genessia | [Video/Action] A Day of Work

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[Video/Action] A Day of Work

[He can't make money if he doesn't play, and he can't get known if people don't know he can. He's in profile, his fingers tapping a beat on the base of his sitar as he got set up. He counts it off in his head, raises his hand and begins to play.

If there's one thing in any world Demyx knows, it's his sitar. His fingers move masterfully over the strings, the melody fairly upbeat. It isn't a song that anyone would know, probably, but just something off the cuff, off the top of his head.

His movements are subtle, his foot tapping to keep himself in time. The sound of his sitar was melodic and perfectly pitched, he had taken care of tuning it. The instrument itself is immaculate. The corners of his lips pull back a little as he smiles, a lot more genuine than perhaps he usually has.

If he has any part of a heart, it's in his music.]

Thank you. [He addresses soft applause from onlookers.] Tips are appreciated, but it's up to you.

[He flashes a grin and begins again. Anyone who wants to keep tuned into him is in for a treat of a great deal of sitar music. After all, he has to back up his claims that he has some talent!]

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[She had seen the video and figured out where he was playing from the background, just as she had found him before. This time however, Larxene decided to sit on the floor nearby, listening to the music. If anything, that didn't make her feel so out of her element as it was something familiar.

She stayed quiet as she listened until he took a short break.]

So this is your source of income for now?

[She leaned her head against the wall behind her.]

I still haven't gotten a call back for that job. Maybe I should apply for something else. Or I'm just too impatient. How's life being a bum treating you?

[Well, as long as her greeting wasn't going to include electrified foudre being thrown at him, he could handle it. Since it was a break, he set his sitar down and leaned it against the low wall he was sitting on.]

Yeah, for what it's worth. It pays okay, I don't really spend much money on anything.

[He snorted softly. Larxene? Patient?]

You're being impatient. [He shrugged a little.] But, do what you want.

[She would anyway, it wasn't like she needed his permission.]

You could stop putting it like that, and it's fine. Not a whole lot of things happening here, it's a little...weird.

[Her phone when off and she looked at it.]

Speak of the devil.

I guess I'm already getting a call. I'll leave you to being a street beggar, then.

[She grinned, she didn't call him a bum this time, and got up to take the call and walk off, waving behind her.]

I'll be back later. You can show me where you sleep so I can yell at you some more. That should be fun.

I'm not a street beggar!

[He calls after her with a shake of his head, honestly. Demyx wouldn't be surprised if she did come back, because well, what else would she do? He doesn't really mind. He just keeps playing with a small smile.

Complain as much as she likes, he is being tipped if nothing else.]

[ Shinjiro was making a habit of wandering around the city in the evening, getting a feel for the place. That's all he basically did for the first couple of days.

You could tell a lot about a place by its city, its people, its dark alleyways, and the people its city ignored. Plus, he had thought if Suppressants were available at all, it'd best be known where the shady places were.

He stopped when he saw the young-looking sitar player. He hadn't heard anything like it before. The kid had talent. This was pretty good.

But even if it wasn't good, if sounded like strangling a cat, Shinjiro still would have walked over, trying to be inconspicuous in the crowd, to drop a few bills in. Busking people were usually hungry people. And he didn't wish that on anyone. ]

[It had been a rather productive day by Demyx's standards, even if all he did was play sitar all day. He'd taken short breaks here and there and made a small amount of money, so it technically served its purpose.

More people than he expected had come to listen, even if they didn't tip him, that was still pretty nice. He appreciated music and he thought that it would be nice if everyone else did too. It didn't hurt that he knew what he was doing.

The crowd was a little thinner around that time, than it had been at its pique, but when Shinjiro approached, he was greeted with a smile and a nod of his head, fingers moving quickly through a complex part of the song he was playing.]

[ Part of Shinjiro's brain was yelling at him, saying he didn't know if he'd ever get a job, that he didn't know how much the drugs were going to cost (if he was even going to find them), that he didn't have much to spare. But that part was ruthlessly squashed, hard, with the force and swiftness of Castor.

Then, he figured, he'd listen in for a while. He'd been walking for a long time, after all. And, while this wasn't like Tartarus at all ... frankly, doing basic stuff tired him more and more these days. Shinjiro wasn't going to analyze that right now, either.

He leaned up against a wall nearby, out of the fray of the crowd, and ... closed his eyes for a bit. Not napping, just resting his eyes. ]

[Demyx played for a little while longer. As the sun went down and it started getting dark, the crowd dissipated, and he finished his last song. He scooped up his tips and stuffed them into the pocket of his coat.

He had noticed Shinjiro hadn't left, and seemed to be napping against the wall. It was a compliment, really, at least he thought so that someone wanted to listen to him. His boots were always heavier than he'd like as he approached and he crouched down in front of him.]

Hey. [He sounded cheerful, and if Shinjiro looked at him, he was grinning.]

[ ... Damn it, he had actually fallen asleep. Damn it. With the great music, as energetic as it was, it had been easy to nap.

He woke up rather quickly at the sound of approaching boots, to his credit, though his only giveaway was a quick intake of breath. It wouldn't do for someone to think he wasn't just lounging there, if someone mistook him for an easy mark.

For a moment, under the fringe of his hair, he unknowingly glared at the musician. Then, he realized what he was doing, and toned it down a notch.]

Hey.

... Nice concert.

[Glaring wasn't enough to scare Demyx off. Most people he'd known before glared at him all the time.

His smile didn't change.]

Thanks! [The feedback is nice and makes him feel a flicker of something he couldn't identify.]

Glad you liked it. Didn't mean to put you to sleep though. [He chuckled softly.]

Tch. I was just restin. [ Looks down and to the side, feeling a little embarrassed and trying not to show it. That means he's just scowling more, though.

Mutters ] Music like that, gonna make people dance or somethin, not fall asleep.

Hey, I'm not judging, I'm a huge fan of resting. [He grins, he really is.]

That sounds good. I was in a pretty good mood and I usually just play whatever is coming to mind. So when I'm having a good time, you get happy music...or well, some kind of attempt at it.

[He grins and offers his gloved hand.]

I'm Demyx.

Yeah. Well. It shows. [ This kid was a bit like a puppy, he thinks. He was annoyed that he wasn't annoyed by the cheerfulness. Probably made the guy seem younger than he was, Shinjiro guesses.

Considers, then reaches out for that handshake. His grip is firm, and through the gloves Demyx can't tell how chilled he seems to be, despite keeping his hands in his pockets. ]

... Shinjiro.

I'm gonna take that as a compliment!

[People do seem to think of him as a kid and much younger than his age far too often, he hasn't convinced anyone at all that he is, in fact, not a kid.

He feels the chill, but has nothing to offer for it, not really.]

Shinjiro, cool. I like people that like music. [Low standards, probably.]

Your hand is cold. [Is he not supposed to point that out? Forgive him, sometimes social cues aren't his strong point.] Oh, I know, we could get you a hot drink. I did just make some tips! What about hot chocolate? Do you like that?

[Somehow, the idea of giving Demyx sugar seems dubious at best.]

[ Handshakes aren't often A Thing where Shinjiro comes from, which was part of the reason why he hesitated. But he didn't want to actively be a dick, and now he regrets that. He glared a little when Demyx commented on it, but didn't offer any sort of explanation. ]

Nah, I don't need anyth-

[ His stomach growls, audibly. While his appetite had been finicky over the last year, it had been a while since lunch. Shinjiro sighed. ]

I could eat. Sure.

Edited 2017-08-30 15:19 (UTC)

[Well there's nothing quite like a Nobody's level of tact.]

Oh, okay, is food better? Got it.

[He taps his head, yep, mental note. When people are cold, try food.]

What kind of food do you want? Do you have a favourite?

[He's a bit on the curious side.]

Uh.

[ "Food is better"? For what? Demyx was just beginning to come off as a little strange, but Shinjiro brushed it off. So far he was seeing all sorts of strange people in Genessia.

He shrugs. You could tell a lot about a guy based on what he chose to eat. Plus, if this guy was playing for tips, anything he chose wouldn't be outside of his budget. Probably. ]

Wherever you'd like. I ain't picky.

Me neither. [He admits and stands up properly, holding out his hand to the guy to offer him a pull up.]

I like trying things though, that's something. I've had pizza slices before. Do you like that?

[Pizza is warm, and that might help warm up his new friend Shinjiro.]

There's all kinds of different places to eat here, we didn't have any in my world.

Whatever. Sounds fine.

[ Not a bad choice. Meat and vegetables, all in one cheap small slice. He could do that.

Shinjiro straightens, refusing the hand up, but prepared to follow Demyx. Curious, he asks,] What sorta stuff are you used to?

Edited 2017-08-30 15:54 (UTC)

It's not too far! [He quips cheerfully and stops by the wall to touch his sitar, and in the next moment, it's gone. Vanished.]

To eat? Not much. In general, I'm used to visiting all kinds of different worlds. That's pretty amazing, and fun.

[It's not weird, is it?]

I did steal some candy from Santa once. He's kind of an ass.

Different worlds? Gettin randomly taken is normal for you?

[ Shinjiro was a little startled by the sitar vanishing, but didn't show it much. Didn't say anything. Maybe it was magic? That, by itself, wasn't strange to him. Just surprising.

Not as surprising as that last part, though. This time, he definitely looked surprised, even incredulous.

Flatly: ] You stole candy. From Santa.

I don't usually get taken, I go on purpose.

[Yes, magic, Demyx has his own magic that might be impressive to people who aren't familiar.

That tone. He knows that tone. He raises his hands by his chest.]

In my defense he was being a jerk! He wouldn't bring me any presents!

So you could just. Leave here whenever you want?

[ Magic as a concept was far from unfamiliar to him. He just hadn't seen it outside of Persona-users. But he was trying to take this world in stride.

... The best that he could, anyway. He groaned, and put a hand to his head. ] Isn't he supposed to only give presents to good kids or somethin?

[ What was his life, talking about Santa like he was real. ]

Well, not from here. For whatever reason we're stuck here.

[Oh Santa is real. He lives in Christmas Town.]

Hey, are you saying I was bad? [Somehow he manages to sound indignant about that, even after he confessed to theft.]

Well, I hadn't really done anything bad yet, I was a lot younger. [He holds his hand mid-chest] It was one of my first missions. He said he didn't give presents to monsters.

So I stole some candy. He deserved it.

[Best story ever.]

Hm. [ Not much more to say to that.

Holds up a hand, calm: ] I'm not judgin or nothin.

[ Missions?

Quiet, thoughtful ] ... Why did he call ya a monster?

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