BANQUET
Dara stared into the sunglasses of the federal agent sitting right in front of her, wishing she could look into his eyes. Was he fucked in the head? Putting three thieves in a room, where they could commiserate on an alibi, and telling them he'd get them free for a 'project'. There had to be a catch here. The project was probably like, throwing them in a meat grinder for science or some shit.
"Let me remind you of your current position," James spoke, leaning against the blue walls of the interrogation room. "Your methods have tied you to approximately fourteen different thefts in the Philadelphia area, with total losses estimated at 10.1 million dollars. You will likely face at least twenty years in state prison if you don't take this deal."
Dara winced, wanting to cover her eyes. Damnit, they're well and truly fucked now. The deal was all they had. Looking over at Jaewon, she saw her friend's eyes shut, mouth tight as if she were in pain. Ryan looked no different, eyebrows furrowed and making a strange clicking noise with his tongue, his complexion ghastly pale.
She heard the distinct humming of cameras perched on the ceilings, phones in the federal agent's pockets, other metals… Any of them she could explode or fiddle with some effort, but then what? Additional charges? More years in prison?
There was no other option, even if the thought of collaborating with the feds made her teeth ache.
"We'll take the deal," Dara said, and neither of her friends disagree.
Haoyu smiled, his hands clasped together.
"Good," he said, standing up from his chair. "I'll meet all three of you at Nanzhou Noodle House, at one pm tomorrow to discuss this further. Bye now."
The two federal agents left the room, shutting the doors behind them. For a few moments, there was silence. For a moment, Dara thought that they had been duped by the two, until the police returned. The three were led out of the room, uncuffed, had their belongings returned, then thrown out onto the streets outside the jail.
The instant they left the jail, Ryan ran out, kneeled on the curb, and vomited into the gutter. Jaewon made a choked noise, and the two women rushed over to rub his back as he retched and heaved.
"Fuck," Ryan sighed, after a moment. "Fuck me, man."
For all their collective trumpeting throughout the years over how they'd been experienced thieves and no one could catch them, the instant the idea of prison hung over their heads they were kids again, running from the principals office. So cowardly that they took the first deal given to them to avoid it at all costs.
"Well guys," Jaewon said, her voice high. "At least it's not jail!"
"Might as well be," Ryan moaned, coughing slightly. "We got tight fuckin' collars on us now…"
Dara sighed, running her hands down her face. She hated to admit it, but Ryan was right for once in his fucking life. They flew too close to the sun.
"What the fuck do we do now?" Jaewon asked, her voice warbly almost. "Like, just sit and process how much shit we're in?"
"I need'ta get home man," Dara whined, slapping her face. "My parents are going to literally murder me."
Ryan looked over at her, before a sly smile grew on his face.
"None of that bit tonight!" Dara snapped, eyes wide. "Fuck off!"
Ryan laughed softly, shaking his head, but said nothing. Eventually, the three parted ways, and Dara rushed through the still-busy streets of Chinatown, bumping into shoulders and dodging past people. Her parent's apartment is above a bakery, closed for the night obviously, and she ran up the staircase, pushing in the door.
Her parents seemed to be asleep in the rooms, so she escaped trying to explain her absence, for now. Dara simply limped into the small run-down kitchenette and poured herself a glass of orange juice, quickly downing it.
Dara's phone buzzed, and she looked down at it, putting her glass down. It was Jessica, asking if she was okay. Usually, she'd text her girlfriend more around this time of the night…
Sighing, Dara hit the 'call' button, placing it up to her ear. There was silence for a moment, except for the humming of the electronics inside the phone. Then…
"Baby?" Jessica's sleepy voice spilled out of the speaker, and Dara had to shut her eyes tight to prevent tears from flowing.
"Jessica, darling, I'm sorry for not texting you earlier," she said, trying to keep her voice even. "I… I got caught up in some stuff, and just managed to check my phone. I'm sorry."
"It's fine, are you okay? You sound stressed…"
I almost lived in a world without you, Dara thought to herself, where you left me. Hated me for what I've done. Also, I work for the government now.
"Yeah, I am a little, ha ha!" Dara said, rubbing her eyes. "Work was a bitch today. But don't worry, babe, I'm quitting. Decided to tonight."
"You are!" Jessica shouted, and Dara could imagine the smile on her face. "I'm so proud of you, baby!"
"Thank you," Dara said, before swallowing around the lump in her throat. "I'll tell you more about it in the morning. I'm exhausted."
"Okay. I love you, Dara."
"Love you too, Jessi," Dara managed to say.
When the call ended, she bowled over the counter and began to sob. It gutted her always that she had to lie to her girlfriend, about where her money came from, what she did. Those illusions almost fell apart tonight, and she didn't want to live in a world without her…
Maybe, with this government job, she can finally stop lying about what I do… That thought ran through her mind, as she collapsed onto her bed.
Of course, the next morning, her parents interrogated her about where she was that night. And somehow, she managed to piece together some acceptable version of events, minus the robbery of course. Then, after inhaling her congee, and calling Jessica about her new job, she was off into the city.
Dara had quit her actual job at Rite Aid a week prior. It sucked, as most retail jobs in the city did, and no sleep was lost over losing it. She was hoping with the success of this heist she was going to be thieving full time. Now of course that was a pipe dream, so she had about four or so hours to kill.
After taking about an hour and a half away by shopping for groceries, then another hour and a half gaming at a local PC cafe, inevitably she found herself clutching two milk teas from a local bakery, and rushing down the steps of Jaewon's gift shop, which was surprisingly empty. Quietly, she snuck up to the register, peeking over. Jaewon herself was working, the lighting on her thin face making her eyebags stand out more, and her long stringy bangs hung in her face. Dara always thought she'd be way hotter without the eyebags, with that model's face of hers, but some people seemed to like the scruffy, sleep-deprived look she had. She was hunched over, playing a game on her phone again.
"Jae-Jae," she called out, and Jaewon jumped, dropping her phone to the floor.
"Jesus Christ, man!" The woman shouted, her eyes wide. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Stop sneaking up on me!"
"Sorry," Dara sighed, putting her milk tea on the counter. "Here, I feel like I owe you this for the mess yesterday."
"You owe me a lot more," Jaewon replied, but took the drink. "Thanks though."
Dara pouted for a moment, before looking around the store. It was full of knockoff trinkets, even though Jaewon would throttle her if she said that out loud. Knockoff figures and toys from Asia, brought floods of tourists and people from out of the neighborhood to their door. She drummed her fingers on the countertop, looking for something to say.
"So," she said, rubbing her face. "Our things are actually called 'cursed techniques' huh?"
"I guess," Jaewon shrugged. "Just weird that people other than us have it."
Dara nodded. For all their lives, the three were the only ones who seemed to have these abilities. As a child, Dara had been brought to a monk by her parents to try and exorcise her ability from her, which failed. Jaewon and Ryan were the only other people she knew growing up with similar skills, and she and he were the only ones who could see the Divine Dogs Jaewon could create. Anyone else just thought the three were fucking insane freakos, and ostracized them.
And now, they all learned there were enough people with these 'techniques' for the feds to have a task force. It melted Dara's mind.
She took a sip of her milk tea, closing her eyes. Something about the sweetness of the condensed milk felt particularly soothing today…
"What do we do, Jaewon?" Dara asked softly. "What can we do?"
"Be good doggies," Jaewon replied simply. "We can't outfox the government. Let's be reasonable here, our old gig's fuckin' over."
Dara knew she was right, but it still felt crushing to her. She was able to charm her girlfriend through that gig. Grew closer to her friends through that gig. Felt like her ability, or technique rather, had some purpose other than driving her insane through that gig. And now, it was over.
Fuck…
She wasn't in the mood for talking after that and just hung out in the store break room. Dara either napped or fiddled around with her phone for another hour, before she became engrossed in bending and melting the paperclips sitting on the table in there, making little statues of people. Eventually, she decided on a battle scene of paperclip-people fighting and dying, laying twisted on the ground. When Jaewon finally entered, ready to leave for the noodle shop, she looked down briefly at them.
"Okay," she said simply, eyebrows raised.
Jaewon offered nothing more, grabbing her purse and motioning with her hand for Dara to follow.
The noodle shop was a few blocks away from the store, and even with the gigantic blue sign, Jaewon skipped over it.
"I'm sorry, okay?" She groaned, turning to a teasing Dara. "I usually go to the bakery next store."
She pushed the door open, leading Dara inside. The restaurant itself was pretty nondescript, with tan walls with landscape pictures, with dark brown linoleum flooring. The two had to dodge chairs and tables full of people and boiling noodles until they reach their table.
Ryan was already there, sitting primly with his glasses on. The two federal agents were sitting in front of him, both smiling, but James has no sunglasses on this time. Haoyu quickly waved his hand, gesturing for them to sit.
"Good afternoon," James said, folding his hands in front of him. "Have you been well?"
"As well as I could be. sir," Dara said, standing up straight and stiffly.
Jaewon's posture was similar, her mouth tight in a smile and eyes slightly wide. If either of the federal agents cared, they didn't let them know. Haoyu sighed, drumming his fingers against the table.
"We should order first," he said softly, still smiling. "It's better to discuss this on a full stomach."
Of course, they all followed his command. Watching Haoyu and James eat, Dara was almost taken aback by how human they behaved. They shut their eyes in pleasure at the taste of the beef noodles, reached over to add chili oil or soy sauce when needed, and spilled drops of broth onto the table. Not what she had expected from the people who worked so high in the government, let alone the same ones who controlled her life now. Part of her wanted them to act inhuman, like machines, instead of this awful distinct way that reminded her of her friends, her family…
"So," Haoyu spoke, between bites of his noodles. "Just to confirm, all three of you have no formal training with cursed techniques, jujutsu, or anything…?"
The three shook their heads.
"I'm mainly a taekwondo guy, sir," Jaewon replied, before slurping down some beef noodles.
James made an odd expression as if hiding a smile. Quickly he covered his mouth.
"That's not what we're talking about," Haoyu said, a smile still on his face. "Jujutsu is sorcery, the techniques you three utilize in your… activities. The manipulation of the cursed energy that runs through every human, formed from negative thoughts."
"So it has a name," Ryan said, rubbing his chin.
"Yes," James nodded. "There are schools and societies in this country dedicated to the training of said skills. Both of us attended such institutions."
"You two also have these skills?" Dara exclaimed, her eyebrows raised.
"How else would we know your methods?" Haoyu responded, tapping his chopsticks against the bowl.
Dara nodded. They had a point.
"Anyways, you three all have very useful and interesting techniques," Haoyu continued, before pointing at Jaewon. "You especially."
"Me?!" Jaewon exclaimed, pointing at herself. "Why?"
"You have the 'Ten Shadows Technique'. A cursed technique that has only been observed in Japan, amongst one clan, the Zenins. The only other current user is a fifteen-year-old from that clan, Megumi."
"I'm not Japanese though," Jaewon stated, her eyes narrowed. "And I've never heard of a 'Zenin' family."
"Oh, we know that," Haoyu said, still smiling.
A shiver ran down Dara's spine, and Jaewon's expression tightened, her eyes looking down at her bowl.
"You three are some of the most interesting we have been tasked to capture," he continued. "Three sorcerers that have Grade-One or Special Grade techniques, completely disconnected from sorcerer society."
"That's why I need you for this project. You're perfect for it."
"What's the project, sir?" Ryan asked, sitting closer.
"To destroy and remake the jujutsu society in this country," Haoyu said simply as if discussing the weather.
"Okay…" Dara said, rubbing her face. "Why does it need to be destroyed? Why are we perfect for it?"
"Jujutsu, both in this country and in Japan, where the practice is most documented, is mainly controlled by the clans," James explained, folding his hands. "Wealthy families. Many of them believe that powerful cursed techniques can only be inherited by themselves."
"In fact, the most powerful sorcerer of our generation is a member of one of these clans, Satoru Gojo of the Gojo clan."
Dara nodded along. It was weird to think of this whole secret society of wizards roaming among normal people. It felt like a conspiracy theory or a certain shitty multi-million franchise.
"So, with his presence, and other sorcerers like that Megumi kid inheriting techniques via their bloodline, sorcerer society became more… insular," Haoyu continued, swishing his noodles around. "If techniques were spread by bloodline, it would become necessary to keep that bloodline pure, right? So that would lead to discrimination and inbreeding amongst clans."
A collective groan of disgust sounded out from the three thieves.
"Ew, so do all these sorcerers have like, Habsburg chins and like hemophilia now?" Ryan said, his eyes wide and mouth stretched in a grin. "That's na-a-asty."
"The health problems are not that extreme, no," Haoyu said, his eyebrows furrowed, and mouth tight. "However, in the long-term, it has created a weakness that has cost lives. The discrimination has also done significant damage as well."
"Just last year, a curse user named Suguru Geto sieged the Jujustu headquarters in Tokyo, with the intent of obtaining a curse that would allow him to kill all non-sorcerers."
Dara felt the hairs on the back of her neck raise at the thought.
"He almost succeeded," Haoyu said, face tight. "That event, the fact that only three sorcerers in Tokyo - the country that understands sorcery best - could stand toe-to-toe with that man is why I decided to start this project of mine."
"Jujustu," James chimed in. "At its core is still ruled by the theory that the most powerful cursed techniques are tied to bloodlines. Even in this country. It has rotted the practice, made inbred fools its leaders."
"However, you three disprove this theory that it is based upon. You all have immense amounts of cursed energy, and all have inherited techniques that are immensely powerful when trained properly, including one that was once believed to be only tied to one clan."
Haoyu nodded, finishing up his soup. The smile was back on his face.
"And," he adds, a wide grin on his face. "You are all already well versed in acting outside the law."
"So, you three are now employees of the federal government, under our command," Haoyu stated, tapping the table to enunciate his point. "You will do as I say, drop everything for our missions, and so on."
Haoyu reached down, into a suitcase by the table. He slid three phones on it, and Dara picked it up. Damn, she knows where the government spends her taxes now, this shit's the new iPhone model. A thousand dollars each.
"We will reach out to you through these," James said, as all three of them began to fiddle with their phones. "Nothing else on these, no apps, no nothing. Your regular phones do not go with you on missions. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Dara said, nodding. All her games were on her old phone anyway. And she could probably bring her Switch if push came to shove.
"We will contact you soon, for training," James continued. "Your techniques may be powerful, but you've not had proper instruction, so you're rather weak…"
Dara huffed, rolling her eyes.
"That is an order, not a suggestion," Haoyu said, mouth taut. "You may think you are strong, but melting locks and finding paintings is just the tip of the iceberg."
"Alright, alright, we get it," Jaewon said, eyebrows furrowed. "Are you going to at least pay for lunch?"
After lunch's payment had been settled, the group separated. Dara swore she saw Haoyu pull James by his suit-jacket sleeve into the bakery next door. They hovered around the sweets case, observing the log cakes and egg tarts in there. Jaewon watched with wide eyes, before waving to them, and the older lady working the register.
"Guess they like sweets," she mused, and Dara nodded.
The three walked until they reached the food market, with the stalls that spilled out onto the street. As the workers swore at each other in Chinese, Ryan turned to face his two colleagues.
"So, what do we think?" He asked, hands on his hips.
"Doesn't matter what we think, Ryan," Dara stated, rubbing her eyes. "We can't defy these guys, we have to do as they tell us."
"I know that," he snarked, rolling his eyes at her. "But the mission in general, what do you think?"
"It seems fine on the surface," Dara said. "But there's a catch. There always is when dealing with the feds. Some way they'll fuck you over…"
"Well," Jaewon sighed. "Not like we have a choice. Let's just wait for this training, alright? Probably some dumb new-age hippy-dippy mindfulness bullshit."
song in chapter title is banquet - bloc party
i like troye sivans new single