Adventures with the Marauders W/Lynx

The moon was high in the sky, so there was at least five to six hours before sunrise. It was harder to keep track of time in animal form, but of course, Sirius had had lots of time to practice. James had been too tired lately to join them, what with the new baby and all, but that was okay. They understood. The forest was lively tonight, buzzing with energy and as he and the lumbering werewolf walked along, he began to figure out why. "Do you smell that?" He asked.

"Yeah...it smells like...rotting flesh, but it's fresh. A recent death?" Moony looked down at him, head tilted in confusion. It wasn't sending him into a frenzy because whatever it was, was already dead. "Should we follow it, Pads?"

"Up to you," he ruffled his fur, his version of a shrug. Remus started after it once he sniffed the air a bit, and soon the scents got stronger, "There's more than one...it's weird. There's also the scent of human. What's going on?" Moony didn't respond, just kept walking, and they happened across a clearing.

The clearing had the bright moonlight cast shadows over the trees, making the shadows loom over two figures. One of them had red, red hair that was like the blood that they were smelling. It was so dizzying and strong here; if they were human they'd probably cover their noses or gagged. The figure next to her had black hair, practically disappearing into the tree's shadows that the trees were sending. The redhead glanced over her shoulder and for a moment, they saw that her eye was black as the night sky with a single red iris. Her lips curved into a smile, blood dripping from the corner. "Hey." She greeted with a gentle coo. She recognized that one of them was a werewolf, but the other had a strong smell of human. Was it the werewolf's or a humanly owned? "Here." She held out a piece of meat. Was it an organ? Actually meat from the bones? It was hard to tell in this light. Blood dripped casually down between her fingers like water. "You must have smelled this and came to eat too. It's okay." She said assured. "I won't hurt you."

Sirius shook his head vigorously and Moony stepped back with a whine. While Remus occasionally had raw meet, it was usually steaks. They all always worried that if he ever tasted human flesh something would snap in him, and never wanted to test that theory.

The black haired girl watched them curiously, blood also dripping from her mouth but she wasn't nearly as messy as the other woman. Her eyes were red, too, but it was almost like an overlay of color like when you'd manipulate a photo. "Do you not eat human food?" she asked. The black dog barked once. "Um, one bark means yes?" Another single bark, "Okay, so two barks means no. I get it. I'm Ryo! This is Shaye," she motioned to the redhead.

Shaye smiled showing off bloody teeth and mouth. She swallowed and she took the meat back so that they wouldn't get offended. She turned to face them a little easier so that she didn't have to crane her head to see them. The simple movement of turning, however, gave them a good look at the corpse that they were eating from. Her shirt was a dark color so the blood didn't look /too/ inconspicuous with it. "It's a shame you can't tell us yours." The woman smiled a little.

Moony looked at the sky and he slowly stepped closer, then pawed at the ground until it was soft and he'd overturned the dirt. He used his long clawed index finger to etch 'Moony' into it.

Shaye blinked. "Moony." She repeated, peeling off the meat that she was eating and brought to her lips. She chewed thoughtfully and looked at the werewolf. "Strange name for you. That's like telling the world that you're a werewolf in a subtle manner."

He shook his head and let out a wheeze that sounded like a chuckle or a laugh. Ryo bounced on her feet, "Is that just your werewolf name? You have a different human one?" Moony didn't actually bark, but it was a deep rumbling woof.
Sirius didn't really.../want/ to get closer, but figured it would be easier. Remus was fine with the scent of blood, he supposed, because he often chewed himself before his friends learned how to transform. So he edged closer slowly, and he lifted his paw up, almost waving at Ryo, before putting his paw back down and doing it again.

"Oh, you wanna shake?" the black haired girl got to her knees and held her hand out. Only, when she did, the black dog kept lifting and putting his paw back down, almost patting her, "Paw?" No bark, but he did grumble a bit, "Patt?" the dog rolled his eyes and licked his muzzle, as if trying to think

"I think he's waving, or maybe he wants you get down to his level so he can bite you." Shaye grinned as she took another bite of meat that was in her hands, snapping her jaws playfully. "You know black dogs are supposed to be rumored to be related to that one animal that roams around graveyards. Incredibly unlucky."

"No, I don't think he wants to bite me, he's trying to tell me his name!" Ryo whined. At that, he barked, "See?!"

Moony wheezed again and the black dog looked at him, seemingly glaring daggers. He just erased what he'd written and put "Pads" instead. The black dog huffed and backed up, prancing over and nipping at his ankle. Moony just whapped him with his tail. The sight made Ryo laugh.

Shaye giggled as she turned back to the corpse. As much as she /hated/ the organs, she was hoping to leave it out so that she wouldn't further disgust the animals. Thankfully there was still some meat and flesh left so she grabbed another piece and ripped it. Thank god for long, manicured nails. Though, she knew a certain someone was going to be pissed when they found out that they were ruined due to blood and flesh. "That's freaking adorable." Shaye grinned. "Pads and Moony. So cute."

"What do you think we should do, Shaye?" Ryo turned to her friend, "There's not much we can do while we can't talk to them, and you're still eating."

"I can stop and we can leave." Shaye mused as she looked over at the two animals. She knew that she probably looked a /lot/ more scary than her friend did. Hell she was covered in blood if her eyes weren't thing that freaked them out. "It's mostly organs now..." She glanced at the corpse...well...what used to be the corpse. "We could bag the heart and I can use it as an emergency stash. I won't need to eat for a good few weeks since this was a full body catch. Three at the max probably. Maybe two...I don't want to go insane."

"Alright, sure," Ryo agreed, "I have a bag in my purse, here," she went over to a tree where she'd put their stuff so it wouldn't get bloodied, retrieving a large ziplock bag, "You can always properly preserve it when you get home," she said as she handed it to Shaye.

Shaye nodded as she took the ziplock bag and went into the chest cavity of the corpse, digging out the heart. Now this took a bit of practice as she didn't want to destroy anything and she knew that it was filled with more blood than the rest of the body combined. She could probably squeeze out most of the "juice" and also preserve it for her friend. Once she got it safely in the ziplock bag she stood up. Her eyes were fading from the black/red combination to a white/black instead...so it looked. "This is our little secret." She said, putting a finger to her lips and smiled at the animals. "You don't tell anyone that we were here and we'll do the same for you. Deal?"

"Oh, Shaye, let's stay with them until the sun comes up," Ryo suggested, "It'd be fun, don't you think? Then we can actually talk to Moony." She turned to the two, her eyes now normal looking. Her eyes were a very vivid blue, like the ocean, "Do you have a place you guys go?"

Sirius barked and looked at Moony, "Should we take them there?"

"I don't see why not. Anywhere other than around the body would be appreciated," Moony agreed.

Sirius hopped around and spun in a circle before bounding off towards the deeper part of the forest, then looked back at the girls, trying to get them to follow.

Shaye smiled and without saying a word, she ran after Pads. She knew that her friend would follow alongside Moony. She would have to tease her about making a new friend. Werewolves usually hated vampires since they invaded on territory. Probably didn't matter since this werewolf didn't seem to have a taste for human yet.

Padfoot liked how fast Shaye was, and as he glanced at her while he weaved through the trees, her eyes were turning back to normal. The black had faded to white, but her eyes were still red. It was so creepy, but in a cool way. Did that make /any/ sense at all? James was going to laugh his arse off and call him insane.

She followed him, weaving through and fro as they wound themselves around the forest towards an abandoned shack that she didn't even know existed. It looked as if it was centuries old. The wood creaked and looked as if it was falling apart. The porch's roof had a deep curve, threatening to suddenly cave in. She feared for what the inside looked, but followed obediently, wincing as her feet made the wood creak. It was dusty as hell and made her sneeze a few times.

Having come here a million times, Sirius padded confidently through the house and up the stairs. He waited for her at the top and then led her to the bedroom where he jumped onto the dusty bed. Shaye had the cutest sneeze. She kind of sounded like a mouse. Soon he heard Moony enter the house and Ryo's voice oo-ing and awe-ing.

Shaye coughed as the dust flew around the bed like a blanket and she gave the dog a look while his eyes innocently looked back at hers. "Is it safe for us to be in here while we wait for dawn? I didn't think you would want us to know about who..." She nodded her head towards the stairs as she could hear Moony coming up. "...he is."

Sirius riffed, wishing he could talk to her, but there was still hours left to go. Usually he and Moony would just wander around or play games, but this was an interesting turn of events. Instead, he clawed at the bed and went closer to the pillows where he curled up. A nap sounded nice, and time would go by quicker. Plus he wouldn't be dead for the day's activities. Dead....he probably shouldn't use that word, after what he saw. Damn was that gruesome. She /still/ looked absolutely horrid, but the run had dried the blood some.

"That's a good idea," Shaye watched Padfoot go up to the pillows and curled up. She walked over to the bed and laid down horizontally on it, towards the end rather than near where the dog was. The farther the way, the safer she was from being bitten or considered a threat. She could hear the door creak open. "Naptime." She said, not knowing if Ryo walked in or if it was Moony or both.

"Dude I don't think he's going to attack you," Ryo laughed, bouncing over and climbing onto the bed as well, ruffling Pads' fur, "You're a good doggie, yes you are!" and he nosed her cheek were there wasn't any blood. She'd wiped off, but there was still smudges.

"You're soaking this up," Moony shook his head, finding a spot on the worn carpet near the dead fireplace to curl up.

"She's cute, so sue me," Sirius snorted.

Shaye didn't respond to the whole "didn't think he was going to attack". She was covered in blood. Ryo was a bit stronger and the werewolf probably already knew that if there was a fight, the whole shack would cave in. Shaye on the other hand was most likely considered the weakest link. Add to the fact that she was covered in blood, from her face to her hands right on to her outfit, and it'd be a no surprise if the dog decided to get a taste of blood regardless. "Best to be careful." She said slowly. "Rather than me waking up to a half of a face missing. I already look scary. I don't need to look like I came out of a Halloween store." She yawned. "But I am tired...and I did eat a lot..."

"A full tummy does make one lethargic. I guess we'll chatter come morning. Night Shaye!" Ryo scooted closer and threw her arm around her friend's waste and snuggled up to her back, ultimately being the big spoon even though there was only an inch difference in their heights, "Night Pads, Moony," she mumbled against the fabric of Shaye's shirt.

~*~

"How the hell did the smell of blood get /worse/?" Sirius' sleepy voice mumbled after he shifted forms now Remus was out of the room, sun streaming through the window. The now-human werewolf was more than likely getting decent. The two girls laying on the bed looked much different, too. The blood had dried on the redhead, but the coppery scent made his head spin. At least Ryo looked cute and innocent. Shaye looked like a child's worst nightmare.

Shaye let out a soft groan. She was starting to come to her senses. She was aware that there was one person here, the other was probably not here. Ryo was covering her like another blanket and made things even /worse/ since she was practically face down and eating dust on the blanket. "Ryoooo." She moaned dramatically. "Ryoooooo."

"Mmnyem?" Ryo mewed and shifted before yawning dramatically and rolled off of Shaye, "Gomen'nesai~" she said as she stretched.

"Is she part cat?" Sirius asked in amusement.

Shaye peeked from over her arms that she was laying down on. Her eyes had changed completely to a dark brown color, like coffee before cream was added to it. "Sometimes I wonder." She replied, though her voice was heavily muffled. "...." She paused and then she shot up, eyes wide....and accidentally managed to slide off the bed due to fast movements, landing hard against the floor.

"Whoa, hey, you okay?" Sirius swung his legs over and got up, hurrying around so he could kneel down and help her back up.

Holy...he was gorgeous. His hair framed around his face, giving the angles more of a reason to stand out. His eyes were just like the dogs but...they held more depth for some reason here. She would bet that his body was good looking too. He looked lean...not overly muscular...."You look delicious."

Sirius froze and he paled, silver eyes turning skeptical and he stepped away, "Um...I'd appreciate it if you didn't eat me."

Shaye stared at him for a moment and then realized what she had said. "Oh bloody hell." She groaned. "I'm so sorry. That wasn't...I didn't mean that. I meant you look good." And why would he accept a compliment? She was now figuring out that she was still covered in blood as she picked herself up from the floor, noting that he had backed away even more. "I don't think this will ease your fears any...but I don't eat the living."

"Oh really? Then what was that body in the forest?" Sirius arched a brow, folding his arms, "It looked fresh."

"Mm...it was already dead...suicide," Ryo yawned deeply again and sat up, rubbing her eyes, "It's wrists were cut."

Shaye nodded her head. "Accidents, suicides, whatever I can get I'll get. Sometimes I rob graves. I always leave the bones though so they're not completely violated."

"What /are/ you?" Sirius furrowed his brows and frowned deeply, "I mean no...disrespect and I don't mean to be cruel, but I have no idea what in the world you are. I have an idea in the back of my head, but I'm not sure..."

Shaye blinked. She was kind of surprised that he would be so respectful. Whether it was out of fear or if he was doing it out of kindness, she didn't know. She wasn't about to press and find out. "I'm a ghoul." She replied as she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Legend says that you'd find me hanging around graveyards much like the black dog that I was talking about. Only I eat corpses." She nodded over to Ryo. "She's a vampire but I think you already had her pegged."

"Actually...no, not really. Her scent isn't pure. I assumed it was because of what you ate," Sirius explained, "Is she a half-breed? Also...I'm that black dog. I'm an animagus. Moony - Remus - went to go change after shifting."

"You can ask me direct questions, too," Ryo shook her head, "I'm half-human, yes."

"Sorry," Sirius moved to run his hand through his hair.

"Don't worry about it," Shaye said lightly as she waved her hand back and forth. "In light terms, she's more human than I am if that makes you more comfortable. She can eat human food and she can drink things besides blood. Blood is just a way to get energy. Food doesn't convert the same way blood does. Think of it as a luxury."

"I can go a week without blood, though that's pushing it bad. I can go up to five and still have a mind of my own," Ryo explained, "I pushed myself once out of curiosity, and my adoptive siblings agreed to it. That was a long time ago."

"You're adopted?" A weaker voice asked, and a taller man came into the room wearing a button up brown shirt and black jeans, "Sorry it took me so long, I wasn't...feeling well." His stomach was still nauseous, but it was better. That much blood was too much to handle.

"You okay?" Sirius hurried over to him, placing a hand on is shoulder.

"Yeah...I'll be alright," Remus smiled reassuringly, "So, what did I miss?"

The black haired man looked at Shaye, "She's a ghoul, but the person was already dead when we found them last night. Suicide. Ryo there is a half-human, half-vampire."

"Hmm...interesting," Remus tilted his head at them, then stepped forward and held his hand out, "Nice to meet you, let me properly introduce myself. My name is Remus Lupin, and the mutt next to me is Sirius Black." He ignored the 'hey!' and continued, "If you two girls don't have another way into town, we could give you a ride."

"Ryoko Minami!" Ryo waved, "Nice to meet you, too, Remus!"

Shaye blinked at the hand that was offered. Normally if someone said that someone was a ghoul, that hand would be snatched away in fear. She looked up at Remus and noted that he looked so tired, and she could smell sickness on him though she was sure that Ryo could smell it a lot better than she could. She held her hand out and clasped his firmly in hers, a business like handshake...a strong resolve. "I'm Shaye Rowan. I'm sorry about the mess last night. Now that I know that the next time we meet and I'm eating, I'll steer clear so you won't get sick again." She paused. "I should probably be steering clear right now regardless. I'm still covered and smell like blood and that's not helping you in the tiniest."

"You didn't answer my offhand question. Do you two need a ride home?" Remus asked, squeezing her hand before letting go, "The air freshener in the car should mask the blood."

Shaye looked at Ryo and gave her the pleading "what do I do" look that Ryo swore up and down that reminded her of a cat longing for the red dot to come back.

The vampire just giggled, "I think it's a kind offer, considering all that's happened. You could just drive us to my home, a country villa not far from here."

Sirius looked at his friend, "Well gee, who does that sound like?"

"Raiden and Eri, as well as Cuilwen," Remus laughed, "We can do that."

"Gives us an excuse to go pester Tiger," Sirius grinned, "Let's go hop in the car, then."

()

Once they had washed up, and Shaye looked less like a horror show, they had escorted each other to the car. It was nice and roomy and the seats were made of leather so it was easy to slip and slide in. The air freshener was a real strong kind. There was a floral and a spice to it at least. Shaye leaned her head against the window. She was kind of glad for tiinted windows. She still had blood on her shirt.

She could hear conversation, but her mind was wandering elsewhere. She watched the forest zoom by her in an everlasting green blur that occasionally had a dirt road or a random house appear on the sidelines. The sky never changing from the light blue and cloudless. She thought about homework that she had to do, the articles that were probably eating away at her inbox. She thought about how unusual it was for a werewolf to not have a pack and roam with a single animal (or animal changer, he called himself an animagus after all). She thought about herself and how she didn't hang around the other ghouls if there were any. Had to be. They were just better at hiding than she was.

She thought about music, she thought about playing the piano and listening to the notes ring in her head. She thought about Remus and how he held his hand out to her and allowed her to shake it even though he was clearly nauseated by her. She felt awful that they had to hitch a ride, but it was better than trying to find a cellular signal and calling one of their friends to pick them up. It was so risky...especially since this was early in the morning and not late at night. She was falling asleep to the mulling of her mind when she felt Ryoko pinch her in the side. "Ow!" She glared over at the vampire without much heat. "I'm going to get a bruise from that. A large, yellow and black one."

"Quit whining, you big baby. We're almost there anyway," Ryo laughed softly and pointed. They were turning down the driveway, "Masa and Hana are going to be glad to see us, we weren't supposed to be out all night. They were probably worried."

Shaye yawned and picked herself from the window and stuck her tongue out. "Hana adores you. Just give her a smile and a hug and everything's settled. Now, I'm probably going to get shot most likely."

"Why would you get shot?" Sirius glanced back at her as he pulled to a stop and he saw a small woman with short black hair run out the door, a man with long hair dyed purple following her at a casual walk.

"Hana knows archery." Shaye shrugged. "Also, you guys are strangers, you know that we're inhuman....and that's cause for concern. At least, in her head."

"Considering I'm inhuman, too, I think things will be okay," Remus assured and he opened the door to his side, stepping out and Sirius did the same after turning off the car.

They opened the doors for them to step out, and Ryoko walked around to catch Hana as she ran to her for a hug, "So sorry for worrying you! We ran into some unexpected company, since it was the full moon and all.

"That'd be me," Remus held his hand up.

Hana hugged her sister tightly. "We were really worried!" Her voice had an Asian dialect to it. Considering her name, it was easy to narrow that it was Japanese. "We thought about contacting the police, but that wouldn't work." She pulled away and looked at Remus. "I'm so sorry." She bowed. "My name is Minami Hanako. Thank you for bringing them home and for not eating them."

Masanori snorted as he came up from behind them. He was definitely less frazzled and seemed to be in better spirits. "You can breathe. It's not like they're going to disappear any time soon." He assured Hana who nodded her head. He turned to Remus and Sirius. "We should be thanking you for not contacting the Hunters on them to be specific."

"I was more worried about her eating me," Sirius waved his hands towards Shaye, "She said I looked delicious."

"Did she really?" Remus laughed a bit, "I wouldn't want the Hunters on my arse, considering I'm a werewolf and my friend is an animagus. We have a spot we frequent every month in the forest, and I guess someone committed suicide in the area and they were gorging on free food."

"It was the slip of the tongue." Shaye blushed as she looked away. "I meant a different thing and you know it."

"That's why you're supposed to have some amount of tact." Masanori pointed out to Shaye. "That's something you lack."

"Oh fuck off." Shaye glared at Masanori, but her words didn't have any bite to it. "Do you not /see/ him?"

Masanori raised an eyebrow, but looked over at Sirius. While he did look nice, he didn't see the "delicious" factor that Shaye managed to weasel in. "Must be an American thing."

"Oh for the love of-" Shaye tossed her hands up.

"She is getting more and more British. I caught her with an accent just another day." Hana teased lightly before gasping. "Oh, would you like to come inside? You're probably starving. I can make breakfast for you so you don't go home with no food."

"That's alright, we just wanted to bring home the girls. Oh! We didn't even introduce ourselves, how rude of us," Remus shook is head, "I'm Remus Lupin."

"I'm Sirius Black. We have friends who are going to want to know how things went last night anyway. One of them's also an animagus - a buck to my black dog," Sirius explained.

"This is Hanako and Masanori!" Ryo replied for her siblings.

"Hanako and Ryoko. How cute," Remus smiled softly, "Pleasure."

Hanako smiled brightly. "It is nice to meet you too. I won't keep you from your friends." She assured them. "Thank you again for bringing them home. You're more than welcome to come back any time."

"It is nice to see someone new." Masanori agreed with a bright smile. "I hope to see you again or around sometime."

"Without the blood and gore." Shaye added hopefully as she started her walk towards the door, turning on her heel so that she could start walking backwards. "Maybe next time I won't creep you out so badly."

"You'll scare him even worse I'll bet." Masanori teased.

"You're awful, Masa-chan." Shaye pouted. "But I was being honest."

"Wait, before you leave how about I get your number? We could hit the pub sometime or something," Sirius offered, holding his hand up while the other fished through his pocket.

"What a way to pick up a woman, when she's blood-soaked and after you've seen her put away a couple organs. I didn't know you had such morbid kinks, Padfoot," Remus grinned.

Sirius whirled around and punched him in the shoulder, "Bugger off!"

Shaye's cheeks burned as Hana and Masanori both laughed hysterically. "O-okay." She said, her cheeks turning red as she stopped in her tracks and walked back towards him. She was kind of...surprised. Really surprised. Remus shaking her hand was one thing, but...Sirius actually wanting to see her again and talk to her? That was...fantastic.

Sirius' face wasn't red, but his ears were burning and his eyes were shifting shyly as he booted up his phone to add a contact. They traded phones, and once done he smiled sweetly, "After you eat you're fine for a while, right? So...it shouldn't be a problem."

Shaye nodded. "Yeah." She said a little breathlessly, like she couldn't believe what was happening. This was so surreal....and it made her incredibly giddy. "I'll be good for a few weeks." She assured him. "So you don't have to...um...worry about me."

Masanori leaned in close to Ryoko and murmured, "She will go up stairs and start screaming into her pillow after this I will bet you."

"Ten euros," Ryo whispered back, turning around to shake his hand on it. She'd probably lose, but it was a good bet.

~*~

James was kind of glad that he was holding baby Harry in his lap as he listened to Sirius and Remus talk about their adventures during the night as they ate some breakfast that Lily whipped up for them so that they wouldn't starve. Just hearing this...it was both disappointing that he wasn't there and at the same time, he was kind of glad that he hadn't been. "I knew you were insane, Pads." James said as he bounced little Harry on his knee, making the baby coo and giggle at the motion. "But giving a blood-soaked ghoul your number has to be one of the craziest things I have ever heard. Besides the mad idea that we could probably test and see how fast we could summon our broomsticks if we jumped the Astronomy Tower."

"Pffft, that was a wicked rush and you know it," Sirius laughed, "Ryo was great, though. Really hyper and kept the tension low. I think that's why I didn't freak out so bad. I mean, if we have a werewolf for a best friend, how bad could a vampire be? They got feelings like you and I do," he motioned between himself and James. Remus was in bed, Lily taking care of him since he felt so sick. He hoped he'd be okay. "Like I said, Ryo wasn't nearly as messy as Shaye was. I'm sure she's not that bad now she's fed."

"Well, a vampire's not all that bad." James pointed out. "But you're forgetting that Shaye's a ghoul. They're a different breed." Harry happily wiggled his arms a bit as James leaned back, bringing Harry close to him. The little one didn't know how to crawl or walk yet, so he was stuck in his arms unless Sirius decided to take him hostage. Which was more than likely. "Though a half-blooded vampire is way different too. I don't think I ever knew that was possible actually. I should've paid attention during the Dark Creature lectures in Defense." He laughed a little.

"We can always brush up on the knowledge you know. That lesson was years ago anyway," Sirius shrugged, "Why shouldn't she be any different from Moony, though, Prongs? I remember...what was it...Masa...nori? said something about 'must be an American thing' or something like that. She might've moved here to have a better life."

James nodded his head. He could see that. Why in a place where there were more Hunters was beyond him, but he could see where she'd want a better...a new life for herself. Being a ghoul...being someone that could murder others wasn't an easy thing. "I just want you to be careful. You're a lot more reckless than I am. Regardless, my head is /still/ spinning that you saw her eat and you /still/ gave her your number."

"I know, I know," Sirius laughed weakly, "It still makes my stomach twist but we've dealt with pretty nasty stuff for Potions. I'll get over it eventually. I'll just have to ask her to warn me so I don't cross her next time...funny that I'm talking about a next time, I know. I think it would be interesting to get to know her. If you don't, that's fine. I might call her later ask if she wants to have a drink with me this evening at the pub."

"Absolutely insane." James was grinning now, shaking his head from side to side. "Alright, I'll bite. I'll see if I can push Harry on to Lily for the evening or so, unless you want to take her out to a pub for a little one on one, then let me know some other time."

"Um, no, I don't want to do one-on-one just yet, so I'd enjoy you coming with," Sirius assured and he reached for Harry, snatching the little one-month old up and held him in the air before e snuggled him, nuzzling his cheek, "You're so cute, yes you are."

James laughed as Harry pressed his hand against Sirius' face and let out a squeal and stared happily into Sirius' face. "Then I'll come." He promised Sirius. Harry let out a loud squeal when Sirius started tickling his sides. "Just don't go stealing my newborn out of the window and into your motorbike."

"I'll do what I please," Sirius stuck his tongue out, ten laughed and nuzzled Harry's nose with his, "Yeah, I get ya mate. Thanks."

~*~

Could ghouls even /have/ alcohol? Had he made a horrible decision? Fuck, shit, crap...he hoped everything would be okay. At least James was here, and Sam the bartender was nice, as was Nix the manager and Candy the DJ. Fiery Wave was full of nice workers and a good atmosphere, and he hoped Shaye was okay with it.

"You're acting like a dog waiting for his owner." James snickered as he swished the drink that Sam had made them. They had chosen the table close towards where the bar was so that Sam didn't have to worry about walking too far since his cocktail waiter/waitress/whoever wasn't there yet. It wasn't crowded yet, but it was going to hit rush hour soon. "Calm down, she'll be here soon. She said she knew where it was." He pointed out to him.

"I'm not worried about her showing up, I'm worried she won't be able to, ya know, enjoy anything. I don't know if she can have alcohol let alone human stuff," Sirius explained.

Oooh that made sense. James nodded his understanding and thought about what he could say. It was possible that this was a bad idea, going to a bar, but...at the same time he doubted that too. Before he had a chance to say anything, he noticed that there were two people approaching them. One had his hair tied in a long ponytail that was braided to keep the hair off of his face, and it was a vivid dark purple as well. He wore a black pants and a deep red shirt that reminded James of their House Colors back in the day. The girl next to him had her hair up in braided pigtails and a floral white blouse with sakura blossoms all over the print and a nice colored purple skirt. She also wore a purple and pink rose flower crown. "So this is where you're hiding." The redhead beamed.

James stared. A flower crown girl was a /ghoul/. There had to be a prank in somewhere.

"Shaye! Love your outfit!" Sirius' eyes lit up and he stood, "Masa, right? Hi," he grinned and flourished a hand towards James, "This is my best friend, James. He needed a night out away from the baby so I took pity on him," he felt bad a little, because she was all dressed up like this was a date and he'd brought his friend. He hoped she wasn't too disappointed.

"Hello." Shaye's cheeks reddened and James noticed immediately that she was probably a little surprised that he had brought a friend. Not disappointed, but...surprised. She probably had thought it was going to be Remus. "It's nice to meet you." She smiled brightly. "Sorry that I took forever getting here, he wanted to hitch a ride with me so that meant waiting around." She jabbed her thumb towards him.

'It's nice to meet you as well." Masanori nodded his head at James. "I hope you don't mind the pardon, but I should clock in and start getting ready. I'll grab your drink, Shaye. Unless Sam beats me to it."

"Thanks!" Shaye blushed and then turned back towards Sirius. "You still look fantastic." She told him as she approached the empty chair to sit in it. "You can probably wear a sheet and still look good in it."

James burst out laughing, covering his mouth as he heard that. If only she /knew/ some of things that happened when Sirius was half asleep. "Looks like I was a little worried for nothing. She's right up your ally, Pads." He winked at her, "Sorry if I'm intruding on a date or something."

"Well thank you for your generous opinion," Sirius kicked him playfully under the table, then looked at Shaye, "He knows what you are, he wouldn't have left us alone otherwise. I think he imagined some weird thing like a zombie from the movies."

"Well..." Shaye didn't look put out that her secret was spread. In fact she looked a little amused that James probably did think that. James watched as she adjusted her flower crown. "If I'm a zombie I think we'd have big issues. Like the fact that everyone's here is living."

James grinned a little, "Sirius did say that once you ate you'll be good for a few days at the most, I don't think zombies work that way now that I think about it. That being said though, I'll admit I don't know much about them. Ghouls didn't really come up in our classes. So we're a bit rusty."

"Not a conversation to have here, but at least tell us - can you have human food and drinks?" Sirius inquired, "I had a belated thought that you couldn't drink with us and enjoy yourself."

Shaye was spared from answering as Sam came around the bar and placed down a deep red drink next to her. His hair was a lighter shade of red than hers and was a lot spiker and short. He looked lean and muscular, like someone that could probably take down five guys without breaking a sweat. A gentle guy James would always say. "She can have this." He said in way of greeting. "Masa got caught up talking to someone at the bar. It's been a while, guys." He smiled at Sirius and James. "How's little Harry?"

"Adorable as always." James grinned. "How are you Sam? Besides being abandoned by your co-worker?"

"I can live and manage." Sam laughed. "So he's not a terror yet. Wait till he starts crawling. He'll be everywhere and you'll be here more often."

"I seriously doubt that, pun intended." James grinned.

"Sam and Matt babysit their niece, Harley, so I think he knows," Sirius laughed, "Take any advice he gives ya, mate. It might save ya later." He looked around to try and find the purple haired guy, "I thought I'd recognized Masa when I saw him this morning but couldn't put my finger on it. I met his adopted sister Ryo and his other sister, Hana, too."

"You did only meet him just once and I don't think you were close enough to get a scent signature." Shaye pointed out to Sirius. "Didn't help either that I was close by and still smelled of blood. How's Remus doing anyway?"

"Remus is a bit ill, but Lily is taking care of him. He should be alright tomorrow. I'll give you a text or something to let you know, how 'bout it?" he assured and shook his head to get his hair out of his face, then looked at Sam, "Glad you know Shaye, I would've been at a loss for what to get her."

"Not a problem. Whenever you're here and waiting for her to show up, just tell one of us at the bar. We'll know what to make." Sam assured Sirius. "I'll leave you guys for a little bit. I gotta make my rounds."

"I'd appreciate the text." Shaye nodded, relaxing a little now that she knew that he was going to be okay. She still felt bad for making him so sick. "But...uh...in response to your way earlier question before Sam miraculously showed up...I can't really eat anything and my drinks are pretty limited to at least four."

"Alright, what can you drink then? Please don't tell us what this is, by the way," Sirius poked her drink, "I'd be happy to be assured no eyeballs will pop up like some freaky All Hallow's Eve drink." At least that was good to know, he would make sure if he did decided to take her out by themselves, no restaurants.

"Don't worry." Shaye assured. "There's no body parts floating around in my drinks. I can drink coffee, earl grey tea, and I can drink water. That's it besides this." She looked a little apologetic.

"That is a limit." James noted, feeling a little sorry for her. At the same time, he knew that she didn't need his pity at all. She lived with this all of her life, so there wasn't a need. She probably felt bad, regardless, that she was trying to fit in among two humans who didn't know a damn thing about Ghouls. He resolved to see if he could find any books on them or internet searches that weren't stupid, and toss them Sirius' way while the mutt probably would do his own research.

"If you can drink earl grey, then why not other teas? Have you tried?" Sirius tilted his head, "It's mostly just flavored water, as long as it's not loose leaf."

"I don't know why." She clicked her tongue. "I've tried green teas and white teas, but it seems I'm steered more towards the black ones. The only one I know of is Earl Grey....I'm more of a coffee fan so I don't explore much. Many ghouls can't even drink water or tea for that matter honestly. So maybe it has something to do with that."

"Yep. My lack of accent probably gave me away." Shaye laughed. "I'm a Georgia peach by heart. Though I moved there to Florida when was younger but then I moved back. So I'm kind of a Florida alligator, too."

"An alligator peach." James snorted. "Now that would be a sight."

"American terms, I won't even try," Sirius laughed a bit and sipped his whiskey, "What else can you tell us about yourself that's educational?" he grinned, "I was much more of a...hands-on person in class anyway. Read books only because I was bored sometimes and to get away from my mother in a sense."

Shaye raised an eyebrow at the mother comment, but didn't dare push it as James was already drinking and she could tell he was ready to interfere should the conversation go down south. "I don't know what you'd consider educational. Ghoul wise, past wise, why am I here in England wise, or is it more of a "how much will she spill when she's drunk" challenge?" She brought the glass to her lips to drink as she said the last part, her eyes twinkling in mirth.

"I chose E, all of the above?" The black haired man licked his lips and shifted in his seat to get more comfortable, "Whatever you feel like tellin' us, honestly."

Shaye did /not/ miss how he licked his lips and her cheeks bloomed a little red. James was highly entertained at his friend's attempts for flirting. She rubbed her lips together and leaned in a little to the table. "Hmm. If I tell you something will you answer my questions if I come up with any?" She smiled a little at him. "I'd like to get to know you hands-on since I doubt they have books written on you. Which is a shame."

Well that had to be a boosted ego. James snickered. He would have to keep this in mind when teasing Sirius.

It did cause him to sit up straighter and lean back in, "There might not be a book written on me, but I'm an open one. Hit me with whatever you got, Shaye. I'm more than willing to answer."

/Remus needed to be here.../ James thought with high amusement. Not even caring that he was currently third-wheeling. He was curious too.

"Okay..." Shaye pointed at James. "How long have you known him and how did you guys become so close?"

"Oh, well /that's/ a whole other story in itself," Sirius laughed, "Seriously, a book about our pasts is just what we need. Give Harry something to laugh at when he's older and in school. I've known James, Remus, and Lily since we were eleven, we were all in the same year together."

"The many stories we could tell you about our adventures," James grinned. "We were in the same House at our school, but we were really friends on the train when we were talking about Houses. Sirius was bitching out because he didn't want to be a Snake. A Slythern."

"What's wrong with snakes? Slythern?" Shaye asked, blinking in surprise.

"It's one of the four houses at Hogwarts, the School of..." Sirius lowered his voice, "Witchcraft and Wizardry here in England. There's similar schools around the world, one in France, Bulgaria, that sort of thing. Sam went to the one in Germany from what he's told us, and so did his little brother Trevor who's a constable around town."

"Oh...we had one in America too. We were called the Salem Witches Institute." Shaye nodded her head. "I don't have any magical abilities, but I know the school name. I guess it's because I'm a Dark Being...Creature? I don't know. Either way, we know about them and they know about us."

"Defense Against the Dark Arts was our class, DADA for short. It was fun. Remus wants to be a teacher in that class," Sirius smiled and nodded. He raked his eyes over her again and hummed, "You cleaned up nicely, by the way. No one would know you thoroughly enjoyed your meal last night."

Shaye's eyebrow went up and James wanted to groan into his glass. What a compliment to give. "You sound like you're jealous that you /weren't/ the one eaten." She purred, her eyes half-lidded themselves. "But thanks for thinking that I look good. I'm glad. I think I drove Ryoko and Matt nuts trying to talk to them into telling me what to wear over the phone."

"You didn't have to dress all fancy for a bar if you didn't want to," Sirius smiled, "Just wear whatever you want from now on, unless it's some blue-collar event or something, it's no big deal." He reached out and touched her braided pigtail, "I did enjoy your hair down, too. Did Ryo braid it?"

"She did." Shaye's breath was caught as he had leaned over the table to get a good look at her hair. The way his fingers caressed made her breath stop and her cheeks redden. She would probably burst a vein or an artery by the time the night was out. James looked at his drink and noticed that it was empty. As to not disturb the two of them, he left to get a refill from Sam or Masanori, whoever got to him first.

When James left, Sirius pulled back and he shifted a bit, "I'm sorry if I disappointed you by bringing him with me...I hadn't intended this to be a date and then you got yourself all prettied up." He gave voice to his earlier thoughts, and hoped it was better than letting things fester.

Shaye blinked and then she quickly waved her hands hoping to derail this conversation quickly. "No, no. Don't go thinking like that. Even Ryoko was trying to tell me not to get overly dressed. I just wanted to make a better impression than I did when we first met." She put her hands down and smiled at him warmly. "Don't worry, I knew this wasn't a date. I just....overthink things I guess."

"Okay," Sirius relaxed, "That's good. You succeeded, too, in your goal. Even James was surprised. I'm sure Remus would've also been impressed." He shook his head and took another sip of his alcohol, "So...another topic. What do you do for a living?"

"Well, I'm going to college and finishing up my English Major. I help edit the college newspapers and I'm an assistant editor for the Daily Prophet." Shaye beamed happily at this. "Normal jobs, probably boring, but I do love reading. I'm kind of hoping to get into a publishing industry or get further with the newspaper if able. What about you?"

"James and I are Aurors along with another friend of ours, Raiden Arashi. Not sure if you've heard of him or his wife, Eri Arashi who opened up a diner downtown, the White Tigress," Sirius shrugged, "I have yet to ask Raiden if he's heard of the Minami family."

"I'll have to ask Hana the same...for the Arashi family that is." Shaye mused. "Aurors huh? That's a pretty high job and probably difficult to get into. I know I read a piece about a review on the White Tigress. One hell of a cook from what I know about it."

"Eri loves cooking, was even the only person allowed to use the kitchens on a daily basis at school and she's used to cooking for a large group full of mainly boys," he explained, "We have a glutton for a friend, his name is Marcus. He is an Auror too, but he recently got engaged to a human so he's looking to quit and get a normal job. Marcus used his family connections and stuff to recommend Eri and get her her diner. We owe him a lot.""

"That's romantic." Shaye gushed. "I wish them the best of luck really. Wow." She smiled warmly. "He's a nice man to be able to help out Eri with her diner and stuff. He must've really wanted her cooking to be so well-known."

"It was more like it was Eri's dream, so he just helped her along, when in all honesty he kind of wanted to keep her talents to himself," Sirius snickered, "Eri's catering his wedding."

"Of course she is," Shaye grinned. "If he's buying her the diner, he's damn well going to get the food too." She shook her head and hummed. She never thought of marriage...of being engaged. She thought of her school, of keeping quiet, of staying hidden and in the shadows. While Sirius did say this wasn't a date, she couldn't help but to hope. To hope that one day it would be...with someone. With him maybe. He saw her at her worst, and still liked her. He was creeped out still, he wasn't comfortable that she was a ghoul, she knew that....but at the same time there were going to be things that she'd find uncomfortable about him until they knew each other better. Wouldn't that be nice? To be comfortable...to be in love? "Though if he's going to get a regular job, I wonder if he'd bored. Being an Auror is pretty exciting isn't it? At least, from what I read from what our reporters give, it sounds like they give you some dangerous missions from time to time."

"Yeah it's exciting, and adventurous, but not for everyone. I mean, James and I love it, and James and Lily have had some pretty...fun times, if you catch my drift, off the adrenaline, since she's one too but she of course is on maternity leave. Forgot to mention that, sorry," Sirius shrugged, "Marcus doesn't really care for it. He's more of a mellow guy who'd prefer to lay back and chill out at a desk, eating a muffin Eri made or something."

"I understand. I don't think I could handle all that much excitement either." Shaye shook her head. "I'll have to meet these friends of yours sometime. I mean, I like James so far." She looked over to see that he and Sam were discussing something and were smiling too. Probably wrapped up in a conversation about HarleyQuinn or...her eyes wandered down the bar to see Masanori chatting someone up. Masanori? Trying to flirt? Oh dear. She took another sip of her drink and turned towards Sirius again. "Okay, fun question: if you could do anything without consequence, what would you do?"

"That is kind of a loaded question...hmm..." Sirius pressed his lips together as he thought about it. "Um...well, consequences are what make things interesting. I mean, I have an enchanted motorbike. I'm kind of a bad boy, the idea of breaking rules and doing stuff for fun has always interested me. Did it all the time at school, and here I am, an Auror and a damn good one at that if I do say so myself. I think if there was one thing I could do and not care about if I get my arse handed to me, would probably..." he suddenly looked down at his glass, feeling his throat tighten up, "It'd probably be talk to my baby brother, Regulas, and get him out of the clutches of my mother. He's an adult now, sure, but she still controls every facet of his life. He's lucky if he can sneak a letter to me for the holidays."

Out all of the reckless things she could have possibly heard....she couldn't help but to feel touched about this one. "Your family has a thing for star names don't they?" She asked gently. She had half of the mind to reach out, to give him something to hold on to. A friendly touch, a sweet smile, something that would chase away the demons she suddenly brought forth into his mind. "What's your brother like?" The mother comment, she thought about asking him about her, but...she couldn't. She couldn't bring herself to ask him about that. He was already so sad that his brother was still in that household...she couldn't ask him why.

"Regs...has always been a considerate person. Before I ever went to school and caused the rift in my family to turn into a gorge, he'd give me gifts," Sirius smiled sadly, "Even after he found out what House I was in, before he understood Slytherins and Gryffindors hate each other, he got me a lovely calligraphy set with a glass pen that had red and gold shimmering and spiraling on the handle, and gold metallic ink that looks red if you turn it just right. I haven't used it, but when I ran away from home at sixteen it was one of the few personal belongings I grabbed. I'll be honest, I expected him to never forgive me for leaving him behind, but I couldn't stay there anymore."

He jerked his head up and bit his lip. Grabbing his glass he slugged it, "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't be spilling all of this to you right off the bat. We're supposed to be having fun. Once you finish your drink, would you like to dance? Candy, the DJ, plays good music."

Shaye smiled brightly as she also drowned her drink and then held her hand for him to take. "Candy's always has the best music. Come on, let's see the moves that you can bust."
~
Masanori, meanwhile was watching as Sam and James got into their own deep discussion. He was a little surprised when Shaye said that she had someone that was waiting for her here, and was equally impressed to know that it was the man that brought her home alongside his friend.

Anyone else would've just hightailed it out of there. Maybe there was a luck god. He poured a half-n-half vodka/sprite drink and handed it to the man that had sat down not too long after James approached. He was...kind of cute. His eyes had to be the best feature along with his nose. It defined his face, but the man looked...a little spaced out. "You okay?" He asked, gently bringing him out of his thoughts. "Bartenders are usually good listeners so if you want to vent about something I'm here for you."

"That's...alright. I'm sure you have other things to do," the man gave him a lopsided smile that didn't reach his pale, mint green eyes at all. He looked kind of like a kicked puppy. He took his drink and drank half the mug in one shot. Too loud. This place was too loud tonight. He had thought he had wanted to people watch, but watching the drop-dead gorgeous black haired man flirt with the pretty redhead changed his mind. He'd finish this drink, and went through his second one a little slower, but he had to get out of here.

At least the man taking care of his order tonight was good looking, and his voice sounded soothing. It kept him from wanting to storm out right away. This guy was probably taken or straight though, so he didn't even bother. Matt wasn't here tonight...and he was somewhat thankful for it. She would've been too bubbly for his current sour mood, and Nix was probably in the back doing whatever a manager does. Chugging the rest of his mug, he motioned for the purple-haired beauty to give him another. "What color is your hair naturally?"

Masanori smiled warmly at him as he fingered the braided ponytail. "It's usually black." He said as he put away the empty glass that the man had drank from. Always give a new glass with the drink. It was just easier rather than taking it and refilling. He turned away for only a moment to put the empty glass in the back bucket so that the diswashers could wash it and came back to him. "Matt helps me bleach my hair so I can do this color. I used to dye it green, but my twin was furious with me and Matt couldn't stop laughing every time I said hello to her."

He eyed the man for a moment longer. "I don't have anything better to do. You seem like an interesting person, at least...I think you're interesting so far." He wanted that hurt look to leave his face. "What's your name? I'm Masanori."

"Masanori," he said it slowly, trying to pronounce it correctly and hummed when it sounded fairly similar to how it was said, "Japanese? That's cool." He watched him for a while, but still didn't tell him what was on his mind, "You should let it be black for a while. Dying it too much can ruin your hair. Unless...you don't like that it's black?"

Masanori smiled a little, "I take good care of my hair to make sure to repair whatever damage that I do cause it." He assured as he reached and touched his hair again. It felt soft and it didn't feel like it was made of hay or anything. Matt was super careful about what products he should use so that he didn't have to worry about it. "It's not that I don't like it black...it's just I'm surrounded by people that are so significant in their own ways, I want to stand out too in some fashion. Even if it's small like this." He put his hand down. "I'm sorry if my English is horrible. I've been learning it since I lived in Japan, but...my accent gives me away." He smiled sheepishly. "But I didn't catch your name still. If you don't want to tell me, that's fine. I understand. People come here to not be reminded about what's going on outdoors."

"No, no...I just was preoccupied by our conversation I didn't realize you asked," he bit is lip a little, "Your accent's fine, it's your features and your name, really..." he shifted in his seat, "Mike...you can just call me Mike. People don't usually say my actual name right, anyway."

Observing Masa closely, Mike's expression turned into one of contemplation. Looking around, he saw Candy at his booth, and on the other side he saw Sam joking with a customer. Candy's trademark was his ever permanent sucker or some sort of sweet crammed in his cheek. Sam's hair was wild and reminded anyone of fire. Matt was bubbly and quite girly, who was a stylist for a living and always the matchmaker. Nix was the tall, dark, and mysterious dude who didn't smile much. "You're new to the group...but I think if your hair was all-natural I could pick you out of a crowd just fine. It's how you carry yourself and how you act that makes you stand out...you must be what...six-feet tall, too? I'm only 5ft 10."

"Mike," Masanori repeated, smiling a little and then laughing at his statement. "Yes. Well. This is a good group of people. You'd be correct on the height. My sister's around 5'7. For a while though we were the same height and I did have people mistake me for her and visa versa. Another reason for the hair job." He paused, uncertain of what to say, of what to do. He liked him so far, liked the way that he held a conversation. But he was at a loss as well. Nervous. He didn't want to fuck things up.

"Here's the money for the two drinks," Mike fished out a ten and a five from his pocket. He had made it to halfway down his second drink, but he was taking it much slower now, "Keep whatever's left over as a tip. Nice bartenders like you don't get enough tips," the smile this time was brighter, and his eyes sparkled just a little bit. He did feel better, and was glad he hadn't bolted right away.

The music wore down because Candy needed breaks, too, and Mike felt his stomach flip and turn sour when Nix came from his hole and greeted the blond as he hopped down from the platform. Candy tugged the black-haired man down and kissed him on the cheek. To some, it might not seem like much, but the smile faded immediately from Mike's face and pain filled his eyes. Looking down at his drink, he felt like it was just typical for him to pick himself back up only to come crashing down again. The rest of his drink disappeared in one foul swoop, and he slid off of the barstool. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Mike walked - almost ran - out of the club.

"Wait." Masanori tried to call to him but he was halfway through the club. He went around the table, pocketing the money and did his best to try and follow him, but when he got to the door and looked outside....he couldn't find him at all. His shoulders dropped. What could have had upset him so much to make him want to leave? He didn't think it was something he said, but...he patted the money that he had pocketed and sighed. Better go and ring up the two drinks to get his tip...and hope he could see him again.

Sam watched him come back, weaving through the tables to get to the register. "What was that about?"

"Beats me." Masanori shrugged, helplessly. "Just when I thought things were going good too."

()

The sun beat down on him as he stared up at the sky. The park bench was cold even though he’d been sitting in it for a while. He should have a kink in his neck from his position, but he didn’t feel it nor did he care.

Wasn’t this the part where there was supposed to be rain pelting down on him? With a gloomy sky to match his gloomy mood?

But no…no, instead, the sky was as bright as ever, white fluffy clouds showing no signs of rain. The people walking by were also chipper. It was a complete contrast and he /hated it/. It'd been that way at the bar, too. At least Masa had taken his mind off of it...briefly.

Why…did this happen to him? People complain about the ‘nice guy’ being taken or gay. Well…he couldn’t help he was gay, damn it. In his case, everyone he’d met was taken or straight or just…not interested in /him/. He couldn't say Masanori was...not really. He had said he was because he was just doing his job to make sure customers were happy.

He was a simple guy, easy to please, but there was only so much he could handle. The last month, give or take, he’d lost track, he’d holed away in his apartment. Until last night he hadn’t been to the bar…drowning himself seemed too easy and too cliche. He had hoped he would be able to dance, get some groove on, but it had been the opposite. Today instead he decided to go out to simply watch the river like he used to do every day…but the more he’d watched the water, the more he’d wanted to cry.

He just…wanted someone to love him. Someone to dote on him, or at least someone /he/ could dote on. Yet…he just kept getting pushed away. He would never pursue a lost cause, so he refused to push for a relationship if the other party wasn’t willing. He knew when to give up, when it wouldn’t work and he’d just end up hurt.

At the same time…that was why he sat here alone, wasn’t it? Because he wouldn’t push. He’d just say he was fine when he was torn up inside. What else could he say? Because if he said he wasn’t fine, then…he’d have to explain everything, and then that’d just make the person feel sorry for him, which he didn’t want. That was why he'd avoided the subject last night. He didn’t want a pity relationship. He just wanted to talk to someone, to go about normal daily life and be happy with that someone.

Sighing, Mike stood up and went to look over the railing again down at the water. The reflection staring back at him was the worst. He looked just as awful as he felt.

Masanori was jogging down the park's walkway, listening to an app that was supposed to help encourage running by imitating a zombie-flled apocalypse. While he wasn't a big fan of zombies, the story telling that the app had was really inspiring to get running and move /fast/. It was a pretty clever thing and it was something to listen to rather than a podcast or an audiobook.

He slowed his run to a jog when the "danger" was at a pass when he saw someone up ahead that looked familiar. He reached over his arm to press the pause button on his ipod and took out his headphones as he approached. He recognized the man. "Mike?" He asked, stopping in his tracks, breathing hard. This wasn't how he would've liked to meet him again. He was sweating, his hair was tied up in a messy ponytail that looked like a horse's mane now, and his tanktop was soaked through at the collar. "I thought it was you." He grinned breathlessly when he looked up. "You ran out of the bar so fast, I got worried. Were you okay? Did the crowd bother you at all?"

"M-Masa!" Mike stared at the man in shock. He moved away from the bridge and rubbed at his eyes...not that it would to anything to hide the bags under his eyes, "U-Um..y-yeah, I'm..." his throat choked up and he looked down, remembering the thought he just had about saying he was fine when he wasn't. Should he lie? He didn't want to... "I guess...you could say it did."