#DevilsInOurDeeds
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July 24th, 1997
Public Safety Bureau Tokyo Branch, Japan, 12:26AM
[James|http://aminoapps.com/p/aubkug] accepted the uniform Makima had presented to him, carrying the outfit neatly in the crook of his arm as his acquaintance fixed him with a slight smile throughout delivering her instruction. "Thank you, Makima. I'll be right back then." The young man excused himself from the office to relocate himself to the thankfully well maintained bathroom, taking a moment to examine the articles of clothing before removing his casual outfit to replace it with the more formal apparel in around five minutes on account of his occasional pause to feel out how the white dress shirt and black dress pants fit to his build, somewhat pleased it seemed he could keep his boots on for the time being despite the clash of coloring. With this essentially completed, James set off to return to Makima's office with his previous clothes folded just as neatly as what he'd been presented with, although he'd intended to knot his tie along the way so not to keep his accommodating acquaintance awaiting him too long.
With a preemptive knock to notify her of his impending entry, James opened the door to Makima's office with the general expectation of exclusively seeing her waiting on him, but was intriguingly suprised to see a apparently male figure standing at ease just off to his acquaintance's right. Judging by the familiar suit, it was safe to assume this was another Devil Hunter, the prevalent question was why was he here?
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Makima shifted her gaze to acknowledge James's arrival, the man making no move in commitment to his pose. "James, there you are. Come here, there's someone I'd like you to meet. Just set those other clothes on my desk." James naturally came to join the two, neatly setting his previous clothing on a unclaimed spot atop her desk prior to standing beside the man both out of a satisfying sensation of uniformity and an opportunity to subtly examine this new face from the obstruction of his aviators. From the brief examination from around the midsection and above, he could infer the man seemed around a young adult by the lack of any real blemish of his face as well as just a still mildly youthful look despite the serious expression he wore at the moment. He undoubtedly had deep oceanic eyes that glistened slightly in the light peeking through the office window, and dark hair with a twinge of deep navy blue hue. Aside from this, he silently noticed the two of them were roughly the same height of six feet within millimeters if the top-knot of hair he had wasn't counted. Makima's voice gained his attention to introduce the object of his observations.
"This gentleman here is Aki Hayakawa. He has worked with Public Safety as a Devil Hunter for the past three years. I'd like you to shadow him for the day, to get hands on experience in the job of a Devil Hunter. Unfortunately, I rarely have the luxury of personally offering field training even to those I alone recruit. So I'll be delegating that to Aki. But I am confident you'll be in good responsible hands with Hayakawa." Aki took the time Makima had spent offering a introduction on his behalf to glance at the man at his side in a examination of his own. 'Don't see anything concerningly out of the ordinary at least, besides the fact he's wearing sunglasses indoors. Either he has a contract that affected his eyes or he's just an asshole that thinks he's cool' He thought to himself just as Makima concluded her explanation. James was generally unsurprised by the information he'd be shadowing someone, mindful of the fact Makima seemed to have a managerial/leadership position that wasn't keen on flexibility to go on outings to train a singular recruit. Besides, Aki seemed mature enough without much to go off of besides his disciplined pose. James gradually nodded in understanding, speaking up. "I see. Well firstly, it's nice to meet you, Aki." He extended a hand to the blue haired man, speaking once again in a cordial manner. "I look forward to working with you" Aki eyed the extended hand with a hint of reluctantance for a few seconds, feeling Makima's gaze on him as a sort of encouragement before allowing himself to relocate his hands from the small of his back to grasp the offered hand in a brief and generic handshake. "Nice to meet you too." His voice came blunt, turning to face Makima once again.
Makima took the floor again, more to close out the conversation so as not to keep the pair waiting and lose out on valuable educational time, not to mention the stack of paperwork on her desk wouldn't fill itself out. "While I certainly enjoy getting to speak with my Devil Hunters in lieu of silent office work, I'm sure you'd both like to head out on patrol. Like I said, I'd like for you to shadow Hayakawa, James. If you have any questions regarding the details and duties of being a Public Safety Devil Hunter, Aki will likely have accurate answers to offer. Though I ask that the two of you return to my office once Hayakawa's shift has concluded, okay?" Makima enunciated clearly and professionally. "Yes, Ma'am" Aki responds without hesitation followed by James, "Yes, Makima". Aki couldn't avoid casting a silently critiquing side glance at James for referring to Miss Makima without any form of honorific, considering it somewhat disrespectful even if he seemed obviously foreign. 'Miss Makima didn't seem to mind, but that doesn't mean it's okay to address her so familiarly' He internalized in mild displeasure.
Makima officially set her subordinates off to conduct thier work "You two are free to go, please do have a good patrol" Aki wasted no time turning on his heel to head toward the office door, gesturing for James to follow along with a slightly deeper tone reflecting a sliver of impatience. "Come on, let's go." James took a step to join the hunter only to realize he'd forgotten to sort out his tie, having ceased his efforts to pay proper attention to Makima elucidate them on what was to be done. "Give me a minute" He resumed his process of setting up his tie, although had some mild difficulty for the fact he'd not worn a tie in some time as a consequence of his preference toward casual styled clothing. Taking notice and sensing a opportunity, Makima approached her acquaintance with a somewhat softer expression than usual, noticed by Aki with a mild widening of his eyes similar to James only a few seconds in the future from the adjuration he'd been given. "Allow me to be of assistance." Makima brought her hands to his shoulder and chest to grasp the black tie and begin to fix it for him, to which he contested in a lighter tone in brief protest, but stooped somewhat so she could reach it properly out of unconscious consideration. "Oh, you don't have to-" Makima abruptly asserted herself, her words carrying some weight to quell his humble protests so she could do him another gesture with this brief minstration.
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"I insist. Far easier to set up a tie from the front."
James let a light sigh escape his lips as he allowed her to continue, merely observing as Makima easily formed his tie into a perfect windsor knot. "There we go. It's not too tight right?" She raised her vision to his face expectantly, hands clasping at her front. "No, it's fine. Thank you Makima" He expressed his gratitude with a small curl of his lip so not to appear indifferent to her assistance. Makima mirrors his small smile, eyes still fixed on his face for a moment until transitioning to Aki's waiting form. "It was my pleasure. Now you two can be on your way. Just be careful, and learn from your senior Devil Hunter." James nods understandingly, turning to join Aki in leaving the office as Makima reserved herself to taking a seat at the desk with intent to return to her usual duties. Although in this renewed privacy, her attention to mundane documents eventually waned toward the clothing encroaching on her work area.
The two men silently rode the elevator down to the bottom floor of Public Safety Headquarters, James's interpretation of Aki's stiff body language as closed off by any rate. As they crossed the lobby to the glass doors, Hayakawa pushed past as normal, but subtly held said door open for a passing second just enough for his charge to slip through. "Stick close to me. Don't need us getting separated." He instructed, pressing on to walk off the premises with James in following into the busy sidewalks of Tokyo. Ten minutes or so afterwards, the young man couldn't help but break the silence between himself and his blue haired acquaintance both out of a profession based need and pure curiosity layered underneath aside from the mundane act of shifting through the thick crowd of citizens and taking care not to step in the occasional pigeon droppings. "So, what does the usual day in the life of a Devil Hunter look like? If you don't mind me asking" His question hung in the air to his mild concern until the senior hunter answered in a manner that gave the impression this question was an underlying inconvenience. "You wake up, get ready for work, patrol for your shift, kill any devils you see, then clock out and do whatever for the rest of the day." James could cope by viewing this answer as appealingly straightforward despite the attitude embedded into it, posing another question. "Then normally how long is a shift? Standard eight hours?" Aki maintained his forward gait, but made a brief swivel of his head to make sure his shadow was still in tow before offering a similarly blunt answer.
"Yes, the usual time period is eight hours, but it's subject to change by those higher up like Miss. Makima, or pure circumstances such as a long devil encounter or covering other sectors in the case a hunter is missing or killed" Aki paused before posing his own impatient inquiry. "Any more generic questions?" James silently pursed his lips, but chose to not let the rudeness bother him. "Not at the moment. Any questions on your end?" He set out a opportunity to converse, only to have it fail by no fault of his own through Aki's rebuttal. "No. But I do have something to clarify. This is how your 'shadowing' is going to work. If we come across a devil, you just get to a safe distance and I'll deal with it. Right now you're not in any way officiated to hunt a devil, and any damage or harm caused by you trying to fight one would be solely blamed on me as your shadowee. Do you understand?" James nodded no matter the fact it could not be seen "Got it" the young man subsequently thought to himself 'At least he's not one to mince words' at around the same moment, Aki composed his own thoughts behind the professional front he's held. 'The sooner I get to be on my own again, the better. Why would Miss Makima choose me to be shadowed anyway?' An hour or so passed, the two not sharing much words to Aki's preference. James managed to occupy at least a few minutes in eyeing the sword on Aki's back, specifically it's strange circular shape in the scabbard. That is until the lack of a Devil encounter so far caused the brown haired young man to attempt filling in the stiff and bland silence with at least some dialogue, even if casting glances at the streets of Tokyo they'd lapped around at least once or twice just for the fact of 'knowing the terrain' so to say.
"So, how often do devils show up in Tokyo? Must be much more of a disturbance in a cityscape in comparison to the countryside" Aki actually pondered this question for a moment, not entirely certain. "About one or two at minimum a day, there's so many different devils at least one will be liable to appear in some part of Tokyo. And yes, a appearance here proves far more chaotic, hence why any hunter assigned a city sector is expected to act with diligence and professionalism to ensure civilians remain out of harm's way." James took in the information, absent-mindedly tugging at his tucked in dress shirt while simultaneously making what he believed was a simple comment. "Makes sense. Though what exactly is a devil anyway?" Aki resisted the immediate urge to stop in his tracks upon hearing his acquaintance's comment, hiding his shift in mood behind the lead he had as an idea formulated over the next minute of silence. 'He's got to be kidding. That's it, I'm not keeping quiet on this' Aki foretold to himself, turning his shoulder so his shadower could properly hear him speak while keeping his eyes forward, lest he walk right into a pedestrian.
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"Follow me down this alley. I'll tell you, away from prying eyes and ears"
James raised an eyebrow at the request, but had no qualms with relocating to a more private space off the public street to discuss apparently sensitive information for the sake of secrecy. "Got it." Aki gradually worked his way off to the right away from the main stream of people with James in step behind him, gesturing to an alleyway as indication for the new recruit to go first. Obliging, James set off down the somewhat narrow alley compared to the open sidewalks, not oblivious to the unpleasant scent of garbage bags piled up in the farthermost section. Assuming Aki was at his back, James began to turn and speak in the calm tone he'd used throughout thier talks. "So, what is a de-"
James's sentence was cut short by the sight of a clenched fist belonging to Aki in his peripheral vision, swinging toward his face with plenty intent to make contact. Fortunately, the new recruit was able to reflexively sway away from the punch to avoid being struck, his brows furrowing in puzzlement. "-vil..." James paused for a moment, coming back to standing straight as he examined Aki's now tense body language. "What was that for?" Aki took a handful of seconds to compose himself enough to answer in a irritated tone of voice. "You're telling me you don't even know what a Devil is, and you're wanting to be a Devil Hunter?" James merely nodded in acceptance. "Yes. So I'd like to learn more about the profession. Can you reasonably expect a new recruit to be fluent in every terminology?" Aki's jaw clenched, resisting the urge to try taking another swing, instead airing the thoughts that had been stewing within his mind. "Just about everyone from childhood knows what a Devil is. It's ridiculous that you don't know such a simple and commonplace piece of knowledge, then have the nerve to try being a Devil Hunter of all things. Frankly right now, I think you're just some foreign punk that thinks this job is a joke, something that'll make you look cool. I don't think you have a right to even consider joining our organization, or comprehend the gravity and responsibility that comes with this position. People can die, people have died from the incompetence of a unfit hunter" Aki explains callously, uncaring of if he offends James.
James remained silent throughout Aki's vent, his expression calm despite the judgemental words levied at him that almost echoed through the alley. "I would disagree with you. I at least know this job is far from a game." Aki considered giving a confrontational rebuttal, but reserved himself to a deep sigh pending the realization he was compromising his professionalism trying to almost incite an argument or physical altercation. "Fine. Let's just get back to patrolling. Just do what I told you to do" Hayakawa turned on his heel, making his way toward the mouth of the alley without giving James the opportunity to respond. Almost as a trained movement, he delved hands into his suit pockets to produce a carton of cigarettes and a simple disposable lighter to grasp one with his lips. 'Why don't you just ask Miss. Makima what a Devil is? Since you're so close to her' He thought to himself with a imaginative roll of his eyes as he lit his cigarette, slipping his lighter and remaining carton back into his pockets as the bitter taste of nicotine curtailed the tense mood.
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James chose to follow without pressing on the brief back and forth they'd just had. Beyond that, the next few hours went by without any noteworthy developments or conversation to spice it up to his pent up boredom. Aki silently wished it was still his lunch hour, instead of coming to be given this man as a shadower just after having a meal. 'I got so aggravated, I think I turned my stomach..' He reflected on the unpleasant sensation in his abdomen, but knew it was nothing he couldn't power through. 'At least on the bright side, I don't need to buy this guy lunch. If he didn't eat before showing up at the Bureau, it's not my problem'. As another hour of silence passed, the beeping of a SEIKO-A156-5000 solar powered watch adorning Aki's wrist elicited an action aside from mere walking, checking the time and coming to a stop with James following suit. "My shift is over. Let's head back to headquarters, see what Miss. Makima intends to do with you."
James nodded in approval of these intentions, letting Aki lead on as had been the case since they'd gotten out on the streets. His voice emerged to think aloud, casually hooking a thumb into a space between his dress pants and the leather of the belt. "Right behind you. Unfortunate that this shadowing was mainly just walking." Aki took a moment to give his own opinion along the way back whence they came. "Better to not come across a devil, it can put the public at risk. It's like hoping there's danger" The senior Devil Hunter grants a moment of judgemental side eye while approaching public safety headquarters, pushing the door open and giving it a subsequent nudge in a uncommitted attempt to hold the door for James without care if he'd slipped in or not. Either way, his shadower wound inevitably catch up at the elevators as the lift lowered to the lobby to allow them inside. James wordlessly joined Aki within the elevator, finding little reason to make small talk in light of the metaphorical wall set between them.
As much as Aki would have liked to simply go on with his duties without a worry, the realization of a blunder by his attempt at assaulting the man he was responsible for. 'What would Miss Makima think of me? He's going to tell her, I'll look utterly unprofessional...' He recalled Makima's trusting opinion of him "But I am confident you'll be in good responsible hands with Hayakawa" Aki contemplated telling James to keep his mouth shut about it, threatening him even if that's what it took to preserve his image in the eyes of his leader. Unfortunately, the silent deliberation found itself cut short by the ding of the elevator having reached it's destination of the sixth floor to leave the pair no other option but to step out into the managerial office area. Approaching the door to Makima's office, Aki had attempted to take a brief pause to bring up his desire to not mention his previous behavior, but was foiled by James already having given two anticipatory knocks to announce themselves, a simple result of his hesitation to confront the man, or a smart method to deny Aki the chance to try and cover himself, the blue haired man grudgingly couldn't confirm either.
Within the period of a second Makima's feminine voice responded to the knock in a mildly louder but still balanced tone to invite the men inside. "Come in" James smoothly opened the office door and held it for Aki to enter first. Aki had little choice but to accept the gesture, passing through and committing to maintaining his composure in the presence of Miss. Makima, the orange tint of dusk sunlight shining through her office windows giving off a warm glow from behind her. "There you are, I do hope the two of you had a smooth patrol." She opened with as James and Aki came to stand before her desk and seated form, eyes scanning the both of them. Aki spoke first, intending to get ahead of the issue. "We did, Ma'am. No Devil encounters whatsoever throughout our patrol" Makima listened attentively, her hands loosely clasped atop her desk as her gaze favors Aki for the time he spoke. Once his brief report had concluded, Makima's gaze shifts to James intending to learn his opinion of the experience.
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"Great. How about you, James? How was your time shadowing Hayakawa this afternoon?" Aki experienced a creeping sense of dread, knowing he had little to no way to have control of this situation. 'Dammit, he's going to tell her what I tried to do' He anxiously thought as the young man parted his lips to respond, swearing he felt a bead of sweat run down his temple. "It was alright. I suppose a bit boring, since we saw no devils. I learned some valuable information from Aki regarding the job at least. Though I think I'd annoyed him a bit, saying I didn't know what exactly a Devil was" Makima blinked at James's statement, glancing at Aki before seeking more information. "I see. Did Hayakawa at least tell you what a Devil is?" James shook his head briefly in rebuttal, turning his head to possibility look at Aki as he continues. "No, but that's really it. I figured he's just a no nonsense person. I don't hold it against him" Aki tried to hide a dumbfounded expression from forming on his face, did James just cover for him by not mentioning his attempted assault? He was pulled from the thought by the sound of Makima addressing him in a fashion reminiscent to the gentle scolding of a parent.
Makima firmly clasped her hands together now as she spoke. "Hayakawa, we need to serve as guides for our new recruits, not deprive them of essential knowledge simply because it's considered commonplace. In the words of St. Dionysius, those who do not know must be taught, not punished. We do not hit the blind, we lead them by the hand" As Makima discussed Aki's behavior, James found himself combing around the general space in front of him to keep his mind occupied, his sight landing on his casual clothes he'd left in Makima's care on her desk, still neatly placed. Although at a closer look, his jacket seemed folded in a different fashion than he'd done before, as if it had been opened up and refolded for some reason. Before he could read too much into it, James chose to refocus his attention to the topic of conversation between Aki and Makima as it seemed to be near it's end. "Do you understand what I mean, Hayakawa?" Aki suppressed a desire to grumble out of respect, feeling akin to a child or dog being lectured. "Yes, Ma'am" He answered firmly, seeming to satisfy Makima with his understanding.
"Good to hear. I do hope you two can get along well, as I've decided James here will be the newest member of your squad, Hayakawa." Aki's eyes widened at the information, sharply inhaling and clicking his tongue before seeking her reasoning behind this decision as James appeared not particularly opposed as he observed the conversation until his input was necessary. "This guy in my unit? I've got enough undesirables as it is, adding an undereducated guy like him just feels..." Makima cut in at Aki's pause to try finding the words, interlacing her fingers to rest her chin on her hands. "Remember what I informed you of when I first put your team together? I told you you'd be operating differently in comparison to your fellow teams, serving a more 'experimental' or 'unorthodox' purpose for the time being." Aki sighed initially prior to asking a nagging question he'd had since himself and James had shared a handshake. "Yes ma'am, I remember. But I'd like to ask, what's the deal with this guy?" Makima tilted her head on her hands, a pencil thin smile as she answered. "Honestly, I haven't a clue. Call it my inherent intuition that James here will make a fantastic Devil Hunter. Why, he managed to dispatch a formidable devil single handedly the other day, one I personally came to deal with. I consider him a special case, so in turn, he may be given particular treatment for the time being." Aki peeked at James from the corner of his eye, trying to discern from mere appearance how he could combat a creature he knew nothing about. 'I don't see it. But Miss. Makima wouldn't lie. You know what? I'm just stressing myself out over a single encounter.' Makima swiveled in her office chair to address James once more, a somewhat loaded question leaving her lips.
"James, may I ask if you've already found accommodations for yourself within Tokyo before you came here today?" The young man answered honestly, seeing no justification to deceive. "No, not yet. Haven't gotten around to it" Makima nodded in acknowledgement, returning her attention to Aki in order to ask the second prerequisite of a idea forming within her mind. "Hayakawa. If memory serves me right, your apartment has a sizeable vacant bedroom at the moment, correct?" Aki furrowed his brow at the question, not sure he was fond of the implications this inquiry posed. "Y-yes, Ma'am." James himself raised an eyebrow behind his aviators in similar questioning until Makima set out the reason behind the paired questions. "With that information, i think it would be mutually beneficial for James to move into your domicile, Hayakawa. Consider it a way to keep in easy contact with your fellow squad member and have plenty opportunity to learn more about one another. Hopefully this can foster a feeling of comraderie between you two."
Aki was by no means thrilled by the decision, but Makima's decision rang final. "Now, it is certainly growing late, and I have plenty more paperwork to fill out before I have the liberty of going off the clock. So Hayakawa, please do take James home with you and get him settled in. I want the both of you here in my office by nine o'clock tomorrow, I trust you'll be on time" Aki offered a small reverential bow in response in spite of the fact his previous coping thought of only having James in his orbit for the day was soiled. "Yes Ma'am. We'll be here before or on the dot" James chimed in "Yes, we will." Makima displayed a pleased expression, intensive gaze softening as much as it could muster. "That's what I like to hear. And James," Makima leaned down to retrieve something from beside her chair, lifting a beige tote bag into view to set on the front of her desk. "I had someone get me a tote bag so you can carry your clothing home more conveniently, be it your casual outfit or your uniform if you'd like to take the time to change. In addition, there is a second set of uniform clothes in case the first is dirtied."
James flashed a small gratuitous smile to his recruiter, stepping forward to the wooden work area, taking possession of the bag to begin filling it with his neatly folded clothing. "Thank you, Makima. I think I'll keep the uniform on, use the time to accustom myself to wearing it." Makima looked through her lashes, merely observing him as she expressed support of his simple reasoning behind the latest decision. "That would be beneficial, yes." Just prior to James completing his packing, Makima breezily spoke. "And regarding the question Hayakawa unfortunately did not answer, a Devil is a manifestation of the fears of humanity in the forms of actual creatures. The more prominent the fear, the stronger the particular Devil will be. Using the Zombie Devil you slayed for instance, fear of zombies stems primarily from horror movies many people watch, thereby giving it a considerable amount of power. Does that answer your question?"
James adequately nodded, satisfied with the answer given with a tutorship like method. "Yes, perfectly answered. Thank you Makima" Makima offered him and Aki words of cordial farewell for the night. "You're quite welcome, James. Now I wish you both a good evening and night to come." Having bagged his clothing James shouldered the tote bag and turned to leave with Aki, but gave a wave of farewell to Makima and unintentionally overlapping parting words with his new partner.
"Likewise, Makima"
"The same to you, Miss Makima"
Following a silent elevator ride and stroll across the lobby out of Public Safety Headquarters, the duo took to the crowded streets once again with James tailing Aki for guidance to his residence. He was no fool to not notice the man wasn't exactly ecstatic about his presence out the gate, but a nagging question persisted within his mind that he thought Aki would not be opposed to answering given his apparent loyalty to the person of interest outlined in it. "Hey, Aki?" He spoke out, getting a blunt response, but a response nonetheless. "What?" The young man posed his question. "What is your opinion of Makima? You seem to have known her quite some time, what is she like in your eyes?" Aki took little to no time in divulging his opinion of the woman he saw as seraphic.
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"I see her as a great leader that has done more for the safety of Japan than even our police force when it comes to fighting Devils. She saved my life, and countless others. With that being said, I don't want to disappoint her, and neither should you."
James took Aki's opinion to consideration, finding Makima exuded an aura of almost benevolence in her presence, calm and clear spoken throughout the few interactions they'd shared so far. Eventually they'd come to an apartment building he assumed held Aki's home, apartments a predominant living space for middle class Japanese citizens. Ascending the quiet stairway, Aki expressed himself once again in a similar tone to when he'd explained the average day of a Devil Hunter only hours ago, the common speech he'd give to a new roommate. "A few house rules before we head in. Make sure you take off your footwear in the entryway to set at the wall, don't go in my room without permission, clean up after yourself, help with chores, and buy your own food or ingredients." Aki verbally paused in a thought before completing his rules with a small and reasonable concession, perhaps considering he avoided serious consequences as a result of an omission made by his new housemate. "But if you must eat something of mine, or use any ingredients I purchased, ask first if I'm around and reimburse me on the cost. Of course, I'll be adhering to the same rules."
Finally coming to a stop at an apartment door after a short walk down the fourth floor hallway, Aki produced a small keychain to unlock the door, holding it to allow James inside first. "Boots" He reminded just in case, stepping into the apartment himself to lock the door behind them. "Right" James returned, bending down to untie the laces on his boots to slide off, soon joined by Aki's dress shoes a foot away. With the freedom to proceed further into the home, James quickly took notice of the long hallway lined by an array of doors, spaced along admittingly bland walls in his opinion, but kept it to himself in favor of coming into what he assumed was the living room and dining area in traditional Japanese styling with a sizable low table set on a mat. Aki took initiative in briefly getting his roommate acquainted with the layout of the house, pointing to respective doors as James followed with his hidden eyes. "Two doors on the left is the toilet and bath room. First door on the right is your room, next one is the sink and laundry room, and finally my room at the end. Everything else is self explanatory, kitchen and living room."
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James commited the aforementioned locations of rooms in the apartment, aiming not to end up searching through the place when he needed something. "I'm going to get out of my uniform and settle in. Go check out your room or something" Aki concluded, moving on to part the doors of his room to slip inside, leaving James by himself. 'Checking out my room isn't a bad idea actually' He considers, backtracking to the first door on the right that was told to be where he'd be calling his own. Opening the residential door, the bedroom was sizable at least, although quite generic due to a lack of inhabitants going off the plain white bedding fitted to a western full size bed put up against the left wall. But at least a dark wooden desk he could set his tote bag onto, and a dresser made the room not completely devoid of furnishing aside from the pure essential of a bed. Having not much to do, James saw fit to open the one window in the room to cycle some fresher air inside the still atmosphere. Hoping to avoid chafing or wrinkling the new clothing, James removed his uniform to dress in only the olive green t-shirt, jeans, and socks. Now dressed arguably more comfortably, he resigned to laying straight down on the bed atop the covers for some simpler idle time after a day spent walking the city with cold company.
Aki emerged from his room, having changed out of his uniform for more homely clothing consisting of a blue t-shirt and grey sweatpants. While the earlier stress of shadowing with James had turned his stomach at the time, being home and relatively more relaxed, his appetite had returned with a vengeance after hours spent walking and burning calories. Coming into the kitchen, he'd already chosen to make Chicken Yakisoba the night before, the ingredients he'd need on quick demand in plastic wrapped bowls in the refrigerator for even quicker access. All he needed to do was get the cookware and cooking oil out of cabinets before slipping into a silent culinary process.
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Aki started off by combining the sauce ingredients into a bowl, mixing the components together for a fresh bind that would tie together every other ingredient for this relatively simple but satiating dish. As the first step of actual cooking, he put noodles to boil followed by dumping the boneless cubed chicken thighs into a hot wok and poured in enough sauce from the bowl to coat the pieces entirely, taking care to cook the chicken thoroughly before setting it aside in a bowl for upcoming use and to prioritize heat for his next ingredients. The vegetables took the place of the chicken, soaking up the meaty residual flavors as well as earning a lighter covering with sauce he dribbled in with a careful hand. Once the vegetables had softened to an acceptable level, he reintroduced the chicken to the wok followed by the now cooked soba noodles. With all the ingredients combined in a singular wok, the remainder of the bowl of sauce was emptied and mixed into the pile for maximum flavor coverage. Aki took a moment to admire his handiwork, wiping his brow from the heat of the wok. 'Perfect. Now let's get a bowl' He told himself, reaching up to open a cabinet and take out a porcelain bowl. As he was about to shut the cabinet, Aki paused, hand lingering on the handle in thought on previous actions and attitude on this day. Apparently after this mental consideration came to a close, the blue haired young adult exhaled a brief sigh before grabbing a second bowl from the cabinet before shutting it.
James laid staring at the ceiling, hands over his stomach considering what he'd go about doing in coming days when he'd assumingly be working as a offical Devil Hunter. A priority aside from the job would undoubtedly be to liven up the room with some more decoration or furnishing in general, if his housemate wouldn't take issue with it. 'Definitely could use a rug, maybe some art to put on these white walls? New bedsheets for sure. Maybe I could even repaint the-'
*KNOCK KNOCK*
James sat up from the bed, tilting his head in curiosity as to why who he could fully assume was Aki had knocked at his door. "Yes?" He inquired from the room, setting his feet down to the floor. "Come out, i made some food." Aki declared in a rough tone, not the friendliest, but still invitational nonetheless. James got to his feet at the statement, stepping to the door to open it. "Hey. Some food sounds good, haven't eaten most of the day" Aki grumbled quietly at his words, but relaxed to gesture to the sundown tinted living room beyond the kitchen. "Just take a seat. I'll serve." He instructed, the young man passed by the kitchen in the process, catching a pleasant whiff of food Aki had made for what he figured was dinner. James reserved himself to just sitting criss-cross at the low table, letting the honey golden rays hold his attention until he spied Aki in the kitchen somewhat visible from the counter and items sorted onto it. "You don't mind drinking water right?" He questioned from the kitchen alongside a host of clacking both porcelain and metallic in origin, somewhat along the lines of 'you're getting water whether you like it or not'. "Fine by me." He accepted, Aki coming from the kitchen to set a bowl in front of his acquaintance alongside a cup of cold water. "Thank you" James expressed gratitude that went unanswered before Aki repeated the same process for his own place at the table across from oneanother. Lowering himself to his knees traditionally, he put his hands together in a momentary prayer for the bounty of food. James refrained from touching his chopsticks until Aki had done this, snapping the pair apart around the same time he'd done so.
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"Do you know how to use chopsticks?" Aki questioned without thinking, considering a foreigner may not be accustomed to the traditional tool for eating, dropping the inquiry as James proceeded to pick up noodles with acceptable technique. The two began to eat in relative silence, until Aki commented "Why did you cover for me?" James raised his attention from his food, mouth slightly full. "Hm?" Aki reinstated his question as James made an effort to swallow the food in his mouth properly. "Why did you not tell Miss. Makima that I tried to beat you up? That I insulted you for being a foreigner" James took a short span of seconds to answer, his tone simple and even. "Didn't think it was too important to mention. I didn't blame you for being upset at me, i seemed pretty ignorant when i consider the circumstances. Though that punch would have been a cheap shot, if it connected." Aki's eyes widened somewhat at the statement, fixing James with a stare. "That's.... suprising. I only hope you don't plan on blackmailing me with that information. That's highly illegal in Japan" He said as a way to protect himself if that was the case, studying James's reaction.
The young man let out a humored chuckle at the notion, elaborating to quash whatever Aki may think he'd do. "Never crossed my mind. It's water under the bridge, don't worry about it." Aki still felt a slight wariness at the prospect, but found it only self destructive to press, not to mention the food would get cold. "Alright" He simply concluded, leaving the two to eat in silence once again. Aki hadn't failed to notice that James still wore his aviators despite being inside, still contemplating why he seemed unwilling to show his eyes. "This is really good" James comments out of the blue before he can stop himself, Aki feeling a silent boost in pride in his cooking accepts the positive review. "Good." Aki found some reason in offering James food to be not being a bad host, as leaving a guest to starve came as dishonorable, or made him seem petty in the least. Silence stood throughout the rest of the meal, Aki taking their dishes once they'd finished just as darkness had began to settle in the sky. "I'll probably retire to my room after I'm done washing up, I suggest you get some rest as well for tomorrow." He informed audibly from the kitchen, water running as he scrubbed off dried sauce from the bowls. James leaned on a free part of the outer kitchen counter, scanning the details of the kitchen for future reference if the possibility of cooking something himself came to pass. Aki finished up with washing dishes, drying his hands to head back into the main hall, speaking to his housemate without looking. "I'm getting ready for bed. Goodnight" James merely gave a simple response of his own, detecting there wasn't a chance to speak more. "Goodnight, Aki" With Aki slipping into his room, James took his own leave to the bland area now his bedroom, picking the natural option of lying in bed to find a semblance of relaxation as small sounds of water running occupied the silence, most likely Aki brushing his teeth. Reflecting on the day, James had managed to engage in some form of peaceful conversation instead of the hiccup of a confrontation earlier on. Hopes rested on getting along with the straight shooter. Although one particular thought posed a smidgen of anticipation and comfort, what times did tomorrow have in store?
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