[If Jouno says so, then Tachihara knows he's right. He's not the type to jump to conclusions. But that doesn't mean he's about to turn on Sigma, either.]
And you don't want me making friends with humans anyway.
Frankly, sir, my summoning is none of your concern. [ He's quick to respond, mostly to cut off any further explanation as to just what kind of non-human he is to Tachihara. He and his "friend" can have that discussion between themselves for all Sigma cares.
He's seen the immediate switch in how he's regarded with his own eyes one too many times. He'd rather not spoil the day any more than necessary. ]
And if you don't keep those [ The claws, he means ] to the privacy of your room, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
[Being ignored is never a good sign. It means he'll be in trouble later, something he never enjoys. But he still wants to find a way to calm this situation down, even if he knows that won't be possible until Jouno gets his answers. He turns towards Sigma this time.]
[ Firm, final. One might not guess he has nothing to actually back it up, at least not here in a hallway. He has no way to quickly contact security, to evacuate guests, to defend *himself* even. But... ]
My office. Now.
[ And he's already marching off in that direction before there's any chance to argue. ]
[ It isn't a long walk, but it's a tense one. Sigma already radiated authority, being in his element and all, but now he radiated angry authority even with the steady pace he's keeping to not alert any nearby guests that something's the matter.
Once they finally make it to the room that must be his office, it's as seamless a mixture of modern and traditional as himself. An equisite painting of a koi pond reflects off his finely polished desk, a small fountain on the opposite side gently trickling along and helping add to an atmosphere of peace.
Or, would. If Sigma wasn't standing behind that desk looking professionally livid. ]
Now.
[ Turning his gaze right to Tachihara, ]
Do you want to start by explaining to me why you're really here?
[Tachihara has been trailing after Jouno, staying close to his side, knowing he's already in trouble. He's ready to just let him take the lead, no matter how much he dislikes it, which is why he's surprised when he's the one directly addressed.
He looks up at Sigma, looking like he wants to slink back from both of them. If his tail was out, it would be between his legs.]
I didn't even know you're not human until now, so I wasn't lying. [Wait.] About that.
[Obviously he's not a student, so he did tell a few lies, but no harm done, right?]
Tachihara-kun is telling the truth. [ Jouno puts a gloved hand on Tachihara's shoulder, squeezing it for a moment. There's an unsettling smile dancing across his lips as he focuses his attention on Sigma. ]
We simply came for a vacation, so imagine my surprise when I find something like you to be at the head of this all.
[ There's a possibility that Sigma is entirely innocent, and that whoever summoned him had done so with positive intentions, but Jouno is not a trusting man. ]
[ He looks between the two, considering. Tachihara certainly looks like he's being honest, insomuch that he looks confused and frightened about the past few minutes. Slow as he should be to trust, he feels he can make that call for now.
The other man, "Jouno-san" Tachihara had called him, is much harder to read. ]
You said recent happenings made me your concern. What do you mean by "recent happenings"?
[Tachihara knows what that hand on his shoulder means. It's Jouno letting both him and Sigma know who's on charge, and who he belongs to, but Tachihara has always liked the security that brings. His back straightens a little under that familiar weight.]
I was looking into old history and legends for a reason. You haven't heard any rumors about what's been happening recently?
[That seems unlikely, considering how many people you meet at an inn, and how many people like to gossip. He's sure Sigma is just trying to figure out how much they know before admitting anything.]
If you haven't heard, then it isn't any of your concern, but...
[ In charge of such a place, Sigma could be a valuable source of information, assuming Jouno didn't alienate him completely. Jouno can almost feel the phantom tip of Tetchou's sword in his side telling him to behave himself. ]
If you must know, there have been several incidents in the area as of late. Normally, I don't care much for the affairs of humans, but it seems they want to blame us, or at least, creatures like us.
[ A thoughtful hum escapes him, eyes not technically leaving the other man's face but not 100% focused, as if trying to recall something. There's no heartbeat to listen to, not even any breathing to be disrupted, just a quiet tap-tap-tapping of his finger against the desk as he sorts through whatever it is he's thinking. ]
My staff hears more than I do in regards to gossip. I can ask them to keep an ear to the ground for anything suspicious--if it's a threat to creatures like us, then it's a threat to me, and by extension the inn. You'll find we're quite protective of our home here.
[Tachihara tilts his head a little at that. He's so used to trusting Jouno to get the truth out of people, he's not really considering that right now.]
Staff often clams up if their boss asks them about gossip. But I'm pretty good at making friends.
[Because working with Sigma would make this job easier. Right??]
[ Jouno doesn't like this. Sigma lacks all the tells that Jouno normally relies on to interrogate people -- a heartbeat, sweat, the man has none of it. All Jouno can do is listen to the sound of movement and try to determine Sigma's habits. ]
You want to work here? [ The question is to Tachihara, and Jouno doesn't bother to hide the contempt for the plan in his voice. It isn't the worst idea, and perhaps, were things different, Jouno would have thought of it himself. ]
[ Waving a hand dismissively, ] We've a much more comfortable workplace environment than that here.
[ Well, 'comfortable' is a word for it. He runs a tight ship, a fact he's proud of, but he trusts his staff and his staff trusts him. He doesn't doubt they'd tell him whatever he needs if he were to just ask. ]
You're welcome to make as many friends as you like, however.
[Oh, he's heard that one before. Not that he doubts Sigma is friends with the staff - there's a reason Tachihara liked him enough to actually want to make friends with him, while he could have just lied and moved on. But no matter how much you want to change it, your boss is still your boss, in his experience.
He's perking up now.]
Give me half a day, and I'll find out a few secrets you didn't know about.
[ Jouno's hand moves from Tachihara's shoulder to the top of his head, a silent sign that the younger was being too eager. Still, trusting Sigma to share any information that he found out with them seemed unlikely, even if he wasn't the culprit -- a fact that Jouno is still suspicious of by nature. Perhaps Tachihara's idea really was best -- it'd mean Jouno could gain more information and keep an eye on Sigma from a distance. ]
Tachihara-kun is a hard worker. He'd be an asset to your staff.
[He knows he's being too eager, he's just relieved this didn't turn into a fight. Plus, he's hoping his eagerness will convince Sigma to stop seeing him as a potential threat. He does enjoy the hand to his head, though.]
I can't... [And his hair does make him easily recognizable.] But I can come up with a reason. I'm getting work experience here as a favor, before I start applying to jobs in the city.
Hmm, you never were very good at your transformations.
[ It did make things more difficult, but Tachihara's 'excuse' seems like it will work well enough. ]
You'll have to forgive him. Tachihara-kun is only 200-years-old. He's still learning some of our finer arts. I imagined he'd take to it better with me as a mentor, but alas...
There's a quiet shift, a thumb pressing hard against his desk, a sandal staying firmly on the floor as Sigma adjusts his standing position--nothing immediately noticeable to Tachihara as Sigma keeps his otherwise professional appearance, but Jouno might understand the shifting as a silent shock of "what the fuck" from something likely less than a decade old. ]
Alright, I can work with that. For today I'd like to ask you to enjoy your stay as intended, and you can formally begin your investigation tomorrow.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2023-06-19 03:10 pm (UTC)And you don't want me making friends with humans anyway.
[See??? It's fine!!!]
no subject
Date: 2023-06-19 03:25 pm (UTC)He's seen the immediate switch in how he's regarded with his own eyes one too many times. He'd rather not spoil the day any more than necessary. ]
And if you don't keep those [ The claws, he means ] to the privacy of your room, I'm going to have to ask you to leave.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-20 12:07 pm (UTC)I disagree. You see, due to recent happenings, your summoning has become very much my concern.
[ He has no evidence tying Sigma to the murders, nor does he entirely suspect him, but it would be stupid to discount someone new to the scene. ]
I can put the claws away if you'll indulge me. [ A smile. ] Or I can kill all your guests.
no subject
Date: 2023-06-20 12:44 pm (UTC)Is there somewhere private we can talk instead?
no subject
Date: 2023-06-21 10:37 am (UTC)[ Firm, final. One might not guess he has nothing to actually back it up, at least not here in a hallway. He has no way to quickly contact security, to evacuate guests, to defend *himself* even. But... ]
My office. Now.
[ And he's already marching off in that direction before there's any chance to argue. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-14 11:57 pm (UTC)By all means, lead the way.
[ He follows after Sigma, claws fading for now. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-15 12:49 am (UTC)Once they finally make it to the room that must be his office, it's as seamless a mixture of modern and traditional as himself. An equisite painting of a koi pond reflects off his finely polished desk, a small fountain on the opposite side gently trickling along and helping add to an atmosphere of peace.
Or, would. If Sigma wasn't standing behind that desk looking professionally livid. ]
Now.
[ Turning his gaze right to Tachihara, ]
Do you want to start by explaining to me why you're really here?
no subject
Date: 2023-07-15 01:09 am (UTC)He looks up at Sigma, looking like he wants to slink back from both of them. If his tail was out, it would be between his legs.]
I didn't even know you're not human until now, so I wasn't lying. [Wait.] About that.
[Obviously he's not a student, so he did tell a few lies, but no harm done, right?]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-15 02:01 am (UTC)We simply came for a vacation, so imagine my surprise when I find something like you to be at the head of this all.
[ There's a possibility that Sigma is entirely innocent, and that whoever summoned him had done so with positive intentions, but Jouno is not a trusting man. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-15 02:11 am (UTC)The other man, "Jouno-san" Tachihara had called him, is much harder to read. ]
You said recent happenings made me your concern. What do you mean by "recent happenings"?
no subject
Date: 2023-07-15 12:05 pm (UTC)I was looking into old history and legends for a reason. You haven't heard any rumors about what's been happening recently?
[That seems unlikely, considering how many people you meet at an inn, and how many people like to gossip. He's sure Sigma is just trying to figure out how much they know before admitting anything.]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-15 11:46 pm (UTC)[ In charge of such a place, Sigma could be a valuable source of information, assuming Jouno didn't alienate him completely. Jouno can almost feel the phantom tip of Tetchou's sword in his side telling him to behave himself. ]
If you must know, there have been several incidents in the area as of late. Normally, I don't care much for the affairs of humans, but it seems they want to blame us, or at least, creatures like us.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 12:01 am (UTC)My staff hears more than I do in regards to gossip. I can ask them to keep an ear to the ground for anything suspicious--if it's a threat to creatures like us, then it's a threat to me, and by extension the inn. You'll find we're quite protective of our home here.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 12:10 am (UTC)Staff often clams up if their boss asks them about gossip. But I'm pretty good at making friends.
[Because working with Sigma would make this job easier. Right??]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 12:17 am (UTC)You want to work here? [ The question is to Tachihara, and Jouno doesn't bother to hide the contempt for the plan in his voice. It isn't the worst idea, and perhaps, were things different, Jouno would have thought of it himself. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 12:23 am (UTC)[ Well, 'comfortable' is a word for it. He runs a tight ship, a fact he's proud of, but he trusts his staff and his staff trusts him. He doesn't doubt they'd tell him whatever he needs if he were to just ask. ]
You're welcome to make as many friends as you like, however.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 12:29 am (UTC)He's perking up now.]
Give me half a day, and I'll find out a few secrets you didn't know about.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 01:05 am (UTC)Tachihara-kun is a hard worker. He'd be an asset to your staff.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 01:25 am (UTC)Would it be insensitive of me to ask if you're able to not look like a guest the staff has already been informed of...?
[ That same fluffy redhead coming into work the next day would be an even harder sell, after all. ]
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 01:31 am (UTC)I can't... [And his hair does make him easily recognizable.] But I can come up with a reason. I'm getting work experience here as a favor, before I start applying to jobs in the city.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 01:41 am (UTC)[ It did make things more difficult, but Tachihara's 'excuse' seems like it will work well enough. ]
You'll have to forgive him. Tachihara-kun is only 200-years-old. He's still learning some of our finer arts. I imagined he'd take to it better with me as a mentor, but alas...
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 01:47 am (UTC)There's a quiet shift, a thumb pressing hard against his desk, a sandal staying firmly on the floor as Sigma adjusts his standing position--nothing immediately noticeable to Tachihara as Sigma keeps his otherwise professional appearance, but Jouno might understand the shifting as a silent shock of "what the fuck" from something likely less than a decade old. ]
Alright, I can work with that. For today I'd like to ask you to enjoy your stay as intended, and you can formally begin your investigation tomorrow.
no subject
Date: 2023-07-16 01:58 am (UTC)[Besides, who needs to change their appearance completely?? Usually changing your clothes is enough! But, more importantly --]
So I still get a chance to enjoy the inn?
no subject
Date: 2023-09-04 12:19 am (UTC)[ Is that a hint of disappointment in Jouno's voice? Maybe.
He turns his attention back to their host though and smiles, the lack of warmth from which would make almost anyone uneasy. ]
We appreciate your hospitality.
no subject
Date: 2023-09-04 12:30 am (UTC)Of course. You came here for a vacation, it would be a shame if that were cut short so soon.
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