Welcome to Gaia! ::

Stichtite had been out gathering again, being careful and trying to get used to the feel of different signatures. He’d gotten the idea that order felt warm in a way but foreign while other agents or senshi had sort of a cold and prickly feeling to them that felt familiar. He’d picked up a few of both types as well as one that felt sort of in between but it had vanished quickly and he returned to the task at hand.

He’d made it a habit to pull one starseed a week in addition to his quota, from the ones who needed that softer end. It felt nice in a way, sparing them the pain from their illnesses or wounds. It also meant that there would be less filth flooding the streets and clinics, either way he liked the way it felt to be able to have a bit more power over people’s lives.

Standing back up, he thought he heard a voice calling from further down the alley. Looking over the dumpster he had been behind, he saw a figure with long hair and wings. Ugh… another senshi… Grumbling as he stepped towards them, he summoned his keys and held them as a makeshift brass knuckle. He’d gotten a bit better at boxing over the past few weeks, at least to the point he was a bit more effective.

They seemed… crazed in a way as he looked them over. And… were those fangs? What kind of person was this that they let into the Negaverse. “They’re a bit farther away though I haven’t seen them and I doubt they can hear you.” His face flat and just a tiny bit bothered by the things they had said. He really didn’t trust these senshi, maybe a bit with Aoede but that was because he knew what made her tick in a way and saw how his cousin could get her to react and scramble.

Lowering his hands, he didn’t dismiss the ring of keys. It was good to keep a weapon out even if they weren’t really all that effective. The aura of cold around them made his skin prickle, that urge to do something to put an end to the whole lot of magic users bristled through him as he watched them but he knew that they were on the same side and he had to play nice and hold his tongue due to the hierarchy of things. This wasn’t his cousin and he had to be cordial, at least to a point just as he was at work even when faced with idiots who didn’t follow his orders and instructions about their treatments.

Motioning for them to go ahead, he figured he’d follow along. “After you, it’s not my place to interrupt your hunt as it were but it would be good for me to see how things go. A learning experience as it were I would say.” He’d not done the best when fighting against his cousin and he knew that he was at a disadvantage when it came to magic at the moment. It almost made him laugh though as they said they weren’t insane, it really felt like they were just confirming it by trying to deny it as anyone who was put into a ward would do to try and get out.

“I see, I prefer things dealt with quickly and efficiently but who am I to argue against a superior.” Trying not to hiss when that last word passed his lips, he really didn’t like this situation. He had to work hard to remedy this and climb the ranks so he wouldn’t have to rely on more senshi. He’d prefer a youma when it boiled down to it, at least they had a built-in leash.

Waiting until they turned back away to continue forward, he narrowed his eyes at them. The sentiment made sense to him but he still preferred playing things safe and following the structured organization within the Negaverse. There had to be that rigidity to keep things from falling to chaos, at least at the lower ranks.

Looking over the huddled masses by the vents, he could see how sick most of them were. Between pockmarked faces and missing teeth, the effects of the drugs they used were clearly there. Taking a moment to drain a bit more after the senshi had gotten some, he was careful not to take too much more. Some of these people might not wake up again in this cold if they passed out.

It was odd, in a way, to hear that level of professionalism from another. A sense of pride in one's work just as he had huffed at his cousin’s less-than-ideal patch job and scars. The one with the sunken in face was the worst off though, after the draining from the senshi, he could tell that they wouldn’t make it through the night. Settling down in front of them, he set a hand on the man’s chest and pushed in to take their starseed. It would be better this way, a kinder end for someone who suffered. They barely made a noise as it was freed from their chest and Stichtite stood to follow the other again.

“Then what should I refer to you as, if not superior?” He had almost said witch, a knee-jerk habit that he still had. Dismissing the starseed to his subspace as he followed along and kept feeling out into the night for other signatures.

Already cleansing his hands with his the sanitizer in his subspace as the senshi said things. It was a habit of his, to keep things clean and as long as there wasn’t any physical grime the sanitizer would work well while in the field. “Stichtite then for me.”

He started wondering just what this senshi did outside of the Negaverse, it had to be some sort of tattooing or piercing job based on the snippets he’d heard and their modified teeth and ears. Even if he didn’t quite like the idea of tattoos, he could appreciate the process and level of cleanliness that was supposed to go into it. There was a level of clinical cleaning that had to go into things where blood and other bodily fluids might get spread around.

Peering around them, he saw the figure too and could tell there weren’t any others around. He’d seen Miyamoto with the frost and he wondered if it could freeze someone in place or what it might do. Either way, he would give them a good bit of space to work their wicked magic.

It was impressive to watch though he did take a step back as magic came out, as well as some sort of specter that wrapped around the other senshi. The whole thing was over quickly and he crept closer to see how they handled pulling a starseed. He’d read about teleporting, even if it was something that had been closed off to him but it was still interesting to see.

Staying just far enough away to not enter the area that the magic seemed to be effecting, he moved over a bit to get a good look at the senshi who was soon to be no more. It was a sight to see, watching two witches fight it out to the death. He could appreciate the effectiveness and speed with which Miyamoto had disabled the other. It would help prevent injuries and retaliation from the other’s magic most likely.

“I see, does it effect your allies or just the target or targets?” Moving a bit closer as they stepped back towards him, he watched intently as they held the starseed. The explanation made him wonder how well it would work on him versus his cousin, given how often the smaller blond let his emotions take control of his actions and choices. “A yokai?” He’d heard the word before, similar to devils or demons if he remembered correctly.
“Sounds effective, especially for those who rarely feel lonely otherwise.” He didn’t trust it still but if it wasn’t exactly an all-out blast like the sound from Aoede, it would be a bit easier to swallow as something he could work around. Now that he stood next to them, looking down at the senshi on the ground, Stichtite smiled a bit at how easily they’d been put down.

He watched as Miyamoto crushed the thing, trying to figure out exactly how much force that had taken to do. It looked all too easy, like when one bumped a fluorescent tube too hard and it shattered into dust. “An end to the cycle, one less member of order to worry about.” One less witch…

“How many more are nearby? I know I may be a bit limited with my ability to pinpoint them but I’d like to try grabbing one of those for myself from a senshi. If you wouldn’t be opposed to assisting?” Raising an eyebrow as he nudged the senshi on the ground out of the way and towards the wall of the alley. Treating it like a pile of dog s**t as he looked down at them with disgust.

So he had their word, which to him, was flimsy. But otherwise, things had been going alright so far. Worst case he could call in his cousin if needed to handle a misunderstanding. But he couldn’t quite understand what they had meant by giving up everything to join. His life had barely been affected by joining but maybe they were one of those ones who was a turncoat of sorts. He’d only started reading into the information on that in the past day or so, managing to cordon off a time slot on the weekend where he would read through the tablet he had been provided before Alexandre would bring him out for gathering energy and a starseed here and there.

“Quite the variety of things though I wasn’t really one for folklore before. It may be a good idea to look into it since it seems that at least in your case and probably others, that folk tales have a real existence here. I know more of the Irish and European tales though so if you have any recommendations on books I wouldn’t mind looking into it.” It would be better to have a bit more information about these oddities since they were being shoved into his face now, to be better prepared and maybe he could drum up a few stories for the younger cousins of his when he went to family gatherings.

There it was again, talking about rebirth and how to end a cycle of it. Alexandre had said the same thing and he really didn’t believe in such a thing. But if it made sure an enemy was done with then he could get behind that, although the fact it meant things were off the record rubbed him a bit wrong. He couldn’t really say much though as he had kept his first starseed as well and would keep the first of each type for his research.

“Preferably one that I could assist with a bit more directly, I’d like to collect their starseed. So one that feels easy to pick off. To be fair I would prefer a team setting but that mainly has to do with my position as a medic.” Adjusting a bit as he cleaned his hands once more out of habit, the strong smell of alcohol-based sanitizer wafting up as he went. It still felt a bit cold out but it wasn’t terrible, his coat was honestly a bit too warm for his liking but like his weapon, it hadn’t been something he had a choice in.