[ OPEN ] 2 EYES? 2 POWERFUL.

[crudest]

WHO: Baren Kaiyou & you!
WHERE: throughout Recollé
WHEN: about a week, starting from June 25th
WHAT: You get an eyepatch, and you get an eyepatch, and yoU GET AN EYEPATCH. Also: burning building graffiti.
WARNINGS: nothing, really!

[Anyone who knows Baren and sees him regularly might've noticed that he was completely off the grid on the 24th. No text messages, no new graffiti, no nothing.]

[ I : WALK, WALK, FASHION BABY ]

[Despite all expectations, a new trend has swept over some parts of Recollé seemingly overnight. It's pirate chic, it's like the return of the monocle's shitty obstructive cousin, it's probably inhibiting your depth perception -

It's eyepatches.

Those faceless mannequins that model clothes now wear them, employees manning the cash registers in high fashion boutiques now wobble uncertainly as they fumble for your cash because they're wearing them, and people seem to be scrambling to figure out how to get more... eyepatches.

Meanwhile, you might find Baren in the whole mess. As one would expect, he too is now wearing an eyepatch. (See icon.) He might be A ) mumbling to himself as he brushes some of his bangs out of his hair out of habit, not because he apparently needs to see, and marvels at some of the shops in Tisse. His commentary is judgmental, though not without amusement:] Isn't it amazing what people will buy these days?

[Or B ) he's wandering around to do a shoot when the photographer decides - no, this isn't enough. Baren is naturally offended but also he wants to go home, so he looks to anyone who's wandering over and waves them down:]

Hey you! Wanna have your 5 seconds in the limelight?

[Sounds promising.]

[ II : I'M A FIREBALL ]

[Across the street from a nondescript cafe somewhere in Recollé, there's a new addition. The building is a few stories tall and one might remember it being completely empty of color two days ago aside from the boring brick.

Today, it depicts the image of a likeness of the Retrospec building on fire.

Baren looks upon it as he drinks his tea (and there's a sudoku book in front of him like he's an old man) and he just. Laughs. He laughs a lot. He's still wearing the eyepatch and the tone of his voice is more than a little bit twisted, but well.

That's Baren for you.

(It dies down when the waitress comes by to ask him if he needs anything and he'd just like a refill of his tea, thank you.)]

[ III : WORK IS NEVER OVER ]

[You know the thing is that Baren loves freebies. He loves to get extra items from work and gift packages from brands that want him to wear their stuff - but the terrible thing about eyepatches is that there's. So. Many of them. It's close to a week later when he's legitimately just got too much on his hands for this stupid niche trend and so he's.

Just shoving them anywhere.

Look at the options.

It might show up along with your morning order of a bagel. Maybe it's in your mailbox. Maybe it's shoved inside your pocket (how did it get there).

Maybe Baren, in his desperation, just dropped one from a higher floor or story or chucked it a random behind him and it landed in your hands. Or on your head.

He doesn't know, he doesn't care, but hallelujah, it's raining eyepatches.]

[ IV : WILDCARD ]

[None of these work for you? Wanna make a gross hybrid out of the prompts? Wanna plot something else! Hit me up a evergrace and we can conjure up something just as terrible as the rest of these ideas, if not more!]

Comments

1a.

[sotenbori]

[ honestly, majima's pressed. regaining the fact he was missing an eye was bad enough but now it feels like the whole town is mocking him. he's pretty over it from the second the new fashion trend graces his otherwise Would've Been Fine Day.

And that's when he runs into Baren. Baren asks him the question about what people are stupid enough to buy, but he's finally put the pieces together between his acquaintance Baren and Baren-the-model-whose-presence-would-do-this. It's a theory that Baren's face supports pretty well. ]

Ya got somethin' ta do with this shit?

[crudest]

You mean besides being forced into it for work?

[His tone sounds bored, a different kind of annoyed - he's an appreciator of pirate chic though he does look over to Majima and raises a brow. Hm.]

But that's probably not the case for you - shit. Sorry.

[It's not a direct sorry. It's not the "sorry I came up with this stupid plan and ended up getting you caught it in" like it... should be... but more of a "sorry that this incredibly unfortunate timing happened to you, dude."]

[sotenbori]

[ majima's good eye narrows for a second like he's trying to figure out if baren is telling the truth or not. baren is, after all, a habitual lair - he's gathered that much listening to the stories baren has told his girls and the things they talked about in person. what's the benefit here? if he's lying vs not?

but he's pretty sure baren is just giving him shit because just like he's been trying to keep people from worrying about him, that's obviously pretty high up baren's list of desires too. maybe not for the same reasons. majima doesn't want to worry people. baren doesn't want to let people in. and admitting that he was missing an eye vs. just pretending it's all for work is a great way to do that.

and there's more to it too -- it's one thing to have memories from the past you think aren't real. but it's harder to keep telling yourself it's all fake when you get a regain like this. he's always believed the memories he got were real, but he could tell from their conversation baren didn't want to feel the same way. majima knows, via kiryu, that losing an eye has put him one step closer to the man he used to be. for all that that might be something for a twisted comfort for majima, he knows that's not the case for everyone.

so baren's probably freaking out, on the inside. so he's being a high key asshole on the outside to cover for it.

fair, i guess. and majimas normal way to interact with baren is to meet him where he wants to be met, not try to call him out on it or uncover the truth. if they both know the truth there's no point to embarrassing baren and making a spectacle of it. he'll play along. even if playing along means getting "mad" at him for that bullshit apology. ]

So ya're just appropriatin' eyepatches for shits an' giggles, then?

[ indignant anger: #nailedit ]

III

[thesettingsun]

[So, the thing about throwing an eyepatch behind you and not looking to see who catches it is that anyone could be behind you. Anyone.

Baren may not have looked behind him - he probably wouldn't have thrown the eyepatch if he had - but he can still hear a familiar voice with a dreamy quality to it.]

Baren Kaiyou gave me a gift...

[Shuji's holding that eyepatch close to his chest like it's a precious, precious thing, which it is. The rose on it even matches his hair, it's perfect.]

[crudest]

[ . . . . .

Baren has regrets.

And despite his urge to keep walking, his morbid curiosity insists that he... turn back... and stare.]

Ah... Dammit.

[thesettingsun]

[Sorry, Baren, but Shuji's too delighted with the 'gift' to even notice his discomfort.]

I'll take good care of it, I promise! Thank you so so so much!

[Baren made a nerd's day.]

ii and iii mega-combo

[stopbleeding]

[The graffiti had caused him to pull over. Two years of friendship and about fifty stolen shirts had made Baren's work immediately identifiable. Any other day it would be one of the few pieces of art he could appreciate. Today, he just hopes it will lead him to Baren.

Lo and behold.

The cafe table shakes under the heft of the bag he places upon it. Two eyepatches chime against Baren's iced tea as the bag slumps over. Zoro stands oppressively silent in front of him, his contempt cold and palpable.]

You need to be more subtle.

[For once, this isn't exaggerated annoyance. There's an invisible thread between them, tense and ready to snap.]

[crudest]

[To be honest, Baren thought it was funny.

There was a pirate joke dying to be made, so he made it. Many, many, many times over, because he kept laughing to himself on the car ride over when he was leaving all that shit with Zoro. But then there's this and Baren's automatic reaction is to scoot his chair back in case he needs to run immediately. He just figured out a solution to his new cosmetic change, he doesn't have time to deal with his other eye turning black too.

Though for now he doesn't stand, instead flicking his gaze up to Zoro.]

It's only obnoxious if someone knows it's me.

[stopbleeding]

You think after two years I wouldn't? You really don't have a high opinion of me.

[That's not true. They would have split ways a long time ago if it were. But there's a chance that the words will sting and right now that's all that matters.

His gaze is analytical and unwavering; the professional coming out. The chair pushing back is an obvious sign. That unnecessary instinct to run kicking in. Is he scared? Zoro hopes so. There's a shameless part of him that would take pride in it.]

I threw my old eyepatches in there for you. A present. The blood's still on them. Figured that'd make them authentic.

[It's a bluff but it's a damn good one. There's enough eyepatches in there to obscure the truth, at least for a bit.]

iii, god

[adoringpast]

[ Sena just. Doesn't get the weirdass craze either. It's stupid, and not to mention very gaudy. So of course he expected Baren to be all behind this somehow.

So when he gets back to the agency from a shoot and sees an eyepatch among his things, he squints, scowls, looks around the room to find that bastard, and just throws it at Baren's back REALLY HARD because HE IS NOT GOING TO PARTICIPATE IN THIS FUCKING FAD YOU ENABLER ]

[crudest]

[To Sena's credit, Baren's too busy throwing extra eyepatches literally everywhere - he's arranging one artfully on the lens of a camera - to actually dodge this time. So there's just a brief hiss before he turns back and glares.]

The hell's your problem, Zukkini?

ib

[admiringly]

[ Chiyo's doing her last delivery for Enchanted Blossoms that day, and she was trying to figure out a way to go around the shoot without interrupting it when she's called out to. She freezes on the spot, and her fingers instinctively wrap tighter around the bouquet in her hands.

Eyes wide, she looks around and behind her. There's no one else near her? She'd point to herself if she weren't holding something. Therefore, all she can do is squeak out a high: ]

Me?

[crudest]

[ . . . oh, it's a cute girl.

Baren reconsiders his previous directness and shakes his head, running a hand through his hair and offering her a gentler smile.]

Only if you have a minute to spare.

II.

[goen]

[ Yato hears Baren laughing and turns to see the source of his wild amusement. That painting wasn't there a few days ago, and truth be told it's impressive that it sprung up so fast. One hand resting habitually now on the grip of the katana at his hip, the other loose at his side, Yato stares up at the mural of the burning Retrospec building.

He stares for quite some time. ]

This yours?

[ The usual wary contempt in his voice when he speaks to Baren isn't there anymore. Nor is the active, emotional tempo of his everyday speech. Just a low, barely-there curiosity that could live with or without a proper answer. ]

[crudest]

You don't think that's an insult to the actual artist?

[Which is to say - yes, it is. But Baren won't own it quite so easily. It's something he won't acknowledge in a public space but regardless, his eyes automatically drift to the sword.]

Did Yamyamtaro get to you too, Samurai Sweaty?

ii

[esperimental]

[ Ritsu has some mild discomfort when he sees the graffiti of a building on fire come into view as he's passing by, only growing when some weirdo was cracking up while looking at it. Has he seen it before? Ah... the Retrospec building huh. He didn't like them any more than the next person using their "service", but the kid is still too Lawful--Something--to let it slide. ]

How long has that been there?

[ That wasn't particularly addressed to anyone and more him wondering aloud, but feel free to answer, Mr. Weirdo. ]

[crudest]

[When Lawful Something meets Chaotic Something.

Still, Baren just tilts his head at that - he doesn't have an answer, or so it... looks.]

You interested, kid?

II

[originallutece]

[Of course she's noticed the graffiti.

How could she not? It's right there, bright and a little eye-searing (hah, get it?), and surely painted by someone from the app. It's good, she supposes, even if it is rather a dreadful subject matter; Rosalind will give the painter points for that. And really, it might have been fine were it not for the laughter.

She comes to this cafe specifically because it's quiet and a good place to get work done, and now there's this, so disruptive she can't help but glance up and focus on him.

Actually. He looks rather familiar, doesn't he? Rosalind frowns for a few seconds, trying to remember, but finally:]

Were you the one who painted that, then?

[crudest]

[The answer is yes.

But Baren's not really the type to give direct answers, though he also wonders how much trouble he'd get in for this if most of the police force doesn't know about the Retrospec nonsense at all... Still, he dances around the subject matter anyway.]

I dunno, it's a little too overt for my tastes.

III

[impulsives]

[ Shin was just heading back to his dorm to be honest. Just wanting to catch a nap after his shitty morning shift. Well, before a sudden eyepatch to the face just caused him to stumble briefly. ]

...The heck?

[ It took him a few seconds to realize that this most certainly came from the guy that's just walking in front of him. So he's going to just try catching up. ]

Ya might wanna actually aim towards a trash can if you want to get rid of this eyepatch.

[ He might be nosy, but dang people can get injured if they aren't careful. ]

[crudest]

[Baren just raises a brow - ]

I'm donating to charity.

[he says, to the guy who came running up to him...]

Yeah, you look like a deserving cause.

ii; hope a late tag-in is ok!

[protegge]

You're missing the seven.

[This from somewhere behind Baren's left shoulder. Then all of a sudden Mista's sitting down across from him, tapping a space on the puzzle.]

Right there.

[As it happens, there's already a seven filled in on this puzzle. It's possible that Mista has no idea what sudoku is. He glances dubiously at the wall.]

Fuck's so funny about it?

[crudest]

[ . . . . . . . . ]

And I think you're missing a few marbles, but you don't see saying shit about it unasked.

[except he just did

but anyway - ]

You missing a sense of humor too? Or are you actually welcoming our evil brain-tripping overlords?

1a!

[sharplydressed]

[Guess who isn't impressed by this trend? KIYOMITSU. Guess who's still looking at decorative eyepatches anyway?? Yeah, this idiot.

To be fair, the ones with soft flowers and delicate blown glass beads and ribbons are prettier than any eyepatch has a right to be, and he may or may not be wondering if he could get away with turning one into a choker or a hair decoration.]

What, did you get yours for free? Some new promo?

[Not that he'll disagree... He's seen people buy flocking powder for fuzzy lips, okay. Fashionistas see a lot.]

[crudest]

[Just follow fashion, Kashuu. Just do it. Baren needs this to work out.]

Yeah, my agent demanded I get in on it to make up for... something I did.

[like any regular day.....]

I might have some spares. You want? It's not like I can wear more than one at a time.