code red

chwenotchoi​:

"oh, you're missing out. not a lot, but you're missing out." she nodded as she drinks some more. the next thing she knows, she's ordering her third bottle. "oh, yeah. just arrived her a month ago. still adjusting, so leaving to a new town after getting shitfaced is the most impractical life choice out there. and besides, i found my people here. i think." she shrugs. "are you one of the locals here? or are you just like me?"

"hell no, woman, i ain't dying today," he laughed. "you tryin' to get me killed?" at her latter comment, he grinned. "of course i am, that's what i do." he tapped a finger to the side of his temple. "i've got a good memory, y'know." it wasn't completely true, but it certainly wasn't wrong: he had seen her before. "nothin' much," deshaun shrugged, "just...tryin' to avoid being on the streets too late."

"that depends on your guardian angel. if they're with us, you're not dying today." hye-jin's laughter filled the dive bar, shaking her head fondly at her little joke. "oh yeah? it's not because i leave a striking impression?" she takes a sip from her drink, maintaining eye contact to somehow read his mind. "... and you do that by going to an overcrowded dive bar? interesting."

he laughed, shaking his head. "well—i don't know!" he spluttered, flailing to come up with an excuse. "maybe you're a professional scuba-diver or something! or, uh...a sailor. a pirate?" he crossed his arms, thinking. "i mean, it's not impossible." he chuckled, nodding to her latter comment. "you're not wrong," pierce admitted, "sometimes prevention is the best means of protection."

"now that we're talking about it... i have never heard of sailors, pirates, or scuba divers being attacked by sharks... or that's just me?" she tilts her head in curiosity, then shook her head in amusement as she realized that this conversation is actually happening. "don't fuck with the ocean, buddy."

"well, different scents and colors mean different things. it's insanely complicated, and i never remember it all—but lavender usually pairs well with rosemary." as they spoke, they walked up and down the aisle, scanning for the candle they had in mind. "here." she pulled one off the shelf, handing it to the other woman. "rosemary can help with your intuition, and the lavender can help reduce anxiety." they pointed to it. "it's also white, which has a bajillion-gazillion meanings—but usually, it's used as an all-purpose candle."

the more that the woman talks, the more that hye-jin wished she did a lot more research on this path before actually going to the store to get all the things she saw online. but hey, every moment is a good learning opportunity for her. she just followed her to the aisle, still looking around the foreign things on these shelves. "alright... i'll take lavender and rosemary. two each." she says with a sweet smile, feeling reassured that she's not buying random shit. "so... do a lot of customers come in asking questions non-stop?" she asked, then did a double take on some amulet hanging by the shelf. "mmm... what are these for?"

he chuckled at the hat, glancing up at the brim. "does it at least suit me? can't be heading to a crime scene looking bad," he joked, grinning. at her comment, he shook his head. "well, it's not the only one, and i haven't been completely alone. i checked out jake's crash site and ran into riss, and then sita and i looked over the fire sites, and i talked to julia about vivi a bit." dae shrugged. "there's, of course, still the beachfront, but it's been so long now that feels rather pointless," he admitted. "i'm a journalist," he laughed by way of further explanation, "none of us have all our marbles. also—do me a favor and don't tell jieun any of that? she'd have my head." and he was positive she'd find a way to make real on the threat.

"you look good! the dead would wish they're alive to see you looking dapper than ever." the humorous statement had hye-jin giggling like a little kid. if anything, investigators are probably not allowed to be this loud as they do their job. she couldn't help but think that this is why she's better off as someone who does the mess and creates chaos-- rather than someone figuring motives and solving mysteries. "alright, that made me feel less special. but at least you're not walking up to the grim reaper or something." she hummed, then immediately gestured to zip her mouth as soon as he asked her a favor. "alright. you have my word." she assured him, then soon looked up to the signage of mike's auto. "which area would you rather focus on? i don't mind splitting up. that gets the job done faster."

"can't. danger of the job." he grinned, shaking his head. "hmm...not a dive bar?" dae laughed, mulling over the question. "honestly? back at home, with my family. i don't want to die far away." he paused, the question feeling uncharacteristically melancholy considering the current situation in the town. "you?" at her story, he wrinkled his nose. "good god. not the best day, obviously." he sighed. "my day was fine, i guess. talked to kyle for a bit. went home. i'm a boring man," he chuckled, not quite meeting her gaze. he decided to tactfully leave out his visit to selin's house—it had been a long enough week as it was.

"well..." the woman bit her lower lip as she seemed to run out of ideas to convince him to loosen up. she might as well just trust the process; and for as long and they still hang-out... she believes he'll have no other choice. "really?" the response from hye-jin made her look weirded out, mainly because she has no family left. or ones that actually know her. "sounds melodramatic, but it is actually the most practical and feasible thing that i heard today." her grip tightened onto the glass of beer, letting out a soft sigh as she realized how pathetic her thoughts were making her feel. "eh... i don't mind dying somewhere pretty. like the beach? a grassy field full of flowers?" she shrugged it off, along with the things that occupied her brain. "you're not boring. you just live a less complicated life. a lot of people are dying to have that instead." another sigh left her lips, then looked at the bartender once again to signal for more drinks to come their way.

chwenotchoi​:

the younger woman immediately noticed her effect on paisley, which somehow made her feel flattered. one does not easily impress a well-educated individual, especially the ones who greatly contribute to the society. this may just have been a new skill that hye-jin had unlocked. "terrifying to think about. poor little guy..." she mumbled under her breath, then thought of how much more terrifying her situation was. with the numerous patients that paisley deals with, hye-jin had assumed that she had already forgotten most parts of that night. "well, then. i'll keep you company until it's time to go home." that was the least that she could do to repay her for actually patching her up months ago. "cheers?"

"yeah, unless you hate yourself on that level. i would support you in getting that poison cocktail." a mischievous grin formed on the woman's features as she takes a sip of her drink. "well... you can say that. this part of town can definitely know you're a newcomer... and they also know how to give you a warm welcome." she responds, remembering exactly what had happened here during her first night.

//fake blood

he shuddered, shaking his head. "i'm good, thanks." he'd had a couple of nasty drinks in his time—he didn't need to try something laced with poison. smoking was enough. "uh, yeah, i am," deshaun chuckled, "honestly, what would you do after your shift other than this? nope, wait, wait—" he held up a hand, grinning "—my bad, that's just me." at her offer, he raised his eyebrows. "you' not wrong there—don't mind if i do." he nodded, glancing up as he grabbed a piece and popped it in his mouth.

"good choice. but i wish you'd do it instead." the woman laughed along, shaking her head fondly before taking another sip from her glass. "alright, alright. you're making good points. and i'm sure you bumped into me here before too. that's a giveaway if you could recognize me from your past trips here." she then took a piece of food too, then looked at him. "what brings you here, then?"

he couldn't help chuckling at her words, shaking his head. "i know you don't. but maybe i do, so let's not." it was mostly a joke, and he grinned as the bartender set down his drink. "rather not have deadlights be my final resting place," he deadpanned. dae definitely wasn't as social as the other woman was, but when you're a journalist, you learn how to make it work. "well, other than the poison cocktail, how's your day been? do anything interesting?"

"you have got to unlearn that and start having more fun, dae-eun oppa." she continued to taunt him, getting more amused whenever she gets a reaction from him. "well... where would your final resting place be?" the question is definitely a good food for thought, especially for someone like hye-jin. she takes another sip from her drink, shrugging her shoulders and pouted. describing her day is definitely a task. "should i start with how my heater broke down this morning. i haven't had it fixed yet, because i was running late at work. then at work, some white woman had to scream at my face for not being accommodated when in the first place... she did not reserve a table." she chuckled bitterly this time, downing her whole drink now. "that's pretty much how my day went. how's yours, hm?"