*Survivability snippet*
"He's half a kilometer to the east of where you are now," Jinki's voice crackled in his headset.
Jonghyun pulled the dark blue fabric over the lower half of his face and checked himself in the mirror. He was covered head to toe in stretchable dark blue fabric with only his eyes visible. Hollywood ninja, eat your heart out.
He checked the straps of his non-reflective armor and made sure everything was tight enough to not rattle loose but not too tight as to impede movement or blood flow. He wrapped the last band of weaponry and utilities around his waist and checked for the last time if he correctly remembered which pockets held which things.
Dressed for the kill.
'Spirit spandex', Zhou Mi had called his latest invention: a stretchable fabric that dampened the wearer's spirit signature so that he couldn't be passively detected. Not that it made detection any harder for Jinki, but that was the point. Jinki could coordinate everything from afar, whereas the enemy would barely know anything.
"Support from Soul Society will arrive in about three minutes," Jinki continued in his ear.
"Roger that," Jonghyun answered tersely. He opened his bedroom window, glanced around to make sure there's no one loitering in the streets, balanced on the sill, climbed up onto the rooftop and basked under the overcast midnight sky.
"You sure you're up for this?" Jinki asked, and Jonghyun heard the smallest of tendrils of doubt in his voice.
"I'll be fine," Jonghyun insisted. He oriented himself with his wrist-mounted compass and headed east on the subdivision rooftops.
"It's not too late to call Zhou Mi," Jinki offered. "He said to call if there's any emergency, and that he and DongHae could be back in half an hour."
"For god's sake, Jinki, let them have their fun," Jonghyun retorted, more exasperated than he really felt. And let me have mine, he added silently but out loud said, "The whole point of us training under Zhou Mi is so that he and DongHae can actually fuck like rabbits every once in a while. Besides, there'll be a death god with us as well so no biggie, right?" Jonghyun paused behind a chimney to let a late-night couple pass by uneventfully on the street below before jumping across with a carefully controlled burst of spirit energy.
Jinki chuckled uncertainly. "Forgive me for worrying about our first night handling an incident without supervision."
"Zhou Mi wouldn't have gone on a night out if he didn't think we were ready," Jonghyun reasoned. "Am I heading the right way?"
"You're veering a bit to the right... okay, that's better. Now stop, you're at the rendezvous point."
"What's the hollow doing now?"
"Still loitering at its last location. Wait. Portal from Soul Society incoming in three… two…"
A door materialized on cue beside Jonghyun, which slid open to reveal a tall, elegant figure outlined in faint white light. The death god looked Jonghyun carefully up and down... well, more accurately down and lower down. "You don't look like the Mechanist," the figure said in a husky baritone.
"And how the hell would you know how I look under all this?" Jonghyun asked, affronted. He didn't like how the death god didn't even have to raise his eyes to scan him fully.
"The Mechanist's supposed to be taller than me," the spirit answered simply.
Jonghyun bristled, but Jinki broke in before he could form a retort. "I don't know this guy," Jinki said cautiously. "I mean, his spirit signature says he's a death god but I don't know him specifically."
"Who are you, anyway?" Jonghyun asks suspiciously.
The death god bowed. "Sorry. I'm Minho, from the 6th Division. My lieutenant said something about a communication device?"
Jonghyun handed him the spare earpiece as he tried to gauge Minho's spirit pressure.
"Minho? I don't think there's anyone by that name on the authorized personnel files," Jinki said doubtfully. "We work closely with the 6th Division so we know everyone who's stationed in this sector of the human world."
"I'm originally from the 7th, but I'm being cross-trained in the 6th." Minho clarified. "Lieutenant YoSeob said I should handle this incident for first-hand exposure and that fighting beside the Mechanist is an ideal learning experience."
The onset of Jinki's migraine could be heard even through the earpiece. "So you're... what, a transferee to the 6th?"
"Yes. I'm on the trainee cross-enrollment program. Graduated with recognition two months ago from the Academy," Minho said proudly.
"Jonghyun."
"Listen, there's no need to get worked up," Jonghyun insisted, hastily asking Minho to shut up through frantic hand gestures. "We can still handle this. No need to bring Zhou Mi in at all." He glanced at Minho, who was listening with raised eyebrows. "You know how to use your sword?"
"Of course," Minho answered with slight affront, "I am trained in zanjutsu and I have superior synchronicity with my soul cutter."
"See?" Jonghyun continued.
Jinki was the type of person who grew quieter when frustrated. "Do you have any idea how epically bad an idea this is," he hissed.
"It's an E-class hollow," Jonghyun said in his 'speaking to angry choirmasters' voice. "I've disposed of D-classes in combat before."
"Under supervision!"
"If the mechanist isn't here-" Minho started, but his mouth snapped shut when Jonghyun growled, "Quiet!"
"I saw that," Jinki said.
There was a burst of spirit energy. "Not fair," Minho said, rubbing his jaw.
"Have you killed a hollow before?" Jonghyun asked.
"I've purified forty-two Es and 15 Ds." Minho unsheathed his sword, ready to block Jonghyun's special brand of literally hurtful words.
"Jinki," Jonghyun said as if he was reasoning with a three year-old. "Would you take kindly to being interrupted in the middle of a fuck?"
"I am affronted by the question," Jinki said. But Jonghyun could practically hear the cogs whirring in Jinki's head, and soon the clock ticked in Jonghyun's favor. "Fine. Fine. Have it your way. It's not like Zhou Mi left me in charge, what with being your hyung and your senior."
"Thanks, Leader-shi!" Jonghyun said with a wink at Minho, who was thoroughly lost by what just happened.
[Dunno if this will get continued. The scene just popped up in my head.]
Jonghyun pulled the dark blue fabric over the lower half of his face and checked himself in the mirror. He was covered head to toe in stretchable dark blue fabric with only his eyes visible. Hollywood ninja, eat your heart out.
He checked the straps of his non-reflective armor and made sure everything was tight enough to not rattle loose but not too tight as to impede movement or blood flow. He wrapped the last band of weaponry and utilities around his waist and checked for the last time if he correctly remembered which pockets held which things.
Dressed for the kill.
'Spirit spandex', Zhou Mi had called his latest invention: a stretchable fabric that dampened the wearer's spirit signature so that he couldn't be passively detected. Not that it made detection any harder for Jinki, but that was the point. Jinki could coordinate everything from afar, whereas the enemy would barely know anything.
"Support from Soul Society will arrive in about three minutes," Jinki continued in his ear.
"Roger that," Jonghyun answered tersely. He opened his bedroom window, glanced around to make sure there's no one loitering in the streets, balanced on the sill, climbed up onto the rooftop and basked under the overcast midnight sky.
"You sure you're up for this?" Jinki asked, and Jonghyun heard the smallest of tendrils of doubt in his voice.
"I'll be fine," Jonghyun insisted. He oriented himself with his wrist-mounted compass and headed east on the subdivision rooftops.
"It's not too late to call Zhou Mi," Jinki offered. "He said to call if there's any emergency, and that he and DongHae could be back in half an hour."
"For god's sake, Jinki, let them have their fun," Jonghyun retorted, more exasperated than he really felt. And let me have mine, he added silently but out loud said, "The whole point of us training under Zhou Mi is so that he and DongHae can actually fuck like rabbits every once in a while. Besides, there'll be a death god with us as well so no biggie, right?" Jonghyun paused behind a chimney to let a late-night couple pass by uneventfully on the street below before jumping across with a carefully controlled burst of spirit energy.
Jinki chuckled uncertainly. "Forgive me for worrying about our first night handling an incident without supervision."
"Zhou Mi wouldn't have gone on a night out if he didn't think we were ready," Jonghyun reasoned. "Am I heading the right way?"
"You're veering a bit to the right... okay, that's better. Now stop, you're at the rendezvous point."
"What's the hollow doing now?"
"Still loitering at its last location. Wait. Portal from Soul Society incoming in three… two…"
A door materialized on cue beside Jonghyun, which slid open to reveal a tall, elegant figure outlined in faint white light. The death god looked Jonghyun carefully up and down... well, more accurately down and lower down. "You don't look like the Mechanist," the figure said in a husky baritone.
"And how the hell would you know how I look under all this?" Jonghyun asked, affronted. He didn't like how the death god didn't even have to raise his eyes to scan him fully.
"The Mechanist's supposed to be taller than me," the spirit answered simply.
Jonghyun bristled, but Jinki broke in before he could form a retort. "I don't know this guy," Jinki said cautiously. "I mean, his spirit signature says he's a death god but I don't know him specifically."
"Who are you, anyway?" Jonghyun asks suspiciously.
The death god bowed. "Sorry. I'm Minho, from the 6th Division. My lieutenant said something about a communication device?"
Jonghyun handed him the spare earpiece as he tried to gauge Minho's spirit pressure.
"Minho? I don't think there's anyone by that name on the authorized personnel files," Jinki said doubtfully. "We work closely with the 6th Division so we know everyone who's stationed in this sector of the human world."
"I'm originally from the 7th, but I'm being cross-trained in the 6th." Minho clarified. "Lieutenant YoSeob said I should handle this incident for first-hand exposure and that fighting beside the Mechanist is an ideal learning experience."
The onset of Jinki's migraine could be heard even through the earpiece. "So you're... what, a transferee to the 6th?"
"Yes. I'm on the trainee cross-enrollment program. Graduated with recognition two months ago from the Academy," Minho said proudly.
"Jonghyun."
"Listen, there's no need to get worked up," Jonghyun insisted, hastily asking Minho to shut up through frantic hand gestures. "We can still handle this. No need to bring Zhou Mi in at all." He glanced at Minho, who was listening with raised eyebrows. "You know how to use your sword?"
"Of course," Minho answered with slight affront, "I am trained in zanjutsu and I have superior synchronicity with my soul cutter."
"See?" Jonghyun continued.
Jinki was the type of person who grew quieter when frustrated. "Do you have any idea how epically bad an idea this is," he hissed.
"It's an E-class hollow," Jonghyun said in his 'speaking to angry choirmasters' voice. "I've disposed of D-classes in combat before."
"Under supervision!"
"If the mechanist isn't here-" Minho started, but his mouth snapped shut when Jonghyun growled, "Quiet!"
"I saw that," Jinki said.
There was a burst of spirit energy. "Not fair," Minho said, rubbing his jaw.
"Have you killed a hollow before?" Jonghyun asked.
"I've purified forty-two Es and 15 Ds." Minho unsheathed his sword, ready to block Jonghyun's special brand of literally hurtful words.
"Jinki," Jonghyun said as if he was reasoning with a three year-old. "Would you take kindly to being interrupted in the middle of a fuck?"
"I am affronted by the question," Jinki said. But Jonghyun could practically hear the cogs whirring in Jinki's head, and soon the clock ticked in Jonghyun's favor. "Fine. Fine. Have it your way. It's not like Zhou Mi left me in charge, what with being your hyung and your senior."
"Thanks, Leader-shi!" Jonghyun said with a wink at Minho, who was thoroughly lost by what just happened.
[Dunno if this will get continued. The scene just popped up in my head.]