[FIN] Uninvited Guest

[Kitomyx]

The black-haired man blinked at Zacharie and made a face. “I can take care of myself, you know,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest and looking away. He may have pretended to resent being protected, but the truth was that he felt it made no sense for Zacharie to have to protect him from what he deserved when he had knowingly committed the deeds that earned him his fate. Worse yet was that he had been horrible to Zacharie, so for Zacharie to be the one to keep him from the consequences would have just made him feel all the more guilty. That guilt was probably more damaging than anything Andre could have done to him.

With another sigh, Izaya stepped out after Zacharie when Louis prompted him. Removing a five dollar bill from his pocket, he folded it and slipped it into Louis’ shirt pocket, patted the pocket twice, and walked after the purple-haired young man.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Louis glanced down at the pocket and only once Izaya had walked away did he roll his eyes.

“Zacharie!~” The front door swung open to reveal Andre, dressed in a plain, white button up and black slacks. “Thanks for taking the time to coming to visit~” The Agent was swept into a hug, much to his embarrassment. “I always come see you on Saturday.” Zacharie muttered, briefly returning the hug before wriggling out of his brother’s grasp. “Our guest is in the sitting room, why don’t you go greet him while I talk to Izaya, hm?” The information broker waved his little brother off, waiting until the boy disappeared down the hallway before turning his attention to Izaya.

“Hello again, Izaya.” He leaned against the doorframe as he eyed the dark-haired man. “I’d like to have a word with you in my office, if you’d be so kind as to follow me.”  

[Kitomyx]

Always on Saturday, huh? So that was how often. How quaint. Izaya kept his hood up and his coat on, but he pushed his sunglasses up to rest on the top of his head as he greeted Andre with a less-than-sincere smile. “Of course, Senpai,” he answered, though his gaze followed Zacharie down the hallway. What had that been about a guest? There was someone else invited here…?

Akira looked up when Zacharie came in and immediately got to his feet to meet him. “Oh, hello, there! You must be Zacharie!” he said, walking over to bow before the tall young man. “It’s such a pleasure to finally meet you at last! Andre talks so highly of you and I got really curious about the little brother he seemed to love so much. Wow, you really look a lot like him!” He held out his hand. “I’m sorry; where are my manners? My name’s Akira. Er, Akira Midoriyama.”

Glancing down at Zacharie’s arms, he realized he was holding a pokemon. “Oh, I didn’t even see your friend, here. Who’s this, if you don’t mind me asking?” He smiled at the Espurr, having never before seen the species of pokemon.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Motioning for the other to follow him, Andre started down the hallway. Though when they approached the sitting room entrance, he held his hand out to stop Izaya from getting too close. “I have some unexpected business to take care of.” He said, smiling brightly as he watch Akira and Zacharie interact. “I’ll join you both shortly.” He snatched the front of Izaya’s shirt and yanked him across the doorway before Zacharie nor Akira had a chance to notice before releasing him and continuing down the hall. “Sorry about that,” though his tone didn’t sound apologetic at all. “My other guest isn’t very fond of you.”

--

Zacharie blinked owlishly, “Uhm...hello.” He said slowly, fidgeting in place just a bit as he tried to figure out just what he should say. Andre hadn’t said much about this Akira person until very recently which had thrown him for a bit of a loop...but if Andre had high regards for this person then he must be okay.

Well, he supposed he could start by shaking his hand.

Shifting Kuroko to the cradle of one arm, he reached out to grasp the others hand and give it a few pumps. “It’s nice to meet you as well.” He gave the silver-haired male a once over, his head cocked ever so slightly. “Ah...does he really talk about me that much? That’s sort of embarrassing.” He shuffled awkwardly for a moment before shaking his head as if to clear it. “Oh, uhm this is Kuroko...he’s an Espurr. They’ve been brought over from Kalos the last couple of years.” Kuroko stared at the other boy for a long moment before waving a small paw. “Espurr.”  

[Kitomyx]

The black-haired informant’s brows shot up as he caught the sound of the familiar voice in the other room and he had to clench his teeth to keep from laughing aloud. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face, though, even when he was dragged across the hallway towards the office by the front of his shirt. He pulled his hood down lower over his face partly so he wouldn’t be recognized and partly to conceal the grin of amusement that refused to recede in the slightest.

“Who is, honestly?” he snickered, unable to contain it any longer. “Oh, wait - your brother. Which is actually why I’ve acted the way I have toward him lately. He must be into some serious masochism, though, because he won’t take a hint!” Izaya slapped his leg as he laughed.

“Arceus, you should have heard him before we came inside...acting all noble and telling me, ‘I won’t let anything happen to you’...even when I’d driven him to near violence just before our car ride here.” He gazed off distantly down the hall, his laughter fading gradually into nothing. “That’s some piece of work, that brother of yours,” Izaya said at last, leaning against a wall and closing his eyes wearily. “If you truly want what’s best for him, you’ll tell him to back off. Better yet, make sure he actually does.”

Akira reddened a little as he realized how he must have come off to the shy-seeming individual. He reached up to tug his bangs lightly and regarded Kuroko so as not to make Zacharie feel too uneasy being the focus of his attention. “He does,” the trainer confirmed with a small laugh. “But I think it’s nice. I didn’t know there was anyone else he had that he cared for as much as Vincent. And now that Vincent’s gone, well...you must be all that’s left for him. I mean, he mentioned your parents and grandparents, but it doesn’t sound like they’re very close with you anymore.”

He flinched. “Ah, sorry! That’s...probably not the best first topic of conversation. I apologize; I’m pretty awkward when it comes to social situations, so please feel free to tell me if I’m ever crossing any sort of line. I’m um...still learning gradually how to ‘fit in’, so to speak. This society is very different from the one I grew up in. Er, I’m from Snowpoint City in Sinnoh originally, but I moved to Kodo a couple of years ago.”

“From Kalos?” Akira repeated, marvelling at both the pokemon and the human he seemed bonded to. “Amazing. Hello, Kuroko,” he said, delighted when the little psychic-type offered a wave after some time. “That’s a cute name. Did you name him, Zacharie?”  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre shut the door behind them with a soft click before leaning against the solid wood. “I’m aware of Zacharie’s little crush.” He said simply as he crossed his arms over his chest. “For the life of me I cannot figure out why he would bother with you, but it seems like he will not be dissuaded.” They had discussed the matter at length just a few weeks ago when Zacharie had come home basically in tears. “I wouldn’t say he’s a masochist, but I will say that he’s willfully naive when it comes to people that he wants to help.”

He cocked his head as he watched the other laugh, “I don’t know why you’re laughing. You came crying to me about how alone you felt and how everyone was leaving you behind.” The corners of his mouth twitched up into a nasty smile. “He probably pities you.” He reached up to snag the end of his hair, twisting it this way and that as he inspected the ends. “You’re acting rather high and mighty for a pathetic, lonely excuse of a human.”

--

Zacharie stared at Akira for a moment. Had Andre told him about their family? It was a...not a taboo subject but they both seemed to have mutually agreed that they wouldn’t talk about it.

“Ah...well our parents were murdered...but even before they died I wouldn’t say that either of us were very close to them.” He said thoughtfully as he crouched to set a squirming Kuroko on the ground. “I’ve never met our grandparents though I’ve been informed that they’re not particularly nice people…” He trailed off thoughtfully before pausing. “...Sorry, that’s kind of morbid, isn’t it?” He cocked his head before heaving a sigh.

“I’m no good with talking to people either so you don’t have to worry.” He smiled a bit awkwardly as he rocked back onto the heels of his worn out sneakers. “I can’t say that I’ve ever been to Sinnoh...I was born and raised in Camphoreon and haven’t done much traveling…” He watched as his pokemon toddled off across the room, very obviously heading towards a glass bowl full of treats. “Hm? Yeah, I named him. It means like...black child or something like that? I saw it in a manga I read once.” He followed after his pokemon so he could grab him a treat. “Thank you, Zacharie.” The trainer nodded as he passed the biscuit down. “But yeah, I’ve got a few other pokemon from Kalos...they’re all very interesting in personality and type.”  

[Kitomyx]

At Andre's words, Izaya opened his eyes and raised a brow. "'Crush'?" he echoed. "Really? Is that what he told you? Because that child is still trying to grasp what society's idea of friendship is. How could he possibly have developed a crush, especially toward me?" He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "If he's crushing on anyone, it would have to be Jerry-kun. I hear they even went on some birthday date."

He kicked off the wall. "Regardless, he needs to stop 'bothering with me', no matter to what extent or for what reasons. If you don't dissuade him, I will. And that's not a threat, that's a promise. The last person I had to 'dissuade'? Akira's now-former lover? I practically broke that one before he finally got the message well enough to keep away. Do you really want your precious baby brother to end up damaged beyond repair? Now, when he's still trusting enough of people to give them the benefit of the doubt and put his faith in whatever goodness he might see in them?" Izaya met Andre's teal eyes. "We both know those are stupid ideas that can get one stabbed in the back sooner or later. But do you really want me to be the one to destroy that innocence? I was under the assumption you were hoping to protect him from all the evils of the world. Including your true self."

The black-haired man's expression darkened dramatically when Andre brought up what he'd said when he'd been drugged during the Valentine's Day Ball. He looked away, glad his hood could conceal the flush that had spread across his face. "...What else can I do?" he murmured. "In the end, I'm doing this for his own good. You know how it goes. Sometimes you have to play the role of the villain and hurt the people you want to protect in order to protect them. What does it matter if they don't understand it's to protect them from a worse fate?"

"Your...what?" Akira's jaw dropped. Murdered? By whom?! "Do you know who did it? You don't think it was - ?!" A certain sinister organization came to mind. Unfortunately, that also brought a certain blonde to mind as well. Surely Adam would never get involved with something as awful as murder. But...what if Team Rocket made him...?

"That's...I'm so sorry," he said, his face falling. "I had no idea. Even if you weren't very close to them, family is family. I didn't realize just how little Andre really had in that regard. No wonder he loves you so much."

He gave a sheepish smile in response to Zacharie's reassurance. "Thank you. That's funny, actually, because Andre did say he thought we were alike in some aspects. Maybe that's one thing he meant. But I don't think that's fair of him to say when he's as smooth a talker as he is." Akira followed Kuroko with his gaze as well. "Really? Well Camphoreon is a pretty exciting place. Not to mention Kodo as a whole. I mean, people being able to understand pokemon as if they spoke like humans? Where else in the world can they do that? I sometimes wish I grew up here myself."

"A manga? That's neat," the silver-haired man commented, laughing lightly. "But yes, that's what it means. Or 'little black one'. Something to that effect." He watched as Zacharie got Kuroko a treat, beaming fondly. "It's nice to see trainers and pokemon getting along so well."  

[insidiousEnigma]

“He didn't say it but it's rather obvious if you actually pay attention...actually I’m not entirely sure if he’s noticed it himself.” Andre laughed lightly, “Though I’m getting the impression that you’re so busy running away from him that you’re missing the signs...which is a shame because he really is just the cutest when he gets flustered.” He gushed, picking at a split end before releasing his hair. “I thought you’d be enjoying the different reactions you’ve been pulling out of him, I know I have.”

He heaved a heavy sigh and let his head rest against the door. “What to do?~” He hummed, feigning a rather contrite expression. “He wants you so badly…” He tilted his head and smiled brightly. “Hey, let me put a collar on you and give you to Zacharie as a present~” He could just imagine Zacharie’s face. Though he seemed to somber up at the others concern. “I’ll talk to him but I’m not promising anything. He seems fairly determined to become…something to you and I’m not sure if anything I could say would discourage him.”

--

“The killer hasn’t been caught and I don’t think they will be...it’s been a few years.” The boy said with a slight shrug. He kind of regretted bringing it up. He had made his peace with the situation a long time ago but it still wasn’t particularly a fun subject to talk about. “Oh,” he blinked owlishly as the other apologized. “You don’t-” He heaved a deep sigh before pointing to his face. “We really weren’t close.” He emphasized, hoping the other would get his point without him having to elaborate. “But...I guess I can say that so easily since I’ve settled everything that happened when I lived in their home.” The Agent shrugged and flopped onto the nearest settee with a soft huff. “But yeah, Andre’s the only other family member that I’ve met...and I guess I’m the only family member that he likes.”

Though he felt that like was a bit of an understatement.

“A smooth talker, huh?” He let out a surprised laugh. “That’s an understatement, he’s probably the most eloquent person I’ve ever met.” And he felt that that was saying something. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Sometimes I don’t know how to act around him because he just seems to know everything already, isn’t that right, Kuroko?”

The Espurr, who had been curiously circling around Akira’s legs while nibbling on his biscuit, looked to his trainer and gave a nod. “It’s spooky.” The pokemon agreed before tugging on the silver-haired male’s pant leg. “It is pretty cool being able to talk to certain pokemon.” Zacharie agreed with a nod. “But regardless of whether or not you can talk to them, I think it’s important to have a good relationship with all your pokemon.”  

[Kitomyx]

"It would make no sense for him to fall for me. I've done nothing but resent him and hurt people. Jerome's the one who's been setting examples for him to follow and supporting him and all that," Izaya retorted, though he seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as Andre. Of course he hadn't missed the signs. Those were the sort of details he used to observe people for in the first place and even go so far as to try to elicit. He just really didn't want to see them this time around because he didn't want them to exist. Part of him had hoped that if he'd ignored and perhaps discouraged them, they'd go away, but...that hadn't seemed to have been the case. Not if Zacharie was forgiving him as quickly as he had just a little while ago. Andre was right, though. He used to do this on purpose, so why was he trying so hard to ignore it now? Because people and their feelings had actually come to matter to him?

"What a funny joke. I forgot to laugh," Izaya grumbled unsmilingly at the mention of the collar. "I'm telling you, he's going to get himself killed. Don't just say something, do something! Tell him you'll kill me or something if he continues to talk to me. Because personally, I can't...can't keep...it's getting more and more difficult for me to keep people at bay," he finished finally, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not as resilient as I used to be. I keep telling myself that I'm doing this for them, but when the worst thing that seems to happen to them is me, it makes me second-guess if it's worth all this pain in the end."

Akira tensed when he saw Zacharie gesturing to his scar and realized what he meant. His lips parted slightly in surprise, but he didn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to say. He'd heard of child abuse before, but he hadn’t ever imagined anything like that.

Nevertheless, he managed to force a laugh in response to the purple-haired young man’s comment. “It may be an understatement, true...but in that society I grew up in, it’s a pretty common skill. Not that it makes your brother any less good at it, but what I mean is it makes sense he’s become so adept at it because he’s had to survive in that world as well. I myself couldn’t take it in the end. Too much acting and fake friendships. False affections. That sort of thing.” He sighed. “Your brother’s a stronger man than I, though. And you must be, too, to have gone through what you did and still be this content with it all.” Akira sneered. “And perhaps his seeming to know everything has something to do with his career. What kind of information broker would he be if he didn’t give off that impression?”

He tilted his head at Kuroko when his pant leg was tugged, seating himself back down so he could be closer to the little pokemon. “What is it, Kuroko?” he asked. Looking back up at Zacharie’s comment, he nodded. “It sure would be a lot easier to get along with some pokemon if you could understand them better, though. I had a Serperior that used to try to strangle me every chance he could get.”  

[insidiousEnigma]

“Since when do emotions make any sense?” Andre scoffed, waving a hand dismissively. “Try to ignore it all you want but the signs are there and obvious.” He couldn’t help but feel a bit bad for his younger brother. He was fairly certain that things would go a lot easier for him if he did have a crush on someone else. But at least this worked in his favour. If Zacharie’s little crush rejected him that meant that his little brother’s time was still mostly his.

The information broker gave a sharp laugh, “There are a few things wrong with your plan.” He snickered. “Firstly, Zacharie doesn’t think me capable of such things.” He held up his hand to count off his fingers. “What if me pointing out that he’s got feelings for you actually makes him realize it for himself? But most importantly, why would I do something that would make him angry with me?” He cocked his head and gave Izaya a look that clearly read ‘duh’. “Have you maybe tried sitting him down and telling him your concerns without belittling him? Which, by the way, I appreciate you upsetting him enough for him to cling to me for the weekend but do keep me out of it. I hadn’t planned on telling Zacharie that I was a sociopath, it’s quite inconvienant for me.”

--

Thinking back at the brief glimpse he had gotten at the world of the elite, Zacharie couldn’t help but agree. “Rich people are stupid.” He muttered, leaning to the left until he could snag a few candies from a different dish on the table. “It’s so much easier to be upfront, even if it hurts people’s feelings.” He groused before popping a chocolate into his mouth. “He’s got a lot of patience to deal with all of that.”

Kuroko stuffed the rest of his biscuit into his mouth so he could lift both arms, clearly expecting to be picked up. “Kuroko, you shouldn’t expect people to just pick you up.” Zacharie scolded lightly, though the pokemon only gave him a bland look. “Tell him to pick me up.” The trainer bristled just a bit. “You tell him to pick you up.” The fuzzy, blue pokemon stuck his tongue out at his trainer before turning his attention back to Akira, gazing up at the other expectantly.  

[Kitomyx]

“...He could have a crush on more than one person,” the black-haired informant muttered. “Maybe I’m just one of a whole line of people. Probably not even his first choice.” He scowled at Andre when the other man laughed. “Shall I change that, then?” he asked in response to the first comment, but the second shut him up. If Zacharie didn’t realize his crush yet, then it was important it stayed that way. But what could he do to make certain of that? If he shoved him away, he’d probably just be more persistent than ever, and if he pulled rather than pushed...that was no good, either. What if he pushed him toward someone else, though, like he’d somewhat done with Adam?

“I did,” he grumbled at his senior’s suggestion. “On accident, I broke down and told him a whole lot of things I shouldn’t have. It wasn’t going well. He was getting closer and trying to tell me to rely on others which I know I can’t do. That’s why I had to hurt him as badly as I did before; to distract him from what I’d told him about myself.” Izaya put a hand to his temples. “It was tempting, though - wanting to listen to him and rely on others - and I can’t have that. I’ve become weak enough as it is.” He exhaled in frustration. “I couldn’t even tell him off today when he grabbed me.” Even the thought of having to hurt Zacharie again, to push him away when he so obviously cared about Izaya, had been painful enough to nearly make him tear up. He was becoming far too empathetic.

At Andre’s complaint, though, Izaya smirked. “Aww, I made things inconvenient? So sorry. But if I don’t get to keep my secrets, why do you get to keep yours? It’s not like you asked me to keep my mouth shut, and you know I like talking. That’s one of the many reasons I’m an informant. Besides, you can’t keep him in the dark forever.” Looking over to inspect a piece of furniture, he continued, “Speaking of being kept in the dark...what is that Toshiro kid doing here?”

"They are," Akira sighed. "For the most part anyway, I think. But your brother doesn't seem to let it get to him and he seems pretty well-off." He looked thoughtfully at Zacharie. "Easier? I always thought it was harder because it might hurt people's feelings. But I mean, it's good if being honest comes easily to you."

The silver-haired man blinked and look from Kuroko to Zacharie and back again before hearing the pokemon's trainer scold it lightly. He laughed. "Oh, is that what you wanted? I'm honored you would even let me touch you."

Reaching down, he gently lifted the psychic-type into his arms before getting to his feet again and grinning at Zacharie. "Wow, you've got a cheeky one here, don't you?" he chuckled, having seen Kuroko stick out his tongue at his trainer. "So I take it you can understand his type?"

There was a distinct difference between the interaction of a trainer who could understand what his pokemon was communicating intuitively and a trainer who could understand what his pokemon was saying word for word. Akira had recognized this by now because it was like hearing the half of a conversation someone had when on a phone. You couldn't understand what the other person was saying, but it was clear something was being said to earn such a particular reply.  

[insidiousEnigma]

Andre briefly wondered if perhaps killing Izaya really was the best route to take. It would certainly get rid of Zacharie’s problem as well as his own. “You know, I don’t think he’d believe you even if you did tell him. Especially not after our little talk the last time you insinuated something about me.” Yes, Zacharie knew he was a sociopath now but he had been careful to make sure that the younger boy knew just what he needed to solidify his trust.

“It sounds to me,” he laughed lightly, eying the dark-haired man with amusement. “That Zacharie is going to end up getting what he wants. If you can’t manage to push him away, if you don’t want to push him away, even if you just ignore the situation…” The older man actually giggled, though the sound was anything but cute. “But I’ll do you a favour and talk to him; I don’t want him hanging around you any more than you do.” He assured the other as he stood straight and smoothed out his shirt.

“I think even you would be surprised at what I can keep people from knowing.” He said lightly as he pushed his sleeves up to his elbows. “Akira is here to meet Zacharie. I thought they’d get along and suggested that he come over.” More like insisted...but whatever. “I don’t think he’ll be too pleased to see that you’ve tagged along, though.”

--

Zacharie didn’t care too much about hurting people’s feelings. Not that he went around looking to hurt people’s feelings but he would much rather tell the truth, even if it hurt someone. Perhaps that was why he found being straight-forward so much easier. “...Andre’s good at not letting what other people say bother him.”

He wasn’t even sure if anything really upset him anymore.

Kuroko gave a soft squeak as he let himself be lifted, settling as easily into Akira’s arms as he would Zacharie’s. “He’s much softer than you.” The psychic-type pointed out as he patted the arms holding him with both small paws.

The Agent frowned and stuck his tongue out in return. “He’s a brat.” He said simply before a small smile tugged at his lips. “He likes to pull pranks if you don’t keep an eye on him.” He didn’t know how many times he’d gotten buckets of water splashed on him or had his shoe-laces tied together when he’d first decided to keep Kuroko on his team. “But yeah, I’m lucky enough to be able to understand psychic-types. That’s how I found Kuroko, actually.” He huffed a soft laugh as he watched the Espurr play with Akira’s hair.  

[Kitomyx]

Izaya clenched his teeth at Andre's analysis of the situation and resulting hypothesis. "I know one sure way I could destroy whatever infatuation he might have," he said darkly, a sinister smile gracing his lips as he glanced at Andre out the corner of his eye. "If I kill you, he'll always love you and forever hate me. That sounds like it would work for both of us, don't you think?" Withdrawing one hand from his pocket, he popped out a flick blade.

"You might have some skill at keeping things from people, but it takes so little to plant a seed of doubt to make them seek the truth." He studied Andre's face. “Why Akira, of all people? Is he getting lonely too?” Chuckling lightly, he added, “No wonder you enjoy toying with the ignorant ones. They’re too stupid to be wary of you. First Zacharie, now Akira. Nice collection of toys you’ve got going there.” He waved a hand. “Don’t worry; I have no intention of stealing your possessions. I just have a hard time comprehending your tastes.”

"And what about you?" Akira asked curiously, surprised at Zacharie's statement about his older brother. "Do you get bothered by what other people say?" Moving a hand to pet Kuroko, he added, "There's a difference between pretending not to care and actually not caring, too. Some people are just really good at putting on a poker face."

Akira was wondering why he was feeling so gleeful at simply being able to hold the furry Espurr when he remembered the reason he wasn't usually able to do so. "Kuso," he murmured, shifting Kuroko to support the pokemon between his hip and arm as he used his newly free hand to withdraw a pokeball from his pocket. Tossing it out, he released a normal-colored Leafeon who shook himself and looked about in surprise.

"Sorry, Happa," the Grass-type's trainer apologized. "I would have given you more warning and I know you're not fond of the indoors, but I forgot." Casting Zacharie a sheepish look, he explained, "I'm allergic to fur. Fortunately, Leafeon are able to clear the air with their mere presence, so as long as Happa's, out, I shouldn't be sneezing all the time. I'd hate to inconvenience poor Kuroko."

He grinned at being pat by the psychic-type and laughed at Zacharie's reference to him as a brat. "Sounds like a little sibling," he remarked, amused. "Let me guess. Even when he causes trouble, he's hard to stay mad at?" His laughter increased as he found his hair being played with. "Seems like a charmer to those who don't know his mischievous ways."

Happa, meanwhile, went over to sniff Zacharie. he commented though he knew the human wouldn't be able to understand him.  

[insidiousEnigma]

The moment the knife glinted into view Andre was pulling his gun from the holster at the small of his back. “That would be very industrious of you.” He said lightly, cocking the weapon and aiming. “If you’re so keen on dying I could always help you out.” Smiling rather pleasantly, he took a step closer.

“Why not Akira?” He asked in return, smile growing as the other studied his face. “Say what you will but he’s got rather sharp instincts.” The information broker cocked his head. “There’s no need to be jealous, kohai. You’ve got a special place too, I won’t forget to play with you.” With a snort of a laugh he regarded Izaya with a certain amount of amused fondness. “I’m not worried in the slightest.” He assured the other.

--

“I care what certain people say.” Zacharie said slowly, “But isn’t it natural to care what people you like say about you?” He sighed softly and frowned lightly.

He glanced up at the others muttered curse, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion as the other called out his Leafeon. He held his hand out, palm up, for the pokemon to inspect as it drew closer. “Hello, Happa. It’s nice to meet you.” He returned his gaze to Akira and gave a small smile. “That’s smart of you but are you aware that they have medicines for pet and pokemon dander, right?” Though he soon released a groan at the others statement. “You have no idea. He just...stares at you and for whatever reason it’s hard to stay angry with him.”

Though his expression didn’t change, Kuroko seemed to preen as the two spoke about him, turning his gaze up to Akira before patting him on the cheek. He said, letting his gaze drop down to this ‘Happa’. He informed the eeveelution.  

[Kitomyx]

Izaya regarded the gun cooly and slowly slipped his jacket off his shoulders and arms. He placed it on a nearby desk and walked up to Andre with a look of calm detachment. "Also very tempting," he said. "But then I couldn't repay Aila or Faleen. And those are things I have to do before I die.” Folding up his knife, he slipped it into his pant pocket.

“Not Akira because he’s boring. Too grounded, too predictable, no sense of humor, and no fun. Too sensitive, too. Say, he is a lot like Zacharie, isn’t he?” He huffed and crossed his arms, turning his back to the other man when he was being reassured. “Shut up. I don’t even know why I came here in the first place. Certainly not to be patronized by you.” Snatching up his jacket, he headed toward the door. “If that’s all, I think I’ll be going. Have fun with your little tea party.”

"That's what I told Andre," Akira mused. "About caring what people who matter to you think of you. But then there are those who don't or pretend not to care about anyone so they don't have to act like they care about what anyone thinks of them."

Happa looked up at Zacharie and, after sniffing his hand, pressed his head up against it affectionately.

The silver-haired man looked sheepish as he watched Happa warm up to Zacharie. "Yes, I know, but I'm not all that fond of medication. Especially when it eats at my meager wages and I have an easier, cheaper method." He laughed again at the confirmation of his guess and shook his head at Kuroko. "Sly little devil." Kuroko’s touch made him snicker. “Hey, that tickles!”

Happa looked up at the strange new pokemon in Akira’s arms.

“Oh, Happa, this is Zacharie and his Espurr, Kuroko. Zacharie, Kuroko, this is Happa. His name means ‘leaf’ in Japanese, which I know isn’t very original, but I also liked how it was similar to the word ‘happy’. He’s one of my more cheerful pokemon.”