Strolling The Streets [Cecil/Shouhei]

Shouhei’s shift at the bar All Night Long ended early today, seeing as there wasn’t much to prep or clean for the night shift.  He mostly assumed it was because Mariko had recently been hired, and was simply doing a stellar job, in fact she was working both shifts today.  Either way it freed up his early evening and he scrolled through his phone to see if anyone would want to hang out.

Cecil seemed like a good a choice as any, and was one of the first on his list.

Shouhei: Ayyy wyd rn  
Shouhei: I’m wanderin lil tokyo n bored lmao  
Shouhei: U free?  

He nearly stumbled and definitely bumped into several stationary things while slowly typing that out.

Feeling a buzz in his pocket, Cecil stops mid-stride and checks his phone, finding...huh, Shouhei. Wasn't expecting that.
...honestly, few of the people he'd exchanged numbers with ever actually messaged him now that he thought about it.
Letting the thought pass, Cecil grinned as he started to type again.

Cecil: Afraid not.
Cecil: Gonna cost you 5 bucks for my company.

Snickering, he stepped around a passerby as he waited for the reaction, before continuing on.

Cecil: I'm just out myself, no worries
Cecil: Think you can stop by the plaza in Vista?

In response Shouhei couldn’t help but laugh at the money comment Cecil made.  

Shouhei: Dam u a cheap azz ho lmfao    
Shouhei: Kk c u in a bit

This time he stood still while sending those replies, seeing as how he didn’t want to walk into oncoming traffic.  Once they were slowly sent he departed for their meeting spot.



Amongst the milling people in Vista Square, the bright flashing monitors of news and advertisements blinked like stars.  After playing phone tag with Cecil for a while, Shouhei eventually found him.  A clove cigarette hung from his smiling lips, as he gave a gentle wave to his friend.

“...Yo.  Whatcha doin’ here, anyway?  Cyber cafe?  The movies?”

He snickered, and put his phone away.
Well, guess he had plans today!


Spotting Shouhei, Cecil smiled and waved back. He couldn't help but note the cigarette, feeling a tickle in his throat as a faint hint of the sweet smoke hit him. He'd managed to steel himself at the Hookah place, but somehow it was harder in an open space. "Honestly? Just passing through to somewhere else. Didn't have anything in particular mind to do when I set out. Figured I'd just head out and wait for something to happen to me again."

“...That carefree, huh.  Not a bad way to live in a city like this,” said Shouhei admittedly.  After all there were so many things to do, so many sights to see, that simply walking around aimlessly could always afford someone with plenty to do.  If he weren’t so busy working most of the time Shouhei could definitely live that kind of way.  Smoke streamed from his nostrils as he gave Cecil a simple grin.

“...So ya wanna stroll the streets?”

"You don't know the half of it." He rolls his eyes and glances off aimlessly into the distance. "Usually I'll either stumble across someone, or get dragged into something going on. Charity pogo-displays, girls insisting that they're rich heiresses screaming at a maid cafe for not hiring them - it isn't usually that bad, but I always seem to have something happen on a regular basis."

Shrugging, he smiles and turns his attention back to Shouhei. "Anyway, yeah - just walking about sounds good."

Shouhei looked around, and decided to head towards the shiniest area in Vista Square as he took the lead. Of course he would head towards where his eyes were distracted most. He tried to restrain his laughter, but couldn’t help it once he heard about a pogo. “...Yeah, I’m familiar with a clown on a pogo stick around these parts. I’m pretty sure we’re both talkin’ ‘bout Lupin. Least you gotta play charity, first time I met that dude I damn near got arrested by a Cadet in one’a his crazy ass schemes.”

Slowly, Cecil's head turns to Shouhei, giving the boy a flat look of disbelief. "He...nearly got you arrested...by a Cadet." With a galled expression, his head shook slightly from side to side. "I'm sorry - I thought the inanity he was involved with was simply limited to public humiliation and operation of a pogo stick in spaces with a low ceiling. You're telling me he got the bloody cadets called?"

“...Yup, thankfully my public humiliation was limited to a single Cadet and an apeshit guy from the Gardenin’ Club,” Shouhei shook his head once he uttered that sentence aloud, and took a drag of his cigarette to calm himself and recount his almost tragic and definitely absurd tale.

“...‘Parently there were some sightin’s of a dude in a mask on campus, at one of the rooftops at the Academy.  Turns out it was Lupin gettin’ revenge on some ‘roided asshole in the Gardenin’ Club, and he moved a good deal of their equipment that was on a storage shed on the roof… and replaced it with… bags of ice.”  That last part caused Shouhei to groan and pinch the temples of his head in both confusion and aggravation.

“...Anyway, one’a the things he swapped in the shed happened to be a portable grill of mine… sometimes I like to eat on the roof in solitude durin’ lunch.  Don’t judge.”  He snapped a brief glance at Cecil before continuing, “So then I find Lupin, bloodied nose, actin’ like the thief, prankster… whatever knocked him out on the way there.  Gullible dumbass I was, I believed ‘im… at first.  But he said too much shit that gave ‘im away.”

Shouhei took another drag of smoke before regaling more of his story.

“...Before I could give ‘im the what for, the ‘roided dude from the Gardenin’ Club shows up.  He’s pissed at Lupin, obviously for good reason.  Just when he’s ‘boutta charge at the clown with a shovel, and I was almost gonna let ‘im, our Cadet arrives on the scene and beats down the ‘roided guy with a stupidly big sword.  He then questions us… I tell ‘im the truth- I didn’t wanna get arrested for some dumbass shit like that.  Lupin lies outta his ass… and is let go, 'cause the Cadet has ta deal with the Gardenin’ Club guy.”

Another exhalation of smoke accompanied a sigh from Shouhei.

“...Long story short I got my grill back… but I was ‘boutta toss that shithead off the roof first time I met ‘im.”

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"There is so much wrong with this."

"So, so much wrong with this."

"And the worst bit is, I still believe it."

“...Right?  Like Lupin has some sorta way to fuck with reality and bring a shitty outcome,” an incredulous laugh came from Shouhei in response.

“...Anyway, the clown’s not so bad once ya get ta know ‘im.  He means well… I think.”

"I've met...someone else like that..." Cecil trails off, along pause of silence following.
"...I'd rather take Lupin over that one."

He sighs, and shakes his head clear. "Enough of that." He turns his attention back to Shouhei and lets his feet carry him forward, muscle memory taking him along familiar and well worn paths without even having to think about where he was going. "The hell did he even manage that anyway? I mean - he's going from the bottom of the school to the top, through the stairs, with a mask. Several times. With a grill...a bunch of gardening equipment...or just a literal shedload of ice. That - there is so much wrong with this."

Shouhei noted Cecil’s vocal aversion to someone worse than Lupin.  He figured it was the other culprit behind the “Piss Jugs” incident, but didn’t say it lest he upset Cecil.  Hearing him describe Lupin’s antics aloud only confounded Shouhei even more when he thought about it.

“...Fuck if I know, man, I said he shits on reality somehow, so it happened, yeah?  Logistics be damned.  I guess it was long enough for a Cadet to show up on the scene.  Whatever, just tell me how the clown gotcha roped into one’a his schemes,” Shouhei intentionally shifted the dialogue because he wanted to hear Cecil’s plight, and a wide grin accompanied that.

Cecil glances away. "It...wasn't anything much. I was passing by a crowd in the street and suddenly found the entire crowd staring at me." He groans. "Cue Lupin bouncing over the top of them, urging me to come over for whatever he wanted and saying it was for the orphans. He - he literally yelled that he was going to keep making things awkward until I went along with it."
He shakes his head slightly from side to side. "And that's how I ended up falling off a pogo stick with a garish and humiliating helmet on my head."

“...Haha, clown gotcha cornered and suckered into helpin’ the orphans.  Can’t say no in front of a crowd of people either, unless ya wanna look like a heartless bastard.  What a goddam snake,” laughed Shouhei.  “Made ya look like a bigger dumbass tryin’ out somethin’ ya never had before too.  I think I’m glad with my introduction to ‘im than yours.  Fuck if I’m ever gonna get on a pogo stick… though I do wish I was there.  I definitely woulda taken pics.”

Shouhei flashed Cecil a playful wink, as he puffed smoke up into the air.