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December 24th

The tall japanese man walked through the crowds, careful not to catch his gaze with anyone else as he made his way to the darker corners of the city's center. Rot and not, he made his home in the city a while ago, a long time ago with memories of his homeland already fading from everyday thought, replaced with the concerns that come from trying to make your way in a strange land. A stranger man in a strange land, wasn't that a book he read?

He shrugged the thought off and looked around as he made it to his bus stop, his trench coat pulling tight around him, even tighter when he spotted a MEC van rumbling through. "Probably on it's way to kill an another dungeon..." The man he stood next to huffed and grinned, "Good! Get rid of the blasted things..." The small japanese man only politely smiled and turned his attention to the bus as it pulled up to his stop.

Boarding the bus and continuing on his trip was relatively trouble free. A slight altercation with a drunk who thought he 'stunk', and getting up to give a handicapped lady a seat were the highlights of his trip. The bus stopped on 53rd and North Park, his usual stop, the next way station on the way home. He was the only one to step off at this bus stop, for few lived here that didn't make their living from prostitution or drugs, and neither of those required one to live far from their workplace.

He nodded politely to a couple of the street walkers who waved in reply, having known him to be always polite and giving, helping out where he could. He thought it was simply his duty, when the girls and the bums were genuinely surprised that someone would give a damn about them. The appreciation was in turn, appreciated by the gift giver, and that also helped to make his days here more bearable.

Around the corner, hidden in the shadows of a third rate pawn shop, was the ladder up to his single studio, the window of which boarded up to give the appearance of abandonment. That suited him just fine. He stopped at the door and sat his hand on the knob, the other reaching for his keys to unlock the door and the deadbolt. He paused though, and then stepped back, looking to the side towards an alley.

After a long moment, he then proceeded into his home, leaving his door partially open...

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"This is MEC Command, target has entered the zone. Move out."

Several troopers came out of the alley, all rushing up to the single room, one noting that the door is partially open... Above, 2 more jumped the roofs and stopped above the man's room, one opening up a package and setting it down dead center of the ceiling, the other to provide cover fire. The both of them then stepped back and dropped down, the charge going off and ripping a hole in the ceiling. Below the hole the troopers ran in, shouting for the 'otherworlder' to raise his hands and surrender, or be killed.

"Assault to Command, Target is not here. I repeat... Target is not here."
"MEC Command. Orders are to search and seize."
"Assault, There's /nothing/ here. Nothing at all...."

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Across the way, sitting on the rooftops and watching, the 5 tailed kitsune saw the MEC come in and raid his home, turning up nothing to assist them in their failed capture to hunt the otherworlder down. He rested his chin on his paws, pulling his cloak of illusions around him to ward off the cold... The weatherman forcasted snow tonight, and he'll have a bit of work to do on that roof after his guests leave.

"Merry Christmas..." after a long sigh.