Rain, rain, go away [Tomomi/Gozai]

"And If I could just get a signature here." He spoke as he handed the clipboard, his voice devoid of even what little enthusiasm he could usually muster for that days when he was doing deliveries on foot. The weather didn't help, the sound of rain splattering against the metal roof felt almost cacophonous in how there were no other noises to drown it out.

Gozai nodded, a hollow smile on his face as he was given the clipboard back, as he reached into the messenger bag hanging from one shoulder, and pulled out a small parcel. "Here you go. Have a nice day." He gave his usual spiel, voice almost deadpan. The door closed before him and he turned around. He would slip the clipboard into the bag before pulling out a small slip of paper. Just a few more letters left, right at the edge of the district. Didn't even need signatures.

At least he wouldn't need to deal with any more people. He was just about done dealing with people.


________________________

Usually this part of Endymion was quite nice, he had to admit. But the rain seemed to make it even more drab than the more populated and built-up parts of the city. "Rain, rain, go away , or I will fucking cut you." He muttered under his voice, as water dripped down the length of his long raincoat.

Just another mile or so and he'd be back at Endymion. But gods damnit, how he wished he had something to take his mind off rain.

Why couldn't his job days be called off when it rained? Tomomi wasn't someone that disliked the rain, but being out in the pouring rain, without a coat, or umbrella, picking up rubbish that was getting more and more difficult to pick up as the rain went on?

Not ideal.

So, with several wet and drooping bags at his side, Tomomi continued walking, now assigned today for the stretches of East Eden. While normally the expansive sights of the more rural part of the city would be a sight for sore eyes to the Japanese boy, in a downpour like this, it was more like sight going into his eyes. As in the rain was falling in his eyes. It stung.

Still, gloves on and using his forearm to wipe his eyes to see, Tomomi used his litter picking stick to pick up items, the rain causing crinkles in his latex hygiene mask, and his hair to swiftly become a mop of messy wet hair. But among hazy vision, something vaguely familiar stood out to him. A stark image of a white, humanoid figure in clothing. While Tomomi wasn't the best in the world at recognising faces, it was hard not to recognise the brief glimpse of the person he'd seen before. Right, there weren't many that looked like this person at the academy, if not only one. Gozai, was it? The bookshelf person that was friendly and cool to talk to!

Trying to smile beneath his mask, Tomomi walked towards the person, who themselves seemed to be walking back towards Endymion. While he stopped every now and again to pick up litter, the boy walked fast to try and catch up, jogging at times as he called out. "Hey! Hey Gozai-!"

Of course, if there's one health and safety thing you should know, it's that running in the rain is dangerous. And that was a lesson Tomomi swiftly remembered as his face met the delightful tutor known as the path.

He would just be turning away from a mailbox set on the roadside, at the end of a loooong driveway, having slipped in a few letters into said mailbox. That was when he heard something amidst the rain. A voice. "Oh what now?" He thought to himself, irritated, before turning where he stood toward the source of the voice. It took him a moment to recognize the other with both what they were wearing, and their water-soaked state. "Tomomi?" He hardly even uttered the name.

For moment he considered simply acting like he'd heard nothing. Though that could be a lot hassle to explain later. And that was before the other youth succeeded in falling over face first into the pavement. He could just leave, hope the other forgets due to any injuries suffered, and he could just go on pretending that he wasn't one of the few other people to be seen on that stretch of road. But if all those unlikely conditions weren't met, it could be... Bad.

"Tomomi!" He called out, much louder this time. He was in no mood to deal with people, but at this point there was too much at stake that he could just choose to not pretend he cared. He began walking over to the other at a brisk pace. If there were any gods out there that cared, he just hoped this would turn out worth the inevitable headache. "You okay?" He called out, mustering up the best worried voice he could.

The concern showed was nice, and helped Tomomi feel slightly less bad over falling over. Slightly. As Gozai stood above him, he slowly clambered to his feet, entire front sodden from his personal session with the ground. Still, the concern showed that Gozai was a nice person, which, made Tomomi feel ever so slightly less wounded and nervous, at least in terms of pride.

"Ah, yeah, I'm okay, just uh... A bit embarrassed aha... Um... Thanks for the concern!" The boy declared, smiling beneath his mask, before realising his mask was still up, and pulling it down for ease of conversing. "I just kind of uh, wanted to say hi before you ran off, although uh... Well, running in the rain was... Bad idea... Yeah... So! Um! How have you been? Aside from, well, uh, wet, so, sorry if I'm holding you up or anything." He rubbed at the back of his neck at this somewhat sheepishly, just happy that the person to see him fall over this time wasn't judging him and looking down at him.

Gah. Why was he putting himself through this? He had forced something of a small smile onto his face, if only to hide the ook he would probably have given Tomomi otherwise. And wanting to say hi, to someone who they'd only previously met for a brief moment in a library? Ridiculous.

"Could be better, could be worse. I managed to mess up one of the wheels on my bike, so I'm kinda stuck doing my rounds on foot until I can get that fixed." He replied, in his slightly timid voice, though his tone a little more reserved then usual. And holding him up? Yeah, he was so, not that Gozai would say that out loud to him.

Large droplets of water broke against the rubber surface of his rain coat, running down along its length before falling to the ground. At least it was long enough to keep everything but his ankles dry. the same couldn't be said for his shoes. "No,  not really. What I've got here is all I've left to deliver for the day. I can kinda just go at my own pace if I wanted to." He'd explain, gently slapping the side of his messenger bag.

Maybe this could be a chance to learn a detail or two about the other. More info to say if he would be worth the long-term effort. "You happen to be going that way as well?" He'd then ask, gesturing toward the direction of the city, where he'd been walking before he had stopped at the mailbox.

Gozai's answer to how he was caused Tomomi to give a slight frown in empathy. He didn't really have a bike, nowhere to store it, and not enough money, but he could still understand that messing up a tire sucked a fair bit. Still, it was nice to hear that Gozai wasn't being held up. The bag at his side was his work... So, Gozai also did public service work then? Small world.

At the question in return, Tomomi nodded. "Yeah. I was given this area to clear as part of my, uh, litter picking job, so, I chose a route to get around it quicker. I'm guessing you do delivery stuff, so, know what I mean? With like, doing the stuff in a way to usually get you off work easier. Plus, I mean, knowing the city is fun."

"I hope you can get your bike fixed soon. Although, well, judging from it not being with you, I'm guessing it didn't break down while you were working today right? Which, is a positive at least, since that would be bad." Nodding, Tomomi walked along, slightly behind Gozai and borderline effortlessly picking up rubbish and shoving it in his water clogged rubbish bag as he went.

Litter picking? How fitting. Had Gozai learned that fact in private, he'd probably be grinning. But for now, the mask stayed on. "I work for a private company, so I don't really have a standard route. Actually most of the time I'm just given a route that's been planned out in accordance with whatever it is I'm to deliver that day." He'd explain his own part, if only to fill the dead air that fold come if he remained silent. "But yeah, it does mean you get to see the city, which I guess is nice. It's not like I'd otherwise visit this part of town if work didn't bring me here."

It was almost funny, how easy it was to lie to the other. Well, what he'd said just now wasn't a lie, but being so easily able to give off the impression that he actually cared. But Tomomi actually seemed to  care about the whole bike thing. Heh. Some people were just like wet clay.  "It was the other day, when I was actually doing my runs. Was annoying having to walk it back, but at least the eather wasn't like this then. To be honest, I don't really even know how bad the damage is, with school projects taking up time." He'd stop for a moment to kneel down closer to a mailbox, beofre shaking his head and straightening back up. "Best case scenario, I'm just replacing a few spokes."

Nodding as an affirmative that he was listening, Tomomi continued following along while doing his job. Once Gozai had stopped speaking, the boy spoke up himself. "Well, at least it wasn't weather like this. Nor was it, well, massive damage from the sounds of it. So, um, you know! Uh, positives! What was the expression... Glass fully full? I'll admit, um... Not the best with American phrases yet..."

Shrugging to himself, he proceeded to tie up the bag he was just working on, slugging it over his shoulder before opening up a new bag and beginning the process anew. "How is it working for a private company? Oh, uh, if you don't mind me asking. Since, well, I work for a public service company so, technically government hired in the worst way, and it's... Um... Shall we say, not pleasant? So, um, if you're ever wondering if going public is a good idea, I um, advise against it! Lots of work, harsh conditions, and low pay." He declared with a nod, shoving an abandoned pack of Joggers crisps into the black bag.

He would nod. "I'm not really a mechanic or whatever the right word is, but it didn't look too bad. But yeah, just gotta look at that... What do they call it? Silver lining?" He spoke, keeping in the sense of disgust that kind of faux-positivity was causing.

He listened patiently as Tomomi explained about working in public services. A fitting task, if one were to ask Gozai. But again, that was another opinion he wouldn't voice. Compared to what you're describing? I'd say good. My boss is a decent guy, pay is satisfactory, and I can get some pretty good leeway on how I spread out my weekly hours, or if I want extra hours. Only real negaive I can think off the top of my head is that it's a family-owned business, so sometimes the place does get closed for the day with very short notice if something comes up for the boss." He would then explain in response. HE would lean over to another mailbox as he spoke, bringing his hand into the messenger bag, pulling out a small bundle of letter tied together with twine, and shoving the bundle into the box before the rain got to it.

I think I've got one more set of letters in here and I'm free for the day."

Working his way in an almost zig zag, fast paced walk to keep up while working, Tomomi nodded as he listened to Gozai describe his job. He was almost jealous, with decent pay, a decent boss, and leeway? Tomomi's closest thing to leeway was that his work shift ended when he finished the work. Not to mention his pay was minimum wage, and his boss was just... Well, just mean.

Using the time that it took for Gozai to deliver the mail to catch up slightly, Tomomi continued walking along, pulling his mask back over his face as he smiled to himself. The fact that it was a family run business surprised Tomomi though. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but, why'd you go for the job you did? I mean, joining a family run business must have been a hassle... Heck, you have to jump through hoops to get into a public run job, so, I can only imagine how much that sucked..."

Coughing, Tomomi shook his head. "Ah, never mind. The rain must be making me ask dumb things! Probably to take my mind off the fact that I look like a drowned fish right now!" The boy declared with a laugh, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

He could already see that last mailbox in the distance, all he had to do was get there, shove in those letter before he decided to try and burn them, and maybe then he could finally have some peace and quiet. But for now, he listened. And credit to Tomomi, he had a pretty good idea of what it was like.

He was about to give some short, vague answer too what the other had asked, until they withdrew the question. And there he saw an opportunity. "No, no, it's fine. It was a hassle, but the reason I went for tthe job I have now is because I know what working in the public sector is like. In the first months when I moved to the city, I worked some godawful factory job. You know, with one of those unpaid trial periods. The short time I was there, I both experienced and saw enough to know that... Well, as you described, it's terrible." He spoke, before pausing, internally contemplating whether to give a few more details.

"Honestly, I don't know why my boss did give me the job. From what I understood, the few other employees beside him and his father are family friends." He then stopped walking, pausing to shrug and shake his head. "Maybe he felt pity for me? I've never really had it in me to ask." He let his voice take on a slightly sad tone as he spoke.

Listening to Gozai answer the question even after Tomomi retracted it, the boy nodded as he took the information in. He wasn't expecting an answer, let alone as much of an answer as he got. Gozai must be someone really open and trusting, right? I mean, that's a lot to tell to someone you met in a library once.

At the suggestion that his boss gave him pity, Tomomi shrugged. "You never know. Then again, it doesn't really matter how you got a job, right? I mean, mine was as simple as applying! Probably because it's not a fun job... But yeah! I mean, you got the job, so, who cares why you got it? Job is a job." The boy declared with an innocent smile that implied he was proud of himself for that bit of wisdom. "Plus, I mean, as a job that allows you to go around the city, you really get a feel for the place, right? I've been doing this job for a few years, so, um, if you ever want any tips on routes around the city, you just let me know! I won't say I know it like the back of my hand, but I at least know it well!" He declared, a hint of pride in his voice as he shoved a Cringles can into the bag.

Wow, this kid loved to talk, didn't he. Though Gozai did think he was in part to blame for that. Still, he had a feeling it wouldn't be all bad, in the long run anyways. "Yeah, you're probably right. At the end of the day I still have a job that isn't awful." He replied with a chuckle.

A feel for the place? Yeah, that was true. Probably would be much more relevant if he actually cared about the city in any real capacity. though having someone who knew it so well could still be useful in the future. "Thanks Tomomi, I'll be sure to keep that in mind."

As he finished, he would stop next to a mailbox. And once again he pulled out a bundle of letters and shoved them in before they could get too wet. The ablino then leaned slihtly to get a look inside of his basg, to confirm it was empty. "Well, it seems that was the last of my deliveries for the day."

As Gozai thanked him, Tomomi gave a thumbs up with a nod to affirm Gozai's acknowledgement of the offer. Then, getting back to his work, he glanced over to Gozai putting the letters in the box, at least under his mop of wet hair viewing most of the act, before shoving further litter into his bag, thankful for the brief lapses of rubbish that happened every now and again. As Gozai looked into his bag however, Tomomi nodded. "Oh awesome. Um, uh, in that case, uh, I guess I'll let you get going? I don't want to, well, keep you held up especially in the like, rain! So, yeah, um... Thanks for the talk and also for checking to make sure I was okay? It was very nice!" He declared, grinning beneath his mask as he continued his route, now slowing down and not trying to actively catch up with Gozai.

It would have been rude to force him to talk to Tomomi in the torrential downpour currently going on, after all.

[Potential Exit if Gozai walks off]

Finally. Took long enough, though he supposed Tomomi had at least made this whole time not be boring, featureless and grey. It had made it just featureless and grey, with a bit of annoyance and and ego-stroking thrown in for spice. So maybe it wasn't... all a loss. That, and what he hoped was a measure of trust gained.

"Yeah, it would be fun to talk a bit more, but my shoes are soaked. So I'd rather just drop this bag off and get back home before I manage to catch a cold." Gozai said, beginning to pick up his pace. "See you soon." He'd call out, giving the other a look over his shoulder, together with a wave of his hand.

"Just not... Too soon." He felt the need to add in his head. But like so many thing this past while, he didn't voice it aloud.

[Gozai EXIT]