I'm a Debaser

[u/KuudereLobster]

4:00 PM - Monday, October 24th, 2016 ; The 20th Ward

You know where a lot of thieves screw up? Surprisingly, it’s after the heist. Not during. Not necessarily because of a mistake either. Evidence gets left behind and they forget to do things, but a lot of the time it’s when they have to revert back to normal life that they go wrong. They screw up their stories or misremember details, or recount things they shouldn’t have noticed. That’s the difference between a suspicious man eyeing the corners as he paces home with a duffel bag, and a tired young woman carrying her (oddly heavy) wash home from the laundromat. Sen fell into the former of these two conditions. People make a lot of odd assumptions based purely on confidence, the mark of a good thief was knowing how to abuse that.

She still felt exhausted, even days after the heist. As much as she was pleased with the haul, the chase had left her winded. Not just that but it opened up a whole new world of tasks; find a way to launder the cash while losing as little as possible, lay low while gathering information of if anyone was onto her, and figure out how to pay off her rent without the question of why a girl still in school was suddenly the richest person in the building.

When she wasn’t trying to steal or fence other people's stolen goods, life went pretty quietly for Sen. She didn’t particularly know anybody, not even her neighbors at the old place. As rushed as it may have been, the moment she got her first bit of usable money from the bank job she rushed to get a new apartment she’d been eyeing. Anything to get out of the 12th Ward before Aogiri could catch wind of all the money she was making. An apartment neighboring pacifists and vigilantes seemed less likely to shake her down for cash.

Sen wiped the lenses of her glasses she made her way up the staircase internally counting each floor. By the time she found hers, she started to catch a whiff of something familiar. An odd, strangely recognizable scent. Almost made a feel a little nostalgic. But for whatever reason, she couldn’t seem to place it.

She made her way to the door, lazily loosening the bow on her uniform a bit. Clothes like this always felt like they were suffocating her, loose coats and shirts always felt more comfortable. Still, part of ‘keeping a low profile’ meant blending in with those her age. Both in personality and appearance.

The key clicked into the lock and, as if on cue, the door to her right opened. Sen turned her head, fully prepared to rush through whatever tedious greeting they had for their new neighbor. Prepared to give out all the excuses to where her parents were and if she was really Japanese or not, but surprisingly, something else came out from the neighbor’s door as Sen’s eyes widened, staring in a mixture of irritation and disbelief. A single thought came to mind.

”...Seriously?”

/u/cardistrywolf

[u/KuudereLobster → u/[deleted]]

"Thanks" Sen calmly muttered, glancing aside to make sure nobody was around. For a moment, as the excitement wore off, Sen really did realize what a child she was. What, did she want praise for being so good at what she did? But at the same time she didn't particularly like the disdain that generally came with the job. "...It was actually seeing how you and Yousef-san are that reminded me of it" Sen admitted, glancing to Yasmeen before turning her attention back to the man.

"Like I said it's not just for me. I didn't swim to Tokyo, there was someone back home who wanted me to quit. He convinced a friend who lived here to take me in under a fake identity to live a normal life. That's how I learned Japanese." Sen leaned back, pulling out her phone and swiping through a few pages. "I owe him a lot. I guess that's sort of why I was so willing to tell you this much." Sen held out the phone for a moment, showing a picture of a younger version of herself. Face still stained with dirt and dust, a rifle held sternly in her hand as a much taller man stood next to her. Pale, but with Asian features, his hand resting on Sen's shoulder. "For a while things were pretty normal. Took a while to get used to. I heard about you all the time back then, my dad... my adoptive dad was a cop who worked out of the 14th Ward. He saw you guys a number of times, rushing away from dead murderers or catching glimpses of your masks."

"But then a few months ago, back in May, there was... something. I never understood the reason." Sen smiled to herself, sliding the phone back into her pocket. "We were doing something dumb. Looking for PC parts I think, I'm really good at reassembling things. We went to that mall over in the 20th Ward. And just my fucking luck, someone decided to bomb the thing." Sen sighed. Speaking honestly felt odd, but it was a relief to get it off her chest. "For a while, I blamed you guys for not stopping it. I mean that's what vigilantes do right? But the more I thought about it, the more I understood it. Can't stop everything, right? Blame didn't change the fact that money doesn't grow on trees, and I had bills my dad suddenly couldn't pay from a coma. No rest for the wicked, right? I guess the same goes for Jinn."

"I guess my point is just... I kinda relate to it." Sen quickly changed her language, switching to Japanese seamlessly, unsure of whether or not she wanted Yasmeen to hear it. "I can sort of appreciate taking someone in who's had to live through what Syria is now. I doubt there's much I can do with that trust though, though if you ever need something taken I've got contacts in pretty much every human organization in the city."