Chapter Text
“Oi, Oi, Rindo-kun~ You’re lookin’ preeetty unsteady over there! Don’t tell me you’re running on empty?”
“Tch. Mind your business! Why the hell are you here anyway?!” Though he isn’t wrong, I'm not doing well. When’s the last time I drank? After they all made a… tactical retreat from the fight with Chuuoku, the four of them had decided to go back to their old professions to support themselves while still seeking their sought after revolution.
He’s actually on a job right now, or he was. The gangster he was collecting a tab from, as well as the goons the man brought along were all sprawled out on the grimy alleyway ground.
“That doesn’t sound like a thank you ! You were about to get done in by a gaggle of blood bags.” Jyobu hops down from the lid of the dumpster, deliberately landing on the back of one of the beaten goons. The guy groans pitifully before falling silent once again.
Rindo scowls, turning to face the gnat in his ear. “Was not! How’d you even know I was here? Were you stalking me?”
“Didn’t need to, my nose is better than yours, and you got nicked while I happened to be nearby.”
“Bullshit.”
Jyobu shrugs at Rindo’s harsh dismissal. “Whether you believe me or not, I still saved your ass.” The assassin closes the distance between himself and Rindo, raising his forearm with his fist clenched closed. Rindo’s eyes narrow for a moment before he sighs, raising his own arm and knocking fists with Jyobu.
“Seriously though, I know you’re more of an informant type but these guys shoulda been nothing to you~”
“Maybe they just caught me by surprise~?”
“You’re not an idiot.” Jyobu says, before raising a brow. “Are you?”
“Obviously not,” Rindo rolls his eyes as he kneels down to rifle through his target’s pocket for his wallet and pulls all the cash from it. “I just haven’t eaten in awhile.” The vampire thumbs through the bills quickly, eye twitching. It’s all here! He had the money, he just didn’t want to pay up. Slipping the cash into an envelope he starts going through the other guys pockets to take their cash as a tip.
“Seriously…? Isn’t that a bit dangerous?”
“Not all of us are gluttons like you, Jikuin-san~”
“Ouch~ not true! I just eat when I'm hungry, ain’t that just in our nature?”
“Tell that to the dried up corpses you tend to leave behind.”
“Oops~! For real though, why not just snack on these guys?” Jyobu prods at the knocked out bodies with the tip of his boot.
“Cause I already know it’s gonna taste gross, they were drinking right before this.”
“Didn’t realize you were so picky, Rindo-kun~!”
“That’s rich commentary, coming from you.”
Once Jyobu got bored of pestering him, the two parted ways so that Rindo could drop off the collection. Rindo gave the weirdo a lotta shit, but at least him coming around proved the guy was still alive and kicking. They hadn’t met up all together much in the past month, more focused on keeping the heat off, though Jyobu’s overindulgence would seem to convey otherwise in his case. As he leaves the drop off, a familiar pang of hunger hits him and he curses Jyobu for unnecessarily reminding him that he had to eat.
No…no. Too much perfume, that one reeks. Mentally he crosses off potential meals one by one, realizing that perhaps the other was right about him being picky. Passing between the glow of the street lamps he ponders what to do when he overhears a conversation between a couple of high-schoolers.
“ Hey! Did you hear? They’re adding a Usa-chii themed claw machine to the arcade soon! ”
“ Seriously?! We should go! I wonder what kind of prizes they’ve got? ”
As their voices fade into the background again, Rindo turns his gaze upwards towards the stars above. Usa-chii? Is that some kinda mascot character that’s popular right now? Admittedly he was a fair bit behind on the trends. Being locked up for a few years will do that to you, maybe he should look into what's popular when he has the time. Rindo’s been so focused on making a living, maybe getting into the newer fads would give him something fun to do? Though if they’re boring I'll probably drop them immediately.
It also brought to mind the fact that a lot really has changed while he was locked up. Weapons were found less often unless you sought them underground, battles were fought with words (he’d have told you it was stupid before Chuuoku took over), and every few months or whatever they’ve got those big Rap Battles for the nation's entertainment. It made him wanna gag a little thinking about performing for those women. The longer he thought about it all the more irritated and distracted he got, ultimately bumping into a passing salaryman.
“Ah, sorry.I guess I wasn’t paying attention.”
The man bowed in apology while Rindo glared at him, debating on whether to curse the guy out or get physical. However, reminded of his hunger by another familiar ache, he shifts his expression to a more easy going one. …I guess he’ll do.
“Oh no problem~ Honestly, I was a bit distracted too!”
“ I..is that right? ”
“Yeah, seriously. So don’t worry about it! But hey…think you can give me some directions really quick~?”