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[deniles]

For shipping/smut/anything else.

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[bartenderizing]

[ Honestly, even if you just ask for tea, Denis would still give you a meal. It depended on how much the guy liked you. Which is why Shizuo went ahead and kept the guy from going past what Shizuo's price range was. Which was both edible and pretty cheap.

He was about to take a sip of his water when that comment came out. ]

... Y'know, usually nothing good comes from someone that says something along those lines. Before you ask, I don't do hits and I'm not connected to the Yakuza.

[ Well, he kind of was, in a very loose way. ]

[deniles]

[Niles would just give the meal to Shizuo. It's fine. He's got the cash. Humming lightly, he chuckles.]

Relax, I'm not here for that.

[He can do his own hits and he has slight yakuza connections, that's not the point here.]

I do, however, need some help. For a day or two.

[And he'll pay nicely if he has to.]

[bartenderizing]

What kind of help?

[ Normally people just didn't try to hire him out of the blue. Just as people normally didn't buy him a meal and talk about how well he was known. ]

[deniles]

I need protection for the next two days.

[He looks at Shizuo.]

No fighting, I can do it myself, but just in case something goes wrong.

[bartenderizing]

Hah?

[ Someone wanted to hire him away from his usual job at the collections agency... To do what he normally did? Not that most people knew what it was he did, but this was probably the first time, aside from Tom, that someone tried to get him as a bodyguard. ]

So what, you're hoping that me just being there will keep the trouble from getting out of hand?

[deniles]

Precisely. It'll keep me feeling comfortable, and... well, I have no issue paying whatever you want.

[He'll make extra money tonight. And that's really all you need to know, isn't it?]

It's a fair deal, don't you think?

[bartenderizing]

Comfortable for what, exactly?

[ Sure, he could use a bit of extra cash thanks to how much of his normal paycheck goes into city damages, but this 'whatever you want' thing has him suspicious. ]

[deniles]

My job. I had a bad run in previously.

[Don't question it. Just take the money. Like Niles does at 2 am every night.]

[bartenderizing]

[ He has to question it. Because he's always had someone like Izaya complicating his life, these were things he had to be careful of. ]

Your job doesn't involve anything illegal, does it?

[deniles]

I'm a prostitute, but I'm not taking any jobs like that during this period.

[bartenderizing]

[ A... Well, it's not the first one he's come across, sure. This is a city, and he's seen plenty of things as a debt collector. Why does it seem like he's just getting a weird runaround? ]

Then what are you taking that you need a bodyguard for?

[deniles]

Valuables.

[He is getting a weird runaround. Because this is mostly Niles's way of trying to get the handsome Shizuo into bed.]

[bartenderizing]

... I'm not getting involved with a thief.

[ He said he didn't want to be a part of anything illegal. Now this is how it sounds, stranger person. ]

[deniles]

No thievery.

[He waves his hand.]

It's money I've earned. I need to delivery it to someone.

[bartenderizing]

Del-

[ He couldn't stop himself from pinching the bridge of his nose, right behind the sunglasses. ]

Just explain that kinda thing from the beginning instead of making it sound the way you were.

[deniles]

Some people don't really want to know anyways.

[And he respects them.]

So. 48 hours. I need you by my side the entire time. Do we have a deal?

[bartenderizing]

It takes two straight days for you to deliver money to someone.

[ If this guy knew about Shizuo, then he should know about Celty. Why not just use a transporter? He'd argue, but he already accepted a meal from this person. So... ]

It's not like I can just drop everything. When's this supposed to start?

[ Because he's got a job to consider in all of this. ]

[deniles]

I have two days with more cash than 90% of Japan has ever heard of.

[Because he trusts no one. He barely trusts Shizuo.]

Tomorrow morning. 8 am.

[From his jacket, he pulls out an envelope with 100,000 yen in it, placing it on Shizuo's lap.]

[bartenderizing]

Why do you- I don't wanna know.

[ This is already sounding like it's over his head and is going to be a pain the more he knew. Yet in getting the number out, he glances a warning look over at the man. Don't just put things into his lap, you weirdo.

He takes the envelope, but holds it for Niles to take back while going through his phone. ]

Don't just start handing me things after I say I can't drop everything. My real job still needs to be contacted and I've got other things to check with.

[deniles]

Just like you. I'm good at my job.

[He doesn't take the envelope back. Letting Shizuo hold it while he checks his other job.]

You will, however.

[He slowly moves to stand up, placing money for the food and drinks.]

My address is in the envelope. I'll see you tomorrow.

[And if he doesn't show up, it's free money. But he knows that Shizuo will. Climbing off, he heads towards the door and leaves to go to work.]

[bartenderizing]

Don't-

[ And there he goes. While the envelope of money is still in Shizuo's hand. ]

Don't just go deciding that on your own...

[ The next morning he's reaching the address that was on the envelope while drinking a can of iced coffee. So early. There wasn't even enough time to finish straightening his hair, like he normally did. ]

[deniles]

[If Shizuo was paying attention, he would have seen a man leave Niles's apartment. Niles yawned as he answered the door, dressed in a long t-shirt.]

Not too hard to find, was it?

[He smiled and stepped aside. Letting him inside.]

You're welcome to smoke in my apartment, just keep it near a window.

[bartenderizing]

Nah. We've gotten a few people in this building to collect from in the past.

[ Said with a yawn in response as he stepped into the apartment. It's way too early for Shizuo to be paying attention. If he did, then it'd make sense because Niles already told him about being a prostitute. So people leaving would make sense, whether it was a customer or someone else.

He just didn't seem to realize the implications of the man's request to keep him nearby as a bodyguard. ]

I'll, uh, keep that in mind. It's too damn early to smoke right now.

[deniles]

I've seen.

[Which, if Shizuo wasn't tired, he might be able to connect the dots on why Niles sought him out.]

Whatever works. I'm going to take a shower before we get on with our day.

[He steps out of view and begins to remove his shirt, tossing it away as the water begins to run.]

[bartenderizing]

[ He probably would have. At this early a point, he was still in that haze of waking up and just accepting whatever he was told without thinking too hard about it. ]

Yeah, sure thing.

[ He was fine with sitting and lounging in a chair the whole time, ready to half-doze until he was needed. Not fully doze, as he still had a job and needed to finish that coffee, but to get the last of that grogginess worked out. Waiting while someone was getting ready was easy, after all. ]