(Untitled)

[fadetonigredo]

Who: Gaignun and Jr.
What: In a rare display of impatience, Gaignun decided to take on his own plan.
When: Tuesday, August 18th, 1:00 AM.
Where: City Hall.
Warnings: The name Gaignun has a silent g in it.

Comments

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Jr. hadn't stayed at the meeting much longer than Gaignun had, and really, he'd been ready to leave even before then. He didn't know how long his powers of flight were going to last, and he wanted to take full advantage of them. When he finally made it back to the apartment, he was exhausted and ready for a peaceful night of zoning out.

When Gaignun's mental voice resounded in his head, it pulled him out of a deep sleep - and sent him crashing to the floor of his room. It took him about thirty seconds to form a coherent sentence in order to reply.

This had better be good. What the hell kind of trouble have you gotten yourself into?

[fadetonigredo]

I'm in the Mayor's office, I have her journal, this is very interesting information, and I need someone to get it all down before someone notices a break-in. Good enough?

His eyes were currently on the door, his ears listening for any step coming marginally closer to her office. He thought he had tested his newfound limits, but in a tense moment, he found those limits to be higher than he anticipated.

He hadn't waited for Jr. to respond to continue.

Get a pen and something to write on that isn't your journal. Don't risk this getting out - we don't know if there's going to be retaliation. Tell me when you're ready.

[bulletserenade]

It was more than good enough. Suddenly awake and full of excitement, Jr. grabbed a notebook and a pen.

Why you sneaky little bastard. I didn't think you had it in ya!

He flew over to the desk in the corner of his room and flipped on the lamp, ready to write down whatever Gaignun sent to him. He was more than a little disappointed that he hadn't been part of the break-in, but he knew better than to let that get in the way now - this was far more important.

Suppressing twinges of jealousy, Jr. focused on what he could do.

I was born ready. Shoot!

1/3

[fadetonigredo]

He concentrated, keeping his thoughts slower than usual and making sure they came through crystal clear. The last thing they needed was a misfire.

Entry 1. Day, time, year unknown.

I woke in a strange place today, with nothing but the clothes on my back and this journal set beside me. There was no one else here, and my head hurt whenever I tried to remember what happened.

I suppose I ought to do something more useful than sitting here writing, but, then, what else can I do? No people. No houses. Nothing is here. I almost wonder if someone...

No, that’s not possible. The only thing that hurts is my head.

Maybe I should look for food, or build a shelter, or something. If I can remember what kinds of plants are edible, anyway... Then again, if I die, I’m not really going to realize anything, right?He glanced back to the door. Still no signs of any notice that he was here. To be safe, he got up from the chair in advance and crouched down behind the desk. Due to his height, he could still see over it, but he didn't have the

2/3

[fadetonigredo]

Entry two. April 26, year one

3/3

[fadetonigredo]

In his haste, he didn't realize immediately that the journal was missing several pages. He knew the journal felt light, but at the very least, more information was somewhere, it was just a question of when. This was the last entry, and he was thankful it was short, because he could hear people coming closer. First one pair of footsteps, then another. Had he been found so quickly?

Then again, if this place was being watched over by a pair of child gods, it was certainly plausible, no matter what he'd been given.

Last one, Jr., and I'll have to make it quick. There's a chance they're onto me.

Entry three. April 30, year one.

A town sprung up overnight. A whole, entire town. It’s not very large or fancy, and there aren’t many people, but... a town! I fell asleep in the forest and woke up in a bed, and, when I looked outside, there were buildings. I was in one, too. It doesn’t seem like it could be possible, but it really is.

'A sanctuary for those who despaired', huh. I wonder if the people outside are such?

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Jr. listened carefully to everything Gaignun was relaying to him, remaining uncharacteristically quiet the entire time. He wrote quickly, not bothering to make it look nice - as long as he could read it, he could re-write it all later.

He didn't let his mind wander, despite this new information. There was too much at stake to let his imagination take over now. The mention of child gods brought back a fleeting memory; hadn't Kurogane said something about them?

He could also tell how tense his brother was. Jr. felt a flash of pride and admiration toward the younger man, but he squashed it before it got through their link - he hoped.

You'd better get out of there. I'm not springing you from jail if you get caught.The idle threat was more an attempt to help his brother relax a bit; he was going to need to remain calm if he wanted to get out of that office without being noticed. Jr. finished writing the last of what had been relayed to him and sat at his desk, staring blankly at what he had written while he listened intently for any

[fadetonigredo]

He allowed himself a small smile at that little flash. He knew when Jr. was taking things seriously, and this was certainly one of those moments. For all he chastised about acting the elder, Gaignun was both happy that he was and amused that now he was fitting the role of the youngest, impulsive sibling to the letter

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Even before being told to take action, Jr. had changed from his pajamas to black clothing of his own. He didn't have time to try and hide his hair, but it was better than nothing. He could tell that Gaignun was enjoying himself despite the danger he was in, and he didn't bother to hide how much that amused him. It was nice to see that he wasn't the only impetuous one; being reminded that his brother was capable of enjoying himself was always something he welcomed.

He was on the balcony moments before his help was requested. Hardly even blinking at the use of his real name, he jumped into the sky and made a beeline for City Hall. Already on it, Nigredo. I've got your back! I'll take care of it if you're followed, don't worry about that.

It didn't take long for him to find Gaignun, but even so he almost didn't notice him at first. If not for their mental link, Jr. never would have known he was there. Sending a wordless confirmation to his brother, he circled the building, looking for any other people.

[fadetonigredo]

He breathed a bit easier once he spotted a flash of red in the sky. Anyone else might think it was a comet, but Gaignun knew. That was no comet. It was a space station URTV.

He picked up the pace as he went into the woods. He'd prefer to get a headstart on anyone considering him their quarry, be they real or phantoms in his head. In normal circumstances, at that speed, he'd be making a path so loud that even those who weren't after him would investigate the sound. Now, he stepped so lightly that he felt he could run in front of a sleeping bear and not disturb it in the slightest.

To be absolutely certain, he didn't make a beeline back for Memoria. He stayed in the forest for a longer period of time, circling around the housing district to come in from behind, enough to give him an alibi for a few precious moments while he returned to safety.

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Even though he knew this was serious, Jr. couldn't help grinning from ear to ear as he flew around. This was the most fun he'd had in a long time, and the fact that Gaignun was the instigator just made it even better.

There was some activity going on at the front of the building; a few guards seemed to be discussing something. He knew that if he got close enough to listen in he'd probably be seen, so he decided to do the next best thing - distract them. Before arriving he'd stopped to fill his pockets with rocks, and now he flew to the woods on the opposite side from where Gaignun had entered. He zigzagged in the air, throwing the rocks with enough force to make considerable noise when they hit the ground. Retreating higher to be sure he wouldn't be seen, Jr. chuckled quietly to himself as he watched the guards scramble around below.

[fadetonigredo]

When he finally got back to the area around Memoria, Gaignun let himself breathe a little easier. He - no, they - had done it. They had actually gotten some sort of information on the island. As long as he had been here, nobody had gotten a step closer to uncovering any of the island's secrets. Now, finally, things were taking a step in the right direction.

I'm back at the apartments. Looks like we were successful after all.

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Jr. let out a mental whoop of excitement, doing a backflip in midair. He stuck around for a bit longer to make sure that the guards were sufficiently thrown off and not intending on searching further, then headed back to the apartment.

He landed on the balcony with more grace than even he expected, then ran into the room, looking like a kid on Christmas morning. He took one look at his brother and couldn't help laughing, though it was more from happiness then a desire to make fun of him. "Look at you! Did you remember being a ninja when I wasn't paying attention?"

The euphoria of actually pulling this off was still bubbling inside him, and it wasn't likely to fade any time soon. He highly doubted he'd be sleeping anymore tonight.

[fadetonigredo]

Ah, right. Jr. could still be loud. By the time Jr. had returned to balcony, Gaignun was taking up the entire couch and trying to relax a little. He could have just forced his heart to calm down, but at this point... that was just cheating.

He knew he was a different sort of URTV; he was a Variant, for one, but even beyond that. Something was different about him, something that set him apart even from the other Variants. However, not only could he not think of it, he also couldn't be bothered to focus on it. He raised his left tattooless hand and silently awaited the inevitable high-five.

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He had expected as much and was already on his way to Gaignun before the other man raised his hand. He returned the high-five with his right hand, not really caring about the tattoo on his own palm. Then he flopped into the chair across from the couch and put his feet up on the coffee table.

"I really didn't think you had it in ya. I'm impressed!"

[fadetonigredo]

"If this isn't a good use of powers, I don't know what is," he answered with a grin