[center][h3]Naoko's Apartment[/h3][/center]
[center][@ERode] [@DrowsyPangolin][/center]

Guard dude slumped into the couch without a fight, rolling uncomfortably in the hazy half-sleep he'd been in since his head smacked into the side of the freezer. [i]"Nn Kanda... Har... Shiii-"[/i] His muttering broke off in a sudden wheeze, halfway between a snore and a sneeze. If the dried blood down the side of his head was any indication it wasn't really all that bad. A bloody bruise, a bullethole, some minor chemical burns, all in a day's work for a rent-a-cop. Dull flashes clouded his perception. A thundering had woken him to the sight of open doors, sparkling metal and strange spices spilling out into the night. The wet thud of his body against a wall had ingrained that final sight into his nightmare for a time, but plenty of time had passed. His verbosity was the sign of a reawakening consciousness. Stronger than torment, stronger than whatever drugs he'd been given, a sensation that commanded the human heart on a far deeper level reached out to him. The smell of pizza.

Stained eyelids flickered open. His sight came back in waves, an unfamiliar ceiling washing into view. The color, the texture, all off. He was somewhere else. [b]"Guard dude."[/b] He bolted upright at the sound of voices, head spinning between the other two occupants of the room. Kidnappers, now? He wasn't a paranoid man, he could only laugh at that thought and look a bit dumb staring around the room and laughing to himself. [i]If they'd meant anything ill...[/i] He felt for stitches above his kidneys, surprised at how little it hurt to sit up. [i]If they'd meant anything ill they would have done it already.[/i] He wasn't dead, he wasn't filing a police report, the Russian sounding chick was pulling a bottle of wine out of nothing.

[b]"Fuck it- I mean, yes please."[/b] He shuffled around on the couch for a few moments, touching his pantlegs to make sure he wasn't bleeding all over the place before sliding his legs off and testing how it felt to put weight down for the first time in what seemed like too many hours passed. Obviously, one was good to go and the other was not. What surprised him was that pushing himself up onto one leg was not an immediate game over onto the floor. He hobbled towards the kitchen. His inner ears spun, his stomach churned. [b]"Maybe... I'll stick to just fluid for a sec."[/b] He affected a toothy smile, accepting a wine glass as he balanced around on one leg.

[b]"Nostrovia!"[/b] Was the most cultured attempt at a toast he could manage, tilting back some of the fine wine and grimacing at the aftertaste of pepper everything had. Upside, he could taste again. 

[b]"So what you're selling Habsburg his own stuff back? That's brutal."[/b] He'd thought to at least tune himself out of their strange conversation until that point. When were they cheating death? King of Heroes? Master? Fuck kind of codenames were those? He was stuck along for the ride, but he knew his former principal at least in passing. Before even finishing her thought the speaker had turned and was walking over to the window. He had a bad feeling about that, and so silenced it with another sip of wine. 

[b]"But guy's a robot, I mean his vacation's fucked now but that's a tough customer to pinch if you're like... Really opportunistic treasure hunters. 'Mean, he's got money, just didn't strike me as a 'spend my problems away' kinda guy. I'll be honest I thought you were feds. You're not spies or some shit right? I'd be dead already, yeah? Nah, nah..."[/b] Dark eyes flickered between Naoko and Catherine then back to the window itself. He didn't like the silence that accompanied the woman downing the rest of her drink and staring outside, and discomfort made it hard to stop rambling. He thought that thrumming was just his own head until it changed abruptly. Melody became staccato, sharp; a distant, muffled hammering. 'Interruption' she said. Sounded like a range day.