Reznik was was just glad for the opportunity to have someone who could read the menu. She would be telling at least one thing on it to him, and he was perfectly happy with that. “Sure, that sounds good. I’m happy with pretty much most kinds of food.” That he had the ability to partake of, though he was confident in his ability to not care a whole lot about what it was that he consumed. “Thanks for the offer. It’s been a while since I’ve eaten with someone.”
( 亮子 ) If the merchant wasn’t mistaken, he seemed content for a reason other than just free food, but she wasn’t in so much of a hurry that she had to pick apart the possibilities right off the bat. They’d be eating together, after all, and that time provided for plenty of observation. “Same here.” That was, if having lunch with her elder brother didn’t count. She felt no need to mention that technicality. “I’ll lead the way.” At that, she started walking in the direction of the restaurant. “So what do you do for a living, Reznik?”
Lips curled into a small smile. That was nice of her, especially when his intervention hadn’t been strictly necessary. “I wouldn’t say no to that.” Mainly from the offer of eating with her as opposed to the idea of not having to pay, since it wasn’t the money that was his problem. Though the weapons dealing bit certainly made it a more interesting prospect. “I might be here for a few more days, if you get some free time.”
( 亮子 ) Who in their right mind would say no to free food? Even if people offered to pay for themselves, they still almost always gave in to the idea of someone else doing it. A lot of things worked that way, Ryoko had found. “I just got off work for the day, so if now is good for you, it works for me as well. I’m rather famished at the moment, and I know of a few good places not far from here. It’s mostly seafood, but a couple of them have burgers and that sort of thing as well.”
If she was the type to appreciate his fighting, then he doubted this was going to be a one time thing, whether it was these men or others. “Just passing through, really.” Out of town to buy some parts for a project he was working on, though that was information that didn’t need to be said. “But I’l probably be staying in town for a few days.” Not that she really cared, but it was best to fill the silence following a question with a suitable answer.
( 亮子 )
“I see.” It was hard to a human to gain so much of the merchant’s interest, but there certainly was something odd about this one that she couldn’t quite place her finger on aside from the fact that it reminded her a bit of her elder brother. She wouldn’t outright pry into it though. “I’ll be here for at least the rest of the week, so if lunch or dinner sounds appealing to you, please don’t hesitate to ask. It’d be my treat.”
“Well, that makes a fair bit of sense.” People didn’t really attack a person so openly for random chance, not without a damn good reason. Nearby getting it between the eyes? Yeah, that put a few more pieces together with no real need for further questions. “Reznik Krall.” His job wasn’t really important to the conversation the way hers was, so he didn’t bother to mention it. “Hopefully they won’t try to bother you again.”
( 亮子 ) Nodding, the merchant smiled. There was some sick amusement to be found in humiliating people like those men, so she couldn’t say she was adverse to running into them again – not that she’d say that aloud so easily. “Reznik,” she repeated, “it’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Do you live here, or are you just passing through?”
“Fair enough.” He had jumped into the fray rather quickly, though he didn’t think he could really be blamed for that. Having noticed the men with ill intent approaching her, he hadn’t thought before he was getting involved. Whoops. Maybe next time he would think before he went to take those types out. But… he doubted it. “No problem.” Her hand was taken. “There a reason they were after you, or should I chalk it up to random chance?”
( 亮子 )
“Chance would be the most reasonable.” Offering a smile, Ryoko gave his hand a firm shake. “But alas, no. One of them tried to steal from me the last time I was in the area, and he nearly ended up with a knife between his eyes. I suppose he’s still a bit bitter about that.” As she pulled her hand away, she bowed a bit. “Ryoko Mizushima, at your service. I sell weapons at a market set up not too far from here. And you are?”
“It’s pretty easy to pick up when you need it as often as I do.” It wasn’t the most refined technique, given, but hell if it wasn’t effective. There were few quicker teachers than necessity. Reznik stepped in the opposite direction as the fleeing men, bringing him a few steps closer to the stranger. “I don’t know if I’d call it impressive, though.”
( 亮子 )
“Saved me the trouble of doing it myself.” Ryoko gave a shrug at that as she kept her eyes on the other’s movements. Sometimes walking alone brought trouble in the form of common thugs, and while she normally dealt with them herself, the male had managed to jump in first. “So thank you.” Taking a step towards him, she held out a hand.
A heart subdued, hidden, sheltered, A past unshared, of innocence lost beneath the weight of distrust and the knowledge that nothing can prevent deadly disaster;
And a world from which they hide, connections severed and unreformed, a change one-eighty from the past where innocence could be trusted and friends held close together.
