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Ah! Silly me! I got carried away!

[No he didn’t, he just doesn’t make a habit of introducing himself when meeting people. Call it a leftover habit from the Mafia.]

I’m Dazai Osamu, if you’re used to being introduced in the traditional Western way.

[Yeah, he already knows the basic info about this guy, but as always he has to keep up the charade of the part he’s been chosen to play until it’s no longer necessary.]

And you? I could guess, if you want!

Dazai Osamu... does that mean I call you Dazai-san or Osamu-san? I can't keep it all straight, and people get offended so easily here.

[He gives a cranky little huff, but quickly bounces back to a better mood at Dazai's offer. Now the fun really begins! No one would try to guess a total stranger's name for the heck of it, so he must know something.]

Yeah, sure, try to guess! I won't get mad if you screw it up somehow.

Please, just Dazai is fine.

[His grin takes on a bit of a sharper edge. Clearly this man is onto him. Perfect. It would be too easy if things went smoothly.]

Hmm. How about...Richard?

Just Dazai. Alright.

[With that sorted out, Stephen relaxes into the game with a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Most people who know of him can't wait to launch into questions or recriminations - thank goodness this Dazai Osamu knows how to have fun!]

Nope! Are we doing this three strikes or twenty questions style? And do you want any hints?

Let’s do three strikes. Winner gets to ask one question that the other must answer truthfully.

[This is a loaded game, and Dazai has a feeling that his guest knows it.]

Mmmmmmmm...how about...

[He taps his chin thoughtfully, as if he really has to put much thought into his bullshit answer.]

Anthony?

[Incredibly loaded. This is where anyone with good sense would balk, but...

... boy, does Stephen ever not qualify. He needs to know where this is going, the suspense is killing him!]

You're just choosing the most American names you can think of, aren't you? Ha, that's two strikes.

Ah, you’re onto me, I see! I’ll have to get better at guessing!

[Now he has two options: guess right and risk revealing that he knew all along, or guess wrong and see what happens.]

Hm...how about...David?

[Might as well prolong the fun.]

[He was wrong!

This is where Stephen reveals that he's not some cunning strategist - he claps his hands together in complete glee, convinced that Dazai actually mistook him for someone else and now has to eat crow as a result. What a perfect surprise ending.]

Yoooooou're out! So I get to ask you whatever I want, huh... and you have to tell the truth... [There's only one thing Stephen can know about a stranger with absolute certainty, so of course he asks:] What's your deepest, darkest fear?

Oh my. I really have gotten rusty at the whole guessing game thing.

[Dazai sighs, looking defeated, when in reality he’s glad that things have progressed this way.

That question has the corners of his mouth turning up in a wicked smirk.]

My worst fear? I think I’d have to say...

[The hollowness inside? Being unable to fulfill his promise to Odasaku? Losing everything time and again?]

Myself.

[Wow. He answered honestly, too. Most people protect their real deepest fear by saying something silly like spiders or heights, or take the opposite approach and try to throw him off with "where we go after we die" or "the infinite vastness of the universe," but Dazai answered honestly.

He really does know how to have fun...

Their orders arrive right then, and instead of reacting to what Dazai's said, Stephen grabs his fork and tucks right into his pie. As he's doing that, the bell on the cafe door rings and in walks 18 year old Dazai; he scans the room with his single visible eye, then smiles coolly at the sight of current Dazai and strolls over to sit with him.

Stephen looks up from his pie at the sound of the chair being pulled out. Blinks. Blinks again.]

Uh...

[Hearing about an ability and seeing it are two very different things, Dazai has learned, and that especially holds true now. His eyes widen as he watches an exact image of himself enter the cafe and come to sit next to him, looking as real as can be.]

Oh? Interesting.

[He doesn’t reach out to touch the image just yet, afraid of nullifying the ability before he can learn more about it. The feelings that seeing his likeness from years ago stirs up are hidden beneath his calm exterior, though there’s an undeniable curiousity in his gaze.]

What an interesting ability you have.

[And now Stephen should know that Dazai is no ordinary guy, as if that wasn’t blatantly obvious.]

[Wait. Does Dazai know who he is or not?

He must. In fact, given that he looks so engaged and focused instead of shocked... Dazai might even have found a roundabout way to learn more about Stephen than a sudden cross-examination from a stranger could ever reveal.]

I would've shown you if you'd just asked.

[Stephen's expression shows its first hint of guard since Dazai joined him, big red eyes narrowed and mouth drawn into a line. There's always the chance that people who show too much curiosity about him could spell trouble, and he's finally, finally catching on that a bit of caution wouldn't go amiss here.]

Now what fun would that have been?

[He hums.]

As you can see-

[With a single touch to the bare “flesh” of his other self’s cheek he dispels the ability in a flash of bluish green.]

I also possess an ability.

[Eyes alight with something almost playful, Dazai turns back to face Stephen with a quirk of his lips.]

Tell me, what have you heard about this city?

["Fun," indeed. This is fun at his expense, out of his control, which means that Stephen needs a moment to adjust. He's startled but not frightened by Dazai's display of power - startled because he's never even heard of nullifying as an ability, but not frightened because he was still able to get the information he instinctually knows about everyone he meets. Only throwing up a complete wall would frighten him because he's never been shut out that way before.

No access to the fears of others is his deepest, most primal fear. Is that ironic? He's never gotten the real meaning of irony, so he's not sure.]

Heh, not a lot... probably should've found out more, right? [Stephen's right back to his harmless, pleasant manner, which doesn't actually read as false. He's either a brilliant actor or a tighter and more complex knot than Dazai's been able to work out yet.] When I got the job offer here I didn't have much else on my plate, so I came right away.

[It’s not often that Dazai meets people who outright fear him these days. At least, right up until he reveals exactly what he can do, then most ability users tend to avoid him like the plague. Back in his Dark Era days one look would’ve been enough to send most people scurrying with their tail between their legs. Ah, how times have changed.

Dazai’s smile turns more warm and pleasant as Stephen slips back into his more soft-spoken demeanor.]

Interesting. And what job offer was that?

[Mori has no doubt attempted to sink his claws into this one already, of that Dazai is certain. An ability like that could be a very powerful, persuasive tool in times to come.

He takes a sip of his coffee, as nonchalant as if they were discussing the weather.]

If you don’t mind sharing, that is.

Edited 2018-06-17 03:13 (UTC)

Oh - you're not with them? [Again, Stephen's surprise is every bit as genuine as it seems.] I figured this must be some secret job interview to make sure I'm the real thing... but if not... what are you doing?

[Stephen may not be scared of Dazai, but this is the most caution he's had to feel about any person or situation in a very long time, which says a lot more than fear. As a rule, he's careless to the point of utter recklessness and only confused by any insistence that he should pause to think things through, but Dazai keeps pushing him back into wariness.]

And do you actually know my name?

Oh no. Do I look like the Mafia type?

[Leaving people confused and questioning everything is Dazai’s specialty, but he’s also rather talented at lulling people into a false sense of security before pulling the rug out from underneath them. He’s truly a man of mystery.

Dazai chuckles as he circles a finger around the rim of his mug. Ah, so he’s been figured out! That didn’t take as long as he’d anticipated.]

Indeed I do, Stephen King. I also know about that ability of yours. It’s quite impressive in person, but I wonder what happens if a person’s deepest fear is a feeling rather than a person or a thing.

[... ohhhhhh. Oh. Now Stephen thinks he might know what's going on.

Another group wants to take him for themselves, don't they? Maybe someone who's in competition with the mafia? And this guy's here to make him a better deal. That makes complete sense, and more importantly, makes the whole situation enjoyable again. Stephen can't resist preening just a little at Dazai's praise.]

Ah, well, I don't control that part - It decides how It'll manifest, what form It'll take. Sometimes even I'm surprised! That's the best part of It.

Really? That sounds quite interesting!

[Much as Dazai could engage in small talk all day long, he does have an objective here, which is, indeed, to try and recruit Stephen into the ADA before the Mafia can make another move.]

Now then, have you ever heard of the Armed Detective Agency?

Armed? Here? Heheh, I hope they don't have anything to do with extradition...

[Because armed detectives sound much more American than Japanese, from what Stephen knows about law enforcement here. Even if he's still fairly sure this random encounter is about recruiting rather than capturing him in any way, it's best to be totally sure.]

Not at all! Though if you have reason to be concerned...

[Yes, they technically are armed, but this is about much more than punishing Stephen for his past transgressions.]

But no, I’m here to make you an offer to join us. As you might’ve already guessed, there’s other ability users like you within its ranks. Our job is to investigate cases that the ordinary police couldn’t deal with due to the nature of ability users.

[And a whole lot more.]

And of course there’s also the Port Mafia, but it sounds like you’ve already been approached by them, am I wrong?

Edited 2018-06-17 20:56 (UTC)

[Honestly, he doesn't have too much reason to be concerned. While he was made extremely unwelcome in his home country, Maine in particular, the authorities were unable to make any charges stick because Stephen didn't commit any of the actual crimes. He's mostly moved on to avoid the infamy and how it restricted his life.

And to find out more about this offer from the Port Mafia, of course. Dazai's really on top of his shit, isn't he? And more importantly, does it count as snitching if Stephen just confirms what Dazai's asked?]

I dunno, Dazai... something tells me you're only making this offer to keep me away from the mafia. Your group sounds way too legitimate to actually want someone like me around.

[Oh, if only Stephen knew what kind of person Dazai used to be. He might not accuse the ADA of not wanting someone like himself then, but Dazai isn’t about to correct him.]

We accept all kinds! Not all of us are purely law-abiding citizens, you know!

[Sounds convincing, right? Ah, but his power of persuasion has only begun to kick in.]

Tell me, what kind of things are you expecting the Mafia to ask of you should you join, hmm?

[Believe it or not, Stephen hasn't even considered that yet. He came all the way to Japan without considering what a job with a massive crime syndicate might entail. It shows in his brief, pensive frown and the way he scratches at his hairline.]

Threatening people, I guess? I'm gonna make 'im an offer he can't refuse, that sorta thing. [Stephen's Don Corleone impression isn't bad, as it happens.] People really do flip out when they don't know my ability's coming. I'm not surprised the mafia would want it - they don't even have to touch people that way! What good would it do a bunch of detectives?

[Nice impression, Stephen. Dazai lets out an amused chuckle despite the somewhat serious topic at hand.]

Threatening people, yes. But you’d eventually do more than just make threats. Not very many people are able to survive in the Mafia when they can’t follow orders, and those orders may include killing, sometimes just to make a point. Are you prepared for that?

[A thoughtful hum at the question.]

Well now, if you had the choice of taking away a potentially dangerous thing from someone before they could use it to do harm, would you?