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 Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 4:23 pm
Lieutenants were Aokigahara's favorite agents of Chaos to encounter, because if he could be said to be evenly matched with anyone, it was them. They, too, had crappy weapons, little magic, and not much more than whatever combat skills they might know to work with.
So stepping down an alley to find a Lieutenant draining energy was not a situation in which Aoki was at all nervous.
"You really ought not to do that," he said, dryly, distantly noting that the attire the (obviously very young) boy was wearing was -- well, intimately familiar. He looked like any dozens of young kendo students he might have seen back in Yokohama.
For a moment, he had to fight not to be consumed by homesickness. It was strange, what could bring it on.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 4:47 pm
Lapis stood over the now nearly unconscious man as he drew energy from him. He had chosen to drain from people who got filthy at a nearby bar he knew of. Even then though he still felt horrible for doing it. He would rather have been just about anywhere else in world at this moment.
He had been so absorbed in self pity that he didn't notice the page's. He nearly jumped out of his skin when the other spoke. Reflexively he dismissed the energy ball he had gathered and summoned his black shinai.
"" He said in his native tongue, he often switched back to Japanese whenever he was angry or frightened. He held his bamboo sword defensively but he was shaking, kendo was one thing but this could be an actual fight. What if this man tried to kill him.
He did note as he looked the page over the Japanese themes woven into his outfit. It left him a tad nostalgic for the beautiful kimonos of his homeland.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 5:32 pm
Oh. Oh. This child - this desperate, obviously terrified child - not only dressed like he was from Aokigahara's home, he probably was.
<"I am Aokigahara of Saturn,"> he replied, in the same language, and his body language softened almost immediately. This really was just a child, Negaverse aura or not, and he was obviously already afraid and uncomfortable enough without Aoki being threatening. <"Why are you doing this?">
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 5:49 pm
<"You speak Japanese?"> He said relaxing a little at the familiar language and the more relaxed body language the other adopted.
<"I am called Lieutenant Lapis Lazuli."> He introduced himself, though the name still felt alien to him, as he lowered his sword. He politely bowed to the man, he wasn't sure how much respect he was supposed to treat the man with, after all he was his elder but he was also the enemy right.
<"They say I have to. It is part of my duty as an officer."> He answered dishearteningly.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 6:29 pm
<"I'm from Yokohama,">, Aokigahara replied, and he was fairly certain invoking one of Japan's largest cities wasn't likely to compromise his identity. All it would do was put the boy at ease.
Lapis Lazuli. Easy to remember, an identifiable gemstone. He would remember it, he was certain. He returned the bow, polite as possible.
<"If it is your duty, it is a foul one,"> Aokigahara said. Though - truly, he was no stranger to following orders over following what ordinary people might consider a conscience; the yakuza asked things of its members that were not always pleasant.
Still, this was a child. How disgusting, that the Negaverse would stoop so low.
<"Who is this they? Your superior officers?">
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 6:48 pm
<"I'm from Osaka."> He answered in kind, though his kansai dialect probably made that obvious.
Aokigahara would at least be an easy to remember name, though he did wonder why the knight used the suicide forest as his name. Perhaps all knights used names corresponding to places on Earth, in the same way the Negaverse seemed to use minerals for names.
<"I agree but it is not my place to disobey my superior's orders."> He agreed, though he hoped the knight understood his position. Unpleasant or not this was something he had to do, though it was hardly even the most awful thing he could be forced to do given that he was in spec-ops.
<"My General and my Queen. I can't go against her even if I want to."> He said, her little demonstration at the meeting had at least got her message across to him even if he felt it could have been better shown, 'do not cross me or the negaverse or you will die'.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 8:00 pm
Aoki would have guessed, from dialect, but the confirmation did draw a brief smile to his face. It wasn't home, precisely, but this was the most Japanese he had spoken with anyone but family in a very, very long time.
<"I understand,"> Aokigahara acknowledged. There was not always an option. There were people you could not argue against or debate, because it was not and never would be your place.
If the oyabun said jump, the only possible answer was "how high."
<"I will not interfere, then."> Because really, all he would be doing was making a soldier's job more difficult.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 8:39 pm
<"Thank you."> He said happy and relieved that Aoki understood his position.
<"I'm glad I got to meet you Aokigahara."> He was happy to meet another Japanese person here who wasn't has mother or father. And he was happy to have meet a kind knight.
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Posted: Mon Aug 01, 2016 9:00 pm
Aoki took a few steps away, prepared to leave the Lieutenant to doing what he had to do. He was sure there were those on his own side who would not approve of his choice to allow people to be energy drained, but there were many things done in war that were distasteful. This was the least of the horrors he had seen.
<"Stay safe, Lapis Lazuli."> He said, before turning away.
A strange night, but an informative one. Perhaps he would have to reconsider his general stance - if energy draining was an imperative, he would be aiding no one if he got in the way. Best to leave it be.
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