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The airport bustled with people of all shapes, shades, and identities, who each had a different reason to be here today—some on vacation, some on business, and some returning home to loved ones. The list could go on. However, all of them occupied the same building, where time was lost, and social norms were thrown into the wind.
"I'll be waiting in front of the airport to flank him if he tries to run." Lupin said through Jigen's earpiece.
"Sounds good." Jigen said. He then turned his earpiece off.
Jigen looked at his wristwatch under his shirt sleeve as he and Goemon rode the moving walkway. It wasn't the purple button-down he was used to wearing, but instead a plain white one. He also wore a striped black and blue tie, a black leather rucksack, and dark sunglasses. The sunglasses were a compromise so Lupin could gel back Jigen's bangs to make him look more formal for his disguise.
It was only fifteen minutes until they'd see the guy they're looking for. Jigen looked back up from his watch as he and Goemon walked off the moving walkway. Goemon was also wearing a disguise composed of a chunky white sweater and a long and flowy light heather purple skirt, accompanied by a medium-sized cream-colored leather tote bag.
They were making their way to the spot lupin told them to be, walking past a few of the airport gift shops. Something in one of the displays caught Jigen's eye. He walked over to it curiously, Goemon hesitatingly joining him to see what he was looking at. In the display were many different flavors of rectangular lollipops, but each one had a single scorpion suspended in the center of the solid syrup treat.
He let out an amused hum. "D'ya think they're edible?" Jigen asked.
"In Vietnam and parts of China, you can find people who enjoy eating Scorpion." Goemon started, then let out an audible shiver, "I do not consider it something of my palette."
"heh, i wonder what it tastes like-" Jigen began when he felt someone tap on his shoulder.
He turned to see a woman glaring daggers at him.
she had pale ivory skin and short blonde hair cut into a bob. She wore a blue denim jacket over a white v-neck shirt and black Capri jeans. The woman could almost tower over him thanks to the white 3-inch strappy heels she was wearing.
Before he could ask her any question, she hissed in American English, "Are you fucking high??"
He gave a confused look. "Uhh, no?" he answered. He wasn't sure what he could've done that provoked this kind of question.
He looked over at Goemon to see him just as confused. He then turned his attention back at the woman when she started talking again.
"Then why the hell are you wearing sunglasses inside?? Don't you know how rude that is?" She nagged at him.
"I'm sorry that my friend's glasses are offending you;" Goemon said, "however, we do not appreciate your impertinent confrontation."
"Does it look like I give a damn about how you feel?" She started, "You know what, its men like you that-"
She continued to spout complaints that pertained nothing to him other than the fact that he was a man. It felt like it came from nowhere, like she was just looking for something to yell at him about, but it did start to draw attention.
"Miss, we have done none of the things you are implying." Goemon protested.
"Yes you did! All men are guilty!" She raved, "Women will always suffer if men don't make amends for all the years they suppressed us!"
If she kept this up, their cover would be blown, Jigen thought. He needed to get her to leave.
"Ok, ok, Ill take the sunglasses off." He huffed, folding them and placing them into the collar of his button-down. Hopefully, he could put them back on once they're out of her sight.
He blinked at how bright it was in the building. It was a little disorienting, just enough so that he didn't even register that the woman had snatched his sunglasses from his collar. He watched as she threw them on the ground and stomped on them with her sharp heels. Well, so much for wearing them again.
He looked up to see the woman give a final triumphant look, then finally storm off on her merry way. Bystanders went their own ways, too, as Jigen looked back down at the remains of his sunglasses.
He felt Goemon grab his hand, pulling him to walk with him. "Come Jigen, we will be miss our target." Goemon pressed.
Jigen walked with him, his eyes slowly adjusting to the brightness around him, but not enough to make it any less overwhelming.
Not to mention how each movement around him caught his eye.
Or how it felt like each stranger that glanced at him bore into his soul.
God, it felt terrible.
He clenched his hands and kept his eyes low. He felt every nerve on edge, felt like he was seeing everything yet nothing at the same time-
"Jigen, are you alright?" He heard Goemon ask. They both stopped walking, but Jigen didn't look up to Goemon.
"You seem tense... perhaps we should sit down." Goemon suggested.
They both walked over to the seats that lined one of the many moving walkways in the airport. Jigen let go of Goemon's hand and sat down while Goemon chose to stand, keeping watchful of the people around them. Jigen rested his elbows onto his knees. He wanted to rake his fingers through his hair but didn't want to ruin Lupin's hard work gelling his hair, so he opted to rubbing at his face instead.
"...Where those sunglasses special to you?" Goemon asked.
"No," Jigen said, keeping his head in his hands, "Lupin just bought them for the disguise."
"...You seem very upset." Goemon observed.
Jigen let out a sigh. "It's these damn lights, man." Jigen started, "They bug my eyes, make it impossible to think straight."
Goemon didn't say anything. Jigen instead heard him shuffle away.
It was understandable. It was for the best that Jigen didn't hold them back from their mission. He would just have to catch up with them-
Jigen felt something get placed onto his head. He straightened up to see Goemon standing back in front of him. He then reached up to feel what was on his head, realizing it was a baseball cap.
"I figured our marksman was missing his hat." Goemon smiled warmly.
Jigen gave out a chuckle.
"Thanks." Jigen said as he adjusted the hat to sit more securely on his head. So much for his hair.
He then paused, someone in the crowd of people catching his eye. He pressed his earpiece to turn it on.
"Found Him."