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So was this woman here on vacation or something? Shizuo had noticed how ratty her shoes were and assumed she’d been one of those foreigners who hadn’t been able to completely assimilate into Japanese society. Not that he could fault her for that since it was difficult to build relationships in a country that valued conformity. Outsiders really had to push to be let into any of those special social circles.
Then again, Shizuo was a native and he’d never bothered doing that. Most of the people he was friends with today had come to him, though usually through undesirable circumstances. Maybe he was just one of the few that honestly didn’t care about foreigners and what they did – the inhabitants around here caused a lot more problems than any immigrant he’d ever met.
Still, he wasn’t sure what to think of her making fun of tourists back in her own country; the only time Shizuo minded them was when they were being especially raucous, but otherwise he didn’t notice much. It could’ve been much different in the Philippines. Sometimes he heard about wealthy people flying out to countries like that to enjoy the beaches, but that was as far as his knowledge went.
He was just glad that she wasn’t too bothered by him. If she was clueless about his reputation, his height and unfriendly demeanor would’ve chased everyone else off.
While the cops went and inspected the weapon, Shizuo drew his cigarettes and lighter out form his pocket, not glancing at Corazon as he asked, “you mind if I have one?”
Although it wouldn’t stop him, but he’d at least be courteous to step away if she couldn’t handle the smell of the smoke. He needed it after that sudden rush of anxiety and adrenaline. They might have found the gun but that hardly mattered. There were many ways to skin a cat, as the saying went. Many creative ways to kill someone.
Shizuo didn’t want to think about it. Even if the bastard got away tonight, he’d trip up sooner or later. Then his ugly face would be plastered all over the front pages of newspapers. Shizuo just hoped they got him before he decided to prey on someone else.
Inhaling deeply, Shizuo watched as the ambulance shut its doors and drove off, flashing lights coloring the street until it was too far away to be seen anymore. Thankfully the victim hadn’t been finished off; she’d be an important piece of the puzzle.
Turning his head when he heard Corazon clear her throat, Shizuo was about to move away, thinking she was annoyed with his nasty habit, when instead she started going on about the history their countries had with one another. History that Shizuo was mostly unaware of because the subject had never interested him.
What he did know was that a lot of bad had happened during the war on both sides. It’d fractured an entire generation – he could remember his grandfather never speaking too kindly about those on the other side of the war. These days, relations were a lot better, but some people still clung to that bitterness.
It was understandable. Shizuo was glad he’d never had to experience it. But it was good to hear that things were mostly amended between Japan and the Philippines. “Ah, that right? I think I remember hearin’ about something like that, but… Are you sure you’re just a nurse? You sound like you’d be a good teacher, too.”
It was probably kind of sad how little he knew about the country he’d been born in raised in. That’s why there were historians, he supposed; they could do all the studying for him and tell him the interesting parts.
“I don’t know much about trading and all that, but I think it’s kind of stupid how everyone’s tryin’a take advantage of one another. You’d think everything would be a lot easier if everyone got along, at least just to get work done, but I guess that’s askin’ too much.”
And if there was anything he did know, it was that some people just never learned their lesson, no matter what happened to them.
But he’d wager most of them were just trying to live their lives in peace. Snorting softly at her sudden introduction, Shizuo plucked the cigarette from his lips and bowed his head slightly. “If you hang around long enough, you’ll hear plenty of stories about me. It’s nice to meet you though.”
Tucking her hand back into her pocket, a simple shrug was her reply to the other’s question regarding another type of work she could have done. “Mm, well… I am very well informed in many subjects, but there’s a lot of things that would pull me back from being one with the kinds of things I’m involved in.” She chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. Seeing the ambulance finally taking the woman away, a sigh of relief escaped her lips and she glanced towards the pair of cops.
Were they going to just let them stand there or could she and the debt collector’s bodyguard leave already? The shooter could have been close by when they found the woman; he or she could have seen Corazon’s face and possibly approach her in the future. She was not sure what they would do with Shizuo, but hopefully nothing too extreme.
“I don’t think that’s asking too much at all. It would be great if everyone did get along,” her hand reached into her bag, taking out a pen and a scrap piece of paper, and scribbled in the license plate number of the car that she saw pass by earlier. “However, I think a lot of die hard government students or professors might call that communism. I think. I’m not too sure about that.” Though she worked with the government for a very long while, she was none too interested with their ways. Many things about it were corrupt after all, as much as she hated to admit it.
Hopefully that would change in the future. She was willing to wait until her very long life ended.
“Suppose that’s how all humans work. The need for something different, and juicy. Gossip, rumours, scandals, and murder…” At the realization of how casual her tone was with the words, Corazon stopped herself and averted her eyes, finding the stacks of boxes just a few feet away from them quite interesting. “I mean… It’s just human nature to want a change of routine, you know? No matter what it is.”
Didn’t those kids in Mcdo say something about there may be another murder here? Was that woman suppose to be…?
If whoever shot the woman and saw her being tended to would make Corazon a target, she could simply disappear in a blink of an eye and make it seem like she never stepped foot into town. Centuries of existing can teach one a thing or two about avoiding danger. Nation people such as herself had been in numerous kinds of life-threatening situations that ‘normal‘ people could have barely made out.
Will those people come back to try and get that lady once she’s released from the hospital?
She did not look like she would be involved in anything illegal, but then again, that is only in appearance. With the way she reacted towards the whole thing, it would seem as if she had lived a fairly regular life before almost being left to die. In other words, that lady was normal.
Unlike what she was.
Her hand tightened around the scrap of paper in her hand and her shoulders tensed for a moment. You’re over-thinking this. Calm down. Taking in a deep breathe, the grip she had on the paper loosened and she tilted her head at the man beside her. “Oh, I’ve heard plenty about you the first few days of my stay here. You don’t seem to bad to me at all, seeing how you stopped me from performing a make shift operation on that woman when it wasn’t completely necessary.”
Corazon reached over and plucked out a cigarette stick from the box he held. “I wouldn’t mind it at all if you let me have one,” she chuckled, walking over to one of the policemen to hand him the slip she wrote on. After explaining what it was and was told that she was free to go as well as Shizuo, she ambled back to where she stood and lit the stick with some matches from her bag. Taking a drag, she furrowed her brows and examined the cig.
“… What brand is this again? It’s low tar.”
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