Roleplay

Hearing the shyness in Caelum's voice, Huo Chengguang pauses, wondering how he should explain the situation to Caelum without putting him down. Given how Caelum just mentioned his amnesia, he can't but feel that this is a bad time to be waiting in silence. "Unfortunately, it is secret, but I can tell you about some of the cases that got released to the news."

Of course, the case at the tip of his tongue is always the one he was released for, but Huo Chengguang thinks it'll be a while more before he can talk about it with levity, even if it's already been a few years. Instead, he turns towards a large-scale fraud incident that he was ensuring compensation for.

"In one of them, there was an auto part manufacturer that was withholding wages from its employees, and I was tasked with collecting statements so that there was enough evidence to file for an investigation. Still, the city can be quite corrupt at times, so they were threatening to replace any whistleblowers and blacklist them from the market."

"The company falsified charges against some of the key members too. They tried just about anything to wall me off anytime I made decent progress. In the end, we had to play dirty too, and I had to resort to getting the police to get involved in the president's scandal just so we could seize their records."

Thinking back, Huo Chengguang gives a soft sigh before glancing back at Caelum with a wry smile. "It's usually not that interesting though. I get a bit luckier than most since my old friends still pass decent-paying cases on to me."

It’s a little awkward hearing Caelum praise him for pulling on him connections to organize a raid, but Huo Chengguang smiles nevertheless, pleased to have found someone else who values justice as much as he does. “I agree. I try to give everyone a chance at equal representation in court, though most of the cases I’ve worked on aren’t quite so big.”

Having said that, his eyes widen faintly at Caelum’s suggestion. Still, given Caelum’s interest in the subject and his current amnesia, having a job prospect like this that doesn’t rely on the things he’s forgotten should help him stabilize. With this in mind, Huo Chengguang offers, “I could bring you on as an assistant if you’re interested? We can try a couple of cases before you commit to anything, but I think we’d work well together since it sounds like you’d also like to do the right thing.”

He adds a slight tease to the statement, lips parting in an unprompted grin. “I could show you the cases too, provided that you promise not to leak them.”

It’s been a while since he’s had a partner despite having gotten used to them on the force. Given the amount of victims he’s been having to interview in his recent cases, it’d be nice to have one again. He’d been holding off since he hadn’t wanted to go through the trouble of confirming that his partner’s goals matched his own, but Caelum’s innocence speaks for itself.

Seeing how Caelum looks excited in place of burdened by the offer, Huo Chengguang nods, looking a little embarrassed by what's planning on saying next. "It's settled then. If it's okay with you, your salary will likely be a percentage of the commissions. I can show you the logs later so you figure out a general idea of how much you'll be making."

It's not terribly high, but it is decent. Still talking about money feels a little awkward, even if it's important enough that he feels like some sort of conversation is necessary.

At this point, their food arrives, leaving Huo Chengguang to turn towards it after a slight cough. Thin golden fries dotted with seasoning have been piled high on top of his plate, with pieces of crispy fish placed nicely on top. He begins with taking a bite out of his fish, body language radiating quiet satisfaction at the taste. It's as good as it looks.

Thankfully, Caelum doesn't look offended by their discussion or his method of ending it. Huo Chengguang appreciates his response, though it does make him grateful of his experience with reassuring others. It helps him find the right words to return the other's cheerful confirmation. "No worries. We have plenty of time since we're private investigators; being able to work on your own schedule has its benefits. I only have limited experience with teaching too, so we'll definitely be learning together."

For the next few moments, it seems like they're both too busy trying their orders to speak/ Huo Chengguang's glad that Caelum seems pleased with his own choice — especially the Sprite. At the question, he scoots his glass beside Caelum for the sake of comparison, chuckling quietly as he does.

"I heard that it has something to do with using pressure to dissolve carbon into the soda, but I'm not too sure about the specifics. Still, what I do know is that you can make more bubbles if you tap your cup." Huo Chengguang mimics the motion, though he holds back from shaking Caelum's drink. It's more fun to see things result from your own actions after all.

While he watches Caelum's innocent joy, he can't help but tease the other. "Water and Sprite have a bigger difference than their bubbles though..." he starts, trailing off with dramatic flourish before he leans in for the reveal. "Their sweetness."

Sodas beside Sprite? The image of an aisle in the grocery store appears in Huo Chengguang's mind, each shelf filled with cans upon cans of variety. There's the standard options of Coke, Pepsi, or Dr. Pepper in their classic reds and blues, along with all of their various flavors — cherry, lime, and diet which he can't recommend, among others. To the side, he imagines the looming variety of Fantas, then the boxes of different root beers.

"Oh, there's a lot," he finally says, laughing a little as he does. "You could probably drink one a day and still not get through all the possible options. Of course, that's counting all the smaller brands too, but still. There's a lot." He wonders what Caelum would do after finishing all of them. Is he the type to make a ranking and exclusively drink his favorites, or would he continue looking for more and keep a fresh variety every day?

Personally, Huo Chengguang thinks that he, himself, is someone who conforms to his own habits. Outside of his cases, he tends to enjoy himself by doing the same set of things. Ordering the same portions of food, taking jogs by the seashore at the same time every morning before refreshing himself with a comfortable shower, listening to the same songs that were popular from his childhood day in and day out. There's a simple beauty to it.

Seeing Caelum blush, he finds himself blinking, a little surprised by the sight. Maybe he should ease back a little bit on the teasing? Caelum doesn't seem uncomfortable though, so it should be alright — in fact, he seems quite happy.

The question he's posing is a little difficult for Huo Chengguang. He enjoys cold drinks from the fridge, but he's never been too particular about what, exactly, that drink is. Soda, sparkling water, or the occasional celebratory beer all do just fine.

His friends back on the force always used to talk about this kind of thing though. There were certain treats they'd always bring back home for their partners, usually sweet ones at that. Thinking back, Huo Chengguang unconsciously stops his eating, eyes dipping slightly as a concentrated expressions crosses his face.

"Maybe, milk tea?" The pieces of his memory jolt together in recollection, and the words slip out of his mouth like a deduction, though one that's a little more uncertain than those he usually makes. "It's been a long time since I've had any, but it's pretty popular, especially if you add bubbles. It doesn't have the fizz of soda though."