was...that was probably a smart thing just in the interest of general safety.
“If it would help, you could tell me wh-“ he started, though fell completely silent as he watched his fellow foreigner attempt to draw the kanji of a neon sign in the air for him.
That’s it, now he was dumbfounded. It was as though his brain just shorted out, what in the hell was he supposed to say? If he was honest...it was pretty damn funny, he almost choked trying to force back a laugh. After taking a minute to compose himself, he pushed some of his own hair from his face then, giving a sigh and shaking his head in a “no”. Truth be told, they were close to his apartment, but he didn’t exactly want to open the door for this guy to know where he lived if the other wasn’t wanting to divulge the same information. So instead, he bit back his desire to laugh and tried to be a bit more sensitive, if such a thing was possible from Milo.
He could already see the embarrassment creeping onto this stranger’s face and he had no desire to add to it. Besides, if Milo didn’t help him, who else would? Probably no one with good intentions, but maybe that was just him assuming the worst.
“N-no I don’t, how about we backtrack until the area looks familiar?” He proposed the idea, still unable to shake the image of the poor boy drawing Kanji in the air in the hopes that his dumbass would understand what he was talking about. After that, he walked around the other, maintaining a rigid 3ft distance between them at all times as he started to try to lead him back the way that he came.
“You can’t have wandered that far off, c’mon lets go.” He said, gesturing with a movement of his head for Emile to follow him.
When Milo moved, it was with a relative speed given how tall he was. He marched along back the way that he came among the neon lights and cracked bricks with his new temporary companion in tow. At least the guy seemed harmless enough...but he still couldn’t get the mental image of the other tracing kanji into the air, puffing his cheeks out and then almost seeming to...realize that it wasn’t going to get him anywhere. It took a good deal of restraint and a few deep, shakey breaths to keep him from giggling about the whole thing.
