Finding Home

[Honda Akinari]

Lazily watching a curl of smoke rising from the butt of his nearly spent cigarette, Akinari's dark eyes traveled up. He caught movement nearby and turned to see a long, thin tail disappearing behind some overflowing garbage bins. Rats. Not too uncommon in the back alleys, and he wasn't squeamish to begin with. Besides, he got used to seeing things out here in the streets. Rats weren't that shocking.

He turned away from the rat and inspected his cigarette. Almost burnt out, but still good for a couple more drags. He inhaled deeply, let the smoke sink in and curl into his lungs, breathed it out in a plume of gray that blended in with the fog around him.

It was wet and damp--the fog, that was--and it seemed to cling to his skin, making every exposed surface clammy and chilled. Akinari brushed a hand over his eyes to get some of the hair out of them and even his hair felt damp. He didn't know when the fog would lift but something told him not for a while yet. Not if it'd been laying siege to the town for almost a week.

The only good thing about the fog was that it helped hide him. He leaned back against the wall and kicked a well-worn, scuffed boot along the ground. One knee was tented; the other leg straight out in front of him. Nobody was going to bother him out here, in back of some bar with a weird name. The sign out front said 'tavern.' Did taverns even exist anymore? This wasn't the medieval ages; Akinari didn't know why anybody would call their dive bar a tavern but whatever. He was only here for a little bit, and then he'd move along.

Just as he stubbed out the cigarette--down to the filter--a door opened and let out a stream of golden light into the dark alley. Akinari blinked; it looked like the back door of the 'tavern' but he couldn't really be sure. He shifted slightly as a head poked out, and then raised his brows when their gazes met.

[Harper Flint]

Once again, it was a slow day at The Night Owl. Harper had hoped the fog would clear up somewhat, as some kind of sign that things were getting better, but no such thing happened. Actually, all that did happen was him constantly overhearing random customers muttering about attacks and how unnatural this fog was.

They acted like something might come out of it and start mauling people (which wasn't entirely inaccurate, was it?). On the bright side, there were a few more customers scattered around the place than previous days since the fog rolled in and over town. He sighed, cleaning out some glasses and then glancing at the other bartender behind the bar with him. Some dude who was far too flirty with the customers, but apparently the boss either didn't mind or thought it kept people around and coming back. Well, that felt a bit like an insult at him, but Harper never expressed this because he knew the old man would only tease.

Clearly the guy was too busy with a customer to do anything (at leas they weren't busy), so Harper went through a door to the backroom, picking up the bag of trash to take out. He'd intended on being quick about it, not liking how the fog made him feel despite not feeling too afraid because of his powers, When he opened the back door and stuck his head out into the cold air, however, Harper's eyes fell upon a stranger loitering around, and he looked curiously at them.

He wasn't sure why the guy was just hanging out there in the back alley, so when he stepped out fully to throw the trash out, Harper paused. "... If you were looking to go inside, the front door is around the corner." There was a question to his tone, because Harper was merely guessing. It was kind of an odd time to be out.

[Honda Akinari]

Akinari's eyebrows crept up slowly along his forehead as he raised them. "Pretty sure I can tell the front from the back," he said dryly. He was homeless, not blind (or retarded). It was kind of a dumb thing to say to somebody; if he wanted to be inside, he would've gone inside. Instead, he was outside, minding his own business and sitting out in the alley. If he wanted to be a dumb idiot and do that, that was totally his prerogative.

But he thought that he had surprised the guy, and what came out of his mouth probably wasn't intended to sound so patronizing. Akinari studied him briefly. Did he want Akinari to shift? Get out of the alley and away from the tavern? (Seriously what kind of person worked in a tavern anyway?)

"I'll be gone in a sec. Just taking a break." He shrugged. Most proprietors disliked homeless people loitering around their premises, probably with good reason. Akinari wasn't the cleanest looking guy at the moment; his shirt was wrinkled, his pants were stained and his shoes were almost falling apart. He knew that he didn't exactly look 'presentable' but he wasn't self-conscious enough to start explaining his appearance to strangers.

[Harper Flint]

Ah. Right, that... Harper wasn't thinking when he pointed it out. He hoped not to have sounded like he was talking down to the guy. It was kind of a dumb thing to point out, where the entrance was.

Tossing the garbage bag out, he returned his attention to the man. "Oh, no, we don't really care. Not like you're doing anything wrong." From the looks of it he was merely standing around minding his own business. Er, before Harper came outside and made an embarrassingly stupid comment. "It's just... not the safest spot to be hanging around, especially not with the fog." he explained a little timidly, hoping to not sound like he was being offensive or anything.

The guy wasn't the best looking person to have hanging around outside a place of business, however, he never cared and the old man especially didn't. Judging wasn't their prerogative, and he could never quite understand others who looked on with disdain at any of the, say, homeless who were around town. What harm were they? He had a more difficult time with some of the customers at the tavern, personally, who were dressed to a T.

... Maybe as a previously homeless kid, Harper was biased.

Anyway, if he wasn't going to judge them, he wouldn't with this guy either. Regarding his clothing, Harper added, "Plus, the weather looks pretty cold." Maybe the fog added to the chill of cold air, but wither way the guy didn't exactly look considerably warmly dressed?

[Honda Akinari]

"I guess."

Akinari wasn't the type of person to take a hand-out. Call him proud--or stupid--but it didn't sit right with him to owe anybody anything. It was too much hassle; he did just fine on his own dime, or under his own manpower. But it was cold, and the fog did feel wrong, not only the clamminess of it but the way it hovered, almost like an entity.

He shifted slightly on the hard ground. Wouldn't hurt to get out of the cold for a little while. He had some change on him; might be enough for a hot drink. Or at the very least he could get a cup of hot water to warm his stomach and his hands. After a brief moment's thought, he shrugged and straightened off the ground.

"Should I take the front entrance or the back?" he asked with a shade of irony--and teasing--as he dusted off his pants.

[Harper Flint]

The old man's attitude sort of rubbed off on Harper after so many years, though he doubted the likelihood of ever sounding as, well, forceful, as him. All people were allowed in the tavern anyway, so it wasn't as if he was making special case for the stranger to enter and have a drink or sit around where they were all shielded from the outside fog.

Flushing slightly in embarrassment (it was far too easy to embarrass him...), Harper faltered a second before saying anything. "I..." he looked sheepish, "You can just follow me." It wasn't a big deal, to him and not the old man either (he knew without asking, that chill old guy). They might serve food as well, but the most visible items in the back were alcohol.  Maybe he was only giving the guy more to tease him for, but hey, this was the quicker way out of the cold, so... so what?

What was the guy gonna do anyway, scoop up a keg of beer and bolt?

His gaze brushed over the tables and bar when they exited the back. The place was fairly empty, some customers had already left in only the brief time he'd gone. That wasn't super new right now; minus most regulars, they had lost their usual crowd of folk since the fog rolled in like a bad omen. The boss gave him a puzzled look mid cleaning the bar counter. "We got people hidin' back there?" he was obviously joshing Harper, and greeted the new person. "If you want a drink, just ask him," nodding at Harper, since the other idiot was still flirting, "or water's free." They sold food too, but the guy could probably see that from the menu on the wall.

[Honda Akinari]

"Sure," Akinari said easily, the grin on his lips evolving into something a shade friendlier. He wasn't a total asshole; if somebody was decent to him, then he was decent back. But if they wanted to mess with him, then he wasn't going to hold back. An eye for an eye, as they say.

He had to admit, though, that being inside was a lot warmer than being outside. Akinari swept a hand through his hair, surprised by how damp it was. That fog was really clingy and humid and thick--being outside was almost like being in a sauna. A cold sauna, though, that made his skin crawl. (So... pretty much nothing like a sauna.)

"Hey." He nodded at the old man. "Thanks. Maybe just some hot water, if you got any." It was probably a weird thing to ask for--who the hell went to a bar to get hot water?--but hey, the guy offered. Akinari slipped onto a bar stool and leaned an elbow against the counter, curiously and idly looking around. Didn't seem to be many others in the place. Most of them were minding their own business, which was exactly how Akinari liked his strangers to be.

"I'm Aki, by the way."

[Harper Flint]

Some part of Harper enjoyed the cold, parasitic like fog that attached to everything and put a layer of mist on all that was around, but maybe he was biased. Being a Winter or Weather or whatever kind of fairy he would be called. If only the fog didn't come with such a creepy air about it, then maybe he'd actually enjoy it, instead of feel a growing sense of suspicion toward it.

"'Course, comin' right up." The old man turned away, returning a few moments later with the water in a tall mug. He took his own once over of the place before moving away-- and giving the other bartender a very pointed and purposeful pat on the shoulder-- to attend to whatever else he could be doing. He wasn't very happy with the emptiness, despite it improving some, and Harper could tell.

This was becoming the norm, as of late...

Since he introduced himself, Harper didn't mind doing the same. "I'm Harp." Since everyone he knew called him that, it became Harper's default when he introduced himself. Returning to the glasses he'd abandoned in order to toss the trash, he lifted his gaze out a window. "That fog's really not letting up, is it?" He kind of wished a particular regular wasn't here as another thing he was starting to feel weary about, too, but at least the guy was another customer to fill up their mostly empty tavern?

A fog which things (rumors said) jumped out of was higher on his creepy radar, anyway.

[Honda Akinari]

Akinari gratefully accepted the steaming cup of water and nodded his thanks to the old man--whom he assumed was the owner, or maybe the manager who ran the place. "Thanks," he added quietly, before bringing the cup to his lips to take a sparing sip. Ouch. Hot. It nearly scalded him, but it felt good going down. After sitting out there for so long, he'd forgotten what being warm felt like.

He cradled the cup between his hands as he looked outside at the thick fog too, nodding at Harp's comment. "Yeah. How long's it been this foggy? Weeks? Weird for fog to stick around so long, isn't it? Is this normal around here?" Not being a Hazleton native, Akinari wouldn't know but something told him that this wasn't exactly natural. Or right. Definitely not right, in any sense of the word.

[Harper Flint]

"At least that." Harper shook his head slowly while staring out at it. "This is a weird town, but even for us, a fog sticking around so long is strange." Pausing to think on it for a minute, he continued, "Somethin' feels off about it, too. And I've been hearing a lotta customers talk about the rumors going around."

Whatever the hell caused this creepy fog, he didn't care, all he wanted was for it to lift so he could see where he was going more often. And so he could stop feeling like he was seeing crap in it.

Noting how Aki held the cup, Harper smiled softly. "Much warmer in here than outside, right?" he teased a little himself, still not sure why Aki was hanging around out there when he could have... simply escaped the cold just by coming in. Unless he was like Harper, not bothered by the cold very much, but he was guessing otherwise. At least... not exactly, though he felt something.

[Honda Akinari]

Oh right--the rumors. Akinari heard them too, from the vagrants who hid away in the shadows. Something was in the fog. Something that they couldn't see, but which hunted them. Funnily enough, Akinari felt more strangeness from the fog than from the rumors but he caught himself looking over his shoulder too, once in a while, just to make sure nothing was going to lunge out at him.

He smiled wryly at Harp's comment and nodded. "Yeah." There were probably people who enjoyed the cold, clammy fog, but Akinari sure as hell wasn't one of them. He knew that realistically he couldn't stay in the tavern forever too, though, but it was still nice to get out of the cold for a while.

As he sipped his water, he glanced over at the old man, then back to Harp. Should he ask? Akinari didn't think he was wrong, but he also wasn't keen on broadcasting his own identity, especially since he didn't know who he could trust around here. He waited until a customer close to them moved away to another table before leaning forward, lowering his voice to say, "You're fae." It wasn't a question--it was a comment. He knew. He felt it.

[Harper Flint]

Right, most people would definitely prefer the warmth of indoors than be out there. That was one thing Harper would never be able to comprehend-- temperature. He felt warmth and the cold, yes, however, didn't get the sensation of being chilly in winter or any of those types of sensations (except in some strange instances that he'd been having for awhile, but those were... definitely strange).

Even though he didn't react when he noticed Aki leaning closer, what he said definitely caused a reaction. Harper paused, mid-wipe of cleaning the last glass he had to shine, shifting his gaze up to look at him again. It didn't sound like he was asking, so, could Aki sense what he was, like Harper could? Most likely, as it was apparently common for supernaturals to be able to sense each other in comparison to humans.

"I am..." he matched Aki's lowered speech. "Is it obvious?" Since he remembered nothing from before he was fourteen, Harper didn't completely comprehend the whole sensing others of his kind thing-- or supernaturals in general-- despite all the years that passed and the old man helping him, Harper wasn't always certain. He pondered whether he should clearly know when he was talking to another fae, if most blatantly knew.

"You are too, right?" he added after a brief pause.

[Honda Akinari]

"I don't know." He didn't know if others could sense it, but he could--the familiarity, like a sense of belonging. Like he knew Harp, despite this being their first meeting. Akinari sipped his water again, pensively, and nodded slowly to indicate that he, too, was fae.

"Yeah. I didn't think I'd ever find another one... of us." He lowered his glass; the smile was brief, but it was there. "Do you know if there are any others around here? Others like us?"

That was what he came to Hazleton for. Ever since his family and the small fae community that he grew up with was destroyed by hunters, Akinari had been on the move, constantly searching, looking for clues--for a place to belong. He wanted to be home again, wherever that was. He just knew that it existed, that it was out there, waiting for him to find it.

[Harper Flint]

I didn't even know I was one until the old man told me...

He smiled softly, feeling a little bad now. "I've known a few..." Those three friends he made while homeless and Jeje, too. Not to mention... With a nod toward the old man, Harper added, "And he's half." Shaking his head slowly, "But otherwise, no."

"Maybe," Maybe there were more of them in town. There were tons of wildlings, vampires, witches, all kinds of magic users which meant there had to be more fae. Harper assumed so. A part of him hoped so. The twins he knew on the street and the other friend of their's were all fae, and he discovered Jeje was fae, too. Had he been lucky and happened to gravitate toward (and be befriended by) some of the few fae in town, or were there really more?

"Can't say I'm the best person to ask. I'm not exactly the most social... There are bound to be more though, in this place." he didn't sound entirely certain, with a small question tinting his tone, but this was only his guess.

[Honda Akinari]

Akinari was confused--if Harp knew others like them, then how could he also claim to otherwise not know others like them? It sounded like a jumbled answer and Akinari lifted his brows at the response. "Oh," was his disappointed reply. If Harp knew others like them, he wasn't exactly being forthcoming with any names and maybe for good reason--he didn't know Akinari well enough to start throwing names around, most likely.

"Well, that's too bad." He didn't go into the reason for his being in Hazleton, and instead took another sparing sip of water. As he did, the doors opened and a flood of people entered. It looked like quite a large party, talking and laughing amongst themselves. Akinari looked askance at them. Probably somebody's birthday, or a special occasion that called for a visit to the local tavern.

As they filed into seats and began to call for drinks, Akinari stood up. "Looks like you're gonna be busy for a while," he said with a wry smile. "I should go, though. Thanks for the water." Large crowds were definitely not his thing--he was already annoyed by all the noise.