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Post by Conrí on Aug 28, 2018 16:59:51 GMT -5
"Oh. Understood." He looked down a little and chuckled. He was sure that an apprentice trying to cheer up a master had to be strange. Aside from that thought, he felt a chill go through him. These people have to be insanely strong, then.
Agreed, so, you chose well.
The wolf boy resisted the urge to laugh as he stepped into Mei's house. "Excuse our intrusion," he said to the girl with a slight bow before seating himself next to Jason. He watched Mei in the kitchen for a brief moment, then switched his gaze to Neku. The would be king nodded when Neku spoke, and, the thought crossed his mind to tell the island boy what he had told Lucia and the others last night. Sorry, Tori. I know you don't want Neku to worry about you, but... Conrí's gaze met Neku's eyes. He already is.
"I think...there's something you need to know. After you tell us your story. Just what's with that eejit of an arse walking around with guns like that?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Aug 28, 2018 18:30:04 GMT -5
Neku glanced at Jason as he spoke, pouting a bit. He then turned towards him, resting his arms against the back of the sofa he'd chosen to sit on, and pointed at him, sternly.
"You're part of the reason why we're here, just so you know" he stated, "And also partly to blame for Tori's run. You got that?" "Umm..." Mei's voice was heard, calm and collected.
She'd returned to the living room, carrying a tray with a teapot, tea cups and muffins. Neku turned towards her as she spoke, and sat back down properly, almost as if he forgot his anger towards Jason entirely, and, as soon as Mei left the tray on the centre table, he grabbed one muffin, and took a bite out of it.
"I was thinking on maybe bringing those for the next meeting, but..." Mei said, sitting down and serving tea, "Since there's so many guests today, I guess I couldn't keep them hidden." "Yeah. I would've probably seen them a mile away..." Neku replied, eating a bit more. "So..." Mei looked at the group, at Conrí in particular, "You were talking about someone with a gun, right? I can only guess who you're talking about..." she sighed. "Good. So we're saving some details..." Neku sighed as well, "Since Tori's not around, it's the best chance we got to actually give 'em the details they need... And probably want." "Right. Well... For starters, are you aware of what a Headhunter is? At least, in this world's terms."
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Post by Ziya on Aug 28, 2018 20:11:09 GMT -5
Jason dropped his eyes from Neku's, a little ashamed that he had indeed been part of the issue. As uncomfortable as the feeling was, he had already apologized the previous day, and had no intentions of doing so again unless to Tori herself. When Mei returned he accepted his cup of tea with a murmured thanks but did not take a muffin.
Lucia did the same with her tea, pausing to savor the flavor before reaching for a muffin with another thanks. Conrí's accent reminded her of one from Celderat that she hadn't heard since it's fall, creating an odd sense of nostalgia as she watched and listened to Neku and Mei.
Jennifer somehow managed to down her tea in one swig, followed by an entire muffin in mere seconds. She at least had the courtesy to compliment Mei on both once her mouth was clear again. "That was really good!"
With the niceties finished Lucia set her cup down to answer Mei's question. "Only what Neku told us when Jason joked about going easy on the town while we were learning about the Mark system. Apparently they are difficult to get away from and fairly strong as well, though I assume that is by this world's standards."
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Post by Conrí on Aug 29, 2018 13:27:26 GMT -5
Conrí eyed Mei's tea and muffins thoughtfully. He watched what the others did, and decided to follow Jason's example, adding in a slight nod of his head and gingerly taking a muffin from the tray after he had drank some of his tea. "Thank you, Mei." As the wolf boy bit into the muffin, he was reminded of home and his tea cakes. His eyes watered slightly. "These're grand," he said, holding the muffin up for a second before taking another bite.
As he heard Mei ask about Head Hunters, his nervousness about Tori's safety increased. Lucia's rather straight forward answer didn't really make him feel much better. "I really doubt Tori did anything to warrant this kind of action." He hoped, despite the pit in his stomach, that his words were proven correct.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Aug 29, 2018 13:57:19 GMT -5
Mei smiled pleased as she heard the thanks from everyone, while Neku focused more on the answers they all gave regarding the question. Hearing that Lucia did remember some information was nice, since it made things easier to explain, while also easy to reassure Conrí's comment.
"Well, not too bad for what you know" Neku replied, leaning back, "It's true: Headhunters can be a pain to run away from. That's because they have easy access to information, unlike Hunters, since they're not meant to take Marks, but rather Hunts." "Hunts is a term we normally use" Mei added hastily, "The proper term is Target. Unlike Marks, Targets are people that pose a threat to the island or someone who's breaken too many rules all at once." "And, if you couldn't guess... Tori is none of them" Neku finished, "She hasn't done anything that might make her a threat, nor has she broken any rules that would get her in this sittuation."
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Post by Ziya on Aug 29, 2018 14:20:39 GMT -5
Lucia glanced over at Jason once they mentioned what Hunts were. His eyes had hardened as they spoke, the topic reminding him all too much of his life before the fall of Celderat. "So they take out people the higher ups view as threats, and at least one is after her."
"But if she's done nothing wrong then why are they after her?" Jennifer looked worried and confused by the information. But then again, she didn't have the same experiences that Jason had.
Lucia remained silent about her suspicions. Though she thought she knew why they would be after her, she wasn't sure if Neku or Mei knew about Tori's abilities. "How many of them are after her? I'd prefer to know what we're up against if this comes to a fight."
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Post by Conrí on Aug 29, 2018 15:02:01 GMT -5
Conrí slumped forward, as though someone had just punched him in the stomach. So...that's what she meant. He cleared his throat and nearly coughed, because it was suddenly dry. The wolf boy sipped at his tea, but, that didn't do much to help him. His gaze fell on Neku. "I know she would kill me if I told you what was actually going on, but, we're her friends, so, she can try to hurt me for it if she wants, but it's more important that you know."
Conrí took a deep breath before starting his story. "I met Tori in Twilight Town. Very much by accident, but, I just felt like she needed me. It was a weird feeling, so, I helped her with something she had asked for. She was really confused and trying to remember herself, or find herself. So, when she asked me for my strongest memory, I didn't hesitate. Tori took that, ran off, and then I met her back in this old mansion, where some drawings really made her frantic. Her eyes turned purple, and then these things just came out of nowhere and attacked. She summoned a Keyblade. After that, she came here. I followed her, but, I thought it was a dream."
The wolf boy took a drink of his tea and another bite of his muffin. "When I was here, and night was falling, she went to this cave with a two tailed cat. Again, not sure if she would need me to help her, I followed. When we came to the end of the cave, the world's core was there. There was a Keyblade there. I tried to close the keyhole, like Tori wanted me to, but, the Keyblade itself rejected me. Again, Tori berated me for it pretty good, but, took the blade as though it was nothing, purple eyes and all, closed the lock and then returned to normal. I went to the Counsil and was hunting Marks with her when we ran into Lucia, Jen and Jason."
Feeling rightly drained, Conrí finished his tea and sighed. "So, I will do whatever I can to fix this. I know Tori well enough to know that she didn't tell you because she hates it when people worry about her, but, the way I see it, we're all already worried enough." He dropped his gaze to his empty tea cup before looking at Neku again. While looking at him, the wolf boy, without lowering his eyes, said, "I understand if you hate me. If you want to take this outside to deal out your punishment, I accept it."
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Post by therunawaygirl on Aug 29, 2018 16:03:40 GMT -5
Neku and Mei listened to both Conrí and Lucia, taking in all what they said. When Conrí mentioned Twilight Town, and that Tori had been there, Mei tilted her head, unsure.
"Weird... She would've mentioned it... Maybe it was during one of her runs?" she asked aloud, and then shook her head, "In any case... Regarding what you told us about what you saw her doing... We're aware of it. Although, to some extent." "It's not the first time we've heard it" Neku continued, "But most of the time, we just brush it aside. I guess it ain't gonna work for you guys, huh? You're all pretty sharp to be driven away by a simple lie." "Regarding your question... Umm..." Mei looked at Lucia, trying to adress her, "Sorry to ask right now, but... I didn't get your name..." "She's Lucia" Neku informed her, and then introduced the rest, "That's Jen, he's Jason, and wolf-boy here is Conrí." "Right" Mei nodded, "So, where was I...? Oh, right, how many are targetting her... Well, in theory, all of the Headhunters are alert in case they see her, but... In actuality, it's only 2: her father and his subordinate, whose name is Ayano."
Mei remained calm during her talk, and so did Neku. After all, it wasn't the first time they had to explain to someone. However, it was their first explaining in such detail.
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Post by Ziya on Aug 29, 2018 17:09:40 GMT -5
Jason's only outward reaction was to close his eyes, but inside he was growing more and more concerned by the similarities between now and then. "So we either have the most overprotective father ever, or he's looking to turn her into a scapegoat." He almost spat the last word with the amount of hatred in his voice.
Jennifer was appalled enough at the thought that her cheerful demeanor slipped, blue eyes showing tiny hints of flame like the opal on her choker. "That's horrible! There's no excuse for tormenting and possibly killing your own daughter!"
Lucia knew both of them well enough to recognize their emotions even without auras, giving them a sharp look as she forced her own anger down. "Both of you calm down. We still don't know the entire story," she turned back to Neku and Mei, "but we're not going to sit by and do nothing while someone gets hunted either. I'm assuming the ass with a gun is Ayano? Why do they want Tori?"
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Post by Conrí on Aug 29, 2018 17:35:10 GMT -5
Conrí's heart hammered in his chest. He grit his teeth, and he was sure Lucia wasn't going to be happy with how he was holding himself, given that she had just told the other two to calm down. But, he tried to imagine his own da doing something like that just because he'd been unhappy with his son's choices, and, it felt like his blood was boiling. "On my honor as the heir to the Tir Tairngirian throne, that damn bloody bastard and his wee boyeen with the popguns best be apologising to Tori, or, by the light of Lugus, I'll make 'em wish they'd never saw me red hands."
The depth of his voice scared him a little, and it wasn't until he exhaled that he noticed he was shaking. "A wee girl like that deserves far better for a da." The would be king snarled to keep himself from going on with his rant. He cleared his throat and finished his muffin. "Apologies, in any case, what more information can ye give us?"
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Post by therunawaygirl on Aug 30, 2018 6:19:30 GMT -5
The two smiled uneasy, seeing that there was something they mistook. However, they appreciated their concern towards Tori, seeing that they were of trust.
"You guys have just something wrong..." Neku said, chuckling, "Ayano's a girl. Full name being Ayano Mizushiro. We've yet to see her around, so I guess she's on a training session." "So... If you saw someone with a gun, then that's Tori's father" Mei said afterwards, "AS for the reason why they target Tori, well... No one's too sure. If anyone knows, then Tori does, but... She's never told us anything about it."
Mei stood up, and grabbed the empty tray to carry it back to the kitchen. Neku simply sighed, a bit complexed, since he was also bothered by the reason behind Tori's Hunt, but he was never able to get anything from her. Thinking a bit, he tried recalling anything that might be the reason why.
"Hey, Mei?" he said, catching the girl's attention, "Miss Sakura told us sometimes about Tori's parents, right? Or am I just mistaking something?" "Umm... Some details, yes" Mei replied, "Why?" "Ya think it's gotta do with her mom? Y'know what I'm talking about, right?" "Yes... Well, I'm not sure. Didn't Miss Sakura say it was the Heartless who caused that?"
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Post by Ziya on Aug 30, 2018 7:42:24 GMT -5
Jason took a single step forward from thew wall after Conrí's outburst, placing his left hand on half-wolf's right shoulder before looking down at him and nodding. "Don't worry, we'll make sure this ends." His grip tightened briefly at their hosts' clarification, but remained determined and firm throughout.
Lucia's words had nearly succeeded in calming Jennifer down again before the newest revelation. All of that was nearly undone by the knowledge that they had encountered Tori's father. "Then at the weapon shop, and this morning..." She was so angry that her eyes were nearly half fire by then, struggling to keep her emotions in check before she accidentally ignited the house.
Even Lucia could no longer remain calm at that, eyes glowing violet as she clenched her fists. "There's no reason, none, for a father to treat his child like that." A deep breath helped her regain a little control before continuing. "Please tell us the rest." She had already heard enough to erase the bastard the next time she saw him, but they needed to know the whole story before doing anything that might make the situation worse.
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Post by Conrí on Aug 30, 2018 8:09:14 GMT -5
Conrí expected a reprimand from Lucia, but not reassurance from Jason. He hadn't noticed that Jason had stepped toward him, but, the hand on his shoulder caused him to relax a little more. Upon hearing his words, the would be king looked at Jason and nodded. Something in the sterness of Jason's stance caused Conrí to notice him in a slightly different way. When the grip on his shoulder tightened, the wolf boy felt his body shudder ever so slightly. This is strange...but, protecting Tori comes first, right? Still, something in him wanted Jason to keep his hand there. He smiled and turned his attention to the rest of the story.
Conrí heard Lucia and started nodding along with her, quietly this time. Still, the news that Ayano was a girl troubled him. "What does Ayano look like? And, could it be she might be trying to track Tori on her runs, if she's been absent from the island for a while." He thought back to Twilight Town, and, nothing out of the ordinary had happened. He just wanted to consider every possibility.
He crossed his arms and waited to hear more about Miss Sakura and Tori's mom. Something dark felt like it had been brewing here for a long time, all of a sudden.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Aug 30, 2018 9:24:28 GMT -5
Neku shook his head at Conrí's question, standing back a bit straight.
"Not a chance" he replied, "If she's on a training session, then she's close to the town. Prolly in the sumit or somehing..." "If you're worried about Tori being caught, don't worry" Mei said, "No one's aware of her moves currently. Because she's... Well, somewhat abusing a rule..." "You've noticed how Tori's always tucking her hood whenever we're on the streets and the like, right?" Well, that's because it's a right we all have: we can hide our faces or identity in public. The only two ways of getting someone to show you those is by either getting their acknowledgement or defeating them in a duel." Neku explained, "So no matter if they find her or not, they gotta duel her first if they want to reassure themselves about her. And let's just say it's not easy to defeat her cleanly."
Mei looked at Conrí, then at Lucia, seeing concern in both of them. The mere mention of Miss Sakura and about Tori's parents seemed to intrigue them, and maybe even more based on the fact that she'd mentioned "Heartless" alongside it. Taking a deep breath, she began to explain.
"You two are rather eager to know about Miss Sakura and what she's told us, huh?" she asked rhethorically, "I was planning to explain you about it, anyways. So..." Mei thought a while before speaking, "Tori was adopted by a couple: Hiroshi and Rui Takahashi. From what I know, they found her unconscious on the Eastern Shore, after a storm. Miss Sakura told us they were a pretty normal family, with the exception that Tori wasn't exactly a normal person" she said, chuckling, "We told you before that we're aware of Tori's true nature, to some extent, right? Well, most of it, we heard from Miss Sakura, so... Maybe I'll ask her later, now that... Well, there's a reason to ask her about it."
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Post by Ziya on Aug 30, 2018 12:44:38 GMT -5
Lucia was intrigued by the fact that Tori was actually not from this world originally, but first she looked at Jennifer again, trying to project calmness or at least composure. It seemed to work somehow, or she controlled her anger on her own anyhow, because her eyes returned to their usual bright blue shortly after. What she has actually noticed was Jason and Conrí, but while she was hopeful she had no idea if anything was going to happen there.
Lucia turned her attention back to Neku and Mei, leaning forward and lacing her fingers together. "So she's from a fallen world then. I wouldn't be surprised if it happened around the same time Celderat fell to the Heartless, nearly ten years ago." She sighed before leaning back again. "Your system is useful, but all it would take is someone with wind magic creating an 'accidental' gust, or someone paid to brush against her the wrong way, to get the hood off and reveal her."
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Post by Conrí on Aug 30, 2018 15:55:29 GMT -5
Conrí sighed lightly and unconsciously leaned into Jason a little. The wolf boy was happy that Jason hadn't moved his hand, so, Conrí smiled a bit and leaned his head over to touch Jason's hand. The action seemed so natural, that he wasn't entirely aware of his movements or his feelings at current. It just felt nice to have someone reassuring him close. Then, it clicked that he might be making Jason uncomfortable, so, he leaned forward and moved his head. "Sorry," he whispered, and could feel a heat rush through him that was worse than when he first met Tori.
She's from a fallen world, too... The would be king wondered if this could be why he was so determined to protect her. As he was waiting for the next bit of the story, he caught a familiar scent from both Lucia and Jen, and realised in horror why they might be reacting the way they were. Both of them...pregnant? Fen...if we get into any kind of fight, and they are in danger, I want you to come out and try to be a distraction.
You really think they couldn't handle themselves?
I'm not taking chances. Enough innocent blood has been shed.
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Post by therunawaygirl on Aug 30, 2018 16:45:35 GMT -5
"To be fair... There's a bunch of rules, although I can't say that the situation you're thinking of is possible in a sense" Mei replied to Lucia's comment, "We'd be here all day explaining the rules, really. There's a complete manual!" "Hence why we tried to reduce the explanations" Neku added, smirking, "But, hey! You at least got what you wanted: info in regards to Tori. Hopefully, it clears a few things here and there."
Neku stood up, and stretched a bit before heading to the main door, catching Mei by surprise. It was true that, for Neku, the conversation had ended, but for Mei, it was a different story. There were a few things she wanted to clear for herself.
"You know? This whole conversation got me thinking..." Mei began to talk, "You three are pretty sensible to things like these, huh?" she asked, looking at Jason, Jen and Lucia, "It's almost as if you know something about Tori, or about anyone for that matter, and trying to hide it. So... I think now's my turn to ask" she looked serious, "Do you feel as if Tori's a threat?"
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Post by Ziya on Aug 30, 2018 17:14:11 GMT -5
Jason hadn't even noticed that his hand was still on Conrí's shoulder until his head touched it. Something in him wanted to leave it there, but once he sat up and apologized Jason reluctantly pulled his hand away and into his pocket, a faint blush appearing on his face even as Conrí's became nearly the color of his shirt. Jennifer let out a quiet giggle at the two, already planning on ribbing them later.
Meanwhile Lucia was still unaware of all of this, focusing instead on Mei's questions. "You've been nothing but honest to us, so it's only fair I do the same. Three three of us are the last living members of our race, born with souls made entirely of a single Element that is ours to control and sense. Jen has Light, Jason has Darkness, and I have both, thanks to a rare genetic anomaly that nearly killed me. I was also trained to see auras, allowing me to see a person's general physical and mental state. I tell you this to explain how we know what we do about Tori."
She looked at her hands for a moment to collect her thoughts before continuing. "I've seen and fought against many things in the years since our world first fell. Heartless, Nobodies, demons, even a few gods of varying powers, so I can say with some certainty that Tori isn't a threat to us. And she doesn't want to hurt people either, so she's not a threat in general. But," she leaned forward again as her eyes hardened, "her powers over memory, whether she can control them or not, would present a threat to someone who had something to hide. I suspect that is why she's being hunted; there's something her father is hiding by all costs."
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Post by Conrí on Aug 30, 2018 17:43:46 GMT -5
Shite. I made him notice. Conrí fought the impulse to hide his face in his hands, because the heat still filled his cheeks. He also took note of Jen's light giggle and inwardly groaned. The wolf boy knew the tone of the laugh a bit too well to think maybe she'd let it go. The would be king faced Jason and noticed his slight blush, something that made his heart race a bit. What in Lugus's name is going on with me? He kept the thought to himself, and quickly focused his attention on Lucia when she started speaking, though, seeing Jason out of the corner of his eye was somehow distracting.
As Conrí heard Lucia explaining herself, he mentally cursed again. The dots lined up so simply, and he'd missed it. Maybe he had a lot to learn after all. He turned his gaze to Neku once Lucia had stopped speaking, and asked rather bluntly, "So, what now?" His gaze shifted around the room as he asked the question, going to Mei, then Jen, then Lucia, and landing on Jason once more. Conrí couldn't look into Jason's eyes for too long and shifted his gaze to his hands, unconsciously biting his lip. Why do I think we're going to have an uncomfortable talk as soon as this is over? His heart started to race again. And, why does that make me scared?
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Post by therunawaygirl on Aug 31, 2018 7:37:31 GMT -5
"Hmm... But then why didn't they do anything before?" Neku asked, groaning, "It would've made sense if they did something long ago, since they were aware of it. So why now?"
The door was opened, jolting Mei straight up. Someone had entered the house, but it wasn't a threat. A girl, slightly taller than Lucia, and with Mei's same hair color, entered the house, and looked at the group in somewhat of a shock.
"Umm... Who are they?" she asked, looking at Mei. "H-Hi, sis..." Mei blushed a bit, smiling uneasy,"They're friends of ours... They were asking a few things about Tori, so..." "Are they Headhunters?" the girl asked, a bit stern. "N-No! They're just worried about Tori, that's all!" "Say, Claire... You know a lot about Tori's family, right? Her mom used to teach ya" Neku mentioned, smirking, "Heh... Talk about good timing. No need to pospone stuff for later." "Can I make myself at home, please?" Claire groaned, walking around.
She first headed to the kitchen, and left a few bags filled with various things, particularly food ingredients. Mei quickly rushed to her side, and helped her sort things out to make things quicker. Neku simply kept still, looking at them, smiling a bit, and then turned at Conrí and Jason, with a mischevious smirk.
"Y'know? You two would make a fine effing couple" he teased.
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