LEORIO PALADIKNIGHT

my god, i'm the bait, & the predator's my mind. it eats at me all the time; can we stop & rewind ?? i'm not so sure. when'd i become my own enemy ? i don't understand what you see in me ! 'cause i'm just another story -- that's not worth a reading. now you've got me pinned up against the wall: why aren't you afraid that i'll take a fall ? there's more that came before me. am i worth believing ? i'm not so sure.

[paladiknighted]

scrleteyes.

Avoidance is one of the many things Kurapika finds he’s good at. And he plans to keep avoiding the topic of what’s going on with him for as long as possible. Sooner or later it’ll get dragged out of him but later is far better then sooner. He doesn’t realize how hot he feels until he remembers he’s in a full blown suit and it’s black, so he feels like he’s trapped in a toaster. He takes off his jacket and folds up his sleeves while laying the jacket neatly over his arm. “I could eat.” He nods, if there’s air conditioning he’ll step instead any store right now. 

           leorio is an open book. he rarely hides how he fels about things, even if he is able to push aside his feelings & act rationally, he has a blaring weakness where he cares deeply for his friends. regardless, he doesn’t realise how hot it is until he sees kurapika take off his suit jacket. for once, he isn’t wearing a suit, but he is wearing his medical uniform, & he rolls up his long sleeves; although that doesn’t do much. he smiles before nodding in answer, “ alright, ” he looks around before gesturing to their left, “ i think it was down there. ”

[paladiknighted]

witchinred.

“Well, I suppose the next question would be if you feel like you are capable of the job.” A pause as she tilts her head. “But if you applied one would assume you feel you are so—the question seems a little pointless now that I said it out loud.” She muses with a laugh. “It has been nice so far. Just—lots to get done, I suppose.” But that was to be expected anytime someone moved. Even if she was kind of told to go here at the drop of a hat–but Steve wanted her somewhere safe and off the radar so—here she was. “It is nice to meet you, Leorio.” The name is an interesting one–certainly unique, but Wanda doesn’t pry. “I hope your job goes well for you. Being a doctor is not easy but—it is nice helping people.”

          “ i mean it’s not entirely a pointless question, but i do feel like i’m capable, just not entirely qualified since i have a lot more education to do. ” leorio explains. he has a lot more studying to do before he can be considered a doctor academically. but with the experiene he has, it makes up for what he lacks in degrees. “ yeah, moving into new places is always hard... especially when you don’t have any furniture before moving in, ” he laughs awkwardly. he smiles though, kindly, “ it’s nice to meet you too... what’s your name ? if you don’t mind telling me, of course. ” his smile goes more genuine, as he nods in agreement, “ helping people is definitely nice. it’s always been a dream of mine to be a doctor, so. ”

[paladiknighted]

rcvenantleader.

“So it was from a sport. That’s one mystery solved.” Although not one he was too interested in–not when he had far more interesting things to figure out. Namely how he even got here. “Can’t say I blame you–not too interested in sports myself.” Or even drinking for that matter–which he found far more frustrating than he probably should.

But until he got a feel for this city and established himself-probably best to keep the drinking to a minimum. Shame.

“You’re a talkative one.” Bobo notes, no lack of sarcasm in his tone. Never mind the fact that their conversation just started. “Any idea how late this place stays open?”

         leorio shrugs, “ sports are cool, i just never really had the time to get into them. ” back home, he was always too busy trying to be a doctor, & even then: there weren’t many sports. at most, there were fighting matches broadcasted constantly on televisions. most people’s time was spent trying to survive.

          at the sarcastic tone, leorio shoves aside the part of him that wants to retaliate with a comment of his own, biting his tongue once more. he doesn’t want to make any enemies here. instead, choosing to answer the question, “ no idea, man. i just moved here a while ago & felt like a drink. ”

[paladiknighted]

drummerrgirl.

“No offense, but a lot of doctors shouldn’t be doctors.” Looking at the other, Amanda shrugged. “Whats up with the shitty handwriting anyways? Looks kinda like mine, when I was nine.” She hoped it didn’t come off as insensitive, since clearly the guy was in fact a doctor. “Aren’t you a bit too young to be a doctor?”

        “ no offense taken. ” leorio shrugs. most people really shouldn’t; he’s met some pretty sketchy people. “ i’m 21 ? i’m not a doctor yet, either, i’m a medial student, but i’m assuming they don’t have enough doctors on staff since they hired me. ” then again, even being only a medical student: leorio was definitely far more skilled than the average doctor anyways.

[paladiknighted]

not-an-earp.

Turning her head towards the voice, Waverly listened to the stranger before scrunching her nose. “Oh, I really don’t know about being a bartender again. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a fun easy job. But I seriously don’t think I can serve beer to people and worry about someone hitting on me 24/7, not saying that because I’m vain, which I’m not. But alcohol can make a someone forget that the bartender that they’re hitting on has a cop for a girlfriend, who happens to be sitting right by them.” It came out as a rush, as Waverly gave the guy a half smile. “But thanks.”

          leorio could never be a bartender, he thinks. even just based on that description alone, he wouldn’t be able to deal with drunkards at all. he blinks in confusion at her long ramble before shrugging, “ i’m just gonna go out on a whim here & ask if that’s happened to you at all before ?? ” he raises a hand in a peace gesture, “ no problem. i’m sure that this place has other jobs you could check out though ?? ” 

[paladiknighted]

witchinred.

“That does seem a little off…” She mused with a small nod. Then again, this entire town seemed a little weird if she was being honest. “Perhaps your first assumption was right? They are understaffed?” It still seemed like they’d want to do more thorough background checks however, she simply shrugged, unsure of the reason behind it. Hearing that this man was also new allowed her to relax a little–she wouldn’t be the only new person. “I still have you beat. It’s my first day.” Wanda admitted with a faint smile. “Do you like it here, Mr…?”

            “ that’s what i thought, ” he agrees absentmindedly before shrugging, “ i mean, maybe ? they did seem understaffed, sure, but it was just a little weird that they really only asked about my skill set & what i’m capable of, rather than anything else. ” it was a small town, & while he’s used to such things having grown up in such a poor area, he understands that doctors are needed especially in smaller populated places. “ oh ? well, i hope you’re having a good first day, then. ” he smiles in response before introducing himself, “ leorio paladiknight. leorio’s fine. ”

[paladiknighted]

scrleteyes.

He’s grateful that Leorio decided not to push. He wasn’t quite sure what he should disclose to him anyways even if he were to bring it up. He definitely doesn’t know how to tell him about emperor time because he knows he’ll blow it out of proportion (which is understandable). “I do.” He nods and looks around before turning his attention back to his friend. “Do you want to look around ??”

     leorio relaxes just barely, putting his hands in his pockets. he’s aware that they will probably end up talking about whatever is going on with kurapika eventually, but for now: he’ll push aside his worries to just focus ontheir situation at hand. he nods in response before, answering, “ yeah, sure. i think i saw a place to eat a while ago, are you hungry ? ” while they’re at it, they can try to figure out where they actually are.

[paladiknighted]

witchinred.

Wanda did not initially look up from her coffee when the man started speaking to her–mostly because she did not realize he was speaking to her. But after a moment, she turned her attention towards him, brows furrowing at his words. “In my experience, it is not supposed to be easy to get a job as a doctor.” She offers, giving a small smile. “But I am also new here so–I am probably not the best person to ask.”

       leorio nods in agreement, “ yeah, that’s what i thought -- i mean, becoming a doctor is a super hard profession to get into where i’m from. but here ? i just sort of showed them my resume, did a 5 minute interview, & got hired on spot. no background checks, no deep interrogating either. ” he blinks in surprise, so he’s not the only new guy here after all. “ oh. cool, i’m pretty new here too, just moved in a week or so ago. ”

[paladiknighted]

scrleteyes.

“I’m gad it’s going well, I hoped it was.” He smiled slightly and then nodded. “Yes, just a few minor complications that I can easily fix.” He hopes that that’s enough to quell any worries he was causing though he highly doubts that it will. He should tell him what’s going on, he really should, but a bigger part of him reasons with him to keep quiet so he does. “It’s really nothing.” He assures.

       the smile is genuine, & leorio feels a lot better, until worry flows back through his veins at the mention of complications; it being enough to make his own smile fall a bit, his brows furrowed in concern. kurapika is secretive, & he can tell that what is considered ‘nothing’ to kurapika, can turn serious quickly. he debates pushing him, but the part that wants to remain noncombative wins out, “ if you’re sure. ” with a beat of silence, he adds, his tone sincere, “ you know you can tell me anything, though, right ? ”

[paladiknighted]

coffeebvn.

″ that is strange. ″ the faunus muttered before looking at them. ″ did something happen that they need help? ″ a frown moved over her lips. she had been here a while and hadn’t seen anything strange. ″ are you a doctor⁇ ″

          “ i mean, maybe ? not quite sure. they said they were hiring, so i just went in & they pretty much hired me on the spot. ” he explains. with a tentative shrug, he answers, clarifying, “ i’m a medical student -- i’m not an official doctor, but i’m training to be. ”

[paladiknighted]

gwisinx.

″ did you at least have an interview⁇ ″ hyun j voiced as she looked at them. she wasn’t studying to be a doctor but if they had just walked inside and was hired, that might mean something’s wrong. ″ i’d be alarmed if you just walked in and were asked to work there. wait, are you qualified to be a doctor⁇  ″

     “ oh, yeah, i did, but it was like 5 minutes ? & most times they call you back after a few weeks or days, at the least, ” he explains absentmindedly, still a little in awe. was it really that easy to get a job in this world ? back in his world, getting jobs were only easy because of his hunter license. “  uh, i’m training to be one. i’m a medical student at the moment. ”

[paladiknighted]

windwarricr.

″ what do you mean⁇ ″ izumi questioned as she walked towards the stranger. she hadn’t been to the doctors here in the town at all so she wouldn’t know about their staffing. ″ did you just like, walk in there and they hired you right on the spot⁇ ″ her head tilted a little while her face twisted with confusion. ″ maybe you’re just that good. ″

       “like... i walked in, & i asked if they were hiring, they said yes. i showed them my resume, did a 5 minute interview & they just hired me right there. like you would think they’d do background checks ?? ” he scratches the back of his head in uncertainty. the immediacy of the acceptance was startling, “ maybe ?? i guess. ”

[paladiknighted]

         “ not that i’m complaining exactly... ” leorio says tentatively to the person near him, “ but is it supposed to be THAT easy for someone to be hired as a doctor here in magnolia ?? or are they just that understaffed ?? because i won’t lie: that’s a little alarming. & weird. ” or maybe he is just very qualified ? who even knows at this point. 

[paladiknighted]

scrleteyes.

He nods and keeps his hands folded behind his back while listening. “That’s nice, if you learned anything you could use it in your own practice.” He replied and then paused for a moment at his own questions. He didn’t want to worry Leorio because it wasn’t going as well as Kurapika had wanted it to be. He’d been in a sort of pinch and had already been using Emperor Time too often before he was all of a sudden sent here. “Things were…okay.” Some things were okay anyways. 

         “ yeah, i’ve been working on refining a couple of medical projects, & it helps that the science division is giving me a couple of people to bounce ideas off of, ” he smiles, slightly, suddenly aware he’s been rambling. he pauses, his brows furrowing at kurapika’s short reply, & just like that: the worry is back in full swing. he frowns, crossing his arms, “ are you sure ?? ” he asks tentatively; he doesn’t want to fight with kurapika, not when they haven’t seen each other in quite a bit, but he knows when the blonde is holding back. 

[jse-egopocalypse]

can we stop and rewiiind?

[paladiknighted]

not-an-earp.

“You know, I always saw myself as a Florida type of girl. Sun on my face, swimming in the ocean, the whole ten yards. But for Illinois being my first place to stay, well it sure beats the hell out of Purgatory. -Shit, I’m gonna have to get a job. Defiantly not being a bartender here.. I think.” The bartender that didn’t seem amused with her chit-chat, made a face before walking away. “Right, defiantly not this bar then. Keep it up and you’ll make friends like Wynonna.”

          leorio turns to the direction where a girl is chattering nearby. usually he’s not one to just suddenly join in conversations that aren’t necessarily his, but he sort of wants to take pity on the lady since she’s being near painfully ignored by the annoyed bartender. “ i mean there are plenty of other bars around that you can go check out. ” leorio interjects with a shrug, “ i’m sure somewhere here is looking for a bartender. not to be nosy & all. ” 

[paladiknighted]

itstopshelfman.

The redhead might still be uncertain of her surroundings– not for lack of exploration on her part. She despised not knowing things– lacking direction. But some things remained the same, becoming evident while she watched a man become too grabby. It made her skin crawl. “I don’t believe she’s interested.” Nicole articulated each word with more emphasis than the last. The look on her face was menacing and completely unwavering as she stared at him, wishing she still had her gun. 

       magnolia is a weird place, is ultimately what leorio decides. it has its quiet aspects, but he figures all places will always have creeps. so when he hears the scuffle that’s going down, he approaches with caution, glaring. he knows it’s not a good idea to use his nen here, but the urge to is there. irregardless, he takes out his switchblade, flipping it open. when the guy opens his mouth to retaliate at the lady standing nearby, he throws the knife with easy precision, landing it into the wall next to the guy’s head, on the side away from the girl he was very well assaulting. “ dude. just go. ” starting a fight isn’t on his to do list, but he won’t stand by when he sees someone being harassed.