Night 55: Recreational Field

[ninelivesonce]

[from here]The field stretched out, wide and empty. Moonlight, even through clouds, made it bright enough that navigation would have been simple, if it weren't for all the snow. It was coming down heavily now; she could barely make out the walls on the other side

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[lookitmemama]

Oh, shit...

Asuka sighed in obvious frustration when someone came out from hiding behind her, talking like he was a friend. It was not a good idea to turn. If she stayed facing away, she wouldn't succumb to terror or hesitation, unlike last night, but curiosity got the better of her. If she was going to run for her life, the redhead wanted to know it was worth her pride. She was not going to high-tail it because of a talking cat.

What she faced, though, was not what the second child expected. He didn't seem all that threatening, but that smirk told them both how sure he was of winning this. Asuka assumed Taura would just break him, but well, she was heading the other way at break-neck speed.

"Hey!"

The eva pilot broke into a sprint a few meters behind Taura. Since the woman had been gracious enough to plow a route in the thick snow, Asuka used it to her advantage. She did her best to catch up with the older woman, having no interest in getting picked off first because of her slower speed, but her legs were too short in comparison. She was in shape, sure, but physics wasn't going to change just because she exercised every day.

[unfleeing]

... And they both ran. Naraku's night was already shaping up to be quite entertaining.

The first one, who seemed to be the leader of the other one, was quick; it thrilled him, to have found such an opponent in this unlikely place. He would have such fun with these two.

The first female had already made it too far away, but the redhead was still within reach. Aiming carefully at her right ankle, he quickly extended his tentacle; it shot forward with unmatched speed, almost certain to make its mark.

As for the other... Naraku's eyes narrowed again as he pooled all of his concentration. A good-sized rock, about a foot in diameter, came flying over the wall from the forest beyond, aimed directly at the quicker woman.

[ninelivesonce]

Asuka was falling behind; that wasn't good. Taura was going to have to grab her, before -- what was that sound? High-pitched, very faint, but something.

Instinct, and more importantly, training took over. The footing was good; if this was a trap, it wasn't on the ground. She dropped into a push-up position, gritting her teeth and holding back a hiss at how cold the snow was; enough had stuck that she had a face full of it.

She didn't see the rock until it had passed over her. Not a train, this time, or even a large rock, but at that speed an unlucky hit could be fatal.

Something else was moving straight for Asuka, too fast for her to make it there in time. A warning wouldn't do much good. Damn! She'd just have to hope Asuka had more than wit to throw at the man. Meanwhile, Taura stayed down, on the off chance he wouldn't have noticed the rock didn't hit its mark.

[lookitmemama]

The ground suddenly came up to attack her and Asuka shrieked. She fell face first into the cold snow, unable to regain her balance no matter how much she clawed and kicked. The eva pilot assumed it had been something like a branch covered by the heavy snowfall, but it wouldn't shake off.

She turned over and screamed again at the sight of a tentacle--a tentacle!--wrapped around her. If this wasn't so terrifying, she would have slapped this guy for being so cliche. For now, she'd have to make do with a baseball bat and a radio that was tossed somewhere she couldn't reach. Pulling her trapped leg as best she could closer to her body, Asuka began beating the offending appendage with all her strength, which wasn't all that much. All she could do was hope it was enough to at least distract this monster so Taura could attempt a rescue.

Please let Taura be the rescuing type! Because Asuka knew she would have probably left the poor bastard to meet his or her fate.

[unfleeing]

He growled, dissatisfied, when the rock flew right over its mark, who was obviously much more aware of her surroundings than the humans he was used to dealing with. Of course, this only meant that she would prove a more suitable challenge for him than his usual enemies. The other one, however...

Naraku grinned, a wide amused expression, as he darted forward, toward the female that was out of his reach. He was slower than usual here, it was true, but that left him faster than the majority of those in the pathetic ranks of the human race. As he moved, he jerked his arm back, the tentacle already wrapped firmly around the redhead's ankle, but he would release her once she was mid-air; he would aim her for the building. His strength was less now as well, so she hopefully wouldn't hurt herself too badly on the trip back inside.

Remember, he chided himself, nearing the other woman. They are not to be killed. Injury cannot be helped in some cases, but death is unacceptable, for some reason.

Like he cared, really. In the end, all Naraku was after was that Jewel; this was simply a detour on that mission.

[ninelivesonce]

Taura began to crawl forward, but that wasn't going to cut it. Not with the speed that --arm? Thing? was moving. She flexed her arms and bounced into a crouch; he knew where she was, given the way he was moving. Stealth didn't matter.

She unholstered and threw Cissnei's throwing disk in one fluid motion, aiming for the midpoint of the tentacle holding Asuka. It flashed as it spun, wicked points gleaming with melted snow and a perfect polish. Asuka was a couple of feet off the ground; nothing too bad, and the ground was softer than it had been last night. Colder and wetter, but softer.

Now would be the perfect time to pull out the claw she hadn't brought along, but she didn't have time for self-recrimination.

He was coming for her. Let him. She grinned, her yellow eyes alight with excitement. She stood her ground, pulling herself up to her full height. Sometimes that was all it took, though she was sure it wouldn't be enough here. Every little -- and not-so-little bit helped.

[lookitmemama]

"Wh--Hey! Stop!" This was beyond indignation! Asuka had had her fair share of tosses in her life, but within a suit of armor it was more of a brief annoyance. Here, in the cold, the wind and snow pressing against her, and the feeling of weightlessness was new. She was helpless, and it was a terrifying thought.

Not that she would let the enemy. The second child kept her mouth shut, when she wasn't throwing every curse word she knew at the monster. "Put me down, you asshole!"

[unfleeing]

Crimson eyes widened as the disc flew for the middle of his tentacle; a not-so-soft gasp as Naraku stopped dead in his tracks and released the one girl in mid-swing - but he still wasn't quick enough. It sliced clean through the soft flesh of his tentacle, red blood spraying across the snow and soaking down into it.

A loud sharp cry, and Naraku's appendage snapped back to its original length, a bloody stump instead of a hand. Those widened eyes narrowed, and he aimed his anguished glare right at that bitch. How dare she think herself capable to take him on.

Gripping his wrist firmly with his other hand, the demon's snarl morphed into a sickly amused grin as his hand started to regrow before their very eyes. First it was as though the skin from his wrist grew over the blood-covered end of his arm, bubbling up after mere seconds to loop together and harden, separating at long last into long, thin fingers.

He also straightened to his full height - adding a couple inches, of course, just to keep things even.

After all, Naraku was a big fan of even.

Still smirking, he regarded her as a challenge - an actual challenge. So nice of those in charge to have sent him someone he could have some proper fun with.

"Impressive!" he called out to her. "Because of how you've impressed me so far, I'll let you return to your bed with no injuries. You and the worthless girl you partnered yourself with tonight." She was easy prey, the redhead, and Naraku had so far received no sign that she was anything but that. It would be especially amusing if his taunting prompted her to prove him wrong.

His head snapped slightly to the right, grin widening, when he heard movement, however subtle, behind him, still close to the building. Were they thinking about making a run for it or intervening? Naraku was quite familiar with both idiocy and hero complexes, so he recognized that both possibilities were exactly that - completely possible.

"I'll deal with you in a moment," he whispered without turning to look at them. "I'm busy right now."

[ninelivesonce]

Run. Taura heard that, and she had to assume their attacker had as well. The other patients would be a distraction, and at the very least, so would they.

She couldn't help but stare a little at the regrowth; that was an ability she'd, well, give her right hand for. Temporarily, at least. It didn't look comfortable, but it didn't need to be. Then he pulled himself up a few inches, and she almost laughed in his face. Psychological warfare, was it? She'd played that game intentionally or unintentionally since she was tall enough to tower over her captors.

"Grab my throwing star, would'ja?" Asuka was breathing; Taura could see that from here, and the blade wasn't far from her. It would give her something to fight with, if it came to that.

And it likely would, since this wasn't a fight Taura was about to abandon. She pretended to consider the Deal. It was the same one they always had against brainwashed patients, though she'd thought they'd be able to avoid that tonight.

Then she shrugged and began stalking back towards Asuka and the doorway, angling away from the other group.

And, not so coincidentally, bringing her closer to their fellow patient. "Yes. I don't think we'll be taking your offer. You can, if you want," she called back over her shoulder to Asuka, not turning her head any more than he had. "I won't make anyone fight who doesn't want to." That went for him, too; she knew what the answer would be, but she was willing to make the offer.

[lookitmemama]

Worthless.

She was perceived as worthless. That stung more than the new lump on the back of her head and the panicked feeling of breathlessness that seized her lungs.

If I had my Unit 02!

And that was the problem. She was a force to be reckoned with, but not alone. On her own, Asuka was a little girl with few skills beyond basic survival and self-defense. What could you do against soldiers with guns or a monster who can shape shift into an indecent tentacle? It wasn't fair! If she had better training from NERV--If Okita had given her something a bit better than her bat--!

Once she was breathing normally again, the second child tentatively lifted her head with a groan. Like hell she was going to give up now! If there was one thing she excelled at (to the point of idiocy) was spite. Fuck being worthless. A chance to run? Fuck that to!

Her bat was still clutched in her hand despite the attack. It was her only lifeline, and Asuka was not letting it go. Anyone wanted it, they'd have to pry it from her dead fingers. Or she'd recommend the activity's shed.

"How... generous of you," the pilot commented while she struggled to her feet. Verbal wit to deflect pain, yeah she was excellent at that too. Outside of that, she wasn't too sure of the plan. Asuka looked to Taura for answers and didn't like what she got.

"Your star?" In the middle of a fight? Wow, talk about high-maintenance! Was she trying to keep Asuka out of the way? It seemed Taura's last suggestion confirmed it. Well, she had something to say about that: "What do I look like? A coward?" She sniffed indignantly to top it off. Truly, she didn't feel brave. She didn't feel strong or in control. But damned if she'd let her pride take a dive! Better to die fighting!

[She'll find the star next post once she's less butt hurt lol]

[unfleeing]

Of course they wouldn't be taking him up on his generous offer - but more was afoot at the moment, and Naraku's keen senses were more than enough to pick up on it. These two were nothing but a distraction - a fact he fully recognized when he realized that focusing on them completely had meant that the other group had gotten through without so much as a scrape.

His eyes narrowed over his shoulder at them as they crawled over the wall like ants, but he wasn't worried. After all, it was most likely Landel's fault if his wall wasn't tall enough to give more than a meager challenge to those he chose to imprison.

Releasing a deep sigh when his hand completely finished the regenerative process, the demon continued to glare at the two females. He would need to rethink his strategy for the next confrontation, and he couldn't do so with them taunting him with such a shameful lack of respect and contest. No, it was time to end this pointless confrontation.

Faster than either woman could see with their own eyes, he darted between them, leering close to the redhead's face and smirking. "You look like what you are," he murmured before pulling back and disappearing into a sudden burst of purple miasma; the cloud rose and expanded, engulfing the two girls - though his chuckle could still be heard. "Human..."

When the thick cloud dissipated, he was nowhere to be seen.

[ninelivesonce]

"Sharp, four-pointed, good with tentacles?" Or at least that's what Taura had started to growl, when a cloud of gas caught her mid-four. She could hold her breath longer than most people, but only if her mouth was shut. She slammed her lips closed, but it was too late. The gas was burning a trail of fire down her throat, threatening to bring back up what little dinner they'd been given. Her eyes stung, and the world blurred purple-and-white with gas and snow dancing alongside stars and explosions and the silent flickers that meant ships dying in space.

She blinked rapidly and swallowed hard, relying on her ears to see if he was going to attack again, but the only thing that came out of the chaos raging in front of her was a low chuckle and a final taunt. At least she expected it was a taunt; he couldn't know that human was precisely what they both were, and that what he might have intended as an insult was a compliment Taura had once gone a lifetime without hearing.

When her vision had cleared enough to see Asuka standing defiantly -- and the complete absence of any attackers in between -- she let herself cough, hacking gas and mucus out of her lungs. "Star-thing. Toss it over the wall, yeah?" At some point, trust was necessary. Asuka hadn't shown many hidden talents yet, but Okita had faith in her, so Taura would try. She scrambled up the wall, easily hoisting herself over the top and then just dropping out of sight.

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