[FIN] I Know You

[Tori Honoo]

"How is it supposed to learn if it doesn't experience anything?" she told him, her eyes filled with more than just words about her mew. When he allowed himself to exclaim his surprise at her own experiences, however, she flinched a little, then shifted her attention to her other leg, stretching it out beside her and bending to touch her toes. "I've mapped out all the other parks and looked over their reputations. This one is safer than the rest, it's mid day, and I've got my full team with me. It's as safe as I can be and still be able to accomplish the task at hand..." she continued, her voice completely casual. She had had enough time to get over what had happened, though of course, the problems that had occurred afterward still worried her, deep down.

When he decided to retract his offer to meet, she stopped stretching and instead sat back, her expression more concerned than anything. "I'd love it if you stayed, but if you're tired, I understand... I'm really not so busy, and there are plenty more hours in today for me to do my workout." She offered a weak smile, then looked off. "I mean, I haven't seen you in...how long? It's just...kind of nice to know you're alive, cranky or not."  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"It needs proper discipline first," Akira tried to explain. "You can try to teach it things at home, like when not to transform and why. Then you can give it a test run. But first you have to teach it enough to test."

He watched her stretch, feeling more fatigued than ever. "'Reputations'..." he scoffed. "Look, sorry, I shouldn't tell you how to live your life. Do what you like; it's none of my business."

At the mention of him being alive, Akira gave her an incredulous look. "Are you suggesting I'm a hobo? A drug-addict, maybe? If anyone shouldn't be alive, I'd say it's you." He waved an arm. "Come on. Gonna go get some coffee. We can talk there."  

[Tori Honoo]

She nodded, agreeing to what he said against her will. He was right, she supposed. "It's been pretty good about staying whatever it chooses to be until I call it back. Maybe it just liked you."

Once her legs were stretched, she lifted herself to her feet and stretched her arms instead, listening with all attentiveness as he spoke. "Honestly, you really can't tell me how to live my life. Especially not around here," she smirked, a sureness even she wouldn't be able to place in her features.

She dropped her arms to her sides, then a hand to her hip as he suggested they get coffee and the sureness faded a bit. "That sounds great... You do look like you could use something to wake you up." She started walking, back up the sidewalk toward the shops. "So how late were you up anyway?"  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"Or liked what I had on me," he added, having noticed the creature fixated on the metallic mp3 player in his pocket. "Either way, can't let it just go up to people it 'likes' and do whatever it wants. Even if it wasn't what it is. Are you done arguing? Because you're not going to win."

"I don't know what you mean by 'not around here'," the young man groaned. "But just drop it, okay? I already said I'm sorry and I'm not in the mood to quarrel about this." After all, they had never seen eye-to-eye. He doubted they ever would.

"All night. I do graveyard shifts," he said, going to open the door for her as he answered her question. "So what brought you to Kodo, anyway?"  

[Tori Honoo]

When he told her she would never win, she laughed softly, pushing a few loose strands of hair back from her face as they walked. "I don't think I'll ever win with you, no matter how hard I ever wanted to..." The smile remained on her face.

"Apology accepted, though unnecessary, and I won't worry about it if you don't." What even was this mood? Was it because she hadn't seen him in ages, or just because the day was so nice? In any case, any ill will she had previously thought she would have felt when meeting with him seriously had disappeared entirely.

She did make a face, however, at the answer to her question. "Ouch..." She slipped in the doorway, adding a small thanks as she passed him. "What brought me to Kodo...?" she repeated, making sure she had heard right. "...personal needs and desires that I'm sure wouldn't interest you much..." She stopped inside near the barista bar and looked him in the eye, her expression suddenly serious. "After all, we just met, right?"

Ah. There is was.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

"I don't know," he responded nonchalantly, stepping inside and allowing the door to close behind him. "You tell me."

Going up to the counter, he greeted the barista with a friendly, if weary, smile. "Just the usual, please."  

[Tori Honoo]

She watched him walk to the counter in soft silence, then made her way to it as well, greeting the barista in much the same manner. "Hey~ I think I'll stick to an iced rose hip today, please," she smiled, paying when prompted.

When that was finished, she took the glass with a word of thanks, then moved toward a table, with wary, but expectant look toward Akira. He could either drop the act and talk openly with her, or continue it and get as few answers as he offered himself.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

When Akira's own coffee was ready, he paid for it and thanked the person behind the counter as well. Seating himself at the same table as Dove, he sat across from her and quietly sipped from his cup a minute before speaking up again.

"So, you didn't come to this region seeking anyone out, then? Just for your own, personal endeavors?" He stared at his coffee and blew on it through the opening of the lid a couple of times. "That's good. Because, you know, some people leave their hometowns not wanting to be found." The young man raised his eyes to meet the girl's. "Kind of defeats the whole purpose of starting over if they are."

He took a few more sips. "Did you come here to start over, maybe? For yourself?"  

[Tori Honoo]

She sipped at her own drink, looking him over quietly as he joined her at the table. When he spoke, however, her brows furrowed. "I didn't search for you overseas unless I already had business there. I was worried sick, but with so many already searching for you, I didn't think there would be any good to come from me joining them. I just hoped for the best, and never found it until now."

She looked away out the window and sipped again at her drink, her expression now more distant. "I just came to get away from things for a while, and... I found more reasons to extend my stay than I thought I would."

Though it crossed her mind to return the question, she stayed quiet after her explanation. He had already explained enough when it came to why he was here.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

Akira raised a brow at Dove. He had no clue what she was going on about. So many already searching for him? What 'many' was she talking about? No, it was better not to ask. It was no longer his concern.

"This is not the best. Far from it," he answered dully. "I came to get away from things too, but with you here, it's like it's all coming back to haunt me. So I'm asking you now. Please." He met her brown eyes with his own as he pleaded. "If you're going to interact with me at all in any way, please keep it strictly directed towards Akira. Who I used to be doesn't exist anymore, okay?"

He glanced out the window in a sullen mood, downing some more of his own, gradually-cooling beverage. "No one needs to know about it. If you can do that, we should be able to get along just fine."  

[Tori Honoo]

She watched him a long moment, everything about her still.

"As you wish," she told him softly, looking down into her tea before taking another sip. A thousand more questions went through her mind, a thousand things she wanted to say, and yet each was silenced before it surfaced. All in good time...  

[Akira Midoriyama]

He nodded. "Good. Thank you." Akira stood. "Well, if that's all, I'd better get going. Sorry for interrupting your activities."  

[Tori Honoo]

She stayed quiet, her thoughts distant, until he rose from his seat.

"Wait, you're leaving? So soon?" Her voice was weak, her eyes widened.  

[Akira Midoriyama]

He paused on his way to the door. "...I said what I needed to say. Was there something further you wanted to discuss?" he asked calmly, coffee in hand as he glanced back.  

[Tori Honoo]

She offered half a laugh, then turned a little more to him from her seat. "After all those questions that neither of us answered, you think I don't have anything else to discuss?"

Her tone stayed calm and casual. "Besides, I'd really like to get to know you... Akira."