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 Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:51 pm
  Setting:Kiran catches Van by herself outside of a Noble establishment. It's suspicious, to say the least, and a fight seems inevitable when it becomes obvious that she's stalling for a mission.
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Kurama no Koishi generated a random number between
1 and 3 ...
3!
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Posted: Sun Dec 09, 2012 10:52 pm
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 2:25 am
Doing nothing was often the hardest part of her job. It was especially true on the most high-profile missions, ones that were deemed too dangerous to risk losing a captain over. The assignment had been to assassinate one of the Nobles’ most prominent politicians, a former Legionnaire who’d turned to the other side once news of the Emperor’s “death” had spread. The mission was her brainchild, the product of her planning, but Van wasn’t allowed to actually participate; instead she was only able to delegate it to the task force and hope they executed her plan of action as effectively as she would have.
She didn’t understand how the front lines commanders did it, standing safely behind their men while they risked their lives in doing all of the fighting. Perhaps she’d grown accustomed to being out in the field doing all of the dirty work, but either way there was a certain honor in fighting alongside the rest of the special forces. Captains who did so were always better loved and more respected—it was why she adored her own former captain so much.
The event was a fundraiser for the Nobles, full of rich and well-to-do Lunarians. Everyone who was anyone was there, including many of the Noble captains and military officers. Van couldn’t enter for fear that someone would recognize her, and so she had been forced to stand alone by a fountain outside, looking regrettably lonely even as she was dressed in an impressive red number. Unless someone knew her personally, she looked like she belonged inside with the rest of the Nobles.
Still, all she could do was wait for a signal, any signal that the politician in question had been properly poisoned, before she could leave. They were supposed to escape before he dropped dead and chaos ensued inside, but it could very well occur before she was able to withdraw all of her fighters. If such a thing did come to pass, she had been ordered to leave without them. Worry creased her brow as she continued to bristle idly, hoping and praying that it wouldn’t come to that.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 10:29 pm
Kiran was bored. He was actually inside one of the ritzy Noble establishments, but it was less exciting to be there through invitation than having to sneak inside. The invitation only came to him because some Noble Captain that he hadn't bothered to learn the name of assigned him as guard duty. Plenty of high ranking Nobles were attending the function, and they were being cautious of any Legionnaire attack. So far, however, the night had been boring. Nothing but mingling among the higher ups and political figures. His eyes scanned the room, looking for anything suspicious, but he hadn't noticed anything yet.
Which was the reason for his boredom.
With nothing to do but sit and wait and watch, Kiran was left with the reminder that he really didn't fit in with this crowd of people. They all had their fancy clothes and that air of superiority about them. He had dressed up in the nicest clothing he owned, which he didn't often wear for that particular reason. They were reserved for big events that required him to be dressed up out of his normal attire, and so he didn't want to ruin them through everyday wear when they had cost him quite a bit to buy. He used a scarf to wrap around his head and hide his blue hair from sight. He wasn't sure how long it would be necessary to keep under the radar after the whole thing with playing dead to escape the Legionnaire camp, but he couldn't say no when a Captain gave him an order.
He stuck to the shadows as he patrolled around the room, trying not to draw attention to himself. If there were Legionnaires in hiding at this event, he didn't want to be noticed by them. Mostly, he was wary of spotting the interrogators that had tried to beat information out of him, but he doubted they would show up to something like this. Still, it was wise to be cautious. After all, if it got back to the Legionnaires that he was still alive, he wasn't the only one in danger.
Nothing was happening inside, so Kiran sneaked out the front door to patrol the perimeter. He released a sigh, tension melting out of his shoulders once he was away from all the rich people. This may have been a perfect opportunity to lift a few jewels here and there while people were distracted, but he didn't think it would look well on him if he did try to pick a few pockets. His Captains certainly wouldn't be happy with how it reflected on them. "How much longer is this night going to be?" he wondered out loud, not realizing that he wasn't alone or that a woman stood by the fountain not far from him.
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Posted: Sat Dec 22, 2012 2:36 am
Van had seen the guard leaving the party, but concern hadn’t registered in her mind. She didn’t immediately recognize him, and she didn’t expect guards or fighters to recognize her, either. In fact, this one didn’t even seem to see her standing there, even as he seemed to be patrolling the perimeter. The captain made a mental note to take care of him later, if she needed to make a hasty escape.
For now, though, she continued to watch the doors and windows of the building, her senses primed to detect a signal from her men, and less to pay attention to the guard who was coming closer to her. Pretending not to be too interested in the event inside was a skill set she already had, but it wouldn’t help her much if someone recognized her for who she was. Being out in the open like this hadn’t been deemed a significant risk, and only coincidence would have made it so. Of course, it would be Van’s luck to run into Kiran the evening of an important mission. She turned at the sound of his voice before she could stop herself, but it was too late to pretend that she hadn’t heard him, and pretty much impossible at this point to pretend that she didn’t recognize him, head scarf and all.
“Hi,” she said, forcing a smile as if nothing was suspect about their current circumstances. “Fancy finding you here, Kiran. Doesn’t seem like your usual haunt.” Violet eyes flickered over the man’s shoulder, and it was in that moment that she saw a few familiar figures darting out from the building. That was her cue to leave if nothing else, but first she had to dodge the conversation that had unexpectedly come up.
She was seriously considering punching Kiran and making a run for it, even though he was clearly armed and she had nothing but her fists and a small knife strapped to her leg. As she deliberated, she could only hope that the commotion behind him didn’t catch his attention.
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Posted: Tue Jan 01, 2013 1:48 pm
Kiran wanted to collapse onto the basin of the fountain. His legs were tired from all the standing around he did inside while keeping an eye on the guests. At least when he did other jobs that involved spying, he didn't usually spend the whole time on his feet. Though crouching for extended periods of time could make his legs ache as well. He stretched out his limbs as best he could while walking. The night seemed quiet enough, aside from the chattering noise spilling out from the building and the garble of water splashing into the basin from the fountain.
Another voice made him pause, and he came to the realization that he was alone. He frowned, wondering if he was losing his skills to not notice someone else was so close to him. Or was it simply that his boredom of being forced to attending this gathering dulled his senses? Even with all the Nobles and the political figures attending it, their chatter held nothing of interest. How could those old geezers be so drab? They weren't even gossiping about something interesting. Kiran hadn't caught any talk about battle plans from any of the Noble Captains present. He kept hoping that he might catch word of something that they were planning against the Legionnaire, but the Captains kept tight lipped about it.
"Van!" Kiran stared at her, his gaze drifting lower to take in the red dress that she wore. It looked rather impressive on her, though he wondered if she had any hidden weapons under it. "What are you doing here?" he demanded, getting over his surprise at seeing the woman. He was fairly certain that she wouldn't have been invited to this fundraiser. But if she was on a mission, why was she loitering outside? She wouldn't get any information out here. Or inside really, when he thought about it. Even he wasn't able to gather any information tonight. Assassination? But how would assassinate anyone out here if everyone of importance was inside?
He shrugged, rolling one shoulder as he tried to look nonchalant about their meeting. "I was invited."
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 11:46 am
The captain’s mind raced as she went over several different ways to incapacitate the man in front of her without hurting him too much and drawing attention to herself from inside. All the while, she remained respectfully interested in their chit-chat, smiling sweetly in an attempt to display her innocence. She could see the wheels turning in his head, though, and she knew that one way or another he was going to realize that she really was not supposed to be here. “Moving up in the world, are we?” she countered with a laugh, ignoring for a moment the accusation in his tone. “Well, that’s good for you.”
Van paused, knowing that she only had a few seconds to come up with a lie before he realized she was lying. A small part of her felt bad for having to do something like this to someone whose company she usually enjoyed outside of war, but hopefully he realized that what was about to happen was strictly business. No hard feelings. “I was invited, too,” she said, her eyes sad as she shook her head, “but it appears I was either pranked or misinformed about the nature of the event. It’s a bit embarrassing, so I’ve been out here the whole night.”
No sooner had the last word left her mouth that a shrill scream echoed from inside the building, signaling that Van had long since overstayed her welcome. Dropping the act immediately, the woman’s posture changed into a more familiar fighting stance and she flipped the karambit that had been concealed on her person out, wrapping her hand in iron.
“Sorry about this,” she was polite enough to say, before moving in to swing her fist at Kiran’s abdomen. Unfortunately, the same movement caused her balance to shift, and the lady took a tumble before she could run off while he was recovering. Damn high heels.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 5:43 pm
His shoulder rolled, and he glanced away at the question. "I guess you could say." But he didn't sound very happy over the idea of "moving up in the world." If it mean he had to spend his nights at these boring fundraisers, then Kiran was happy to be stuck in a small dingy apartment instead of these big fancy homes that the wealthier Lunarians owned. He knew he didn't fit into the stuffy world of the rich, and he doubted he ever would, which was perfectly fine with him. He hoped that his Captains didn't try to stick him on another assignment like this one.
His gaze drifted back to Van, and one eyebrow quirked upward when she spoke again. "Were you?" That seemed odd to him. Why would they invite Van here? Weren't most of the Lunarians inside supporters of the Nobles? He tossed a glance back at the building. If she had something planned for once she got inside, then Kiran decided he needed to keep an eye on her. "Well, that's a pity. It must have been a rather dull night for you." His night wasn't filled with excitement either. He doubted she was missing much being stuck outside.
The shrill scream snapped his attention back to the building. What happened while he was out here? He didn't get the chance to find out when movement at his side alerted him. The blade flashed as it slashed at him. Kiran barely managed to back up to avoid a terrible injury. A thin line cut across his abdomen, making him wince though it wasn't a very deep scratch. The tip of the blade only just cut through his flesh.
Kiran grabbed her arm as Van stumbled. Twisting the arm behind her back, he held her against him. "Sorry about what?" His expression turned oddly serious as he frowned at Van. "You know something. What was that scream about?" His grip tightened a bit around her wrist. It was supposed to be his duty to ensure no incidents happened during the fundraiser.
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Posted: Wed Jan 02, 2013 10:06 pm
Van put one hand out to break her fall, cursing her luck as Kiran’s reflexes were marginally faster than hers and he caught her. In the next moment, she decided she would rather have fallen down. At least she would have had more to work with then, than having one hand pinned painfully behind her back now. Gritting her teeth so as not to let him know that he had the better of her, she only glared back at him when he inquired about the chaos that was no doubt breaking out inside of the building now.
“Why don’t you go find out?” she offered, sounding breathless as she tested his grip on her. Of course, she didn’t really think that he’d let her go to see about the commotion once he’d put two and two together. She was clearly one of the ones responsible, but it didn’t matter. Her job was done and there was nothing connecting her to the crime other than her being at the scene. The fighters who’d physically carried out the mission were probably long gone by now, since she’d instructed them not to wait for her.
Unfortunately, that meant she was left to fend for herself. It was something that should have been easy, but now she was caught in a bad situation. If Kiran called for help, it was over for her—not that she’d talk.
He had her in a good lock, that much was clear. Steeling herself, Van moved her right leg backwards in between Kiran’s, rolling her body to the right while trying to catch his left leg to trip him. He had a distinct size advantage over her in this position, even without the elbow lock. As she disengaged, she found herself thankful at least that he hadn’t pushed her into a wall.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 9:53 am
She struggled against his hold on her, but Kiran refused to let her escape. Something was going down, and she was the only link he had at the moment to figuring out what it was. "If I go, you're coming with me." He growled his response but threw a quick glance toward the building where the fundraiser was being held. Quite the commotion was taking place inside. He could hear the frantic shouts of the guests. Van clearly had a hand in these events. Why else would she be present? But she obviously couldn't do it alone, not when she was loitering outside the whole time.
Kiran almost wanted to smack himself in the forehead, though that would have required release part of his hold on her. Van was a Captain! She could command her men to go into the fundraiser and fulfill the mission. Sometimes that fact slipped his mind. They crossed paths enough times on the battlefield that sometimes it felt like she was still a fighter like him.
"I take it your men have already fled." He didn't need to question it. If he was on a mission, he would flee the moment it was finished to avoid capture. There was only that last time when he didn't do the smart thing and escape right away, and that put them both in a dangerous situation. He hoped they wouldn't suffer a repeat of that event.
He realized it too late, thought he had her well captured until her maneuvering unbalanced him. His hold on her broke, allowing her the freedom to run. He steadied himself before her actions sent him to the ground. Tonfas came out, and he readied himself for a fight. "You know, I'm quite fast on my feet," he reminded for if she decided to make a run for it.
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Posted: Fri Jan 04, 2013 8:07 pm
Her first instinct after breaking free of his grip was, undoubtedly, to make a run for it. Kiran’s words, however, drew attention to the fact that he matched her in speed, and most certainly surpassed her now that she was in heels. It had been a dumb decision, in retrospect, not to wear something more practical. Van hadn’t foreseen having to leave in a hurry, though. She even would have stayed to join the party if she hadn’t run into Kiran. She should have come to expect it—it would be the Noble fighter who would throw a wrench in her well thought-out plans.
Van eyed the tonfas as he pulled them out, weighing her options carefully in her mind. There was no way she could run unless she took off her shoes, but the motion would give away her intentions before she could take a step in the other direction. The only other thing she could do was fight back, but the only weapon she had on her was the small knife she’d brought. The difference between that and his tonfas was large, and she’d had to fight with a worse mismatch in the past, but somehow she didn’t think it would have to come to that.
“Fine,” she said, dropping the knife and raising her hands to show they were empty. “I will do whatever you tell me to.” It was the easiest way out for now. She could make her escape when his attention wasn’t so fixed on her as it was now. They could even take her in, but getting her to talk was out of the question. “Except talk.”
Besides, he owed her. She doubted he would deliberately send her to her death, even if he didn’t. He was a better person than she was, and even she had let him go.
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Posted: Sat Jan 05, 2013 1:49 pm
He waited, watching to see what Van would do next. High heels weren't shoes that he was familiar with, but he doubted they would enable her run as fast as she normally did, which would give him a great advantage over her. Kiran squeezed his hands around the handles of his tonfas, half worried about what was taking place inside at the fundraiser. His Captains would likely yell at him later for not being present, and even more so for not having been alert enough to stop the Legionnaire's plan. But he wasn't the only one on guard duty, and plenty of other Noble fighters would be inside to help with whatever was happening.
Kiran frowned when the knife hit the ground, but he didn't relax his stance. Some parts of battle relied on deceiving the opponent, letting them be lured into a sense of security and victory then striking when their guard was dropped. If she was truly surrendering to him, it would be easy enough to cart her into the building and present her to his Captains for questioning. He lowered his arms then closed the gap between them, but he remained alert for a sneak attack.
"You could have run," he said, still trying to figure out Van's big plot here. As she already said, she wouldn't talk, so asking directly for answers was pointless. "Before I even noticed you were here, you could have escaped and been long gone." An eyebrow went up, and a look of curiosity flickered in his eyes. She could have gotten away unseen before anyone even realized an attack was made on the fundraiser instead of staying to risk capture by her enemy.
He would never forget the debt he owed her. If she hadn't stormed into the interrogation room, he would probably be dead by now. For that, he couldn't turn her over to his superiors. He didn't think he could do that even if there wasn't that debt to pay.
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