who do you think you are?

Izaya leant against a pillar at the mouth of the train station in Ikebukuro. It wasn't his favourite spot to watch humanity pass from, but his regular haunts had been less than stimulating as of late. The humans passed by too quickly here, hurrying around in dense crowds. Office workers, school children, wide eyed tourists... The tourists might be the obvious target for some, but Izaya rarely cared for them and their fleeting visit, where was the fun there? He kept an eye on the street too, blaring taxis and oblivious pedestrians. The noise of Ikebukuro could fade for some, become white noise in the background, but Izaya liked to embrace it.

Kumiko hadn't wanted to leave home, not at all. But, it was her father's decision, to keep her safe - not that moving to a city full of gang life was much safer. She supposed it might be best, though. At least nobody knew who she was or of her relation to her father's mob. She hadn't even been able to attend her mother's funeral, though, because he had made her leave. And, now she was stuck being unsure of where to go. In the past, she always had bodyguards of some sort. And, now, while she got off the train with her only bag of luggage, she was alone and almost certain of the possibility of getting lost.

@ momentai.

Izaya's eyes narrowed a little as he eyed the commuters to-ing and fro-ing a little more critically. Men with briefcases, women with handbags. Groups of teen boys wearing their gang colours, or pretending to anyway. Groups of giggling girls who he knew would spare him a second look if he bothered to throw a smile their way.

And a lone girl with a single piece of luggage. Now that didn't quite fit the picture. Most girls her age traveled in groups when on breaks, or at least with a boyfriend who insisted on proving his worth by bearing the brunt of the luggage.

A lone girl with a lone case and a lost look on her face. Izaya began to smile, she wasn't from Ikebukuro, that much was obvious. This could be interesting.

If it wasn't for the fact that Kumiko was generally shy around people, she likely would have asked somebody for help or at least for directions to her new home. Because she was so used to avoiding people, though, she couldn't bring herself to and instead tried to brace herself for the journey that would likely end with her getting lost.

With a sigh, she forced herself to stand straight in hopes of making herself confident enough to deal with this. She was nervous, but she tried to convince herself to get over it, that she could handle this. She was the daughter of a mob boss; moving to a new home shouldn't be this nerve-wrecking for her.

Having that thought in mind, she made her way towards the exit, passing by a dark-haired man that she tried to ignore. He seemed observant and it was a little odd, but she couldn't dwell on it for long.

@ momentai.

The girl passed Izaya by with barely a glance, and Izaya grinned to himself and fell into step with her as she exited the station.

He said nothing as he matched her pace, mirroring her stride so the sounds of their footfalls blended into one. He fixed his gaze ahead with a pleasantly bland smile on his face.

i do not know i'm so sorry

it's actually really great for this, so don't worry!

Was this guy a stalker? Well, Kumiko doubted it. Stalkers weren't usually obvious about stalking others and he was walking right beside her, even falling into the same rhythm of steps.

So, the guy was definitely odd, maybe a little creepy. Did he want something? Hell, he could be a pick pocket and she wouldn't really be able to know because his behavior wasn't like anybody that she had come across before.

She tried to swallow down her nerves and steel herself for starting up a conversation, but all she could really manage was, "You're a little unnerving." She didn't intend for it to sound like an insult, but, after she said it, she realized it probably seemed like one.

@ momentai.

Izaya glanced at the girl, slightly pleased she had chosen to speak up so soon. Some kept their heads down and tried to walk faster, and others shouted. This one thought he was unnerving.

"Am I?" He asked mildly, a pleasant smile on his face. "I hadn't noticed. New to Ikebukuro, are we? Come to take in the sights, the sounds, the smells... perhaps the culture?"

Abruptly he span to stand ahead of her, face to face, walking backwards. He had enough faith in his reputation among the local people to expect them to move aside at the sight of his hooded coat without complaint, and continued his steady pace backwards.

"Would you perhaps allow me to be your guide? I know all the places of... ah, interest."

Definitely an odd man, Kumiko thought briefly as she eyed the man. "I didn't come for any particular reason other than to expand my horizons," she lied without really thinking about it. Her father hadn't given her an excuse, so she was left to her own devices - which didn't really say much.

She paused briefly when she saw him spin to walk backwards in front of her and she quirked a brow, mildly curious about this odd, unnerving man. Shrugging his behavior off, she returned to walking and wondered how long it would take to lose him if she tried.

Her luck wasn't usually all that good in cases like that, though, so she gave up the thought as soon as it flitted through her mind.

"I don't really need a guide. I just need to find my new home." Pausing, she chewed on her lip and debated her options. If he knew his way around, she could ask for directions, right? Her shyness wouldn't hold her back, considering she was already conversing with him. "I don't know if it's a place of interest, but I need to get here," she told him as she slid her hand into her pocket and drew out a slip of paper with her new address on it.

@ momentai.

"Expand your horizons in Ikebukuro," Izaya mused, "What a charming notion..."

He took the slip of paper and held it out before himself to read.

"Anywhere can be a place of interest," he told the girl, "especially if you know enough about it." Izaya handed the slip of paper back and grinned. "And it's my job to know about things."

He turned back round as he began to navigate the streets, trusting the girl to follow him if she hadn't spooked and bolted so far.

"Let's go find your new fresh start, hm?"

The moment she received the paper back, Kumiko pushed it back into her pocket and quickly followed after the man. "Your job?" she repeated with curiosity. She wondered if it was just a figure of speech or if he was serious about it bein an actual job. She'd never heard of such a thing.

Still, she did her best to keep up with him, genuinely hoping that he knew where he was going. Or that he wasn't crazy. Such a thing would be her luck.

Was this a fresh start? She supposed so. Nobody here knew who she was. It was meant to be safer for her. That was a fresher start than any other she could have had.

"Do you live in Ikebukuro?" she asked, a little hesitantly, "Or do you just know where everything is because you visit so often? Why were you lounging around at the station, anyways?"

@ momentai.

Izaya threw a glance over his shoulder at her question.

"Live in Ikebukuro?" he repeated, then gave a short laugh. "No, no. At least, not officially." He threw the girl a wink. "And as I said, it's my job to know where everything is!"

He faltered in his stride to fall back into step with her, peering at her with false curiosity.

"But my now," he said, "you are a curious little bird, aren't you? What will you do with all this information. Information is a powerful thing, you know."

The man was barely making any sense. How could somebody unofficially live somewhere? Kumiko's first assumption was that he might be homeless, but she pushed that thought aside because he didn't look homeless at all.

"How is it your job to know everything?" she asked after a moment instead of continuing the topic of Ikebukuro.

She looked to him when he fell in step with her, but she brushed it off.

"I don't have anything to do with the information. But, you are guiding me to my home, so isn't it expecred to want to know things about this place and my guide?"

Izaya grinned, and skimmed over the girls first question.

"I suppose a little curiosity is understandable," he replied, addressing the second. "Ikebukuro is inhabited by a monster, you'd do well to keep out his way. He's barely two brain cells in that bleached head of his, best you not become collateral damage." Izaya gave an imitation of a long suffering sigh, "if neanderthals had died out sooner, perhaps it wouldn't be this way, hn?"

They turned a corner and he spread an arm wide, gesturing dramatically to the building before them.

"And your fresh start awaits, dear lady," with two fingers he offered the girl a simple business card, plain white, with his name and mobile printed on in crisp black script. "Please, do get in touch should you need such a guide again. It could be... interesting."

"A monster...?" Kumiko repeated as she furrowed her brows. What did this man assume a monster was? A murderer? A gang leader? Drug dealer? Something worse? She shook her head, trying to rid herself of thinking over it too much.

Upon seeing the offered card, she retrieved it and her fingers slid against the smooth surface and read over it. "Izaya Orihara, then?"

They hadn't properly introduced themselves, she realized. Was she meant to give her name now that she knew his. Figuring it was proper, she offered a smile. "Kumiko Yuki," she introduced before she bowed politely as her father had always taught her to do so. "It's nice to meet you."

"Kumiko Yuki..." Izaya repeated thoughtfully, then gave a sharp grin. "A pleasure to meet you too."

He skipped back a few steps and bowed low and over exaggeratedly, "enjoy your new home, Miss Yuki. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

With the final comment, Izaya span round, coat flying out behind him, and strode off down the street. Kumiko Yuki... Yuki... a familiar name, but also a common one. He'd have to check a few things, perhaps make a few inquiries of his own. But the girl could be interesting. And she could be useful. All the other girls he talked to were starting to bore him, get clingy, the internet forums not holding his attention as much as they used to.

But first, well... he was in Ikebukuro already after all, where was Shizu-chan?

Kumiko had never actually lived alone before. She supposed it was a fact worthy of acknowledging when it took her a while longer than she had expected to settle into the home without panicking at every little noise. The paranoia mostly stemmed from the matter of her father being a dangerous man who had dangerous enemies, but it was also linked to her being alone.

She hadn't thought much of Izaya Orihara since meeting the man, but his card was currently resting on her coffee table in case she ever did decide to call him. Since arriving at her home, though, she only left when necessary. Even then, she never traveled far. She could order out when necessary or go to the market nearby for ingredients if she decided to cook.

Otherwise, she was at home. No phone, no internet. It would be too easy to trace if she wasn't careful enough and she didn't like the idea of taking the risk when there was no guarantee that she could be careful enough.

Izaya's interest in the girl had moved from idle consideration to something nearing curiosity. It hadn't taken long to find out more about her, particularly given the status of her father and the recent upheaval in the family. Shiki had been particularly useful in that respect, apparently having met Kumiko Yuki's father during business deals.

She could be a valuable asset to keep close, Izaya thought, either for leverage or as a source of information. It would be useful to get close to the girl.

Which is why, several days later, he made his way back to the memorised address and rapped smartly on the door.

When the door opened, Izaya gave a smile, and before Kumiko had a chance to say anything he posed a question, "do you like cats?"

unless she doesn't wanna open the door i don't wanna force you to do anything

Oh, she'd definitely open the door, no worries~

The knock at the door had somewhat startled Kumiko, causing her to approach with caution to take a look out the peep hole. When she spotted the somewhat familiar man, she was mildly curious as to why he was here.

That curiosity turned to confused when she opened the door and asked if she liked cats. Blinking, she tilted her head slightly and thought about it. "Well, I guess so," she murmured after a moment or so, her brows furrowed as she eyed the man. "I mean, they're a little adorable. Some of them are evil, though. Why are you asking?"

Was that really why he was here? To ask about cats? Kumiko was brought back to her original impression of the man - definitely odd - and mentally nodded to herself as if approving of her own observation in the beginning.

"Did you come all the way here to ask about cats, Mr. Orihara?"

Izaya smiled, trying for an attempt at genuine rather than his usual sly expression.

"I hear cat cafes are all the rage lately," Izaya told her, "and a new one I've heard to be quite charming has opened up recently. It was highly recommended by a friend, I haven't seen her gush so much since the new Love Live figurines came out."

He cocked his head slightly as he looked at her, "Of course, if you're busy it really is no matter. I was just curious as to how you'd settled into Ikebukuro. If you'd met any neighbors or... friends at all. For such a busy city life can get awfully lonely."