from (somewhere) with love

Hikaru Suzuki

Hikaru was starting to get an idea for the makeup of the group here - mostly that there wasn't much of a theme. At least half of them seemed to be foreigners (or was he the foreign one? It wasn't as if there was any way to tell he was still in Japan), and one of them in particular stood out as looking like he might not even be from the same decade.

Thankfully he wasn't imaginative enough to start panicking about time travel shenanigans, and instead sidled casually up to Robert when he saw the man sat in the dining hall.

"I like your trousers. Nice bit of colour in here. Hey, odd question maybe, but you didn't happen to be on holiday in Tokyo or anything before you woke up here? 'Cause otherwise I'm struggling to piece together what we've all got in common."

It doesn't seem to occur to him that there even could be a language barrier.

Robert McCay

Robert had just been finishing up a leafy sandwich he'd made in the kitchen when he noticed the tall Japanese man making his way over to the table. What was a handsome feller like him doing in a place like this? Nothing good, if Robert's own story was anything to go by… But he hadn't found any reason to assume yet that they were all here for the same charges. That thought meant he could let Hikaru's flattery cheer him up a bit.

"Why thank you! Commissioned from one o' the finest fiber artists in LA-- I'd give you her card if, ah... if we hadn't had all our personal items confiscated."

Their captor had taken everything but their clothes, huh? How was he supposed to promote his fellow local artists now?! Not that that should be the first thing on Robert's mind, given the circumstances, but...

"Anyway, er-- Tokyo? Can't say I ever been on that side o' the Pacific. Would love t'go someday, though I don't speak a lick o' Japanese."

"'Issat where yer from? If English is yer second language, y'coulda fooled me!"

Robert doesn't seem to have picked up on the universal translation, either, though it seems inevitable now.

Hikaru Suzuki

It had just been a throwaway compliment, but Hikaru listens with interest when Robert mentions the source of his clothes. LA, huh? Well, he's glad his guess of 'American' for this guy was as accurate as he'd thought.

"Oh, it's custom? Cute. Hey, who knows, we might get our stuff back at some point. For now I don't have a phone to look her up on socials or anything, either…"

Man, he's glad that there's enough confusion here to stop him from getting bored yet. He's not sure how he's going to survive long-term without being able to scroll through Instagram.

Damn, though, this guy wasn't just American, but had been taken from there, too? This was getting weirder by the moment.

"Yeah, but… I'm not speaking English. Don't know much more than how to order a beer. Then how are we… is this some kind of sci-fi translation tech? Or…"

He's still not a fan of any more fantastic explanations to this. Maybe it's all a weird dream.

Robert McCay

"...Y'don't say?"

No, yeah, this was weird as hell, wasn't it? Now that Robert thought about it… He should definitely not have been able to understand this guy. He's relieved when Hikaru manages to come up with a non-supernatural explanation.

"…I-I mean, it's amazin' the stuff even a smartphone can do these days, so maybe yer right? I hope yer right… I think. This place gives me the creeps."

Robert sighed as he looked around the room… the empty tables and dingy wallpaper did little to assuage his fears. It would seem he had no choice but to look at this handsome feller instead.

"But the folks inside are… surprisingly decent, fer bein' in prison? Yourself included, Mr.-- Ah, names. Robert McCay, and you are…?"

Hikaru Suzuki

Hikaru's not exactly convinced himself with that idea, but he gives his best reassuring smile - for both Robert's sake and his own.

"For sure. I've had entire conversations through translation apps before." Not very enlightening ones usually, but still.

"We could all just be very nice criminals. I'm Hikaru Suzuki, and you can assume I'm in here for petty theft. I'll return the favour and guess an upstanding gentleman like you… sabotaged a boat that was harvesting endangered turtles. A pleasure to meet you, Robert."

He doesn't really know where that example came from, but it was probably something about the hippie vibe of Robert's fashion.

Robert McCay

Robert's mouth opened, closed, and opened again, a bit taken aback by the joke. It didn't seem right to downplay what he'd done, in a prison of all places, but-- well, maybe everyone wasn't in here for crimes as serious as his. Maybe it was safer to just… play along.

"…Yeah, let's go with that. A pleasure to meet you too, Mr. Suzuki."

Mentally pushing aside the bad vibes for later, Robert smiled again and offered the man a sturdy handshake.

"So what's yer story? Far be it from me t'judge someone by their clothes, but… Were you at the club? Model or performer o' some kind, maybe?"

Hikaru Suzuki

So polite! Hikaru had just assumed that as a Westerner, Robert would default to a first name basis, but it seemed he's not that kind of fellow.

It seemed the light-heartedness hadn't gone down as well as Hikaru had hoped, but that was fine. Understandable, really, given the situation. He took the offered handshake - Hikaru's hands were delicate, but he's able to return it reasonably strongly.

"I'll take that as a compliment, heh. Nah, I just work at a bar - I've been known to spend my time in the club too though. And I play darts semi-pro… usually in something a little less revealing, though." Usually.

"What about you?" He'd mentioned LA, which Hikaru associated with music and film, both of which he could see for this guy.

Robert McCay

"I see! Can't say I knew semi-pro darts was a thing, but I guess it makes sense, takes some real dexterity…"

Robert had been politely averting his gaze from the man's sheer turtleneck and plunging neckline, though now that he'd specifically brought it up, it was getting difficult… Oh, what would his partner say? (Probably something like "go get 'em, tiger," though that wasn't really Robert's nature--)

Wait, he'd asked him a question.

"Ah! Well, I'd like t'say I'm a musician by trade, but it's more of a... self-supporting hobby? My job is scanning paperwork at the county courthouse, but that's just t'keep the lights on."

"The studio and the stage, that's where I'm alive, y'know? Not that I'm famous or anythin', far from it. But there's at least a few folks out there who like my stuff, and I feel pretty good about that."

Hikaru Suzuki

"Sure does."

Hikaru noticed those wandering eyes, and also the quick glance away. He couldn't help but look slightly smug (not that he doesn't usually already) as he innocently brushed some invisible dust away from his collar.

There's an easy point in common here, though, and he gives another smile to Robert, a little less coy and a little more genuine.

"Oh yeah, I get that entirely! Not in terms of artistic expression or anything - I'm just a listener when it comes to music. I have guys like you to thank for having something to break up the monotony of an opening shift. But, yeah - darts doesn't really keep food on the table until you're winning really big. Hence the bartending. But it's nice to be able to do something with your hobby."

Robert McCay

"Fer sure, fer sure! Shame they probably ain't got sharp things like darts around here... but maybe the stuff fer a dry bar? I ain't checked the kitchen too thoroughly yet."

Robert was starting to loosen up a bit. He sat with his arm leaning on the table and his legs crossed, looking over at Hikaru with a lopsided smile.

"Me, I guess I gotta figure out what t'do without a guitar. Somethin' a capella? Or turn some pots 'n' pans into drums, get experimental... What kinda music do y'like?"

Hikaru Suzuki

"A very dry bar. Maybe I can try and make an interesting mocktail, at least. Otherwise, I hope you're a fan of lime sodas."

Hikaru played up the grumpiness a little; if he made it sound more like he was annoyed the drinks were going to be boring than any other concerns, it made him seem less fussed about the alcohol aspect.

"Hmmm, I'm not the pickiest guy. But on the whole I usually find myself listening to jazz and soul. Do you guys have city pop in the US? Some people call it a bit old fashioned, but I imagine you're not the guy to care about that kind of thing."

The idea of some DIY instruments intrigued him, but he wasn't really creative enough to contribute to the brainstorming.