Chapter 2: Fitting In
"Come in!" Juuzou beckoned the newcomer. The squad eagerly awaited to see the identity of their new recruit. The door opens to reveal a young man in his late teens followed by disappointed sighs with the exception of Juuzou and Hanbee.
"You just had to jinx it!" Keijin whispered to Mizurou as he made a subtle point to the new investigator. Mizurou only responded with a shrug as he turned his attention back to his game.
"Uh, pardon my intrusion! I'm Rank 3 Investigator Jin Soujiro. I'll be transferring here to assist you with your cases from here on out." Jin said meekly. He is an older teen of average height dressed in a black suit for formalities. Jin shyly rubbed the back of his short, black-blue hair as a tense silence filled the room. It didn't take long to diffuse the tension with Suzuya and Hanbee standing up to greet the newcomer.
"You must be my new boss. I've heard a lot about your bravery. It's an honor to meet you Mr. Suzuya!" Jin smiled with his hand extended to greet Hanbee. "It's a pleasure to meet you Soujiro, but I believe you are mistaken." Hanbee replied shaking his hand while motioning to his partner, "He's the leader of the Suzuya Squad. I'm Rank 1 Investigator Hanbee Abara." Juuzou only smiled at the mistake while the rest of the squad snickered at the rookie.
"Wha-!? I'm so sorry!" Jin bowed in apology. "I've only heard stories about you sir, I'm sorry for mistaking you for someone else!" he bowed a second time.
"Get a load of Hanbee #2!" Keijin nudged Mizurou. Miyuki was actually enjoying the nervous antics of the new guy over his daydreaming.
The young squad leader gave the newbie a soft smile, waving off the mistake as something trivial. "Don't sweat it. Let's talk about your role here over some pudding, alright Souji?"
"Y-Yes!" Jin replied with much enthusiasm before winging a brow at his nickname. "Souji, sir?"
Juuzou sat behind his desk with his pudding cup in hand, pleased at the gentle touch Hanbee used to open it. "Yup! Soujiro's a mouthful to say and Jin sounds too plain, so why not a nickname?" He then proceeded to enjoy a spoonful of his gelatinous pudding as it danced upon his pallet, resulting in a sound of delight. Souji only nodded, accepting his new name.
Keijin and Mizurou didn't seem too receptive in welcoming their new colleague and made their way to the door with Miyuki following. "Boss, we'll leave you to interview the newbie. We're going to do one last patrol before calling it a night."
"Right. Good work guys." Juuzou answered with a mouth full of pudding as he waved his men off. With that, the vice-squad leader and his party went on patrol ignoring introductions with Souji.
He felt a bit discouraged at the fact that he didn't leave a positive impression on the rest of the squad. Juuzou noticed this and decided to put the youth's mind at ease. "Don't worry about Keijin and the others. They'll come around, just give them time."
Souji gave a slight smile along with an affirming nod, "Yes, sir." The quirky squad leader continued to scoop his dessert as he continued to speak, "Besides, it took them awhile to get used to Hanbee here. You'll do fine!"
"S-Suzuya-senpai!" shouted an embarrassed Hanbee. Juuzou chuckled at his quip much to his partner's chagrin. Souji could feel the tension lift from his chest getting to know his new leader, despite his quirks. He had stitches on his face and torso and wore a set of mix-matched suspenders, it's no wonder the young investigator couldn't help but stare at the Roman numeral twenty on his lip.
His stare was broken when Juuzou started to speak, "So newbie, tell us a little about yourself!"
xxx
Meanwhile, Rize left her room to the foyer of her former apartment. The landlady noticed that her bags were packed as she approached the young woman.
"Leaving so soon?" she asked.
"Yes. After all that's happened to me, I just don't feel safe here anymore…" Rize answered feigning sadness. It wasn't a total lie, continuing her indulgence within this ward would be dangerous.
The old woman frowned at Rize's words, but she understood. To her, it took great strength to move forward despite all that her tenant's been through. She didn't press the matter any further, instead she wrapped her arms around the young woman in a warm hug. Upon releasing her, the landlady looked up at Rize with a motherly smile. "Take care of yourself, dear."
The wandering ghoul returned the gesture to the woman's surprise and whispered a "you too" before parting ways. The Binge Eater managed to wade through the CCG forces without raising any suspicion to herself and was able to board a train to the 13th Ward. It was cramped like most forms of public transportation, but she was used to it due to her roaming lifestyle.
It didn't take long until her body yearned for another taste of flesh. She was surrounded by walking husks of meat. Her stomach growled at the thought of feeding, but not yet. Now wasn't the time to reveal her true colors in a place as public as this. Humans on the other hand, are foolish creatures. One of the passengers saw this crowded car as an opportunity to place his grubby hands on unsuspecting females.
Their looks of discomfort and yelps of surprises lured Rize's attention from her book. What a disgusting male. She had her suspicions of what was occurring next to her, but continued to read nonchalantly. That was until the male foolish enough to put his hands upon her. Little did that boar of a man know, he was in the presence of a lioness. She could see the look on his perverted face through the window's reflection and while every instinct in her body wanted to disembowel him, she decided to that she would take her dinner to go.
A conniving smirk painted her features as she used her free hand to guide the fool to her hip. "Hey, mister… Why touch when you can have the real thing~?" Rize's voice was smooth like velvet, a trademark she used to seduce many men to become her meal. And like luring a fish to the hook, the man took the bait. He was arrogant and chuckled at the invitation, whispering in Rize's ear about the "fun" they were going to have.
xxx
Back at Juuzou's office, Souji continued to answer his squad leader's questions. He nodded between bites of his sweets, but was quite serious at getting to know his new subordinate. His crimson eyes made direct eye contact with Souji's azure hues as if he was trying to study the young investigator.
"Tell me something, Souji." Juuzou began to inquire, "Why did you become a Ghoul Investigator?
The rookie paused for a moment. Juuzou's question took him by surprise, but with a soft smile he gave his answer. "My…parents were Doves stationed at the 20th Ward. You probably never heard of them, but they were a part of the Anteiku Raid." Juuzou remained silent, recalling the horrors that occurred that night. He nodded as a confirmation to allow the boy to continue. "They tried to hold the line until reinforcements came, but they…"
"It's okay, Souji…" Juuzou's voice softened. Empathy was written on his face. Hanbee also felt his heartstrings being tugged.
Souji cleared his throat in an effort to regain his composure. He took a deep breath before he continued to speak. "Look, I have an older sister who lives here. I became a Dove not only to protect her, but to do my part as an able-bodied citizen." The youth's eyes were lit with determination and his answer put a smile on his superior's face.
"Heh, well said. You start tomorrow 9AM sharp. Don't be late! You're dismissed!" smirked the stitched Squad Leader.
Hearing Juuzou's approval filled Souji with excitement as he ran out the office screaming with joy. Juuzou watched the boy run down the sidewalk giving off a light chuckle while Hanbee poured tea for the two of them.
"What an interesting fellow that Soujiro boy is." Hanbee commented.
"Yeah, he's got a spark. Things'll get livelier from here on out." Juuzou smiled taking a sip. "To protect, huh?"
xxx
The train halted to a stop at the 13th Ward station. The lion and her prey disembarked to a more secluded location. Rize's feet stopped them at an all but abandoned alleyway. The piles of junk and trash obscured visibility from prying eyes which she found perfect.
"So, how we doin' this sweet cheeks?" smirked Rize's prey. Completely ensnared by her web, Rize began to spin one last thread.
"Right here of course~ Hotels are expensive." she sported a lascivious grin.
"In a trash heap by a crappy udon restaurant?" the man raised a brow.
"What can I say? I'm a dirty girl~" Rize cooed sauntering over to the unsuspecting male. She gave a gentle blow into his ear that made him shiver and aroused his desire for her.
"Dirty girls need to be punished~" he grinned. Rize placed a finger on his lips to shush him as she succumbed to the animalistic urge that slumbered within her.
"No…the one who needs punishment is you." Chomp. Blood came flooding down the man's neck accompanied by the seething pain of suddenly losing a heap of flesh. He wanted to scream, he had to scream. He had to make some sort of noise to not only alleviate his agony, but to alert help as well.
"You had this coming, you know? It's all because you couldn't keep your hands to yourself." she mocked, licking his blood off her bottom lip.
Oh, how Rize enjoyed this moment. The shock in her victims' eyes and the look of betrayal they gave her. She missed it dearly. Before he could scream, the finger Rize used to hush him under her seduction turned into a full on palm that tightened on his jaws, slowly breaking it in her grasp as she savored every pop that muffled his screams.
"Shh~ now, now no yelling. We don't want anyone to ruin our fun now would we~?" Her violet eyes shifted into the luminescent gaze of a predator. She pulled him closer as she whispered sweet nothings into his ear, a frightfully exciting experience.
"Hey… I'm going to gently scramble your insides, okay?" A rhetorical question. Lions do not concern themselves with the opinions of sheep. Her blood began to boil, manifesting her four tentacle-like kagune which terrified her victim to no end. She removed her hand from his broken jaw and within that instant he tried to make a run for it, only to be impaled from behind by one of Rize's tentacles. His blood stained the trash around him while two more limbs brought him over to her. "Nobody is going to miss scum like you…" Rize whispered, tearing away at his insides, but from a distance. She didn't want to stain her clothes just yet since she's looking for a place to stay.
Despair filled the man's eyes until he was welcomed by Death's sweet embrace. It was at that moment Rize began to fully enjoy her lavish meal. It's been a long time since she ate something this hearty and to her surprise, the backdoor of a nearby restaurant opened and out came a worker on his smoke break. He witnessed Rize in the middle of her feast and before his panic could set in, he too, fell prey to her claws. "Oh boy~" she smiled. "Seconds!"