[ In all the years since Endo grew self-aware enough to realize that he had a special talent for excelling in everything he bothered trying, he has rarely had one of his plans go awry. Whether he's waging war on a town or arranging a simple, well-timed birthday celebration, everything typically works out perfectly. There is the rare exception, usually involving Takiishi, but thwarted isn't a word that he's ever really had to apply to himself.
Which is why today is so damn annoying.
All he wanted to do was head to a specific shop a couple of towns over — a shopping district that has suffered due to an uptick in gang activity that rivals even some of the worst towns in Japan, but manages to retain enough business for a few specialty shops to remain open. One of them is a perfume store, and it's the reason Endo makes the journey. They have a nice selection of colognes, and he's in the mood for a new one.
The weather is unseasonably cold. They're barely into autumn and yet snow is predicted later in the day, a forecast that Endo should easily beat back home. The temperatures are expected to drop further, but not until the storm hits. Endo therefore dresses at the bare minimum of warmth, his outfit consisting of a turtleneck sweater, a light jacket, a sleek pair of gloves, and slacks, all of which give him the appearance of someone respectable, rather than a gang leader. That should have been more than enough coverage for the time he planned on expending on the shopping trip — and it would have been, were it not for a series of unfortunate mishaps.
First, the store was closed in advance due to weather. This rendered the entire trip useless, which skewed his overall day. He decided to stop for a bite to eat, which also was a mistake, because the sky began to look threatening while he was finishing his last bites. He still would have had enough time to reach home before the storm unleashed ahead of schedule, but as he left the restaurant, he ended up embroiled in a brawl with a bunch of rowdy kids. They were fresh high school students who were no way near as organized as Furin, and they were fighting over something stupid. Endo was going to leave them to it, but one of the kids decided to try to punch him, and well — he had to exert a little time and effort on taking care of that, as well as the backup team that ran to the area and identified him as an opponent they had to take down.
All in all, it was an easy affair, though one that Endo would have preferred to send someone else to deal with. The initial punch never made contact, and he wasn't touched thereafter. The only real consequence was the snow that started to fall quite heavily before he was done, and the temperature that dropped thereafter. What should have been an easy walk quickly became impossible as visibility plummeted and wet snow seeped into his jacket.
Now he has no choice but to take shelter from the wind in a random, run-down building that once housed a bar and now mostly contains litter, graffiti, and a distinct lack of anything that could make this detour a little easier on him. There are no blankets, no extra clothes — and there's no power, either. Which means no heat.
He has to take off his jacket and shoes because both are wet enough to be dangerous in these temperatures. His sweater and slacks aren't faring great either, but they aren't so damp that he'll freeze to death if he keeps them on. Just in case, he rolls up the legs of his slacks, keeping the wettest parts of the fabric off of his skin. In the end, he huddles in what was once a booth, more irritated than anything else. Stuff like this doesn't, and shouldn't, happen to him — and yet here he is.
And here someone else is, too, apparently, because the door creaks open. Though he's cold, Endo forces himself to stand and adopt his usual languid body language, that way he won't have to exert more energy by putting down someone who takes him to be an easy target. He also speaks before the (other) intruder gets any ideas: ]
Yeesh, can't a guy get some privacy? Who just goes wandering into abandoned buildings these days?
[ Clearly, Endo does. But just to drive home the point, in a more serious tone: ]
@dandelionheart
Which is why today is so damn annoying.
All he wanted to do was head to a specific shop a couple of towns over — a shopping district that has suffered due to an uptick in gang activity that rivals even some of the worst towns in Japan, but manages to retain enough business for a few specialty shops to remain open. One of them is a perfume store, and it's the reason Endo makes the journey. They have a nice selection of colognes, and he's in the mood for a new one.
The weather is unseasonably cold. They're barely into autumn and yet snow is predicted later in the day, a forecast that Endo should easily beat back home. The temperatures are expected to drop further, but not until the storm hits. Endo therefore dresses at the bare minimum of warmth, his outfit consisting of a turtleneck sweater, a light jacket, a sleek pair of gloves, and slacks, all of which give him the appearance of someone respectable, rather than a gang leader. That should have been more than enough coverage for the time he planned on expending on the shopping trip — and it would have been, were it not for a series of unfortunate mishaps.
First, the store was closed in advance due to weather. This rendered the entire trip useless, which skewed his overall day. He decided to stop for a bite to eat, which also was a mistake, because the sky began to look threatening while he was finishing his last bites. He still would have had enough time to reach home before the storm unleashed ahead of schedule, but as he left the restaurant, he ended up embroiled in a brawl with a bunch of rowdy kids. They were fresh high school students who were no way near as organized as Furin, and they were fighting over something stupid. Endo was going to leave them to it, but one of the kids decided to try to punch him, and well — he had to exert a little time and effort on taking care of that, as well as the backup team that ran to the area and identified him as an opponent they had to take down.
All in all, it was an easy affair, though one that Endo would have preferred to send someone else to deal with. The initial punch never made contact, and he wasn't touched thereafter. The only real consequence was the snow that started to fall quite heavily before he was done, and the temperature that dropped thereafter. What should have been an easy walk quickly became impossible as visibility plummeted and wet snow seeped into his jacket.
Now he has no choice but to take shelter from the wind in a random, run-down building that once housed a bar and now mostly contains litter, graffiti, and a distinct lack of anything that could make this detour a little easier on him. There are no blankets, no extra clothes — and there's no power, either. Which means no heat.
He has to take off his jacket and shoes because both are wet enough to be dangerous in these temperatures. His sweater and slacks aren't faring great either, but they aren't so damp that he'll freeze to death if he keeps them on. Just in case, he rolls up the legs of his slacks, keeping the wettest parts of the fabric off of his skin. In the end, he huddles in what was once a booth, more irritated than anything else. Stuff like this doesn't, and shouldn't, happen to him — and yet here he is.
And here someone else is, too, apparently, because the door creaks open. Though he's cold, Endo forces himself to stand and adopt his usual languid body language, that way he won't have to exert more energy by putting down someone who takes him to be an easy target. He also speaks before the (other) intruder gets any ideas: ]
Yeesh, can't a guy get some privacy? Who just goes wandering into abandoned buildings these days?
[ Clearly, Endo does. But just to drive home the point, in a more serious tone: ]
This spot's taken.