|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:34 pm
((Lame title, I know. Lack of inspiration. If you have a better one, please let me know.))
"Aren't you excited, Celty?" a dark-haired young man asked his pokeball, grinning at it slyly. His voice was saturated with false peppiness. "We get to go to out to the city today. And a seaport city, too. Won't that be fun? There's bound to be something interesting in going to fetch the new shipment of liquid soap." His red eyes flashed. "Especially when they're counting on us to bring it all the way back to base. They've run out in the bathrooms here, see, so naturally they'd send me to replace them."
He sighed dramatically, cradling an arm and resting his cheek against a palm. "Ah, what a challenging task. I'm not sure if we'll make it back alive. Might as well try, mmm?" His smile vanished as he put the ball back in his pant pocket. "We'd better get going. I'd hate to think of what might happen if we don't get back in time. So many dirty, unwashed hands! Oh, the horror."
Taking a step out into the sun, the grunt raised his fur-trimmed hood up over his head to shade his eyes, peering off into the distance. He would get that soap, all right. No one told him he couldn't have a little fun along the way, though. Who knew? Maybe the Camphoreon outpost was just waiting for someone like him to arrive and lighten it up.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:48 pm
Not far from where the dark-haired man exited the base, a black SUV idled in readiness. Leaning against the driver's door was a small blond with ice blue eyes, and no discernible expression at all. Straitening the cuffs of his neutral grey suit, Frost raised an eyebrow slightly at the other man. A fur hood? In the desert? Really? Perhaps this one had traded his common sense in for fashion sense... not that the other grunt looked especially stylish to him, but he was aware that he was not all that in touch with what was 'trendy' in clothing this week.
"You are coming to the city," he said in cool tones, his words obviously more statement than question. "What is your name? You may call me Frost." He had hoped that he would be going alone today to pick up some basic parts and supplies for the garages, but at the last minute he had been told to expect company. He knew for sure that somebody was heading into the city to fetch soap (thank goodness), he should probably wait another couple minutes just in case any other errands were thought of, or in case anybody with a day off decided to take the chance to get a lift rather than having to sign out a car for personal use which was always a bit of a faff. He hoped there wouldn't be too many. He didn't fancy a raucous trip.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 2:56 pm
"My, my, that was a forceful order if I ever heard one. Are you planning to kidnap me?" The 23-year-old inquired, feigning fright. "That's a very ominous black vehicle, Frosty-chan," he responded, regarding the SUV. "And with you standing next to it with that kind of expression, it makes you seem all the more menacing. How about a smile? Smiles are important for first impressions." He grinned. "I am Izaya Orihara. It's a pleasure, I'm sure."
He tilted his head and tapped his chin. "So does this mean Frosty-chan's going to give me a ride to the outpost? How thoughtful of you to be worried about me out in the hot sun all by my lonesome~" Izaya giggled. "But if you insist, I'll come. Just to keep you company."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:20 pm
Ah, it was nice when he could make an instant judgement about somebody. Brainless little show off. Frost lowered the eyebrow. "You do not impress me, Izaya Orihara. Let us be perfectly clear about that from the start. Let us also be clear that if you are trying to annoy me, you are failing. In addition, I have no interest in kidnapping you, or having anything to do with you at all, but I have been instructed to take you to the city and so that is what I shall do... Were you planning to walk, boy? You would be gone an extremely long time." No great loss from what he could tell but orders were orders; he would take the fool to the city, and make sure that he brought him back in one piece too.
"Now, unless you have any more attempts at wit to throw at me," Frost opened the car door, "let us be going." He had waited as long as was required and as such was in a hurry to be off; his hatred of waste extended to the waste of time too and - he glanced at Izaya - of oxygen. Face still expressionless, the pale eyed man climbed into the driver's seat. This was going to be a long drive... Well, it would not be any longer than normal, but he suspected his perception would make it seem longer if the pretentious young man continued with his current attitude.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 3:47 pm
A harsh bark of laughter was the lower-ranked Rocket's reply. "What makes you think I'm trying to impress you? If you have to tell me that I don't, certainly something about me must give off some impressing vibe," he teased. "Same with the annoyance. I'm hurt you would assume I'd try to do such a thing! After all, you're my teammate, and my superior on top of that. It would be no benefit to either of us if I were to intentionally annoy you." He sneered. "If I am, though, you just let me know and I'll do my best to be a good little Rocket grunt, okay?"
Removing his jacket, which was, truthfully, starting to grow uncomfortably hot, Izaya wrapped it around his waist and approached Frost. "That was the point, Frosty-chan. It's boring as hell around here, and I had hoped for some action out there in the big, bad world. The sooner I brought back the soap, the sooner I'd have to return to the mundane, mission-less life I lead here until they gave me something else to do. I'm just using this opportunity to stretch my legs."
He sighed and shrugged his shoulders, smiling helplessly. "If orders are orders, though, I guess we're both obligated to follow them. Anyway, if you drive me there, we'll have more time to go buy some flowers from a local florist. They're going to need more than just new soap to freshen up those overwhelmingly fragrant bathrooms."
The grunt pouted. "So serious, Frosty-chan! You're no fun at all~" Nevertheless, he hopped into the car as Frost opened the door. "Neh, neh, we should get you some girls while you're there too. You seem to be suffering from some certain frustration of a particular kind. Unless Mr. Xander has been relieving you of that tension," he said off-handedly, casually glancing out the window as the SUV started up.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 4:16 pm
"Listen carefully in future," Frost admonished softly, "I said 'if' you are trying to annoy me. As for the other, guessing people's motives is not my strong suit, and therefore I thought I should let you know that if you did have such intentions, you wouldn't get anywhere. Furthermore," Frost put the car in gear and set off through the desert, "I am not your superior; I am a grunt too... Does something about me give off an authoritative vibe, boy?" Ha; he had almost made a joke, or something of the kind anyway. It was wasted on this one though, what a singularly daft individual; had he escaped from a mental hospital before coming here? Humm, and if he wasn't trying to be annoying, why did he insist on a stupid nickname and making personal insinuations? Maybe the 'mental patient' theory wasn't so far off.
"Your guesses about my relationship with my roommate interest me," he continued with a slightly raised eyebrow. "I was not aware that either of us was popular enough to warrant gossip... Ah, or perhaps I am peculiar enough to be a good target? Mmh. In any case, he has not, and I have no interest in 'picking up' any women or any men on this trip. As for flowers, if you wish to acquire them you shall have to do so out of your own pocket. As a fellow grunt, I am aware that said pocket will not be especially deep... unless you had money prior to joining up of course." He himself had some savings, but he was thirty five and had worked for a good number of years before joining Team Rocket. His current companion couldn't be more than twenty five (though he did look older than Xander), and so it was likely that he didn't have much to his name, unless of course he had been born into privilege.
"Anyway," Frost shifted up into top gear as the terrain flattened out for the time being, "if it is interest and excitement you are looking for, you should try to sign up for a proper mission. I went on one very recently; I was flung into a giant mechanical Ariados at high velocity by a Seed Flare attack. Getting onto a mission is hardly rocket science - that was not supposed to be a pun - you just have to make sure that the elites don't think you're an utter idiot... Which might be an issue in your case? I cannot imagine Seth being impressed by your attitude, but elites do differ. Some might think you're just the peppy kind of young man they want on their squad." Unlikely, certainly, but so were many things in life and they still happened...
Izaya had thought that something was going on between himself and his roommate. Had Xander said something? They certainly didn't act anything like a couple, and so it couldn't be erroneous intuition that made the dark-haired man guess that. Maybe he merely knew they were roommates and decided to make a jab based on that, genuinely believing that he was heterosexual and would be disgusted by the very idea... Had Xander said something? What could he have said? They weren't a couple or even close to one. Maybe Xander flirted with him in public all the time and he just didn't notice. Mmh. He would have to ask when he returned; one way or another he would like to know the truth.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2011 4:33 pm
"Your 'if' was still an implication that could not be ignored," Izaya answered calmly. "And so I am still offended. Especially since you're still implying such hurtful, mean things!" Beaming brightly as they vehicle finally began to move, he laughed. "I know; I just wanted to hear you say it. You're not my superior," he repeated, something sinister glimmering in his gaze, "so don't act like it. That includes calling me 'boy'. Just how old are you?" He leaned over into Frost's personal space as the blonde man drove.
"You consider yourself peculiar, Frost-chan?" he asked slowly. "In what way?" Taking out his pokeball, he rolled the tiny sphere between his fingers. "Ah ah ah...you picked me up, didn't you? And I'm a man."
With a fake yawn, Izaya leaned just a smidge closer to the driver. "Silly Frosty-chan. We're Rockets. Whatever money we need, we can simply take it. There's some fun in the devising of the multiple methods by which to take it, too. Not that I'd expect you to know anything about fun, but at least I'll get some entertainment." He sank back smugly in his chair. "Besides...I might have a deeper pocket than you think I do."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 11:28 am
"You are free to interpret my words however you will," Frost shrugged slightly, forcing himself to block out the feeling of discomfort brought on by the other man's sudden proximity to him. "It does not change what I meant," he went on, expression still perfectly neutral, "but I can see that you are determined to read into it things that were not meant. I doubt that any amount of effort on my part could change your mind. In the same vein I was not intending to behave as though I was your superior. If it troubles you, Izaya Orihara, I shall refrain from calling you boy in future, no matter how much you act like one. Mmh, and if it matters, I am thirty five."
He really wished the boy would stop leaning closer to him. Although he gave no outward sign of it, he was beginning to feel deeply uncomfortable. He did not want the other grunt to touch him; for one he had no idea how clean the man was, and for another he just didn't. Why were so many people so insistent on being so tactile?... Orihara was probably doing it in the hopes of putting him on edge actually. While he knew he took it to the extreme, most people didn't like their personal space being invaded by strangers. Well, he would not give the man the satisfaction of any reaction at all; he would ignore whatever the fool did, and when he got back to base he would have a shower. A very long shower.
"I do consider myself peculiar," Frost went on after only a momentary pause. "I am very much aware that I deviate significantly from all sorts of norms. I see no reason to live in denial. As for some examples... I am far more intelligent than the norm, but far less adept at reading non verbal cues. Mmh. I am not sure what you mean to imply by pointing out that I picked you up and that you are male. I do not see how your gender is relevant; I was instructed to take you with me, and I would have done so whether you turned out to be male, female, or inter-sexed. As for the matter of money," he shrugged slightly, accelerating further as the ground grew even smoother, "I suppose you might have deep pockets. Perhaps you were a successful thief before you joined Team Rocket. Perhaps you were born into money. I have no idea what your circumstances might be, and frankly I have no interest either." At least the young fool had sat back into his chair now. One had to be grateful for small mercies under circumstances such as these.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 2:10 pm
"It may not change what you meant, Frosty-chan, but how am I to know what you meant if you don't make it clear, mm?" He asked, gesturing as he spoke, staring out the window. "Misunderstandings are very troublesome. I just want to verify with what intentions you said your words."
He listened quietly to what Frost had to say, closing his eyes and resting his head against the window. He propped his elbow up on the window sill and rested his chin on the back of his hand, thinking and watching the world go by, a faint smile still on his face.
"Deviate?" he laughed at the man's comment. "On the contrary, I think you're perfectly conformed." Removing himself from the window, Izaya placed his hands in his hoodie pockets. "Unlike you, Frosty-chan, I like to think I have a relatively good understanding of human behavior and tendencies. Observing humans is my hobby. I love humans; they are the most interesting creatures there are. I love them enough to know they're all the same." Crimson eyes flicked to Frost at the corner of Izaya's vision. "For example, you may be right in thinking you're intellectually superior to the average person, but because of that, you feel it's wiser to keep your head down and obey orders rather than defy them. Am I right?"
"Haha, as for 'picking me up', I was referring to your claim of not having any interest of picking up any men or women on this trip. You picked me up, though, so that proves your claim false." With a sigh, his hand reached for the lever under the seat that would change the angle of the seat's back. Once it was sufficiently inclined, he turned on his side away from Frost and folded his hoodie to use as a cushion for his head. "Wake me up when we get there, will you, Frosty-chan? I'm going to take a nap."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 01, 2011 2:27 pm
"On the contrary," Frost shook his head slightly, "I obey orders that I feel are sensible because they are sensible, not in order to 'keep my head down'. I have no interest in keeping my head down, it is merely the most logical course of action. It is logical, for example, to take only one car out to the city; to take two would be a waste of resources. I might prefer to travel alone but that is really of no consequence... And in fact my statement was not false. Even if you count giving you a lift as picking you up, as I say, I did it because I was given a logical order to do so, not because I was interested in doing so." He was wasting his breath here, but he couldn't resist the urge to try to explain himself to his obtuse travelling companion. At least he was going to sleep now.
"Very well," Frost nodded as the young man turned away from him, "I shall do so." Peace from the child's nonsensical chattering. Luxury. Although his outward demeanour didn't change, inwardly Frost relaxed somewhat. Perhaps now he could start to enjoy the drive. The presence of the other man still niggled though, made his skin prickle. While they were allies in theory, in practice he couldn't persuade himself of that. The man was a threat, a threat to his sensibilities even if nothing else. It was certainly worth considering how he might dispose of him should it become necessary.
So it was that Frost pulled into the Outpost's car park, pondering murder with the same level of concern other men might apply to wondering what might be for dinner. Honestly it probably wasn't practical to subtract the boy from the equation that was life, but it was always best to be prepared in any case. "We are here," the pale-eyed man announced, just in case the other occupant of the car really had gone to sleep. "Have you ever been here before? Do you know where you need to go?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Apr 06, 2011 7:47 am
"Mmmh..." Izaya twisted his body forward drowsily, yawning as he stretched out his arms, once again invading Frost's space. He seemed none the wiser about the blonde's thoughts on his murder as he blinked at him, rubbing the last sleep from his eyes. "Here already? That was fast. You're an efficient driver, Frosty-chan. But I suppose that goes for everything you do, heh."
Taking in his surroundings outside the van windows, the man dark-haired man shook his head. "Been around the city a few times. Haven't ever actually been to the Rocket outpost here." He turned to smile at his companion. "You aren't going to make me go out all by my lonesome, are you? There could be bad men out there."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Apr 08, 2011 11:07 am
"Bad men?" Frost raised a pale eyebrow very slightly and climbed out of the car, shutting the door behind him with a soft click. "Well, there is at least one now. I hope this does not put you off. In any case, I will show you the way, and I will do so because it is more efficient than allowing you to bumble around lost for an hour. Mmh. It is this way." Without waiting to see if the black haired young man would follow him Frost set off swiftly for the nearest building, straightening his jacket as he went. That was the trouble with sitting in cars for long periods of time, it did rumple up your clothes.
"On the subject of efficiency," he continued, "I see no point in wasting effort or in fact any resource. Driving, however, happens to be something I am skilful at as well as merely striving for efficiency in." He enjoyed it too but he saw no reason to share that piece of information, and no twitch of his face betrayed any more than the simple words he had spoken.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 9:17 am
"Put me off?" the younger grunt repeated, hopping out his door. "Actually, it does the opposite~" he murmured, smiling under his breath. Sticking his hands in his jacket pockets once again, he walked around the van to Frost's side.
"Nice to know you have so much faith in me," he chuckled, swiftly pursuing his guide as he started forward. Izaya cheerfully hummed as he sort of skipped along, apparently in a jolly mood. Despite the menial nature of the task set for them, it wasn't often he got to explore outside headquarters. The sun was warm on his back, and though he still wore long sleeves after tying his coat about his waist, he didn't mind the heat.
"I agree. But then, how many Rockets does it take to get some soap refills?" he questioned Frost, changing direction to walk backwards as he faced the platinum blonde. "I mean, if you know how to drive and where the post is, why would they send me at all? You don't think they have a reason not to trust you with such a simple assignment, do you, Frosty-chan? Ow."
The young man paused and rubbed his head as he had skipped backward into a traffic sign.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2011 11:22 am
As the red-eyed man bounced off the sign Frost raised an eyebrow very slightly; definitely an asylum escapee, that or just as daft as a brush. "I did not come here for soap, Izaya Orihara," the pale grunt replied dispassionately. "I have come here to collect supplies for the garage, and to discuss a few parts that will need to be ordered on behalf my my immediate superior. I suppose I could have been asked to fetch soap at the same time, but for whatever reason I was not. Perhaps somebody has decided that I need to be supervised, or perhaps somebody decided that they wanted to get you off base for a few hours. We may never know the truth."
The abandoned subway station that was the City Outpost loomed in front of them, all boarded up windows and graffiti. Frost pushed open the shattered door without batting an eyelid, and turned left towards a set of stairs that led downwards. At the bottom was a grimy shuttered door; there was no visible way to open it. As he came to a halt before it Frost reached into an inner pocket of his jacket and took out his pokegear, which he held up in the air. "Grunts Frost and Izaya Orihara," he said clearly and, after a few moments, the shutter rolled silently upward; though it might look decrepit, it was clear that the mechanisms were well maintained.
"Welcome to the outpost," Frost said softly as he stepped inside, nodding to the grunt who had (presumably) granted them access. Once past the door things were very different; well cleaned corridors very much like those to be found on base ran off left, right and straight ahead, and the place as a whole gave off the same militaristic feel as HQ as well.
"Domestic items are this way," Frost said simply, taking a left turn and setting off down the new corridor. He was not moving as quickly as he would like to be, but his ribs were still too sore to do anything more vigorous than walk at an average pace. He wished they would hurry up and get better; he could be underneath a car right now if they were, but as it was he was stuck playing errand boy. He really did dislike playing errand boy.
((Edited for info on what the outpost is like ^^))
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Apr 14, 2011 10:56 pm
((Thank you very much~))
Staring contemptuously at the sign he had bumped into, Izaya rubbed his head tenderly before readopting his smile. It didn't seem to carry the same joviality it had prior to the accident, however. "Ohhhh, so that's how it is. Either of those seem like fair assumptions, nevertheless. And truth be told, I like the company."
Whistling long and low at the sight of the abandoned station, the dark-haired man continued to shadow his guide with his hands in his pockets, generally keeping up without too much difficulty. He said nothing as Frost opened the shattered door, nor as he followed him down the descending stairs. Raising his brows at the shuttered door, he waited patiently while whistling a merry little tune.
Applauding the fancy entrance and Frost's suave manner at getting them in, Izaya laughed. "It's just like 'Open Sesame', only without the spice. How cool. Does that make us secret agents, Frosty-chan?"
He smiled at Frost's welcome and regarded the third grunt before surveying their new atmosphere thoroughly. "Ah...home sweet home," he muttered to himself, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "It's like we never left the base."
Turning at Frost's direction, Izaya fell in step alongside him. "Are garage supplies under the category of 'domestic items'?" he asked the serious blond. "Hehe...I almost feel like we're playing house and grocery-shopping." Despite his chuckle, there was something underlying his tone that indicated he was liking his task no more than Frost did.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
