"Right now? I plan on finishing a few more cigarettes and waiting around for the Vanguard boys to come in for the debriefing. After that, though..."
He smiled, as he brought the cig back up to his lips.
"You need to take me around."
Yulia had been the one who had specifically cited Prague. Surely she knew what was worth looking at and what wasn't?
(That, and he wanted to see what she was going to do, being back in a city for reasons that she did not seem comfortable divulging. And that could only mean one thing.)
Yulia tilts her head in thought, running through her memory of Prague. There is a brief flicker of emotion in her eyes when she thinks of a place.
It was a small place along a lonely-looking road. Had a nice view of the river. Marcin and Hans practically had to drag Yulia there, who, at the time just wanted to return home. But it was Stefan's birthday, and everyone else wante to celebrate, and she eventually gave in.
"There is bar across the Vltava," she said, her voice betraying none of her feelings (embarrassment? regret? both?). "You might like there."
She remembered the route. They could cut through a wooded park, take the bridge by the old town. She remembered Ingrid wanting to stop by the Astronomical Clock on the way, how she rolled her eyes when pictures were taken.
She doesn't think of what happened after the bar.
But if Hikaru Shinta wanted her to show him around like standard tourist fare, he could shove that thought up his ass and pay for the goddamned boring tour guide himself.
"If you like it there, then I'm sure I'll like it there."
Thankfully, Hikaru was completely uninterested in guided tours, stilted shuttling from one famous place to another. He preferred to explore, to dwell on all of the little things, to take his sweet damned time sucking on the marrow of the city and reveling in how the insides tasted different with every bone he took.
The door opened at that moment, and seconds later, the anxious face of a boy in a Methuselah uniform was peeking in.
"Inquisitor Shinta...?"
"Thanks." He turned to Yulia just once before walking towards the operative. "Give me five minutes, then we can go."
Yulia was about to say, about to reply that no, she did not like it there (lies, all lies.), when the Methuselah kid popped his head in. She gave Hikaru a shrug in response instead, not even verbalizing the implied "Do what you want, I'll be right here."
He was the Blade King, you let him do what he wants; you just follow.
Still, five minutes was a little too much time to leave Yulia alone with her thoughts. Especially with thoughts of Prague and the people who left her behind. She tried holding back the memories, but it was useless. They came back, rushing, unwanted-- good memories, but sad at the same time.
Then again, she was the one who suggested to go to Prague in the first place. She wondered why, for a moment.
She finished her stick, and crushed it under her boot as she fished for her own pack. She was running low and needed to stock up again, but still she lit up her second stick. She needed them badly. If not that, the drinks they would have (should have) later.
Yulia forced herself to just watch Hikaru talk to the Methuselah kid, listen in, or whatever. Distract herself from the memories. She scratched lightly at her cheek, at the thin layer of drying blood. That had to come off before they went out into the city.
And since she was watching him, Yulia was going to end up seeing Hikaru Shinta delivering his report and managing to snag a nice quick-dry cum clean-all towel and some nice grape-flavored cigarettes.
Charm could get one very, very far in life.
"Here."
He handed his offerings over to Yulia the moment he broke off from the operative, and smiled.
"Gifts for the road."
Besides: he could not have Yulia not looking pretty. They were going on a pseudo-date, after all.
"...Thank you," she said as she took the offered gifts, a little wary, a little unsure.
The towel Yulia needed; and she used it immediately, scrubbing at her face, her neck, her hands. The cigarettes, she pocketed. She didn't even wonder how Hikaru knew what she needed. He had ways, she was sure.
She was wiping her hands when she flicked her gaze from where the kid stood, at the entrance of the warehouse, then, to Hikaru Shinta.
"He's just a little overwhelmed. The boy's used to having to clean up after particularly messy Hunters, but it's rare that he has to do it all on his own."
Naturally, Hikaru was sympathetic. He was also not going to bother making it easier on the kid. Hunting was a thankless job, and the sooner people got used to that, the better.
And she set off right then, dropped the towel she just finished using on the kid's shoulder and slipped out of the warehouse. She only stopped across the street so she could get her bearings, find the direction of the river before continuing on. Although, with who she was with, it was probably alright to get a little lost.
Besides, there was still a bit of daylight they could waste.
Hikaru, on the other hand, hung back at just the right distance to observe one Yulia Bostova at Work En-Route to Being at Play. The girl's focus honestly amused him. It also reminded him of a lot of things.
"I suddenly remember why I enjoyed my last stay here."
Walking around Prague was always a treat. It was a beautiful city; anywhere you looked was something even Yulia could appreciate. It's also a good thing she still remembered some of the ins and outs of the city.
She looked back at him as they walked.
"And you will tell me why even if I do not asked, da?"
"Of course not. You've always got a choice with me."
Smooth and easy, as ever. Now Hikaru was picking up the pace just long enough to come up at her shoulder. He was smoking through another cigarette.
Funny how the emergence of the Vigil in to the World of Light had helped tobacco companies and pro-smoker city planners out immensely. Not a lot of places didn't exile smokers to godforsaken corners now, and there were ashtrays and trashcans everywhere.
"But you will tell me anyway," she said, not really smiling, and not really smirking, either.
If she were any other person, she might have also added 'please' at the end of her sentence. But she's Yulia Bostova, the word practically doesn't exist in her vocabulary.
"I guess I will then." Hikaru paused just long enough to take another drag of his cigarette. He turned his gaze towards the skyline, the buildings around them.
"I remember Prague mostly for its beauty. This place has an incredibly rich history, though, and its development was intimately tied in with the needs of the Vigil."
"It is... romantic," Yulia nodded. There really wasn't anything to not like about Prague. Just the memories that haunted her sometimes. If she tried to even be honest about it, she would probably say that out loud.
They turned a corner, and she threw the empty pack of cigarettes at a passing bin, now that she was on her third stick after the engagement. Thankfully Hikaru had managed to obtain another pack of cigarettes for later.
"No, but you certainly don't think about it often. Hence, I assumed that describing things as 'romantic' doesn't really happen much on your end of things."
An innocent blink, as he was plainly stating things how he saw it. (That, in a way, was worrisome to him. Trusting too easily again? Getting attached? You do remember the last time when--
And then he stopped that voice before it could continue.)
"Hmph," she huffed, frowning at the sidewalk in front of her. She decided to just let the silence stretch and settle between them; she can just enjoy her cigarette in silence. Prague was surely pretty enough as a distraction.
Yulia shrugged in response. She still wasn't sure what made her want to go to Prague this time around. She didn't celebrate anniversaries, birthdays, or any of the sort. It just... happened.
She lapsed into silence again, dragging it for a few more blocks before checking her watch and speaking again.
"The Orloj should be around here. You want to see?"
"Sure. Been a while since I've seen it for myself."
Hikaru was pretty much throwing out the schedule he had planned for himself that day: there were always tasks and other concerns. However, he was not about to miss out on an opportunity to get to know someone who interested him a little better.
She just nodded once, and kept on. She didn't bother asking why he's humoring her, or why he's letting her lead him around. She had a vague idea why (she also liked to think she understood the Blade King, even just a little), but she was doing this mostly for herself.
A test to see if she has finally moved on.
There was already a sizable crowd forming at the Orloj when they get there. Several groups of people already hung out in front of the tower, chatting, laughing, goofing around, taking pictures, and all of them waited for the skeletal representation of death to ring the bells that counted the hours as twelve holy men marched across the clock. Yulia stopped just across the crowd, not wanting to even be near it (not that it could be helped; the Orloj was a beauty of a tower, unsurprisingly one of the more popular tourist attractions in Prague, and there was always going to be a crowd of people nearby).
She lit up one of the grape-flavored cigarettes and offered the pack to Hikaru.
He lit up for himself, and kept his eyes on his surroundings: the crowd, the skyline, the tower.
"I've always liked the design of the Orloj. Some of the people I've talked to think it's morbid, but if I had an alarm clock, I'd want it to look exactly like it."
Small talk time, just to see what was going to happen next.
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He smiled, as he brought the cig back up to his lips.
"You need to take me around."
Yulia had been the one who had specifically cited Prague. Surely she knew what was worth looking at and what wasn't?
(That, and he wanted to see what she was going to do, being back in a city for reasons that she did not seem comfortable divulging. And that could only mean one thing.)
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It was a small place along a lonely-looking road. Had a nice view of the river. Marcin and Hans practically had to drag Yulia there, who, at the time just wanted to return home. But it was Stefan's birthday, and everyone else wante to celebrate, and she eventually gave in.
"There is bar across the Vltava," she said, her voice betraying none of her feelings (embarrassment? regret? both?). "You might like there."
She remembered the route. They could cut through a wooded park, take the bridge by the old town. She remembered Ingrid wanting to stop by the Astronomical Clock on the way, how she rolled her eyes when pictures were taken.
She doesn't think of what happened after the bar.
But if Hikaru Shinta wanted her to show him around like standard tourist fare, he could shove that thought up his ass and pay for the goddamned boring tour guide himself.
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Thankfully, Hikaru was completely uninterested in guided tours, stilted shuttling from one famous place to another. He preferred to explore, to dwell on all of the little things, to take his sweet damned time sucking on the marrow of the city and reveling in how the insides tasted different with every bone he took.
The door opened at that moment, and seconds later, the anxious face of a boy in a Methuselah uniform was peeking in.
"Inquisitor Shinta...?"
"Thanks." He turned to Yulia just once before walking towards the operative. "Give me five minutes, then we can go."
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He was the Blade King, you let him do what he wants; you just follow.
Still, five minutes was a little too much time to leave Yulia alone with her thoughts. Especially with thoughts of Prague and the people who left her behind. She tried holding back the memories, but it was useless. They came back, rushing, unwanted-- good memories, but sad at the same time.
Then again, she was the one who suggested to go to Prague in the first place. She wondered why, for a moment.
She finished her stick, and crushed it under her boot as she fished for her own pack. She was running low and needed to stock up again, but still she lit up her second stick. She needed them badly. If not that, the drinks they would have (should have) later.
Yulia forced herself to just watch Hikaru talk to the Methuselah kid, listen in, or whatever. Distract herself from the memories. She scratched lightly at her cheek, at the thin layer of drying blood. That had to come off before they went out into the city.
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Charm could get one very, very far in life.
"Here."
He handed his offerings over to Yulia the moment he broke off from the operative, and smiled.
"Gifts for the road."
Besides: he could not have Yulia not looking pretty. They were going on a pseudo-date, after all.
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The towel Yulia needed; and she used it immediately, scrubbing at her face, her neck, her hands. The cigarettes, she pocketed. She didn't even wonder how Hikaru knew what she needed. He had ways, she was sure.
She was wiping her hands when she flicked her gaze from where the kid stood, at the entrance of the warehouse, then, to Hikaru Shinta.
"He did not look very pleased."
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Naturally, Hikaru was sympathetic. He was also not going to bother making it easier on the kid. Hunting was a thankless job, and the sooner people got used to that, the better.
"Enough about that, though. Lead the way?"
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And she set off right then, dropped the towel she just finished using on the kid's shoulder and slipped out of the warehouse. She only stopped across the street so she could get her bearings, find the direction of the river before continuing on. Although, with who she was with, it was probably alright to get a little lost.
Besides, there was still a bit of daylight they could waste.
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"I suddenly remember why I enjoyed my last stay here."
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She looked back at him as they walked.
"And you will tell me why even if I do not asked, da?"
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Smooth and easy, as ever. Now Hikaru was picking up the pace just long enough to come up at her shoulder. He was smoking through another cigarette.
Funny how the emergence of the Vigil in to the World of Light had helped tobacco companies and pro-smoker city planners out immensely. Not a lot of places didn't exile smokers to godforsaken corners now, and there were ashtrays and trashcans everywhere.
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If she were any other person, she might have also added 'please' at the end of her sentence. But she's Yulia Bostova, the word practically doesn't exist in her vocabulary.
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"I guess I will then." Hikaru paused just long enough to take another drag of his cigarette. He turned his gaze towards the skyline, the buildings around them.
"I remember Prague mostly for its beauty. This place has an incredibly rich history, though, and its development was intimately tied in with the needs of the Vigil."
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They turned a corner, and she threw the empty pack of cigarettes at a passing bin, now that she was on her third stick after the engagement. Thankfully Hikaru had managed to obtain another pack of cigarettes for later.
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Hikaru was smiling at her again, and not hiding (as expected) the fact that this exchange was taking an amusing turn for him.
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"I am not that cold a woman not to be unfamiliar with the concept of romance, Blade King."
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An innocent blink, as he was plainly stating things how he saw it. (That, in a way, was worrisome to him. Trusting too easily again? Getting attached? You do remember the last time when--
And then he stopped that voice before it could continue.)
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"You were with them, the last time you were here."
It was a statement of fact.
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She took a long drag from her cigarette and exhaled; looked up at the sky overhead and tried to keep her emotions in check.
"...Da, that is correct."
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Places full of ghosts were difficult to come back to, and it was rarely ever a journey that one should do alone.
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She lapsed into silence again, dragging it for a few more blocks before checking her watch and speaking again.
"The Orloj should be around here. You want to see?"
Might as well go.
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Hikaru was pretty much throwing out the schedule he had planned for himself that day: there were always tasks and other concerns. However, he was not about to miss out on an opportunity to get to know someone who interested him a little better.
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A test to see if she has finally moved on.
There was already a sizable crowd forming at the Orloj when they get there. Several groups of people already hung out in front of the tower, chatting, laughing, goofing around, taking pictures, and all of them waited for the skeletal representation of death to ring the bells that counted the hours as twelve holy men marched across the clock. Yulia stopped just across the crowd, not wanting to even be near it (not that it could be helped; the Orloj was a beauty of a tower, unsurprisingly one of the more popular tourist attractions in Prague, and there was always going to be a crowd of people nearby).
She lit up one of the grape-flavored cigarettes and offered the pack to Hikaru.
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He lit up for himself, and kept his eyes on his surroundings: the crowd, the skyline, the tower.
"I've always liked the design of the Orloj. Some of the people I've talked to think it's morbid, but if I had an alarm clock, I'd want it to look exactly like it."
Small talk time, just to see what was going to happen next.
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/slow ;u;
/slow as well... orz
i didn't forget about this one...!!! ;u;
♥
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