Though she noticed him moving the knife away, she didn’t comment, focusing instead on his next words as she blinked. He wanted her to smile? She reaches up, brushing her fingers over her lower lip and furrowing her brows just slightly. “I don’t know if I even can. Not the way you want me to, I don’t think.”
Tali shook his head and slid a little closer. “Just try for me.” He murmured, “I just want to see.” He smiled dorkilly for her as if giving an example.it doesn’t have to be the way I want.” He just wanted her to show some emotion for once. He was sad she didn’t have many.
Osora’s lips twitched up reflexively, not into a happy smile. A smile that was more baring her teeth. A smile that tasted so strongly of smoke and fear that it made her hands shake, and she had to drop it. Sharp as a knife and twice as deadly, fear instilling. And she knew better than anyone the price fear could have. “I-I’m sorry. They just don’t work quite the same way.” She lifted a still trembling hand, tapping his chest over his heart, and then her own. “I can feel them. I just can’t show them.”
He sighed deeply and nodded, taking her trembling hand in his. He held it for a moment before pulling it to his face, his lips brushing against her knuckles in a small kiss. He grinned devilishly up at her. “It is alright, smiles and emotions are hard things to master and deal with. Especially when you have such trauma.” He paused, leaning back as he looked over her. “Could I get a number from you?”
"Twenty four." She said, her face as neutral as ever. Though, if one looked closely, they might notice the way her cheeks darkened just slightly with color at the kiss he had pressed to her hand. While she might not have been able to show much emotion, it did show on occasion, in small ways you had to look for. "I can write it down, or we can swap." The trembling in her hands had eased a bit, but it seemed like it wasn't going to go anywhere for a bit. It always happened after she used that smile, and the longer she held it, the worse the shaking and side effects. Too many memories attached to it.
Tali covered his mouth with his free hand, trying to hold back a laugh. “That’s not what I meant.” He mused, smiling when he noticed the small blush on her features. “Let’s swap.” He pulled a rather nice phone from his pocket, beaming at it. He had stolen gotten a discount on it from a woman who offered many gifts for one night. Tali did that kind of thing often. It was the easiest way to get things. And he was well built for it too.
A soft snicker left his parted lips. Human’s were so gullible and sex-driven. “Here, put yours into my phone and I’ll text you.”
"If it wasn't what you meant, then you might want to consider specifying next time you ask a girl for her number." Osora stated, pulling her phone out of her pocket. It was a cheap and older-model cell, but it worked, and had withstood many a fight with criminals. She set it on the counter before taking Tali's, entering her number and naming her contact 'Toki'. "There. Text me, so I can save your number."
He shook his head and hummed happily. “You’re so cute, you know that right?” He purred, winking as he looked down at his phone. “Alright, Toki.” Tali sent a quick text - a simple ‘Hi! ;)’ - And looked up at her expectantly. “Did you get it?”
The skin stealer shifted slightly, bringing a hand up to rub at his face. “Mm I still feel stiff from that much of a transformation.” He said suddenly. “My face is rather numb.”
Cute, again? She raised an eyebrow, shaking her head at him. Her phone went off, not a ding, but a chime, like that of a clock, and she picked it up to save his number. When he mentioned his face feeling numb, she furrowed her brows, looking up at him. "It does? Does that happen often?"
Tali nodded slowly, sticking his tongue out at her and grinning. “Only when I use my power’s too much. Eventually, if I change too much, I go numb and have to sleep it off. By morning it’s back to normal.” He explained, leaning against the counter once again.
When Tali stuck his tongue out at her, Osora snapped a quick picture, making that his contact photo. “So shouldn’t you be sleeping, instead of hanging out with a strange woman in a convenience store?” She asked, raising an eyebrow without looking up from her phone.
He gasped when he heard the snap of the camera. “Hey! What’s that for?!” He asked with a huff, pouting. “Now I get to take a picture of you. And no, I’d rather be hanging out with a cute, strange girl than be sleeping.” Tali was serious. He didn’t want sleep. “Besides, I can just eat a ton of calories and it’ll work in the same way. I burn so many calories it’s ridiculously hard to not be hungry all the time.”
"I never agreed to any deal where you get to take a picture of me." She said, shrugging a shoulder and setting aside to pull her hair up into a short ponytail. Bits still hung out in the front, framing her face with a visible contrast to the darker tone of her skin. "If it's calories you're looking for, I recommend tempura and curry. There's a place over in Koshikawa that's got some of the best I've ever had."
“You got one of me, it’s only fair.” He replied with a stupid grin. “Now come on, at least look into the camera.” He held up his phone and pointed to the small black circle on the back. “It’s right here, all you have to do is stay still.”
At the mention of curry he suddenly perked up. “Oh?! I fucking love curry… would you like to come with me?”
“I know where a phone camera is, you know.” Osora said, sighing slightly and looking up from her phone. “One picture. If I go with you, I have to get food for my family, because somehow that happens to be ever single one of them’s favorite restaurant.” Which meant getting Reeha food too, because she was as good as family. “Just a warning.”
“Alright then, say cheese!” He grinned as he said the word, as if showing her how to smile. He laughed softly after he snapped a quick photo and placed it as her contact photo. “There. Now I’ll your number and your face to remind me of our encounter.”
The skin stealer stood straight and flashed her a confident look. “Not a problem. If you give me ten minutes top while we’re in the restaurant I can get the food for free.” He snickered lightly. “Most humans will give you anything if you offer the right things.”
Osora frowned slightly at that, shaking her head once. “Absolutely not. That would be one hell of a meal to pay for, with money or whatever other services you’re referring to.” She crosses her legs on the counter, eyes flickering to the door as she wondered how long Maki would take. “I’ll pay.” She looked back at him. She blinked suddenly, her eyes flickering past him at something behind him. “Goddammit Poe, get off of the display rack.” She sighed, sliding off the counter to scoop a small black cat off of a display rack full of candy. The cat meowed indignantly, cuddling against her chest anyway and looking at Tali. One yellow eye blinked at him, the other closed thanks to a large scar.
He snickered and shoved his hands into his pockets. “Hey, I’m good at getting what I want. It’s not too hard. But of course there are always exceptions. Like you. I just can’t seem to get to you.” He hummed.
When she looked somewhere beyond him he frowned, turning to see what it was that captivated her interest. The cat came as a surprise to him. “Oh, a kitty!” He hummed happily and stepped closer, offering his hand for the cat to sniff. “My Shrine had a lot of cats. It’s was amazing. If I remember correctly my shrine was here, in Japan somewhere.”
“I’m not the kind of person that can be got.” Osora stated simply as Poe let out a ‘murp’ and wriggled our of her arms, using her shoulders as a ledge to hop up onto Tali’s shoulders. “Cats love shrines. A lot of free food for them to steal, and as I’ve never seen a god or spirit smite a cat for stealing their offerings, I’m guessing they don’t mind them hanging out.” She tilted her head, watching Poe for a moment. “He’s acting oddly friendly for a cat that once ate my exe’s pant leg the first time he came over. Do you remember where your shrine might have been?”
Tali giggled at the cat, rubbing his head and smiling. “You’re such a soft kitty, pretty kitty,” he fawned over Poe, almost missing what she said. “Oh yeah, I didn’t mind them stealing my food, but I’m no god. I’m just… different.” He murmured, looking back at her as he scooped the cat into his arms, petting him with a happy smile. “Mm somewhere in Kumamoto… it was next to a big forest shrine. Mine was much smaller though, but still placed in the forest.” He hummed softly. “Kumamoto is a prefecture, right?”
“Where you’re thinking of, yeah.” Osora nodded, huffing a breath of air as she watched Tali with her cat. It sounded almost like a laugh, and the flicker in her expression supported that. “His treats are behind the counter.” She shook her head, grabbing her phone as it chimed again, the same sound as a clock. “Maki’s on his way. Hopefully with good news.” The last sentence was muttered to herself, as she typed a response. She was a bit more invested in her sibling’s love lives than she would admit, partly because of her own lack of one. It wouldn’t work out anyway. Nobody can handle who you are or what you do.
Tali nodded gently, going back to playing with the cat. He had an unusual bond with the animals. Cats just found him appealing and he them. He swept around the counter and pulled the cat treats from their place, offering one to the kitty in his arms. “Here you are, pretty thing~” He cooed, smiling happily.
His eyes landed on her as she spoke. “Your brother I assume?”
“Yeah. He was supposed to open after school, but-“ Osora stopped suddenly, turning to look at the door. “Look at that, he’s here.”
And she was right. A few moments later, a seventeen year old boy with jet black hair ran up to the door, throwing it open and grinning wildly. “She said yes! I asked her and she said yes! Oh my god Toki I’m going out with her Friday!” Maki threw his arms around his smaller sister, lifting her up and laughing. “You were right!”
Tali watched in amusement as the boy burst into the shop. He leaned against the counter, snuggling Poe quietly.
Tali had no siblings. He had no parents. He was found abandoned in a dumpster by some superstitious old woman who ran the smaller-level shrines in Japan. She had grown up in Korea, but loved Japan more and so moved there. She had been visiting family in Korea when she happened upon him. He was raised in Korea until he was six, then was moved to Japan.
Soon after he had turned seventeen himself, Tali realized he wasn’t a deity at all and left the shrine. He moved to America and found his talent to be very useful for getting what he wanted. He had been stealing to life since then, sometimes offering his body to compensate for the prizes he received.
He longed for someone to love him, for someone to touch and hold and kiss him. He needed it. He had been touched starved for so long he got excited when someone’s hand brushed against his.
That was why Tali was in Japan. He was looking for someone to date, to wife. And something half told him to return to where he had been raised for most of his child and teen life.
“I’m always right.” Osora stated, her eyes sparkling slightly as she set her hands in her brother’s shoulders. She squeezed once, letting him know that she hadn’t been startled too much, but he set her down anyway, knowing what that could do to her. That was the price of the things she had been through. Saving the city so many times meant hugs from her own family could send her into a fit of panic that nobody had been able to draw her out of.
“So, Usaki?”
Maki nodded, his grin brightening. “Yeah! God, Osora, her eyes lit up when I asked her? And that was the most adorable thing ever holy shit. So who’s the guy?” The subject jumping wasn’t uncommon with her family, as ADHD was an inherited trait for them, received from their mother’s side. Maki turned to face Tali, tilting his head. “And how did he manage to get Poe to do that?”