It was a party just like many that he’d attended; men and women dressed in formals, mingling, drinking, enjoying themselves. Unlike the usual affair, however, these were people that he was all too familiar with. A catered event for the police, even, with inspectors and traffic officers alike taking advantage of the open bar. On the one hand, this meant that the shop talk was at least remotely interesting to Hakuba. On the other, it also meant that he was dreadfully alone. Too young to really be part of them (and, really, several resented the fact that he was even involved in real police work), too familiar with their work to just go along as a guest.

Such was the life of the Superintendent General’s son, however. He took it in stride for the most part, finding a perch in a lonely corner to quietly observe while he drank his glass of champagne. It wasn’t the best he’d had, he thought to himself, swirling the pale liquid from side to side. The hors d’oeuvres left much to be desired, as well. Then again, this was just a formality; an event thrown together to make them feel appreciated. It wasn’t at all like the high class parties his mother put together on a regular basis, meant for those with money. This, as nice as the venue was, only had a large enough budget to make them feel like they had money. 

He sighed, reading the lips of those who passed him, taking note of skirt lengths, the kind of ties the men wore and how what knots they used, hair color, contact lenses on those who normally wore glasses, and so on. Hakuba checked his watch every so often, verifying the time between pocket watch and wrist, attempting to keep mentally count down the seconds in a little game of accuracy. Most often, though, his gaze was drawn back to the window and the cityscape below, wishing he were wandering rooftops, climbing damned ladders, feet pounding on pavement in hot pursuit of a culprit.

Cheek rested on the palm of his hand, Hakuba let his mind wander. Although he wore white that night, no one paid him mind so long as he stayed in the shadows.  Mm. White. Like a certain thief. 

I wonder what he’s doing right now…