Phalaenopsis Phenomenon
Title: Phalaenopsis Phenomenon
Genre: Mystery; Drama; Supernatural
Word Count: 3416
Pairing: 10051
Universe: Alternate
Warning: None
Rating: T
Shouichi surveyed the bulletin board with a keen eye; he quickly discarded jobs that paid too little and narrowed in on those remaining, skipping through the ones he wasn’t qualified for, obviously. That left three applications. A tutoring post paying about eight dollars an hour, another for a position at a cram school paying twelve an hour, and the last one a serving job. Shouichi sighed, none of them were very appealing. He wasn’t an excellent teacher, and he wasn’t exactly great with kids. He’d been a waiter once. Once.
He took down the numbers anyway, five, seven and eleven. He needed a job, his career as a musician wasn’t panning out as well as he’d hoped. He had a steady gig at the bar attached to his apartment, but he only played on Wednesdays. The landlady was nice though, and gave him a nice discount because he worked there. Still… another job would be immensely helpful.
Shouichi walked up to the front desk of the employment agency. Haru was on the phone, but it wasn’t like Shouichi was in a hurry.
“Sorry about that,” The short-haired girl said as she hung up, “no luck on the other jobs you tried, Shouichi-kun?”
Shouichi felt himself deflate a little on the inside. He was on a first-name basis with the representative of an employment agency and he still couldn’t make ends meet… He shook his head to answer her question and then clarified, “The first one had already hired someone, the second needed me to work Wednesday nights, I never got an interview with the third, and the last hasn’t contacted me since my interview.”
“Ah, that’s terrible! Maybe this time though? If not, I could see if Uncle Kawahira has an opening,” Haru offered, and Shouichi knew she meant it.
“I’ll let you know,” He replied. He wasn’t too keen on charity, he didn’t want to feel useless. He’d gotten enough of that from his mother and sister.
“Right,” She smiled at him, “So, which do you need?”
“Five, seven and eleven.” Shouichi said, rattling the numbers off like menu items at a fast food restaurant. Haru got up and flitted through the files before pulling out all the proper applications. Shouichi was kind of appalled at how massive the form was for the cram school job, but he figured it was because he was going to be working with children. He sighed. Haru handed him the papers in their manila envelopes and he thanked her before going on his way.
Normally he stuck around and filed out the papers there, but with how much the cram school application needed he thought it prudent to take it home. As he headed for the door a speck of white caught his eye, curiously he bent down and picked it up.
It turned out to be a small business card. A glossy picture of a white orchid and a single phone number, that was odd. No name. He flipped it over and was met with a flowing cursive script that read ‘Now Hiring.’ He flipped it back over, looking the card over more carefully. He couldn’t see any name on it, nor a location. Just the flower and the phone number. A floral delivery service then?
How strange…
Shouichi glanced back over at Haru, “Do you know anything about this?”
She squinted at the card, and dumbly Shouichi realized there was no way she could see it from where she was. A little embarrassed, he walked over to her and handed the business card. Haru studied it carefully, flipping it exactly like the redhead had moments ago, and then shook her head.
“Sorry Shouichi-kun, I don’t.” She sounded truly baffled as she handed it back to him. Shouichi shrugged, it wasn’t a big deal, but he found himself pocketing the thing anyway. Maybe if he was really desperate, or if curiosity and boredom got the better of him it would come in handy.
“Thanks again,” Shouichi said and headed for the door again.
“No problem! Let me know if you want me to call Uncle Kawahira!” Haru replied with her usual cheerfulness. Shouichi wished it were catching, but it wasn’t. He forced a smile back and hurried on.
He crossed off ‘search for job’ on his list of things to get done.
-=-
Shouichi yawned loudly. It was close to midnight and the paperwork in front of him had yet to be filled out. There was just so much of it, and everything seemed to need to be answered in triplicate. Shouichi tiredly rubbed the back of his neck, massaged his shoulders and then rubbed his eyes. He needed a break.
The redhead turned to his laptop and he was hit with a strange wave of nostalgia. He’d always been so great with computers, vaguely he wondered what his life would have been like if had gone on in that field, joined Spanner. But he loved music, loved to listen to it, to play it…and hey, what was that card doing there? Shouichi picked it up, eyeing it warily before deciding he must have pulled it out of his pocket.
“I wonder…” He muttered as he started searching for local companies that used white orchids as their logo. It was something to do, and he had been wondering about it in the back of his mind. A few keystrokes and he wound up with one floral shop and an art gallery, but neither seemed to match. The phone numbers were completely different, as were the actual pictures of orchids. Shouichi glanced at the card, running his finger over the glossy texture.
“Hmm…” He looked back to his computer and searched for places with the name White Orchid, which gave him a number of cafes, and naturally flower shops. And one gentleman’s club, which had him hitting the backspace button so fast he nearly broke it. Yet none of them matched. He tried searching for companies with the name ‘Now Hiring,’ which gave him links to more jobs than he cared to count. Shouichi was wide awake now, his inability to discover the owner of the business card fueled him on. Perhaps the name was implied.
Shouichi looked up the meanings of white orchids, Phalaenopsis aphrodite, Moon Orchids: Love, Beauty, Purity.
That certainly didn’t help him any. What was he missing? He twirled the card between his fingers, holding it above his face and watching it speculatively. Perhaps he was over thinking it, perhaps it was just part of some graphic designer’s portfolio, the thing was certainly pretty. It was strange that there looked to be a legitimate phone number, but it was stranger for a business to printout a card without the company name. Shouichi set it back down and eyed the clock in the corner of his computer screen.
He groaned, it was already three in the morning. Those applications were going to have to wait. Shouichi shook his head at himself, yeah it was an interesting little puzzle but was it worth three hours? Hardly. He shut his laptop down and meandered to his bedroom where he quickly changed and sank into his all too springy mattress. Drowsiness hit him fast, and he’d barely managed to take his glasses off before he passed out.
-=-
Shouichi spent his morning finishing the papers that he should have completed last night, and then delivering them to their proper locations. Then he headed for the employment agency; the bulletin board held no new prospects.
The mysterious business card wriggled to the forefront of his mind, unbidden.
I might as well since I’m here… Shouichi scanned the tables for a stack of matching cards, but turned up nothing. Then he decided to test his theory and began searching for any graphic design offers, that turned up nothing also. The redhead frowned. He didn’t like unanswered questions.
He pulled the card out from his pocket, not at all curious as to why he carried it with him, and studied it. Maybe he should just call, if only to soothe his mind. No. He’d be a nuisance to whoever he ended up calling. It did say ‘Now Hiring’ on the back though. But what idiot followed up on it without knowing anything about the job or the company? He could say that was why he was calling, for more information. He fished his phone out, but gave pause.
What if it was some artist’s sample work? Would he seem like a freak for calling? Could he get away with trying to say he thought it might have been important? He stared at the card and then the cell phone in his hand. Well, Shouichi decided, if they didn’t want phone calls they shouldn’t have left the number laying around.
Nervously, but with forced deliberateness, he dialed. One-Zero-Zero Five-One-Four-Four. The phone started to ring. Shouichi had almost expected it not to, and with each ring a knot tightened in his stomach. What was he doing? Making phone calls to random strangers out of some misplaced interest? He bit his lip. He shouldn’t be doing this. He was going to hang up-
“Hel-”
Click.
Shouichi’s heart thudded. He’d just hung up on someone after calling on a whim. How childish and idiotic, he took a few deep breaths. The voice had spooked him, he hadn’t be expecting it in the least. Which was also really dumb. He gave a rueful smile, shaking his head at his stupidity and flightiness.
“Careful, what you’re feeling, on the inside♪”
Shouichi looked at his phone as it belted out Finger Eleven’s Good Times. He swallowed, 100-5144 had called him back.
“You should try to remember the good times and the hard life♫”
Shouichi licked his suddenly dry lips. Should he answer? Would it be rude, was he really obligated? What would he even say?
“Are you feeling all right~?”
No. I’m really not. He accepted the call and brought it up to his ear.
“Hello?” He was glad his voice hadn’t betrayed his nerves.
“I was worried you weren’t going to answer~” The voice on the other line intoned. It was the deep baritone of an adult male, but had a girlish and childlike lilt.
“Sorry, about earlier too, I, I shouldn’t have disturbed you.” Shouichi replied contritely as he could over the phone. The other laughed, carefree and bell-like.
“But that’s why I put my number on the card♫”
Oh good, this guy did see the logic behind it, and he didn’t sound very upset. Always a good thing in Shouichi’s opinion. A breath he hadn’t realized he was holding escaped.
“About that card…” Shouichi started. If the person sounded so amicable he didn’t see the harm in asking more about the slip of paper that got him into the mess in the first place.
“Are you interested in the job?” The other asked, positively bubbly.
“Actually, I was just curious about it. It’s a little unusual to see a business card without a business, heh,” Shouichi chuckled, hoping he didn’t inadvertently insult whoever was on the other end of the line. He shifted where he stood and almost started to qualify his statement, something along the lines of how it made it more aesthetically pleasing.
“Ah? Is it?” And the man sounded genuinely baffled, “Oh well~ Meet me at the building on the corner of 18th and 27th in an hour~”
And the phone went dead, Shouichi still holding it up to his ear for a beat. Was that guy serious? No introduction, no explanation. Just a casual meet-me-in-an-hour. He must have been some sort of psycho serial killer, the kind that turned up on the news but never got caught in time. He was probably a rapist too, and evidently not the picky kind. Or maybe he was into guys, he did sound flamboyant enough. He probably lured unsuspecting, desperate people and ate them.
But Shouichi knew where 18th and 27th met, and it was a busy little intersection. Tons of people passed through there, which made it a rather inopportune place to murder/kidnap/rape/devour someone. He wasn’t too sure about the building, but still. If he was going to do something ghastly to someone he’d pick somewhere more secluded.
Am I seriously considering this?
He slipped his phone back and left the agency, casting a sideways glance in the direction of the meeting place. What if this was serendipity? Shouichi didn’t believe in fate, but, he knew that every once in a while great things happened to people for no discernable reason. What if this was his moment?
Shouichi walked over to his bicycle, unlocking it and hopping on. He started for his apartment, it was stupid. He wasn’t going to go meet some stranger he knew absolutely nothing about, it was utterly… He skidded to a stop.
“Insane. This is one-hundred percent, bona fide insanity,” Shouichi muttered as he turned around. Part of him screamed that it was a mistake, that he was going to wind up dead in a ditch somewhere after being violently violated. Another part of him buzzed with excitement. Spanner had always said he liked to live on the edge…
The redhead peddled his way to the intersection, it would take him forty minutes or so to get there, which left him twenty minutes to scope out the area. He was no fool and he was certain that as long as he didn’t go anywhere with the strange man he’d be fine. He had his cell phone, and they were going to be in a public place.
He cruised along at a slightly faster than normal pace, noting that traffic wasn’t heavy but wasn’t really light either. Shouichi deemed it a good thing as he pulled up next to the building and put up his bike. It was a medium-sized office-like space. Large windows, a very reassuring thing, but the lack of lights was…odd. Then he spotted the ‘For Sale or Rent’ sign in the corner. His stomach tied itself in a knot.
Well, he certainly wasn’t going to stick around in a situation like this. Shouichi turned away and then a hand grabbed his shoulder. He physically bristled and jumped at the contact, spinning to face whoever had touched him.
The man smiled, “Going so soon?”
He was dressed in an expensive looking fancy black jacket, juxtaposed with the green-graphic tee and beige corduroys. Shouichi wasn’t sure if it matched or clashed, but then he noticed the mane of white hair and striking violet eyes and suddenly mismatched clothes were the least of Shouichi’s concerns.
“I’m Gesso Byakuran,” He greeted sticking his hand out, his bangles jingling as he did so.
“Irie Shouichi,” The redhead replied, cautiously returning the handshake. Byakuran’s hand seemed to dwarf his own, but that was to be expected. The guy was nearly a foot taller. He must have been a foreigner, or something.
“Maa~ It’s a pleasure to meet you, Irie-kun~” Byakuran sang, “Shall we go in?”
The man dropped the hand and moved towards the door, the bangles around his wrists lending a musical quality to his steps. Shouichi was indecisive. On the one hand this was stupid and dangerous, on the other hand it was kind of thrilling. Following some beautiful foreign man into a seemingly empty building.
Just because he’s pretty doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy.
But life only handed out opportunities sparingly, and he was already here… He tucked aside his paranoia and followed the mysterious Byakuran Gesso inside.
The building was quite dark, despite the sunlight pouring in, perhaps the windows were slightly tinted. Byakuran flicked a switch and then the room was flooded with a humming, artificial light. Shouichi wasn’t surprised to find it almost completely empty. The only thing in there was a small table set with two chairs and…a chess board?
“Coming?” Byakuran asked, his saccharine voice echoing with his footsteps as he approached the table. He sat down on the side with the white pieces and had a sort of expectant lassitude about him, as well as a childish eagerness, which rather confused the hell out of one Irie Shouichi.
“Gesso-san, what…is this?” Shouichi inquired running his hand through his hair. He wouldn’t say he was scratching his head, but it was awfully close as he joined the man.
“Chess!” Byakuran cawed, and at Shouichi’s not-what-I-meant face he added, “Your job interview.”
“Job interview?” Shouichi parroted, belatedly realizing what an absolute fool he sounded. He could scarcely help it, all the interviews he’d ever been on had a sense of decorum, protocol. Suit-and-tie, copies of resumes, polite how-do-you-dos. Not blue sweater vests and childhood games.
“Yep~” Byakuran said as he boldly slid a white pawn two spaces, “your move♪”
Shouichi hadn’t played chess in ages, it was a western game after all. He’d played it in middle school, but it never held an interest for him because, a) it wasn’t music and b) it was too easy. He beat his opponents within three minutes or less. He moved his knight.
Byakuran smiled and moved another pawn. Shouichi moved his knight again. Byakuran moved his king, which momentarily threw Shouichi for a second. No one moved their king so early in the game, there was no point and it removed the option of castling. Still, it wasn’t a crippling disadvantage for the foreigner, and Shouichi merely claimed a pawn. His chance for a three-move win had already been ruined when Byakuran moved the pawn in front of it.
They traded moves back and forth, testing each other, Byakuran claiming a knight and two pawns, Shouichi three pawns and bishop. The redhead maneuvered his remaining knight to take Byakuran’s queen, but Byakuran sacrificed his rook to prevent it.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my most cherished piece safe,” He asserted.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Shouichi said, taking the rook. Byakuran moved a pawn, pouting as he realized a few seconds too late that he’d practically given it to the musician. Shouichi would admit, his bizarre, bold strategy was interesting. His moves were hard to predict, but sloppy at times. He seemed to be careless with his pawns but highly protective of his queen.
Minutes blended together as they whittled away one another’s pieces. Shouichi cursed softly as Byakuran cornered his queen. He didn’t compromise his plan though, and he certainly didn’t sacrifice his rook, which he kept on Byakuran’s side of the board. He was down to that rook, a bishop and three pawns, which he considered better than Byakuran’s queen and knight.
He moved his pawn forward and Byakuran took his queen. He moved it forward again and Byakuran finally seemed to realize the significance, he poised his queen to take it now that it was two spaces away. Shouichi blocked with his bishop.
Their eyes locked and Shouichi leveled Byakuran with, “I’ll do whatever it takes to bring my most cherished piece back.”
“I’ll keep that in mind~” Byakuran said, taking the bishop. Shouichi moved a pawn forward with a smirk. Byakuran blinked and then he laughed. If Byakuran took the first pawn, the second would take his queen, if he took the second the rook would take it.
“Fufufu~ How clever~” He withdrew his queen and let Shouichi reclaim his. The game went on, Byakuran taking Shouichi’s new bishop with his knight and the new rook with his queen.
It became a chase after that, until Byakuran called a stalemate. It wasn’t until the game was over that Shouichi realized how much fun he’d been having, he felt like it’d been ages since he’d done that too; had fun.
“Well then, Irie-kun, I think I have an opening for you~”
“Is that so, Gesso-san?”
“Gesso-san…it’s so impersonal, call me Byakuran.” The man said. Shouichi gave a faint smile.
“What opening is it, Byakuran-san?”
“If I told you, you’d call me a liar~”
Shouichi eyed him, preparing to press for more information when his cell phone rang.
“Careful, what you’re feeling, on the inside♪”
Shouichi quickly answered it, shooting Byakuran an apologetic look, “Hello? … Ah, yes, I’m Irie Shouichi…accepted?” It was the data input position that hadn’t spoken to him since the interview. His eyes flickered over to Byakuran.
A future of boring number crunching and staring at a computer screen, or working with the most strange and fascinating person he’d ever met?
Byakuran smiled at him, his violet eyes sparkling.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve been offered a job elsewhere.”
essere continuato
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Notes: Companion series(?) to Investigations. Hopefully it'll be to everyone's liking? I have a vague plot worked out, so yea? I hope this was not a boring set up chapter, but it's...difficult to make it interesting. The chess scene in particular was a beast. I don't know how much detail to put into it without making it verbose/boring/confusing. Also titles? I'm not good with them...
Hope this was a good start and not a let down!
Genre: Mystery; Drama; Supernatural
Word Count: 3416
Pairing: 10051
Universe: Alternate
Warning: None
Rating: T
Shouichi surveyed the bulletin board with a keen eye; he quickly discarded jobs that paid too little and narrowed in on those remaining, skipping through the ones he wasn’t qualified for, obviously. That left three applications. A tutoring post paying about eight dollars an hour, another for a position at a cram school paying twelve an hour, and the last one a serving job. Shouichi sighed, none of them were very appealing. He wasn’t an excellent teacher, and he wasn’t exactly great with kids. He’d been a waiter once. Once.
He took down the numbers anyway, five, seven and eleven. He needed a job, his career as a musician wasn’t panning out as well as he’d hoped. He had a steady gig at the bar attached to his apartment, but he only played on Wednesdays. The landlady was nice though, and gave him a nice discount because he worked there. Still… another job would be immensely helpful.
Shouichi walked up to the front desk of the employment agency. Haru was on the phone, but it wasn’t like Shouichi was in a hurry.
“Sorry about that,” The short-haired girl said as she hung up, “no luck on the other jobs you tried, Shouichi-kun?”
Shouichi felt himself deflate a little on the inside. He was on a first-name basis with the representative of an employment agency and he still couldn’t make ends meet… He shook his head to answer her question and then clarified, “The first one had already hired someone, the second needed me to work Wednesday nights, I never got an interview with the third, and the last hasn’t contacted me since my interview.”
“Ah, that’s terrible! Maybe this time though? If not, I could see if Uncle Kawahira has an opening,” Haru offered, and Shouichi knew she meant it.
“I’ll let you know,” He replied. He wasn’t too keen on charity, he didn’t want to feel useless. He’d gotten enough of that from his mother and sister.
“Right,” She smiled at him, “So, which do you need?”
“Five, seven and eleven.” Shouichi said, rattling the numbers off like menu items at a fast food restaurant. Haru got up and flitted through the files before pulling out all the proper applications. Shouichi was kind of appalled at how massive the form was for the cram school job, but he figured it was because he was going to be working with children. He sighed. Haru handed him the papers in their manila envelopes and he thanked her before going on his way.
Normally he stuck around and filed out the papers there, but with how much the cram school application needed he thought it prudent to take it home. As he headed for the door a speck of white caught his eye, curiously he bent down and picked it up.
It turned out to be a small business card. A glossy picture of a white orchid and a single phone number, that was odd. No name. He flipped it over and was met with a flowing cursive script that read ‘Now Hiring.’ He flipped it back over, looking the card over more carefully. He couldn’t see any name on it, nor a location. Just the flower and the phone number. A floral delivery service then?
How strange…
Shouichi glanced back over at Haru, “Do you know anything about this?”
She squinted at the card, and dumbly Shouichi realized there was no way she could see it from where she was. A little embarrassed, he walked over to her and handed the business card. Haru studied it carefully, flipping it exactly like the redhead had moments ago, and then shook her head.
“Sorry Shouichi-kun, I don’t.” She sounded truly baffled as she handed it back to him. Shouichi shrugged, it wasn’t a big deal, but he found himself pocketing the thing anyway. Maybe if he was really desperate, or if curiosity and boredom got the better of him it would come in handy.
“Thanks again,” Shouichi said and headed for the door again.
“No problem! Let me know if you want me to call Uncle Kawahira!” Haru replied with her usual cheerfulness. Shouichi wished it were catching, but it wasn’t. He forced a smile back and hurried on.
He crossed off ‘search for job’ on his list of things to get done.
-=-
Shouichi yawned loudly. It was close to midnight and the paperwork in front of him had yet to be filled out. There was just so much of it, and everything seemed to need to be answered in triplicate. Shouichi tiredly rubbed the back of his neck, massaged his shoulders and then rubbed his eyes. He needed a break.
The redhead turned to his laptop and he was hit with a strange wave of nostalgia. He’d always been so great with computers, vaguely he wondered what his life would have been like if had gone on in that field, joined Spanner. But he loved music, loved to listen to it, to play it…and hey, what was that card doing there? Shouichi picked it up, eyeing it warily before deciding he must have pulled it out of his pocket.
“I wonder…” He muttered as he started searching for local companies that used white orchids as their logo. It was something to do, and he had been wondering about it in the back of his mind. A few keystrokes and he wound up with one floral shop and an art gallery, but neither seemed to match. The phone numbers were completely different, as were the actual pictures of orchids. Shouichi glanced at the card, running his finger over the glossy texture.
“Hmm…” He looked back to his computer and searched for places with the name White Orchid, which gave him a number of cafes, and naturally flower shops. And one gentleman’s club, which had him hitting the backspace button so fast he nearly broke it. Yet none of them matched. He tried searching for companies with the name ‘Now Hiring,’ which gave him links to more jobs than he cared to count. Shouichi was wide awake now, his inability to discover the owner of the business card fueled him on. Perhaps the name was implied.
Shouichi looked up the meanings of white orchids, Phalaenopsis aphrodite, Moon Orchids: Love, Beauty, Purity.
That certainly didn’t help him any. What was he missing? He twirled the card between his fingers, holding it above his face and watching it speculatively. Perhaps he was over thinking it, perhaps it was just part of some graphic designer’s portfolio, the thing was certainly pretty. It was strange that there looked to be a legitimate phone number, but it was stranger for a business to printout a card without the company name. Shouichi set it back down and eyed the clock in the corner of his computer screen.
He groaned, it was already three in the morning. Those applications were going to have to wait. Shouichi shook his head at himself, yeah it was an interesting little puzzle but was it worth three hours? Hardly. He shut his laptop down and meandered to his bedroom where he quickly changed and sank into his all too springy mattress. Drowsiness hit him fast, and he’d barely managed to take his glasses off before he passed out.
-=-
Shouichi spent his morning finishing the papers that he should have completed last night, and then delivering them to their proper locations. Then he headed for the employment agency; the bulletin board held no new prospects.
The mysterious business card wriggled to the forefront of his mind, unbidden.
I might as well since I’m here… Shouichi scanned the tables for a stack of matching cards, but turned up nothing. Then he decided to test his theory and began searching for any graphic design offers, that turned up nothing also. The redhead frowned. He didn’t like unanswered questions.
He pulled the card out from his pocket, not at all curious as to why he carried it with him, and studied it. Maybe he should just call, if only to soothe his mind. No. He’d be a nuisance to whoever he ended up calling. It did say ‘Now Hiring’ on the back though. But what idiot followed up on it without knowing anything about the job or the company? He could say that was why he was calling, for more information. He fished his phone out, but gave pause.
What if it was some artist’s sample work? Would he seem like a freak for calling? Could he get away with trying to say he thought it might have been important? He stared at the card and then the cell phone in his hand. Well, Shouichi decided, if they didn’t want phone calls they shouldn’t have left the number laying around.
Nervously, but with forced deliberateness, he dialed. One-Zero-Zero Five-One-Four-Four. The phone started to ring. Shouichi had almost expected it not to, and with each ring a knot tightened in his stomach. What was he doing? Making phone calls to random strangers out of some misplaced interest? He bit his lip. He shouldn’t be doing this. He was going to hang up-
“Hel-”
Click.
Shouichi’s heart thudded. He’d just hung up on someone after calling on a whim. How childish and idiotic, he took a few deep breaths. The voice had spooked him, he hadn’t be expecting it in the least. Which was also really dumb. He gave a rueful smile, shaking his head at his stupidity and flightiness.
“Careful, what you’re feeling, on the inside♪”
Shouichi looked at his phone as it belted out Finger Eleven’s Good Times. He swallowed, 100-5144 had called him back.
“You should try to remember the good times and the hard life♫”
Shouichi licked his suddenly dry lips. Should he answer? Would it be rude, was he really obligated? What would he even say?
“Are you feeling all right~?”
No. I’m really not. He accepted the call and brought it up to his ear.
“Hello?” He was glad his voice hadn’t betrayed his nerves.
“I was worried you weren’t going to answer~” The voice on the other line intoned. It was the deep baritone of an adult male, but had a girlish and childlike lilt.
“Sorry, about earlier too, I, I shouldn’t have disturbed you.” Shouichi replied contritely as he could over the phone. The other laughed, carefree and bell-like.
“But that’s why I put my number on the card♫”
Oh good, this guy did see the logic behind it, and he didn’t sound very upset. Always a good thing in Shouichi’s opinion. A breath he hadn’t realized he was holding escaped.
“About that card…” Shouichi started. If the person sounded so amicable he didn’t see the harm in asking more about the slip of paper that got him into the mess in the first place.
“Are you interested in the job?” The other asked, positively bubbly.
“Actually, I was just curious about it. It’s a little unusual to see a business card without a business, heh,” Shouichi chuckled, hoping he didn’t inadvertently insult whoever was on the other end of the line. He shifted where he stood and almost started to qualify his statement, something along the lines of how it made it more aesthetically pleasing.
“Ah? Is it?” And the man sounded genuinely baffled, “Oh well~ Meet me at the building on the corner of 18th and 27th in an hour~”
And the phone went dead, Shouichi still holding it up to his ear for a beat. Was that guy serious? No introduction, no explanation. Just a casual meet-me-in-an-hour. He must have been some sort of psycho serial killer, the kind that turned up on the news but never got caught in time. He was probably a rapist too, and evidently not the picky kind. Or maybe he was into guys, he did sound flamboyant enough. He probably lured unsuspecting, desperate people and ate them.
But Shouichi knew where 18th and 27th met, and it was a busy little intersection. Tons of people passed through there, which made it a rather inopportune place to murder/kidnap/rape/devour someone. He wasn’t too sure about the building, but still. If he was going to do something ghastly to someone he’d pick somewhere more secluded.
Am I seriously considering this?
He slipped his phone back and left the agency, casting a sideways glance in the direction of the meeting place. What if this was serendipity? Shouichi didn’t believe in fate, but, he knew that every once in a while great things happened to people for no discernable reason. What if this was his moment?
Shouichi walked over to his bicycle, unlocking it and hopping on. He started for his apartment, it was stupid. He wasn’t going to go meet some stranger he knew absolutely nothing about, it was utterly… He skidded to a stop.
“Insane. This is one-hundred percent, bona fide insanity,” Shouichi muttered as he turned around. Part of him screamed that it was a mistake, that he was going to wind up dead in a ditch somewhere after being violently violated. Another part of him buzzed with excitement. Spanner had always said he liked to live on the edge…
The redhead peddled his way to the intersection, it would take him forty minutes or so to get there, which left him twenty minutes to scope out the area. He was no fool and he was certain that as long as he didn’t go anywhere with the strange man he’d be fine. He had his cell phone, and they were going to be in a public place.
He cruised along at a slightly faster than normal pace, noting that traffic wasn’t heavy but wasn’t really light either. Shouichi deemed it a good thing as he pulled up next to the building and put up his bike. It was a medium-sized office-like space. Large windows, a very reassuring thing, but the lack of lights was…odd. Then he spotted the ‘For Sale or Rent’ sign in the corner. His stomach tied itself in a knot.
Well, he certainly wasn’t going to stick around in a situation like this. Shouichi turned away and then a hand grabbed his shoulder. He physically bristled and jumped at the contact, spinning to face whoever had touched him.
The man smiled, “Going so soon?”
He was dressed in an expensive looking fancy black jacket, juxtaposed with the green-graphic tee and beige corduroys. Shouichi wasn’t sure if it matched or clashed, but then he noticed the mane of white hair and striking violet eyes and suddenly mismatched clothes were the least of Shouichi’s concerns.
“I’m Gesso Byakuran,” He greeted sticking his hand out, his bangles jingling as he did so.
“Irie Shouichi,” The redhead replied, cautiously returning the handshake. Byakuran’s hand seemed to dwarf his own, but that was to be expected. The guy was nearly a foot taller. He must have been a foreigner, or something.
“Maa~ It’s a pleasure to meet you, Irie-kun~” Byakuran sang, “Shall we go in?”
The man dropped the hand and moved towards the door, the bangles around his wrists lending a musical quality to his steps. Shouichi was indecisive. On the one hand this was stupid and dangerous, on the other hand it was kind of thrilling. Following some beautiful foreign man into a seemingly empty building.
Just because he’s pretty doesn’t mean he’s trustworthy.
But life only handed out opportunities sparingly, and he was already here… He tucked aside his paranoia and followed the mysterious Byakuran Gesso inside.
The building was quite dark, despite the sunlight pouring in, perhaps the windows were slightly tinted. Byakuran flicked a switch and then the room was flooded with a humming, artificial light. Shouichi wasn’t surprised to find it almost completely empty. The only thing in there was a small table set with two chairs and…a chess board?
“Coming?” Byakuran asked, his saccharine voice echoing with his footsteps as he approached the table. He sat down on the side with the white pieces and had a sort of expectant lassitude about him, as well as a childish eagerness, which rather confused the hell out of one Irie Shouichi.
“Gesso-san, what…is this?” Shouichi inquired running his hand through his hair. He wouldn’t say he was scratching his head, but it was awfully close as he joined the man.
“Chess!” Byakuran cawed, and at Shouichi’s not-what-I-meant face he added, “Your job interview.”
“Job interview?” Shouichi parroted, belatedly realizing what an absolute fool he sounded. He could scarcely help it, all the interviews he’d ever been on had a sense of decorum, protocol. Suit-and-tie, copies of resumes, polite how-do-you-dos. Not blue sweater vests and childhood games.
“Yep~” Byakuran said as he boldly slid a white pawn two spaces, “your move♪”
Shouichi hadn’t played chess in ages, it was a western game after all. He’d played it in middle school, but it never held an interest for him because, a) it wasn’t music and b) it was too easy. He beat his opponents within three minutes or less. He moved his knight.
Byakuran smiled and moved another pawn. Shouichi moved his knight again. Byakuran moved his king, which momentarily threw Shouichi for a second. No one moved their king so early in the game, there was no point and it removed the option of castling. Still, it wasn’t a crippling disadvantage for the foreigner, and Shouichi merely claimed a pawn. His chance for a three-move win had already been ruined when Byakuran moved the pawn in front of it.
They traded moves back and forth, testing each other, Byakuran claiming a knight and two pawns, Shouichi three pawns and bishop. The redhead maneuvered his remaining knight to take Byakuran’s queen, but Byakuran sacrificed his rook to prevent it.
“I’ll do whatever it takes to keep my most cherished piece safe,” He asserted.
“I’ll keep that in mind,” Shouichi said, taking the rook. Byakuran moved a pawn, pouting as he realized a few seconds too late that he’d practically given it to the musician. Shouichi would admit, his bizarre, bold strategy was interesting. His moves were hard to predict, but sloppy at times. He seemed to be careless with his pawns but highly protective of his queen.
Minutes blended together as they whittled away one another’s pieces. Shouichi cursed softly as Byakuran cornered his queen. He didn’t compromise his plan though, and he certainly didn’t sacrifice his rook, which he kept on Byakuran’s side of the board. He was down to that rook, a bishop and three pawns, which he considered better than Byakuran’s queen and knight.
He moved his pawn forward and Byakuran took his queen. He moved it forward again and Byakuran finally seemed to realize the significance, he poised his queen to take it now that it was two spaces away. Shouichi blocked with his bishop.
Their eyes locked and Shouichi leveled Byakuran with, “I’ll do whatever it takes to bring my most cherished piece back.”
“I’ll keep that in mind~” Byakuran said, taking the bishop. Shouichi moved a pawn forward with a smirk. Byakuran blinked and then he laughed. If Byakuran took the first pawn, the second would take his queen, if he took the second the rook would take it.
“Fufufu~ How clever~” He withdrew his queen and let Shouichi reclaim his. The game went on, Byakuran taking Shouichi’s new bishop with his knight and the new rook with his queen.
It became a chase after that, until Byakuran called a stalemate. It wasn’t until the game was over that Shouichi realized how much fun he’d been having, he felt like it’d been ages since he’d done that too; had fun.
“Well then, Irie-kun, I think I have an opening for you~”
“Is that so, Gesso-san?”
“Gesso-san…it’s so impersonal, call me Byakuran.” The man said. Shouichi gave a faint smile.
“What opening is it, Byakuran-san?”
“If I told you, you’d call me a liar~”
Shouichi eyed him, preparing to press for more information when his cell phone rang.
“Careful, what you’re feeling, on the inside♪”
Shouichi quickly answered it, shooting Byakuran an apologetic look, “Hello? … Ah, yes, I’m Irie Shouichi…accepted?” It was the data input position that hadn’t spoken to him since the interview. His eyes flickered over to Byakuran.
A future of boring number crunching and staring at a computer screen, or working with the most strange and fascinating person he’d ever met?
Byakuran smiled at him, his violet eyes sparkling.
“I’m sorry, but I’ve been offered a job elsewhere.”
essere continuato
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Notes: Companion series(?) to Investigations. Hopefully it'll be to everyone's liking? I have a vague plot worked out, so yea? I hope this was not a boring set up chapter, but it's...difficult to make it interesting. The chess scene in particular was a beast. I don't know how much detail to put into it without making it verbose/boring/confusing. Also titles? I'm not good with them...
Hope this was a good start and not a let down!