Sam had shifted to stand, but ended up watching curiously from over the couch back at the scene that unfolded.
"Hm?" Sam laughed softly as well, standing now with Harina in one arm.
"He didn't do anything at all, actually." He didn't bother hiding the fact he was holding the woman to himself that very moment, smirking some.
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"What?" Ocean looked up, seeming to finally notice Sam. His next glance was at Harina. "What?" Ocean looked back down at Karia, who hadn't made any effort to get up. "Karia, what did your 'guest' do? Do you realize what could happen if–"
"Shush, nothing will happen if no one finds out." Karia held a finger up to his lips, eyes sparkling.
Sam chuckled, moving to sit on the back of the couch with his legs dangling off.
"Besides, it's not like if anyone found her she'd be able to tell them it's actually her. To everyone else, she'll probably just come off as a super creepy doll that looks too much like her. Even if they did figure it out that this is really her, it's not like I hold any close ties to any of you. I'm just a drifter, after all." The man hummed, holding Harina up by the back of her neck to show what he meant. Even if she could speak anymore, Sam had his ways of making sure she wouldn't. Like glue, glue was always fun.
"Yeah, what he said." Karia tilted his head back, looking at Sam with a smile.
"I can't believe you, Karia." Ocean glared down at him. "Get up, you look like an idiot." Karia looked back at Ocean, sighed, and sat up.
"What did I do? Nothing. He just said he did it." Karia waved at Sam. Harina, absolutely enraged, growled at everyone in the room but didn't do anything else. Karia looked over his shoulder and smirked at her.
"He really didn't do anything." Sam hummed, setting Harina back in his lap calmly.
"We were walking, she was a bitch, we quote-unquote 'fought,' and I dolled her, simple as that." Sam flicked Harina's forehead pretty hard when she growled, having none of it from her. The man hummed some, folding one leg under him and letting the other dangle down still as he balanced on the couch back.
"Seriously, there's nothing to worry about. I've done things like this for years and I've never been caught, and I've faced much bigger threats than Harina, here."
Karia nodded along with what Sam was saying, giving Harina a victorious look when Sam flicked her. He was having a wonderful time, Ocean not included.
"I can understand that, but…" Ocean sighed. "Never mind. You can deal with whatever aftermath this causes. And don't mention my name." He gave both Karia and Sam a warning glare but didn't seem inclined to leave just yet.
"Fine by me. I'll be able to handle it myself, anyway." Sam hummed, resting his chin on top of Harina's head with a hum.
"And I'll make sure not to." Sam winked at Ocean, humming some. "Especially if anyone else around town goes missing, either." Sam was having quite a lot of fun, messing with Harina and Ocean alike, even if Harina was too mad to say anything and Ocean wasn't reacting too viscerally.
"You're going to get– oh, gods, Karia. Don't tell me–" Ocean glanced between Sam and Karia, his eyes widening.
"Adrian!" Karia sang, spreading his arms wide in the air. "We're going to get Adrian. It's already decided." Ocean's purple eyes darkened and he launched himself at Karia. Karia gasped and disappeared, appearing on the couch next to Sam. Ocean crashed onto the ground with a growl.
"Karia Waylin!" Ocean yelled, looking up at Karia with a murderous expression on his face.
Sam watched the two, eyebrow quirking up.
"Karia, might I ask why this news upset him so much?" He asked calmly, looking over. He hummed some, head tilting some. He found these interactions quite… Amusing, frankly. He wouldn't mind staying, seeing as he doubted the two would be okay with him taking them.
"Well, Oci is personally invested in what goes on between the more… influential people around here, being one himself." Karia glanced over at Ocean. "You know this is good for you. I'm getting rid of all those annoying pests you're always complaining about!" Ocean got to his feet and stalked towards Karia.
"You realize you're going to start a war, right?"
"Meh." Karia shrugged. "I know you can make it out alive, so who cares? Everyone's been tiptoeing around each other for ages– it's time to do something."
Sam rested his head on Harina's again, chuckling some.
"Well, this wouldn't be the first war I've started," the man mused. "Besides, if I play my cards right I can ensure neither of you gets associated with me, or you could both have plausible deniability when it comes to knowing what I'm doing. Even if it means doing something to someone you are allied with or are important to you as well." Sam shrugged once, shifting to sit fully on the couch for his back's sake.
"Well, I would be easy. A different face, and it's over. Oci, you can solve the problem by never coming over here again," Karia suggested brightly, not moving even as Ocean's eyes flashed dangerously.
"Yeah, that's not happening." Ocean shook his head, then glared at Sam. "And we're not doing that. We're not doing any of this!"
"Why not? Don't you want this?" Karia reached out to poke Ocean's chest, but the man caught his wrist before he could.
Sam tilted his head some.
"Besides, as I've said, I hold no affiliation to either of you, not for me to care enough whether you want me to do this or not. Right now, it's simply a question of if you're going to put yourself on my target list or not." Sam wasn't bluffing. He'd have his fun, one way or another, and while he'd prefer leaving Karia alone, he had no qualms taking Ocean.
"I'd suggest staying out of the way of my fun."
"I'd do as he said," Karia whispered loudly. "Now get out of my house." He gave Ocean a big smile and pulled his wrist out of the man's grasp. Ocean sighed loudly and stared at the ceiling.
"Why did I ever trust you with anything?"
"Because I'm good." Karia shrugged. Ocean shook his head and turned toward the door.
"Don't come near me until this is over."
"The same to you!" Karia waved at Ocean, who left the apartment without saying another word.
Sam chuckled some as the man left.
"Well, that was interesting, to say the least." The man looked over at Karia, humming some.
"Tell me, just how many people are you planning on leading me to? And anyone in particular that'll be an actual challenge? It's fun and all to toy with people like I did with Harina, but real fights are what keep me sharp after all." Sam sat Harina down on the couch, turning to face Karia with his legs folded loosely beneath himself and at his side.
"Yeah. He always is." Karia sighed, shaking his head slightly. Oci was a wonderful man, but he didn't always appreciate Karia's attitude towards life. "Well, there's Adrian. And then there's Mycah. And there's a bunch of other people, but they're not important enough. I think Adrian is dangerous for the number of followers and general power– I guess he's decent at defending himself, though– and Mycah is dangerous for their own power." Karia ticked the people off on his fingers.
"I see, I see. Well then, that'll just make it more fun!" The man clapped his hands together, grinning.
"This will be good, indeed…" Sam hummed, smirking some. "We'll still do Adrian next, then. Then this Mycah person. We can deal with the piddly people like Harina afterward." Sam just seemed to have a lot of fun rubbing it in Harina's face how horrible she'd been at fighting, didn't he? If anything, he was just looking to get her to snap at them, show she could do more than just growl like a little lost puppy.
"I like the way you think." Karia nodded approvingly. "I agree. Adrian comes next." He glanced at Harina and snorted. "Yeah, piddly people."
"How dare you!" Harina yelled suddenly. "Just wait until my people find out what you did! You'll be dead!"
"If you're people fight like you do, I wouldn't even bother." Sam sighed some, knocking the back of Harina's head with his foot.
"I love an easy take and all, but it's boring as hell. Besides, it's not like anyone will ever find you." The man chuckled, looking up at Karia.
"I'm gonna gag her real quick, then we can leave as planned, hm?"
Harina seemed to be shocked into silence. Or maybe she was so angry she couldn't speak.
"Your people don't even know who took you." Karia sighed.
"You– you people–" Harina spluttered.
"Please do that. I can't take her whining anymore." Karia gave Sam a grateful look. "Yeah."
"Plus, if anyone did ever found out who took you, it's not like any of them will ever be able to pose a real threat to me." Sam nodded to Karia.
"Of course. Besides, I'd much rather leave her here then take her literally anywhere else at the moment, and we don't need her screaming while we're gone." Sam stood, grabbing Harina and turning to go into his room. He set her on the bed, rummaging through his bag for something to gag her with.
"Yeah, good point." Karia nodded, laying out on the couch while Sam went into his room. He was practically exploding with anticipation about their undertakings. Destroying the rest of Oci's competition would be really fun, and Ocean would eventually see the good in it. How fortunate that he had run into Sam!
Sam finally found an old pair of socks, turning to Harina. He stuffed one in her mouth, using the other one to secure it around her mouth just in case she tried to spit it out. Once he was sure it was secure, Sam made his way back out of his room, grinning.
"Ready to go," he said, looking quite happy with himself.
"Wonderful!" Karia sprang to his feet and headed towards the door. Most likely, the pair wouldn't be able to actually see Adrian unless they were very lucky, but Karia could show Sam around the general area. And where Adrian would probably be. Before heading out of the apartment, Karia shifted into another one of his disguises. Now it was safe to open the door and show his face.
Sam put his hands in his pockets, following Karia out. He was quite glad to be scouting out the area the next fight would most likely be happening in.
"So, just how long do you think it'll be until we actually end up running into this man?" Sam asked, head tilted.