"That's what we need." Mitsu said, lifting a hand like she wanted to place it on his shoulder, before letting it drop back to her side. "Someone else willing to do what it takes to protect people who can't protect themselves." There was something in her tone, something that matched the flicker in her eyes of something darker. "We're taking this fucker down." Even if it kills me. "Think you can handle that?"
Cole smirked down at her, snickering darkly. "I was born for tearing things apart. I am a dragon after all. We're supposed to be fierce." Shihiro grunted at that, shaking his metaphorical head. 'Cole. You know that's not true. You can't believe what others say about you.' Cole ignored him completely.
"You don't seem too much like the type." She commented, arching a brow up at him. Mitsu's lips parted just a bit in a smile that bared her sharpened teeth, which were a mix of adorable and slightly scary, the latter only to humans. "But it'll do. Now. You go over these, I have cupcakes to keep working on."
She made her way back to the counter, busying herself with the cupcakes. "Ask me any questions you have about this stuff. And try not to fuck any of it up, not that I think you will. Getting new copies'd be a pain in my ass."
"I can be. I've been through enough shit as is." He grumbled, sorting through more of the files. "Don't worry. I don't randomly destroy things. I can also be a gentle giant." He teased, turning his head to look at her as a last name flashed across his vision. "This file is of your father, yes?" He asked suddenly, waiving the documents in question. "Was he the last target? Or was there another after him?"
"Yeah. It was my father's." Mitsu confirmed,carefully keeping her eyes on the cupcakes she was frosting. There was that incredible frosting skill, her hands deft and gentle when placing any decoration. "There has been one more after him. Usually, the kills were within days of each other, but if you look at the timeline, they've slowly been spreading out. Some would say it means the killer's declining, but…"
“That’s strange…” he murmured, reading over the case and scowling over the photos. It made his gut lurch. He set them down and instead focused on her delicate hands. “There’s no way it’s declining. It’s probably waiting for a chance to strike.”
"Sort of. My guess? It's planning out each kill, stalking it's target." Which was a terrifying thought, considering the secret she was hiding from everyone around her. "Waiting for just the right moment, like you said. It's learning to hunt, basically. And that…that's even more scary than the senseless killing." Her hands shook just slightly, and she muttered a string of curses as she squished the frosting just slightly. The whole thing was nearly unnoticeable, but she continued the muttering in a blend of languages, setting the 'failed' cupcake to the side. Screwup. Failure. You couldn't save your father, and you can't even decorate a simple cupcake-
Cole shuddered at the thought. "I really don't like that. I don't want to be hunted anymore. It's the whole reason I came to this city… Should have just moved to china. The Eastern Dragon's might be more kind to me. Sure I'll be shunned but they wouldn't let my own kind kill me." He grumbled. Shihiro disagreed with him.
"Why did you move that cupcake over? Looks fine." He commented, moving to lean over her shoulder and watch her hands. He smelled of forest-fire smoke and something like caramel.
"That's why I'm doing this. So that people like us, like you, aren't hunted by something that feels no remorse." Mitsu said, shrugging a shoulder.
When he came up behind her, she stilled for a moment, hands pausing. Then she continued her work, shrugging again. "It's bad. I messed up. See, over where I tried to put the sugar pearl? I smushed it in. That's-I can't let anyone see those. I can't decorate right, I guess. God, it's my hands. I think they're spazzing out-"
Cole decided not to comment on that. She was taking on something much larger than herself. He instead focused on her hands and how delicately they worked. "It's not bad. I could hardly notice it." He inhaled sharply, squinting his eyes. "You decorate just fine. Your hands are alright too. Take a little break. You've made a lot already."
"I can't just stop now, Cole. I have to get these finished for Anya." Mitsune muttered, hands moving quickly. The whole room smelled of cupcakes and sweet things, and it was incredibly hard to tell where that scent stopped and her's picked up. She didn't miss the caramel, though, and smoke. She didn't use caramel often, and smoke made no sense in any other context. It was a strangely intoxicating smell, one that reminded her of the rare camping trips she and her father and brother had gone on when she was a kid. "I don't des-I can't afford breaks, anyway." There was never time for breaks. Not right now. Her hands were starting to shake again though, and she had to lift them to avoid ruing another cupcake. "I didn't screw anything on these up, did I?"
Cole took her wrist in his hand, pulling it away from the cupcake. "You're shaking. Take a break even if it's just for a minute or so." His voice wasn't as harsh this time and even seemed smoother than usual. "I'm not going to give you another choice in this matter. I just met you and all but I refuse to let anyone overwork themselves. You didn't screw anything up now come and sit."
"Mom said breaks are for people who-who don't care where life throws them." Mitsune muttered, her voice so soft it was barely even there. She didn't pull her arm from his grip, just stood there for a moment, staring at the cupcake, before blinking suddenly. Nodding once, she stepped away from the counter, letting him lead her back to the table. "Okay. Just a short break, though. Um…." She needed to think of something to say, to talk about. Something not…herself. "What's your favorite food?"
“Breaks are good for you. Healthy. Shihiro taught me that. You’ll harm yourself if you push yourself too far.” He grunted, rolling his eyes as Shihiro swelled with pride.
He sat down with her but kept quite the distance. It was obvious he was trying distance himself but the purpose for it was unclear. ’Make a friend, Cole. She makes you feel safe, keep her around.’ Shihiro huffed. Cole shrugged.
“Venison. It’s always been my favorite. I love how it tastes especially if cooked in dragon fire…”
"I've never eaten deer, in any form." Mitsune mused, gazing down at her ring as she spun it around her finger. The stone glinted in the light, a dark chunk of obsidian that, for a split second, seemed to have something swirling inside of it. "When I was little, I almost did, I think. When I was really little, we went to some fancy dinner for my dad's work, and that was supposed to be the main course. I had an allergic reaction to the shrimp side they served though." She wrinkled her nose, huffing a laugh. "I think there's a restaurant a couple blocks away that serves venison. It's actually near one of the crime scenes, so that's…."
She tilted her head, eyes following something across the kitchen. Something that wasn't there. She seemed unaware that she had trailed off, shaking her head once as her hand shifted, finger almost seeming to be pointing at something on one of the counters. Something shifted on the counter, and she nodded, blinking as her eyes trailed back to the door. "It might be a place to stop by. Visiting the crime scenes, you know."
"I've had it in every way imaginable; raw, cooked, seasoned, plain, I've even eaten just the organs inside. They're too fatty for my taste though so I tend to avoid them." He chuckled softly, tilting his head. A restaurant that served venison sounded rather amazing.
He stared intently at her as he waited for the rest of her sentence. "It might be a good idea. But are you sure you're in the right mind space to do so? You seem a little distracted."
"Hm? Oh, yeah, no, it's a great idea. Sorry, I was just…thinking about something." It was obvious she was lying, not even bothering to hide it, but she didn't seem upset. Not like she had been earlier, when they'd tried walking past the living room. "Anyway, I think it's the best idea I've had since I got drunk and decided to down an entire tray of cocktail shrimp, which we have covered that I am allergic to, and then get married to a stranger. Luckily the last one didn't happen." Mitsu rambled, jumping up from the chair to start finishing up the cupcake things she could. Anything else would be finished later. And Cole and Shihiro had been right. The break had been good, however short. Good enough for her to not shake as she cleaned up. "And we're gonna do it like, tonight. You ready to break into a crime scene with me?"
“Mhm. I think it’s a good idea too.” He replied quietly, thinking about his financial situation at the moment. He could afford a small dinner if they went to a restaurant beforehand but he’d be behind on his rent.
“Maybe avoid the shrimp and seafood this time, alright?” He added absentmindedly, watching her carefully. “I am. I have nothing better to do. Mind as well use my time doing something productive.”
"Yeah, yeah, no seafood. Nothing alcoholic, either, because I'm prone to trying to eat it while drunk." She snorted, tossing a wink over her shoulder at him. "This'll be my treat, tonight. A thanks for helping me out, and sticking around to catch this guy. Even with a scatterbrained partner." Done with what she had to say, she began humming as she finished up, setting all the cupcakes that she finished aside on various dessert pyramids. They were decorated in an entire rainbow of colors, the sugar pearls on some of them scattered about.
“Alcohol doesn’t effect me as bad. Dragons have special drinks made for our systems.” He admitted. “I don’t drink often though.” Cole looked away, blushing at the wink. He didn’t get many of those. His resting expression scared away others. “I don’t mind. I’d rather be safe. Besides, talking to someone is nice.” He smiled weakly at her, moving to stand next to the cupcakes and admire them.
"It is, especially when you basically live alone." Mitsune wasn't supposed to live alone. Her brother was never here though, and her dad was obviously…gone. Which was no good for someone who needed social contact to survive. "You don't drink often? What's your favorite specially made dragon drink, then?"
“It is nice to speak with someone who isn’t attached to me like a parasite.” He mused, blocking out Shihiro’s angry complaints. “I don’t drink often. I haven’t had many alcoholic drinks from the dragons either.” He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “There’s one that doesn’t have a name in human but it’s a mix of heavy fermented berries and quite a lot of magic.”
"Sounds kind of like wine, but like….advanced." She commented, handing him a plate of cupcakes as she moved to cleaning up only. "I was never a fan of wine. Just really fruity drinks. What's the drunkest you've been before? And funniest bad decision made while drunk."
“It is, basically, except it’s the strongest drink for us.” He chuckled lightly, tilting his head as Shihiro reminded him of his own drunken adventures.
“The first time was my most drunk. I was around fifteen? Maybe fourteen? It was Shihiro who told me how to make a good alcohol. It was a little too strong for me. Funniest thing to happen while I was drunk…. Well, I tried to seduce a sea dragon who happened to just want to eat my eyeballs. That was fun.” He chuckled at the memory. At the time it was a terrifying experience but now he found it funny.
“You don’t understand the significance of her wanting my eyeballs though. Not until you learn this basic principle: any Lesser Soul is bound to a host through something the host could never give up and holds close. For some dragons it’s a valuable stone, for other’s rings and jewelry. For me, it’s my eyes. We call them Binds. If my eyes are taken from me and destroyed, Shihiro can be Unbound from me. This particular sea dragon ate the Lesser Souls of the Elite and found Shihiro rather appealing. But she couldn’t take him from me unless she ate my Bind, my eyes.” He explained, feeling awkward that he had shared so much already
"Damn." Mitsune said, arching a brow at him as she washed dishes. That way beat out any of hers, for sure. Well, maybe not a couple, but to be fair, it was hard to beat getting kicked out of the Museum of Natural History and banned for life. "So your eyes are a big thing. Good to know, if we ever get caught fighting for our lives. Somebody's gotta protect 'em." She joked, moving past him to load the dishwasher. "Sucks that that means you didn't seduce her. Woulda made a funny story hilarious."