Once is Happenstance [Solo]
May 21, 2020 15:31:01 GMT
Post by David Li on May 21, 2020 15:31:01 GMT
Recent rainfall had given the streets a slick, mirror-like finish in which the city was reflected in duplicate. The lights stood out among the stark black of the street and as David strolled up to a cross walk he had a professional camera in his hands and was aleady raising it to his eyes.
clickclickclickclickclickclickclick
He held the button down and the shutter flashed open-close faster then he would have been able to click. He lifted his finger and lowered the camera, a satsified smile on his face. A couple of pedestrians who had waited until now to pass in front of him began to move and he flashed them a smile and a dip of his torso. "Thank you for waiting."
They smiled back and he sighed loudly as he replace the lens cap then let the camera drop softly to his chest. He turned to the wizened hunched figure in a raincoat beside him who held a brightly striped umbrella held in her right hand. A canvas shopping bag was tucked under her left arm. "Are you not going to check it?"
He shook his head and stepped under the umbrella, smoothly taking it from her hands and lifting it higher so he wouldn't hit his head. He flashed her a charming smile as he began to speak. "The screen is too small to really tell, I have to trust my instinct! I think I've developed that well enough."
"Even monkeys fall from trees." She quoted as they turned and began to walk closer toward Hachiko. He shortened his stride to keep pace with her. He turned his body so he was angled toward her with the back to the street so his windbreaker would hopefully block any splashes of water from cars driving past. It also offered the benefit of making it easier for him to focus on her and sheltering the camera at the same time. His lips pursed as he mentally translated the words and she continued speaking. "If your company does not like them, then what will you do?"
"Starve I'm afraid~ Here I am alone in a foreign company with naught but my own skills to feed me. Whatever shall I do?" He cried in playful faux despair. He was rewarded with a laugh that in a younger woman would have been called a giggle and a couple gentle pats on the arm. His smile became more genuine.
"Nonsense, nonsense! You always have a place at my table." She replied as they turn a corner and the statue came into view. David felt his back stiffen instinctually at the sight of the innocent dog statue. His eyes scanned the plaza, flicking to every brightly colored spot.
On this day, at this time there were a lot of umbrellas. A lot of rain coats. A lot of adults walking through the area. A pale kid with blonde hair looking miserable in the drizzling rain as he strolled around the statue, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his black and red jacket. He was suspicious but not the kind of trouble David was on the look out for.
He relaxed and let out a sigh. Abruptly he realized they had stopped walking and he turned to look at his companion with a quirked eyebrow and found her staring at him. "Are you tired, Yuki-san? Do you need to sit? It's wet but if I put down my coat..."
She smiled again and placed her hand on his arm and gave a gentle squeeze. She spoke slowly, carefully so he could hear every word and keep up with the conversation. "Some hurts do not live in the body, this I know very well. Seven falls, eight getting up."
He blinked, then began to parse the translation he had come up with. The first part was straight forward enough for him to catch at what she meant. She had been here too on that day, had been why he had left early-helping her and her daughter shepard the two younger children while also avoiding beging trampled by the crowd. It had been a nightmare, a literal one for many. But the second sentence she spoke- ah. That was it.
"Thank you Yuki-san. We have a similiar saying, 'if at first you don't succeed, try try again'." He switched to English for the the saying then attempted to repeat it again in Japanese. From her chuckling he knew he hadn't quite gotten the grammar right, or had said something foolish instead, but she gave him one final pat and lifted her hand from his arm.
They started walking again and he noticed the blonde haired boy had drifted closer, was standing not far away with his back to them and his eyes on the ground. David's lips curled into a smirk and he tapped Yuki-san's shoulder and flicked a finger toward the boy. She followed his gestured with her eyes and nodded, her head never turning, the movement serene. David really admired her subtly but that just wasn't his style.
"Why yes it really is great being able to speak freely without fear of being overheard!" He said at several times his previous volume. Several passerbys gave him weird looks, he saw the kid jump and his ears turn red. Yuki gave him a reproachful look but there were lines of amusement on her face. He grinned back at her, completely unashamed. "If someone, say, needed directions or something then they should just ask! If they were trying to cause trouble then they should return to school immediately!"
The kid's shoulders rose and his head lowered until David was postive his neck had shrunk right into his body. He half turned then and David saw that he had a weird device out with a screen - his thumb hovering over the bottom half. He wasn't sure and didn't care. He had seen a number of interesting, creative, and sometimes just weird cases for everything from phones to switches since arriving here several weeks ago.
The kid mumbled something that sounded apologetic enough for David to not chase him down. He kept the red and black device - and jeez what was with that color scheme? Was it Japan's equivalent of goth or scene? - in hand and scurried off as far away as he could get in the crowded area. David watched him slink into the crowd until Yuki gave his arm a pointed squeeze.
"Oh now look what you've done, you have scared the boy off. I was going to let Officer Amari know about a possible truancy when we passed by." She was scolded him but the corners of her eyes had crow feet of amusement and David could not stop being pleased with himself.
"If he didn't want to be scolded by adults he should have picked a place without any." He said with a lazy roll of the shoulder he was carrying his camera bag on. "Besides, what good excuse could he have for being out here on a school day anyways?"
"Still, remind me to make a report." David gave a noncomittal shrug. He personally only had an issue with the public nuisance and eavesdropping parts of the boy's attitude. A little skipping school hadn't hurt him when he was that age. A look where he was now! A fine citizen of clear moral standing who travelled the world and worked to enlighten its inhabitants.
"If I remember. Do you mind holding the umbrella again? I want to get a couple shots of Hachiko in the rain. Maybe some of the bits they didn't clean up if I can find any."
[wc:1279]
clickclickclickclickclickclickclick
He held the button down and the shutter flashed open-close faster then he would have been able to click. He lifted his finger and lowered the camera, a satsified smile on his face. A couple of pedestrians who had waited until now to pass in front of him began to move and he flashed them a smile and a dip of his torso. "Thank you for waiting."
They smiled back and he sighed loudly as he replace the lens cap then let the camera drop softly to his chest. He turned to the wizened hunched figure in a raincoat beside him who held a brightly striped umbrella held in her right hand. A canvas shopping bag was tucked under her left arm. "Are you not going to check it?"
He shook his head and stepped under the umbrella, smoothly taking it from her hands and lifting it higher so he wouldn't hit his head. He flashed her a charming smile as he began to speak. "The screen is too small to really tell, I have to trust my instinct! I think I've developed that well enough."
"Even monkeys fall from trees." She quoted as they turned and began to walk closer toward Hachiko. He shortened his stride to keep pace with her. He turned his body so he was angled toward her with the back to the street so his windbreaker would hopefully block any splashes of water from cars driving past. It also offered the benefit of making it easier for him to focus on her and sheltering the camera at the same time. His lips pursed as he mentally translated the words and she continued speaking. "If your company does not like them, then what will you do?"
"Starve I'm afraid~ Here I am alone in a foreign company with naught but my own skills to feed me. Whatever shall I do?" He cried in playful faux despair. He was rewarded with a laugh that in a younger woman would have been called a giggle and a couple gentle pats on the arm. His smile became more genuine.
"Nonsense, nonsense! You always have a place at my table." She replied as they turn a corner and the statue came into view. David felt his back stiffen instinctually at the sight of the innocent dog statue. His eyes scanned the plaza, flicking to every brightly colored spot.
On this day, at this time there were a lot of umbrellas. A lot of rain coats. A lot of adults walking through the area. A pale kid with blonde hair looking miserable in the drizzling rain as he strolled around the statue, his hands buried deep in the pockets of his black and red jacket. He was suspicious but not the kind of trouble David was on the look out for.
He relaxed and let out a sigh. Abruptly he realized they had stopped walking and he turned to look at his companion with a quirked eyebrow and found her staring at him. "Are you tired, Yuki-san? Do you need to sit? It's wet but if I put down my coat..."
She smiled again and placed her hand on his arm and gave a gentle squeeze. She spoke slowly, carefully so he could hear every word and keep up with the conversation. "Some hurts do not live in the body, this I know very well. Seven falls, eight getting up."
He blinked, then began to parse the translation he had come up with. The first part was straight forward enough for him to catch at what she meant. She had been here too on that day, had been why he had left early-helping her and her daughter shepard the two younger children while also avoiding beging trampled by the crowd. It had been a nightmare, a literal one for many. But the second sentence she spoke- ah. That was it.
"Thank you Yuki-san. We have a similiar saying, 'if at first you don't succeed, try try again'." He switched to English for the the saying then attempted to repeat it again in Japanese. From her chuckling he knew he hadn't quite gotten the grammar right, or had said something foolish instead, but she gave him one final pat and lifted her hand from his arm.
They started walking again and he noticed the blonde haired boy had drifted closer, was standing not far away with his back to them and his eyes on the ground. David's lips curled into a smirk and he tapped Yuki-san's shoulder and flicked a finger toward the boy. She followed his gestured with her eyes and nodded, her head never turning, the movement serene. David really admired her subtly but that just wasn't his style.
"Why yes it really is great being able to speak freely without fear of being overheard!" He said at several times his previous volume. Several passerbys gave him weird looks, he saw the kid jump and his ears turn red. Yuki gave him a reproachful look but there were lines of amusement on her face. He grinned back at her, completely unashamed. "If someone, say, needed directions or something then they should just ask! If they were trying to cause trouble then they should return to school immediately!"
The kid's shoulders rose and his head lowered until David was postive his neck had shrunk right into his body. He half turned then and David saw that he had a weird device out with a screen - his thumb hovering over the bottom half. He wasn't sure and didn't care. He had seen a number of interesting, creative, and sometimes just weird cases for everything from phones to switches since arriving here several weeks ago.
The kid mumbled something that sounded apologetic enough for David to not chase him down. He kept the red and black device - and jeez what was with that color scheme? Was it Japan's equivalent of goth or scene? - in hand and scurried off as far away as he could get in the crowded area. David watched him slink into the crowd until Yuki gave his arm a pointed squeeze.
"Oh now look what you've done, you have scared the boy off. I was going to let Officer Amari know about a possible truancy when we passed by." She was scolded him but the corners of her eyes had crow feet of amusement and David could not stop being pleased with himself.
"If he didn't want to be scolded by adults he should have picked a place without any." He said with a lazy roll of the shoulder he was carrying his camera bag on. "Besides, what good excuse could he have for being out here on a school day anyways?"
"Still, remind me to make a report." David gave a noncomittal shrug. He personally only had an issue with the public nuisance and eavesdropping parts of the boy's attitude. A little skipping school hadn't hurt him when he was that age. A look where he was now! A fine citizen of clear moral standing who travelled the world and worked to enlighten its inhabitants.
"If I remember. Do you mind holding the umbrella again? I want to get a couple shots of Hachiko in the rain. Maybe some of the bits they didn't clean up if I can find any."
[wc:1279]