Holding Down the Fort (Open)

Is wasn't your average day for the staff members-er... Should I say staff member, of Anteiku. The manager and the rest of Anteiku's staff had taken a trip to the 5th ward on business, and one member was left to run Anteiku during their absence. Genki Eyo. He'd only been a waiter at the small shop for close to a year now, and hardly felt qualified to act as manager for the time being.

"I better get a promotion after this shit."

It was in the midst of October, and the chilly air easily rolled through the shop door, which the manager always kept open, it representing that Anteiku is open to everyone, Human or Ghoul. And to make matters worse, the day had been slow, and Eyo had no one to converse with to take his mind off of the cold.

"It's weird. It being so slow today."

Wandering the streets of the 20th ward, too look for a potential hobo that wouldn't be missed, ended up being an exercise in futility. He didn't want to go for just any old person, as he didn't want to start drawing attention to himself when it wasn't needed, so to Anteiku Washi went. If he ever did end up with prey, he would always bring any leftovers for the cafe to share out. Not this time though.

Washi was surprised to find only one person tending the cafe, when he walked in through the door. Usually, there are plenty of ghouls here working as waiters and baristas. He sat down at the counter and put his hand up, as a greeting. "Why is nobody here?" He asked, then shook his head. "Never mind that for now... Could I get a coffee? Any will do."

Eyo heard footsteps as a customer roamed through the door.

"Yeah, of course. It'll be out in a few minutes."

Eyo strode to the back of the shop, over to the cabinet where they stored all their coffee beans. After a few minutes of deciding, he picked up a bag of, 'Susano'o Morning: Deep Roast.' He dumped the beans into the coffee maker, and in 4 minutes, it was ready. Eyo carefully shuffled back to the customer, and placed his drink in front of him.

"Here's some meat cubes for you if you want them. Enjoy your coffee."

"Thank you." Washi replied, but moved the meat cubes to the side. He sipped the coffee and cleared his throat. "Now, here is the time to ask why nobody is here. Why is nobody here? Even customers wise, the place is empty." Washi asked, wondering if he missed a CCG raid or something like that. That would have been a real shame, though it couldn't be the case. The place was still standing. He sipped at the coffee again and prepared to listen.

"The manager and the rest of the staff took off for the 5th ward today. Apparently there's some up and coming underground Ghoul shelter there, and Anteiku's delivering food there, in huge quantities."

Eyo sat at the table across from Washi. He slipped two meat cubes into his 'Afternoon Chin Chin: Light Roast' coffee, and then took a big sip.

"Although the shop seems pretty empty, there's only about 5 or 6 members of the staff including the manager. We used to be in the 20's, but over half of our staff disappeared after attempting to make a big delivery into the 11th. Believe me, I'm all for helping people, but a trip into the 11th really seemed like a waste."

"Disappeared, presumed dead, I assume?" Washi asked, even though it was pretty obvious. The eleventh ward was a warzone after all. He sipped at the coffee again, and sighed, leaning his head on his hand. "I'm so bored, dude. I want to go hunting... But I'd need to go into a different ward for that, and it's just a massive pain in the arse..."

"Depends on what you mean by hunting. If it's humans, I'll pass. However, if you plan on hunting down the lesser Ghouls, I'll tag along. It wouldn't hurt to strengthen my Kagune, don't you agree?"

Eyo took another long drag of his coffee, and then took his cup and dish up to the counter. He took off his vest, and put on his sweatervest.

"My shift's over, so, take your pick."

"What about Doves? I can do lesser ghouls too. If they want to fight. I'm not a cannibal though." Washi replied, then downed the rest of his coffee. "Only Doves are worth it with someone else, when it comes to humans. When I need food quick, I go alone." He said, standing up.

"Whatever makes you sleep at night. I'm down."

Eyo grabbed his black trench coat from the staff's lounge in the back of the room, and then made for the exit, following Washi. He locked the door up tight, and turned to face his new partner in crime.

"The name's Genki Eyo. They call me Cleaver. Nice to meet you."

Eyo greeted Washi with a happy smirk, and an outreached hand.

"I haven't made a name for myself yet. Maybe you could think of something for me once you see my kagune. Name's Washi." Washi introduced himself and returned a smile, taking the hand and shaking it. "What ward, then?"

"Yeah. I'm sure I can come up with something for you, Washi. And as for which ward we're going to, I'd say we should hit the 13th. With the rising Ghoul population, there's bound to Doves everywhere. However, since there's structures everywhere, we should be able to pick them off one by one."

Eyo pulled out his trusty smartphone and pulled up a map of the 13th ward. He pointed to the left corner.

"We should start here. There's more housing, meaning only moderate threat. Lead the way, Washi."

"Alright." Washi said, pulling his hood over his head and moving on. "I guess I could just call myself Hawk. My name means hawk, spoilers, my kagune looks like a pair of wings, and my mask has a nosepiece that looks like a beak. Sooo... Yeah. I think I came up with a name all on my own."

(New thread?)

(Yeah)