ukan | IC CONTACT

A short groan. "Dozens, how does anyone do that?" He never will.

"But again: how many of those would give back the same effort you give them?"

"Out of the four? You would. Yunlan would. Tess might. Kiryu would." He laughs off Kiryu, though. "But only because he doesn't know any fucking better. The rest of you, well, you know what you're getting into."

"Kiryu is Yakuza, he doesn't scare easily." A wry smile, which fades into his tea and is gone when he sets his cup down.

"I've got your back. You're right. And I don't tell you what to do, but... Don't give your back to people who will only run when you need them to cover you."

"Don't lecture me about Yakuza," he snorts. "But you think I don't know that? Lark, please. I'm a goddamn King. I know that."

He chuckles. "Okay, so give the man a little credit."

"Fine, fine. Now, can we switch subjects." Because he really doesn't want to talk about Kiryu and that breach. He knows he needs to reach out to talk to him, to reassure him, but he's just not sure how that's going to go.

"How did your breach go?"

"I was a lawyer. A small town lawyer who did land contracts, and he has a thing for Anita but wouldn't make a move. I hated it but it beats most breaches."

"That's not terrible," he groans. "You could have had worse. I'm sure Anita will appreciate that you didn't make a move." He hesitates. "I do hope she's alright. That would have been her first breach."

"I'll check up with her. I can't think of anyone who had it rough there, the place was a fucking candy land," he scoffs.

"Candy land?" He shakes his head. "Don't answer that. I can fucking figure it out. But I'm sure we'll have a whole bunch of nonsense after this. People acting out just because they can. Actually, that's not a bad plan. I think I might go shoot something in the Enclosure. Get drunk. Find Misty in the hallway and flip her off."

He grins, laughs even. "Well if you end up shooting Misty give me a heads up. Last thing we need is William scratching at your door with a butcher knife."

"That fucking weird guy? Yeah. I'd rather not get stabbed. And I won't shoot Misty. God, my stock is already low enough. You think I want it in a free-fall?"

He finishes his tea and sets it aside. "Give me more credit than that."

He raises an eyebrow. "You passed a pop quiz."

Not really, of course. He said he'd change the gun and he will; he's been thinking about those 'training wheels' and when to take them off since a little before Pagan met Kiryu. He sips his tea, circles back to an earlier topic.

"Were you really worried the breach was trying to tell you something?"

"No," he assures him. "I don't assign meaning to them. I don't like the fucking feeling afterward, but it's not something I can fight. It's just something I have to wait on."

He laughs. "Like a really fucking terrible hangover."

"That's what I used to call it," Lark grimaces. "Only I would have taken the worst hangover I had when I was a drinker over this. I get that there are lessons you can take from them--for me, I've learned to be grateful I was never a simpering small town lawyer. But I don't think the lessons are useful."

"No, the lessons aren't useful. And I don't intend on taking a goddamn one of them. Unless there's something you see that I don't."

He leans forward. "Which I highly doubt."

"Not in this breach, no. Just like feel-good movies don't come with deep meanings." But there have certainly been others where he'd discovered something new. "Who were you in it? A visitor?"

"A visitor," he adds unhelpfully. "Well, I had been born in the town, moved to the city and was corrupted by power and money, and then came home and was transformed by love."

He rolls his eyes. "I jumped in the water. In a Givenchy."

"What, you were so in love you tried to drown yourself?" He scoffs.

"Oh god no!" he laughs. "Don't be so dramatic. It was a fun frolic while I was getting back to my small town roots. Shedding my propriety or something like that. Showing that I didn't care about material things."

He rolls his eyes.

"Ridiculous."

"And do you appreciate your clothes more now, or are you prepared to ruin them?" Trying not to laugh.

Pagan actually sits back.

"Go ahead, go on. Laugh if you like. Laugh at my misery!"

He sobers immediately and gives it a second. "You haven't told me why you're miserable."

He manages a smile. "It's the absurdity of it, Lark. That's all. You worry too much. It will pass, like I said. I just need to act out a bit. Shoot something. Hit something. And I intend on doing just that."

"Well, if it doesn't pass or you get drunk and decide to tell me, I'll be here. Waiting."

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