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] A chilling evening breeze weaved its way through the busy bodies parading about the Shinjuku district, reaching out to gently rustle through a fair-haired lady’s short strands as she marched through the bustling streets. Yua had once again found herself in Tokyo, however this time it was on her own accord. Life back in Yokohama was average at most, but sometimes even Yua was hungry for the escapism that she was slowly allowing herself to be drip fed. In the back of her mind she always reminded herself of where her loyalties lay, never allowing herself to stray too far from home, especially with the amount of those looking up to her for leadership and answers in place of her father. As willing as she was to empty her own lungs and breathe air back into the cult in order to keep it as alive as it once were, Yua couldn’t deny that these little evening escapades were giving her a break that she didn’t know she needed. A few months ago, the woman never even dared to place a foot outside of the tightly knit neighbourhood, being weighed deep down with the overwhelming fear of betraying her dead father- just like all her measly little siblings had done as soon as they were presented with the chance. Yet here she was, stomping down the streets of Shinjuku, looking as positively dead pan as usual.
Continuing to wander, Yua’s soulless, dark gaze soon fell upon a cosy looking café that was placed alongside the strip of an amalgamation of other bars and clubs alike. It emitted a warm, glowing light that offered a stark contrast to the wintry environment she was currently engulfed in, seemingly coaxing her inside with an inviting hug. There wasn’t much thought put into the motion before Yua’s long, lean legs began carrying the rest of her body forwards, slowly approaching the café with nonchalant grace. That was until a splash of pale lilac entered her view, causing her to slow down ever so slightly. There were a variety of small gatherings of people lingering about outside the café, but one person standing on their lonesome had caught Yua’s attention in particular. With furrowed brows she watched as the seemingly younger girl fumbled about, patting herself down multiple times, all the while a cigarette sat dormant between the grasp of her lips.
Now, Yua was never one to go out of her way to help strangers; nor people she was well acquainted with for that matter, but something about watching the girl struggle in a position she had been in many times before was proving oddly difficult for her to ignore. So with evident reluctance that she was unable to disguise, the lithe woman stomped over, a stoic look plastered upon her unique facial features. In the same course of movements, Yua swiftly shoved her hand into her own trouser pocket, reaching for the lighter that she never failed to have on her person; her fathers lighter.
“Hey, kid.” Came a monotone rumble from her vocal cords, slightly raised in order to be heard over the surrounding chorus of voices. Her condescending choice of words already highlighted the fact that Yua saw herself as superior, alongside the fact that she had guessed that the girl standing before her was younger than herself. There was nothing welcoming about her tone, despite the contrasting action of help that she was providing, which made the interaction seem even more odd than it was at face value. Yua’s strong features scanned over the other females almost as though she were deciding whether she liked her or not. Looking at Yua’s face, dislike was written all over it. This girl was too pretty. Yua didn’t like that. Looking down upon her in an intimidating fashion, Yua spoke once more.
“Need this?” Accompanying her dead pan words, the tall woman’s arm stretched outwards before the stranger, presenting the ancient looking lighter clasped between her digits.
Delicate fingers fumble, a little clumsy with stress, to pull the cigarette from its packaging. Lipstick tainted lips don’t hesitate to take the relief between them. Desperate. Craving. It had been a long day, and Seiko was in need of some relief. She strolled down Shinjuku way to deal with a couple clients – both legal and not. Her illegal client of the day had certainly been much more pleasant to deal with than the other. Her client for the firm, had given her plenty of grief. Her supervisor had dismissed her for the day, and the fact he felt the need to do so infuriated her more than the client had. [break][break]
Amongst the cold weather, hair flowing comfortably around her as she could just about taste the nicotine, she found herself ready to let go of the hard day. This bliss lasted only a moment as she pat down her pockets. No lighter? Where did it go? Seiko begins to rummage through her bag, searching every corner and crevice. [break] “Are you fucking with me right now?” She mumbles to herself as she systematically checks her pockets once again. Her eyes flitter into the distance, as she thinks where she last saw it. Her thoughts are soon interrupted, catching herself mindlessly patting herself down, she pauses. Seiko makes a sour face briefly – god she hated being called a kid, made her think of her father – but drops it soon enough. While the expression she replaced it with was still rather cold, it was definitely less hostile. [break][break]
“If I could?” Seiko responds, softer than her face looked. She was tired, and very ready for this smoke. “Thanks. I must’ve misplaced mine,” she says, perhaps a little defeated. Seiko reaches carefully for the lighter, hesitant in taking it to make sure the action was actually permitted. Only in that moment did Seiko really stop to look at the other woman. She was obviously older, as was given away from the term she’d used for Seiko. Just a bit older than her brother, she assumed. There was an expression on her face that rung true to how Seiko felt she must’ve looked. Not the type for random charity, Seiko didn’t think, but interesting given the situation she found herself in. There was something that felt familiar about the older woman. A sense of solidarity perhaps. Seiko was overthinking.
[break][break] “Could I ask for your name? I’m Murakami Seiko,” she asks stiffly, but offers a hand as an introduction. “I really appreciate the lighter. You’re saving me quite a bit of unnecessary stress,” Seiko lightly jokes, chuckling lightly, although not really smiling.
436 w. // here you go! sorry this took soooo long!!
