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

☉

it's a beautiful jacket, all things considered, but the dratini insignia on the back reminds him of the woman left behind at the bar, her dragonair tattoo stretched down her leg. his own skin prickles, reminding him of the ties that bind them - but do they still? if what she'd said in the crater is true, the dragons are dead and gone. 

what a heartbreaking notion, that an era might end in a whisper. 

"nikkari hect," he says pleasantly and takes the offered hand. 

they're granted seats at the table, but before he can pull a chair out for yumi, they're accosted by rotom cameras and terribly cheesy music. nikkari, noting the leveled stare of yumi's sword, does not miss a beat. he slides his hand under yumi's and gently raises it to his lips. it appeases the cameras well enough that they totter on their way. 

after they go, he brushes his thumb over her knuckles once and then pulls out her chair. the only other available seat at the table isn't directly beside her so instead, Hitoshi Inoue is sandwiched between them. 

he's seen the man around the casino before. if he were a lesser man (or an idiot), he would have felt threatened, but mostly he's curious of their bond. he hasn't had the chance to pick it apart. 

the cards are doled and nikkari thumbs up only their corners, regards the hand swiftly, and then leaves the cards facedown on the table. his gaze shifts from them to BARNABY FINCH and in his smile can be found a smug challenge. 

Yumi Hasegawa Hitoshi Inoue BARNABY FINCH

|1TgtL5s

time to give barnaby a run for his money

☉

even with ice sewn into his flesh, jayden cross is still the same man. he gives a casual glance to the newcomer; while he'd normally impose himself and glean what he could from someone jayden seems to know, he's distracted. his gaze darts back to the bar, where Lulu Flint still pointedly ignores him, which wouldn't bother him - shouldn't - bother him, save for the fact that he's fairly certain she's not convinced he isn't here to kill her. 

yumi takes his attention and he sits just a hair straighter, lips suffusing to a smile. 

"because i have," he says and takes another sip of his wine. "but it's nothing of consequence." 

he waves his hand. he'd rather not air the current state of his enigmatic relationship with one Lulu Flint in public. yumi and jayden could be confided in, but not without audience. 

still, he chuckles and crooks out his elbow. 

"may i tear you away from your hostessing? i hear there's an admin downstairs giving a poker table a run for their money."

Yumi Hasegawa
mentions of Lulu Flint jayden cross Victoria Beckett BARNABY FINCH

☉

jayden cross is a startling sight and nikkari is never in the habit of being startled. so it should come with some amount of satisfaction to his old friend that he manages to stretch the shadows on nikkari's face and make his lower lip fall, ever so slightly, ajar.

"jayden," he says, still wondering if his eyes might be betraying him. his gaze slips down the open front of his chest and to the shards of ice in his skin.

"and hello, astr," he says to the sylveon probbing his trainer's hand. mercymorn is in a ball tucked into the lapel of his jacket. now that he thinks about it, jayden likely hasn't seen her since she was an eevee.

"i think i should change the way i'm reading reports over the last few years," he says with a small smile, gesturing to his open chest, "i've only made it so far as the first megalopolan invasion and as far as i know, you had less ice in your veins then."

a thin, teasing smile. "some, though, of course."

and then that smile falls flat as he is once again taken off guard. and not by the sight of some god-touched flesh, but because of her. molten gold fixates on the tightly hugged curves in Lulu Flint 's dress, a midnight sky streaked with the cosmos. his grip tightens on his glass. for a brief moment, she looks at him and he, her, and he watches her consider him.

she looks away. and he does too.

jayden cross

☉

there is a certain satisfaction in being right. it's a universal feeling, but in moments like this, when the culmination of all of his information results in perfect estimation sweeps a heartless joy through him. there are no wide eyes of shock or disbelief to be found on her face, only a flicker around the room to ensure their safety.

it amuses him.

he tucks the information about her family away. from hardship comes strength. she's a resilient woman. you can't own a casino without being one, but herein is a glimpse of her motivations and aspirations. 

"i'm not an interesting man, miss hasegawa. i was more or less a supervisor. i prefer not to get my hands dirty if i can help it. my stay in hoenn was actually a reluctant accident. you heard about the galarian shipping container from a few months ago?"

one crazed vigilante, still unidentified. a ship blown to smithereens. rocket members found dead along the docks. no witnesses. no one brought in for questioning. 

palamedes had taken care of that. 

"but i'm fortunate enough to have friends in high places. mr cross transferred me per my request. hoenn has...captivated me in a way i haven't been captivated in a very long time." he lifts a brow.

"i wouldn't have known about the casino books," a smile, "without that information and, impressed, i found my way here." 

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

nikkari fiddles with his watch and gives his wrist a bit of a shake. hoenn's cold isn't very cold. not like ballonlea or motostoke can get in the winter, but it's still chilly enough to put a bit of an ache in his bones. 

so, of course, he languishes at the bar, a glass of bordeaux in hand. his coat hangs off the back of the chair and his sweater sleeves are meticulously rolled to his elbows. one arm curves against the bar, weight resting on that same hip. 

he waits patiently for Yumi Hasegawa. a casual wink over someone else's shoulder while she'd been engaged with another had announced his arrival. now his gold eyes wander over the room, sifting over individuals like indulging in a pleasant appetizer, feasting on their mannerisms and quirks in quiet contemplation.

ROCKET HOLIDAY PARTY

outfit
'terrorism at a terrorism party? crazy' - shiv

☉

there is a subtle smattering of pink that blooms over her shapely cheeks, the bridge of her nose. one of his full brows arcs upward when she dare suggest she knows him and as she prattles her list, confidence dripping from full, glossy lips, he finds himself smiling. 

"i'm pleased you don't seem to enjoy the pleasures of banality," he says, gaze flickering as she shifts, over the white frill of her dress and the cream of her exposed skin. she leans back and he follows suit, though hardly feels the loss of space between them. he gives a once-over of the room. 

the entire time they've been talking, he's taken stock of their surroundings. he sets his glass down and loosens his tie, just a smidge.

"so it should come as no surprise that my work is not in real estate. i was nephew to natalia madistellingmethelastname and though the dragons have since disbanded, well, like i said before - i'm a horrible creature of habit."

confidence oozes from every pore. he's studied her long enough to know that she won't walk away, nevermind talk, not when she's just as folded into the underdark as he is.

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

"yes," he says, to both her musing and her question. "but it did not come without its tolls." 

what is the price of a soul? is it worth more in its infancy, unshaped and malleable? or is there merit to its corruption, the slow erosion of light and good to darkness?

his mother's midlife crisis had manifested in a way unlike her neighbors. in a way his aunt - her sister - could only condemn. self-loathing had tormented her for too long and when she ran out of scapegoats, all of her knives, still hungry, turned inward. 

fiona - no, lulu - comes to mind. a pale face in the bleak dark over his mother's casket, ringed by the grieving who had put her there in the first place. he shakes the memory away and flexes his fingers. 

his perfection slips, for an instant, and there is something dark in his molten eyes. 

"but i was and always will be, an opportunist. my legacy is my legacy." he drains the rest of his glass and reaches to pour another, though leans in towards yumi to top hers off first, words softer now as his face nears hers - "i think that's what attracts me to you, miss hasegawa. i admire your tenacity."

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

he had opened the door, curious to see if she'd want to pass through the threshold. the how is respectable - a gentle probing, a soft conversation between companions. he could wave it away if he wanted to, turn their discussion back to wine, if there are any renowned names in the upcoming performance, etc.

"precarious," he says. "she was young when she had me, but she was a strong woman. kept her head above water, a roof over us, and went hungry if we didn't have enough food for the two of us."

he chuckles. "she was a cunning, manipulative woman, and i was folded into her and my aunt's family business rather young." the implication lingers there in his eyes. he takes a light sip of wine.

Yumi Hasegawa

☉

it would be in poor manners to object and besides, he'll be able to enjoy himself more this way, like she says. so he acquiesces with a shrug of his shoulders and has the courtesy to look away from the screen while she completes the transaction. 

more than the prospect of spending time with her is the tantalizing tidbit of information she drops. her lips twist and intrigue blossoms, curiosity smoothed over with a pass of fiddling fingers over his tie. he thumbs the silky accessory and contemplates her discomfort. 

"i will," he says firmly. he sets his glass down and tilts his head, allowing a blink's time to examine her face. "i never had an appetite for the arts. my mother fell in love with a tortured artist - my father - and blamed all of her miseries on him." his lips twinge in a smile.

Yumi Hasegawa

☉