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.
[attr="class","dorado2"] All my troubles on a burning pile, all lit up, and I start to smile.[break][break] Yua hated children.
So it came as a startling source of surprise when the towering, fair-haired woman could be spotted marching down the streets of Shibuya 渋谷 with just that by her side. It was an early weekend afternoon, and the two residents from Yokohama had made their way out of their hometown and travelled to Tokyo’s infamous shopping district. This was common practice for Yua- to take one of the cults youngsters, or occasionally elders, out on supply stocking trips. Of course there were sufficient locations for this to be done back in Yokohama, but it was ideal to allow the children to visit places that were new to them, in order to experience the corrupt world they lived in.
Resembling that of a military general, Yua strode down the active streets with the child by her side. The small neighbourhood from which they came was an incredibly tight-knit community, largely for the wrong reasons, but this meant that everyone knew everyone. The little one glued to her side was the son of a long-serving couple who were closely acquainted with Yua’s father, just like everyone else. On paper, it seemed probable that the two would get along due to these circumstances, but Yua simply despised kids, nor could she handle the thought of holding a conversation with one. What on earth would they speak about?Dinosaurs? Their favourite story book? Yua would rather sit and watch paint dry than converse with a snotty-nosed child. As if embodying Yua’s negative thoughts in physical form, the older woman’s large hand roughly clasped around the child’s, who barely even measured up to the height of Yua’s hip. This allowed the boy’s free hand to dangle by his side, sporting the uneasy image of minor burns upon his otherwise untouched skin. Yua was aware, yet completely unphased by this, as accidents like this were common back home. It was more embarrassing than anything, for her to be patrolling about with this miscalculation of a human.
Continuing down the bustling streets the unlikely pair walked, occasionally stopping to observe items through shop windows that Yua would soon tear the boy away from. “Stop being greedy.” Yua would bluntly murmur beneath her breath, casting the emptiest of side glances condescendingly down at the child, stopping him in his tracks completely. Her voice was deep and monotone, leaving no room for contemplation. Similar to stone, Yua’s uniquely carved out features remained still, showing little to no emotion as she turned her gaze back to the concrete avenue before them. Every minute that entered them further into the afternoon caused Yua to become envious of those back home. She would much rather be doing as she pleased in the familiar comfort of her home, but instead she was running errands and acting as a babysitter.
With that same stoic look on her face, and the boy practically being dragged by Yua’s forceful, soldier-like movements, the peculiar duo continued to make their way down the main street in hopes of finding a grocery store. The quicker this little adventure was drawn to a close, the better it was for both parties.
Shuichi loved children. [break][break] He always had, even when he was one. There had been a time, before his parents' expectations convinced him otherwise, that he thought about pursuing pediatrics. Hell, he'd even considered at one point, just as he was floating on the high of graduating and right before he joined the Ajiwau ranks, adopting a kid of his own. Anxieties were a bit rampant in his life, though, nerves far too heightened for him to ever think he'd actually make a good singular caretaker. And so instead he just flourished in those moments when, out and about, he could see the cuties running around, stumbling as they figured out how to be humans. [break][break] So it was no surprise, really, that as he trekked through the streets of Shibuya, his attention was caught by the strange pair making their way through the district. [break][break] Shu couldn't quite put his finger on why, but there was something about those two--the woman with the hard stare and stoic countenance and the boy dragged along behind her--that sent a nervous shiver down his spine. He told himself to just let it go, to return to his own business, but he soon enough found himself following them, his mind screaming that this was stupid and dangerous and he should just leave well enough alone. [break][break] It was during this rather uneasy and unexpected tailing that Shu spotted those burns spotting across the boy's skin. His dyed brows knitting in concern, Shuichi made a point to stand a little closer, to try and get a better look at those blemishes. They looked... wrong; like they'd been improperly cared for. His stomach pitted at the thought of what could have caused them. [break][break] Now Shuich was not, by any means, a sneaky person. His dyed hair stuck out like a sore thumb and he wasn't particularly skilled at going incognito. So it came as no real surprise when the boy noticed him and sent him some curious look. Frozen with surprise, standing outside some Shibuya grocery, Shu could do little more than awkwardly wave and hope that that woman wouldn't notice the little exchange. [break][break] If she did, he'd surely stumble through some introduction; if she didn't, he told himself he'd slip away from the uncomfortable scene... though, ultimately, he knew himself better than that. He'd surely just keep trailing them until he got an opportunity to take a better look at those injuries.
[attr="class","dorado2"] All my troubles on a burning pile, all lit up, and I start to smile.[break][break] A sigh of annoyance slipped past Yua’s lips after she felt resistance once again, roughly tugging at the boy's hand that she continuously held in her inescapable grasp. “What did I just say?” Yua spoke up, slightly raising her voice in contrast to last time's grumpy mumble. This time, she averted her gaze, directing it strictly downwards to make eye contact with the little vermin of a child. “I said, stop being gre-,” The woman’s voice abruptly cut off as she came to the realisation that the boy wasn’t even facing forwards, but instead turning back to look at something behind them. Yua’s brows knitted in displeasure before she slowly swivelled her neck, scanning in the direction that the kid was so eagerly fixated upon. At first all that met the eye were busy bystanders going about their day with copious amounts of shopping bags at hand, but that was until Yua noticed a flash of salmon locks. The boy beside her offered a sweet smile to the strange man, accompanied by a frantic wave.
Similarly to a rooftop sniper locking in on its target, Yua’s soulless, black gaze drilled holes into the foreign man, taking in his appearance as she eyed him up and down. His lengthy apricot locks and odd clothing sense made him stick out like a blot on a landscape, causing any of Yua worries about this being a man of danger to evaporate. Nonetheless, this didn’t subtract from the fact that he had caused a disruption to the fluidity of their day trip, and Yua was definitely not one to let even the slightest of inconveniences go without being squashed. The reason as to why he was so interested in the pairing was a complete mystery, which caused Yua to become intrigued. Had he been following them? For how long?
“I don’t suppose your parents ever taught you proper manners.” The fair-haired lady spoke out boldly, lifting her vocals in order to allow the cowardly looking man to hear from the distance that was between them. Jerking the boy's hand once again, Yua turned and began walking towards him, pulling the child with her as she took her time with each step, inching closer like a predator to its prey. The strangers features became more prominent now, and Yua took her time drinking them in. Gentle green eyes, soft features. Who was this man? Yua’s thinly stretched lips parted once more, “You know it's rather rude to stare?” Like a closed book, Yua’s expression was practically unreadable. She seemed relaxed, but in the most intimidating of possible ways. The tension of the one-sided conversation could virtually be seen above them, hanging like a cloud of thunderous storms as the short haired woman inched closer, the boy still glued to her hip. She tucked him behind her slightly, almost trying to implant the false idea that this man had scared the kid.
Like a giant Yua towered, inching slightly over the unknown stranger who seemed odd in a variety of indescribable ways. He didn’t seem like the type to retaliate, so Yua took advantage of the situation and could almost virtually be seen playing with it in her power-starved grasp. “Is there anything I can help you with, Sir? You seem a little…” Her distinctive voice trailed off slightly, paired with her eyes flashing away quickly as if she were lost in thought, all before her dominant gaze came crashing down once more. “Lost.” And with that final word, an invisible string tugged ever so delicately at the corner of Yua’s lips, eeking out an uneasy smirk.
Awwww, damn. That sweet smile was heart-melting, Shuichi feeling his stomach flip at the adorable wave accompanying it. He was already hooked, already invested, so easily tricked into giving a shit about people. There wasn't a chance he was going to leave well enough alone after that little endearing display. At the very least, he needed to take a closer look at those wounds. [break][break] And then his emeralds matched with that dark, charcoal gaze and Shuichi felt his soul about leave his body. [break][break] To say the woman before him was intimidating would have been the understatement of the century, his breath hitching as that intense gaze landed on his form. He stood up straighter, too, like he was some schoolboy who'd been caught misbehaving by the principal, the hand he'd been using to wave freezing before him, that friendly smile taking on a far more awkward angle. [break][break] "I don't suppose your parents ever taught you proper manners." [break][break] Her voice was as intimidating as he expected it to be, Shu wincing like he'd been struck at the sound of it. For as much as he wanted to check on the kid, this was absolutely not going the way he'd hoped, his body screaming at him to run the moment she started stalking his way. He didn't though, half out of fear and half from that intrinsic caretaker core that told him not to leave until he was satisfied with the kid's safety status. [break][break] "You know it's rather rude to stare?" [break][break] "O-Oh, y-yeah, I know! I-I'm sor--" [break][break] The stuttered words faltered, as she drew closer, towering over him, Shu feeling more and more like some obstinate ant with each second that passed. [break][break] "I uh--!" [break][break][ "Is there anything I can help you with, Sir? You seem a little... Lost." [break][break] Words and the ability to breathe simultaneously left the young physician, his visage flushed with embarrassment and nervous anxiety alike. He wondered, briefly, perhaps a bit assumptively, if this woman had ever killed a man. She certainly looked like she could break him in half over her knee without breaking a sweat. Why had he thought this was a good idea again? [break][break] "I uhm... I'm a..." his gaze flicked to that smaller form pressed behind the woman, new resolve coming with the glance and with a shaky, deep breath. Emeralds lifting to that stern expression once more, he spoke, far more confidently than he actually felt. "Morita Shuichi, ma'am. I'm a doctor. I... I couldn't help but notice his burns," and he nodded at the child, his tone instinctively softening, "and I just thought they looked a little off, like they hadn't been treated correctly. I uh..." the sheepishness, the nerves, were back, apology in his tone. "I just wanted to take a closer look to make sure..." [break][break] As much as he wanted to spout apology after apology, he managed to stop himself, small voice in the back of his head reminding him that he wasn't in the wrong, that this was appropriate, especially if it turned out that the kid actually needed some help. Eyes falling to that little form again, he added, "I just wanted to help if I could..."
[attr="class","dorado2"] All my troubles on a burning pile, all lit up, and I start to smile.[break][break] Yua strongly believed that in every conversation amongst a pair of strangers, one always prevailed in terms of dominance. In some, a fight for power was held, like two opposing bulls locking horns in competition over territory, whereas others, well- they were more… one sided. For example: the introductory meeting between an antsy doctor and a stoic cult member. The current interaction was not sparring even an ounce of battle, which was surprisingly new considering the behaviour Yua had been presented with when confronting other citizens of Tokyo. It was so backwards that the salmon-haired individual cowering before her may as well have handed Yua his own spine- dressed up all pretty in a little gift wrapped box. Pathetic was an understatement, but the power-obsessed woman was never going to turn down one's submission, no matter how indisputably it came about.
A similar feeling to that of consolation coursed its way throughout Yua’s lengthy figure when the stranger revealed his intentions. A doctor certainly wasn’t up high on her list of guesses on who he could’ve been, but then again ‘professional weirdo’ had been her first. She wasn’t that far off, honestly. Despite her seemingly unbothered approach to the current situation, a minor sliver of doubt had perused through Yua’s mind, mentally questioning the validity of Shuichi’s claims. Was there something more sinister going on here? Perhaps a robbery or kidnapping was about to be set in motion. “No- it can’t be. He can barely let go of a proper sentence without stumbling over his words.” Yua thought critically, squashing her own personal concerns within the same amount of seconds she had used to conjure them up in.
“Sugawara Yua,” The woman dryly stated, conforming to the social pleasantries that she otherwise would’ve disregarded if it weren’t for her own personal intrigue. “You must be very observant to have noticed such a minor detail.” Monotone words fell once again, paired with the action of soulless, inky orbs eyeing the doctor up and down. In the same breath Yua seemed to discredit the severity of the child's injury, as well as partake in her own fun of mockingly toying with her new acquaintance. “I was unaware that the new way of getting your diagnosis was to be spied on in the streets by a doctor,” The corners of Yua’s lips became upturned ever so slightly, signalling that of a ridiculing smile hidden beneath a façade of false pleasantries.
“But it seems to be working out for you.” A lengthy, eerie pause choked the air like poison, all the while Yua’s peculiar smile faded. “How lovely.”
Urging the child forwards after he had been shielded behind the woman’s impressively sizable figure, she positioned him firmly at her side. “Come on now, show Doctor Morita your hand,” Yua blankly commanded, unable to disguise any sinister tendrils that wrapped around her vocals. “It’s nothing more than a silly little oven burn from a couple of days ago, right?” The ashy blonde nodded her head, looking for the child to do the same in agreement. Anyone with common sense could see that something strange was going on here.
“Children…” Yua directed her dull orbs back to the salmon-haired doctor. “So clumsy.”
