[!] [HH 2 vs ??] Unlucky Circumstances [Sparrow & Taima]

[kuropeco]

The room Sparrow found himself in upon entering the Haunted House (which he had really hoped never to find himself in again) was a large one, with a glossy hardwood floor that stretched out for what seemed like forever. Floor to ceiling windows stood at specifically placed intervals, each one decorated with heavy scarlet curtains that draped to the floor and were tied back with gold ropes. Other than that, however, there seemed to be no furniture, and his footsteps echoed unnervingly loud on the floor.

"Delightful," Sparrow murmured, and lifted a gloved hand. With a flick of his hand, he drew the shadows from the corner of one window towards him, where they curled in his palm. He peered down at the small black mass and then flicked his hand again, spreading his fingers out. A swirl of shadows twisted around his wrist, the foggy black growing larger and larger until they solidified into the familiar form of his scythe. For a moment he let himself admire the scythe's new form, but then he sighed, and set the hilt down on the hardwood floor and frowned.

He did not like being here one bit.

STATUS EFFECT

Rolling a 2: ALL DAMAGE DONE BACKFIRES ON THE CHARACTERS THEMSELVES (i.e if you do 6 damage to the opponent, you take 6 damage). All your log seems to take second place as a voice calls to you, vague, agitating. It pressures you to attack relentlessly, brashly, without caring about your own wounds or damage done to your allies.

Inle-roo

 

[Inle-roo]

Taima hadn't meant to wander into the Haunted House. She had seen the imitation Amityville and the fog surrounding it and, though her common sense urged caution, her curiosity told it to stfu. It was only a little fog, certainly nothing for a thunderbird to worry about, even though this felt...off. This wasn't just intangible wisps of nothingness to play with and shape, this had a certain weight to it. It drew Taima in, step by step, until it consumed her. It seemed she walked a long way without being able to see anything but the fog, but she was aware of the ground changing beneath her feet, the crunch of dirt gradually becoming the hollow thud of hardwood.

The fog increasingly thinner the farther she walked, and she flapped her wings to clear it from her path the last few steps. She was no longer outside, but indoors and she wasn't alone. Her feathers ruffled as she took in the unfamiliar figure and his dangerous-looking weapon. He didn't seem to be wearing a white coat, but if she was where she thought she was--and hoped she wasn't--it wouldn't hurt to be careful. "Hi," she called to him, her tone tight with suspicion, her wings slightly flared, just in case. "Reaper?" Taima asked hopefully.

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

The footsteps he herd behind him made his hackles rise, Sparrow's fingers tensing around the scythe in his hand, ready to take action should it be needed - but as he turned around slowly, weapon at the ready, the person he faced was not one of the white-coat wearing Hunters. Dark, multicolored wings were on her back, and her skin was shaded with several markings.

"Good evening," said Sparrow lightly, turning fully around now, some of the tension leaving his shoulders as he relaxed. "Although," he amended. "I'm not quite certain it's good.

"And yes," he went on. "Reaper. My name is Sparrow."

Sweeping into a small bow, he straightened and stepped towards the ghoul, holding out a white gloved hand towards her.

"What's your name? I don't believe we've met before, though these are hardly the circumstances under which I like meeting people."

Inle-roo

 

[Inle-roo]

Not a Hunter--that was a welcome bit of good news, at least. Her feathers smoothed, her wings settling more closely to her back as she stood down. Not a threat, either; she felt comfortable enough to walk deeper into the room, extending a hand to gently shake the one he offered. "Sparrow," she repeated, grinning a little. Sparrows, in Taima's experience, were such tiny, delicate things, and this boil with his weapon hardly seemed fragile. "I'm Taima. It's nice to meet you, regardless of the location."

Taima had only been in the Haunted House the once, but her experience, coupled with various warnings and stories from others who had been around long enough, had taught her to be cautious. She might have been ready for a Hunter to pop up out of nowhere, but the seemingly sentient fog was something she hadn't been prepared for. She stepped away from Sparrow as the voice came from out of nowhere, turning just in time to see a figure materialize from out of the mist. It lashed out before she could react, and she cried out as surprisingly substantial claws raked across her shoulder. Her wings flared as her body reflexively sought out its natural form, muscles stretching and bones snapping even as the figure told them to leave.

She was in that awkward transitional state between ghoul and bird when the figure faded into the fog, but forced the change back when it seemed that the immediate threat had passed. Her attention was split between the spot the creature had come from and her new acquaintance. "What the hell was that? Are you okay?"

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

He took her hand and shook it gently, a smile on his face as he said, "Nice to meet you, Taima. And you're right - even in the least likely of situations, it's at least pleasant to be able to make some pleasant acquaintances."

But they didn't get much further before he felt it - the temperature dropped significantly, and the room, already hazy, began to fill with a thick white fog that swirled around them. Sparrow heard Taima give a cry of surprise and pain, and before he could get to her to ask what was wrong, a set of claws raked their way across his back. He gave a gasp, staggering forward, unable to see, and swung the scythe around defensively, but it was too late. The creature had already dissipated, disappearing back into the misty fog.

"What was that?" Sparrow managed to get out, precisely around the same time that Taima said almost the exact same thing. He gave her a weak smile, and then frowned a little, stepping towards her.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, eyes flickering to the injury on her shoulder. "Are you hurt?"

Inle-roo

 

[Inle-roo]

Taima forced a grim smile when they spoke in unison, her eyes following his to her shoulder. She rolled it a little, wincing as the skin pulled. Fortunately, her shield had held up against the fog monster's claws, and the damage was mostly superficial. "I'm okay," she determined. "I've had worse." Her injury already forgotten, she turned her attention back to Sparrow. "Are you hurt? What do you think that thing was?" She stepped closer to the reaper, her wings flapping almost idly in an attempt to blow the lingering fog away from them.

kurotomato

 

[kuropeco]

"I should hope you haven't," said Sparrow, black shadows curling from the edges of his fingers as he idly twisted them around in his hand, sending a few darting off into the air. "As for me, I am quite all right, thank you for your concern."

He gave her a reassuring smile, which faded a little at her last question. "I have the distinct feeling it is nothing good," he said, eyes narrowing a little. Sparrow sighed, flung a few more shadows from his fingertips, and then tilted his head, listening for any signs of anyone else.

"I think...I can't say for certain, but it looked almost like a student, somehow."

Inle-roo

OMG I SUCK I AM SO SORRY OTL OTL

 

[Inle-roo]

Assured that Sparrow was okay, Taima nodded and stepped away. Her wings stopped flapping, but twitched with the effort to relax; every feather was ruffled, an outward sign of her unease. This wasn't turning out to be quite the educational excursion Taima had hoped it would might, but she had no regrets.

"A student?" Taima echoed, looking into the fog as if it might still be there. Despite still being somewhat new to the school, she had encountered a number of students through classes and extracurriculars, but none that had even remotely resembled the thing that came out of the fog. "Is it anyone you might be familiar with? Maybe they can be...I don't know, reasoned with."

kurotomato