inukai | chicks dig stuffed animals

[dogethis]

[It's not everyday a carnival rolls into the city. The booths are buzzing with entertainment, and there's even more than a handful of agents from Border dropping by. There's no brief vacation from work like playing a game or two and winning stuffed animals that have no place in the squad operation room! Sumiharu definitely attends with the intention of killing a couple hours.

Perhaps what comes as a small surprise is the familiar deadpan profile of the talented sniper from Kageura Squad. The last time he'd "seen" Ema, Sumiharu had gotten shot during a rank battle. It's rather funny, in retrospect, that everyone gets along well enough despite constantly beating each other up in controlled fights. What's even funnier is how close Sumiharu and Ema are, and yet it's only now that the former has noticed the latter. In an ever amiable tone, he speaks over the crowd:]

Oh? So you were here, too, Ema-kun?

Comments

[dogethis]

[Just what he would expect from Ema. Sumiharu watches with faint interest as the vendor hands out the corks to the next round's participants.]

Do your best.

[minibis]

I don't need you to tell me that.

[Yuzuru's half-tempted to aim the thing at his head, but Inukai isn't worth getting kicked out of the carnival for. Instead, he aims at a can, and after a few moments (it's odd, shooting outside of a Trion body), he fires.

... The world may forever wonder if it was intentional or not, but the way the can flies after being struck has it go straight for Inukai's face—]

[dogethis]

[By the time Ema fires, most participants have already run through all four corks. But none of the cans they hit (or missed) went so far, and the world may forever wonder how Ema's first can manages to sail a couple yards through the air.

He's too used to defensive maneuvers in his Trion body. Sumiharu reflexively backs away and attempts to call up his shield, which doesn't appear. In the end, the can hits him squarely on the nose and hits his shoe with a dull thud.

Is this the real life.

Did that really just happen.]

[minibis]

...

[Ema stares, with his usual passive expression, and with his usual passive tone:]

Sorry.

[He's not even remotely sorry.]

[dogethis]

[Sumiharu laughs the apparent slight off. He picks up the fallen can and sets it down on the counter next to the rest of Ema's corks.]

Well, mistakes happen.

[Yes, this was a mistake. You made a mistake, Ema. Mistake.]

Try again.

[minibis]

Fine.

[And so he aims again, and he fires again...!

... And that's another can going flying in Inukai's direction. Total accident, like before!! Maybe. Just, you know, coming from the kouhai of the previously most technically skilled sniper in Border.]

[dogethis]

[Somehow, Sumiharu is not surprised. He manages to catch the can when it flies at him this time, and sets that one next to its predecessor.]

. . . Ema-kun? Can you fire from another angle?

[minibis]

[Completely innocently, otherwise known as deadpan:]

Why?

[dogethis]

The cans are flying at me. [He plays with one, tipping it with a finger.] It's hard on the vendors if they keep going over the counter.