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It had been weeks since everything Seiji had thought he ever wanted had up and walked out of his life. Weeks of seeking whatever distractions he could. Weeks of trying not to think about what he'd lost, or the look on her face when he'd walked away from her. Weeks to try to begin getting over it, and it felt to him as though he'd made little to no progress in that department whatsoever. Whenever he let his mind wander to the ghoul, or the day, he still felt that chest constricting ache. He didn't talk about it to anyone, certainly not Sarias, but he couldn't deny that Junko's lose was still effecting him

He could pretend all he liked, but that didn't make the pain go away.

In all honestly he had made progress. He'd returned the futakuchi-onna's things to her. His thoughts, when alone, no longer revolved solely around her. He wished it would all just fade away. Gone, poof, not there. But that was a fools wish.

A trip to the maul had seemed a good distraction for the boil, perhaps he'd veven spoil himself a little, but he'd quickly realized a critical flaw in his logic. There were couples, everywhere, and Seiji had been their barely twenty minutes before simply walking right back out the doors he'd come in. A small bag in his hand, new drumsticks, to replace the ones he already had that were threatening to break on him if he used them much longer.

He was taking the long way back to the school. It wasted time, which was good, but it also took him far away from the graveyard he and Junko had broken up in.

At some point during the walk back to school Seiji had retrieved a pair of earbuds from his pocket, and had cranked the volume on his eyephone to drown out the world around him. He didn't hear the people or trafic around him, nor the sound of a crowd cheering on whatever sport was currently going on at the school. Only the music pounding through the headphones reached him. It was loud enough that even his own thoughts were being kept at bay, which suited him just fine.

Though just because he was deaf to the world around him, that didn't mean he was blind. It was the legs that got his attention first, and he took his time raising his eyes to her face. It was impossible not to notice the ghoul was soaking wet, and due to her proximity to the fountain he had to wonder if maybe she''d fallen in.

Or, given her attire, maybe liked the water?

Still, if she wasn't content with her current state of moistness, it would be rude of him to simply walk away, wouldn't it? Would she think he was flirting if he offered her his hoody? Was that a bad thing?

He frowned as he came to a stop and tugged the buds from his ears. "Excuse me, but are you wet by accident or design?" To his credit he managed to come off as confident and friendly, rather then leecherous and invasive.

Seiji was definitely not a dark elf. He might have had the skin tone, and he was certainly handsome, but that was where any similarity ended. It wasn't very likely that any dark elf would be caught wandering around in a pair of cargo shorts and a sleeveless hoodie. They tended to have better style then that.

Her reassurance that the current soaked state of her attire was perfectly acceptable swept the frown from his face and replaced it with a rather toothy smile. "Well that's a relief." Shoulders straightening, he lifted a hand to scratch at the back of his neck. Suddenly feeling a bit awkward for having just pestered her for no reason. "Ah, well. Doesn't hurt to check, right?"

His hand dropped as he rocked back on his heels, both fists disappearing into his pockets. "Well if you're sure you're alright, then." She was quite the cutie. Wet to the bone or not, the water did nothing to hide pretty features or alluring curves. Glowing eyes did wander a bit, but nothing overtly obnoxious. It still felt odd to him, having the freedom to let his eyes and mind wander where they willed. Although perhaps freedom wasn't really the best word. It was more like he he simply didn't notice other ghouls when he was with Junko. Now that he was single again, he certainly noticed.

Hey, there was no crime in looking! And he was definitely looking. Following the movement of her foot in the water before sliding up the line of her leg. He'd always been a leg man..

He blinked back to her face at her question, and grinned as he nodded. "Yep, second year." And hopefully moving onto third before too long, though he was going to have to start going to class for that to happen. "Aren't you a student?" She looked the age, though really looks could be deceiving. There were many among the student body that were hundreds of years old, or never aged at all, himself included in the latter.

Her invitation to stick around was a tempting one, and after a moment consideration he sank down on the bench beside her. "Well we can't have that." Unless he was much mistaken, she was flirting with him, and lovely as she was, who was he to simply walk away from such attention?

He would pay later, if a certain banshee got wind, but she wasn't here now, and they weren't really a couple by definition. Frankly, Seiji wasn't entirely sure what you would call the thing that had sprung up between Sarias and himself...

Those were worried for another day though. "So what's your name?"

Having never met a hunter outside a battle, Seiji probably should have been a little more suspicious random folks that weren't attending the school, but seemed interested in it. He knew golems existed, and hunters used them, but had yet to encounter one. So he smiled, and nodded at her somewhat vague explanation of where she was from and what she was doing here in Halloween. At the moment he was more concerned with her apparent loneliness. "I can see how it could be." Well, maybe not. But he could at least relate. He'd spent some time on his own before meeting Aslin, and then being taken in by his adoptive parents.

He offered his had when she introduced herself and grinned, baring all those shiny, sharp teeth. "Seiji. Nice to meet you."

When their fingers parted he had a moment to wonder if she would take offense if he wiped his palm on his jeans to dry it, then settled for simply resting it on the bench beside him. It was only water, it wouldn't hurt him, and he really didn't want to offend the ghoul, even on accident. He noted the soft flush of color along his cheeks, and his smile twitched in satisfaction. Good to know he could still make a pretty ghoul blush.


The smile shifted though as she leaned closer, and he blinked down at her as she lowered her voice to ask him a question. "Yes," was the automatic answer, but it was clear the boil was puzzled that a non-student would know of the haunted house. "I've been to it, a couple of times." And not once had he had anything remotely close to a good time on those visits.

"Why do you ask?" How did she know?

Cool fingers closed around his own much larger ones, and he blinked down at their clasped hands before glowing eyes flicked back up to the siren's face.

"Rumors?" He'd heard some rumors, mostly about hunters. "Nothing about a siren." At least nothing that linked the former student to the house itself. Dark brows dipped curiously.

Ah, so nothing to do with the bird after all. Seiji frowned, head tilting slightly to one side. "I can't say I've heard of that story."

He stiffened when she started crying, features crumbling at the show of emotion. Why did it have to be tears? That wasn't fair! "Hey, don't cry.." They'd just met, but damnit, she was crying.. He slid closer, resting a hand on her shoulder. "No one but you gets to tell you how to live your life." This conversation had suddenly dropped him so far out of his depth that he was practically drowning. "Please stop crying" His free hand moved to pat one of her own.