yogen | text. un: n.fagin

( oh, well... )

how lucky! i actually have something close to that!
i'm working at the student store, though... so you'd have to meet me there!

( booze or cigarettes? something close to that? she'll have to test her luck. )

i haven't seen your name before so i can try and cheer you up a little.

[She thinks she gets what they're dropping.]

Close enough works for me. I ain't picky.

Sure. I can meet you. I'm Nancy.

a pleasure to meet you, fagin-san! the name's komaeda, i hope we can work well together!
make sure you have something to trade, too!

God, no, do not call me by my surname, please. Just Nancy's fine with me.

Something to trade? Like what, exactly?

( oh, that's troublesome, he'll workshop this... probably. )

handmade items, homemade food, art and other expressions of creativity, friendship bracelets, medicines and poisons, items people have placed their hopes into or on, and gifts given with affection or any strong emotion!

we can talk about it more in person if you don't have anything.

Right. Okay. I'll have to figure that out, then.

Sure. I can do that.

great! i'll be waiting!!

( which means he's going to stand outside the student store which around the corner happens to be various vending machines for if she's thirsty, but rather than saying her last name and inquiring if any the passing students are her, he instead asks them if they're looking for him. the normal responses happen to be split between "not now komaeda!" and "i'll buy something from you later". )

[It takes a minute or two, but eventually Nancy finds her way to the student store. A man's already asking questions, and when he does ask if she's looking for him, she smiles, and waves casually, only her first three fingers extended.]

Yeah- You're the one I was texting with, right? 'M Nancy.

[She extends her hand for a shake.]

Oh, yes! I was looking for you, Fagin-san!

( excited as always, he keeps a smile on his face as he reaches out with his left — a prosthetic — to shake her hand gently (or so he hopes, he likes to think he's gotten better over a year of being like this.) he pulls his hand away once they're done, arms dropping down to his side. )

I'm a shopkeeper here for now, but shifts will be changing at a later time.

( but that's nothing to worry about, what matters is that he's able to help. realizing they're just standing in the hall, komaeda takes a few steps back to keep the store's door open so she can walk inside. )

Ah... Forgive me! Come in, come in!

[She can't help but pull a face when he calls her by her surname. She had no love for the man she knew only as Fagin. But Bill had never saw fit to make her a Sikes.

And now he never would.

She shakes his hand without incident.] No, no, just Nancy, please. [She waves away his concern.] No worries at all. So this is the school shop. [Nancy glances about, taking it all in] Interesting.

( as she enters the student store, nancy will find all sorts of items strung up. dreamcatchers on hooks with little feathers and jewels attached, bottles of unknown substance with a cute little skull and a x beneath (there's others with a written redirection of "ask the seller"). various buttons in a container with another jar filled with colorful bracelets for sell as well, they're pretty simple within the shop especially with the clothes that a customer can purchase among other things on the sales floor.

and various teacups with different flowers molded on the side, pink kalmias and blue roses, and white chrysanthemums kissed against the handle. they look realistic, but if nancy thinks to touch them she'll find that they're not.

walking behind the counter, he closes the small wooden door, locking it as he leans forward, elbows against the surface. )

Ah... How do I explain... ( he's thinking. ) where I'm from using your first name is affectionate! It'd be disrespectful to think that I have that right with you. Last name is polite...

( unless you're an asunaro, but nancy might like that about them. )

Hm... do you have a fake one?

( he's trying! )

[Out of habit, Nancy touches nearly everything she can. But she has to force herself not to slip a button or bracelet into her pockets. Years and years of picking pockets and pocketing anything not tied down tend to be habit forming.

She does, however, pick up a tea-cup. Or, tries. Her hand goes right through them, and a frown crosses her face, red-painted lips twisted in a frown.]

Oh! Right, oh. I mean, I don't mind at all. But if you'd be more comfortable with it... [She knows the name immediately.] Sikes. You can call me Nancy Sikes. That's... my boyfriend's name.

[She touches the tally inside her wrist, feeling the discomfort. Were they still together? She was here. And back home she was... she was dead. Dead, on the floor of her apartment, with the dog probably sniffing at her corpse.

Gods, she needs a drink. A quick look around tells her there's no booze here.]

( the school is weird like that, but he comes from behind the counter to look at the one she tried to touch. he kneels down, pulling out a box from underneath, and parts open the flaps that's filled with various tea cups. he holds one up for her, a kalmia one, and he offers a smile. )

Yeah... this place is odd, but you get used to it! You don't want to know what happens if you try and steal. I wouldn't say it's the best experience to have...

( it's like he was reading her mind, but that's not the case, just a safety precaution he thinks the room tends to have. once the tea cup is in her hand, he finds that it's the perfect item for all her aches and pains. )

Then Sikes-san, it's a pleasure to meet you! We have something in common then.

( the boyfriend thing, but he doesn't linger on his own relationship and instead pushes the box forward. ) What were you interested in... cigarettes and alcohol? I can help you with both, but it'll just be between us, okay?

[Oh. The plot thickens.] Yeah? [She acts casually.] What happens if you steal?

[She accepts the cup, not sure if it's going to actually let her pick it up. To her surprise, it does.]

We do? Lovely. [She looks at the box.] Yeah! Of course. If anyone can keep their mouth shut, it's me. But, well, need a little something to keep the edge off, y'know?

Do you want to try?

( why would anyone, but maybe she's braver than most people here. even stealing off people causes the room to proc its safety precaution, but she'll learn that in time he believes. )

Stealing, I mean. You can walk out the door, or climb through the window.

( at her request, he slowly gets to his feet as he goes back behind the counter searching for something underneath. he's pretty sure it should be here, and she can hear he's rummaging through something. )

Let's see... it should be here, maybe behind...

[She hesitates.] No. That's alright. [She's not feeling particularly brave right now, anyway.

Nancy creeps forward, looking over his shoulder to see what he's looking at.]

It's fine if you can't find anything.

Are you sure...?

( his voice comes out as a wheeze before he sits down, a little tired. komaeda makes sure not to bump into her as he leans forward, pushing about a few jars and other little trinkets until he finds a blue bottle that's more than half filled. )

It's this... ( he lifts it up for her to see, shaking so that the liquid splashes against the inside. ) I hope my assumption was right, you wanted a real drink right.

( this is komaeda's personal stash stash, nothing owed to him by the school and so it's easy to offer. )

Oh? [She looks at the bottle.] Yes, absolutely. A real drink. Then I can get my head on straight.

I hope you like sake.

( he cants his head to the side curious, blinking slow at her as he sets the bottle onto the counter before him. )

Wrapping it around purgatory, or did you deal with something traumatic before coming here?

Never had it.

[They stuck to the European stuff. Gin, whiskey, that was Nancy's favorite.]

But I'm not against trying it. [She reaches for the bottle.]

Purga-- no. [Wait till she's drunk. Then deal with that.] Uhm. Well. [Fuck it. She opens the bottle and takes a deep drink. Alright, kinda tastes like wine but with a... drier taste. Something rice-y that makes it smooth. She doesn't hate it.]

I was murdered. At least. I think I was.

( if he knew better not to ask the hard-hitting questions then he'd do just fine! as she explains, komaeda stands up properly so that he can walk over to grab a chair to push up behind her. she can sit if she wants, and komaeda will to by pulling himself up on the counter so he can watch her easily. )

Too soon? Aha... Sorry about that, it's just common here.

( his feet sway back and forth, heel hitting against the surface of the counter. )

...Hm. Why would you get murdered?

( then these cases usually wrap around who probably would have done it, can she accept who did it, and etc. )

It's alright. [At least she has something to drink, and now, a place to sit. She does as she's bidden, and takes a seat. She makes herself as small as she can, not wanting to take up too much space.]

Because my boyfriend thinks I betrayed him. [She drinks more]

But I didn't. I swear, I never said his name, nothing, kept him clear out of it. Didn't even go to the police or nothing. But when I got home-- I don't know how he found out but the rage in his eyes-- He's always had a temper, but I'd never seen anything like it before aimed at me. Then-- God he wouldn't let me speak. [Tears shine in her bright green eyes, her Cockney accent growing thicker the more emotional she becomes.] He grabbed me. Hit me. I hit the floor, and the dog came over but-- Bill pulled him back-- [Her voice cracks, and she can't keep speaking. She just shakes her head, looking down at the floor between them.]

I'm sorry- I shouldn't be unloading this all on you. Bill's a good man. I don't want you to get the wrong impression.

[The man murdered her. But she was still going to defend William fuckin' Sikes.]

( he doesn't know her, but komaeda has a habit of listening to the tales and woes of another person. keeping quiet, he watches the way her eyes start to glisten from tears, and the accent that breaks through from her fear and hysteria (it's probably not that, but she's having a breakdown trying to validate all that had happened).

there isn't a shred of unease from him as he mulls over the name she gave him, and even through all that she must care for the man to keep his name despite... those transgressions. )

Sikes-san! It's okay, it's okay...

( he jumps down from the table to take a small walk over to her (slowly), his hand patting her shoulder gently even though his smile remains. he doesn't really know what to do when someone's tearing up, and it's because of his carefree attitude that he doesn't find himself fit for the conversation... but if he does this, it should work right? at least he sounds concerned about the ordeal.

especially with "how he found out" when she didn't say anything... )

You're here now... ah, maybe that's not the best thing to say, but... You're safe.

( he pulls his hand away, thinking back on the things he's done. her situation is not unlike the one he's dealt with awhile ago, but he makes no mention of it because this isn't about him so instead... )

You mean it when you say you didn't betray him, right...?

( though he's a little worried about this sort of relationship, komaeda isn't fond of people who neglect women so there's a visible frown on his face. )

[He calls her by his name, and she can't help but start to cry, shoulders shaking. She doesn't pull away from him when he puts his hand on her shoulder. The gentle touch is welcome. It always is.

She sniffles, trying her best to do what she always did: hide her tears. She squares her shoulders, blinks back the rest of the tears, presses her hands to her cheeks to try to blot the tears.] Right- right, I'm safe. Safe as houses, they say, but that's what Bill specialized in. [She shakes her head, a smile breaking through, but just the smallest. Her heart still soared to think of him.]

I mean it. Swear to whatever gods there are. I would never. I told the old man about Fagin. Bill ain't involved. [Bill had pretended a young boy was his son in the middle of Spitalfields to bring him back into their fold. Bill had taken that same young boy on a run to fucking Kensington. But Nancy could keep him safe. She could have kept him out of the whole thing. She was sure of it.]

Then you should hold onto hope, Sikes-san... if you give that up, then everything you've done would have been for nothing.

( it's a mantra to him, it's a way of life, and a concept that people tend to forget when they're in their feelings. there's no way to turn back time or to avoid what had happened, but in a way she's somewhat free from that old life, and here she can start anew. her body burned to ashes, and like a phoenix she can rise and proceed with a life more comfortable without fretting over what she's done and hasn't done. )

...Ah, hope is something really special, you know people that come here has something waiting for them. So you shouldn't give up or break down...

( tears are always difficult to deal with, especially when he doesn't know how to cry himself. it's been years since the last time he shed any, he was about seventeen...? those days seem so distant, and he tries not to think about them when she's too busy filling that gap at the moment.

he laughs gently, before turning around to pluck a few tissues from a box nearby. he holds them out for nancy to take once she realizes they were there. maybe once her tears aren't visible, he won't feel awkward for making her cry anymore... )

Now Bill's hope has to be strong enough to face those future perils, it'll be difficult without you because you had kept everything running perfectly.

text. un: n.fagin

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