drear | OPEN SEASON 2.

I'll text you. ♥

[ easier than he'd thought, to get chrollo to come on a date with him. ♦

but now, time for "work". hisoka follows directions easily and pleasantly for the day, and is generally agreeable. ]

[it'll hit him later that he agreed to go on a date. he doesn't even have the excuse of being more distracted than usual at the time. and as much as it vaguely annoys him - look, he tries to keep working and personal relationships separate - one occasion doesn't mean anything other than a chance to get decent food and potentially uncomfortable conversation.

at least today's simple enough. everyone actually gets to finish up on time, meaning everyone gets off in better moods, and though Chrollo's going to leave with a lot of work he has to do - he has to draw up some ideas to present in a few weeks, and that's not going too well - even he seems in a genuinely decent space.

miracles happen, Hisoka, when you don't keep everyone waiting.]

[ hisoka hadn't mentioned other company, either, so when the time comes it might surprise chrollo that it's just the two of them.

or maybe it won't be a surprise, depending on how late chrollo realizes that it's a date.

hisoka calls chrollo ahead of time and comes by his apartment in a low-riding, sleek maroon car. he opens the door for him and smiles, waiting. ]

[he realizes with enough time to know that he needs to dress with slightly more care than he does for work, put it that way. the shift's subtle - he's still cloaked in dark, but his pants are slacks instead of jeans, and rarity of rarities, under his black coat, his shirt's a deep blue.

how gentlemanly of you, Hisoka, enough that Chrollo smiles a little in thanks before he gets in. it's a nice car, he thinks, which is almost expected when it comes to Hisoka, but not enough to dull admiration.]

So, do I get to know where we're headed, or is it going to be a surprise?

Edited 2016-05-10 21:48 (UTC)

I wouldn't want to spoil your enjoyment. ♣

[ but hisoka will allow a little, at least, because the surprise isn't the location. it's the conversation. ]

Their food is excellent.

[and Chrollo continues on blissfully ignorant...]

If it isn't, I'm holding you personally responsible for it.

[you can't get his hopes up like that and then dash them...there are some mundane things he takes seriously, food being one of them.]

I promise.

[ hisoka looks away from the road to look directly at chrollo for just a moment while they're at a stoplight. his teeth show, briefly.

after a quiet drive they pull up in front of a restaurant named shisa. hisoka passes the car keys over to a valet, who comes around to let chrollo out of his side.

at the front of the restaurant, hisoka says they have a table—for two. ]

[for two. so there really isn't going to be a surprise addition to their party that will reveal this dinner was the beginnings of some other adventure. it might actually be a date on its own. which is...maybe he's overthinking this? always was a bad habit.

he'll follow Hisoka's lead, waiting until they're seated to shrug out of his coat and then meet his eyes again.]

Is there anything in particular you'd recommend?

[not so much to inform his own choices as it is to file away another piece of information about Hisoka, his potential likes and dislikes.]

[ there's a menu for the place, as understated as the rest of the decor: black print on cream paper, accompanied by the day's specials. ]

For you? ♦ [ hisoka himself will simply have the special, like he always does. ]

They have excellent oysters.

[he makes a noncommittal hm at that, and will pick out a different special than Hisoka - but with a side of oysters, to prove he was listening. oh well. even if he can't glean much from the order, he can from Hisoka's behavior - so he comes here often enough to know what he wants. is it where he takes all his dates, or is it simply a place he likes? questions on questions.

for his part, because this is new to him, Chrollo's quick to glance around, masking it in subtle movements - a stretch, an adjustment, or simply admiring the decor. it has two purposes, honest curiosity and the idle habit of mapping out exits. one can never be too careful, really.]

[ hisoka knows what it is to scan an area, so he notices. he's not worried about it, since he's been in the building before and has it mapped out well.

but it's good to see that chrollo hasn't forgotten what it is to be on guard.

while they wait for their food, the server brings them wine and pours them each a glass. hisoka raises his slightly for a toast. ]

To an evening off. ♦

[never. some habits were too deeply engraved to ever shed, and others were necessary still.

with the wine, the smile on his face as he returns the toast isn't wholly in his eyes - but then again, it rarely is, and he doesn't take his eyes off Hisoka's face while he takes a sip.]

And a much earned one at that.

[at least, he's assuming Hisoka's been busy. two jobs can get a little stressful, but he refuses to pry or push too far. not until the moment is right, no matter how curiosity eats at him.]

[ he's been working hard. definitely. ♥ just not in either of those two jobs for the past week or two. ]

How was your trip? I missed seeing you around the office.

[ which presupposes hisoka ever comes around when he doesn't have to. (and he does—just not when anyone would see him.) ]

My trip?

[for a brief second he considers saying the truth in so bored a tone it would seem fake to nearly anyone, a joke, but there was the chance Hisoka would see through and take it seriously.]

Well enough. Some things came up out of nowhere and needed to be handled. Sometimes it isn't enough to talk to someone on the phone.

[he says it like it was a tedious affair, smothering down any emotional reaction from himself and the truth that had taken place. the reason for poison and the immediacy of it all, the tense conversations that had so nearly ended with a man dead. business concluded with an agreement and his own liberty to leave without any threats.]

I came back quick enough, didn't I?

Oh, yes. But I still missed you. ♦

[ hisoka holds his wine to his lips, eyebrows raised slightly as he smiles.

but the business is something he's still curious about, so he continues. ]

Was it personal business? ♣ If I may ask.

[may he. if Chrollo didn't have as good self control as he did, this would have warranted a glance, or maybe any hint to give away the way he's vaguely annoyed Hisoka's bringing up this topic at all. no one else does. he's not used to people questioning him when he goes and handles affairs, ever. the boss does what he must, and everyone reaps the benefits, and all he asks for is his secrets.]

It was. Nothing that you or the others need to be worried about. Only very suddenly appearing.

[and thank god he had been alone when he'd gotten that phone call.]

Did anything important happen while I was gone?

Nothing in the office.

[ hisoka wonders: chrollo's vagueness isn't enough to convince him. does he not want to lie? ]

But I did something interesting. ♦

Really? What did you do?

[you can't just say that and not elaborate, Hisoka. it pulls at his curiosity. which isn't really fair to expected, given how vague Chrollo's being, but he's not a fair man.

he also knows he's setting himself up for an answer he may not like, but he folds his hands under his chin anyway.]

I read about you. ♦ Why, I didn't know you were such a troublemaker.

Now, I don't know if I should be flattered you went to read about me or take offense at being called a troublemaker.

[what exactly were you reading, Hisoka, to give you that impression? he doesn't like this sensation of being slowly coaxed into a corner, until the only way forward was through Hisoka and his methods. but he still smiles as though nothing's the problem.]

Oh? It's a compliment. ♠

[ coming from a troublemaker such as himself. ♦ ]

And I learned so many things about you. Chrollo.

Really?

[and here his eyes turn away, back to the wine in its glass. he doesn't trust a direct gaze to not betray the genuine curiosity he has at that question. but part of him wonders. if anything truly got through...]

Like what?

The story of the Morningstar. Did it speak to you? Is that why you chose it?

[ of course it isn't quite 'lucifer', but it's pretty close. ]

[oh, the name was deliberately close. that's not as bad a piece of knowledge as he thought it might be. anyone who thought about it long enough would realize the last name was false - but in appearance, it's not so bad, and that's all he needs to skate by. now he can look at Hisoka again.]

It's almost a tragic story, isn't it? Having the strength to stand up to what was there, having the power that stood behind him, and all of it to end in losing paradise. Losing the love of the almighty who made him. And yet, it can't be tragic when in the end he still is heard. Reigns just the same, even though it's over another domain entirely.

In the end, he knows who he is. He may be king of evil itself, but he knows that place is where he wants to be.

[for that moment, the careful mask Chrollo wears isn't quite so perfect. there's something more intense in his eyes that vanishes the second someone else drifts near, going somewhere for something. metaphorically readjusted, to conceal his thoughts once again.]

It isn't just free will. ♣ He has his domain.

[ that's what hisoka is guessing he's saying. but still— ] Is the fall itself not tragic? The loss of His favor.

[ the waiter returns with their appetizers and sets them down with a brief murmur of description. hisoka doesn't even look down. ]

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