1waiting for the rain
Her rent has gone up again.
Tsuchiya Kirie makes a disgusted face at the half-crumpled letter she clutches in one hand, the other hand slowly guiding a steaming cup of black coffee toward her mouth. By now she's almost memorized the words on the page, but she still reads it again, if only to bring her temper to a fever pitch. Due to these hard economic times, we regret to inform you…
"Bullshit," she mutters, and downs half the coffee in one gulp. This is, she thinks - knows - the third time in two years that her good-for-nothing, leers-at-teenage-girls landlord has raised her rent, and he's used the same "hard economic times" excuse each time.
By now, she's almost 100% sure he's trying to force her out in favor of some renters from the nearby university. Especially because no one else's rent has gone up three times. And no one else has gotten in the asshole's face about the leering thing.
It's equally bullshit, she thinks, and crumples the paper just a little more, that she can't quite afford that rent. Working as a forensic scientist for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police sounded like a glamorous job when she took it. Now?
"Not so fucking much," she says out loud, and sips her coffee. Turns out you don't get paid shit unless you're Narumi goddamned Kiyotaka with his genius fucking brain.
"Having a bad day, I presume."
Kirie is used enough to Eyes Rutherford making silent entrances to not spill her coffee all over her suit jacket (this time); instead she crumples up the letter and slams it down on the table. "How could you tell?"
"Would you like to share?" The pianist seats himself across from her, and just as she does every time there's a gap in between their meeting, she glances him over to see if anything's changed. He's about the same this time as the last - white hair cut to his chin, wearing black-rimmed glasses, and dressed in a suit that is much too nice for a coffee shop like this one - and so she turns her eyes back to her coffee almost immediately. "I would be happy to - "
"It's an adult problem," she interrupts, sipping her drink. "Don't worry yourself."
"... I'm twenty-two," he responds.
She tries hide a smile at the hint of irritation in his voice. "Anyway, Raza-kun, what led you to calling me here this time? I heard something about you being in Japan again, but I thought your tour wasn't coming back this way until later."
"It will be concluding in Tokyo at the end of this week. I had some… business, to address, in between two of the stops." Eyes pauses to address a waitress and order a drink of his own before looking over at her. "And so I thought I would check on the situation with you."
"Ah. Business as usual then."
"Somewhat." He glances over his shoulder to be sure that the waitress is gone, that the hum of the tiny cafe will drown out his words, before leaning over the table to speak softly of matters only they - and a handful of others - still dare to talk about. "Has anything changed?"
"All quiet on my end." She puts down her cup, crossing her arms. "You?"
"I have nothing to share."
"I figured as much. To be honest, this job of mine has kept me so busy that even if I felt like taking up the duties of watching again, I don't think I could." She chews on her lip for a moment. "The others are…?"
"Asazuki and Takamachi have just begun their final year of university. Rio is currently stationed in Iraq." She notices a light smile settle on his face at the mention of the gray-haired Blade Child - a soft spot for him, she knows. "All is well with them."
"If you're back here, though, then…"
"I know," he responds, immediately, and the smile is gone. "I haven't been… yet. But I have been kept up to date regarding his… condition."
Kirie chews on her lip again; she's regretting quitting smoking right now more than ever. Somehow this kind of conversation brings up a craving for nicotine like nothing else. "It's not looking good, you know."
"I understand."
"But as long as he's held on…" She picks up her cup, looks at the coffee, decides she isn't thirsty, and sets it back down again. "He's a fighter, that Ayumu-kun."
Eyes doesn't respond to that, and it's a statement that doesn't really need a response anyway, so Kirie leaves it alone. The waitress comes with his drink - coffee with steamed milk, no sugar - and he sips at it even though it's likely boiling, his blue eyes somewhere else, only the murmur of the other residents of this tiny cafe around them.
Their meetings are usually like this. Check-ins for the sake of formality, two people with nothing in common but a string of fate between them drinking coffee and pretending they had nothing to do with the way the world may have been, in even a small way, saved.
After five minutes Kirie has noticed the clock on the wall and is trying to think of a way to excuse herself that isn't rude, but Eyes' phone does it for her, buzzing itself nearly out of his jacket pocket. He removes it, looks at the number on the display, and sighs - the only explanation he needs to give - before standing. "I apologize."
"Duty calls." She gives him a lopsided smile. "I'll handle the bill this time. I owe you, right?"
He opens his mouth to protest, but the phone begins buzzing again in his hand. "... only this once," he says. "I sincerely apologize - "
"You can't always be a gentleman, Raza-kun." She grins. "Hard as you try."
The face he makes at that is preposterous, and she's trying hard not to laugh when he seems to remember something. "Ah," he murmurs, and tucks his phone away in his pocket - silenced for now, she guesses - before reaching into the inside of his suit coat. "I nearly forgot. I brought these for you."
"... huh?"
"Tickets," he says, and draws out an envelope that he places on the table in front of her, "for my final show of the tour. This Friday evening." His lips twitch slightly into what might be a smile. "I would be honored if you would attend."
She doesn't touch the envelope. "You know I hate your music, right?"
"Consider it a favor to me."
"Raza-kun, seriously. I hate piano music."
"Well," he says, and she catches what is an actual smile as he turns on his heel to walk away, "perhaps you will have luck selling the tickets to pay your rent."
Kirie sputters something that is supposed to be an insult but sounds like childish babble as he leaves. Just how long, she wonders, was he standing there, before he…?
She groans out loud and finishes her coffee, now lukewarm. She's never been in the habit of doing favors for Eyes Rutherford, and she definitely doesn't want to start now, but she'll be damned if she lets him get away with that insult.
