⚘ park

@⚘ : levi c 。 Lin, apparently, still had not grasped the concept of social interaction despite how many years it had been. Of course he remembers the other from his youth- the bright eyed boy that he’d been too stiff to properly talk to, even though he’d desperately wanted a friend. And the trend was continuing, apparently, “My hair?” He was genuinely surprised by the explanation, lifting up one feathery piece and letting it float back down to settle on his head. “I-I suppose... Uhm. It’s good to see you well though.” The Thalassan coughed awkwardly, grasping for words until Levi offered him a way out. “Ah-I just, finished work.” And he lifts the briefcase in one hand as if it proved everything, “So I’m going home... do you want to, come over, maybe? J-just for dinner, I mean.”

@⚘ : jeffery e 。 sinna wonders how long this conversation would last before something about her quietness starts to bore him. after all, she has long left the cheerfulness she used to have back in the past, and it's something she failed to keep even if she's aware that others do not particularly like the way she's grown so quiet. it's unsettling, they'd say. she follows the direction jeffery points at, and her visage visibly softens. "she's cute," she says, voice taking on a humming lilt. "are you two here alone? or... is the mother somewhere else?"

@♆ : sinna m 。 jeffery momentarily wonders if he seems too much for others, especially, to quiet people. he has a habit of getting chummy quickly only to realize that it might be wrong a moment later. he prays she isn't /that/ bothered by him. "nice name. I mean.. nice to meet you, sinna." the breath of relief he intakes is sure noticed but he doesn't comment much. the following question brings out a biggest smile to his features. "she's Ellena. elle for short. five years and few months old. and as you can see, she loves playing the dad." he points at her. she's the girl with a small plaything suitcase and ridiculous shades. "she thinks shades make her a dad."

@⚘ : levi c 。 charlie simply ignored levi's calls for him, pretending to be deaf as he continued to walk, not even stopping when he felt a hand on his wrist 一 the the other along with him. his eyes were focused on the direction of where he was walking, the thief seems to be very persistent so he sighed and stopped from his tracks. he lets his gaze fall onto levi, eyes dropping on his heels that he was wearing, how the hell did he ran with those strapped onto his feet? "what do you want, brat?" he said without a bite within his voice, his tone just the usual monotonous kind. "but you're right, you'll get people's attention with that outfit of yours. what do you want me to do? accompany you home?" there was a bit of sarcasm in there but he was genuinely offering.

all of a sudden, the sound of thunder roared from the heavens that made charlie look up, ", it's going to rain soon." he didn't realize that it was going to rain, the sky now darker than the usual, the moon and stars now being covered by cumulonimbus clouds as a potential storm apparoaches. "change of plans, we'll just go to my apartment. it isn't too far from here anyway," he said before grabbing levi's wrist, dragging him along to get an apartment complex that was down the streets after the park. the rain started to fall down but he didn't increase his pace, levi might trip or increase a possible pain he was feeling since well, he had learned that heels are painful for women no matter how used they are in wearing them, so he maintained a pace despite the rain drenching them both. he could ask the other to remove his heels but he might step on something 一 a rock or a broken glass so it wasn't the best option either.

@⚘ : charlie k 。 damn it — levi knew that kyran was going to react like this. he'd seen firsthand just how much kyran loathed being flirted with by men. once was enough, and he'd never questioned it. but this sudden change in treatment made his heart feel the slightest bit of pain for reasons that he would only claim to be 'this is unfair,' and he immediately turned around to follow after the older man, his heels clicking against the cement as he hurried in his steps. "hey, don't just leave me like this!" he said, accidentally slipping into his original key — but then again, it wasn't as if he could speak in a female voice for long, anyway. it was why he'd often try to make his interactions with males quick. they didn't need to know that he wasn't what they thought he was, but kyran—levi felt the need to explain to the bartender, even though he didn't even know what he was supposed to leave.

"kiki!" he called, and surprisingly, he caught up pretty quickly with the other. his hand automatically reached out to hold the other by the wrist. he was getting dragged by kyran's pace, but levi did his best to fall into the same speed anyway. "ya! are you really just going to leave me like this? i thought you said it was dangerous for me to be alone at this time!" he whined, puffing his cheeks as he craned his neck up to look at the taller lad. well, levi was aware that that was addressed to his, ah, female counterpart, but still! he couldn't just remove his wig right there and then, as he was only about to change into a more proper attire once he was in a more crowded area — but sliding back in there felt like he'd be more easily caught, and staying with kyran was definitely safer than any other option he'd had so far. "don't leave me alone like thiiiis!"

@⚘ : levi c 。 charlie blinked at the sudden change of voice that was very much familiar to him, it was loud and clear despite it being in an almost hushed volume but it sounded distant to him, echoing in his head before he get a firm grasp of it. this voice, it belongs to一 "levi?" his eyebrows furrowed in confusion as he did one more take to look at the /girl's/ mien, ah... it's levi alright. but why was he even dressed like that? is that some late night job that he does or is it a part of his heists? definitely the latter, he can't possibly think about this guy being a crossdresser as a living, he just can't since he doesn't seem like the kind but... looks can be deceiving isn't it? but he should stop assuming. "have a nice night." he said in a hurry as he walked pass the crossdressing thief, not daring to look back as he leaves him there.

well, that was a bit humiliating.

he really thought that levi was a woman for a moment there, the disguise was convincing enough for him to be tricked just like that. he would have punched him if it weren't the fact that he wasn't dressed like that to mess around with him, it's for another purpose that he has no business about but he couldn't shake off the embarrassment that boils inside of him, did he really just told levi face to face that he has a pretty face? yes, he did and that was something he acknowledged, he did commented in his thoughts before on how good-looking the other male was and still is but that was something he would never admit verbally yet he did despite the fact that he was dressed in drags. he doesn't know know which to be more embarrassed honestly, the fact that he thought he's a woman or the fact that he complimented him in a way that he does around woman 一 in an almost flirtatious manner.

maybe it's both.

@⚘ : charlie k 。 levi definitely didn't know what to feel. it was clear that kyran wasn't aware of who he truly was. obviously, the bartender was kinder to women, and levi was having a taste of that. nevertheless, he stayed silent and nodded. after all, it wouldn't help if kyran had walked out on him right then and there — he would just have to tell the truth later on. levi was so, so tempted to remove the dark wig sitting above his head, and he made a mental note never to crossdress again, for whatever sake it might be. there were plenty of other ways to approach the situation without using seduction — it just so happened that seducing his targets was the easiest route to take compared to others. of course, levi could protect himself rather well. he prided himself in mastering the teachings of his parents, but what good were those teachings, when they were the very people who engraved in his mind never to hurt others for his own personal gain?

his eyes grew slightly in surprise as he watched the bartender move. of course, these weren't the normal movements of a mere bartender by the bar, but he supposed that with everything he'd heard from the older man so far, he shouldn't have been surprised to find the bartender skillful in combat as well. but still... to this extent? granted, the three men were inexperienced as hell, and could even be classified as mere bullies in the streets, but... the way kyran moved was /not/ to be underestimated, and an idea of the other's past was starting to form within levi's mind.

but it wasn't in his place to pry, yet he still couldn't help his curiosity.

when kyran turned his attention back to levi, levi blinked repeatedly. he had never expected kyran to be the gentleman type — never imagined that he'd be on the receiving end of it, honestly, but wow the difference in treatment between levi and the ladies spoke volumes. his cheeks burned with warmth at the other male's words. "p-p-pretty face—" he sputtered, not even knowing how to react to being complimented like this. he'd never known how to feel when people told him he had a pretty face when he was in a female disguise, but... people still told him that even when he was male, only rare. he still didn't know what to feel. he heaved a deep sigh, and stepped closer to the older man, his own voice lowering into a hush tone and returning to its original key. "y... you idiot, it's me."

@⚘ : levi c 。 by the time charlie heard another set of rushed footsteps, he looked away from the 'girl' and his gaze falls upon a trio of men who were running towards their direction. so, those are the ones that she's running away from, huh? "sure, stay behind me. if anything goes wrong, just run away." he says though he was sure for himself that he wouldn't messed it up, that he can handle these man. if he was able to handle take down a group of cops or another gang by himself back in the days, this should be a piece of cake to him 一 though, he doesn't plan on killing them off, of course. he walked towards the men who stopped from their tracks, eyeing him. "who are you?" one of them asked and charlie answered, "doesn't matter on who i am, but what i'm more concerned about is the way you three are chasing a girl off, isn't that just inappropriate?" he cocked his head to the side, staring at the men. seems like he annoyed them for getting involved but he couldn't just let them have their way with this girl. "i bet that the three of you are much older than her, that makes it worse in a sense." he lets his mouth run, knowing too well that he's just pushing their buttons at this point.

one of them, in spite, charges towards him 一 fist above his head and ready to punch him but the young male ducked to avoid the attack and delivering his own by colliding his fist against the man's stomach with much force that'll make him fall onto the ground. charlie stood up and eyed the man whose head is bowed onto the ground as he clutches onto his stomach. his eyes averted and shifted the two other men, "who's next?" he challenges, people can be stupid really he think as two men charges at the same time. he moved aside and knocked off one of them with a hard kick by the back of his knee to fall down as for the other, charlie grabs him by the arm, twisting it and positioning it behind his back. the guy screamed in pain, the one who fell stood up and was about to help his comrade out but fell once again along with the other when charlie pushed one of them for both of them to just fall onto the ground. he sighed, this men are no good when it comes fighting, obviously.

they finally caught on that he wasn't one to messed around with and retreated, most of them limping due to the sprain that they probably got after the fall. charlie turned to the girl, "you're safe for now," he announced. "would you like for me to accompany you home? surely it's not safe for a young lady like you to be out at this time of night." he offered to her, he didn't want her to run into trouble again, some men are. "with a pretty face like yours, you're bound to be targeted by men other than those three."

@⚘ : charlie k 。 there were a lot of decisions that levi had made in his life, and frankly, he thought this was one of the bad ones.

see, there was absolutely no reason for him to be clad in a full-on female attire — except that he actually did. but this wasn't his first time he'd done this. for reasons he couldn't help, they had heists where they had needed the help of female seduction specifically, and night raid's sole female member wasn't exactly trained in being able to protect herself (she was more of their back-up brain, a hacker so to speak, and an incredibly effective one at that). levi was chosen to be their representative, and because of it, he'd had to dress himself suitable to the situation. for today's agenda, ah, well, he had to have the head of the mansion he was going to steal from, ease up to him. as far as he was concerned, his facial features were the old man's type, but the problem was that he was... a male. now to get what the black market dealer had tasked him with retrieving, levi had to dress himself up.

of course, after today, this female version of his would ease to exist... at least, until the need arose once again, which he hoped wouldn't happen.

the stealing was easy enough — the old man had easily accepted levi, much to the thief's expectations — and now, he had slipped away from the mansion. he was certain that the old man's men weren"t chasing levi, but there was another group following him now. of course, at this hour of the day, he'd be more surprised if there weren't any men trying to corner him, honestly. men were such animals sometimes — and now, levi was suffering from it. whilst hastily walking away from the trio of men that had begun to follow him (please note, he was still in his female attire), he had left the alleyway and turned into a sharp corner — a familiar path, but as soon as he had turned, he bumped into someone else's back. taking a step back, he almost bowed as he parted his lips to apologize, but the person's attitude caught him off-guard. was this kyran, finally acting nice to him?

suspicious.

but he didn't get to voice any of his thoughts and confusion, as he heard the men that were following him nearby. for someone whose life depended in stealth, too many people were interesting in following him goddamnit. he blinked his eyes wide, before he moved to hide behind the taller's back. "c... can you please... scare them away?" he asked quietly, voice still stuck in a female key he had adapted from the night before. he would just have to think about kyran's sudden change in attitude later — for now, he needed to escape.

@⚘ : levi c 。 weekends are supposed to be his rest days from work but he wasn't sure on what to do with his free time, what was he supposed to do? nothing? he's definitely not into that so what he did was that he attended work. his boss scolding him to go back to his apartment and rest but charlie was deaf from it and went to the employees only room to change into his bartender uniform. the older man can only sigh and let the guy be. drinks after drinks and hours of tolerating drunk people, his shift ended without a certain purple-haired guy coming to visit and he guesses since it's the weekends, the guy must be resting or perhaps he was doing his other job which was to steal. he didn't know for sure but he thoroughly hoped that he was resting 一 it's been a few weeks ever since levi entered the bar with bandages all over him, he probably have healed by now but still, he needs to rest especially when he has two jobs, an information that he acquired from the other not too long ago.

hands buried within the pockets of his trench coat, charlie walked by the park at the dead of night. a path he has to take before he gets to his studio apartment 一 a cold breeze passes by and his raven black hair dances around it, the night is peaceful, too peaceful and he likes it. there was no one else except him, this is nice. he momentarily closed his eyes and took a deep breathe before exhaling. the silence though, shattered when he heard hurried footsteps from behind him, he turned around to check on who is but before he get to do so, a figure collided against him, making him lose balance for a moment, stumbling backwards but managed to catch himself. "hey, watch it!" he said, glaring at the figure that bumped onto him, his annoyance however, diminished when he saw the "woman's" visage. she looked beautiful, he has to admit but she looked rather familiar as well. "are you alright? why were you running though?" the tone in his voice turned soft. "be careful next time."

@♆ : linnaeus b 。 Levi was more than surprised to learn that Lin still remembered him. He believed that his presence wasn't as strong as he would like it to be, but that was because he himself had forced it to be. Even when he was younger, he wasn't supposed to leave an impact on someone else's memories. That would just be a hindrance, his parents had once said, but he was relieved to find that someone remembered him, at the very least. "Fluffy, because your hair is fluffy!" he said, as though that was the most obvious thing in the world. "But I've been doing well, yes! Just... a little tired and all, since... yeah. Are you not working today?"

@⚘ : jeffery e 。 sinna didn't expect the stranger to start talking to her, and frankly, she wished he hadn't. she hadn't much interactions with the people from the surface, and here was someone, an older and considerably bigger man, chatting her up. she wondered if he'd find it rude if she just proceeded to ignore him? she pursed her lips, and she looked at him from the corner of her eyes. "yes... you can say that. i don't really have a lot of time to come here," she said, before an eyebrow raised in surprise. he seemed young — but she supposed she shouldn't judge. everyone had their own circumstances, after all. "i'm... sinna," she said, and quickly decided that he didn't need to know her surname. "what's your daughter's name?"

@⚘ : levi c 。 It was like watching a movie, seeing Levi’s eyes squint and eyebrows furrow and crumple in slow motion. Did he remember after all? Probably not, Lin thinks belatedly. Not every person was so deprived of social interaction that they happened to memorize faces by heart, after all. And he had changed so much- it was probably impossible to recognize the scraggly boy he used to be? He scuffled his dress shoes in the dirt, almost ready to break off this awkward interaction with a bow of apology when the boy quite literally shot up, the wobbly motion taking the Thalassan by surprise- as well as a faint pang of concern. Why did he look as if he was about to fall back over? “Fluffy-? Ah, yeah, that’s what you’d always call me...” His lips twitched uncertainly, trying to hold back a happy but exasperated smile. “I never could understand why. But, I’m doing well.” Lin gingerly perched himself on the empty space, a polite distance away from the younger. “How are you...? You look, a little-“

@♆ : sinna m 。 "thank you!" jeffery sounded nothing but relieved, his cheeks puling up to a grateful smile. "you saved me." and he's a social person. he doesn't think starting up a small conversation with a stranger with whom you are about to spend quite a while is a bad idea. the weather's really nice and he doesn't want to be awkward and gloomy. "I've not seen you around before. are you new? and oh. I'm jeffery edgar by the way. here with my daughter. we usually come most weekends."

@♆ : linnaeus b 。 Levi's eyes narrowed into focus as he stared at the face. Those eyes were familiar — and that was what rang nostalgia within the young thief's veins, he realized. Now where had he seen those eyes... His eyebrows furrowed at the name — Linnaeus Brishon... That definitely didn't sound like a name that a Terran would have, unless the parents were fascinated with the Thalassan culture, and Levi honestly wouldn't blame them. And those eyes as well — they didn't look like they were a Terran's eyes. Levi has had his fair share of meeting people with irises like that. However, when Linnaeus brought up their fathers, it was almost as if there was a light bulb lighting up by his head and he jerked up, the very motion making him slightly dizzy. "Ah!" A sound of realization, and he pointed a finger at the standing lad. "You're Fluffy, right?" His lips immediately widened into a grin, and he moved to give the other space to sit on, patting said area rather excitedly. "Wow, I didn't think I'd see you again! How are you?"

@⚘ : levi c 。 Lin couldn’t help but feel a tiny jolt of surprise when the pale grey glance fixated on him, somehow even more startling than his own dual-toned eyes. Or maybe it was because he’d just gotten used to himself, whereas this gaze had captivated his attention so long ago that he still remembered it. The sentiment, however, did not seemed to be shared. “Linnaeus Brishon...ah, you might not remember that name either, huh.” Cherry hued lips tugged up in an uncomfortable smile out of embarrassment, a few strands of fluffy white locks falling across his features. “Your father and mine were friends...we’d met when we were both young. Sorry, I must have startled you.” He didn’t exsftly know why he was being so courteous to a Terran- out of respect for his father, perhaps? Or maybe still saw the other as a child. “How is he...? Your father, I mean.”

@♆ : linnaeus b 。 Levi didn't even jump when his name was called — and he probably should be surprised, because there was literally no one else other than his co-workers that knew his name, and this wasn't a familiar voice at all, even. He only blinked and turned his head slightly to the side, just enough for him to look at the peace intruder. Yep, definitely not a face Levi recognized, but there was a bit of familiarity that clung to the stranger's features that were nudging at Levi's brain. It was probably only his hunger though — oh gods, please don't let him dabble onto the side of cannibalism. He blinked once again. "Uh... Do I know you, mister?" Levi was tempted to say, 'You probably got the wrong guy,' as his usual reply to those who approached him — in order to dismiss them quickly, but he had never seen this guy before, yet he was addressed by his real name.

@⚘ : levi c 。 There’s been a feeling gnawing at the back of his head all day. This doesn’t happen often- by nature Linnaeus wasn’t an intuitive creature. He usually didn’t get goosebumps, or bad chills, or any tingles down his spine but today, apparently, was an exception. Despite being somebody who installed his faith in science, he couldn’t deny that vague sort of acknowledgment of /something/ going to happen today. But then it had been so peaceful in the office today that he was beginning to question if, after all, he had been too superstitious after all. Even his evening walk was peaceful, nobody out of place in the park- The Thalassan’s footsteps halted abruptly, eyes flickering to a figure on the bench in surprise. It had been years since he’d last seen that person, and he looked so different, now, but he still couldn’t help but remember the image small Terran child peeking out behind his father’s legs. Was it really...? It had been years since he’d last seen any of his father’s friends, much less their progeny. Lin blinked in wonder, and found that he was suddenly so much closer- without realizing it, his feet had carried him forward. Perhaps a little too forward for him to back away without receiving a strange look now. “Levi...?”

@♆ : linnaeus b 。 levi was hungry.

no, he wasn't a beggar. no, he wasn't homeless too. but he was broke — a broke man just sitting by the park. he hadn't been able to go home yet, because his apartment was quite far, and the dealer from the black market had decided to meet in a different place for security purposes. it was annoying, but he couldn't do anything about it. he was now splayed over this bench that was a little too short for his comfort, but he had no other choice. his back ached, and his stomach grumbled. ah, what a thoroughly exhausted levi he was, that he could only stare up at the sky, bags under his eyes as he heaved a deep sigh. he had money on him, yes, but he didn't want to open his bag — which was quite full of money, mind you — in such a public place, meaning he couldn't even buy a food without seeming sketchy.

he sighed once more. guess he was going to stay hungry for a little more until he regained his energy.

@⚘ : jeffery e 。 There were very few things Sinna could have done alone back home(?), and Bastian wasn't around for her to bother. She supposed that was part of being an adult, and she knew that he wouldn't always be there for her to come to anyway, because he was an adult and he had a job — unlike her, who'd spent a good number of her days skipping her music classes. So here she was again, on the surface, Sikken eyes hidden by a pair of dark contacts, as she watched people pass by her. She lifted her eyes upwards when she heard a voice near her — ah, a stranger. She merely moved to the side even more, and shook her head. "No, feel free to take it," she said, before she returned her eyes to her lap, and her fingers fidgeted upon her thighs.

@♆ : sinna m 。 it's a lovely sunny Sunday and he, being the responsible single parent he is, as promised takes his daughter out to park to play along with her other friends. usually he takes a seat amongst the other parents— mostly being either single moms or couples and rarely single dads but that day he is the onky dad and he particularly doesn't feel like being a house dad with interest in gossip and pleasantries. he looks for bench that's not far and where he doesn't have to entertain the ladies. nope. he is tired for that. he find one to his luck. though there's someone already occupying it but there's plenty of space left for another. "Is there a problem if I sit here?" he offers a small but gentle smile, head tilted in curiosity.

* rolls dice * gets a 5