[attr="class","littlejay"]


jayden was surprised when he heard from nikkari hect, and more than that, that he wanted to stage a meeting.

[break][break] but it was not unpleasantly so.

[break][break] jayden would always make room in his schedule for an old friend, no matter how frought his schedule seemed to be of recent.

[break][break] the meeting place is at the city's center. jayden walks down sootopolis' steps with ease, his wounds now long-since healed from the last time that they had met. the bite from freya morningstar in his neck, the nearly-fatal wound from angelo vestri. rocket's healers had done wonders on him, after all.

[break][break] but even so, there is the vagueness of bruises under his eyes — though it is hard to tell if it is from lack of sleep or something else.

[break][break] still, his face is friendly and polite when he greets his old friend.

[break][break] "how was your trip?"

[break][break] lada and hesus, his two umbreon, dart behind him and eagerly greet the galarian native.

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] nikkari hect

☉

it's his first time in sootopolis. previous to rocket's occupancy, the port town hadn't made for a very good hub of discreet trade, given its natural fortifications. no, slateport had been a much better hub for underground activity. so he'd come to spend a few nights to himself, familiarizing himself with the locals. 

he knows the names of several bartenders in the area now, of whom are interconnected with the rest of the city and some cities over. he has an insight into the locals' take on its rocket occupancy, which isn't exactly surprising. life has gone on much the same for them. 

his galarian fog is still steaming. another waits for jayden beside him; he stands when he sees the man and opens up his arms for a short embrace. 

and after, he stoops to give scratches to the two umbreon. alecto pokes one sapphire eye from within nikkari's shadow, gives a little gremlin wave, and then ducks back down. 

"alright," he says. "just signed a lease for a place in lilycove, though i may look into a smaller flat here in the city." he sniffs. "unless we're expected to live on the...was it a submarine?"

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","littlejay"]

despite what the likes of mint frost or fern delaney may say, jayden is not one for physical touch. it is evidence of his close relationship that nikkari hect that he allows him close at all, let alone enough to embrace.

[break][break] when they pull away, however, his expression is softened into pleasantries.

[break][break] he's happy to see nikkari here, in his home.

[break][break] "you don't have to live on the submarine," he says swiftly. it was the first thing that Cillian Quinn had told him when he had come back from galar, all those years ago, after his parent's funeral. his lips twitched. "i had the same question when i returned."

[break][break] jayden reaches for the coffee cup left for him, hands warming around the surface.

[break][break] "lilycove is fine," he says. "but i would much rather it if we were neighbors, i think."

[attr="class","ooc"] nikkari hect

☉

"then i'll buy a property near you as well," he says with a wave of his hand. it'll have to be smaller. the place he's procured in lilycove isn't exactly humble and though he's well off, one keeps wealth with investments. he has a few he's working towards now, but until then, he'd rather not go too heavy with his splurging. 

he sips daintily from his mug. 

"tell me what i'm walking into."

jayden cross

☉

[attr="class","littlejay"]

"do i have to?"

[break][break] his expression is bemused.

[break][break] between their shared history, it shouldn't have come to a surprise to know that nikkari should've already had some idea of what he was walking into — if not the entire map.

[break][break] "what do you want to know specifically? you know i don't beat around the bush, kari."

[break]

[attr="class","ooc"] nikkari hect

☉

power vacuums aren't easy to spot unless you have an in with all of the players and as of now, he's still an outsider. he's always danced along the fringes, but his bloodline had afforded him certain respect he can't use here. 

"i know," he says with a simpering smile.

"a breakdown of my superiors from your perspective. i've heard the grunts', the contacts', and everyone's in between." in a way, it's a maneuver to glean information from jayden as well? how much will his old friend trust him with?

jayden cross

☉