2436/People Like That

People Like That
Date of Scene:	30 January 2017
Location:	Uminari City - Juuban Avenue - South
Synopsis:	Alexis interrupts someone stalking Miku. Miku takes him out to eat. This is pretty much the definition of things Alexis does not know how to deal with. (Content warning: violence.)
Cast of Characters:	Alexis Raskoph, Miku Kohinata

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Alexis Raskoph has posed:
The schoolbell has rang to permit everyone their free time from Verone Academy a long time ago-- it's not from classes that people are now leaving, but from their respective after-school clubs. Those that have a club other than Going Home Club, anyway. So it is only now, truly, that the bustle of students moving through the streets has gone on to full fruition, be it of students who don't live at the dorms making their way to their homes or those who just aim to go spend time in the town.

Mixing into the crowds of students and other pedestrians, there are always some who don't have the greatest intentions. It happens so that there's a man weaving through the people, slowly-- and stalking one of the female students. Biding his time, waiting for that moment she walks into a bit less populated block, past any convenient alley.

There's someone stalking this man, too-- not bound by the streets, themselves. Taking silently to rooftops, a figure who's face has been concealed by hoodie and scarf both watches, follows. Alex.

This is not purely vigilanteism, however. The truth is that he is simply looking for someone to *feed* from.

If he happens to knock out some mugger or pervert or whatever brand of evidence of humankind's faults happens to be showing itself today, is just a bonus.

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku has no clue she's being stalked. For the past several days, the young musician has been utterly preoccupied--and for once it's not with Hibiki. No, Miku's thoughts have been preoccupied by a little leather journal she found while cleaning out the music room: a song journal she's been slowly recording her own music in.

Walking on her way to Flower, Miku has the journal open in front of her. She's busy reading over the one song in the book that isn't hers; the one at the beginning. Humming it to herself, she takes a turn down the alleyway to the next street over, oblivious to the man following her, and to the teen following him.

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
The man follows Miku into the alleyway-- and there, where the echo of footsteps can be heard more clearly, he makes a point of matching the pace of his steps with her. It doesn't fully hide the noise, but it does make it harder to notice. This one's been practiced at the art of stalking people, apparently.

What does become audible, however, is the telltale sharp sound of switchblade getting extended right behind her. WEther or not she recognizes the sound as such, it's unmistakably *there* still, dangerously close.

But the other stalker turns out to be close too. Enough so that by the time that she turns to look behind her, a hand has been set onto the shoulder of the stalker to pull him around. And for that matter to introduce his face to the knuckles of another hand.

It's hard punch, one that causes a sharp *crack* to echo through the alley from the breaking bones in the man's nose, followed immediately after by the heavy *thud* of him falling onto the curb. Still conscious, but jostled and barely managing to scramble along the ground for a split second before Alex drops a knee down upon his back, one hand grabbing down at the back of his neck to press his face into the ground and other wrapping over the man's arm to pull it up and lock it into place.

"You should get out of here," growls Alex, then, from underneath the hoodie-- very purposefully not looking towards Miku, so that she doesn't see his face at least fully from past the garment. Not that he's really realized this is someone he already saw once before.

Miku Kohinata has posed:
The sound of the switchblade opening manages to pierce through Miku's humming. "Eh?" she asks, turning around curiously--just in time to see a fist go flying past her face and into the face of her would-be-assailant.

"EH!?"

Miku stumbles backwards, loses her footing, and winds up sprawled on the ground, a tangle of limbs and leather bag and book. The book she clutches up to her chest, and in wide-eyed fascination she watches the very brief fight take place.

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
The would-be-stalker writhes beneath Alex, his free hand desperately trying to scramble by his side to blindly look for the dropped switchblade.

And Alex, he lets out a "Tch" of irritation, and tightens the grip of his fingers around the man's neck to lift his head upwards from the ground.

There's the quietest thing whispered, barely audible. "Leeren." And it comes just in time with the man suddenly *screaming* in what is either pain or horror, and wriggling underneath the teenager with even more desperation to get away... for all of one second before Alex's hand slams his head back into the curb hard and then lets go again, seemingly knocking him out. Not that Miku could tell necessarily that he'd already passed out before his head even made contact with the pavement.

With a heavy breath let out, the german boy lifts himself up again, from his knee and the stalker, onto his feet-- rolling his shoulders around in a stretch of a motion while the energy gained from the brief drain courses through him.

"You okay?" He asks then, since he realizes that Miku is still there-- but still without actually looking.

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"A...Alex-san?" Miku asks, because she has more bravery than brains, sometimes. Hibiki must be rubbing off on her. Scrabbling to her feet, Miku hoists her bookbag up to her shoulder. "Did you just ..." she looks down at the man on the ground, then flushes a little. "What did you do to him?"

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"He'll be fine," mutters Alex, only then really turning his head to the side enough that he can peer from underneath the hood at the girl with one green eye. "Mostly fine." He nudges the toes of his boot at the man's side, once. "He'll sleep for a while. But he'll be fine."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"That's not what I asked!" Miku replies, pushing past Alex to kneel down next to the poor man. "What did you do to him?" she asks again as she puts a finger to the man's neck, checking his pulse. She looks relieved when she finds one, then turns to glare at Alex. "What the heck?! I thought you were a hero! Why did you attack him?" Clearly oblivious.

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"I do wonder," says Alex, taking one step over to the side and nudging the knife on the ground with his boot so that it goes just a bit towards Miku. "What do you think he was going to do with this? Pretty sure he didn't know I was here before he pulled it out." He looks down at the man briefly, then, and rolls one shoulder around while his hands make their ways to his pockets. "He'll just. Sleep for a while. Probably feel like shit for the rest of the day."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Of course Alex's motion draws Miku's attention to the knife. That's right, she did hear that, and her eyes widen a little at the realisation.

"Oh," she mumbles quietly, then flushes in discomfort. "Ah. Oh. I guess ... thank you," she mumbles, as she stands back up. She stares down at the body again for a moment, then turns to bow before Alex. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean ... I just thought you'd ..." she trails off, then grimaces. "I'm sorry."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"Huh?" He tips his head to the side and frowns faintly at Miku. "What are you saying sorry for?" He asks, letting out another grunt while he starts turning away from the girl. "It's not as if anything I do is pleasant anyway." Is... is he just planning to walk away? After all that?

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Wha..?" Miku asks, confused. She steps forward out of her bow to walk next to him, keeping pace without difficulty, "For assuming that you ..." she trails off, then glances back at the man on the ground. She motions towards him and looks back to Alex. "You know. That. Are we just going to leave him there?"

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"He'll wake up on his own," Alex insists with a grunt, only giving the brifest peek sidelong to her. His expression isn't exactly changing much, but somehow, one could probably still get hte sense that he seems vaguely surprised she's even walking along with him. "You really going to worry that much about someone who was. Going to try to mug you or. Do something worse?"

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku spares the would-be something-worser one last look before putting him firmly behind her. "Two reasons," Miku explains simply as she walks along beside Alex. "First," she says, "he's not the noise. Maybe he stabs me. Maybe he kills me. But I can at least touch him and not be turned instantly to ash. I can survive creeps like him," she notes.

"Second ..." she trails off, then shrugs a little. "He's probably like that because no one did care for him. Someone's got to do it."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"You are a lot more forgiving than I am," mutters Alex with a scoff. "If I had to break his bones I would think about calling an ambulance. He'll be fine." Bones other than his nose then, one would assume.

He's a little edgy now, too. He isn't entirely sure if Miku has placed him as having gone to the same school as her yet, but he's not particularly inclined to wait around long enough to see. He did *not* expect to have her walk with him, though.

"If you did get stabbed," he says then, in spite of that. "I would consider that. A failure on my part. So there."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Well, and that's why you're the hero-type," Miku replies quietly, shrugging a little as she walks along beside him. "Though I admit I'd probably consider it a failure on my part if I got stabbed, too. Really, I should be more attentive than that."

A shake of her head and Miku banishes that line of thought. What was so distracting, anyways? "So can I buy you something to eat? I was heading to Flower ... it's the best okonomiyaki in the ward."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"'Hero'," Alex repeats the word after Miku, and he falls quiet for a moment. Does he seem... rueful? It's not that easy to tell with how small the changes in his expression are at any given time, but it seems to hint towards that at the very least. "I wouldn't call me that."

The sudden offer for food catches him off-guard enough to blink at her in surprise. He opens his mouth, and... closes it again right after. He probably really shouldn't be telling her that he doesn't get hungry at all, should he? But he probably shouldn't hang out with her too much either, if he doesn't want to risk--

"... Sure."

... Or he can just do that then.

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku almost looks surprised that he accepted, but she's not arguing. Grabbing Alex by the arm, she steers him away from their current course and onto one that veers only slightly back the way they came before trekking down a different street. It's only a block before they're to a small okonomiyaki shop with a pink stylized flower painted on the sign.

"Here we are," Miku says as she heads inside ahead of Alex. "Sobo-san," she calls as she enters. "Hello!"

The old lady behind the counter perks up with a smile as Miku comes into the shop. That smile turns to bewilderment--but no less pleasure--when Alex follows her in. "Hello, Miku-chan. But this is not your usual friend. Who is this?"

"Alex-san," Miku introduces him as she heads to a seat at the counter. "He's a friend. Alex-san, this Sobo-san will make you the best okonomiyaki you've ever had."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
Alex is probably just as surprised at himself, let's be honest here. Not that it shows that much on his face still-- but it *does* when he's taken by the arm to be physically lead along. He doesn't complain, though. Nor does he try to push her away.

He just kind of looks exasperated.

So thus he's brought into the shop. He... still hasn't drawn his hood back, either, but he's still recognizable enough as someone who isn't a native, if nothing else. And with the introductions, he just says, "... Hello."

Friggin' foreigners.

He peeks downwards to Miku, then, and admits, "I have never. Had any."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Welcome to Flower, Alex-san," says the woman behind the counter, still smiling fondly. Clearly she trusts Miku's judgement, despite Alex's outward appearances. "Okonomiyaki is a pancake," she offers to him, "loaded with whatever it is you want." She motions up to the menu which is chok full of vegetables, meats, and cheeses to put in a pancake.

"I'll just have the usual," Miku orders for herself as she leans down to pull the music notebook back out and set it on the counter.

"Ah, but then your friend cannot know what it is that is good," the lady reminds Miku encouragingly.

Miku rolls her eyes, but she's grinning as she says, "Cabbage, beef sausage, and veggies in curry sauce."

The book down on the table, Miku begins humming prettily to herself once again as she reads through the first few pages.

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
The outward appearances are probably not helped much at all by the fact that none of the smiles are returned in any modicum by Alex. He just keeps up this neutral stare. But he does blink when the dish is explained to him. So that's... something?

"...I'll just do beef and curry," he declares, eventually, before he goes sliding over to join Miku at the table, settling to sit opposite from her.

And even there he falls quiet for a while. Arms folded over the table's edge, he just studies Miku, with the occasional blink. Eventually, he does break the silence to ask, "You study. Music?"

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Of course, dear," replies the old lady behind the counter, as she turns to the griddle and begins cooking.

Miku hums along, not noticing Alex's silence until he breaks it. Then, she stops humming very suddenly with a quiet, "Hm?"

She looks up at him, then shrugs, "Yes, that's right. I'm studying at the Lydian school. You were in the athletics program, weren't you?"

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"...Nhr." That particular question? That causes Alex to reach one hand up, and tug at his hood, as if trying to retroactively hide his face just a bit further. As if somehow that would magically take away the fact that she's already seen his face plenty.

"...I don't know what you are talking about."

This would probably be much easier to lie about if it was anyone *other* than him.

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Look, you're not going to get in any trouble with me over it," Miku replies with a faint shrug. "I assume you had a reason for doing what you did. But I understand why you're hiding from the school, now. I won't tell them," she promises.

Just then, their plates are delivered, and Miku offers the most grateful smile to the old lady before picking up her chopsticks. "Itadakimas," she says, as she digs in.

Two bites in and she looks to Alex again, "Hibiki misses class a lot, too. I think being a hero must be one of the hardest things to do. Especially because so few of us who have no powers can know. People freak out, or make assumptions, want to run tests, or just straight up disbelieve. It's hard. I'm sorry for that."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"...My reputation. Precedes me, huh?" Alex sighs out quietly from underneath the hood, allowing his hand to leave the edge of it so that it's released back upwards b the time his hand returns to the top of the table.

He falls silent for the duration that the owner is bringing their plates-- and while he doesn't repeat Miku's culturally-appropriate words, he does nod his head slightly and murmurs "Arigatou" instead. Foreigners.

"It's not just school," he says then, once they have a modicum of privacy again, and he takes his own chopsticks-- though he doesn't actually reach to take any of the food yet. "That I'm hiding from." He looks at her. "Not everyone who has powers. Is a hero, you know."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku's expression thins a little at that response. She eats quietly for several moments, not speaking her mind on the topic.

It borders on rude, how long she goes without responding, but she takes that long anyways. Heavy words deserve heavy consideration.

"I know."

The eventual words that come are soft-spoken, but not lacking in confidence.

"I know that there are evil people, who would see others harmed," Miku replies. "People who allow the power to corrupt them; who allow themselves to abuse what they've been given. That's why people like Hibiki--like you--are important."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"You are... Giving me a bit too much credit," Alex says with a grunt and a shake of his head. "You don't really know me. Not enough to know if I'm. 'People like that'."

He still hasn't bothered even tasting at his food-- he's just been absently poking at it with the chopsticks.

"Sometimes. The power itself is. Bad."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Actually," Miku replies, "I do know you well enough. I watched how concerned you were for little Kinomoto-chan. She was asking me for help, and you swooped in like her personal caretaker to ensure she was safe and well cared for. Jerks don't do that," Miku points out to him. "Even if the power itself may be bad, you're attempting to use it for good. That means you're not 'people like that.'"

Beat.

"You should try the okonomiyaki. It's really good."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"Bet the rumor mill at school would like to disagree," Alex notes with a quiet scoff. "Not that that matters now."

He pokes the food around his chopsticks again, briefly. "That might change. You know. For all anyone knows. That's the kind of power I have. It's hard to know what it will do to me."

The prompt to bring him to eat the okonomiyaki brings a brief surprised look on his face, like somehow he might not have expected her to notice that... he's not eating. "...Right. Just. Not that hungry." Saying that, he still brings a piece up to shove into his mouth.

Chew. Chew. Chew.

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"The rumour mill at school has mostly forgotten about you," Miku observes to Alexis honestly. "I mean, it was a huge buzz back when it happened, but I don't know if you've noticed: teenagers are full of drama and stupidity. The rumourmill is only sustained by the constant ingestion of new crap."

Miku rolls her eyes at this assertion, then leans down to continue eating her own okonomiyaki. "Anyways, being a hero isn't about what you're forced to do, it's about what you choose to do. If this 'power' of yours takes that choice away, you're no less a hero; you just become a tragedy, as well."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"That they do..." Alex allows with a shrug after he's swallowed a bit of the Okonomiyaki. It's... really not easy to tell what he thinks of the dish, even after he's actually tasted it. There's no perceptible reaction to it.

"...I was going to say that it's complicated," he goes on, after her, in a quiet murmur. "But when you put it like that, it... really is not."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku's shrug of indifference speaks volumes to her feelings on whether it's 'complicated'. "Just do your best to choose the best choice you can, whenever you can," she suggests to him. "If you do that, then you're a hero, through and through. "And when you can't make that choice anymore--when you've lost all agency--then it's time for someone else to be the hero and help you."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"Well..." Now, it is not quite as hard anymore to figure out what's going on internally with Alex. Mostly because he looks vaguely uncomfortable, now, fidgeting slightly on his seat and turning his head to scan over the immediate surroundings of the two-- more or less seeing if there's anyone in hearing distance.

"...I already have to hurt people because of my power," he says then, in a quiet murmur that's intended to be heard only by Miku.

"I'm a vampire."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku looks up at his explanation, leaning in a little to let him be conspiratorial. She listens, and definitely looks surprised at his admission. Leaning back, she makes little fangs with her fingers, then asks, "Dracula? You drink blood?"

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"... No," says Alex, in deadpan, with a slow blink of his eyes sent at the girl. At least he looks *bemused* at her gesture rather than maintaining the completely neutral expression.

"I don't sparkle either. For the record."

Was... that a joke?

"I... drain energy. Life energy. If I don't, I... feel less human. Less in control. Even when I feed, I can't really... feel 'good' emotions, properly, not since I turned. I don't so much feel 'happy' as I feel 'content', and so on. The worse stuff... that comes easier. A lot easier if I don't feed."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku tilts her head and puts her hands back down. She considers the information, then notes, "You know, with enough glitter I bet you'd sparkle." She smirks at him amusdly, then goes back to her okonimiyaki. It's almost gone.

"So how often do you have to ah ... drain energy?" she asks curiously. "What's it like to be drained?--actually I guess you wouldn't know that one. Is that what you did to the guy who wanted to attack me?"

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
Alex's brow twitches.

"You are not putting glitter on me." He... does not seem at all happy about that idea, no.

The subject going back to his need to feed brings him to avert his gaze from her, however. "Twice every day, to be safe," he explains. "Could do less, but... It gets risky to starve myself. For the reasons I said already." A brief pause, while he considers her second and third questions. "If I was more experienced with it, it... would just feel exhausting. Right now, it... hurts the person I'm doing it to, too. Like that guy. With the knife."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Mmm," Miku replies quietly, frowning just a little. "Sucks," she says, then smirks at her own joke just faintly. Pushing her empty plate aside, Miku pulls her journal close again and starts to study it curiously. After a few moments, she asks, "Were you interested in music, before this happened?"

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
The joke earns a blank stare from Alex. He doesn't look amused.

"There's people looking for... a way to fix me, at least," he explains then. "Would mean giving up all the other powers, but. Would not have to worry about me going into a frenzy, anymore. Or needing to hurt people just to... exist." His head lowers downwards with those words-- only for it to be raised up again when she breaks her own silence, asking about music.

"... Not the same way as you, I think," he offers, after a few bemused blinks. "I. At least used to like listening to it. But I never had the... talent. For playing or singing, myself."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Mmm, Hibiki was the same, once," Miku says with a smile. "She would listen to music, but she didn't really care about being a musician until I invited her to a Zwei Wing concert a few years ago. I think she's had her heart set on being an idol ever since." She sighs alittle, eyes distant as she considers that. "Anyways," she mumbles, "I should give you my phone number. I've got a lot of contacts who can help with things like you're going through in an emergency."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
"...You trying to persuade me into picking up a flute or something?" Alex asks, with a slow sideward tilt of his head that might seem nearly canine-like in the way he does it. His head does straighten again while she speaks of Hibiki, but he doesn't say anything about that-- though he does consider her, some.

The offer of a phone number seems to come as a surprise, however. "...What kind of help?" He asks. "Unless they have packets of. Like. Pure energy..."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
Miku pulls another pad of paper out of her bag and sets it down, then sketches her number on it quickly. She tears the paper out and slides it across, then notes, "Yes, like packets of pure energy. Or more specifically, people who can create it seemingly at random. I'm not guaranteeing I can help, I'm just saying I'll try if you call me."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
Taking the piece of paper, Alex eyes the number in it briefly before he folds it up and shoves it down into a pocket of his hoodie, and turns his gaze to regarding Miku again. "...I'll keep that in mind, at least."

Miku Kohinata has posed:
"Mmm," Miku replies, nodding her head faintly. She picks up her journal and notepad and puts both back in her bag, then offers Alex a smile. "Thank you," she says again. "For saving me. I need to get back to do my homework. I hope I'll see you later."

Alexis Raskoph has posed:
The smile isn't returned, but... considering everything, that's probably to be expected, really. Maybe if he actually could bring himself to, he would. "... Maybe," is all he can promise to her words, however, and once she's turned away, he peers down at the food still left on his platter.

He really should at least try to bring himself to want to eat, huh?