jigokucho | EMBER 3.1 - A Social App for Lost Souls! [Sept. Substory OVERFLOW]

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EMBER 3.1 - A Social App for Lost Souls! [Sept. Substory OVERFLOW]

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The EMBER Application icon flashes alive on the homescreen of all the Lost Soul devices across Jigoku-cho.

An Update has just been installed, welcome to EMBER 3.1!

BUGFIXES & UPDATES
-Increased stability and quicker performance.
-Improved accuracy of [various] data tracking.
-EMBER Go! increase in spawn points throughout the city.
-WARNING added; "If USERS trespass upon any part of the city they are not allowed in order to collect characters, do be quick about it.
(EMBER is not liable for injury nor legal troubles which may be incurred.)"

-Helper NPC: YDRIS, added to help users within EMBER, Go!
-YDRIS can be set to automatically feed and pamper collected "Little Lost Souls™".
(This feature costs Dragon Coins at an hourly rate.)

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Please see the ORIGINAL EMBER 3.0 post for full information.
Thank you.

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-This is an OVERFLOW for EMBER posting!
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[Oh, Heizou is definitely that, and each retaliation comes with another gentle swing-tap of his shoe against the side of his companion's foot. Just a little nudge, barely enough to be a bother but most assuredly there.

All the while he has his chin on his hands, gazing entirely indulgently at his companion while he keeps speaking.]

Mathematically-minded, you said. [His eyes follow the shape that Moriarty traces in the air. What the man says resonates with him - he tends to come alive under similar circumstances, though he doesn't think he could consult for warfare.] But mathematics doesn't always come down to simple numbers, correct? In a broader sense... Perhaps you and I aren't too different.

[Not to be deterred, Moriarty decides to up the antics here a bit. He taps back, but this time with a neat little pattern, short little nudges and more meaningful prolonged pushes. Morse code, if Heizou can recognize it. S-T-O-P.]

That I did. [Its impossible for his eyes to glitter - if they do, they do so like black sand, absorbing light. And yet they do now, smile curving up a bit.] And it never is so simple, truly. Do you think we are alike? How wonderful to hear. I like to know if there are minds that can challenge my own, you know.

[Challenge, but not overtake. He won't stand for that.]

[It takes him a moment, but he understands. He also doesn't stop what he's doing.]

I think we're alike in some ways, there's no doubt about that. We're both always on the hunt for the incomparable sense of satisfaction that can only be found in seeing all the pieces of a puzzle fall into place. We both enjoy an intellectual challenge, and a battle of wits...

[Heizou tilts his head with a mischievous, crooked grin.]

But I think you're a little more adept at playing footsie under the table than I am. I'll have to concede that point to you.

Yes, yes, that's...

[He starts, ready to agree, and then he says that - Moriarty's eyebrows instantly meet in a slightly exasperated expression. Called out...]

Tch. As if that's some grand talent. You can't blame me for wanting to have a little fun.

I certainly can't. I'm having fun too.

[He doesn't tapMoriarty's foot again but instead sets his own down next to it, just touching. Heizou shoots the other man a wink and finally sits back and clasps his hands on the table in front of him.]

This is one of the most interesting interactions I've had with a relative stranger in ages, and with the cute faces you're making, can you blame me for teasing you a little? [His eyes brighten again as he smiles.] Will you take the point, or do we need to continue to battle it out?

[He's really trying to keep his composure. He really is. But with statements like that, his annoyance flares - he makes a flippant gesture, like waving away a little gnat.]

Bah. Cute faces? As if you need to launch such statements like that at me to gain an upper hand. [A nudge of his foot, as if to punish him for such insolence.] Very well. I'll take the point. Work hard for the next one.

Are you saying I could gain the upper hand more easily?

[Heizou knows when he has a foothold in a conversation and has no issues with being seen as irritating in any respect. This man strikes him as the kind of person to leave if he decides he no longer wants to participate in a situation and yet here he sits, still.

The detective nudges his foot right back.]

I think you're enjoying it. Or does someone openly appreciating you for things other than your towering intellect embarrass you? [He makes a small gesture with one hand.] I could talk about that instead I suppose, but I do hate to pass up low hanging fruit when it comes to... appreciation.

[Flirting. He means flirting.]

Hardly not.

[His dark eyes flit down at the nudge, and then back in the face of this man, this man who truly feels like a detective, through and through. Someone who sees a puzzle and wants to sift through it like a child going through a sandbox simply for the delight of it.]

[(It stings, in a certain way. Like nostalgia, but much heavier. He ignores it.)]

No. Please. If you want to launch compliments at my person, be my guest. [His bluff - of course he'll accept it, no embarrassment here.] But perhaps I should start my own offense, here. If you wish to be appreciated, I will join in on the endeavor. Or perhaps not. Who's to say?

[This man is certainly presenting a puzzle, albeit one that is entertaining rather than immediately dire. No need to rush off somewhere to hunt out clues when the entire story is sitting right in front of him to be pored over and picked out.

Not usually Heizou's mode of operation, but he doesn't mind it now and then.]

Hmm? Which is it? Will you, or won't you? Should I give you an opening or two in the interests of fairness?

[He'd like it either way. Compliments often mean very little to him, though that doesn't mean that he doesn't like to hear them! Who doesn't like to have their ego stroked now and then? Heizou grins, his eyes almost seeming to sparkle with it. He can keep this up until their food and drink arrives... and probably beyond that.] You have a way of emboldening a man, you know? And those eyes of yours. Marvellous.

[The compliment hits harder than he means it to, a momentary twist of his mouth belying how unexpected it is - his eyes? No. Surely not. One does not appreciate the darkness of an abyss. Its merely another move in this grand game, and he will not falter.]

And what of them? I have my eyes, and they do their job well. Do you wish to expand on what you mean? [A little tilt of the head, his mouth widening into a grin.] I don't need openings. You're a smart man, and I'll surprise you where I see fit. I want to keep you on your toes.

[His attention flicks down momentarily, then back up. He grins again, clearly enjoying this entire thing far too much. Heizou is a flirtatious man but he doesn't get to actually engage in this kind of thing all that often, not when he's always so busy and when most people who already know of his reputation don't think for a moment that his interest might be simply genuine rather than a means to find another clue.

Sometimes they're right... but sometimes he does just want the thrill of a completely different chase.]

Do I wish to? If you need me to, I will. [Then he quiets for a minute, simply studying him, gazing into the inky black of his eyes with unflinching boldness.] One might think I find the shadows to be an inconvenience in my line of work, but there's something beautiful about the darkness too. All the secrets it might hold, just waiting to be uncovered. Your eyes, my dear Ruler, are like an obsidian treasure trove... truly stunning.

[Heizou lowers his arms to cross them loosely on the table in front of him, and leans his weight on them slightly.]

Do you need me to go on?

...

[What nice words. But for a moment, Moriarty's gaze flickers. What wonderful compliments.]

["Would you mean that if this was any other situation? If this wasn't a game? A challenge?"]

["Do you mean it, dear detective?"]

[But he doesn't say any of that. Instead, his smile turns up, his dark eyes close in a fox-like expression, as if to hide them away.]

Ah, so the detective can spin poetry, too. How marvelous. Your tongue is silver, truly. [And he opens his eyes just a sliver, darkness peeking between dark blue outlines.] If you continue to be like this, I have no choice but to pull you in further. Dark eyes can be like the abyss, you know. And like the abyss, I'll certainly look back at you with favor.

Is that right...

[He does have the inkling, already, that he's getting into Something here. This man is more than he seems, he's worked that one out already, but without the context to pull the clues together he's still figuring out exactly what that means.

Heizou cocks his head, smiles warmly and brightly, self-confidence oozing out of every pore.]

So coquettish, suddenly. It's a good look on you. I can't say I mind the attention, either...

Coquettish? Or am I simply stringing you along? That's something you'll have to find out, detective.

[A light laugh at that as he puts his hand up to rest his cheek against it, giving a sideways sort of look at the other man. Its nice and easy, to trade statements like this, flirting. Maybe it should stay light. Any deeper, and...]

But then again, I like when people like you are focused on their prey. The light in your eyes is brilliant.

[He raises his own hand in turn, mirroring Moriarty's position with his own hand planted lightly against his cheek. It is nice. Easy. Shallow, ultimately, when he barely knows the man sitting across him him, but he has already learned so much simply through this conversation.]

You think me a hunter, then?

[The light in his eyes doesn't dim. It's always there when he finds himself on a chase, no matter what that chase might be.]

And you the prey, hm... what do you think I might do if I catch you?

That all depends if you can.

[He murmurs the words. The eternal chase. Detective and criminal, running in circles. An endless cycle.]

[How could he resist a thing like that? It's in his very nature. (And yet, and yet, he doesn't want it, perhaps, not like this. Not after the falls, not after a certain infuriating smile from a man he thought he won over.)]

And be aware, dear Heizou. A butterfly may turn out to be a spider, in the end. It's all up for you to see if you can handle it.

Spiders have their place, as well.

[Heizou smiles across the table at his companion again, though there is something a little bit softer about it now. As if he's worked something out - a small piece of the overall puzzle that is this man falling into place. He doesn't keep on being irritating and tapping against his shoe but he does seem to be deliberately keeping one foot snug up against the side of Moriarty's, entirely comfortable with the contact.

Moriarty has already told him more than he might have meant to. He expects the same is true of himself. That this man walks a path that Heizou wouldn't agree with may be clear enough... but as much as evil needs to be eradicated, every person deserves to have a chance to be redeemed. Every one. If he didn't believe that, he would truly be in despair at the state of the world.]

But you know, I'm terribly excited to see what you ordered for me.

Do you think so?

[Now his eyes flicker again at the contact between his foot and the other's, but its more subtle, like a butterfly flapping its wings in a dark cage. It's not...bad, perhaps. Still grating, but not irritating, like a sharp breeze moving over skin.]

[If he knew of his idea of redemption, he would laugh. There will be no such thing. The dice has rolled. The choice has been made. They will stand on separate sides.]

Oh, speaking of which-!

[The waiter approaches, placing down his dishes. A light luncheon sandwich for Heizou, with ham and cheese, and a small savory pie for Moriarty. He smiles.]

Enjoy.

[He's excited for one main reason - what Moriarty decided to order would say something about him as well. When the plates are set down, Heizou tilts his head a little to observe his own, then looks up at his companion with a chuckle.]

Hehe, it wouldn't be my usual choice, but since you got it for me...

[He will not complain. It's still better than anything he might get down at the police station in Inazuma City. Heizou picks up one half of the sandwich and bites down on a corner, contentedly chewing as he lets his eyes rove around the room for a few moments.]

So, [After he swallows, he speaks up again.] Tell me. What must a person do to be privileged enough to learn the name behind the title?

Ah, well, you are a busy man on the run. A sandwich is light, refreshing, and easy to eat while you're hunting down clues. A working meal for a working detective.

[That's his analysis, anyways. He'll daintily pick up his fork and knife to start to break the crust of the pie. No finger food for him!]

Oh? [His eyes flit upwards to the other's face, smiling.] That curious, are you? Do you think you've earned it?

[Heizou immediately laughs. It's a warm sound, lacking anything that could be construed as mocking.]

If there's one thing to know about me above anything else, it's that I am incurably, insatiably curious. [As a detective it's one of his greatest strengths. As a person... it can often get in the way of forming actual relationships with people, if his reputation hasn't already scared them off. He simply can't help but be the way he is.]

As for earning it... that's really up to you, isn't it? Is it going to take a few more of these delightful lunch dates to get you to warm up to me?

Oh, that comes part and parcel with the job, I think. If you aren't curious, what are you doing, being a detective?

[A little laugh of his own, eyes crinkling a little with amusement, before he manages to pull out a bite of his pie. It looks like it has meat in it. He chews, thoughtful, before tilting his head like a curious little cat, smirking.]

Perhaps. You're tempting me, you know. After all, aren't you used to being stringed along in a mystery to uncover all the clues? I think you'd like that.

[Ah, there it is. The same wry humour that had come across in their initial messages to one another and something that Heizou that thought was strangely missing until now. He has another bite of the sandwich, lingering thoughtfully on the flavour before he swallows it, then grins crookedly.

He lifts the end of his shoe to cheekily rub it against the side of Moriarty's heel.]

Tempting you, am I? [Hehe.]

You just keep making yourself more appealing to me. How can I possibly resist?

[It usually takes time for him to open up like this to such a man, he thinks. He's a stubborn, paranoid sort, especially in the presence of people who can open him up. Moriarty was known for being a figure of the shadows, never wanting to be seen, never wanting to be perceived. It was only Holmes who uncovered the vile man that he was behind the kindly professor, and hunted him down to utter annihilation.]

[But here, why is it...]

[He shakes the feeling off, smirk growing.]

Please, now you're verging on flattery, dear detective. [Light words, along with a long draw of the tip of his shoe along the side.] If you wish to pursue me, then do so. Try your best. Catch me if you can.

If I'm only verging on flattery after making such sparkling comments about you earlier, then clearly I'm going to have to try harder.

[Heizou has always had a way of looking at people that can make them feel as if he's picking them apart. When he was younger he was more easily fooled, more easily taken in by those who seemed to simply want to be his friend, but hard life lessons since then have thrown a wall up in front that weakness that few even realise they're pressing up against.

But his eyes brighten slightly at the responding touch, the playful response under the table as they both calmly enjoy their lunch, and he languidly responds in kind.]

And how can I say no to an offer like that... [His smile then is small, amused.] If you're so eager to have me chase you down, then I'd say the game's afoot.

EMBER 3.1 - A Social App for Lost Souls! [Sept. Substory OVERFLOW]

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