* (!) 𝒈𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝚋𝚊𝚛𝚜.

"Jesus!" he yelped, twisting around to see Josie standing behind him. "Sorry, sorry, I'm..." He trailed off, waving an arm helplessly, as if gesturing to the fact that his mind wasn't a hundred percent on the conversation right now. "Fuck," he breathed, shaking his head. "I don't know what to do, Josie." He couldn't stop thinking about the fact that it could've been any one of them targeted in that restaurant. For all he knew, there was no reason why was he standing there, and not Sita.

she can feel the sarcastic retort burning the tip of her tongue, the desire to avoid the reality of the situation and act as if nothing had happened nearly too strong to overcome. she'd been privy to some of the connections dae-eun had made throughout his time in nightrest, however, so she decides to play the only other role she's ( sorta ) good at: the older sister that's actually younger. ❝ that's because there's nothing really for you to do, kid. ❞ josie begins to reach forward before stopping short. this was uncharted waters between the pair and she figured it best if she didn't overstep. when her arm has dropped, she continues, adopting a gentler tone, ❝ there's nothing you can change, or take back, or do differently, or make sense of. all you can do is give yourself permission to grieve and then honour their memories. that's it. ❞

"Thanks, Jo," he responded with a smile. Truthfully, despite his shoulder still not fully recovered, he'd been feeling better these past few weeks, almost under the belief that he was back to normal. He didn't let himself think about the recent losses too much, heart hurting if he was alone with his thoughts for too long. Being out like this was good, focusing on something like a basketball game for the night. "I guess that's a good reason. You should be having fun too, though. And I can tell you're not," he added. He paused at her question, though he didn't give it very much thought. "I don't know, I'll probably go home with Kat. What about you?" he answered, back leaning against the brick wall.

❝  i’m only not having fun because…  ❞  her words trail as she attempts to think of an excuse to offer, particularly one that’s believable, but she seems to be coming up short. after a brief pause, she allows herself to chuckle,  ❝  well, because i’m me. how often do you really see me experiencing any sort of joy unless i’m the center of attention?  ❞  it’s not necessarily false, but it’s not the real reason either. josie’s always willing to ruin joy for everyone, on purpose, for everyone except jacob. at the mention of kat, the younger’s smile grows playful and the distance between them is erased to grant her the ability to nudge his arm,  ❝  oh? look at you finally gettin’ it in.  ❞  she leans against the building next to jacob, the fabric of their sleeves nearly touching,  ❝  i’m not really sure what i’m doing yet, though---probably finley, but that's only if she’s lucky.  ❞

he stumbles a bit at her tugging, catching himself before he trips as he makes it to the side of the bar. with a laugh, he shakes his head. "i never would," he agrees, grinning. at her request—well, more like demand—he rolls his eyes. "of course," he replies, no real annoyance in the statement as he nods to the staff member. "and for you?"

❝  i know you’re not a real journalist,  ❞  her attention is focused on the bartender, though her dig is directed at dae-eun and spoken with a grin,  ❝  so surprise me with something cheap, but make it fruity.  ❞  josie wouldn’t be caught dead with a beer, even if someone paid her. almond eyes shift back to the other,  ❝  now, what do you think we’ll see happening next?  ❞  she means on the news, but she doesn’t feel the need to specify. nobody else seems willing to discuss one of her current obsessions, especially given that it’s happening to some of their own. ❝ i know you've been thinking about it. ❞

For a quick second, Yuto stares at her – and then a genuine laughter escapes his lips. Even though he’s fully aware of where she’s coming from, the conversation is starting to get a little absurd. Annoying, even. “You’re not shouting back, mate, you’re shouting at me. I was completely silent when you decided to pick a fight,” he’s ready to move away, leave all of this hassle behind, and at least try to enjoy the rest of the evening, but she doesn’t seem to let him go, and there’s visibly not enough space to squeeze right through. So he stays in his place. “Look… Do you think I did that on purpose? Do you think I wanted to talk to you? And do you also think I did this –,” he points to the wet spot on his shirt, still ranting. “– just for the laughs? Please, if you want an apology, ask someone here,” his hand points to the right side, full of people oblivious to their quarrel. “That’s where you’ll find that one lucky bastard who pushed me,” he clears his throat and takes a couple of deep breaths. There’s a soft voice in his head telling him to finally bite his tongue and apologise — just so he could finally get away from the situation he got himself into. “I’ll have to decline this gracious offer, thank you. Sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to,” and for this one very short moment, he was being sincere. “Now move.”

she hears him, even despite all of the noise, but she sees no reason to acknowledge anything. certainly not after he's conceded and given her what she's asked for. ❝ well, colour me surprised, ❞ she grins, ❝ seems you do have some manners. ❞ a beat, ❝ okay, all is forgiven. ❞ josie knows she's only received the apology as a means for him to break away, even before he's told her to move, but that doesn't seem like much fun. ❝ why don't you accept it in a different way, then? ❞ she doesn't bother explaining what it is, figuring he'll understand she's referring back to her charity comment. ❝ looks like you need both a new shirt and a new drink. i can't help you with the former, not unless you think you could pull off a dress, but i'm certainly good for the latter. what do you say? ❞ the woman nudges an elbow in his direction, though she's careful not to make any contact. ❝ my company isn't that terrible. ❞

In many ways, Jake finds it easy to read Josie, sensing when she's upset and sensing when she needs a breather. But maybe he'd partially wanted it for himself too, the inside of the crowded bar feeling stuffy at best despite the lively atmosphere. He lets her guide him towards the entrance, pushing the door open and welcoming some fresh air. "It's loud, for sure, but yeah. We both know I was always the one into sports though," he answers, a content sigh leaving his lips at the cool temperature in the air. "Why'd you come anyway? You hate sports."

❝ it makes me happy to hear that, ❞ if anyone deserves to enjoy themselves, it's her brother. even without everything that's happened thus far, and her being annoyed that he's a favourite of nearly everyone, josie stands firm in that belief. she chuckles at his comment, not bothering to dispute it. he's always known her best, even with the stuff that wasn't outwardly obvious. ❝ why else would i be here? it's kyle's birthday, there's booze, and... well, there's really about it. ❞ she pauses for a beat before adding, ❝ and some of my other friends are here, i guess. ❞ she doesn't bother bringing up her worry that something may happen to him again. it's a big crowd and there's alcohol involved, both of those were true that time, too. ❝ do you have plans after the games are over? ❞

A naturally athletic person, it made sense that Jacob had always enjoyed sports. Sure, he'd tell anyone that football was by far the best of them, but it wasn't to say that he didn't enjoy basketball as well. Plus, it was nice to support a former student of his, thinking the boy was much better at basketball than he'd ever been in his class. What wasn't his favorite part, was how loud the bar got every time the score rose, ears feeling pierced as the crowd grew louder. Though, no amount of noise would make him deaf to the sound of his sister, approaching her after the man that bumped into her backed off. "You look like you're having fun," he joked, setting an empty beer bottle on the counter and glancing up to see halftime approaching. "Come on, you wanna go get some air?" he asked, offering her a smile.

jacob's sudden presence has her reverting to her child-like ways, a pout lining her lips as shoulders hunch forward, the precursor for her childhood temper tantrums. she's matured since then, however, which is the only reason she doesn't stomp around, and because he came to her rescue. hands reach out, maneuvering him so she can use his broadness as a shield through the crowd until she feels the april breeze. the noise from inside is muffled and she feels the need to outstretch her arms, taking a moment to spin. ❝ oh, thank you, ❞ josie's gratitude is soft and comes when she halts. ❝ what about you... are you havin' fun? ❞

He hates being here, and he’s not sure what pushed him to come more – a nagging buddy, or a need to have a drink. It could’ve been both of these, and Yuto despised that it actually worked. He did show up. One beer, he thought, and he’ll head home – unfortunately his idea to go and grab the beverage came at the worst possible moment. As he paid by the bar and turned around with a glass in his hand, the crowd started to cheer and jump, nearly pushing him to the ground, forcing him to pour half of the liquid on himself and bump into a person in front of him. “You’re the one who’s fucking shouting right now,” a snap and a hiss through the teeth. Someone’s snarky remarks were the last thing he needed. As he’s trying to dry the beer off his clean white shirt with a napkin he managed to grab off the nearby table, he’s starting to regret his decision to come even more. “I’ll gladly get the fuck away from you, only if you step aside. Not sure you noticed, but you’re not alone here, you know?”

❝ i'm shouting back, yes. you're a man... you know how you all can get when a women tries to speak naturally. ❞ most of the male species was bilingual, at the very least, fluent in both a language and speaking over women. she's had more than enough practice in counteracting that, especially attempting to break into a profession where ladies were still the minority. josie pivots, now allowing herself to face the other head on while maintaining her place. arms fold, her response spoken through a smile that doesn't reach her eyes, ❝ and, last i checked, being in a crowd didn't give one the right to invade another's personal space. ❞ right or wrong mattered naught to the paralegal, mainly because she was always the former. ❝ it'd be one thing had you offered an apology first, but i had to point out that you bumped into me---and you still haven't apologised. ❞ her words adopt a sugary tone, ❝ should i help teach you some manners? i can add you to the list of charity work i've done for the month. ❞

the crowd is a bit much, even for dae. he'd never really been one for sports, and is mostly just there to have an excuse to hang out with his friends. seriously, who knew someone could get so excited and rowdy by a bunch of people throwing a ball into a net? he winces at the cheer going through the crowd once more, pulling back from the group he was nearing and nearly running over someone behind him. "oh, shit, sorry, i couldn't—" he glances over his shoulder. "oh—josie." he grins. "sorry."

eyes lift, finally meeting the gaze of the one responsible for her sudden wave of frustration and she feels herself softening upon the revelation---well, mostly the apology. a neatly manicured hand reaches out, grabbing him by the arm to tug him closer to the bar and out of the way. she knocks on the countertop to get the bartender's attention despite looking at dae-eun, ❝ i kinda forgive you, just don't get used to it. ❞ the woman ticks her head towards the awaiting staff member she can see from the corner of her eye, her smile widening, ❝ but you'll get this round, right? ❞

HIGH FIDELITY 1.07, "Me Time" DIR. Jeffrey Reiner