The Siren fluffed himself out angrily. “I’ll have you know that I can get you kicked out from your apartment and go bankrupt! Don’t give me that tone of voice, punk!”
"First of all, unlike you peasants, I don't live in an apartment. I live in a bunker. Second of all, if you keep annoying me, I'm going to crush your skull between my fingers." To make a point, Kai gestured with one heavily armored arm, leering at the Siren as he did so
The Siren snorted. “Right. Tomato potato. We’ll leave you alone, but we’ll keep an eye on you.” He glared before turning back to the others.
"Hero name's Overdrive. Look me up," Kai called a bit smugly before turning away
Gij gave Kai a look from the shadows. “Are you insane?” He whisper-shouted this, making sure the Sirens didn’t hear him.
"That's a good question. If you knew me, which you obviously don't, you could come to the conclusion I'm not. I don't pick battles I can't fight," Kai answered cooly
Gij shook his head. “Look, I appreciate what you did, but… I’ll just get out of your hair. I don’t want you getting hurt.”
"Those poor bastards couldn't hurt me if they tried. Now, I'm a bit more concerned about your distinct issue at the moment," Kai huffed
Gij shook his head. “Nothing is wrong!” At that moment, the pup he was holding decided to whine again.
Kai went to respond, but cut himself off when he heard the whine. His eyes narrowed a bit suspiciously. "What was that?" he asked slowly
“It-uh-it was just me. I’m hungry.” His eyes jolted around and he backed away. “Well, this was fun. Thanks!”
"I'm not stupid, and I'd rather you not treat me as such. Now tell me the truth, or I'll find out for myself," Kai said before gesturing to the goggles on top of his head
Gij stumbled over nothing again in his haste to back away. He caught himself, barely, and grinned nervously.
“I don’t think you’re stupid!”
“Then tell me what that is,” Kai said slowly
Gij shook his head. “N-no I’m good. I’m good. I’ll go now.”
"I won't repeat myself. It's my job to make sure you aren't breaking the law or otherwise potentially causing harm to others, and I will apprehend you by force if needed." Kai said this calmly, almost as if he had said it before
Gij tightened his grip on the little lump, which cried out loudly again. It wiggled in his arms, whining.
“It’s… it’s nothing. I’m not breaking the law, and he won’t hurt anyone.”
"Due to your suspicious activity, it's my job to inspect the creature you apparently possess anyways. I will not harm it, I just want to make sure it's not illegal," Kai said matter-of-factly. He was getting a little annoyed trying to reason with this guy now
“No!” Gij exclaimed, falling over himself to get away. “You can’t touch him! He won’t like it!”
"I don't have to touch it, I just have to see it. Now stop overreacting, or I'll have cause to confiscate it," Kai warned
Gij shook his head, which shook his flimsy body. “It’s too cold! He’ll die if he’s exposed to it again!”
"I have heaters in my gauntlets. In case you didn't notice, I am well equipped to deal with all situations. All I need is a peek," Kai insisted gently
Gij shook his head. “I-I’m sorry. He only likes my body heat.” Gij knew the reason why, but he was not inclined to share.
"Then you can hold him. I just want to look at him. Is that alright?" Kai asked gently. He could tell the other was upset, but he was just doing his job
Gij shook his head and tightened his grip on the pup. “I-I can’t. I need to get him somewhere warm before you can see him.”
"Then we can go to my place. It's nearby, only about a block or two away," Kai suggested. He could tell that this guy really wasn't going to let go of whatever he had
Gij sighed. He had no choice. “Okay. Do you have any food?” He wasn’t asking for himself.
"Of course," Kai answered. "I am well stocked in various manners of sustenance."
Gij sighed and shuffled over. “Then I’ll come with you.”
"Good," Kai hummed before gesturing slightly with his gauntlets. They shrank with a click, and after a second they looked just like thin arm braces
