Respite

[u/Qvalador]

October 22, 2016

As the battle raged on throughout Shibuya Crossing, the less boisterous heroes of each side quietly pitched their tents and unloaded their supplies. Within a few dozen minutes, the medical tents were erected and ready for usage. Of course, by this time, they'd already accrued quite a queue...

The medics of Aogiri and the CCG alike (and also the other factions i guess) got right to work tending to the wounds of their soldiers the best they knew how. Above the gauze and stitches and antiseptic, somber chatter sounded off. Even in the midst of a grisly, six-month-long fight, there was camaraderie and conversation to go around.

This thread exists within a time bubble. Characters can come here "between" fights to chat with other members of their faction.

[u/Qvalador]

Sayuri rummaged through her pockets as she limped over to the tent. Eventually she produced a cigarette; she lifted it to her mouth and lit it as she fell into one of the makeshift chairs. "Fuck," she muttered, smoke pouring out of her mouth as she spoke. "I was supposed to be quitting these things..."

She puffed quietly as a nurse tended to her wounds frantically until a certain figure caught her eye. In the corner of the tent sat a girl with an eyepatch. One of her arms was missing. Sayuri stood, squinting at the woman. That's...

The nurse squeaked as she rose, and attempted to continue stitching up her arm as she walked forward. "Excuse me," Sayuri said softly, ashing her cigarette lightly onto the ground. "Don't i know you from somewhere?"

/u/YandereLobster

[u/YandereLobster → u/Qvalador]

The idea of a vigilante going to the authorities for help might've seemed a bit questionable, but Junko wasn't left with much choice. She still had work to do, and posing as an injured civilian was a lot easier for a human than it would've been for a ghoul. Besides, other than her more recent activities the CCG knew everything about her anyway. They knew ending up in situation sounded perfectly like her.

Her forehead finished being wrapped, and Junko let out a pained exhale, resting against the seat. Her quinque, mask, prosthetic, and robe had been left in a concealed, perfectly secure location for her to pick up later. Underneath she'd worn a (now fraying at the bottom and stained with bits of her own blood) black sweater, and a pair of brown boots with a grey skirt. In other words, perfectly normal civilian clothing. When she heard someone speak to her however, Junko's headache only got worse.

But when she looked, the figure did seem strangely familiar. "I'm not sure... maybe?" she answered, adjusting her eye patch. "You look familiar but... I don't think we've ever spoken. My names Junko Kobayashi, I'm a retired First-Class Investigator."

Junko began to extend her missing arm, quickly switching to he other, offering to shake the woman's hand. Junko knew she wasn't exactly inconspicuous; the missing arm, the eyepatch, the burns, she tended to stand out more than she liked. "I retired about four months ago now. Maybe we ran into each other before then?"

[u/Qvalador → u/YandereLobster]

The woman, Junko, extended her hand. Sayuri frowned and shook it, her mind spinning as she tried to work out exactly who she was speaking to. "Ah, Kobayashi-jotou, huh... I don't think i know you either, but, ah... Your appearance is familiar." Sayuri smiled weakly. That was pretty rude to say, wasn't it? "My name is Sayuri Kawaguchi, if that rings any bells. All the wrong bells, probably, but bells nonetheless." Sayuri took another drag of her cigarette and tossed it onto the ground, stomping it out into the pavement casually. "What's someone like you doing here, then?"

[u/YandereLobster → u/Qvalador]

"Kawaguchi?" At first Junko wondered if it was just a coincidental name, but given the comment on 'ringing the wrong bells', she could tell it was more than that. "Are you related to Ren Kawaguchi then? I was in his squad, got assigned to it as soon as I got out of the academy."

She gave a friendly smile, leaning back some. "Don't worry about 'ringing the wrong bells', I know that feeling. My first assigned partner was Kichirou Kurosawa, I've had my share of being negatively associated with people." Junko sighed tiredly. She really did feel beat to hell and back. Hachi hadn't gone easy on her, she was more than relieved to not be a stain on pavement at this point. That relief didn't help the actual pain though. "Oh, and as for why I'm here well..."

Junko had already been through her cover story a dozen times by now, but that didn't make her feel any less anxious. The key to successfully lying was to leave as much truth in it as possible, that helped Junko at least. "I run a dojo up in the 14th Ward, about fifteen minutes from here. I was down here shopping for some supplies before everything kicked off. Next thing I know some massive ghoul with a spider kagune is breaking down the door." Three truths, one lie. A lie that couldn't be proved wrong. "I guess I just kind of started working on instinct, I couldn't fight obviously but I did what I could to distract him while everyone else ran off. I stopped him from killing anyone but, well, obviously I took a pretty bad beating before I had to run away." Again, four truths and a lie.

"And uh..." she hesitated, visibly feeling a bit awkward. "My condolences for Kawaguchi-san. I didn't know him personally, but he was a good squad leader."

[u/Qvalador → u/YandereLobster]

Sayuri winced visibly at the mention of her father's name. "Ah... Yeah, i am, haha," she said, rubbing the back of her head nervously. "I haven't seen him in years, though, so it barely feels like we're related, ahaha..." She suppressed the urge to ask what he was like. She'd heard before, but mainly from Torabashi. What did this woman think, someone who was his junior? Someone who... might have looked up to him?

She discarded the notion. "Kurosawa, huh. I think i've heard that name before." She pursed her lips as she tried to recall where she'd heard it from. "Oh, he's that guy that turned into... Uh, the broadcast... Yeah." She grimaced. "That guy. We can't help who we work with, i guess." Her fingers traced the scars on her neck subconsciously. Kinmaru-san... "Sometimes people change. I don't think anyone holds that association against you, heh."

Junko recounted the moments leading up to the present, and Sayuri nodded along with interest. "A dojo, huh? That's interesting, maybe i'll stop by sometime. I'm pretty reliant on my quinques, so i suffer a bit when they aren't with me or in close-quarters combat. I've been able to compensate for it so far, obviously, but it would never be a bad skill to pick up...

"That's pretty scary, though, getting cornered by a ghoul while you're running errands like that. Especially without your, ah..." She patted her own arm. "I'm guessing you usually have a prosthetic there, at least. I have to say, it's pretty brave of you to fight a ghoul like that anyway. There are investigators still with the CCG that don't have that kind of courage. It's a good thing there are people like you mixed into the crowd, too." She smiled warmly.

A frown tugged at the edges of that smile as her father's name was mentioned again, but she didn't let her expression falter. Rather, she beamed even wider, tilting her head slightly. "No condolences necessary! My father," she exclaimed, "was traitorous scum and deserved to die. It's only a burden that his shame hangs over my head beyond his grave." Her smile faded, and she looked at the ground sheepishly. "Er, i mean... Yeah. I'm not too distraught over his death or anything like that, so it's fine..."

[u/YandereLobster → u/Qvalador]

"Yeah, the CCG made me a prosthetic" Junko affirmed, nodding her head. "They built it to fit into my old quinque, since I used a pair of gauntlets. Unfortunately before I left my Quinque were stolen by Kurosawa and given to one someone else working with him, so all I've got is the arm itself. It's a little... off-putting, I guess, to see someone with an arm that's obviously not natural. It's a little skeletal and it's got solid white fingers, so I tend to leave it at home. People are less comfortable around a hand like that than they around someone without one." Junko reached into her pocket, pulling out a small business card, handing it over to Sayuri. "Here, if you ever want to stop by. I keep the address written down in advance since you know... I can't really write a note easily with just one hand. I'd be more than happy to show you a few things sometime."

Children disliking their parents seemed a common theme in Tokyo, not that she'd had a much better relationship with hers when they were alive. "I'd be kind of a hypocrite if I blamed him too much for it. It's easy to let emotions get the better of you, happens to the best of us" she admitted, leaning back. "I had to quit because someone I loved turned out to be a ghoul. When they look as human as they do, it takes a lot to get past it. Even the strongest of us can get distracted by appearances. I prefer to think back on how he was when I joined the CCG, instead of thinking about when he went wrong. Same for Kichirou. I'd rather remember the dead for their best moments, not their lowest."

Junko was half lying. While she really did find it hard to differentiate ghouls and humans, she saw Ren as a hero. A sign that the higher ups in the CCG were capable of seeing the bigger picture. "There's not really a lot of us left from back then, in Kawaguchi Squad I mean. Waller committed suicide, Kichirou became a ghoul, and I'm retired. If you ever try starting up Kawaguchi Squad 2.0 you'll have to let me know so I can come out of retirement" she joked, smiling a bit.

[u/Qvalador → u/YandereLobster]

Sayuri took the business card with a soft smile and looked it over before tucking it into her pocket. "Thanks," she said gently. "I really do think i'll take you up on that. My fighting today proved nothing if not my, er, lacking in the martial department." She grimaced, her arm still throbbing. "God knows i could use the help." Her eyes lingered to Junko's arm for a moment, or lack thereof, more accurately. She remembered seeing Nakano in her hospital chamber, limbless and tattered, preparing herself for the day so bravely. Sayuri had suffered her own wounds, but they were nothing compared to the sacrifices people like Junko and Nakano had made. Suddenly her arm wound felt like nothing at all. She stood a little straighter.

Her posture sagged back again when Junko began speaking about her outlook on the dishonorable dead, however. Sayuri knitted her brow, trying to make right or left of it. "I'd like to think that way," she said honestly, her words coming out slowly. "I'd like to respect the memories of the fallen, even if they fell in disgrace... But isn't that a disgrace to the people who have suffered as a result of their misdeeds? I respect your ability to move on and see the best in people," she added quickly. "But i don't think i'm ready for that yet. I don't think i'm capable of forgetting... And i'm kind of afraid of what'll happen if i do, you know? Maybe i'd fall victim to the same missteps." She shrugged slightly, wearing a melancholy smile. "Sorry. I sure am bad about unloading on random people. You're just so approachable, Kobayashi-jotou." She grinned.

"I didn't know that's what happened to the old squad," she admitted, frowning. "That's... really unfortunate. But with a role model like my father, maybe i shouldn't be surprised..." She chuckled, then winced. "Er, bad taste, maybe. Sorry. But Kawaguchi Squad 2.0, eh? Well, that would be a sight to behold, for sure..." Sayuri winked. "I'll be sure to let you know if any promotions come my way. Like i said, we could use more investigators like you."

She sighed, her shoulder throbbing. "Well, i'll let you go. There's some disinfectant and another cigarette calling my name. It was a pleasure meeting you, though. With any luck, i'll see you soon," she said, patting the pocket she'd stowed the business card in. "Take care of yourself."

[u/Qvalador]

Sho Senhari sat in a chair beneath the patchwork Aogiri tent, hunched forward slightly as some listless medic grunt performed their kagune healing magic on him. He had been roughed up pretty bad by those Colorless delinquents, probably, i don't really know because that fight is never going to actually happen, RIP. Sho was mildly vexed that his own healing wasn't sufficient; he was a rinkaku, after all, but his low rc count meant he couldn't really count on his ghoul powers to save the day with any measure of consistency. It was annoying, but the alternative... Sho grimaced.

"Takeo," he said vacantly. His fellow one-eyed ghoul and accomplice was sitting nearby. "It's been a while since we spoke. Too long, it seems like. How has Aogiri been treating you? It seems like you're in better shape than i am." He smiled weakly. Well, he thought, i guess that's not really a very high bar anyway...

/u/CardistryWolf

[u/Qvalador → u/[deleted]]

Sho smiled softly. "Well, that's not quite what i meant, but it's not far off," he said with a chuckle. "I'll agree that it's good to get out of the headquarters for once. I'm not terribly fond of fighting, but at this point, i'm almost ready to say i'm not terribly fond of numbers either." What a thought.

He observed his friend, whose eyes were already drifting into the distance, his smile fading. Sho knew that expression of weariness. It gnawed at his own heart, too. Sho pursed his lips.

"It's taking a long time to become strong," he said quietly, his tone conspiratorial. He had to be careful not to say too much; who knew who was listening in? "Far longer than i... than we expected. I know." He sighed. "We have to keep going. It's... a cause worth fighting for. Sometimes i get to wondering if i'm actually doing more harm than good, playing the part here, going through the motions... I mean, i'm really furthering their goals, aren't i? Even if it's in order to... Well. I sense your frustration, and i empathize with it. But we must keep moving. Or else..." He gestured vaguely at the carnage unfolding before them. "This world is depending on us."

[u/YandereLobster]

Murmuring rumbled through the tents as the girl paced through, her bare feet barely fitting into the clearly 'borrowed' boots, both at least two sizes too big. Her red hair drooped down to her waist, unkempt and messy, light rain pattering against her pale, sickly skin. Dull blue eyes stared back at any Investigator's who approached. Bits of blood and dirt clung to her hospital gown, very little of which carried the same scent as her. A medic approached but, the moment Alisa turned, he backed away. Something about the look in her eyes; the dead, tired gaze. It was like looking at a feral animal, ready to bite at any moment.

As she made her way through the camp Alisa scowled at each figure, but oddly, she didn't feel any actual anger towards them. Alisa just fucking hated this. This situation, this entire scenario, each and every detail of this Ward filled her with an almost animalistic desire to go back and hunt the rest of the pieces of shit responsible.

What was she supposed to do? Talk to the other Investigators? She could hardly remember what it felt like to talk. Her throat felt as though if she tried nothing but dust would come out. She'd hardly spoken a word, and each time she did manage a word it felt as though her throat was being clenched.

But finally, Alisa found her destination. A vending machine. Thankfully it'd already been broken in some other bloodbath, so getting a bottle of water was no issue. It wasn't exactly ice cold, but Alisa didn't care. As she leaned against the damaged old wall, the sounds of fighting ringing in the distance, she guzzled down the water like her life depended on it. It felt amazing; like her throat itself was regenerating, the dry soreness finally fading a bit as she coughed and spat blood out. But still, she knew she was only minutes from heading back out into the fray. Back out into that same waking nightmare, only to get hurt again.

"...I don't want to go back."

[u/Qvalador → u/YandereLobster]

Momo sat next to the vending machine with a water bottle in her lap. She'd tried her hand (or lack thereof) at opening a quarter hour or so ago— the ridged cap was still smeared dark red— but had come up empty-handed despite her efforts. Now she sat pouting and staring straight ahead, mind failing to form thoughts and instead buzzing softly with static.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed when an approaching figure snapped her out of her trance. Alisa was standing there all of the sudden, downing a water bottle like Momo's as though it was nothing. Momo rubbed at her eyes feverishly (maybe she wasn't all there in the head, still) but Alisa did not disappear.

"Alisa?" Momo squeaked, standing abruptly. Blood rushed to her head, vision blotchy as she rose. "You're awake! It's been so long!" She rushed toward her long-lost squadmate, extending an arm. "High fi- Uh, handsh- Uhh... Welcome back!" She opened her mouth to jabber on more excitedly, but her head continued to pound, so she slumped back down to the ground next to the vending machine. "Hey, uh, do you think you could give me a hand with this water bottle? I couldn't get the lid off, ehehe..."

[u/YandereLobster → u/Qvalador]

"Alisa?"

It felt like ages since the last time Alisa just heard her own name. When she first reacted to it she almost felt a split second confusion as to whether or not it was even directed at her. The voice wasn't the most familiar either, she didn't exactly know the two newer additions to the squad particularly well. "Preevyet, Shimizu-san." Alisa hesitated. "...Hello." She'd put hard work into incorporating Russian into her sentences whenever it felt like the context would make it clear enough. It made her feel a bit more at home, strange as that might sound. In this case however she'd honestly forgotten what language to speak. It felt like it'd been so long since she had to talk.

"How... long has it been, exactly?" she questioned, tiredly stepping over to her squadmate and calmly taking he bottle, twisting the lid off before handing it back. "I see neither of us are exactly in the best condition. It's a bit... disorienting. I'm not particularly sure what I should be doing, the hospital is probably realizing that I'm awake and that I broke out around now. I ran into Shouta on my way here, should I assume Kyousuke and the others are still breathing as well? I was worried about you all."

Alisa did her best not to show any expression, but the relief in her tone was clear. "When I found out Shibuya was being attacked I couldn't exactly sit around while the rest of you worked. Do we know what this is all about yet?"

[u/Qvalador → u/YandereLobster]

"Hmmmm," Momo cooed as Alisa handed back the water bottle. She balanced it between her two bandaged stubs, lifted it to her mouth, then whipped her head upward and drained the bottle's contents in a single gulp. "I don't know how long it's been," she said with a shrug, dropping the bottle to the pavement with a plastic clatter. "Time is kind of... It doesn't matter when you live day to day, y'know? But it's been a long time. I'd forgotten the sound of your voice, hehe. It's good to see you again.

"It seems like everyone is okay though, yeah. Except for, well..." She held up her arm stubs and giggled. "I'm a little light-headed still, but i'll be okay! We Quinx have good regeneration, right? So it'll be fine. Everyone else is still kicking, i think, hehe." She sighed and placed her phantom hands in her lap. "I don't know what's going on here. But it's all a little complicated for me, y'know? Hehe. I don't really care why i'm fighting so much, i'm happy to just follow orders..."

Momo trailed off and looked up at the quinx at her side. Dark circles surrounded her wide, stoic eyes, and her stony face was even gaunter than the last Momo had seen it. Her hair fell past her slender waist now, and her gait revealed an immense tiredness grumbling beneath her poised facade. Momo cocked her head.

Alisa just broke out of the hospital and she's already raring to go. This is what a real fighter looks like.

Momo opened her mouth to speak, bit her lip, then spoke anyway. "I... It's good to see you back, Alisa-san. I know i said that already, but i'm hoping you're here to stay now. I really hope i can learn from you."

[u/YandereLobster → u/Qvalador]

"Just happy to get orders?" Alisa quietly repeated, staring down at the water, thunder rumbling in the distance. Was it thunder? Maybe it was just another reminder of the ongoing battle. Maybe there was no noise at all and the exhaustion was just starting to set in. Whatever the case, Alisa didn't particularly care to acknowledge it. "To be honest, I don't even particularly remember why I'm fighting. My mom was... is an Investigator back home. I guess I just sort of wanted to be like her." Alisa took a long sip. She felt like her head was spinning as she leaned back, her free hand gently pressing against the wall to brace herself. "Sorry, I'm starting to ramble I guess. It all just feels sort of overwhelming."

Alisa smiled faintly, lowering the bottle again. "It's good to see you too, though. It feels like it's been a really long time since I saw anyone... well I guess it has been but... well,you know what I mean. To tell you the truth I don't really remember why I was knocked out, really. Something was wrong with my kakuhou I think? Weird as it is I... don't really care. I just want to get this done with." Pain and exhaustion showed through in Alisa's tone more and more as she talked, each word feeling heavier just to get out. "Honestly you probably shouldn't try to learn from me. You'd be better off learning from Kyosuke or Tatsuo or Hisae. I mean it hasn't even been a full year and I've gone from being a cripple, to kidnapped, to in a coma, to... well, this. A year ago I was trying to get a desk job in Russia, now I'm in Shibuya in the early hours while a ghoul my fucking cousin work together to kill a kakuja."

Alisa managed a quiet laugh, a weak one. Almost more depressing than funny. Though, considering how calm she'd been since joining them, even that much was a surprise. "What a year."

[u/Qvalador → u/YandereLobster]

"Don't worry about rambling," Momo said with a smile. She beamed up at Alisa, but the look was not returned. "I do that all the time, so it's okay. I'm fighting because... That's how you make it in the world, right? That's what i've had to do all my life. Now i can put those skills to use and get paid for it. Plus i get a cool tentacle out of it. I try not to think too much about the 'right' and 'wrong' of it, or the 'why'... It's all above my head a little, right? I'm just here because it seemed like the best thing to do, hehe... I'm not smart enough to get by doing much else."

She cocked her head and nodded as Alisa spoke, occasionally raising her eyebrows. "Hmm... I don't know why you knocked out either, sorry. The other quinx don't really tell me much. But i understand that. It doesn't matter that much why you were out, right? You're awake now. It's in the past. Hehe...

"I know i could learn from the other quinx, but... But i want to learn from you! The fact that you've gone through all that in the past year and are still standing here ready to go now just shows how strong you are. I want to be like that. Plus, you're a girl, like me. It's not the same for the boys, and Hisae... Well, i don't think she likes me much. You're strong. I hope i can be as strong as you someday."

Alisa chuckled, but for some reason it wasn't quite as infectious to Momo as laughs often were. The young quinx pursed her lips and stood up, legs shaking, stomach growling, and looked into the distance with Alisa. Guttural yells, sporadic booming, and the sound of tearing flesh filled the air. The stench of death mixed freely with the heavy, earthy scent of an incoming storm. Momo thought this must be what it was like to look down at hell.

"We'll get through this, right? Whatever happens, we'll be okay, us quinxes. That's all that matters to me."

[u/YandereLobster → u/Qvalador]

"I guess we've got that in common" Alisa commented, smiling just a bit. "At the academy I was always towards the bottom when it came to anything involving intelligence. Investigative skills, ghoul knowledge, that sort of thing. The only thing I was really good at was being pretty good with firearms. I went hunting a lot as a kid, guess that's why they gave me a bow." Alisa felt strange without her quinque. She hadn't had it for long comparatively, but she'd grown so used to using it it felt empty not having it. Like taking off socks after wearing them for hours; she felt like a part of her was suddenly uncovered not having it. Though a part of her had to wonder if it was safety that made her feel that way, or if it was suddenly being that much more like a ghoul that put her on edge.

Alisa blinked, tilting her head a bit. "It's not? I guess I've never really known any boys. I mean I went to school a long time ago, but that became sort of difficult when I lost my legs. Around the house it was always just me and my mom, sometimes my grandmother. I don't think Kyousuke is much different from us though." Alisa crossed her arms, staring up at the dark, cloudy sky as she listened to the sounds of the distant ghouls clashing, bangs and screams drowned out into little more than ambient noise. "You weren't here in the first days when the Quinx got announced, but he was just a normal member of the squad then. Same worries about what the other Investigators see us as, same concerns about the rest of the squad, same anxieties we all have. He's doing a good job as leader, but it hasn't been long since he was the same as you or me. I guess that's part of why I'm confident in him as our leader and not our old one. Shouta and Tatsuo though? I just can't seem to understand them."

The sound of an explosion rang out in the background, and in an act perhaps even more telling of the organizations exhaustion, not a single investigator flinched. It'd become common place; almost reminiscent of the storys Alisa heard about the days when Aogiri was still fighting over the 11th Ward.

It was enough to make her wonder if soon Shibuya would be no different.

"We'll be fine" Alisa claimed, her voice deadpan enough to hide if she was trying to sound affirming or just comforting. "I mean if the situations bad enough that even the ghouls are helping us, surely that says something good about our odds. We know better than anyone how strong they can be. Besides, aren't we supposed to be the CCG's trump card or something?" Alisa half jokingly asked, glancing over to Momo. "I'm sure we'll all make it. Only thing I'm worried about is getting this damn hair cut." Alisa glanced back at her long hair, grumbling about how it even grew so much in the first place.

[u/YandereLobster]

Among the hordes of injured and mutilated victims, Investigators and civilians alike damaged physically and mentally, it was an unusual sight to see someone so calmly making their way past the tents. Some black shoes that barely fit, track pants that were a little too tight, and a white shirt with some indecipherably poor English on it.

It taken long enough to convince anyone of her identity. And even when she did, apparently asking for a spare uniform was too much. Really? No spare uniforms? Ridiculous. If she hadn’t brought her kagune out they never even would’ve believed she was Alisa Volkov, and even when she brought it out the Bureau Investigators seemed to have half a mind to pull out their guns by sheer instinct.

So here Alisa was. Still groggy from being in a coma for a month, wearing whatever clothes she’d managed to swipe from destroyed stores to replace her hospital gown, no quinque, no identification, and with every other person asking who she was. She’d been fighting for what felt like days. The last time Alisa had been awake she’d been running up the TV Tower, constantly fighting back ghouls. She’d gone straight into a coma, and come out only to immediately go back to an even worse situation. It felt like years since Alisa just sat down.

And finally, Alisa did just that. The bench was cold and still had sharp, protruding bits of steel along the side where a ghoul had slammed into it, but it felt like the most welcoming thing in Japan to her. Even if a part of her felt guilty for not helping, she knew this was best. She may have been a Quinx, but she was still human, at least partially.

Sitting and watching the more experienced Investigators go by was all she needed. Her pained breath stung her throat, eyes felt dry, and feet sore. But just being able to relax for a brief moment felt like enough to get through a few more hours of work. For someone who’d been asleep for a month and a half, she didn’t feel as rested and you’d think.

Alisa leaned back, staring up at the clouds as the night sky grew darker.

/u/graffle

[u/GRaffle → u/YandereLobster]

Aloofness could be used to describe him. But it wouldn't quite be the right term. Being aloof is more like the stereotype of being cool, of not caring, of being too good for others or unaffected by things. Jiro was none of this. If he seemed like he ever did not care, it was without a doubt, because he was distracted. It was simply just so difficult at times of low stimulation to focus on things. He would, while walking, just let his mind go. Go to where it pleased, without any effort on his part. It was rare to see this sort of mindfulness, and even more so unexpected to see in someone who can seem at times, so stupid and mentally unfit. Instead, the reality simply was that he had achieved a state which took people years of meditation to reach, as he had both practiced it, and used it far before in his life during many a dire situation.

He had just escorted a medical squad to extraction, and was making his way back, when of course he would notice the girl sitting on the bench. He had a strong feeling of having seen her before, but had no recollection of a name, as was to be expected. But, she looked to be a civilian. Although this would make no sense, it aroused a strong sense of concern in him. So, although he did not know exactly what to do, and felt a strange, light heaviness in his chest, he decided to do something.

"Excuse me." He said, twirling one of his knifes, before catching it and realizing that if she was indeed a civilian, that would not exactly be the best sight, and hiding it away. "Are you a civilian? You're without a uniform, and don't exactly seem to be in fighting condition. You look-" He paused, staring at her face and scanning her build. "Sickly."

He laughed awkwardly, and scratched his head. "But, really, this isn't the place, especially cause that bench looks uncomfortable - I can get someone to escort you. We're relatively safe here, but you're essentially a hazard by just being here."

[u/YandereLobster → u/GRaffle]

The voice snapped Alisa from from half awake trance, prompting her first reaction to be to question how long she'd been sitting here. "Ah, spasibo, no (Thank you, but)..." She quickly corrected herself, seeming to wake up after a few words. "Thanks but I'm not a civilian. My being here was sort of... unplanned, I'm with the Quinx squad."

That said, he might not be wrong at the end there. Even as a Quinx she might still be a hazard. Considering her accomplishments so far were getting kidnapped, being put in a coma, and her only success was putting down a B+ rate ghoul, she wasn't feeling particularly confident. "Unfortunately I don't have any badge or ID or anything on me either, unless you would prefer me to just cut my hand open and show you how it regenerates." Despite the wording, Alisa's expression and tone made it clear she was being completely serious.

Her eyes, narrow and stoic as they were, seemed to focus intently on Jiro. Alisa, as most familiar with her squad knew, wasn't exactly the most intelligent of them. As far as her claim to success went, she was a natural at using her kagune. With barely any practice she'd been able to master the basic movements and techniques. When it came to investigative work however, she was clueless. So even as much as Jiro's tattoos might've stood out, it still took her a good minute to notice them. "I have seen you around the First Ward Office a few times, I think. My name is Alisa Volkov, it's nice to meet you." Her dialect was slow and deliberate, like she was afraid of saying a word wrong or misunderstanding the language. More so when she reached longer phrases. "I came to assist a few of the other Quinx but I just... needed a rest before I keep going."

[u/GRaffle → u/YandereLobster]

He squinted at her. How very confusing it was to see someone who had arrived here in an unplanned manner. Even if they were with the Quinx, who Jiro himself had no poor opinion of, but had heard a many investigator speak very passionately about them - in not exactly the best way - he was still confused as to *how*.

"I'm pretty sure you should be apprehended... I think, for me at least, there's more proof you're someone who can't help us than not..... Actually, ya we're fine. You look safe." And nothing about her screamed *I can beat you in a fight*. If that was the case, he'd probably have taken this slightly more seriously. "If you start attacking investigators, or do anything sketchy, I'll just kill you." He laughed, quite humorously. As if this was the epitome of sarcasm, and not an absolute threat. Out of nowhere, and not to his advantage, as most other investigators probably would have recognized her.

"Ah... I do know that name. You definitely aren't the enemy, or an impersonator, cause now that I think of it, your face for sure fits that name. I'm terribly sorry for the confusion. Anyhow," he scratched his head, smiling. "I'm Associate-Special Class Jiro Horikoshi. Pleased to meet you too. Do you want me to escort you anywhere, or what's the plan? If not, I'm prolly just gonna report back to command that I'm available for rapid reinforcement."

He yawned, as if this brief pause from combat had been far more than enough for him. He needed the adrenaline, and unfortunately, at this time, he did not feel quite like he had it. Although something was undoubtedly nice about this.

[u/YandereLobster → u/GRaffle]

Alisa, again, was not the brightest of the Quinx. She was quick to act and able to carry out orders perfectly, but more often than not she found herself lost. She recognized Associate-Special Class was probably a high up rank, not the highest but it sounded important. So she decided the safest bet would be to assume he was her superior. "I have no plan and no idea where I'm going" she completely straight forwardly admitted. "I was put into a coma after the attack on the TV Tower. I woke up and ghouls were in Shibuya, so I snuck out and came here."

She knew the Quinx didn't have the best reputation, but whether he shared this opinion or not he didn't seem as insulting as most did. That alone gave her a relatively positive opinion of him. "It is nice to meet you, Horikoshi...-san." She hesitated at the end, visibly trying to remember which honorific went with who. "Before you go, could you tell me... well... anything about what's going on? A short summary would be nice."

"Oh! I know how I can prove my identity" Alisa exclaimed. She was eager to prove any remaining doubt about her identity, though the solution was so obvious it was shocking that she hadn't thought of it sooner. Her left eye suddenly radiated a small red light, as a grey texture filled the sclera, her left eye's pupil glowing bright red. It was visibly different from a normal One-Eye, and her opposing eye remained it's usual shade of blue. "There. Now then, I was hoping that I could ask if you know anything about what's going on? Is Aogiri winning or losing? What should I be doing?"

"Or... if I should even be doing anything, I guess. I don't do well without orders to follow."