Wednesday 1.16-Meet and Greet

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

The ride made Ken feel almost as good as new. Sweeping down the back-roads out of the city and into the surrounding countryside was refreshing, and every mile he put between himself and the metropolis lightened his mood.

 

He thought briefly about visiting a temple, but decided against it at the last minute. The right thing to do would be to get back to the Koneko before it got too terribly late.

 

After a brief stop at a convenience store for more bandages, antiseptics and painkillers, Ken drove home and began to pull into the garage. He didn’t too far in before he paused and looked down the adjoining alley. There was a shadowy figure, a man from what he could tell, lurking at the side entrance in a particularly sneaky manner.

 

It made Ken instantly wary; he hopped off his bike, killed the engine, and began to slowly walk it the rest of the way, keeping the bike to the front and side like a large shield.

 

Comments

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

[maybe we should do a 'tag, you're it' thing, lol!]

Sato's gaze focused. The specifics hadn't particularly been present before; he hadn't particularly cared. The four were still able to do their jobs for the moment, and that was what concerned Kritiker. Kudoh's comment however was somewhat off-putting. The oldest Weiss could have been grimacing. He could also be simply unfriendly. It was unfortunate Sato had had little contact previously with Weiss, before this assignment.

"Well. In the event it is worth noticing, I'm sure you'll remember to let me know immediately." His eyes shifted back to Ken, taking in his stance and expression.

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

He twitched and straightened from his bow, his hands already forming into loose fists. Sato didn’t leave a great first impression, and even now the way he acted more like a “friendly warden” than a liaison was rubbing Ken the wrong way. He tried being polite, he really had, but the subtle undertones to the older man’s words were really getting to him.

"We *always* make complete reports," Ken stated firmly, a razor thin edge of indignation making his words sharp as Ran's katana. "But Kritiker should also be aware that there's a big difference between our jobs and what little scraps of a personal life you allow us to have."

~Shut up Hidaka. Stop it. You're going too far!~

"If one crosses over into the other," he continued, his temper beginning to roil just as it had when he argued with Ran the other day. "We'll make sure Kritiker is made aware of it. Otherwise, it can be treated as classified."

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Now Yohji did wince, although not from pain.

GodDAMN it Ken, SHUT. UP.

That ‘if’ was just as good as a big red flag that their personal lives HAD crossed into Kritiker business. Yohji’s bandaged chest was all the proof Sato could ask for.

He tried to make eye contact with Ken to signal him to shut the hell up but the other man was too caught up in his rant, and focused on Sato.

Well, in desperate times…

Yohji stepped forward and made a point of ‘accidentally’ stepping on Ken’s foot as he approached Sato.

“There will be no ‘if,’” Yohji said curtly, “our jobs are our top priority.”

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

A dangerous play of emotion seemed to be rising under the surface of Ken's expression, and it wasn't that far removed from Ran's reaction. He was actually grateful when Yohji stepped in, sans smartass comment, for once.

It was a struggle to portray neutrality, though he'd had more practice with his sister around.

And wasn't that fact enough for Kritiker, especially after his own conversation with Sato? They had done their jobs, any problems they were having were purely internal. But Kritiker probably did think they owned them, body and soul.

He stayed where he was, between his teammate and the agent.

But was this really just the man doing his job? It didn't matter. It was hard for Ran to trust someone that fell back on courtesy, rather than honesty.

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Sato merely nodded, his face slightly troubled despite the small smile lingering there. "Glad to hear it," he commented. A moment later the worry was gone, like a passing cloud. "Though I must reassure you, Kritiker never doubted that, boys. You certainly get the job done!"

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Perhaps it was just his cynicism acting up, but Yohji found the sound of Sato's reassurance almost painfully insincere.

"Yeah, we do," he replied blandly, "and we do an even better job when we actually have a clue just what the fuck we're getting involved in. Like, yanno, maybe knowing what was on those disks."

[genuinelie.livejournal.com]

Sato's face fell into neutrality, eyes becoming a bit more distant. "I appreciate the natural curiosity, but that's not part of your job description, I'm afraid. Since it's...well, to be frank, the contents of this disk are dangerous. I don't even know all the details." He looked at the three Weiss. "I don't know that I need to tell you this, but I'm on your side. This," he gestured to their wary stances, "Is unsettling. You need to trust me, boys."

[plotbunnytiff.livejournal.com]

Ken tried his hardest to retreat into a watchful (irritated) silence after Yohji stomped on his foot. But the longer the exchange went on, the more uneasy he felt.

"Since it's...well, to be frank, the contents of this disk are dangerous. I don't even know all the details."

If the disks were dangerous, why did Kritiker want them? The usual mode of operation would be to destroy something like that so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. So why take a risk? Was it sensitive information? Was it just a link to something bigger, something worse?

"Things changed a lot in a short time," he replied, staring at the concrete. "It's our nature to be extra cautious. We have to be. Nothing personal."

That was about as diplomatic as he could manage.

[skyrat13.livejournal.com]

Yohji raised an eyebrow, not buying Sato's claim of partial ignorance. It was only with a great effort of self-control that he managed to avoid antagonizing the man and completely voiding his attempt at silencing Ken.

Said silence was apparently short lived, although Yohji was relieved to hear Ken's words now to be non-threatening, and well, holding a sincere ring of truth. He nodded in agreement.

"Is that all?" Yohji made what he hoped was firm and conclusive eye contact with Sato. He getting anxious to see the agent off, clinging a bit to the hope that they had managed to side-step Ken's fate of a personal inquisition.