elegant snow

He’d seen these before, or things very much like them, in the homes and back closets of Rapture. He flipped through the first issue, frowning to himself. It didn’t take a genius to guess what was in the others. Not his sort of reading material, that much was certain. A minute later, he set the magazines down in the same way one would handle a large snake, or live explosives.

He sat there, almost forgetting about the loaded pistol only inches away from either of them. Its presence, and the fact that he had nowhere else to go, were the reasons he didn’t just leave this room and the strange woman behind it. After a moment, he looked up at Nobara then to the magazines and to the woman once more.

"Even if we're not truly married, it's still important to know. Whether if you're aware of it or not, it's crucial to understand what you look for in other people," she lectured the other. Frankly, she didn't mind straight out telling this to him, though it would have been better if she didn't. From the looks of things, it appeared that the topic only furthered their alienation in each other's perspectives, which was the complete opposite of what had expected.

If she had to be fair, it was rather intriguing in some way to perceive this situation. Did he just not have any interests at all? It would be a tasteless life if that were to be the case. How did he spent all those years then? Surely, he couldn't have just put himself in a room and stayed there up until now. No, there just seemed to be another reason in which she didn't figure out. All she really needed to know was that.

So he bit the proverbial bullet.

"Uh, not really…? I… uh, never had time for that." When he thought about the women he saw in Rapture, they were all rather homicidal. That was definitely an unattractive trait. They were also deformed by ADAM abuse, so that was another point against them. As for women here, while there were bound to be a few who were inclined to kill him, he was sure it was the exception rather than the norm in Iunctum. "I was really busy for a long time."

He’d been busy fighting, but she didn’t need to know that.

And his idle response didn't make it any better.

"Unacceptable."

"How can I be your spouse when you don't even know what to look for in females?" She started off with a genuine aloof look. Fortunately, this was one of the reasons why she was here. After all, one of her specialties consisted of helping others- so she was going to do that. "Here, look at these. I have all the information you need to understand." As if out of nowhere, she took out a couple of pin up magazines and handed it to the man for him to observe.

"Thought so." A pause. "Not the… Secret Service thing. The Japanese thing." Jack didn’t know that Japan had a Secret Service. Well, he wasn’t exactly sure what a Secret Service did—didn’t they protect the president? So did that mean that wherever Nobara came from, Japan had a president? Whatever. That wasn’t important. It might mean that she was more than she appeared, which… well, it might be interesting. He had to concede that much.

When Nobara attempted to continue the conversation, Jack looked visibly taken aback. For a few moments he just sat there, glancing at her as if she’d grown an extra head.

"Uh." For the first time in their short conversation, Jack emoted with more intensity than a wet rag. To be precise, he showed utter confusion. "Pardon?"

That was probably the first time in his short life that anyone had asked him a question. And like the other firsts in his life—first time he’d killed a man, first time he learned about his nature, first time he saved a life—he had no idea what to do with this question.

Anyway- that wasn't the point right now. The moment she saw the look of extreme bafflement in the man's eyes, she was almost speechless. No, he couldn't. He was a guy, right? A human being that surely must have had SOME imagination. Was this guy that dull of a person to not think up of one until now? How did he even manage to survive all these years without giving thought to such topics? Yes, she was more than disappointed. In fact, she herself returned the other's reaction with a blank look of her own.

 ”Yeah, I’m Jack.” Her threat—turning him into an ice sculpture, which was not the worst thing that had happened to him (he thought being set on fire was worse—made sense. Warning off a guy who could possibly be a sleaze was only natural. Not that she had to worry about. If anything, Jack was planning on avoiding her as much as he could. He’d devote himself to his work, or something like that.

"Okay." It was a rather lackluster response to her threat, but he hoped she got the message. It seemed she was more open to the idea than he was—but not by much. He quickly moved his hand out from under the pillow (and away from the gun) as Nobara sat down on the other end of the couch. Even with the distance between them, Jack felt that she was a little too close for comfort. Though he tried to conceal it, his feelings were as plain as the nose on his face.

There was an overly long pause as Jack realized that there were two possible answers to her question. First was Overlook, Kansas—the town listed on his passport and ironed into his brain. That was a lie, but did his head was full of lies like that. Manufactured memories that could probably fill in all of her questions. But it wasn’t the truth. Then… what, should he tell her the truth? That he was made in some secret lab in a secret city at the bottom of the ocean, brainwashed and trained to be a living weapon? No, he couldn’t.

Only when desperate times called for desperate measures was possibly the mere reason she could think up of in fully cooperating with him.

She couldn't careless about how the other felt about this, although it was rather apparent just by looking at his position. While she wasn't planning to nose around him, the woman was somewhat inquisitive. What kind of occupation was he in? Was there more to him than his mundane personality? Exactly, who was he. Such questions were typical from a former paranormal investigator, but she supposed only time would tell if it wished to.

Crossing her legs, she gave off a wary look, still letting the uneasy atmosphere between the two mist around them. This was what she had exactly predicted with arranged marriages, and therefore was the reason why she always attempted to rebel against it. Something of a huge commitment like this meant getting to know each other from scratch until noticing the compatibility formed from the relationship. Surely, he must've thought similar of this.

Marriage. Tying the knot. Buying the cow. Getting hitched. Whatever you called it, it was definitely something you only did after a lot of thought and dedication… or that was how it was supposed to work.

And he’d recently found out that he himself was married. Not that he thought it counted. He didn’t even know this… Nobara woman; whenever they’d meet would be the first time he’d lay eyes on her. All he really had to go on was her name and the fact that they were contributing to rebuilding this alien world as a family unit. Yes, there was a kid mixed up in this as well. It was all very tiresome, when he thought about it. Jack didn’t know what to think.

When the door was unlocked with a key that wasn’t his own, Jack was lounging on the couch with a bottle of beer. Some brainless soap opera was on the television, though he’d muted it.

Instinctively, he wrapped other hand around the grip of a revolver he’d stashed beneath one of the couch’s pillows. It would have been a smart move back home—but now it was nothing but an overreaction.

From where the woman was standing, Jack was pretty sure she couldn’t see the way he’d shoved his hand beneath one of the pillows. All the better for me if things go south, a darker part of his mind muttered. He didn’t bother to stand as he issued her a question.

No intimacy required whatsoever. Just strangers living under the same household for god knows how long until they were able to divorce. Was that even possible though? It was a thought to be considered.

Upon entering the assigned room they were in, she found her newly wed on the couch, lethargically watching something that was on television with a bottle of alcohol to enjoy with. If this first impression of him was going to be a permanent one, then she hoped that he was prepared for her opinion about it.

"Oh my- am I interrupting you." A sarcastic tone greeted the man, almost unpleasantly in fact. Considering he wasn't even putting the effort to stand and directly look her in the eye, she already felt this going downhill. "Yes, and you are Jack Ryan- right," she responded coolly. Was he a foreigner? It wasn't difficult to tell, and truth be told, he pronounced her name better than she had expected.

A day out on the town didn’t seem like a bad idea today. The skies were clear, the air was fresh— and, quite frankly, getting a bit of air after staying in awhile would be good for you.

She’d begun to let bad thoughts linger in her mind for far too long now. A bit of a distraction was in order.

So it was decided. After exploring some of the streets in the days that had passed, she’d managed to get a decent grasp on where everything was in this baby town. It hadn’t taken long to map everything out in her head— after all, Benu was such a small place overall that even a child could easily find their way around after a bit of wandering.

She’d arrived in the main square, the center of commerce and business in the village. The area was littered with shops, ranging from general stores to pharmacies, and a number of restaurants as well.

"This place is so lively…"

Although the town had a small population, it seemed this place was where most citizens decided to come spend their time. There was a lot to do, after all— and with the limited amount of things you could do at home by yourself, the necessity to step outside was even greater.

After taking note of this observation, she would only take a few steps forward before a growl of the stomach would indicate a friendly reminder that a meal was in order.

"Ahh, I’m hungry!"

Taking a quick look around, she spotted a small hot dog stand nearby. She didn’t have nearly enough money on hand to order something from a restaurant, and this seemed like a quick and easy solution to her hunger problem, right?

After paying the vendor and being handed her food, she took a large bite only to realize seconds later that something seemed…off…

This feeling… Was somebody watching her?!?

A quick sweep of the area revealed to her that was indeed the case— a woman with light blonde hair and glasses…

Why had she been watching her eat?!?

She’d seen her looking at her… It’d be awkward to just stand there and pretend she hadn’t noticed the other. Maybe it’d be best to just confront her at this point.

Or maybe it wouldn’t.

Through transparent lenses, she gazed around to see if anything would amuse her from this mundane lifestyle; it only took moments until she found what she was looking for. From afar, a vibrant haired girl made her way to a hot dog stand and took her time in ordering one. No matter how far the distance was, it was no match for her enhanced vision when it came to observing females.

Oh dear-how precious she looked with her food! And what's this? She seemed to have left a clumsy yellow spot on her peachy face while eating that hot dog of hers. God, she simply adored girls with an appetite and she just wanted to tenderly wipe it off with her finger! The SS would have been lying if she didn't admit that it reminded her of a special someone back home. 

The blonde soon approached the other without a warning, cheeks flustered and her glasses beginning to fog up her vision.

"Ma-," she started off small before bursting out a "MANIAC!"

"Your round face with such full cheeks that illuminates your blossoming youth, and that mustard stain being carelessly left on the side gives an immediate impression of a clumsy character! Are you a hajidere?!" She heaved, catching her breath after witnessing the baby-faced individual.

Most certainly the familiar female that’d placed herself before his visage was of the sort that would find this situation unreasonable. The abrasive personality of hers had clearly gone unaffected by the changes to her livelihood, but the royal blood within her would make this akin to a challenging conquest. She was a venerable princess among paupers and, despite how she had stubbornly managed a side job in order to set herself apart from that revered title, this was still far too amusing.

Lips curled into a mirthful grin, an easy telling that the redhead was harboring questionable thoughts rather than disparaging ones. The inner workings of his mind were but a mystery as who would be openly enthusiastic at a time like this.

She was lost on how to respond to the unexpected arrival. The reason didn't lean towards any discretion of any sort but the occurrence was just very, very unexpected. It was one of his many traits; even on regular occasions, he didn't always seem in place and instead stuck out like a needle in a hay compared to the rest. He wasn't to blame for, however, as she kept aware that it must have been insufferable to keep many unpredictable visions of the future all to himself usually without spilling a word about it. Certainly, he was an enigma that has yet to be solved, and like most she has attempted to crack through the Hyakume's cheeky grin. But like most, it was a failure and she learned to move on without letting it bother her.

A heavy burden came with a weighing price, she supposed.

Frankly, the two never really had many moments where they were left alone together and was mostly estranged from each other. There were good reasons for their behavior, and those reasons were summarized into a single fact that there was no exact purpose for them to be in contact more often. Of course, when the time called she adapted with coping with the other SS fairly well but otherwise they often found themselves accompanied with another whenever they were teamed up.

In response, a bored attitude contrasted the other's enthusiasm like usual. Regardless of his effortless provoke in lightening up the atmosphere around them, it was difficult to impress her with it. Turning her head at him, she gave him a stoic look while arms wrapped below her chest. Whatever he had in mind, she went ahead to suggest hers first.