[ thread ]

[waitingfora]

Who: Yosuke Hanamura, Gladias, and Beta.
Where: Secluded area in Terra ; park. Abyss.
When: During and after this conversation. During school hours.
Summary: Beta is a jerk.
Rating: R.
Other: Character death.

Comments

[suaviloquent]

No. No, not really. Ditch the job, perhaps. But not 'get tired and give up.' Because that would suggest a 'loss,' no? Gladias was as proud of his abilities as he was strong, and a loss would never do. Especially not after it had been hinted that the target might have some sort of special ability. 'I hope that it is something interesting,' was the main thought running through his head as Gladias ran along the rooftops of an abandoned alley in Terra. 'And if it isn't interesting, I hope that it at least won't take long. A boring job taking a long time is the last thing I want to be doing right now, when the weather is nice.'

Hopping a large gap between buildings, Gladias briefly consulted the miniature tracker -- the one given to all Omega agents -- before resuming his quick dash. Snaking across rooftops, he tucked the device back into his belt before jumping down to a rooftop three stories down and landing on the rooftop with the crack of paving stones shattering. The concrete dust had barely settled before he was back up and running, cutting a snaking path down a row of squatting buildings towards a nearby park.

Already, he could see his target -- Hanamura something was it? -- standing in the park, and a smirk graced his features as Gladias jumped off the building just into the perimeter of the park -- a scant few meters before where Yosuke was. The folds of his kimono billowed about his figure, the long strands of his hair settling against his back as he straightened up from the rough landing. "-- good evening, young man." His voice was pleasant and smooth, with absolutely no sign of wear from the long dash. His long pipe was already lit and wafting tendrils of opium smoke as he gave Yosuke an almost-pleasant nod. "I must say that that was some impressive running."

[waitingfora]

"Ah!?" His breathing was still labored from the run. It was difficult to even properly ask who this person was, but it really seemed like he didn't have to. This kind of person was the one who was going to kill him? The agent sort of looked harmless to him. Sort of reminded him of that medicine seller which he spoke to over the Network. "Why ... why ... are you going to ... kill me?" He wished that his words sounded a bit more forceful rather than just forced out.

Picking up the cellphone, Yosuke continued to take in as much air as he could as he drew himself up to a standing position. His hand was shaking never the less and he realized that he didn't want Ryou to hear what was going to happen. What sort of memory would that be? Hadn't he given his brother enough bad memories? He should say something, shouldn't he? Pressing his lips together, he really couldn't think of anything to say. "I'm sorry!" It was blurted out as the phone slammed shut. What was he sorry for? Possibly for what he was going to do. He wasn't going to just give up!

There was the small hope that he could convince this person that he wasn't a threat or whatever; that it would be all right for him to stay alive. "You ... you don't have to do this..."

[suaviloquent]

Were he a ruder type of person, Gladias probably would have done something to interfere with the phone call. It was just so -- so -- defenseless and pathetic, screaming for some sort of outside influence to cut it off. But -- well. That would be rude. And so Gladias merely waited while Yosuke finished the phone call. Exhaling a long streamer of smoke, and studying Yosuke as he watched the other slam the phone shut. (This wasn't a very promising start.)

Gladias looked unarmed for the moment as he sauntered forward, hand to chin as if in thought. "I don't?" A pause. "Of course -- it probably won't be a danger to my life if I don't. You hardly look like a threat to the city, and I find it dubious that you are important enough to warrant an order to be disposed of." He sounded pleasant as he spoke, his lips curved in a casual grin around the stem of his pipe.

Taking a few steps close to his target, he took a long drag of smoke before continuing, his voice still level and polite. "-- but there is also no reason what I shouldn't carry out my orders, no? It would be a nuisance if I were to get in trouble for slacking off. -- and that is the reason why I am going to kill you." A smile. "I've heard that you possess a special skill. I do hope that you won't disappoint me by simply surrendering."

[waitingfora]

Somehow, he was surprised that this person knew about his ability. He probably shouldn't, but he had hoped that would give him an upper-hand in this battle. Ah, it really seems like it can't be avoided. Yosuke wasn't too sure about the voice that was in his head. It sounded a lot calmer than what he was feeling. There really didn't seem to be any way to convince the agent that he should be spared, because the guy was right in the twisted sort of logic that he had.

He really tried to calm himself and remember that he made a lot of promises to his friends. That's what he had told Ryou, wasn't it? It probably was his own selfishness talking, again. Maybe, he was just stalling for time so that his brain could catch up with what he was doing. Really, he should have thought of asking Kazama to teach him how to fight or something. The only real knowledge that he had was movies and his own fuzzy memories.

"I definitely will make you regret taking this job!" Yosuke was surprised that he could sound so tough and throw out such a threat. Taking a deep breath, he still was so tired from running. This was probably going to be a very short match. For the other guy! His mind was trying to give him some positive thoughts even though he still felt like trying to run away, again. "Persona!"

The card appeared in his hand to break. He really wished that he had some weapon to use, but all he could think of was while he was having Jiraiya summon up a wind storm that he should try to grab a discarded branch. It is better than nothing! Crushing the card in his hand, he waited for his Persona to take its temporary form -- holding out its hand to try and surround the agent in a concentrated wind tunnel. Yosuke waited all of a few seconds before turning to run towards the nearest tree in order to dislodge a branch, hoping that he had enough time to do so.

[thebet_a]

Not that it was any of Beta’s business, but she was going to watch anyway. She had already followed Yosuke here to the park before Gladias had even reached him (How? Who knew, a clear explanation would be that she jumped off the side of Elysium and hit Terra - but in truth, she was exploring which she seemed to be more prone too these days.) Her constant hiding her face behind a massive shopping bag when Yosuke ever felt being watch obscured her face, and it was only at the park that she moved.

Of course she had no forte in speed, quicker than a ordinary human yes, but she wasn’t as quick as Gladias -- and she groped for one of the opposite trees, climbing up them as nails dug deeply into the bark until she was perched up on one of the top branches. An impish inquisitive danced along her face as green leaves covered her rather flamboyant uniform (Honestly, how could someone not see her hidden amongst the branches with that outfit?)

It didn’t seem to process through her mind, at all. People that probably thought that death was the end, some idiotic human thought, really. And she brought her knees to her chest, arms coiled around the appendages and tilted her head. To her, instead of it looking like a affair of death and violence, it looked like a movie -- and if it was to relief her of boredom for a little while, then sacrificing someone for her own brief amusement and enjoyment was worth it.

[suaviloquent]

So much hemming and hawing and hesitation. Though Gladias waited patiently while Yosuke went through the little fit of uncertainty and nervousness and tension, he was actually rather disappointed. He hadn't expected much at first, but Beta had raised his expectations by saying that the teenager might have something special -- and so far, the only 'special' that Gladias could see was that the boy talked an awful lot. Shifting his weight so his kimono rustled about him, the sleeves hanging loose, Gladias breathed in a lungful of opium smoke, then sighed -- raising an eyebrow as Yosuke crushed a card. Something like that.

What appeared out of thin air was -- surprising. Not quite tasteful, really, and Gladias couldn't help letting out a low laugh. "A summon, yes? Is that one of your own design?" He would have added that it looked like something straight out of a cartoon, had the blast of air not funneled around him. Hair whipped back, kimono fluttering in the air, Gladias narrowed his eyes as he braced himself against the blast of wind. "-- hmm."

At least it was something. A boring something, yes, but something. After waiting a moment to see if anything else would happen, Gladias smirked. "I take it that it is now my turn." After bracing himself in a standard combat position for a moment, he lunged forward -- it took only a split second for an enormous sword to extend from his sleeve, wrapped around with swirls of dark energy. Whipping the sword forward in a sharp slash, he aimed to slice the summoned figure in half at the neck.

[waitingfora]

"Come on!" Yosuke continued tugging at the branch until it finally gave way. He heard the snap first before falling onto his back. It was when he looked up that he noticed that there was some young woman watching what was going on. He supposed that this all must have looked like some weird cosplay gone wrong or something, but he didn't think that it was particularly safe for her to be here. Hadn't Ryou told him to try to keep the people involved to a minimum? Oh yeah, now you're listening to him! His thoughts weren't being particularly helpful.

"Hey! Get out of here! You're just gonna get in the way!" He really wasn't sounding much of a hero, but he didn't think that it was really smart to sound too friendly at this point and time. Yosuke did turn back when it sounded like his attack ended. There was mild surprise that it seemed like his attack didn't do much of anything. "Jiraiya!" The Persona vanished out of the air, returning into the card form within his hand. It was just enough to keep it from being decapitated at least. Was this really the power of agents?

Surely, there was something else that he could do? There was one spell that he hadn't tried. It would just help him to stay alive for a little longer, at least. The card once more was shattered into his hand. Jiraiya once more appeared over Yosuke, spinning about in a dramatic manner before a circlet of light surrounded the teen. It wouldn't last that long; he didn't even know the time-limit on this spell. Really a shitty time to be trying it out, but what other choice did he have?

The tree branch felt more than a little pathetic in his hands in comparison to the sword, but it really was better than nothing.

[suaviloquent]

It was an odd feeling. The moment that his sword should have sliced through flesh, it only cut through thin air. The impact he'd braces his arm for never came, and he immediately sprang back, his sandals grating across the ground as he slid back into a defensive posture. Summons were hard to track, and it took him a moment of squinting to realize that the summon -- Persona, was what Ms. Beta had called it -- had returned to Yosuke's hand. "Haa -- how convenient, to be able to call it back at any moment."

Watching the summoned Persona appear again -- this time accompanied by a dramatic circle of light -- Gladias couldn't help giving a small chuckle. "You've upped the bar, I see." An exhale of smoke, before he smiled. "I suppose I must follow suit." Casting one sleeve of the kimono to allow to easier movement, he held the sword up in the standard ready stance. The very moment he was given a reason, he'd lunge forward to deal a piercing blow to whatever spot was fatal.

Not yet, though. It would be a shame to end the match before he could watch the effects of whatever that circle of light had been. Swirls of darkness wrapping around the sword and his arm, Gladias stood at ready, giving Yosuke a small nod and a smirk. "-- your move first, young man. I'm rather curious about what you just did."

[thebet_a]

Too busy with a nail filer in hand and letting the soft grind of metal meeting dead blood cells, she barely acknowledged Yosuke’s words. Well, she did, but when she looked at him she just had to roll her eyes a bit and saying in a tone that was inaudible, ( -- "shut up" -- ) before slipping from the branch onto one of the lower ones, her face no longer obscured by the leaves and her chest heaving with a long, well-needed, inhale. She knew nothing of personas or anyone other people’s powers. And researching those that inhabited the city was so boring.

Finally she sighed and fell from the branch - the movement itself made a tiny crater in the ground, each step to follow matched that of the small hole - and she walked over to the swing set, and finally in plain view. Really. She was nosy, but she wasn’t unaware of that, and just rocked back on her heels before her expression was fixed firm on Yosuke, letting out a huff of breath she muttered, " -- Don’t tell me what to do! I know you’re going to die, so I’m here to watch. What’s wrong with that -- ?"

Her childish gestures of simply swinging on the swing was preformed and she watched the two of them, rather blankly and pretending not to be all that interested. But as completely impressed (which she wasn’t) as she was, she was equally careful. And her fingers slipped from the swing, and she was sent forward landing heavily in the middle of them both. The ground underneath them turning into rubble, and she quickly stood up, mumbling under her breath, "Oh my god -- " before the ground that held up the three of them suddenly crumbled and they were in a journey for a fifteen minute drop into The Abyss.

[waitingfora]

"Ah...?" His eyes widened when he saw the ground give way. It looked like he wouldn't even be given a chance to give a move. There was a desire to scream as he was falling; his hands were thrust out in front of him like that would actually help. All he could see was the Abyss and wondered what it was that he was going to do. There was no way that he could survive this sort of fall, was there? His cellphone slipped out from his pocket -- hovered in front of his face. Would this have happened if he had just given up?

The only thing that he could be happy about is that he thought that the girl and the other agent. It wasn't a particularly happy thought. He really was just going to let this be it. But then, he thought about how he wasn't sure if he would be revived if he was down here. Everyone seemed to ignore those that were in the Abyss. So, so, what should he do? Even his Persona couldn't help him now. Could Jiraiya be used to create a wind tunnel around him? Would that be enough of a brace from the fall? He bit his bottom lip and wasn't sure if it would actually work, but like using the spell before, it was stupid not to try.

It probably wasn't the smartest plan, but he didn't know what else there was for him to do. The panic had wrapped around him that his breathing had become more than a little difficult. But, he was uncertain if it was because of the fall or if it really was from the fear. Maybe a mixture of both. He didn't even know how close was close, but eventually, he couldn't wait. "Persona!" The card was once more crushed as the wind rushed around him. Please, work.

[suaviloquent]

Sword still held in the iaijutsu stance, Gladias had been watching Yosuke talk to -- someone in the tree. A small sigh, as Gladias relaxed his stance marginally and looked up into the tree, scanning the foliage. It only took a moment for him to spot the spots of hot pink amidst the dull green, and he gave a small, thoughtful cant of the head. "I didn't expect you to be here." It was almost murmured to himself, and the swirls of darkness around the sword and his arm dissipated halfway, his concentration disrupted. "Did you come to watch, Miss B -- ?"

How rude, to be interrupted mid-sentence. By the shattering of the ground, nonetheless. In the scant moment before the floor shattered, Gladias sighed, murmuring, "How unpleasant." Then the only thing that came next was the rumble of rubble and dirt collapsing into the Abyss.

Hair streaking through the air and folds of his kimono flapping in the air, Gladias bit tight onto his pipe to keep it from slipping out into the air. The fall was quite long, and as formidable as his physique was, a fall this tall might break a few bones. A sigh, as he whipped out his sword. A blast of dark energy tore through the air, propelling him backwards enough that he landed askew against the wall of a taller building. Rebounding off its concrete surface, he bounced off the wall of a building beside it before landing on the rooftop of another building with the resounding crash of concrete shattering. The dust took a moment to settle, and once his vision was clear, Gladias peered over the edge of the building in search of the other two.

[thebet_a]

She really had to blame her own clumsiness for that; but she didn’t. Instead of being more worried about hitting the ground and waiting to splatter like a pancake, Beta’s hand fumbled to keep her skirt from being lifted up by the air as she continued to drop. Eyes squeeze shut out of embarrassment more than fear she rotated herself so her spine had hit the ground first, sending a vibration of miniature earthquakes that trembled throughout the whole block of what was remaining of the Abyss.

The collision of her slender frame didn’t decrease it’s speed when she felt her back break through that of the roof a building until she reached the ending floor with a hard crack and shattered cement. Her mouth made a small squeak and she frowned. It was simply. And. Completely. Embarrassing.

For a few moments she laid there until her fingers were able to remove the debris of her attire and she stood up, peering from the large hole that was created to the next building, where she saw Gladias flipping himself onto a roof and she went to tag along after him. It took a while for her to climb up the building and when she managed too, a small crack of a fingernail was broken and she shook her finger with an expression of complete distress. Her movements took her to stand beside Gladias and she looked up at him, frown and all before crossing her arms against her chest and turning away with puffed cheeks, saying in a snotty bratish tone, " -- Sorry." Though the words weren’t fully insincere and she watched from above to see the teenager fall somewhat gracefully.

[waitingfora]

The wind had helped to slow his descent so that he landed more or less nicely onto the rooftop. Looking around, it was difficult for him to see anything even from his vantage point. He wondered what had happened to those two agents. He decided that they must have died and thanked his very lucky stars. Now came the time to figure out how to get home. His shoulders dropped happily as he sat down on the roof.

His lips were pressed together as he wondered what the hell he should do now. It seemed like he was given the chance to just break out and run. Again. But, this was the Abyss. The last time that he came down here, he ended up getting assaulted. He flinched at the thought of running through this place in order to get back home, but it seemed like the only option that he had. Should he call someone to pick him up? He didn't even know where it was that he was in.

Snapping his phone open, he held it up like that would help him get a signal. Maybe, he should call Ryou and tell him that he's all right now. If he could get a single bar that was.

[suaviloquent]

Breathing deeply to calm his irritation with opium smoke and wrinkling his nose at the concrete dust that continued to waft about the air around him, Gladias took a moment to massage his temples with a hand. He hated -- hated -- when external factors sent his plans askew, and as much as he'd had low expectations for this job, it was still highly irritating that things had gone so drastically wrong. Running long nails through his hair and brushing it out of the way, he peered into the dusty streets, looking for his target -- the faster it was taken care of, the better. His mood was very rapidly turning foul, and if he had things his way, he probably would have simple turned and gone home.

Raising an eyebrow as he watched Beta crawl up the building, he made no move to help her, only breathing a mouthful of opium smoke out in a long, slow streamer. Waiting for her to approach, he leaned down so he was closer to her eye level before saying very levelly and very politely, "As much as I appreciate your terrible attempt to help, Miss Beta, I would rather you didn't interfere with my work. I do not mind an audience, but an audience that heckles is a different matter, no?" Despite his constant smile, his voice was tinged with the sharp edge of irritation, and he straightened up -- spotting a speck of orange out the corner of his vision.

"Please don't interrupt any more." Leaving Beta only the short quip, spoken pleasantly, he bounding off the edge of the building onto an adjacent rooftop, immediately breaking out into a rapid sprint in pursuit of his target. Chuckling when he saw Yosuke raise the phone, he ran across the rooftops, sword held ready to decapitate.

[thebet_a]

Gladias’s chiding had sent Beta to make a sour face, her lips pursed and nose wrinkled with arrogance of her own firm excuses that she didn’t do anything; even if she did. She was about to complain with a outburst how she wasn’t trying to help him in the first place but simply settled with simply folding her arms against her chest, glaring at Gladias with a completely childish, completely stern visage that almost told Gladias that she would challenge him. But she knew that her own emotions weren’t top priority and as soon as Gladias turned his back, Beta’s lips formed a small frown, and she sulked stupidity as she flopped down on the hard cement cross-legged and scrunched up her form.

"...I didn’t even do anything." She murmured to herself as she watched Yosuke acting like some mentally dysfunctional idiot. Obviously the words that were spoken by the older man had been sharp enough to hurt her, but she wasn’t going to let that on. Not when she was meant to be an authority figure anyway.

Her nose was pressed against her hoisted up knees and arms around her legs she just watched and sighed like the good little audience she was meant to be. Really, she could have done it by herself, but she just plainly liked to watch.

[waitingfora]

He had raised his cellphone to his check in order to see if he had gotten any bars yet. Still, if he was trying to figure out who he should call, his choices seemed to be Kazama, Madara or Ryou. Itachi had abandoned the apartment, so there was no use calling him. Like he wanted Shika to come down here. Even if he had been down here, there was no way he'd let him do it again. Shimazu was out, too. Nill wasn't even part of the choices. Same went for Shijima and Maya. What kind of guy would he be if he asked those girls to get him, anyway? That was if he could get a single goddamn signal.

Sure, it was really lucky that he had thought to grab it out of the air like he did. But this was going to be ridiculous if he survived the attempt at his life only to end up being murdered by the people in the Abyss. His shoulders rose and lowered in exasperation. Just what were those A&O guys thinking, anyway? What reason was there to kill him? Thinking in those terms weren't really his expertise and decided that he'd discuss it with the others -- Should I talk to them about it? Maybe, I shouldn't get them involved. It was weird to be so calm about everything, but coming off such a panic-high, he supposed that he was just exhausted.

Yosuke had not been prepared or even expecting the attack. Everything had ended so quickly. It started when he thought that he felt a sudden strike against the side of his neck. His eyes had widened slightly when he saw blood splatter across the screen of his cellphone. Already his mind was rushing to try to figure out what had happened, but it did not have enough time to do much of anything. The surprise and panic had lasted for just a few seconds before both his head and hand fell a few feet from where his body remained standing. Not even enough time to think about if that hit had hurt or not.

His other arm had slightly risen to seemingly reach out to touch the bloodied cellphone, but the action had not been completed. Not much longer, his body crumbled in the direction that his now missing bits rested.