Institutionalized into Society

Suggested Music: RZA - So Fly

Sebastian Abrams sat nervously at the designated meeting place, he was waiting for Kumiko Nakamura behind the curtain of a street sushi vendor. He was perched atop one of the available stools, his designer leather shoes tapped lightly on the side of vendors cart while he glanced down towards his comlink to double check the time and place. No doubt, Kumiko was late. This was to be their third visit since Sebastian had been designated Kumiko's parole officer, the first two had proceeded normally but Kumiko unexpectedly changed the location of this visit at the last minute citing a job interview as the cause. Normally Sebastian wouldn't have considered it, meeting violent convicts on their own territory was notoriously dangerous. As a show of faith Sebastian agreed and now Kumiko was running late, it was a bad sign and the young parole officer was beginning to wonder if his life was in danger.

Just before Sebastian was ready to call it quits and leave when a young man wearing a suit with a fashionably loosened tie and face obscured by a respirator ducked through the curtain. At first Sebastian didn't recognize him, though he was aware of Doc's allergy their previous meetings had been indoors and the respirator had not covered his face. Kumiko slipped onto the stool next to parole officer, greeting him with a humble and mildly apologetic tone.

"My apologies Mr. Abrams, it took some time for me to find my old suit." Kumiko's voice was filtered mildly through the respirator, giving him a deeper and raspier tone than was typical.

Sebastian let out a short sigh of relief once he recognized his charge beside him, "No need for apologies Mr. Nakamura, I'm glad you made it. I was beginning to worry."

"For me or for yourself?" Kumiko asked the question in a seemingly rehtoical manner, instead of waiting for a response from his parole officer to the question he turned to the vendor and placed an order swiftly in Japanese.

Sebastian spoke Japanese fairly well, and followed a majority of the order though no doubt missed several nuances of the specific order, in either case Kumiko had ordered for the both of them. The vendor quickly produced a warm ceramic bottle that contained sake for both of them, a set of cups and chop sticks was given to each man while they waited for their food.

"Are you sure you should be drinking before your interview?" Sebastian asked as Kumiko poured them each a cup the familiar alcohol.

Doc paused for a moment before responding, "A valid point, but it helps me relax."

Doc pulled the respirator from his face, letting it hand loosely from a strap around his neck and out of the way as he lifted the cup to his lips. Before tilting back the cup he sputtered out a mild cough as the polluted air of the streets hit his lungs, allowing only a short pause for his coughing he tilted back the cup and drained the liquid inside.

Sebastian watched Kumiko force through his coughing and take a full drink before he took a sip of his own cup and addressed business before the food arrived, "Tell me, where exactly is the job interview?"

Jobs were extremely difficult for Criminal SINers to find in the city, most often they were forced to resort to working in the shadows of one of the mega corps or for one the gangs that populated the city. To some extent it was Sebastian's job to make sure that Kumiko didn't end up back in that same line of work that followed him his entire life. Kumiko was smart and knowledgeable, he had formal medical training, there was no reason for him to continue to populate the penitentiary systems of whatever country he resided in.

"The post office." Kumiko's response was short as he poured himself another small cup of the warm drink, pouring the second cup down his throat as quickly as the first.

The vendor returned with their food as Sebastian responded hiding his slight disappointment, "An interesting choice, doesn't seem like the type of job that would keep you engaged."

Doc glanced slowly over to Sebastian the long look was difficult to read but without a doubt contained a hint of annoyance behind dark eyes, "Perhaps not." Doc didn't respond further, deftly wielding his chop sticks to put a light meal on his plate and holding back another sputtering cough.

"I'm just saying, you have a tendency to get bored. And when you get bored you find trouble, neither of us wants that right Mr. Nakamura?" Sebastian moved some of the food onto his own plate, far less proficient with the use of chop sticks, however there were no other options available.

"Fair enough." Doc offered another short response before continuing to eat his meal rather quickly.

Both men ate somewhat quietly, though Sebastian spurred the conversation several times asking about Kumiko's living arrangements and his family in the city. Kumiko's responses were typically short but good natured, a satisfactory amount of information divulged without exposing any real detail. Sebastian couldn't help but feel as if Kumiko had seen the paperwork waiting on Sebastian's desk for him to report the meeting, he gave just enough information without adding anything additional.

Doc finished his meal first, pushing the plate away from the edge of the counter slowly as he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled a cigarette and lighter from inside. He placed the butt between his lips and inhaled slowly as he lit the end and took a long deep breath of the pollutant filled smoke, holding it within his lungs for a moment before exhaling slowly. Before he could take another drag of the cigarette he coughed again, this time with a hint more agitation behind it.

"Are you sure you should smoke?" Sebastian watched as Kumiko's body obviously reacted negatively to his choice of exposing himself not only to the outside air with a respirator, but now as directly inhaling concentrated pollutants.

"You're very good a pointing out my self destructive habits, I suppose you'll tell me to wear a helmet when riding my bike as well?" Doc spoke with another hint of annoyance and an obviously sarcastic tone.

"Fine, I get it. You're parole doesn't mandate you stay healthy so I'll leave you be." Sebastian reached into his own pocket and produced a credstick which he swiped past the reader to pay for both of their meals. When he tucked it back into his pocket he withdrew a business card, plain white with only a short line of text and slid it across the counter to Kumiko. "In case you decide to get a bit more ambitious than the post office." Sebastian stood up slowly from the stool of the sushi vendor, looking down at Kumiko as he picked up the card and read it quickly.

Doc looked up at Sebastian and meet his eyes for a moment, he tossed the cigarette to the ground idly and tucked the card into his jacket securely before responding. "Thanks Mr. Abrams. You didn't have to do that." A sense of genuine gratitude slipped into the typically void voice.

"We'll meet again soon. Mr. Nakamura." With that Sebastian slipped through the curtain and back onto the streets of San Francisco, taking a short walk to his parked sedan.

---

Doc walked across the isolated and hidden receptionist room under the post office and firmly shook hands with the man he was here to meet.

"My name is J.P. Redman, it's a pleasure to finally meet you Mr. Nakamura. I've heard a lot about you." J.P. Redman met another young potential agent of F.A.T.E. hoping to fill one of the last available positions within the secretive organization. Kumiko Nakamura had come with a strong recommendation from other Cal Free authorities, but also several words of warning.

"Thank you Mr. Redman, I'm afraid I can't say the same about you."

"Of course. Lets talk in my office and discuss what brings you here."