Izanami (Closed)

Are you a morning, afternoon, or evening person?

Morning.	0.0%	[ 0 ]
Afternoon.	3.3%	[ 1 ]
Evening.	60.0%	[ 18 ]
Leave me the hell alone, I'm tryna sleep. >:[	16.7%	[ 5 ]
Pollwhore.	20.0%	[ 6 ]
Total Votes:			[ 30 ]

[iCheru]

After Cheru had gotten amusement out of Ash and had helped her up and to somewhere the silly broad wouldn't hurt herself. And by then, her initial worry had lessened and Cheru went about doing other things.

She made something of a breakfast for whoever came down, Dorian had woken up, so she gave him a bath and dressed him up. She made sure to kiss Orin behind the ears before heading down with her son. By now, the initial worry had come as Cheru stood behind the counter washing dishing and glasses in quiet contemplation. Izanami made subtle move and noises that caused the siren to glance up then back down. It was unusual for Kino to not be around so long.. Insanely unusual... And Cheru...she just felt... really bad. Looking up, she saw her son sitting in front of some of his toys, and everyone being about their own business. She exhaled softly, wondering when her sister was going to be around...

Then she blinked at Izanami's soft cry, staring at her before her whole body jolted at her fall to the floor. "Izanami!" The initial panic set in before she had the idea to run around the bar to her side." Are you ok-...kay...? Kneeling at her side, in mid reach, Cheru's eyes began to wander at the new develop.... What... is going on....? The wood...it was...deteriorating....it was such a health, shiny brown...and now, it almost looked like it'd break if you jumped too hard... Everything seemed duller....Cheru felt colder... She....didn't feel like she was home anymore. " I-Izanam--!!" When she turned back around to check on the avatar, she had been gone, leaving the woman to stare at the nothingness where she knew something had been. "Mommy?" Meanwhile, Dorian had made his way over out of concern and curiosity, patting her arms. "I'm okay, honey...." She kissing his temple before shooing him off to go play, startled and now extremely worried as she rose, looking around. "Kino...where are you...?" Something was wrong... Something was very wrong and the knot in her stomach began to grow. " Has anyone see Kino, today?" She'd look around, obviously disturbed and worried.

[Hijiinx]

Tarrin had been in a corner of the room near the fireplace, playing cards with Addison to pass the time. The weather had turned slightly cooler now, so the boy had opted to light the flames earlier this morning. Besides being comforting to himself, he figured anyone else that wasn't elementally-inclined might appreciate the gesture too. There had been a few games of both Uno and War gone through so far, before the two kids finally resorted to building a card castle. It was actually going quite well until Cheru had announced the creation of breakfast.

Now both children lay near the fire throwing a hacky-sack back and forth. While he never said anything aloud, Tarrin also had the same bad feeling Cherushii did. Though, not quite as outstanding. He wondered why he didn't see his mom around at all today, not even in the early morning. If she went somewhere she usually said something. Or left a note. The fact that he knew she'd undergone a transformation last night was also eating at him. That was after she and Jax got back from whatever date they went on. She couldn't defend herself as well like that, could she?

Tarrin sighed. "I wonder where Kino is..." Addison looked around the room slowly, eyes eventually lighting on Cheru. The violet-eyed girl was about to prompt the Siren with another question about the feline owner, when the insanity kicked in. Izanami's scream scared the little girl near senseless, and she immediately covered her ears and stared over at Tarrin.

The boy didn't have his ears covered at all-- they'd simply laid back slightly to muffle the noise in the room. But he was entirely to focused on trying to figure just what the hell was going on here. He'd.. never seen something like this happen before. And why did Izanami fade away? Could she maybe have gone and done something she shouldn't have? Maybe she ran out of power.

..Could that even happen?

When Cheru spoke up once more, Addison lowered her hands and stood to move closer to Cheru. Possibly seeking some form of comfort in the face of all this. "..No. I didn't even hear her get up this morning. I do usually." The girl was a very light sleeper. "Tarrin, have yo-- ....Tarrin?"

While Addison and Cheru might have been conversing, Tarrin had gone still as a statue, staring directly at the front door. He looked distracted, as if trying to decipher what was being said by some invisible individual. Which was true in a way, but that's beside the point. Suddenly the boy shot to his feet and bolted for the front door, apparently ignoring all need of shoes or jacket. His first fleeting attempt to exit only resulted in his slamming into the door. You had to open it from the inside, of course.

The second time, he'd gotten it right, and was gone like the wind and headed down the path towards the woods. It would have taken Addison but a few moments to gather that he must know something, and she'd begin to give chase. One could hear the girl hollering after him from inside, but only for a moment or two before even that faded out.

And obviously Robyn will pause here and give people a chance to catch back up, before going any further.

[Hijiinx]

[[ Nevermind, was told to go ahead. ]]

Anyone with the compulsion to follow directly behind Tarrin would need to take heed, because as he reached the top of the hill above Izanami, he skid to a very abrupt stop that nearly sent even him toppling to the ground. A glance at the ground would show what had such stopping power:

Blood. Not a gratutitous amount. But it was very clearly there. Spatters of it scattered about the area. The further ahead you looked, the more concentrated it became, until it proved to have originated from a body.

Probably five-six feet ahead of Tarrin would lay a female body on the ground, face-down, with dark ebony hair and sun-tanned skin. Skin that was also marred by a few wounds here and there, which must have come from a few of the daggers left slung across the ground. Investigation of these would show the blades themselves to be gold and inscribed with various runes. (Anyone remember that sword Kino had given to Arian, after Katsuro died?) Around the woman's wrist was a bracelet, which was a pewter-gray in color and seemed to be very roughly-made. Knobby, and warped against her skin. It also bore runes in the same manner as the discarded blades, but they were more rushed and flowy in nature. Almost like a form of cursive.

Tarrin stared, wide-eyed, and would make no motion to respond to anything anyone attempted to say to him. It didn't make sense. He wanted to walk over, to reach out and touch the face-down body, but the boy found himself rooted to his spot. Why would someone wanna kill her? She never did anything bad. Never hurt anybody. So why did people want to hurt her? It left a very, very bad taste in Tarrin's mouth. This wasn't right. No, it wasn't right at all--

"Tarrin..!"

Addison finally managed to catch up to the boy, tripping and falling to her knees near his feet as she'd tried to stop. "..Oh my G--" Kino! What had happened to Kino! It looked like she was attacked! Addison's big, purple eyes watered sadly, and it'd take her a few moments to remember to check on the boy next to her. Seeing his mother like this... she couldn't imagine. She'd lost her own mother, but it was nothing compared to this, in her eyes.

As for Tarrin's current status, she'd get her answer rather quickly, from a glance to her left. The earth around Tarrin's feet wasn't wet with tears, but charred a deep, angry black. Subconsciously, Addison found herself slowly putting some distance between herself and the boy. She didn't know how he was going to react, but it wasn't going to be pretty, if the heatwaves rolling off him were any indication....

If anyone could find the strength in themselves to go and investigate Kino's body, it might take them a bit to discover the cause of death. The scratches across her arms and legs didn't seem like much to worry about, but there was a rather ghastly wound on her forehead. An exit wound; directly between her eyebrows, above the bridge of her nose. The entrance would prove to be on the back of her head at the soft point where her skull and neck met.

A shot directly into the base of the brain. If it was any consolation to the people around, death was probably nearly -- if not completely -- instantaneous.

[Sephiroth050]

*Poke....and what not. Great to see this thread is still going, fond memories of this place indeed. I hope this place gets to stay active and that it will live on for all eternity!!!!! O_O. And btw, to anyone who remembers me (Neko and Cheru seem to be the only ones that are still posting that I know) I miss you guuuuuuuys!!!!! So yeah, bye! =D *

[Hijiinx]

[[ Haaaaai Seph! <3 We miss you too. Seems like we did lose a lot of the original people, but we do have some awesome peoples here regardless. Great to to hear from you again, and thanks for the well-wishes! ]]

[iCheru]

I never thought...

////////

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

No one... No one...had seen her.

Addison spoke up and that made Cheru even more concerned. She had been up when she and Jax had came home, but beyond that was only a brief conversation in the hot tub before bed. Cheru had to get the low down on the date... But now... Jesus... The Siren was gnawing her bottom lip raw in contemplation before Tarrin had sprung to action.

And before she knew it, Addison had taken off, too, yelling after him.

With only one vague thought in her head, Cherry quickly set out after the both of them, White hair flying behind her as she tried to catch up, chasing the figure of the young girl that she had adopted as her daughter. When did these kids get so fast? It was so hard just keeping up. but she knew what this meant, and she knew that there was no way in hell, she would not be following these two. Tarrin, especially.... When it came to his mother, there was no stopping that child.That was what Cheru was booking on.

The trek up the hill was killing her legs and she wondered if she could make it, using the trees at support and pushing her adrenaline. She could see that Tarrin and Addison had stopped, with the girl moving away, setting Cheru's anticipation meters to high. Whatever tarrin had felt, it would be here that Cheru would find it too. "Tarrin! Addison!" Cheru called out to see if she could catch their attention as she trudged her way over, exhausted from the sprint."What is i-" That smell was unmistakable...It was faint...but it was still sort of fresh as she approached, her words ripped from her mouth... The world stopped right then for this woman. One dark spot where blood at been sucked up by the earth was followed by another , larger one, and then another, until her orange eyes came to rest upon.

Every single knot. All the worries...The nagging in the back of her head. Everything that felt so wrong about this morning....

"Kino...?" Her hair was black... Had she turned human? What happened. Her sight darted around to the discarded weaponry, connecting the dots while her hands found her mouth. That meant she couldn't... Cheru swallowed hard, forcing her locked joints loose as she took the first, unstable step forward, triggering the rest in succession. Before she could reach the woman, her knees gave out on her, prompting her to crawl. Before she could even confirm anything, a big, fat tear rolled down the left side of her face followed by a resisted heavy sob. Slowly, she scooted close enough, hands shakily reaching for the face down body as if something was telling her not to come she retracted her hands, closing them as she bit her lip.

Why...

She was the sweetest person... Why would anyone...?"K-Kino...?" As if there would be some sort of miracle the caused her to answer back while Cheru chewed on her trembling bottom lip. Her fingers uncurled as she slowly lowered her hand onto the woman's back, instantly jolting. her body was so cold... Usually, Cheru couldn't feel coldness...but....this was... "K-Kin-no? " her voice crack like an ice cube would in water, her hands wandered aimlessly, musing up her hair, shaking her as by then, her face was now sporting many line of tears that hair rolled down her face in non-similar patterns. Why would someone... She was a good person...She helped people! Why..?!

Finally, her hand rested on Kino's shoulder, gathering the courage to turn her around. The body rolled lazily onto her back as the woman, whose face was unmistakable now, laid limp, head lolling to the side. A sob choked in Cheru's throat. "Kino..." Her normally bright green eyes had dulled and her eyelids stayed somewhat open as if she had been frozen in the moment when she had been killed by a single shot through the head, the hole in the middle as if being another eye she could've seen through. Her hands squeezed at her shoulders, her expression truly now broken at the sight. Her best friend. Her most loyal confident. Her supporter. Her rival... Her sister... And suddenly it was reality. She was really right here...on her knees. The body right next to her was Kino Takei and she was most...definitely...

Dead.

"Kino!" Her voice was deeper as she cried, shaking sniffing as she bawled uncontrollably. "Noo! Kino! " She shook the book, trying to reject this reality. It couldn't be real. Who would kill Kino?! Who would want to kill her sister? The person that saved her from herself! She opened up her home to the homeless! Gave them food and a place to stay! She became a friend to the friendless and family to the outcast! She protected people with her own body!

WHAT WRONG COULD SHE HAVE EVER COMMITTED TO DESERVE THIS!?

Unable to handle this painful reality, Cheru sank lower until her hair made a curtain around her face, hand cupping at Kino's cheeks before her forehead touched the deceased's chest and cried.

So many memories...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen Kino gave her her first order of a milkshake.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she tried so hard to stop Cherry from losing herself to Aeris.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she attack the conartist that tried to take her soul.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she was willing to give herself up to save Cheru from Juno.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she saw her off on her trip with her brothers.

xxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she comforted her at the lake.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she saved her from nearly dying from dehydration.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she chased the woman down on her chocobo.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxWhen she told her to move on from Demyx.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe person who understood her sadness and loneliness.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe person who picked her up when she was down.

xxxxxxxxxThe person that always welcomed her back to the only place she had to call home.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxThe person who gave her everything she ever truly needed.

The person that was always there.

Every smile. Every hug. Every word. Every look. And now, it was all gone. There were no words... There was nothing anyone could say. There were no explanations. If it was at all possible for the world to simply turn black. It just did... if there was a reason for nothing else existing in this moment, it didn't. There was nothing.

There was nothing left.

She was dead.

"No..."

Kino was dead. "Kino..."

Absolutely. "Why...."

Truly." No...."

Dead.

.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________

That you'd take this from me...
My most precious song...

////////

[Sephiroth050]

(alright, it's been a lil while, but here goes...figured I'd should try and do something considering the circumstances.....Neko!!)

Seph had been fighting a long battle for a long time, away from his friends, away from his family, away from normality and away from sanity. Many times he had wondered if he would ever have any of those returned to him, and somehow found the answer deep inside of him... that answer being, what seemed to be, the only driving force he had left. He had asked himself that question many times, and every time he received the same answer....until today. Today he had received a strange feeling, something that he could not ignore, but had no idea how, or why, it was happening. Nor did he know what he could really do about it. In fact, for the first time in a long time, he actually sat there and.....thought. Thought about what it could possibly mean, about what was going on to cause this, and what he could do to fix it. This feeling fixated itself onto him until finally one thought entered his mind, like a Colt .45 that was fired right up against his head.....Izanami . He knew not what made him think of this, or why it would happen now, but perhaps it was the time he was given to think that started the whole thing....or maybe something more......

[Sephiroth050]

Seph had been traveling for a few days now, the feeling he'd been having only growing stronger as he arrived closer and closer to Izanami. Why the place burned inside of him so was beyond him, but once he came within only a few feet of the place, he could sense a kind of nervousness overwhelm him. Are bars supposed to do this? But regardless, he used the hilt of his sword to open the door of the place that seemed all too familiar to him....almost a sense of "home". Mid-day isn't a popular time for this place, but you'd think there'd at least be someone on watch so no one steals the money... Seph surveyed the room then walked behind the counter, grabbing a bottle of his favorite rum and mixing himself a drink using a kind citrus soda...the only thing he could find. The alcohol seemed to be in stock, so he was assuming the place was still in use. He grabbed a cig from his cloak and lit one up, looking around the room as he took a hit. Strange...

[Seventh Normal]

It hit her like a bullet to the heart.

All of a sudden she was roused from a deep sleep by the sudden lightning bolt strike-like feeling of something her tired mind couldn't quite comprehend. She wasn't sure what time it was...her room's windows had been blackened by the darkness radiating from the depths of her soul. Yet when her mind questioned it her mind's eye sensed that it was mid-day---though she was totally unsure of what day or even year it was. She moved slowly to sit up on the eldritch fusion her darkness and the once ordinary materials of her bed. She felt Rou stir next to her---but her sister made no such act to wake up. The world of darkness and strange evils writhing about around her told her Shiori wasn't present---Reiko of course assumed she was either at school or at her part-time job.

The surrealistic world around her---it was just an after-thought. She knew what had happened and why...she also knew not all of these eldritch mutations brought on by her 'condition' were not just her's but also Rou's. It was because they had both gone without blood for so long and thus allowed the legions and legions of dark existences that marched through their veins spread and mutate their forms until they were almost completely alien to the outside world. It was a matter that could be completely processed with ease---though she sensed small amounts of Shiori's and somehow Kino's blood in her system. She could tell somehow that these samples were given externally somehow---so no worry came to her...

She could only imagine that Shiroi had been looking after her all this time....sweet girl.

Thump.

Ah...right...Kino...Some of this is Kino's...

These thoughts caused her heart to flutter softly. Reiko couldn't help it this time it seemed. After all this time of holding it down---downgrading it into something that wouldn't hurt anyone...The painful memory of her lips upon her's came to her as a ghost. Their sweetness---the amazingly soft texture. It hurt. It hurt so much--but she held on to that memory--those feelings deep inside for years. It hurt so much that somehow it made her bitterly smile--and consider happier ideals. Perhaps that was what urged her to stand to her feet and pull herself from the weirdness of what she had once called sheets. The darkness receded and slowly crawled away from the blackened heights partially revealing the familiar Izanamian ceiling. The windows lost various tints of black until light could slowly filter through and prove to her the time of day.

As her unclothed body moved toward the door the darkness swirled around it and painted the image of clothing over it. Her amazingly long strands of black hair however covered most of her body...even her face was barely visible beyond a Sadako-esk appearance. At the very least a warm smile came to the fluttering warmth that struck her heart.

'How silly of me...One slip of my resolve and I turn into a love-stricken fool. Don't think stupid s**t like that about your sister, Dumbass.', she thought to herself---even laughed a little at the th--

THUMP.

Wait...What...? Why did it feel so cold..? It was really warm a moment ago...

Following an abrupt cold stab-like feeling a dull ache began to grip her heart...like something had been cut off by a serrated knife. She grunted uncomfortably and placed a hand on her chest---slowly looking down at it. Nothing looked wrong....or out of the ordinary--well beyond what could be expected after recklessly sleeping this long with little 'sustenance.' Yet...something felt horribly wrong...amazingly wrong. Slowly her smile faded---her red eyes became wide and the agonizing cold filled her from the tip of her head to the ends of her toes...

When...?

When did she start running...?

Why...?

Izanami's air was unlike it's self. The creek in the floors was unnatural. The central room was empty and devoid of life. The gravel outside felt odd to her bare feet. The trees looked dull and ready to evaporate into dust. The sky was pale---lifeless. The blurring colors in the wind were losing their color--turning grey. Voices---Noise---Breathing---Moisture---White--Black---Red--Red? As the world blurred by her---her barely clothed and monstrously long haired image streaked through it leaving only blackness, the paleness of her tan, and white of what little she sported. Like a storm it passed all things by at speeds that could not be measured---and when it stopped every bird in the forest was terrified enough to raise from their perches and scatter away as fast as their wings would allow. The pulse rippled through existence so fast---she didn't even realize she was the cause of it....that pulse of pure and raw emotion that occured before her mind even registered what it was reacting to---what was bring broadcasted to her visually.

Black, white, and red.....Red.

Red. ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||Red
|||||||||||||||||||Red.

Redred|||||||||||||Red.

rED|||||||||||||||||rEd.

Red.

All the world's myriad of colors filtered black and white...grey was it's only known contrast. There the figures though familiar but alien at the same-time stood before her. Her mind did not register them.

They didn't matter.

They may as well have been props to a scene that shouldn't have been real.

There standing in the unnatural cold that seemed to be surging from her insides as if it originated from a horrible wound she stood staring at something that hurt her brain to preceieve.

It was not that the image bothered her---she had not yet reached that stage.

Her mind was having trouble precieving it.

Her ability to logically determine the shape and features of what she was staring at was hampered by some unknown force.

Her eyes hurt as they struggled to tear through this black and white hell scenery.

What was she looking at? A corpse. Wait---that figure?

Cheru holding a corpse? What was she doing? Holding a corpse.

That sound---She could not hear anything but that sound. Crying. Breathing. Why was Cheru breathing like that?

Why was she on the ground? That positioning...Like she was---Holding a corpse---holding something.

Covered in blood. The way she was breathing sounded painful somehow. Holding a corpse covered in blood while crying.

Reiko stared at Cheru with concern and slowly moved forward to have a better look at her. The one who touched your lips is in her arms.red When she drew closer her mind slowly slipped in it's thoughts---as she started to speak with a faint smile of concern.redThereinherarmsishercorpse. Her mind was rubbish for the moment---she couldn't present a coherent thought---because her eyes hurt. Her mind hurt. Everything...hurt. Why...did...everything...? Why did it hurt..?...Why? She tried speaking again but her lips wouldn't function---they were numb. Her mind could not even begin to give her words to articulate. It could only notice a strangely hot sensation of liquid leaking from her eye sockets and trailing down her cheeks in great volumes. Her mind could just barely comprehend the fact...Tears?Becauseyoujustfoundherdead. Why...would..Becauseyoujustfoundcheruholding-- That doesn't make any sense. Itdoes.BecauseyoujustfoundcheruholdingacorpseRed There's no reason to cry...is there? REDYes.Becausetheonewhotouchedyourlipsis--RedREdreddrEeDrderDEAD.

It was an aweful night...

She had lost all control of herself---every dark desire she had was unleashed due to that moment of weakness. She had temporarily lost her mind and almost killed her and Reno---all because she had realized how futile the hope of her feelings being returned by Ki-N-No had been. The fact of the matter was that KI---noRED loved Reno---and she was happy...

Maybe that was why she lost control and did all the horrible things she had done that night---though that wasn't the most painful part of the night. What made that night forever engraved in her heart in the form of an incurable wound--that somewhere deep inside she could not help but feel would eventually kill her....was a simple kiss. Something she desperately wanted more than anything in the world--handed to her by someone whom did not truly love her the way she did...A show of a different kind of love--masked in the guise only temporarily as what she had actually wanted.

Something that should have driven her insane the second it happened---but didn't.

These thoughts caused her heart to flutter softly. Reiko couldn't help it this time it seemed. After all this time of holding it down---downgrading it into something that wouldn't hurt anyone...The painful memory of her lips upon her's came to her as a ghost. Their sweetness---the amazingly soft texture. It hurt. It hurt so much--but she held on to that memory--those feelings deep inside for years. It hurt so much that somehow it made her bitterly smile--and consider happier ideals.

It really should have driven her inane bu t d dn' .

I r ll y sh d ha dr en r in b t d n't

She had lost all control of herself---every dark desire she had was unleashed due to that moment of weakness. She had temporarily lost her mind and almost killed her--

InamatterofsecondsReikorushedfowardatspeedsshehadnevermovedbefore.
HerhandsspreadoutwiththeintenttograbandcaptureCheru'sneckinbetweenherpalms--andalreadytheintensedesiretotearthewoman'sheadfromhershoulderspumpedthroughouteverysinglemuscleinherbo-----

Reiko stood there staring down into Cheru's arms. Her body had not moved from it's spot...and so far her brain could only fully register now that Cheru was sitting in front of her crying her eyeballs out while holding some blood covered unidentified figure that WASNOTMOVING.

Her eyes were full of tears but she didn't say a word.

She made no move to do anything--she barely even had the will to breath.

All that could be done was stare---stare with darkened lifeless eyes that could not comprehend what they were staring at. Though as the stare widened--horror with-in her slowly grew and distorted her expression...pain struck throughout her body---wild unexplainable pain that she had never felt before....The coldness inside grew and grew until...

"...Kino...?"

Her voice....was so tiny...so fragile---one would not think that it could have possibly came from Reiko Shiranui.

[Hijiinx]

[[ Sorry Seph-- I'd been busting my butt working out all day yesterday and finally just fell asleep. ]]

The first indication that anyone was actually around downstairs was a pained groan echoing from the foot of the staircase. The violet-haired lady standing there had quite obviously seen better days, but she looked a bit... troubled. She wasn't sure how long she'd been asleep. Judging from the daylight outside, it couldn't have been more than a few hours...

So then where had everybody gone..? Cheru had been here. Tarrin, and Addison, and.. she was sure a few others. Unless she's just blind and not seeing them. Ashwarya blinked, bleary-eyed, at the front door. "Ceasbna ac ihy bucepemetyt... (Always a possibility...)"

It was only now that, unless Seph had previously gotten her attention, she'd notice someone else was in the room. Granted, it wasn't someone she recognized. "..Oh. Hello there." Why was the floor so cold..? And.. why did it look so much different? The island-born woman blinked down at the floorboards, and pushed down on one with a sock-covered foot. They were squeaking too.

"Um.. sorry. Things are just a bit off here for some reason. Though, if you've already helping yourself to a drink, I'd assume you have been here before. Maybe you can tell me whether I'm crazy or not-- does this place seem weird right now?"

[Sephiroth050]

(lol it's ok, I know you're a trooper. Take your time, no hurries! ^.^ )

Seph took another hit from his cig, having to resort to using the floorboards as an ashtray since none were in his general vicinity. He observed his surroundings, noting some different arrangements from the last time he was here, possible color/design changes here and there. However, the place seemed to have a similar feel to what he remembered. But he also got strange vibe from the place, the near-emptiness slightly bothering him. He knew not who the girl was or if anything had changed during his absence.

"Maybe just a slow time of the day? Sorry for just barging in here like that, I didn't see a barkeep and no one bothered to stop me from taking a drink....so I guess I just helped myself." He explained with a smile. " I do plan on paying for it of course!!" as he placed a few coins on the table. He studied the drink for a second then finished it off. ".....can't very well tip myself for something like this.....sheesh."

Seph took one last drag and stomped his cig out on the floor, placing the remnants into the trash can.

"I haven't been here for a very long time. I used to know a few people who came in here, along with the two women who ran the place for the most part. I'm assuming they still work here?" Seph took another second to examine the room, not quite being able to help but feel the young woman may be on to something about the place seeming....odd.

[Hijiinx]

The frown on Ashwarya's lips deepened, though she did nod and begin making her way towards the bar counter. Suppose if no one else was around, she should probably stand in and help the man out. "I'm sure Kino or Cheru wouldn't mind you doing that, heh. Usually what they tell everyone to do." Ash assumed the two aforementioned women were the ones he had referred to, when he said he knew the 'owners.'

"I haven't been here as long as some people, but I can tell you those two are still here. The only one that hasn't been around yet today is Kino." Somewhat lazily, Ash pulled herself onto a bar stool. "That cat's an odd one sometimes though. She's probably just off wandering somewhere."

--------------

The heat coming off Tarrin at this point was becoming unbearable for Addison, who -- when forced with the decision of moving behind a tree, or closer to Cheru (and Kino's body) -- had opted for the tree. The girl had already caught a glimpse of the bullet wound on her forehead when Cheru rolled the body onto its back, and that was more than enough for her. Addy could be found with one arm over her stomach and the free hand covering her mouth. The whole scene was a bit much for her.

Tarrin, however, showed next to no reaction just yet. The poor boy's face was drenched in tears, but the only motion he gave off at the moment was a faint tremble. Reiko was not reached for, nor did she get a look, when the woman neared the body. He'd simply clamp his eyes shut after a moment or two, and glare blindly down at the charred ground around his feet. Had anyone been in their right mind at the moment, they might realize how much like his father Tarrin was. The typical heatwave reaction was something not unlike Reno at all.

Granted, that wasn't necessarily a good thing, given Reno's temper.

If continuously left alone, Tarrin would eventually begin walking off to the left and into the trees, away from the body. He was aware he was scaring Addison, even if he didn't immediately make it obvious.

[Hijiinx]

Last Night, in the woods surrounding Izanami

"I don't understand why you don't just take him out yourself..." The rather scruffy-looking man prodded at the fire with the business end of his shortsword, causing the embers to let off a loud crack of complaint.

"That's because you don't know how Hojo is. He's twisted. Any good that might have been in that man was gone the moment his mother s**t him out into the world. He's got monsters down there in that hellhole that I can't describe in words..." The second individual leaned his arms against his knees. No. He didn't know him at all. "I've only been around him for two years myself, and there's still a lot I don't know. Don't care to, either."

"That doesn't matter and you two know it. That's not why we're here at all."

"Yeah... we just gotta grab the girl, and get her back to him. He gave us what we need to do the job, and there's money in it for all of us. So let's just focus on that and quit with the bullshit, alright?"

Obviously, the duo of complainers was ignored.

"If he's so bad, then why are you working for him? Seems like flawed logic if you ask me." The aforementioned sword was lifted up again, the edge used to cut a healthy chunk from the piece of fruit in his free hand. "Not that anyone was." Smartass..

Man number two let off a somewhat-annoyed grunt. "You think I'm with that sick sonnofabitch because I wanna be? You think that was my choice?" He leaned forward a little to stare directly at his counterpart, eerie golden eyes catching the light of the fire. "Well let me tell you something, dumbass. It wasn't. One minute I was on my way home back in Aekea, the next thing I know, I'm strapped to a cold steel table with every medical contraption known to man surrounding me."

Green and Brown, understandably, had gone silent during this exchange. They hadn't wanted to ask what the circumstances were between Blue and Hojo, but -- honestly -- were afraid to.

"That so? Then how do WE know we can trust you?" The massacred fruit's core was chucked over his shoulder, to lay forgotten in the woods. "If you're one of his pets, who's to say you w--"

SLAM!!

Green and Brown had leapt back in shock as the huge chunk of log flew past their noses, and smashed into the tree behind and to the slight right of Red. He hadn't budged at all, but his eyes had widened considerably. Blue glared hard, almost menacingly, at the one who clearly did not understand the concept of 'think before you speak.'

"....Who's to say I won't what? Attack you? Wait till the three of you are sleeping, tear you limb from limb, and then keep the reward money for myself...?" If any color was left in the faces of Green and Brown, it was certainly gone now.

Blue let off another grunt, more exasperated and exhausted, than anything; and promptly sat back down before the fire. "Because I still have some shred of my humanity. That's why. And because I'm more interested in getting my life and my freedom back, than I am in adding anymore blood to my hands. I'm not here to make anyone trust me. I'm here because its the only way out."

Blue let himself flop over onto his back, propping his feet against a nearby tree root and wadding his coat under his head. "...Quit yammering and get some rest. If you needed to know s**t, you'd already know s**t. We've been told what we need to do. Those two are right. Let's just rest and finish this in the morning."

Red sneered and stood up to go find his own spot to crash. "Whatever."

About ten minutes ago

"Jesus Christ... What the hell do we do now!? At this rate he's gonna circle back and destroy the ******** body, and th--"

"No, he's not interested in dead bodies. I get the feeling its not even him doing this."

"Well if its not him then who the f--.... Hojo."

"Exactly. We need to get the ******** out of here before he gets us ALL killed. Screw the bounty, a hundred grand isn't worth dying over."

The two remaining men nodded, and split up to try and have a better chance. So they had it in their heads, anyway.

When (or rather, if) people began paying attention to their surroundings to try and decipher what had happened here, those of a more sensitive nature might pick up the scent of foreign blood. Blood that definitely wasn't Kino's. It would be easier to pick up the 'trail' when one got further from the neko's corpse, and somewhat deeper into the woods.

Anyone who did follow this trail out of curiosity would be met with the origin rather quickly. There would prove to be another body, one that was just as human as Kino had been. But in faaaar worse condition than she. It was practically shredded to pieces. The ribcage was almost completely bare, cracked in places and splintered in others. No organs were present within, much less in the ripped-open abdomen. While it might be hard to tell now, the body was male. On the bark of the nearby trees, there were deep, bloody gashes into the wood.

Claw marks, it looked like. There were blood-stained footprints from something that most certainly was not human, moving away from the scene and eventually becoming very difficult to trace. God only knows where the thing went, that had mutilated this man in such a manner. Hopefully it wasn't intent on returning.

[Sephiroth050]

"She is quite the wanderer. I do recall her going for walks pretty frequently. I suppose it's not all that unusual to do so, although I'm not sure if I remember her doing it much during the day. Eh, it's not like I spent much time here during the day either, so who knows? I'm sure you'd know better than I would anyway, I haven't seen her in over a year it would seem."

Seph raised an eyebrow. "....I do find it strange not a lot is going on though, was there some kind of event going on today?"

Seph laughed for a second as he lit another cigarette, fixing him another drink that he managed to drink down much faster than the first he had prepared. "I apologize if I seem a little off, I suppose all the traveling has thrown my focus off quite a bit." And indeed it had, for even when he had first entered the bar, his vision seemed almost....corrupt...blurry and not very perceptual. Almost has if he was drunk before he even entered.

"We can go find her if you'd like, I know running a bar can be quite demanding on your own. Shouldn't take too long, she couldn't have gotten very far" Seph assured her.

[Hijiinx]

Ashwarya folded her arms over her stomach, and gnawed on the inside of her lip. It was strange, she thought. People don't simply disappear. She was beginning to get a little worried herself.

"..I know they were here earlier, but I fell asleep, I believe. Cheru had been.. really worried, it seemed like." She glanced out one of the windows nearby. "And now there's nobody here. As far as I know, there was no event going on at all today. Maybe we should go find people..." The way this place was, there could be some fight to the death going on somewhere, and they'd be none the wiser. Knowing Cheru, she probably went to find Kino, assuming she got worried again.

"...Yeah. Sorry. If you don't mind, I think we should try to find out what's going on. There's only so many places they could be around here."