[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He shook his head.

"No, not at all."

He didn't like cages, true, and her analogy of him was apt to the extreme. But this wasn't about questioning her words. He felt the door give and creak only slightly, and his hackles had dimmed and vanished in that regard. The door was paper, to him. Used, perhaps, to keep prisoners of the yakusa who didn't possess his abilities. Or whom didn't possess abilites at all. Perhaps a torture room. The reality didn't bother him- he knew what she was, and she knew what he was. He'd had rooms to himself made of mud brick and sticks, where men screamed as Aaron tore off fingers. He was quite useful in little holes like these. Still, it did stifle his ability to glean more information about her, which was his intent.

"Just a little concerned. I'm not a big fan of starting to like someone I might have to fight in the future. I thought maybe the door might open to a little window in the mind of the quarter pounder, pounder."

He turned back, smirking at his quip and running his hand over the wall as he watched her. He was entirely oblivious to her irritation at his continued exploration. For him, his apology was enough to indicate he was wrong to treat her that way. He wasn't doing this because he didn't trust her- at this point, he had no choice. He was doing it for curiousity's sake. He'd turn and lean against the wall, folding his arms and crossing his legs as he rested next to the sink.

"And in truth, I still wonder why the Yakuza. I'd be able to get you a better job where cop killing is thing of the past, and you can still make good money."

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

323

@aaron

Had Sonnet been a telepath rather than a teleporter then she would have laughed at the thoughts going through Aarons head. The room was one she maintained as a hideaway. It was rare that people visited here so there was no need to maintain it in any better state. The rent was extremely cheap, and it was far enough away that it was unlike anyone would tie it to her. Not that she hadn't engaged in the kind of behaviour that Aaron was imagining, but not here. No, those locations tended often hosted a number of members of the Yakuza, not just her.

She didn't smile at his comment, simply watching blankly until he relaxed into a similar position as her, albeit next to the sink. She raised an entirely unimpressed eyebrow.

"Are you actually trying to recruit me? Thank you, but I'm happy where I am."

She shrugged, "It was never about the money anyway, I could stroll into the vault of JP Morgan Chase and walk out with more money than you've seen in your life. And there's nothing anyone could do about it."

It was true as well, one safety deposit box and she'd be familiar with the vault, familiar enough to appear there in the middle of the night and help herself to the contents of the rest of them. A few trips and she'd have enough money to disappear forever to her choice of South American Republic. No, she'd witnessed her father slowly lose everything. He'd been important, powerful, influential, and then his body and mind had slowly betrayed him, until even her efforts couldn't conceal his illness and his frailty. She wasn't the type to share her feelings, and so she didn't share this.

"I'm sure you could make more money working for us than you do now, but I doubt you'd accept that offer either. Not that I'm extending one."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He shrugged.

"If you're interested, sure, but that's not my intent."

He shook his head at her suggestion of her working for them. He got what she was saying, but she wasn't getting the message, the hand he was trying to extend.

"That's true, I probably could. But money isn't what matters to me- defending people who can't defend themselves against others like you and me is what matters. Are you saying that working for the Yakuza, killing people for greed and power is what matters to you? Last time we spoke, I guess I got the impression you did what you did because life and work was short and hard for you and your people. By offering you a job doing something else I'm also asking- what matters to you? Is it really the money, or is it something else?"

Perhaps the current business was something that ran in her family. Maybe finding work doing something else would be dishonorable for her. And while true that she didn't have to struggle for money, she had made it sound like the options for work were short and that she had to do what she needed to survive. He gestured with a single hand at her, sort of flicking it in a casual way.

"To put it simply- why are you working for the Yakuza?"

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

176

@aaron

The guy really didn't give up. Sonnet had done her best to discourage the Hero from prying, but he seemed determined to try and bring about her redemption. It was pushing her patience. Sonnet was not the kind of person who shared easily, she was way too many shades of fucked up to be able to healthily discuss her life choices on a regular basis. Once or twice a month in confession was about as much as she could take, and this room was not a confessional.

"You need to learn when to stop asking questions."

As she spoke she stepped towards him, raising a hand and before he could respond she slapped it onto his chest. A moment later they were stood in an alleyway again, the sound of music lilting through the air.

"Why I work for the Yakuza is my business, now unless you want to swim home you owe me a drink. And some food."

She paused at the end of the alleyway, looking back, and shrugged. "OK, a lot of food."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He cocked a brow.

"So I've been told."

That didn't deter him from asking them anyway. He believed curiosity and honesty to be mans best friends, especially when dealing with unknown elements. Her statement that the work with the yakuza was her business was true, so he didn't press. She got the message that he wanted to know, didn't judge her for it and was willing to help if she wanted out. That was his only goal. To make sure she understood she had other options. Maybe someday she'd look back on this moment and remember what he'd said, without knowing who she was intimately. He'd sigh and watch her walk forward, unflinching as she put a hand on his chest and teleported them out of the twilight zone, back to the alley's he'd become so familiar with. He'd shrug, and nod.

"I suppose I do. Though, since I spared your life and you saved mine, we're technically even. "

He smirked, letting her lead the way as he'd break into a little chuckle.

"Every time I bring that up, it's like nails on a chalk board for you. I can tell- it would be for me too, were things the other way around. It's probably why I get some twisted pleasure out of bringing it up." She was proud. So was he. He knew what that was like- having to carry the weight of knowledge that you owe someone something on that level. It's also why he said they were even, so she would feel like they were. Technically, he hadn't needed her help- he just wanted it. It was easier. But if she felt that she'd saved it, he wouldn't fight her on it, and he didn't want her feeling some kind of way about him. Like she owed a debt.

"Where, exactly, are we?"

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

401

@aaron

She refrained from snapping back to his clear taunt, knowing it was what he wanted. The man had a better read on her than she would have liked, Sonnet didn't pretend to be a particularly complex individual, but this man's ability to irritate made her wish that she was. At least he was honest enough to accept that he'd probably be much the same if in her position, although Sonnet doubted it would have been quite the same if that had been the case. She probably wouldn't have killed him, the Yakuza didn't want to bring the full fury of the Federal government down on them for killing one of their Heroes. That said, he wouldn't have been the first one she had put in the hospital, that didn't seem to produce quite the same reaction. Although it had produced him, so perhaps that was something to do with it.

She was also more than aware of the fact that she hadn't actually saved his life, she'd simply taken him away from a situation faster than he would have escaped without her. His saying they were even annoyed her more than it would have done if he'd simply not mentioned it. They weren't even, not even close.

"Don't worry Hero, I've not taken you to another country, just a bar I like. No chinpira here."

The bar was not quite a hole in the same way that the burger joint had been, but it wasn't the kind of place that would immediately draw the casual observer in. The front was darkened with age, faint light glimmering through frosted glass. Inside music was playing behind a hum of conversation. Nobody looked up as the two entered, except the bartender who smiled broadly as he spotted Sonnet's diminutive figure.

"Ah Shortcut! My favourite customer."

He came around from behind the bar, enveloping the small women in a bear hug, before turning his substantial six foot six form to her companion.

"And this one. A drinking buddy? Does he still think he can keep up with you or will I be saved from carrying him out at the end of the night?"

Sonnet smiled, "I make no promises"

She pointed at a bottle behind the bar, then clapped Aaron on the shoulder.

"It's on him tonight Alex, and I'll have a bowl of wings too."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

She could do that? That was possible?

"I'm sorry...could you? Like, take me out of the country i mean. Like, there's no distance limit or anything?"

If she could, the power was far more incredible than he first suspected. He figured she was creating holes in space by shrinking the distance between two points. Like if, for instance, you needed to get from one end of a piece of paper to another and you just folded the paper. Like that science teacher said on the TV show. What was it- stranger things? He shook the thought from his head, focusing again. If she could go literally anywhere, then it was far different. It was more like she was ripping space apart somehow and shoving her body through it. The thought made him more than a little uncomfortable.

He shook it off, looking the bar over and giving an approving sniff. He frequented places like this quite a lot. It was his go to, after all. Usually, he'd nurse three bottles over time before heading home. The thing with alcohol- if you drank a lot of it very quickly, it would hit you just as hard and just as fast. Like with Jules, he'd downed three bottles in thirty minutes or so, where usually he'd take his time over an hour or two. On some nights, when he felt the terrors were going to be coming on strong, he'd do five, six or more. His eyebrows went up at the man that called her shortcut, the smallest of smirks tugging at the corners of his lips. He'd let out a little chuckle, speaking low before the man approached- "Shortcut, eh?"- to give Sonnett a little shit before he got there.

He wondered just how uncomfortable she was with the hug. He didn't wanna say, but he assumed she was more the "touch me and I'll rip them off" kind of person. As the man made a little snark at Aaron having to be carried out, he would just shake his head with a little chuckle. Following the small woman, he'd take a seat at the bar and give a little nod of approval at her selection. She had some taste in booze.

"I'll take one of the same, no wings for me."

He'd take out a hundred dollar bill from his right pocket, putting it on the counter as he popped the cork on the whiskey and took a little sniff before tipping it back, downing a third of it in a few deep gulps. He sighed, setting it on the bar and looking over at his "drinking companion", trying to figure her out. She had friends who gave her cool nicknames and bear hugs, she was willing to fight with him to try and stop bad things from happening....what was her deal? Did they have some dirt on her family? Did she have some kind of bloodline deal, where her dad did it and his dad before him, so she was continuing the line? He took another drink as he thought, before finally giving voice to some other things.

"I've been thinking, and I know you're gonna say I'm crazy but just here me out. You and me. We should be friends."

He'd drink again, the large male not feeling the booze at all yet but trying to get that buzz as fast as possible while he had a quiet, fire-side chat with his compatriot.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

305

@aaron

Sonnet shrugged, "I guess, I've never tried it. I'm not even sure how far I can go."

She stopped herself before she let too much go about her power. The fact that it fed off her body for example. She was virtually impossible to contain it was true, but prevent her access to food and even a short jump would start pulling nutrients and energy directly out of her body. She'd starved herself for a week once to see what would happen, she'd lost fifteen pounds in less than a second.

She'd avoided going without food since then. After all, it didn't seem to make a difference, she consumed somewhere in the region of ten thousand calories a day and looked like she spent most of that day in the gym. Unfortunately that powerful metabolism meant that alcohol barely even made a dent. She could still get drunk, but only after most other people would have drunk themselves beyond a stupor. She raised an eyebrow at Aaron as he knocked back a third of the bottle of whiskey. Either he was really trying to drown the events of the night, or his power affected his metabolism in a similar way to hers. Maybe this would be an interesting night after all.

She poured her own drink, actually using a glass instead of being so crass as to drink it straight from the bottle. That would come later. A minute later she was refilling the glass. She might not chug her drink in the same way that Aaron seemed to, but her pace was steady, she didn't slow down.

"I think friends might be a bit of a stretch."

She refilled her glass again, already on her fourth, and showing no signs of slowing down.

"But I'm happy for us to consider perhaps a friendly relationship…"

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He laughed.

"There's a difference?"

He took another long drink, not concerned with her pace as he already expected her to drink like a monster. She ate like one, it only made sense. As for her statement that they have a friendly relationship, he knew there was a slight difference between the two, but he wanted her to explain it. She clearly had more of an idea of what this was than he did. He'd spared her life, they fought together, she expedited his escape, they chatted and now they were drinking together. That, to the former soldier, made them friends. But the idea of getting close enough to someone to call them a friend clearly made her uncomfortable. Especially a hero. He didn't see a problem with it- if she tried villainous shit again, he'd stop her if ordered to. He could separate work and pleasure.

Maybe that was more difficult for her.

He unzipped his jacket, the cross necklace dangling forward a little as he'd pound a little more. The bottle was probably half gone now. He didn't drink slow but steady like her. Alcohol was a flavor that got better the drunker you got- and that was especially true for him. He drank in spurts. Big gulps for a few moments, then rest. Few more, then rest. He was crass, and an alcoholic. He had no time for glasses. They didn't hold enough for him to drink in one go. He'd grab a napkin and wipe his mouth, watching as they brought her the wings she'd ordered. Damn, fast service.

"I guess I'm a pragmatist. I fight with someone, chat with someone, drink with someone- they're my friend. I'll kick your ass later if I have to, then take you back out for drinks after. I mean, I do wish you'd not take lives like you do, but I'm sure you'd wish the same for me when I put down your other members. Just the nature of the world."

In Afghanistan, he'd fought with some of his squad. Bloodied up his team mates. That's how disputes of character were settled. But when push came to shove, they grabbed their guns and mounted the wall side by side, willing to die for one another. That's what brotherhood meant. Friends were similar- he'd fight with her, if she needed. He'd fight against her if required. But he wasn't about to write someone off for making choices he disagreed with.

He'd miss out on knowing a lot of people were that the case.

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

353

@aaron

Sonnet didn't even look up, "In my line of work, yes."

It wasn't unknown for the Yakuza to cultivate relationships with members of law enforcement wherever they went, in fact it was practically tradition. Those relationships rarely, if ever, extended to actual friendship though. The Yakuza might have their own moral code and pretend to be real life Robin Hood, but they were ultimately still criminals, and most law enforcement officials drew the line at friendship with their members. There were several on the payroll, but that was different, that was business.

She glanced up at his slight movement, away from the glass that she was refilling. It had been the glint of light on metal that had caught her eye, and it was now drawn to the cross. It was a religious symbol that still had some meaning, few people wore one without having faith of some kind. She nodded towards it when he finished speaking.

"You say you're a pragmatist, that you can fight someone and then drink with them. But you wear a cross. How do you deal with that? Your faith and someone like me?"

It was a question with a deeper meaning, and one she constantly asked herself. She could go out and rob and steal and drink and generally sin, and then she would beg God for forgiveness. It was a strange quirk of her upbringing that she could be both so dedicated to her criminal career, and unable to leave her faith behind. Aaron was an ex-soldier, perhaps he had more experience in bringing those two dissonant parts of his life into a truce.

She began to eat the wings that had been placed in front of her, noting that they had remembered her normal order and doubled the size of the portion, as well as provided copious amounts of dipping sauces. She waved at Alex behind the bar, he was serving, but he caught her eye and nodded. Another bottle would be out in a moment to replace the one she had already finished, and he took note of the state of Aaron's as well.

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He slowly stopped drinking, looking down at the cross for a second before glancing over at her. There was a story there- one of death and pain. Her question wasn't about the history of the object, but of it's significance to him. He'd mull the question over for a bit. It was one he asked himself quite often, to make sure his own logic was correct. Bulletproof. For while he might think he was fallible, he knew God was not and would accept no less than perfection. He'd take another drink as he thought before responding in a more dulcet tone.

"I don't."

He'd set the bottle down, wiping his mouth before explaining.

"People of faith tend to do their best to humanize the object of their devotion. It helps them feel more connected. I don't. I understand there is this wall of separation between myself and my God. Sin. I accept that I am evil, and the people around me are too. Because of that, I don't find myself superior to others. I try to dedicate myself to what I feel is superior purpose. Protecting people. Defending the law. Befriending anyone and everyone who needs it. At the same time, I kill. Many times without remorse. While the means might be justified by the ends, I still understand my place in the world."

He'd glance over at her.

"If you're evil, so am I. Changing your life path won't change that reality. But doing evil and knowing it's evil won't lead to your salvation. Doing evil for good...well, it just might."

He'd take another drink, letting the silence settle a moment before-

"Are you a believer, Sonnet?"

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

381

@aaron

Or maybe not.

It had been naïve to think that the Hero would have had some sort of magical answer. No, there was no magical answer that would let her continue living as she had with a much lighter conscience. It would have been easier to listen to if it hadn't been so similar to the things the damn priest said to her in confession. She didn't interrupt as he spoke, letting him explain his system of belief. It made sense, and maybe could have been one she herself could get behind had she not been so firmly affixed to her current path.

They sat in silence. She was expecting the next question, as if her own had not made the answer clear enough. She reached into a pocket, pulling the rosary beads that had been burning a hole there out and putting them onto the table. She removed her fist to allow Aaron to see.

A believer? Maybe. I think of myself as a sinner…"

Sonnet wasn't really self-aware enough to identify that her faith was one of the few positive things in her life, but at the same time one of the most toxic. A barmaid arrived a moment later, and Sonnet dropped her hand back on top of the rosary as though ashamed. The girl smiled, white teeth flashing between red painted lips, replacing Sonnet's bottle with a new one. She placed another beside Aaron's, though he had not quite finished it yet.

The Yakuza Lieutenants eyes followed the girls swaying hips for a moment before they flicked away, her hand tightening imperceptibly on the rosary before she pulled it back off the table and dropped it into her pocket. She instead looked a newcomer up and down, a guy who'd just walked in with the wiry, muscular form that suggested it was useful as opposed to cosmetic. She turned her gaze laconically back to the strongman opposite her. He was just as muscular, though broader, and she'd seen just how useful those muscles were.

"Damn we are depressing…"

She poured another drink, raising it to her mouth.

"So, you used to be in the army right? No cop acts like you do, and you've definitely done something like that before you decided you wanted to wear tights."

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He chuckled, tipping the bottle with a cock of his brow.

"You got that right."

He proceeded to take another long drink, a few swigs still left as another bottle was set in front of him. His second bottle nearly gone, the third was the one he nursed. If he chugged all of them like this, they'd hit him hard. Chug two, get buzzed, maintain the buzz with the following bottles. He finished it, setting it off to the side and cracking the seal on the second. Aaron was uncontrollably aware of everything, catching her scoping out the barmaid, to almost absent-mindedly examining others, including himself. He didn't make it obvious that he saw any of it- just side glances and looks himself. Her fist clenching on the beads told him little....perhaps a relationship with a woman gone wrong? He wanted to ask but stayed silent.

Not his business.

"I was. Marines. Served in Iraq. Afghanistan. Few other places before moving to special operations." He took another drink. Tights? He smirked- clearly her way of jabbing the thumb in his side. He shrugged a little. "How do you know I don't just like how they make my ass look?" He'd chuckled a little around the lip of the new bottle as he took a longer swig. The buzz was riding a little behind his eyes. Felt good. He'd set it down and use his thumb to clear his bottom lip of the fluid before looking down at her and tilting his head.

"What did you do before becoming an enforcer? Must have had some kind of history in it..."

You didn't just wake up one morning and become a badass. You needed a history. Sure the power helped, but some things had to have turned her more in that direction. Family, friends, events beyond her control. He understood the struggle. When Rebecca had died, he'd gone a little more rogue than the military would ever admit, and he'd stained the sands beyond the atlantic with more blood than he cared to think about in that moment. Instead, as he waited/listened, he'd take another small drink, then look to the bartender.

"Can I get some fries?"

JUNIER of GS + Adox

[Sonnet Matsuda]

In the end everything collides

575

@aaron

Marines. That made sense, he'd been too hardened when she'd fought him, too calm under fire. Sure the guy might be resistant to damage, but he'd done his best to avoid being shot in the first place. Special operations also made sense, he'd killed a number of the chinpira in the warehouse without a second thought. Sonnet was no expert on the military, but she was pretty sure that most of them weren't capable of the kind of things he'd pulled off, metahuman or not.

"So am I supposed to be patriotic and pay for your drinks now? Cause you still owe me for the ride here."

She snorted at the comment about tights, the thought of him dressed up like superman would be one she returned to when she needed cheering up. "Trust me, underwear on the outside is not a good look, not even for someone like you."

She was well into her second bottle now, without really feeling a buzz yet. Unlike Aaron, she tended to drink past the point of a buzz, partially because it required so much to get there. And also because of a heap of other unidentified and denied personal issues that led to her trying to drink her own sorrows.

His personal question was… well, personal. If Sonnet had any real ability to deal with that kind of thing she'd probably be a lot better off personally. "Ha, a lot of history…"

She poured another glass, mulling over the question. "My father."

There didn't seem to be any more to say. It was the only reason really, that she was where she was. She'd watched him slowly degrade over a period of years, watched her father forget who he was and slowly lose control until nothing of the man he had once been remained. To say there were unresolved issues present would be an understatement. He'd been one of the most influential men on the East Coast, the Yakuza's boss in New York and that side of America. By the end even her and her mother's efforts hadn't been enough to conceal his failing faculties. He'd been removed from his position three years before he'd finally died. Occasionally he would become lucid enough to realise what he had lost, and the humiliation that had come with that loss. It had broken her heart.

"My late father."

She wouldn't explain any more than that. This man hadn't earned that, would never earn the right to hear about her father's slow decline. He would probably draw his own conclusions from her answer. But in all honesty, she didn't much care.

She ate another wing.

"Fries for me too."

Another gulp. "Anyway, I'm more than just an enforcer."

It was a sore point. Most people found it hard to believe that she worked for the Yakuza in the first place. Including members of the criminal syndicate. Her height and build did not help her, but the crucial part was her gender. Female members of the Yakuza were exceedingly rare, and usually took power when their influential husband died. She'd had to work her way up. Proving herself every step of the way in a way that no man would have had to do.

"I make fun of you being a Hero, but at least I don't call you a cop."

Maybe irrelevant, he seemed the type to respect law enforcement, but it was the closest comparison she could think of.

My childhood spat back out the monster that you see

► kaigra ◄

[Deleted]

 

- TANK -

"I'll see you on the other side, drink in hand, smile on my lips."

He gave her a smirk, taking another drink.

"Can't blame me for trying. It's one of the few perks of being a vet. Get free shit."

He'd take a little note- her father. He felt it must be a family or family friend sort of deal. He wasn't as familiar with Japanese criminal organizations as he was with more western oriented ones. He knew something about their culture, however, and so he wouldn't press her for details. A deal father who was a former boss man had to be a very sore spot. He'd give the bottle a little raise. "One for your pop." he'd say, downing another shots worth of booze. It was what they used to say in the core. Every time an ally went down, every time someone else came up in garbage bags (the US was too cheap for legitimate body bags) they'd raise a glass. "One for Shawn", or "One for Rebecca" and that was the end of it. He'd watch the man bring him his grub, taking a bite and moving on with a shrug at her next comment.

"You can call me whatever you like, friend. Won't change what I am."

He'd been doing this for too long to care what people said about it. Aaron knew what it was he did, who he was. Why. He wondered what steps led her to believe she had to be what she was. He didn't think it was a core belief- to do bad for the sake of being bad. She was too...nuanced for such literal direction. He was boring, in his opinion. Too honor bound by his own sense of justice. She had possibilities. A future that could truly go either way. His feet were firmly planted, and he was long past his own fork in the road of life. Picking up a napkin, he wiped his mouth, and leaned back in the seat.

"You got a cell phone?"

JUNIER of GS + Adox