zhampagne | ic inbox

You did, but it's okay. I won't hold it against you.

[He gestures with an open hand, intrigued to see what Daigo orders for him.]

By all means.

[ The drink that appears has a brilliant grapefruit color. Daigo describes the flavor as fresh, tart, but also slightly spicy. An 'Aurora Stinger', named humorously after the prime minister. ]

It's one of Najee's more interesting drinks.

[ He's lived nearby for a few months now, he's tried most of the bartender's specials by now. He gestures loosely towards one of the sets of velvet booths. ]

[David takes the tumblr with interest, lifting it to his nose to take in the scent of it. He raises his eyebrows in interest, and then takes a sip as he follows Majima over to that booth.]

That's very refreshing. [He sinks into one side of the booth and sighs as he feels the velvet beneath his fingers.] I really like this place, too.

Me too. I live a couple of blocks from here, it's an easy stop.

[ He shrugs his jacket off as they settle into their seats. His style clearly isn't as dressy as David's, but he has his own way of it. Clean lines that accentuate the shape of his body and few nice accessories. The yakuza requisite gold chain around his neck, a very nice watch, good shoes. He loves no longer having to wear a suit every day but isn't willing to descend into scrubdom either. ]

Tell me how your first month went.

[ A little less fatherly of an inquiry than their first outing, he gets the hint. ]

I appreciate your choice in neighborhoods. Location is truly everything.

[David does love where he lives in the Emerald District, but he's also sort of constantly eyeing up real estate. Taking another sip of his fancy cocktail, he swirls the glass around a little while he thinks on it.]

Um...eventful. The curse thing, which again I could have gone without. But I also, you know, met a few people. I went on a date, and it did not suck. Worked on curating my apartment.

It's loud here at night, I like that.

[ But it also means the rent is a bit lower here. Most people actually want to be able to sleep at night, no matter how much they might enjoy the bars themselves. Daigo finds it comforting, nostalgic. ]

I saw a few rounds of apologies from the cursed on Radia.

[ A small quirk of his mouth as he acknowledges this. It's difficult to know what to do when any member of the gembonded could be infected or turned feral at any given time. Do you berate them for their lack of control in a situation that no one has any control over? His eyes lower as he sips his drink. He doesn't mention that he may or may not have shot an infected in order to escape their manna-starved pursuit. He's sure Geralt is fine, besides. ]

But dating already, you are settling in nicely.

[ He has no opinions on how long one should be in the city before beginning to go on dates, he is entirely joking. ]

Mmm. Me, too. I like city noise.

[Even after two years in rural Canada, nothing puts David straight to sleep like traffic sounds and honking horns and drunk people yelling. His arms fold in front of him, leisurely leaning back in his seat with his drink in hand.]

Some people really popped off, it sounds like. I was just in my apartment. [By himself! Nothing happened! Nobody had weird tentacle sex.] I was far too fucking hideous to be seen.

[The corner of his mouth quirks up.] Besides a few roadbumps, yes.

[He's really just letting himself have fun for the first time in a very long time. Most certainly taking advantage of the fact that he's stuck here with no way back through no fault of his own.]

[ I was far too fucking hideous to be seen... A pinch to the way he's smiling; small, brief. He remembers holding someone in his arms while they'd said something similar. It was one of the last conversations he had with Mine before the other man was gone. His former lieutenant, once an emerald, lingers in him like a toxic plant even now. Mine is something thorny that lived in him for 10 years before Noctium and his leaving did not change that fact. ]

Your friends and loved ones won't think that way. [ He knows there are certain personality types where that reassurance is meaningless. He'll have to take David as one, he suspects. ] But there are plenty of people who spend their first transformation that way. Some of the Amethyst transformations are difficult to walk in, may as well stay home if you can't fly yet.

[ He returns to his subdued humor for this observation. He idly fiddles out a cigarette from the pack in his jacket pocket. He toys it distractedly in his hand without lighting it for a while. He raises his glass briefly, ]

Well, here's to your future dates.

[ Daigo doesn't assume he is one. He would state definitively that he does not date. He has resisted updating his point of view from what it had been in Tokyo, where he did not have the time nor the personal discretion. The people he's dating might argue with his assessment but Daigo short circuits any time the word 'boyfriend' is uttered within earshot of him. ]

Edited 2021-11-12 03:45 (UTC)

I couldn't walk at all. I floated around my apartment with this mass of...tentacles hanging out of me.

[David pulls a face, seeking out comfort from the memory in his glass. He's grateful for the change in subject, at least, and raises his own in salute.]

Yeah, I'll drink to that. [He tilts his head at Daigo.] Your turn. What have you been up to?

Ah, well... I won a few lessons on mountain survival from the cultural festival. I spent a weekend out on the mountain with some friends. They teased me quite a bit about what a spoiled city boy I am.

[ A fleeting expression on his face of humorous resignation to that fact. ]

We came back just in time for things to get strange for Draugtide. My employees and I ended up clearing out the garage as a refuge again and had one of the local mages come ward the building so it's safe for people. [ He finally actually lights the cigarette, curling his hands together. ] Got chased across some rooftops by an infected, shot him, which I am sure he wasn't particularly amused about in the morning.

[ A slow exhale. ]

And then taking stock of who came and went in Malachite's latest batch. We lost a few friends and family members among us.

[ It's much easier for him to talk of himself and his circle as a group, rather than just about himself. ]

Edited 2021-11-15 00:53 (UTC)

[David listens with his chin propped in his hand, eyebrows raising higher and higher toward his hairline, prompting the appearance of the worry lines he's so self-conscious of. At the last part, he hisses out a soft, sympathetic sigh.]

Sorry to hear that. You certainly had some adventures, though, didn't you?

I'm... not very good at the katagi life.

[ Noctium will translate. Katagi is to the effect of 'respectable' and implies 'non-yakuza'. ]

I was born into the yakuza, trying to live like a civilian doesn't really suit me.

That's understandable. [David lets his eye roam over Daigo's face, the set of his shoulders. Admiring, but curious, too. He wonders what kind of crimes this man has committed, and then wonders not for the first time why that doesn't bother him more.]

When you're used to one way of life for a long time, it's hard to adjust suddenly. I know how that goes.

[ His head tilts, the quirk of a small smile. He's pretty sure he was the one reassuring David of that last time, but he likes the show of compassion. It's a cute look, David. Daigo reaches out and takes one of his hands. ]

We'll do all right.

[ A more rakish smile fits his mouth. ]

Ready to get out of here?

[He's trying this new thing where he cares about other people and their feelings? It's hard but he's trying. David glances from their joined hands to the rakish smile on Daigo's face, and nods, biting back the smile on his own face.]

Yes. Very much so. [He knocks back the rest of his drink without blinking, and then slides out of the booth.]

[ Daigo had mentioned that his apartment was close. The building in question is embedded into the center of a block's worth of bars, the entertainment district wrapped around it with just an unassuming wall keeping the barflies at bay. Once inside and up the elevator, the apartment itself is open and minimal to make the small space feel bigger and brighter than it actually is. It's anchored by clusters of warm, dark furniture. It's nice because he paid someone to set it up that way, he deserves no credit.

The smallness of the space may or may not be a manifestation of Daigo's reluctance to really let people in. He puts on a charming show of extroversion while actually being very solitary. The yakuza life has split him into many compartmentalized pieces with his core self tucked away somewhere hard to reach. Recent loss has exaggerated the feeling of distance that his gem murmurs with.

He hides it well enough, particularly when there's something immediate and obvious to focus on as a distraction. Although his mean one-eyed cat saunters out to yowl at them both discontentedly before anyone can do more than take off their shoes. It's an upgrade from the hissing and scratching of months prior but still a bit like being scolded for coming in after curfew by an angry old man. ]

That's the cat. Watch your hands and ankles around him.

[ He's still fond of the demon cat, despite Goro-chan's obvious personality flaws. ]

[David looks around with a discerning eye as Daigo lets him into his apartment; the arched brow and the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth are a dead giveaway, though. He approves. The appearance of a cat immediately draws an indignant squawk out of him, though.]

I'll just avoid...him...altogether, [he assures Daigo, toeing off his nice shoes and tucking his sunglasses into the neck of his sweater.] I'm not a big animal person.

[ He gives David a reassuring pat on the shoulder. ]

Probably for the best, he's not a people person.

[ Meanwhile, Daigo still goes to address the cat. He talks to Goro-chan in an airy, coaxing tone while herding the creature back to his cat bed. The cat curls up with another plaintive yowl. One good eye still glittering in the darkness from across the length of the room judgmentally. Daigo comes back with a faint smile. ]

Sorry about that.

[ He has contrition to offer, inviting David closer a hand on his arm. ]

Can I get you anything?

[ Out in public he is reserved and careful in his presentation, but this is his own domain now. His warmth is more obviously flirtatious behind closed doors. ]

Oh, it's fine. [David looks thrilled by the hand on his arm, and his other hand instinctively covers it, keeping it there.] I dated Anderson Cooper for two months and his dog hated me. I can deal.

[David's smirk gets even smirkier at Daigo's question.]

As always, my answer remains the same.

[ Faint, rumbling laughter. He would hate to ruin David's moment by mentioning that he has no idea who that is. ]

I'd be a terrible host if I didn't ask.

[ He's also terrible at treating his hookups as simple sex objects. They're always still people in the end. He truly cares for their needs but if there's nothing left to offer but himself-- Oh, he can do that too. He reaches to trace David's jaw with natural confidence and then presses in to kiss him. It's easy and undemanding, he isn't in a rush. ]

I appreciate your dedication, [David murmurs into the space between the two of them, his dark eyes watching Daigo get closer, the lashes fluttering at the hand on his jaw, dragging across his perpetual stubble. He exhales softly as he realizes Daigo is going to kiss him, a little hm of approval preceding the meeting of their lips.

David's in no rush, either, his body pressing a little closer to the other man's now that the physical boundary between them has been breached, one arm sliding up over his shoulder for balance.]

This isn't what I meant by a business loan, by the way.

[ Not that it doesn't serve that function perfectly well. He doesn't even have to send someone to shake the other party down for payments later. It's all neatly encapsulated in one wire transfer. That would be a hell of a way for a yakuza boss to operate though. Maybe he'd at least have been able to be out if Tokyo worked like that. ]

Pretty ballsy coming on to the yakuza boss though.

[ A wry smile, he places his other hand at David's waist and walks them backwards towards the couch. ]

[David pulls back for air and lets out a soft, breathless laugh.]

I didn't think that. [The next comment has him grinning, biting his lower lip as he lets Daigo walk him backwards.]

I've never been afraid of powerful men.

[ A cute attitude, Daigo's not going to ruin it qualifying the reality. Instead, they just meet the arm of the couch and Daigo pauses there with a hand braced along the cushions. ]

No, it sounds a little bit like that's your preference.

[ Which, hey, he can play along with. ]

They're fun when they come along. I don't seek them out.

[David's butt hits the arm of the couch and he just leans against it, reaching for the collar of Daigo's shirt to thumb appreciatively at the fabric.]

This is nice.

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