#leon 01

It was fairly early and Kai was still working out his new sleep schedule. However, he was sure to be up specifically that morning because he’d made an appointment to see a potential apartment. Later that week he had a meeting with Astoria Broadcasting, which he hoped to show them his past work and get a position. If not, he had enough money to cover a decent amount of time while he looked for something else. Freelance was also an option, but that wasn’t growing any roots in his mind. The man desperately wanted to start this new chapter in his life. 

He held out the scrap of paper he wrote the address on and made his way to the apartment. It seemed like a nice building, he was excited to see the inside. Excited. That was strange to feel about an apartment. Maybe it was a good thing he waited so long to take this path in his life. The smallest things that were new and unexplored, were also the simplest things to so many others. It brought him some joy to contemplate that as he did each thing. He knocked on the door and waited for the person on the other side to answer.

This entire thing is a little bit concerning. Concerning in the way that Haida has to stand there and stare at the expanse of a building like it’s the last thing in the universe. What else is he supposed to do? So, Haida paces, tugging on the sleeves of his leather jacket and trying to remain calm. He’s been in cities like this before, after all! There’s no reason to worry, none at all!

What’s the worst that could happen? 

There was so much trash around that he had easily found a way to set things on fire. A crumbling old bar had bottles with booze left inside. He had quickly snatched them along with an old rag he ripped up as fuse’s. He was going to malotov cocktail this shitstain world. Using a lighter he had stolen out of a passerby’s pocket, he lit the fist. He threw it into a broken window of a store, the bottle shattering as it hit a display inside. He could hear the crackling of flames as the alcohol ignited. A wicked smile danced on his lips, showing pointed teeth and large canines. 

“Monsters are common on Aselia, although the dead rising to such levels is unheard of. There is the odd ghost, I suppose, and I’ve once heard of a skeletal being that resided in a forest close to the research academy.. but other than that, the closest thing we have would be the demons of--” 

Richter abruptly shut his mouth at that, his grip tightening around the ceramic handle of the cup so hard that he could have snapped it. Where.. on earth did that come from? Why did he speak of them so easily? Although Leon had no way of knowing what ties Richter held to the demons of Nilfheim.. it wasn’t like him to make mention of them to anyone, let alone someone he hardly knew.

“.. I apologize. I seem to be getting us off track here,” attempting to regain his composure, the half-elf placed his cup back down, still feeling the tension wrought through his entire frame. “Please, continue. It sounds as though dealing with these creatures was never originally supposed to be in your line of work.”

"...So how long have you been in love with her?”

"Oh Leon...what have you gotten yourself into this time?" The woman quietly mused to herself. She had been in this unconventional city for no longer than two hours before she spotted her old acquaintance --walking into a bar, of all places. This would be fate, if she believed in such a thing. She didn't.

When he entered the bar, Ada quietly slipped in behind him and blended with the patrons. While she recognised the importance of them meeting and comparing notes on their situation, as with everything else the spy would do it on her own terms. She found a bit of paper and wrote a note, applying a fresh coat of lipstick to sign it with a kiss:

Leon,

Meet me on the roof, we have much to discuss.

💋

Adapting was easy, but Sayaka never liked doing it. She got used to being lonely as a child, sitting in front of the TV screen, day in day out... and she quickly got accustomed to the harsh realities of idol life. 

She could have gotten used to life in Hope’s Peak during the killing game. But she didn’t want to. And here now, in some other unfamiliar setting, she could get used to it -- but she still didn’t want that. This place might not have been a school of killing, but it was still frightening, concerning -- and most of all, she was away from her idol friends.

Sayaka walked around the various districts of Spirale, casually investigating anything odd or out of place, figuring maybe it was some clue of how to leave. And in her searching around, she bumps right into someone. She grabs onto her forehead and steps back ready to apologize. But before she does so, she looks and...

A flash of red hair. Red. Red makes her think of... No way -- 

Yes, him. She saw him directly in front of her, the one she just had to bump into. Why? Why was he here? Why is he here, near her?

“Ku... wata...kun...”

Staring down into the lake, the castle buried below was in full view. The crystal water was marred minimally with pink petals gathering at the shores. Dice took in a drag of his cigarette; thinking. What were the chances there was buried treasure down there?