[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ]

〝Pᴇᴏᴘʟᴇ ᴀʟᴡᴀʏs ʜᴀᴠᴇ ᴛʜᴇɪʀ ʀᴇᴀsᴏɴs.〞

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

❝ 𝐁𝐞𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. ❞

「 ⇨ 𝚁𝚃𝚜 𝙰𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚎𝚌𝚒𝚊𝚝𝚎𝚍
⠀⠀⇨ 𝙼𝚘𝚛𝚎 𝚒𝚗𝚏𝚘 𝚋𝚎𝚕𝚘𝚠
⠀⠀⠀⇨ 𝙼𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎 (𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝙸𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚎) 𝚃𝚑𝚎𝚖𝚎𝚜 」

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer 〝 It's my favorite thing though... I do have another jacket, shorter, but fuzzy collared, so it still covers my neck. 〞

That question was rather new. It didn't even cross his mind, though it seems useful.

〝 Good idea for a quick-ish getaway. 〞

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer 〝 There's still a lot of similarities. This coat for example? I've worn it since I was 19, favorite thing to wear and all that. I've always worn leather gloves and I have a birth mark on my neck which looks faintly like a burn scar. So yeah, still a lot to tell me apart by. 〞

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer “ Blue. I'm naturally a blonde but for safety measures, I had to dye my hair the opposite color. I used to be a whole different person, now that I think about it. ”

Hell, what /did/ he look like? Kent himself probably doesn't remember.

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer — Kent stared off to the side lightly bobbing his head for no particular reason. He snapped back to Kotone, halting the head movement soon enough.

“ Oh, I also use an alias, that being 'Kent' and wear yellow contact lenses. ”

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer — on instinct... Though I have left it behind, I guess I have something like an on and off switch for it. It'd take about ten minutes to completely clear my head and while I am efficient like that, I also turn into a major prick, so... ”

Another awkward chuckle was let out as —

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@OccultBloke “ Eh, not really. If I get into trouble for speaking my mind, so be it, at least a certain amount of fun was had.

I don't think I've caught your name by the way. ”

The situation is really back and forth, not even Kent knows whether they're all good or still at it.

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

❝ Smoking kills, you know... ❞

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer — hyperventilating.

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer “ Well, I'm down for it. Leading me on a date or not, if it was your intention for this to happen, you have succeeded... The finding out more about me part can be done here and now as well, if you'd lend an ear.~ ”

He's trying his best to look calm but on the inside, he's —

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer “ Believe it or not, the brooding guy in a dark coat isn't all too popular of a choice... But um. If you're implying what I'm thinking... ”

An awkward chuckle was let out and Kent looked over to the side, pushing his left cheek out using his tongue.

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer “ I don't really know, honestly. If I were, it'd probably be you, considering you're kindhearted and one of the few people I talk to. Dunno. How about you, seeing someone? ”

Well. That was a rather blunt answer, one he's surprisingly not bothered by.

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer — least. We all try not to think about it but we do know it. ”

Kent took a long sip of his coffee, cutting his monologue short.

“ But that's too depressing. ”

Continuing with the footsie he previously ingnored, the deserter pokes the other's shin lightly with the shoe's tip

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer “ You don't even know how on the nose you hit that one. Humans and monsters here are one and the same, really. War, greed, addiction, anger and things of the sort all can turn the average Joe into the guy you hear about on TV. The bad example. It's uh... It's scary, to say the —

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer 〝 You'd be surprised how easily people are traumatized in this day and age, at least where I'm from. I heard a story from a guy at the inn you showed me, apparently his family got eaten by some R.O.U.S. and he seems to remember just fine. 〞

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer 〝 You make it sound like such a bad thing, or at least it came out sounding like that. 〞

Awkwardly sinks into the high collar of his coat as a couple of people walk into the restaurant.

〝 But I do pride myself on being resourceful. 〞

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer + sparked an interest because it's pretty anonymous so long as you're not some legend. About the "protecting myself part", yeah. Gotta be resourceful y'know. 〞

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer 〝 Yeah, well, a therapist is supposed to talk you out of doing dangerous stuff, like killing people or yourself. Or fix your marriage even, who knows.

Either way, thank you. I enjoyed the job a lot but getting employed when hunted is a bit difficult. Adventuring kind of +

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer + people about their problems, give advice, support them, and they give you money for it. The only job at which I really felt like I was helping and not signing people off into a warzone. 〞

The description of "therapist" in Kent's words doesn't really explain much, huh.

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer Chuck went back over to the table to give Kotone her water, just in time to hear that chicken parmesan ordered. Kent himself doesn't really order much, just some garlic bread off the sides menu. And once again, the bartender walks off with their orders.

〝 You just talk to +

[[ʀᴇᴅᴀᴄᴛᴇᴅ] @instardequod]

@HazelWanderer The bartender nodded to the side, silently. As if to say "just that?" No major complaints though, as he went off to pour a bit of tapwater into a glass.

Kent on the other hand has a sly smirk skimming on his face, as if he's proud of making her that tiny bit flustered.