sugarcube | psl || let's not fall in love

[The An family controls their lands lovingly - their involvement in the affairs of the city are minimal. Joon-gi, the head of the family, is known for his patience and biding his time. Like still water, none know what lurks beneath his calm surface, but there is no greater testament to the family's strength than the simple fact that they haven't faced opposition in generations.

Sometimes it just takes a few missing city officials and nosy police chiefs to get the job done.

-- but of course, nothing could stay that simple for long. Joon-gi's daughter, Lili, was known for creating a stir. Despite his reassurances that his daughter is "beautiful and well-mannered", only one of those would ever prove to be true as she went out of her way to seek out trouble. Some scuffle at the edge of town? Somehow she'd always manage to sneak out and find her way there, no one realizing until they found her, face dirtied and gaze cold as ice, behind a garbage can later.

The obvious answer was a bodyguard. The less obvious answer was a bodyguard who would also pose as her boyfriend, which is what Lili's loudly declaring her opposition to as she slams open the door to her father's office where she was summoned to meet the boy (as he would inevitably be some skinny, pale-faced boy that her father picked out).]

I'm here, Father. Is this about your absurd idea that I'm to need not only a bodyguard but a-- [A blink. Two blinks. She looks around the room and very nearly stomps her foot.] He's not here?!

[-- Lili's father that is. No, after he briefed Atsushi on the matter he was quick to excuse himself out on some Errands. Realizing that she's been duped, Lili's gaze falls on Atsushi as she puts her hands on her hips, unimpressed.]

And who are you?

[Charming.]

[ Atsushi is well out of his depth.

It isn't because he's taken on a position he's not entirely comfortable with— no, that's not the long and short of it. His superior, Osamu Dazai, is infamous for his unorthodox methods and his general scorn for convention, so his decision to assign Atsushi to a case that's unheard of isn't exactly new.

Atsushi still remembers it clearly, the pat to his back and the cheerful smile cast over his shoulder.

"We're trying to find out if the An family is going to pose any real threat to the balance of the city.

—By the way, Atsushi-kun! You're around the daughter's age, aren't you?"

What Atsushi is uncomfortable with is the concept of lying. It isn't one of his stronger suits, and he certainly hasn't been trained for espionage or undercover jobs; he's far too sincere for that, and so he treads nervously over expensive carpeting as he waits for the daughter of the prestigious mafia family to show up, rehearsing his lines over and over in his head.

Be normal. Act normal. Find out how they do business. Report back to Dazai-san.

He's caught up in his own self-reassurances when Lili bursts into the room, and Atsushi visibly jumps when he hears the door slam— but he recovers himself a moment later, enough to smooth the front of his newly-bought suit and give the girl a deep bow. ]

I... I'm the one that's been assigned to you. [ Good, that came out 'right'. Deep breaths. She's every bit the girl they told him she would be: to the point, fiery. ] My name is Atsushi. Atsushi Nakajima.

[ That's where it should have ended, but almost as a reflex, he adds: ] —I really hope we can get along. [ FUCKUP NUMBER 1 ALREADY. ]

You do?

[A question that isn't really a question. Lili's eyes go over him once, evaluating and calculating, one of her first thoughts being 'If I really wanted to, could I slip away from this guy?' After all, he didn't look that much - he was neither some absurd, useless pretty boy nor some gorilla-like brute....

She doesn't bow in return, instead taking the steps left to cross the distance between them - and one extra step to be the first to invade his personal space, uncaring as she does so.

This is how her father's thugs do their intimidation techniques, don't they? She's watched it happen enough times that she thinks she does a pretty fair emulation.

(It does not occur to her that her father's thugs are upwards of 6 feet whereas she's 5'2". Hm.)]

Of course you do, there's really no downside to this for you, is there? [Hanging out with a cute girl like herself (please don't think so highly of yourself, Lili) and probably getting a good paycheck to do so....] That's pretty despicable in and of itself, don't you think?

[He didn't even answer....]

[ Lili is a modest 5'2", Atsushi a similarly modest 5'7", but somehow he's the one to turn his shoulders back first; not in any sort of reverence (as would be expected from a 'mafia boy' with his feet planted firmly on the bottom rung of that high-reaching ladder), but in slight intimidation. ]

Eh? D, despicable?! Well, it's not exactly all good... The usual job hazards apply here too, right?

[ God, why is he asking her? This is bound to be overstepping, or worse: impolite. He's gotten so accustomed to a workplace in which complaining is encouraged as long as your hands are moving, so the rigidity of his position here with the An family is taking some getting used to.

He tries to rephrase, fingers furling and unfurling idly at his sides. ]

That's to say— I'm prepared for any danger that we might face. [ Atsushi, the point is to make sure that Lili doesn't get into trouble. Why is he encouraging this?? ] I'm definitely taking this job very seriously!

[ This wasn't even remotely what Lili was chastising him about, but shh. ]

[Usual job hazards....

For a moment, she actually looks thoughtful. Could she... use this to her benefit, actually? When she looks up at him again, her gaze softens a fraction - crossing the short gap from judgmental to thoughtful. It would appear that the gears in her head are whirring again.... which is probably worrisome in and of itself.]

Any danger?

[Even when Lili feels like running off on her own? Does that mean that he won't get in her way? Maybe she can convince him to follow her orders before her father's.....

This could work.]

Then you swear yourself to me?

[Well that's forward.]

[ His frame of reference for jobs like these is pitifully narrow at best: all he knows is that he should keep an eye on Lili, keep her safe while doing reconnaissance. His loyalties aren't much of an issue given that he hardly knows her father, not enough to give him any sense of obligation to the elusive head of this massive organization.

So his reply is immediate. It's almost as if he doesn't question himself at all. ]

Ah, well... I answer to you. So, yes.

[ And maybe it's misplaced here, but he even looks a bit bashful. Maybe this is just standard mafia talk, but it does sound so forward...! When in Rome, though, right.

(It's a little strange to think that someone so scrawny and unassuming could ever pose as a bodyguard, but there are things about Atsushi that aren't strictly normal.) ]

Outwardly I'll have to be casual with you, because... of the cover story. It can't be helped, but I'm sorry...?

[ His laugh is a little dry, as if he's not already being way too casual to the daughter of a man who owns a majority of this city. ]

Is that your attempt to excuse yourself for being casual thus far?

[Don't mind her if she gently calls him out on it -- or well, not that gently at all, really. There are things about Lili that can be considered soft but apparently this doesn't extend to interacting with someone who's supposed to pose as her boyfriend (which still makes her nose wrinkle a little bit).

Rather, she's just going to flip her hair over her shoulder then with a sigh. Her handmaids have come to address her casually over the years though, so she doesn't mind it particularly. Even if she's still not... entirely used to it. Which inspires her warning:]

Just be mindful of yourself when others of the family are around. Otherwise you'll earn some contempt of your own, you know.

[She's considered the precious daughter of the family whether she likes it or not.

And maybe, just maybe, this will be her attempt to look out for him.]

You really don't fit in here, which is probably why you got the job in the first place.

I... don't deny that, at all. I'm definitely an unlikely choice.

[ This is fine, this is good— he actually appreciates how candid she is about the whole thing, that she'll call him out on his foibles if he ever displays any of them. Which he already has, and she doesn't seem to have been too terribly offended by, to his luck.

Lili flips her hair over her shoulders, and Atsushi becomes more mindful of his: he tries to smooth down his bangs, make himself look at least a bit more presentable. ]

You'll have to teach me which ones are the soup spoons and the salad forks, aha... I really am hopeless at those kinds of things. [ Attempting to keep it light!! Which, again, might be insubordination in some people's eyes, but this is the only way Atsushi knows how to conduct himself. ] But I promise I'm useful in other ways— I know this city like the back of my hand, for one.

Telling me you're hopeless..... You really don't have any idea who you're talking to, do you?

[But he's honest... and she doesn't dislike that. She'd rather that he be honest about such things than boast and then later prove himself to be incompetent. That would somehow manage to be even more annoying than the slight irritation she feels now.

So instead she's shaking her head.] Very well, I will do so then.

[But that'll be saved for later as she takes a moment to pause and consider his last statement. Then, rather forcefully:]

Do you care to prove that?

[Show her every nook and cranny.... At least this seems to be the moment that earns her actual interest in the situation, some contempt leaving her gaze as curiosity settles in instead.]

[ Atsushi hasn't forgotten his main objective, of course: to keep an eye on the proceedings of the Family he's infiltrated. But he also happens to be one of those painfully honest, painfully susceptible people who is easily affected by the people around him, which means that Lili's question is met with an earnesty that belongs nowhere in a profession that has everything to do with deception.

(Dazai knew this about Atsushi: the best spy is someone who can even deceive themselves.) ]

—Prove myself? Ah, of course— where do you want me to take you?

[ His expression brightens, weight rolled up to the balls of his feet. Like a dog who's been promised for a walk, someone eager to do what's been asked of him.

She wants to sneak out?

Unwittingly, Atsushi is her guy to ask. ]

[Well. At least he's eager.

Her shoulders relax a little bit, the gears of her mind already turning at the possibilities. Where does she want him to take her? A dangerous bar, probably. Some place where the shady deals happen so she can get a better idea of the climate of the family feuds. Or maybe they can just scope sketchy alleyways? Ah, but maybe it's too bright outside for those things.

What do criminals do during the day anyway?

Besides, that would attract too much attention too early - there's no doubt in her mind that they're still going to be followed for at least a week to make sure that Lili isn't taking advantage of her poor sap of a bodyguard.

Which she's already trying to do.]

.... Your favorite spot in the city.

[There.

Something benign, but hopefully it'll be someplace interesting. Maybe as the sun sets they can go somewhere more interesting.]

[ He was expecting something dangerous, actually, and he would have known all of those spots— the harbor, the warehouse district, the meeting places under the bridges. But the resulting answer is so benign, so shockingly normal, that he harbors a false sense of security in his situation.

After all— it's the boss's daughter and her so-called boyfriend. No one would be so bold as to come for them this early on in the game, right? ]

Ah... I can think of one. It's not so far from here...

[ And while he's certain that he shouldn't be, he's a bit happy that he's going to be able to share this right off the bat: there's no harm in this kind of thing, he hopes. He doesn't have to lie to her to fulfill his mission— if he's observant while protecting her, he'll be killing two birds with one stone.

So. After a moment of hesitation, Atsushi offers a hand, because... well. That's the sort of thing you do for someone who's high up in the social ladder, isn't it? ]

[Apparently he's taking the bait as well.

Lili almost feels bad, considering how pleased he looks with her answer. Well... she supposes it's not that she'd really be opposed to knowing more about him - they'll have to get along for this to really work, after all. As long as it's not boring or useless, then this is perfectly fine.

At the extended hand though, she almost sighs. Almost. Instead, she moves to take a step closer and-

... There's hesitance, okay, she can't help it, but she does take his arm in the next second. Her hands are almost uncertainty as they fall into the crook of his elbow, but based on what she's seen in movies and things, this seems correct! Probably!

(Don't mind her, she's just a little disgusted with herself, she'll get over it.)]

At least try to make this vaguely convincing.

psl || let's not fall in love

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