Some time later...1in_perfectionNovember 17 2008, 02:19:02 UTC
"You seem to be taking this well enough." Mitsuru says as she looks over at Sanada. The rest of the time between arriving in Ergo and waiting for the Dark Hour goes by in jerks and hiccups, either moving too fast or not fast enough.
But by now, the sun is gone and the street lamps have long since flickered on. Mitsuru glances out one of the windows to look at them, knowing they won't be lit for much longer.
"Do I have a choice?" Akihiko's feeling pretty tight, but he takes her question as a good excuse to get up and walk a little bit. Waiting's always been the worst part for him, but he really doesn't want Mitsuru to think that he's nervous, or worse, scared.
...He is nervous, but that's beside the point. He looks down at the...Evoker, that's right, that's in the holster that they gave him. It feels a bit weird, resting against his hip, but his hand quite naturally falls to the grip. "Let's just get this over with."
"..." She stays silent over the 'choice' bit. Technically, he does have the option of refusing and walking away, although that's not the one she, or the rest of the Group, wants him to take.
Instead, she walks over to the doors and pushes one open, and holds it for him. "After you, then. When it starts in about..." She can't help but glance at a clock on the far side of the wall. "Five minutes, I want you to stay close to me." Still, it's five minutes more of waiting, and having it be filled with nothing but silence doesn't sound very inviting.
"By the way, did you get enough to eat? Facing these things on an empty stomach, or with less then optimal energy isn't a smart idea."
Akihiko walks out the door that Mitsuru is holding open. "Stay close to you, got it." That doesn't sound too bad to him, though he'll have to get close to these Shadows in order to fight. ...He still prefers his fists to the gun, supernatural bullets or not. However that works. He frowns as he suddenly realizes that they never gave him any extra ammunition for it, or showed him how to reload it. Well, they probably wouldn't have overlooked something like that.
He's jerked out of his thoughts by Mitsuru's question, and he can't help but snerk just a little. That dinner had certainly been better than anything he'd eaten in a long time. "Yes, I had enough. I should be fine." He had eaten carefully, though; the start of "the Dark Hour" had made him feel nauseous when it first started. Even though it had gotten better each night afterwards, there was no reason to tempt fate.
"...So are we going someplace in particular, or just hanging around and hoping to find what we're looking for?"
"We don't 'hope' for anything; they'll show up whether you want them to or not." She lets the door swing shut behind her, and reaches down to make sure her Evoker is also around her waist. Her finger traces the metal and the trigger, and without looking at it she already knows how the best way to pull it out of the holster and bring it up to fire.
Her rapier is hanging off on her left side, and thankfully it's so late at night (or they're in such an quiet section of the town) that no one is around to double-take at the young lady armed to the teeth.
"Ideally, we'll stay close to the Ergo building, and just patrol the streets close by. If you're ready..." She's already moving out as she speaks.
Akihiko shrugs, unsure if she can even see the gesture as he follows after her. "You'd know better." He's feeling slightly easier now that they're actually doing something, like the small calm that settles on him as he steps into the ring. It's just a fight, right? He's done that plenty of times before. Whatever these Shadows are, it shouldn't be too bad.
He's not sure just how much of that he believes, but there's no harm in it. "So there's no plan at all? Just patrol and fight whatever we come across?"
"Oh no, there's a plan to all this; getting you introduced to what really goes on in the Dark Hour is the main thing, along with showing you just what sort of challenge you'd be accepting." Once it's clear that he's going to follow her, Mitsuru slows down so they're closer together...Maybe not exactly side by side, since that's a privilege she's only ready to give to a true partner, but close enough so she can see him without having to look too far back.
The street corner they reach looks like it still belongs in the business section of the city; tall buildings, lots of concrete and glass, and aside the from the Ergo building they just stepped out of, there's barely a light on in any of them. Mitsuru stops at where the sidewalk ends and street begins and takes one last look around at the normal world, before she mentally counts down the seconds to the Dark Hour.
He stops just a second after she does, not expecting that movement. It takes him another second to realize just why she's saying to brace himself, and by then it's too late; the Dark Hour washes over them.
His stomach rolls for a moment before settling back down, just a slight feeling of being sick lingering. The first night he had been left curled in a ball on the floor, so this is a great improvement to his mind. The air settles around his shoulders like a weight, making him sag slightly before he stubbornly stands up as straight as he can.
Green light, red splashes across the streets...this is what he's been experiencing all right. He glances over at Mitsuru, and he does have to admit it's a relief to see someone else stand unchanged during this time. He rolls his shoulders once, then nods. "Okay then. Let's go."
And for Mitsuru...The effect is a bit jarring when she sees someone her own age standing next to her, instead of a team of scientists, or guards with artificial (and as a consequence, hazardous and borderline useless) potential. There's a moment where she just stands there, looking at him, and unaware that she's staring.
Once his face doesn't start dissolving into black, or anything similarly unpleasant, Mitsuru remembers to blink, and just how rude it is to stare like that. She turns back to the road, and steps onto it; they don't have to worry about cars or anything similar right now.
"It shouldn't take long to come across what we're looking for. They seem to be drawn towards people who are walking around, instead of being inside their coffins." She glances back, and gives the gun at his side a piercing look. "Just remember, you'll need that as well as your fists."
He notes the staring, but has no idea what might have brought it on. His hand brushes against the Evoker at her reminder, but his face remains stubborn. He really doesn't like the idea of using a gun.
He follows slightly behind her, trying to ignore the sound of their footsteps. And a good thing too; he hears more than sees something down one alley, but when he turns to look, he can't really make out anything. He's going to just dismiss it as nerves when one bit of blackness separates itself from the wall and starts...is it moving towards them? It suddenly seems to sprout little...arms? Are those arms? Just how many do these things have? And then more seem to sprout up, and there's got to be more than one of those things around, doesn't there? He just can't seem to make out where one ends and the other begins. To him, it looks like one massive, roiling...shadow.
He takes an involuntary step back in surprise. "Kirijo." His mouth is suddenly dry, and he finds he has to swallow before he can speak again. "That's a Shadow, right?"
"Those...Would be Shadows, yes." Mitsuru's tone, if it's possible, has become even more serious then before, and more tightly controlled. Both of which point to the fact that she's just a bit unnerved.
She keeps her back to Akihiko's, reminding herself that this is nothing new; she's taken on two Shadows at once before. That thought helps her keep her heart beat under control, until she realizes that there's a third one trailing behind...And that Akihiko isn't looking in the same place she is.
"I...Haven't seem them in a group like this before, though." And that's not good, judging by how a slight quaver has come into her voice. She forces herself to swallow, and then speaks more evenly.
"Sanada, get your Evoker ready, You're going to need it." She's already reaching for hers, knowing that it won't be long before the Shadows stop stalking and start surging forward instead.
Akihiko nods, hoping that Mitsuru will catch the movement, since his mouth is dry again. Just what the hell are these things? He pulls his Evoker out of his holder...it feels weird in his hand as he lifts it to point at the Shadows. But despite his distaste, he figures it's better to stay out of the range of those arms, at least until he knows about how fast they can move.
"...Should I be waiting for something in particular, or can I just go?" His voice is a little tight, but he notes with relief that it doesn't tremble at all.
"If you see an opening then go for it. We need to thin out their numbers." Mitsuru sets the barrel of the gun against her head, and teases the trigger with her finger.
All of her instincts are screaming 'pull it, hurry up and pull the trigger!' but she's learned not to always act on them. Right now, the rational part of her mind is speaking over them, pointing out that if she fires off an attack with Penthesilea, she'll only damage one of the Shadows. She needs to get them closer together, first.
An opening? Akihiko waits, his eyes carefully following the movements of the black mass, until he thinks he spots what might be a Shadow's body through the mass amount of arms. He points the Evoker at it, hoping that he won't miss (he probably should've asked to practice aiming before coming out here). He takes a deep breath, then pulls the trigger.
And the gun lets off a soft click, and nothing more. As far as Akihiko can tell, the Shadows weren't affected at all. "The hell?" he says softly, bringing the Evoker back to look at it. Did he miss? Was that not an opening? Or was this thing just defective somehow?
Almost, almost...Why won't they just move a little closer together? Mitsuru feels her hand tighten around the Evoker, and has to exert all the willpower she has to keep from firing it.
And when she hears the 'click' noise, for a moment she's convinced that her all wasn't enough. But then she realizes that there's no gunshot, no odd half dream like feeling that settles over her...And most importantly, no ice covering the Shadows.
That's when she turns around and sees that Sanada is going about it all wrong.
"Sanada! You're supposed to use it on yourself, not them!" Oh, dieu. She can see in the corner of her eyes that Shadows are done with sneaking and are ready to rush them.
"What?! You never told me that part!" He half turns towards Mitsuru in shock. Shoot himself? This girl really is crazy! What the hell good would that do?
Akihiko catches movement from his side of the street and is forced to turn back as the black mass descends upon him. He lashes out instinctively with his free hand, and ugh, the feeling of his fist meeting the Shadow just makes his skin crawl, and he's suddenly very grateful for the gloves that keep his actual skin from touching it.
He starts to step away, as he would circle an opponent in the ring, then realizes that would leave Mitsuru's back wide open to them. Damn it, he's not used to fighting while having to worry about someone else. He forces himself to stay put, this time punching with his hand holding the Evoker. At least that weighted punch seems to do a bit more damage, but he has to hold on tightly to keep the Evoker from getting ripped from his hand, and that's not so good.
I have to shoot myself to use this? What sort the hell sort of deal was that?
But by now, the sun is gone and the street lamps have long since flickered on. Mitsuru glances out one of the windows to look at them, knowing they won't be lit for much longer.
"Are you ready for what's next?"
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...He is nervous, but that's beside the point. He looks down at the...Evoker, that's right, that's in the holster that they gave him. It feels a bit weird, resting against his hip, but his hand quite naturally falls to the grip. "Let's just get this over with."
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Instead, she walks over to the doors and pushes one open, and holds it for him. "After you, then. When it starts in about..." She can't help but glance at a clock on the far side of the wall. "Five minutes, I want you to stay close to me." Still, it's five minutes more of waiting, and having it be filled with nothing but silence doesn't sound very inviting.
"By the way, did you get enough to eat? Facing these things on an empty stomach, or with less then optimal energy isn't a smart idea."
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He's jerked out of his thoughts by Mitsuru's question, and he can't help but snerk just a little. That dinner had certainly been better than anything he'd eaten in a long time. "Yes, I had enough. I should be fine." He had eaten carefully, though; the start of "the Dark Hour" had made him feel nauseous when it first started. Even though it had gotten better each night afterwards, there was no reason to tempt fate.
"...So are we going someplace in particular, or just hanging around and hoping to find what we're looking for?"
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Her rapier is hanging off on her left side, and thankfully it's so late at night (or they're in such an quiet section of the town) that no one is around to double-take at the young lady armed to the teeth.
"Ideally, we'll stay close to the Ergo building, and just patrol the streets close by. If you're ready..." She's already moving out as she speaks.
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He's not sure just how much of that he believes, but there's no harm in it. "So there's no plan at all? Just patrol and fight whatever we come across?"
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The street corner they reach looks like it still belongs in the business section of the city; tall buildings, lots of concrete and glass, and aside the from the Ergo building they just stepped out of, there's barely a light on in any of them. Mitsuru stops at where the sidewalk ends and street begins and takes one last look around at the normal world, before she mentally counts down the seconds to the Dark Hour.
'Ten...Nine...Eight...'
"Brace yourself, Sanada."
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His stomach rolls for a moment before settling back down, just a slight feeling of being sick lingering. The first night he had been left curled in a ball on the floor, so this is a great improvement to his mind. The air settles around his shoulders like a weight, making him sag slightly before he stubbornly stands up as straight as he can.
Green light, red splashes across the streets...this is what he's been experiencing all right. He glances over at Mitsuru, and he does have to admit it's a relief to see someone else stand unchanged during this time. He rolls his shoulders once, then nods. "Okay then. Let's go."
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Once his face doesn't start dissolving into black, or anything similarly unpleasant, Mitsuru remembers to blink, and just how rude it is to stare like that. She turns back to the road, and steps onto it; they don't have to worry about cars or anything similar right now.
"It shouldn't take long to come across what we're looking for. They seem to be drawn towards people who are walking around, instead of being inside their coffins." She glances back, and gives the gun at his side a piercing look. "Just remember, you'll need that as well as your fists."
Reply
He follows slightly behind her, trying to ignore the sound of their footsteps. And a good thing too; he hears more than sees something down one alley, but when he turns to look, he can't really make out anything. He's going to just dismiss it as nerves when one bit of blackness separates itself from the wall and starts...is it moving towards them? It suddenly seems to sprout little...arms? Are those arms? Just how many do these things have? And then more seem to sprout up, and there's got to be more than one of those things around, doesn't there? He just can't seem to make out where one ends and the other begins. To him, it looks like one massive, roiling...shadow.
He takes an involuntary step back in surprise. "Kirijo." His mouth is suddenly dry, and he finds he has to swallow before he can speak again. "That's a Shadow, right?"
Reply
She keeps her back to Akihiko's, reminding herself that this is nothing new; she's taken on two Shadows at once before. That thought helps her keep her heart beat under control, until she realizes that there's a third one trailing behind...And that Akihiko isn't looking in the same place she is.
"I...Haven't seem them in a group like this before, though." And that's not good, judging by how a slight quaver has come into her voice. She forces herself to swallow, and then speaks more evenly.
"Sanada, get your Evoker ready, You're going to need it." She's already reaching for hers, knowing that it won't be long before the Shadows stop stalking and start surging forward instead.
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"...Should I be waiting for something in particular, or can I just go?" His voice is a little tight, but he notes with relief that it doesn't tremble at all.
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All of her instincts are screaming 'pull it, hurry up and pull the trigger!' but she's learned not to always act on them. Right now, the rational part of her mind is speaking over them, pointing out that if she fires off an attack with Penthesilea, she'll only damage one of the Shadows. She needs to get them closer together, first.
Reply
And the gun lets off a soft click, and nothing more. As far as Akihiko can tell, the Shadows weren't affected at all. "The hell?" he says softly, bringing the Evoker back to look at it. Did he miss? Was that not an opening? Or was this thing just defective somehow?
Reply
And when she hears the 'click' noise, for a moment she's convinced that her all wasn't enough. But then she realizes that there's no gunshot, no odd half dream like feeling that settles over her...And most importantly, no ice covering the Shadows.
That's when she turns around and sees that Sanada is going about it all wrong.
"Sanada! You're supposed to use it on yourself, not them!" Oh, dieu. She can see in the corner of her eyes that Shadows are done with sneaking and are ready to rush them.
Reply
Akihiko catches movement from his side of the street and is forced to turn back as the black mass descends upon him. He lashes out instinctively with his free hand, and ugh, the feeling of his fist meeting the Shadow just makes his skin crawl, and he's suddenly very grateful for the gloves that keep his actual skin from touching it.
He starts to step away, as he would circle an opponent in the ring, then realizes that would leave Mitsuru's back wide open to them. Damn it, he's not used to fighting while having to worry about someone else. He forces himself to stay put, this time punching with his hand holding the Evoker. At least that weighted punch seems to do a bit more damage, but he has to hold on tightly to keep the Evoker from getting ripped from his hand, and that's not so good.
I have to shoot myself to use this? What sort the hell sort of deal was that?
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