I Hate Violence

        Ikebukuro never changed, it was always a constant state of one extreme or another. There might be breaks in between but Shizuo was used to those. He thought nothing of them as he smoked his cigarette, finally off work for the day. He’d sent one man flying after he’d begged him not to because he had a kid on the way. If he had a kid on the way what the hell was he doing gambling. Didn’t anyone have a brain? It wasn’t like he was one to talk. He flew off into a rage before he could even think.

Another voice echoed as she ran past… someone, she supposed. Her steps slow to a halt before turning around just in time to see someone rip a bench from the concrete below. People– they could do that around here? What the hell was that strength. The brunette flinches as the flying bench makes contact with the two idiots from earlier, also sending them flying. 

In awe she stares into the distance, towards the direction the two jerks had run off after being whacked away by the bench. It takes her a few seconds to process what she had just seen before turning her attention to the one responsible for scaring them off. 

Color gangs? That would explain their ruffian behavior.  Gang was the keyword that explained it.

❝ Oh uh. Yeah. But uhm… is that-. ❞ She points first to the broken pavement of which the bench once stood and back down to the spot where the two thugs were hit. ❝ Is that normal for you? ❞ Ah-! In her confusion, she almost forgets to thank the man! ❝ Oh uh- thank you by the way. I really appreciate the help. ❞

        He set the bench down, it now unable to support itself now that the steel beams had been ripped from the ground. No one seemed to bat an eyelash as if this were an everyday occurrence in Ikebukuro. The bench fell forward to the ground with a clatter. Shizuo reaching into his pocket as if nothing had happened.

        He hadn’t paid enough attention to know if they really were a color gang or just wannabes, to Shizuo it didn’t really matter. Pulling out his pack of cigarettes he fished one out placing it between his lips. Fishing around again for his lighter he lit it, inhaling the toxic chemicals.

          ❝ GO AWAY CREEPS! ❞

A voice boomed as the rapid sound of footsteps on concrete grew louder. Following that tap tap of footsteps running, followed two other sets of footsteps. With a statement like that, it was pretty obvious what was going on. Unfortunately not many people wanted to get involved or do anything about it. Something that… many people admonished yet, would do the same if they were in their position.

The young lady running away however, was not a stranger to unwanted encounters. Every once in a while this would happen, but she was pretty good at deterring the situation or losing the culprits completely. These guys? They were uncharacteristically persistent. 

She didn’t want to have to fight them off either, that’d only draw more attention to herself. Yet if this continued, she’d have no choice but to fight them off.

        He heard the noise first. Sighing he took his cigarette and opened his pocket ashtray, tossing it into the ashtray he let it snap shut. Shoving it down into his pants pocket he groaned. He couldn’t even have a moments rest around here. It was probably one of the color gangs. At least that’s what Shizuo thought. There were entirely too many around here for their own good, always fighting over territory.

        “Oi, you heard the lady.” The blonde snarled, reaching for the nearest object he could use as a weapon. It just so happened to be the unlucky bench he’d chose to sit on. If the cops weren’t so afraid of him he was sure he’d already be behind bars ten times over. 

        Shizuo leaned against the bench, the cigarette hanging loosely between his lips. He’d only just lit it, the smoke billowing softly towards the sky. A soft breeze blew as people wandered through the streets of Ikebukuro. He’d done it again, lost his temper when someone had tried to make an excuse as to why they couldn’t pay Tom on time. Jeesh, if you were gonna gamble with money that wasn’t yours at least do it in moderation. Or not at all. But if no one did it he’d be out of a job. Tom was after all one of the few people who dealt with him sending people flying half way across Ikebukuro.

When the device was handed back to her, she simply gave a shrug. She wasn’t sure of the weather, but in some parts of Ikebukuro, it was beginning to sprinkle lightly. A few vehicles that passed through the streets already seemed to have gathered a little moisture on them, and the dullahan noticed. Gesturing with her open palm towards the traffic, the vehicles coming in from the west seemed to be lightly dappled with water. Welp, there’s their answer! Just in case, however, she let a little smoke seep out from the sleeve of her suit and quickly slip into the form of a closed umbrella. 

Do you think… || Accepting 

dammit. the  student  glances  down, her hand  holding fast to her  bag as she  grits her  teeth. why  hadn’t  she just  ignored him  &&  walked away?? it  would be  his fault  for  wandering out not  hers …. dammit !! ❝don’t  you  know  ANYTHING ?? ❞ well kimiko, that was rude. ❝the riff raff — villains in this area.❞ her voice shook however.

“Er a bandage? No, but…,”He fished around in his pocket, and pulled out a few napkins, which he swiftly held over. “Here, do these work? Sorry, sorry, I’m not very useful with this.”

He paused, before asking quietly,”B-by chance, uh, how did you get that injury? Did you run into something, or fall?” It was hard to tell at this point.

        Why would he offer a bandage if he didn’t have any on him? To Shizuo that didn’t make sense. He frowned a bit, perplexed by the other. He took the napkins, dabbing at the cut on his forehead. He shrugged at the question.

@boryokuokirau liked this for a starter

Cities – in short – were fucking gross.The air was thick, pungent and forced an uncomfortable pressure on Terra’s lungs. The streets were littered with trash, filling the alleys, the gutters and even infiltrating the equally dirty sidewalk. Cold concrete replaced the loving embrace of the trees, and the disconnect from the bare earth made her lightheaded.

Despite her complete and utter disgust, travelling here was a necessary evil. The solitude of the forest often became unbearable, and even though she rarely interacted with the city residents, being surrounded by them made her feel less alone. 

One of the only things that made her feel some comfort in such an unfamiliar place was the local food [specifically miso soup]. She was thoroughly enjoying her meal, however, her joy was short lived. Her sandals caught on a stray soda can, she stumbled, and her bowl went flying. Soup splattered across the sidewalk and cherry on top, some random strangers shoes and pants were suddenly stained with her lunch. There goes ten bucks.

“Oh shit, my bad. I’ll pay for dry cleaning.”

        Ikebukuro, it was home to more than it’s fair share of strange characters. Shizuo just happened to be one of them. Due to his unrestrained anger, he was considered the strongest in Ikebukuro. There were more than a few who could go toe to toe with him. They just weren’t known for destroying property or throwing people across Ikebukuro. 

        He took a drag off his cigarette, following Tom as they went on their way collecting his debts. The crowd seemed thicker than normal as Shizuo attempted to make his way through it. He shook his head, wondering what had so many people out at this time of day. Probably some sort of event he didn’t know of.

        It was then he felt something land on him. His eyes narrowed as he grabbed whatever he could. Anger was his first response, it always was. And as much as he hated it, he couldn’t control it. He paused as he heard her apology, letting the street sign drop to his side.