sorry for the length... but this is the last time Iori shows up for like 30 chapters.
BA-COOOON
"It's Bacon. Bay-con. Short 'o'"
BAAAA-COOOOON
"Riot you're a fucking numbskull."
KAKAKAKAKAKAKA-
Iori rolled his eyes as Riot screeched and babbled in his head. He swore this was what it'd be like to be the parent of a toddler… except a toddler could be dropped off at daycare, and the Blood Riot was stuck with him forever. Well, at least he's behaving… hey Riot, you hungry?
BAAA-COOOON
"Yeah, yeah. Sure."
With a sigh, Iori turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to wander through his living room and to his kitchen. He didn't bother toweling off, and was content with trailing watery footprints all over his carpet. He'd roast the water out once he fed Riot something. The TV behind him was blaring some American football game. There was a car alarm going off in the distance. Iori opened his fridge and grabbed a pack of frozen bacon to munch on as he watched the crackheads wander by his house. 'Crackhead watching' was rapidly becoming his favorite past time. It was a bit more grimy, but much more interesting than birdwatching.
*Ding Dong.*
The only downside was some of the crackheads had noticed him and had begun harassing him for funds. It wasn't a terrible downside. Sometimes he was bored and needed somebody to shake his fist and yell at... and these guys were great because they were always too coked up to call and complain.
*Ding Dong. Ding Dong*
Iori didn't bother walking over to his front door to yell at whoever dared disturb him at… 7 in the evening. He filled his lungs and belted out, keenly satisfied with the volume. It was a good thing he lived in the shitty part of town, otherwise the neighbors would never have tolerated him.
"I'M NOT GIVING YOU MONEY GO AWAY!"
A pause.
Then. A small voice.
'Boss?'
...
DUCKY!
Huh… Howard?
Iori blinked in confusion. Why the hell was Rock here? Iori was fairly certain he'd instructed his employee not to bother him after five… but then again Rock hardly did anything Iori told him. Well, in any case, hopefully if he was ignored, he would eventually leave… the little brat probably wants to crash my car again.
"Go away, Howard!"
'Boss… c'mon. Please?'
Rock started whining from the porch and knocking on the door. Iori was very happy to leave him outside until he heard the creak of cheap plywood giving under the beating. Iori didn't care much for this rental - but he didn't want his landlady freaking out again. He called over his shoulder whilst sprinting into the bedroom for something to cover his unmentionables.
"Aaaalright! Just stop it or you'll break my damn door down,"
*bang bang*
"Dammit Howard!"
'Boss... There's some really weird people out here. Can you hurry up -no… Sorry. I don't have my wallet, please leave me alone.'
*bang bang creeeakk… click*
With one fluid motion, Iori hurtled across his living room, smacked against his doorframe, undid the chain lock and wrenched the door open. He watched with disdain as the blonde teenager stumble in, then slammed it shut again, locking the rest of the undesirables outside. With a sigh, Iori turned and leaned his shoulder against the poor-beaten door. He crossed his arms over his chest to stare down at this evening's unwelcome guest.
"What the fuck."
Rock looked a bit bewildered as he brushed off his knees and stood straight. He wore a rather intense expression and seemed to move about as if beset upon by a heavy weight. He was clearly troubled by something, and if Iori were more compassionate, he might've attempted to show some interest. Unfortunately, the only thing Iori was concerned about at this moment it was:
"Why the hell are you here? And I'm not letting you take my car, so don't bother asking."
Rock Howard seemed entirely unphased with Iori's shouting and just looked around the sparsely decorated living room. The teenager looked absolutely exhausted, and the appearance of raggedness was further exacerbated by his unkempt hair and puffy eyes. Without asking for permission, he tossed his backpack on the kitchen counter and slumped into one of the chairs to stare angrily into space. He didn't respond to any of Iori's queries.
DUCK DUCK… SAD DUCKY
I know Riot. I'm not blind... Ah fuck...
Frankly, this was a situation Iori absolutely did not want to deal with - but obviously Rock had come to the end of his rope if he was sitting in Iori Yagami's kitchen. This was a job for Terry, or Mary… hell, just about anyone was better emotional support than he was… and Rock wasn't stupid. So why in the world is he here?
"Kid."
Rock looked up. Iori frowned at him, considering what he should ask. He looked at the backpack on the countertop which seemed to be stuffed full of clothing. He noticed that Rock was dressed more warmly then the weather permitted. Was he...
"You running away from home?"
"Yeah."
… Wow… Okay.
Now Iori was troubled. As far as he could tell, Terry Bogard was a pretty decent guy. Apparently he was also a decent parent too - considering that Rock's only complaint about his father was him nagged too much about perceived danger. There didn't seem to be any real reason for Rock to run from home.
Is he screwing with me?
And If Rock decided to skip town, that also meant he wasn't going to be coming to work, right? Was he quitting (again)? Iori hadn't recalled doing anything particularly egregious recently. He was also paying a nineteen year old college sophomore the equivalent salary of a high level corporate executive. Damn...What the hell did a business need to do to keep it's employees nowadays...
After a long silence, Iori decided he needed to squeeze a few more details out of his maybe-ex-employee. He exhaled a slow breath and walked over to lean against the sink. He cast a baleful stare across the kitchen. Rock seemed to have finally woken from his stupor and met his gaze. He was beginning to fidget.
Once the silence grew oppressive, Iori spoke. He kept his voice flat.
"Well, Howard… I know it's none of my business, but you've got me really fucking curious. First… Why the hell are you running? And second, why did you run here first."
There was a long silence whilst Rock gathered his thoughts. When he finally spoke, there was something raw in his voice. As if he'd buried some horrid wound into the depths of his psyche and was now being forced to revisit it. An expression bordering between rage and despair writhed behind his fine features. Rock involuntarily flared his nostrils as he began to speak.
"Boss..."
Iori just eyed him, reading his expression and urging him to continue with the slightest movement of the head.
"Your best friend… it's Kyo, Right?"
Iori blinked, not understanding the direction this conversation was headed. Regardless, he allowed himself to be carried along. There was a bitterness in Rock's tone that told Iori he wouldn't appreciate any divergent questioning.
"That's right. Kyo Kusanagi. What of it?"
"Boss...If Kyo Kusanagi got murdered… and you knew who did it… what would you do?"
Iori narrowed his eyes. What an oddly specific hypothetical. A hypothetical question with an exceedingly bloody answer. If somebody killed Kyo Kusanagi? Well… Iori bit back some of the visceral details and answered with reservation.
"...I'd kill everyone they ever knew... But Howard, you're not me. And last time I checked, you didn't wanna be."
"..."
Rock's face fell. He looked ready to break down. Iori turned his back and busied himself choosing a soda from the fridge. He wasn't about to watch a grown man cry. When he heard the sniffling become annoyed eye-rubbing, he swiveled back to his protege and made sure they made eye contact before tossing him a Pepsi. The last thing Rock Howard needed right now was a black eye.
"... Adam?"
Rock nodded and chugged the drink.
"Who did it?"
Rock's voice trembled somewhere between grief and rage. He crushed the half finished soda and spilled sugary drink all over the carpet as he uttered the name.
"Geese Howard."
"Hah?"
Iori blinked. Geese was out here killing random college students? No fucking way. He frowned even more deeply and prodded for confirmation.
"You sure? Doesn't sound like him."
"Yeah… Dead sure."
"Well, then fuck..."
Iori shrugged - then the realization hit him and he froze. Was Rock here to recruit him to go to war against Geese Howard? Honestly, even if Iori wanted to, he probably couldn't get the clearance. The Yagami Clan probably had a billion business ties. Kagura also had dealings with Howard Connection. If Iori made a move, it was likely everyone he knew would be blowing up his phone to yell at him. Not to mention it was fucking dangerous. War with Geese Howard huh…
"... So Boss."
Rock was looking at him quite seriously now. Iori grimaced.
"I'm gonna go after Geese. His old enemies are forming a group and l'm gonna join up. I've… never done anything like this before, so…um..."
Rock looked at him nervously. Evidently, he was implying Iori had done this before - but was too polite to outright say it. Was he here asking about the appropriate etiquette for joining an armed vigilante group? Iori just stared blankly at him. After a second, Rock prodded further.
"…um… I think I'll probably need some cash, right?… Maybe… like a gun?… I'm not sure... What do you think, Boss?"
Rock eyed him sheepishly. Iori sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. This goddamn kid had absolutely no clue what he was getting into. Did he think he was going camping? Just bring an extra pair of socks and you're good to go? Fuck! He's gonna rope me in isn't he?! Well… see if I can convince him.
"What do I think? … Well what do you want me to say." Iori picked up a falsetto. "Oh yeah, I think it's a great idea for you to join a Vigilante gang to get yourself killed by Geese-fucking-Howard…. Is that the validation you're looking for?"
Rock just stared at him through the silence. After a long moment, the stare became a glare, and the flint in his eyes grew rebellious. With a huff, he stood up, grabbed his bag off the counter, and started for the door. Iori cursed under his breath and went to intercept him - eventually waving the angry kid back into the chair.
"Okay, Okay… you little shit - fine. Fine." Iori grabbed a chair and dragged it around the counter island. He took a seat across Rock and gave him a serious look.
"Be straight with me or I can't help you."
Rock watched him suspiciously.
"Who's leading your merry band."
It was a question, but Iori phrased it like a demand. A pause. Rock seemed to wrestle with himself. Then after a moment he spilled.
"Kain Heinlein."
That bastard's back? Iori made a face. Kain was one of the worst pieces of shit to grace the streets of SouthTown. Iori would've immediately deterred his employee from joining up if he didn't know something about the willowy bastard.
"... Heinlein, huh. Three years on some godforsaken island in the Bahamas means I bet he probably barely has enough to fund his own security detail… and you said he wants to war with Geese?"
Rock looked more interested now. He nodded.
"Just fund him."
"What?"
"Money. Funds. Fund him."
If Rock's revenge simply consisted of funding a war against Geese, that wouldn't be a terrible price to pay… and especially if whatever group they were paying for actually managed to take down HCon. Hell, if they showed any decent progress, then maybe the Fourth would be willing to pitch in. The resulting business opportunity would be enormous.
Rock seemed a bit surprised.
"Wait… Boss are you sure?"
"You wanna bust down the front door of Geese Tower weilding a kitchen knife, or an M4?"
"... an M4."
Rock's expression said he had no idea what an M4 was. Iori didn't care to explain it to him. He was busy recalling the operations that IKARI and his own Clansmen typically followed when carrying out an attack on an enemy Cartel.
"Exactly. That means you need to buy them. You need money… Cash. How much have you got?"
"Um..."
Iori didn't wait for Rock to finish. Whatever cash he might have scrounged together was nowhere near enough. Iori pointed at the sofa with his ginger ale. "Check the left couch cushion, there should be Fifty grand, unmarked… as long as you're not actually fighting, I'll give you as much cash as you can haul away."
Rock turned to look at the couch, then back at him. He looked a bit nervous. Iori continued.
"... And that is a condition, you understand? If you need literal arms, I have a guy… but what I don't want is you charging into Geese Tower with a death wish. Let some other poor bastard do that. You're not allowed to die. Deal?"
Rock nodded hesitantly but failed to make eye contact. Iori tapped his fingertips on the countertop. They made metallic noises.
"Howard… Deal?!"
"Yeah-yeah. Uh… Hey boss? Can… (mumble)"
Rock muttered something incomprehensible. Iori narrowed his eyes and demanded clarification.
"Excuse me?"
"It's… kinda cold and windy, and I don't wanna lose the cash… so… (mumble)"
"What?!"
"Can…" Rock was looking terribly sheepish. "Can I borrow your car?"
"Go Fuck yourself Howard."
Iori:
*I'm not giving you money, go away*
*Don't bother asking for Car*
You know Rock drove out of there with both money and Car. lol
Anyways: so Now Heinlein's funded. Let's have a war :)