#hey astro and noir... maybe blacklist neo spoilers kjHSDKDJHFKJSDHFJKSD and also don't read this

[pulsefelt]

"are you still indulging in how thoroughly you have shattered the mold??" it's a sudden question from someone suddenly tuned down to a frequency he can perceive beside him. he called everyone from the higher planes weirdos, but that was reductive — most are so clearly inhuman it's a wonder anyone fails to notice. this one is one such case, their frequency poorly contained in the fragile shell of this form.

kariya sighs, leaning against the railing before him. "was only a matter of time, huh." it's been, what??, three years since the last time a vessel was sent to poke and prod and try to get him to agree to be anything else. they don't like a lowly harrier reaper running around with so much need - to - know information, he assumes. the lollipop in his mouth rolls from one side to the other. "can't say anything's changed in me since th' last time one of you tried. real sorry t' disappoint, y'know."

"we expected as much." there's something clipped to their voice, and kariya can't tell if it's disappointment or just how they talk. either way, he makes an amused little sound as he turns to lean back against the railing, elbows resting on it.

"mind tellin' me who i'm talking to this time?? s'not like i've seen a repeat face, but i like havin' a name." kariya pops the lollipop from behind his lips, eyes drifting from the visitor to its red surface.

"shirabe is the name we give in this form. arbitrator is our role."

"arbitrator, huh?? can't imagine you're down here for lil' ol' me with a fancy job like that." he's asking a question he knows he won't get an answer to.

and he doesn't, predictably. "no." for a moment they don't say anything else, and kariya takes a moment to take in their appearance. sort, petite, rigid posture. something about them seems to almost hesitate before they draw a hand from where it was folded with the other behind their back to rest it on the railing. "kubō tanzō will be staying behind as a shibuya reaper instead of returning to rebuild shinjuku with the others.

"you will keep an eye on him for us."

kariya hums, eyeing the lollipop once more before popping it back in his mouth. "[ ... ] alright. am i gettin' any context or instruction before i'm stuck on babysitting duty??" it's not a request and he knows that, but it is strange. something nags. why's the higher plane so interested in what another reaper does?? ( they check in on you, he reminds himself, and it's a point he has no choice but to accept. ) in response, their eyes flick sideways to him — purple and empyrean and piercing — and he's smart enough to take that as a no.

he gives another sigh, this one heavy enough to relax his shoulders as he sags in defeat against the rail. "if he acts out??"

"we trust you will do what you must to handle it. you would do anything to protect your city, no??"

and that feels like a thinly - veiled insult, but kariya only reacts with a faint narrowing of his eyes. it only lasts a moment before his easy smile returns, languid and unconcerned. "in return — any chance of lettin' our producer out of the carrier you're keepin' him caged in??"

"that decision was out of my hands," the arbitrator says — and then, strangely and terrifyingly, they smile. it's faint, but it's more threatening in its inhuman serenity than any words could be. "but this is not a negotiation." the smile fades, their expression blank once more. "we will be in touch, kariya kōki."

and as quickly as they appeared beside him, their presence flickers out like static as they tune up once more.

kariya sighs a third time, gaze turning skyward. "freakin' a, man," he says to no one in particular.