Saviour || Izaya & Hajime
@ultimateanimeprotag
The darkening sky above ushered many of Lambda's denizens into their homes, for the streets would soon become dangerous as the delinquents, thugs, and other criminal sorts hung around, glaring at anyone who so much as looked in their direction, assaulting anyone who had the misfortune of one misstep. Such things weren't uncommon in most cities, but Lambda was especially prone, as the ongoing conflict attracted so many of the sorts who partook in such vile activities. It was increasingly becoming something that could only be described as a nest of chaos, as the many factions littered around the city butted their heads in ceaseless battle for who could overtake it first.
Yet, the threat of being jumped didn't stop a certain informant from strolling down the street, which seemed largely deserted anyways, hands resting so casually in his pockets. Indeed, he was a far stretch from anything akin to frightened. Even the lowliest of riff-raff knew better than to deal with the man called Izaya Orihara, and those who didn't would quickly learn. Though not too keen on the finer points of battling, he was sharp and refined enough to hold his own in most cases. Still, even with that being the case, he wasn't so foolish as to do anything that would make him an easy target. Even now, he was heading back towards his apartment after finishing up with one of his appointments. But he came to a halt as, suddenly, he heard excited shouts echoing down the walls of a yawning dark alley. Someone must have pissed off the wrong person. As for just what was going on, well, Izaya couldn't prevent the spark of curiosity from flickering to life.
After ensuring that the flick-blade he kept on-hand was still tucked securely in the hidden pocket contained within his sleeve, Izaya ventured down the alley, led on by the delectable sound of conflict. The sight that met him after rounding the corner was one shocked-looking boy with his back against the wall, surrounded by some mean-looking thugs.
“You don't mess with the Hell Hounds!” the one in the middle barked, stepping even closer to the boy. By the looks of things, he had taken charge of the small group of four here, and most likely had been the one to pick out their victim tonight.
“Yeah!” chirped the one immediately to the leader's left. “Ya had some real nerve, y'know, walkin' that fast around Dane here! Jeez, it's like you were tryin'a pick a fight!” The cackling laughter that followed was interrupted by an “Ow!” when the leader – who evidently went by “Dane” – punched the other guy's arm.
“You're annoying,” Dane growled, then fixed his glare back on the hapless boy they were ganging up on. “Beagle's right, though. You don't just get to go prancing around as you please. You're dog food now!” He lifted his arm then, ready to punch the boy's lights out, but just then–
“I wasn't aware the Hell Hounds were associated with bullies!”
That single line sliced through the air, making Dane balk in his movement as he and the others turned to the man who had spoken so brazenly. Izaya was a far stretch from anything like chivalrous. On the other hand, it was extraordinarily rare for him to act in the interest of others. Regardless, he stood his ground in the alley, meeting the eyes of the sneering Hell Hound leader. The other two were unmoving, probably trying to comprehend what was going on.
“What's your business here?” the leader intoned.
Izaya shrugged as he stepped out from the shadows, where he had been hiding until now. “Business?” he asked, laughing at the notion. “No, no, you have the wrong idea! I was just passing by and heard your scuffle from the street out there. Well, this is just a warning, by the way, but you might wanna be careful of that. What would you do if someone called the cops out here?” At that, Dane averted his gaze, evidently shaken by the realisation. As Izaya had thought, these guys were newbies, eager to make their mark on a city crawling with other criminals.
“Actually,” the informant went on, pulling a flip-phone from his pocket, “I could call the cops out here, too. I wonder how fast they could get a dispatch out here…” He didn't even have to begin dialling the Lambda Police Department before Dane charged at him, frenzied by the threat. However, Izaya slid past him effortlessly and brought the phone up to his ear once he finished punching in the number. “Hello, I would like to report a crime. It's here on–”
“C-come on, we're going!” Dane yelled to his underlings before taking off back down the alley in full sprint. The other three scrambled after him, afraid of being caught by the incoming cops.
“Ah, it looks like the problem cleaned itself up, after all,” Izaya said, and flipped the phone shut again. He exhaled a sigh, and then started walking over to the boy who had just witnessed everything. He didn't really look like the type who'd intricate themselves in this city's affairs, but looks could sometimes be deceiving. “Are you okay?”