Show me your inner self... [Closed]

[inyourmidst]

Characters: Gin, Shinjiro, and later Cirucci.
Content: The drugs are starting to lose their effect, so Gin has offered to help Shinji find other ways of keeping his Persona under control; namely giving it an outlet of violence.
Setting: In a clearing, a reasonable hike from the fairgrounds.
Time: Mid- to late-afternoon.
Warnings: Sparring and

Comments

[adiosasshole]

Shinjiro made his way to the clearing rather quickly after getting Gin's message. Like Shinsou, Castor had woken up ready to cause havoc, and Shinji's eyes were almost vibrating in his skull. But unlike most times he didn't just allow that feeling, he almost encouraged it. But just as he reached the point of almost-eagerness he pulled back, testing the mental bindings he had on his Persona over and over

[inyourmidst]

Gin appraised Shinji's appearence with something close to a leer, but his eyes were drawn down to the Evoker. He'd had a chance to inspect it the last time Shinji had been mostly out of it due to the drugs and true to the cook's explanation it didn't actually seem constructed to fire bullets. Not a traditional sort of weapon, then, but he was looking forward to seeing it bring the Persona out like Shinji had promised it would.

"Just long enough to enjoy the scenery," Gin told him cheerfully, pushing away from the tree and circling around to the center of the clearing, keeping a respectable distance. "I doubt it'll look this pretty by the time we're done with it."

He'd given up the white coat for the day - he was too fond of it to risk the tears of battle, and it was such a bother to get cleaned - and was instead wearing simple black training attire. He didn't draw his sword, but the smirk he wore was full of daring challenge, and he might have been radiating just a little of Shinsou's vicious intent.

[adiosasshole]

He too stepped towards the center, slinging his axe up onto his shoulder. If he noticed the leer he didn't acknowledge it, though it would be rather hard to miss. Instead he kept his own gaze blank, or as much so as he could manage.

But the aftermatch of that intent showed on his face, just a little. It was almost like a scent in the air, something he picked up on instinctually. And it made it even harder to keep hold of Castor. Though soon he wouldn't need to, and the thought made the corner of his mouth quirk up. "Not to worried about the random nature Ichimaru." hereplied, fighting down the urge to smirk.

[inyourmidst]

"Should I be more worried about myself then?" he asked, playfully incredulous as though he didn't think Shinji was much of a threat at all. He knew better, of course. He'd seen Castor's power demolish a steel chair and had curiously wondered what would happen to a body if that same force was applied to it. Something interesting, he was sure. He crooked his finger at Shinji in an unspoken come get me gesture

"Show me this how this Evoker of yours works," he said, and he couldn't quite keep the eagerness out of his tone. A possibly suicidal enthusiasm, considering the circumstances, but he didn't seem concerned in the slightest. "I want to see what your Persona is like when you actually mean to call it out."

[adiosasshole]

"Maybe." He answered, finally letting the smirk free. He hated Castor, but right now the idea of letting all that out on a hated enemy with no risk was sending wonderful little thrills down his spine. So he reached down, flicking the clasp off the holster. The white leather had been a gift along with the Envoker. A badge almost. All of the SEES had the same, and because of that he had refused to wear it after he left. But he would today. He pulled the gun-like device free, pleased by the weight of it in his hands. The callouses on his hands from it were pretty much all gone now, but that was okay

[inyourmidst]

Gin didn't doubt that Shinji had been looking forward to this. Painful retribution for a thousand harmless insults, and a growing list of more serious ones as Gin patiently wove Shinji into his spiders web of schemes, binding him more thoroughly with every grudging inch of leeway the cook gave him. Even this, a free promise of violence and bloodshed, would come back to haunt Shinji later

[adiosasshole]

"Might be a little rusty, but more then enough to handle you." He taunted back. But he knew that was pretty far from the truth. He wasn't stupid enough to underestimate Gin.

"And if you stand still..." He gestured forward, giving the signal. "... I won't feel bad when it kills you." And with that Castor lurched forward in attack, the rider's eyes blank, but the horses gleaming with manic glee. And as it moved a wave of pure slicing force expelled from it, aiming right for where Gin stood, tearing up the ground as it went.

/APOLOGISING FOR THE TEAL DEER OTL

[inyourmidst]

It would have been wise to dodge the first strike. Aside from seeing its power unleased on the Spider Robots in Melior, Gin hadn't really seen Castor with its full power unleashed - just felt it struggling to break free from time to time, its presence muffled by Shinjiro's restraint and more often than not, the drugs in his blood. He had no way of knowing how strong that force was, whether it could burn him up or blow him apart-

-but there was one, indisputable way of finding out. He didn't move, just waited while that shockwave of power sliced through the air, cleaving through the dirt, with an anticipatory smirk on his face. He drew Shinsou at the last possible second, as though defending himself was merely an afterthought. In a way it was. He tended to find flashy displays of power rather distracting, but at least in watching it he thought he'd figured out how much resisting force he'd need to block with.

Not quite, he found, as the impact jolted his arm from wrist to shoulder in a way that made his muscles burn with the

/BB I LOVES YER TEAL DEERS~

[adiosasshole]

Shinji tried to hide the fasinated stare that followed the blood trailing down Gin's wrist. And he didn't do a bad job of it. But what ever he hid was what Castor was in it's own way. The beast was the mask he hid behind after all. The face of the aggressor, the berserker. The thing in the dark alley that you were afraid to run into. That wasn't all that Shinjiro was, but it was the part of him that kept him safe from the emotional and mental hurts of the world. Just like Aki's mask of the noble fighter, or Mitsuru's of the controlling ice queen. And that mask liked what it saw very much. The horses eyes, the -real- eyes, followed that trail hungrily. There was something to be said about a Persona whose rider was just a doll. The controller was the fake. The beast of burden was the reality

AND THEY LOVE YOU RIGHT BACK. /DOE EYES

[inyourmidst]

Gin made a note of that little deception. While it was tempting to keep his eyes on the rider, its blank, unseeing eyes were lifeless compared to that of the skeletal horse. Others might have wondered at that, but Gin knew all too well that the things people hid inside themselves didn't necessarily have to be human, and weren't even obliged to make sense...but sometimes they did, if you were prepared to tilt your head and wrap your mind around some of the darker aspects of the human psyche.

Considering the heavy, twisted feeling of guilt Shinji carried around with him over the death of the woman he'd killed, and the utter reluctance to use his Persona again, Gin had distantly wondered if Shinji had developed some sort of aversion to violence. The look in Castor's eyes said no. Gin decided that was probably part of the problem

/Awwww... so cute ; 3;

[adiosasshole]

Shinjiro had fought a lot of strange things in his short life. Shadows in all shapes and sizes, monsters that stalked around the less populated areas of Vohemar, the most debased crooks of Kropmork...

But nothing really prepared him for Shinsou.

Gin was fast, and Shinji had still been turning to face the older man after he had dodged his attack. But even though he didn't -see- Gin attack, he -heard- the command phrase, and his gut dropped. He spun around just in time to see the extending blade, but was helpless to block it. The weapon cut into him like a knife through butter, tearing his shirt and flesh is a burst of gore. The cut wasn't deep, but it was long and painful, and the force of it almost knocked him off his feet.

"F-fuck!!" he yelped, holding a hand to his side and bringing his axe up lest Gin 'fire' again.

I dunno, I think these deer might be rabid. 8/

[inyourmidst]

Gin laughed gaily as Shinsou returned to his hand, humming in satisfaction at the trail of crimson on its tip. "Nice to see you can keep your concentration," he called. Castor hadn't vanished yet, though it seemed to be visibly hesitating at Shinjiro's injury. It might have been polite to give him a minute to balance himself, but Gin tended to have an almost vindictive urge to press an advantage when he had one. He locked eyes with Castor's furious gaze and felt Shinsou rise in response to that challenge. He took aim

Yumyum, tastes like rabies! 8D

[adiosasshole]

Shinjiro didn't expect Gin to attack Castor, even though he should have. It was just that he didn't have much practice fighting -people-, only Shadows. And they instinctually attacked the summoner, never the Persona itself.

And normally an attack couldn't do shit to Castor. It wasn't really -there-, just an image of Shinjiro's power. But Shinsou wasn't a normal attack. Metaphysically it was just the same as Castor, just in another form. So while the Persona didn't bleed, it did react.

There's nothing quite like the horrible noise of a horse in terror or pain. It was like the scream of a murdered woman.

And while Castor didn't bleed, Shinjiro did. He hacked, as if hit in the gut, eyes going wide as a trail of blood escaped his nose. The look on his face was one of almost comic shock. No one, -No- one had ever been able to hurt Castor directly. He had no idea what that could do, to the Persona or himself.

And of course, Castor faded out. At least for now.

((occ: You know, I read "bleed" and "breed" at first. First thought: OMG Are

...ARE YOU EATING THE DEER?!?! DDDDDDDDD:

[inyourmidst]

Gin could get a empathic sense of anything his zanpakuto came into contact with, and the contact with Castor had been...unusual. It wasn't quite tangible, but it hadn't been like hitting nothing either. More like cutting water, which looked solid and substantial right up until you broke the surface with a splash that distorted the reflection, and just like that Castor vanished into nothing.

But not without effect. He tilted his head at Shinji, his smile utterly unaffected by the cook's obvious pain.

"Oh, sorry," he said with false apology. "Did that hurt? I didn't realize I wasn't supposed to touch it like that."

...maybe ^^ Deer meat is nomy

[adiosasshole]

Shinjiro scowled at Gin, spitting a wad of blood and other things off to the side before straightening back up. The attack had hurt, yes, but there was more to it. Something that lasted longer then the pain. He had -felt- something, and could still feel it, something from the zanpakto touching what was basically his soul

BUT THE TEAL...I'm sure that's not good for you. D8

[inyourmidst]

Just looking at the two weapons, it looked like the axe should have smashed into Shinsou and thrown the much smaller weapon right from Gin's hand, but brute strength wasn't quite a good enough substitute for training and finesse, and Shinsou wasn't just a normal short sword. Gin caught the axe in mid-swing, blocking the haft with the flat side of Shinsou's blade. He could have cleaved the inferior weapon in two, if he'd had half a mind to do it, but considering the blade had been arcing towards his head and momentum probably would have still finished the job that wouldn't have been the smartest of ideas