thenearshore | [March 11

Entry tags:

[March 11 - Closed]

Who: Elsa (

reformedsinner)
What: Prayer #04
When: March 11
Where: A school library in the Kanto region
Warnings: Should be none! Will update if necessary.

[Hakkai shifts the large pile of high school test prep books in his arms, and, after a moment, tucks his chin on top of the stack to hold them in place. It's going to be a little challenging to open doors. But the better prepared they are, the better this will all turn out, and he's found a series of books that has very useful practice questions for quizzing!

This student is going to be extremely well prepared, whether she'd planned to work that hard or not.

He glances over his shoulder at Elsa.]

Ah -- excuse me, Elsa, but where is the student we need to help?

[It's not that large a junior high school, but it's very full of students, hanging out in navy-blue uniforms in the hallways chatting with their friends, studying, or -- ah, yes, there's a group over there that seems to be taking turns racing down the hallway with their smallest friend riding piggyback.

Ah, the halcyon days of youth! He shifts the stack so he can hold it with just one arm, and shades his eyes against the harsh fluorescent lighting with his free hand.]

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[This is amazing on several levels. It's a school library, and it's in the Japanese school system, and she's here to help in ways she'd never imagined were possible.

Forgive her if she's a few steps behind Hakkai, taking it all in with an almost dreamy smile and stars in her eyes.]

Hm? Oh. She's over there. [Elsa nods towards a girl who is sitting at a small desk by a window -- she is visible through the large pane of glass in the door in front of them.] She's been working so hard by herself, and she's still so stressed.

[And she's so young! Only middle school student. Most kids Elsa has worked with don't deal with stress this bad until they're getting ready to go to college.]

Let's get started before she gets too tired to retain anything.

[She walks ahead of Hakkai and holds open the door for him.] I can carry some of those, if you like.

As long as you get the door I think I'll manage!

[Hakkai heads straight for the desk. Poor girl, she is rather young to be so worried.

He still sets down the very large pile of prep books with a certain smug relish. She thinks she's tired now!

Once they're done she'll be tired and have aced her exam.]

[Well, someone's into this! His energy and positive outlook are good. They'll be here as long as this student needs them, so they'll have to be at their best.

Elsa walks over to the girl and peers over her shoulder at her notes, the language barrier gone thanks to godhood.]

Let's see here. Hmm, this is a lot of information, but you're going to be fine, okay? You've been working hard; you deserve for your prayers to be answered so Hakkai and I are going to help you.

[Straightening, Elsa nods at Hakkai.] Time to get started. Let's refresh her memory of the basics so she'll relax a little. She needs a solid foundation to build on and to do well.

Really, you should have asked for help earlier. [Hmm, so she's studying math right now? He flips open the first test prep booklet, fanning through the pages until he reaches the correct section.]

But first, don't panic! And get a good night's sleep before the real exam. Let's start with geometry. Try this problem here.

[Beaming, he produces a pencil from his pocket and sets it down next to the bewildered girl.]

We are here to help.

[This is all so fascinating. The girl can't see them, and she seems to just be accepting the fact that a pencil appeared next to her, just picks it up and tell herself okay, from the beginning and starts to work out this proof.

Elsa watches without interrupting as the girl takes it step by step until she reaches the solution; then, reaching for the book with the answer key, she checks the solution and nods at the girl, who has had such a rough time of it that she's doubting herself.]

Good job, that's right! See? You know what to do. You just need to trust yourself and take it one step at a time. Now, how about you figure out the sum of the angles in a heptagon? Time yourself. This is something you can get quick at very easily.

[Hakkai taps his phone, setting the timer as she starts to calculate the angles. When she sets her pencil down, he taps it again, and pulls out another of his own pencils to write the time above the problem.]

Hmm, you might want to speed up a little on simple problems like this one. Do them quickly, and you'll be able to spend more time on getting the complex problems right.

[He points at the next problem down the list.]

One more time.

[She seems to respond, even though she hasn't yet looked directly at either of her supernatural tutors. Hakkai beams. He could get used to supernatural teaching. There's so much less resistance.]

[It's true, this is going much better than any other lesson Elsa has taught, though she does have to say that she misses the energy of a student working with her and knowing she's there. That was then, though. This is now, and she can share a nod and a smile with Hakkai instead as the student shaves a few seconds off her time.]

Two more. Once to get faster, and once more to achieve at least that same time again. The more math you do, the easier it gets. Your brain gets used to it, like muscles do when you dance or exercise.

[As the student goes about following instructions, Elsa looks over at Hakkai.] You know, I never tutored much, when I was doing more teaching than administrating. This is nice. I hope you're enjoying it, too.

Oh, it's fun. It's odd that she isn't quite noticing us, though!

Do you suppose she learns more or less quickly this way?

[If they're going to be helping multiple students study, maybe they should test it. The faster she absorbs the information, the better. Perhaps if they do one tutoring session with this girl like this, and then come back later to try another, only making an effort to be visible....

Hakkai glances down to check the time on this question. Faster still! He writes it by the problem for their young follower.]

[Good, good; Elsa would hate it if he were bored with this.]

She's just focused, I think. It looks like the encouragement is helping her, though. [Elsa's smile goes a little sentimental at that. It's been so long since she's actually taught.

The bout of happy nostalgia is short, though, and soon she's considering Hakkai's question again.]

More quickly. We haven't been here long at all, and she's doing much better already. [She smiles at the girl as she turns the page and chooses a harder problem to tackle.] Perfect. Trust yourself.

You do have a point! Although she may just be a good student who procrastinated. [Hakkai reads the new question over the girl's shoulder, and starts his phone stopwatch function as she begins to work.]

She is doing well. I think she'll manage on this test.

[An odd movement caught his eye, up in the corner of the ceiling, and he turned around, searching for... for nothing, it seemed. There was nothing there, nor even close.

It must've just been the light on his monocle, he thought, and took it off to clean the lens.]

[Elsa is nodding along at Hakkai's assessment, about as engrossed in the problem as the girl is, when Hakkai turns around briefly.]

Is everything all right? [Is there an ayakashi around? She'd hate to be interrupted, but if there's something supernatural trying to ruin students' lives, she wants to know, and she wants to stop it.]

I... think it was a trick of the light, that's all.

[He darts another glance at the corner of the library ceiling regardless, as he puts his monocle back in. It remains empty.

How very strange.

Hakkai flexes his hand thoughtfully and turns his attention back to the test prep book. The girl has her head in her hands, an expression of panicked despair twisting her face.]

Ah, don't worry! I promise you can do this one. Just think through it step by step. Start here--

[He glances down at the name scribbled on her notebook, since he can't ask for introductions when they're not quite visible. Mari Ota.]

-- and don't look ahead until you're ready, Mari.

Well, if you're sure. [Elsa nods. Having not seen whatever it was herself, all she can do is trust him. If something were really wrong, he'd tell her.

Mari, meanwhile, takes a deep breath and starts working on the problem, right where Hakkai told her to. It's slow-going, but she's doing things correctly.]

You have to get used to trusting yourself, because come test time, your mind is all you'll have to fall back on. Take a deep breath when you feel nervous, and-- oh, don't forget to check that part of your answer! The rest depends on it.

[He wasn't sure. He darted another dubious look at the ceiling.]

Well, if there was something there, it's gone!

Ah, well done, Mari. [She's flipping to the back of the book to check her answer; yes, a very diligent study, he decides, and pulls out a chair for himself next to her to help her work through the rest of the math section.]

Elsa, you should have a seat, too.

[The flicker recurs a few times, but each time, when Hakkai looks up, it's gone again. After the first two, he stops looking up. Mari's spirits seem to plunge again every time he's distracted from helping her.]

[Considering they'll be here a while, sitting might not be a bad idea; but right now, in teacher mode, she wants to be on her feet.]

I'll be fine for now, but thank you--

[This time, the lights flicker out for a few seconds before coming back on. Elsa frowns as she looks up at the lights, then takes a step away from Mari and her studies to take in the whole room.]

Something's wrong.

[Hakkai's gaze darts upward again. There's still nothing he can see, but this has gone too far. He nods, slowly, raising one hand in a defensive position as he edges closer to Elsa.

The protective gesture isn't quite subconscious, but it's not exactly a decision, either. He's only barely beginning to understand his new life. He's willing to fight to protect it.]

I think you're right. Shall we?

[If this is an ayakashi, then that might be why Mari has been having so much trouble lately. Sure, she probably would've prayed anyway -- what student doesn't, when exams are looming? -- but ayakashi make everything worse.]

Don't worry about a thing, Mari. Just keep on studying. It's going to be okay.

[Elsa waits to make sure Mari is still focused on her work, then nods at Hakkai. All at once, she's aware of the details of the room, and she's watching them for changes, looking for anything that's not the same as when they came in.]

I haven't seen anything hovering around any of the students. That so-called trick of the light you saw -- was it moving in a specific direction?

[Maybe there are no ayakashi here, but they could be nearby.]

[Hakkai looks up at the ceiling again, his expression cooling from his usual smile to something cold and dangerous. It had been...]

Toward the window.

[He raises one hand, tracing the path of the flickers he'd seen along the far corner where the wall and ceiling met. Directly towards the wide, curtained library windows.]

There.

[Eyes narrowed, Elsa nods and heads for the windows. They may not be fighting ayakashi (yet), but she's still falling back on the skills she'd been given when poisoned with evil energy, listening for what she can't see, looking for what she can't hear. And unlike before, she has a partner now, someone she can trust to have her back.

No wonder the rangers always beat her. They were a team, and she was alone against them, when all was said and done.

Something shifts at the foot of the curtains, brief but too clear to ignore.]

There you are.

[She swipes the curtain aside, and a shadowy creature with long, thin limbs skitters away along the wall. Trusting Hakkai to follow her, Elsa chases after it.]

[Hakkai's eyes narrow, and he darts ahead, putting on an extra burst of speed as he raises a hand to strike-- and hesitates.

It'll blight him if he touches it. He slows, glancing to Elsa.]

You'll need me as a weapon.

[That's right. If either of them attacks this creature on their own, they'll be struck with blight again, and that's the last thing they need when all these students are in danger.

She's glad the suggestion comes from him, because it means he's ready and willing to do this. If he trusts her enough to effectively volunteer, then she trusts him enough to work with her.

With a nod, Elsa stops chasing the ayakashi and holds out her hand.]

Gouki!

[Hakkai feels the name take root in him and pull. For an instant, he finds himself resisting, afraid of the thought of giving up his own autonomy to her, but the urgency of battle overcomes that fear.

His human form vanishes into a swirl of smoke, and materializes again as a long, curved sword in her outstretched hand.]

Ah, that's better. Shall we?

[The only other time she's fought with a shinki was when all those ayakashi emerged in Tokyo, and back then, her shinki -- who has been given to someone else -- seemed determined not to trust her. As a vessel, he'd been completely silent, a dull hum of animosity seeping into her as they fought. It wouldn't have gone well for them in the long-term, so she'd been fine with releasing him.

This, now, is different. Elsa grasps the sword by the hilt, and immediately feels calm and confident. Gouki may not be the same type of sword she fought with last year, but Hakkai is someone she trusts. His words come across clearly, a welcome change from Shaki's glum, resigned agreement to fight.]

Happily.

[Muscle memory and the moves she'd practiced in the gym guide her to follow swiftly after the ayakashi. The sword is comfortable in her grip, held at her side as she runs, ready to strike out at the first opportunity.

She turns a corner, where the spindly ayakashi is climbing up a wall to get out of reach, having arrived at a dead end. Elsa smirks, as if she's enjoying this, as if she's who she was last year, only on the right side this time.]

Like we'd make it that easy for you?

[She jumps and slashes at it, swinging out Gouki in a wide arc.]

[It feels right to cleave the air, as though he is as much the one moving into the attack as Elsa. Hakkai's attention focuses on the ayakashi, and he turns in her hand to nip off the back half of its hindlimbs as it tries to leap over the blow. The severed limbs dissolve into nothingness, and Hakkai radiates a savage satisfaction.]

Knock it to the floor. I'm not a ranged weapon.

[Already, this is a better fight than the one she'd had to dive into with her previous shinki. Hakkai moves with her, for her, adding another level of technique to the one her muscles remember far more than her conscious mind. It's better still when Hakkai speaks to her, because while she is able to rely on deeply ingrained instincts, he can guide her when she needs to make a conscious choice. Until she relearns what all that she lost when the evil energy was drained from her, she'll need to depend on Hakkai as much as he depends on her to attack with him.

The ayakashi clings to the wall with its forelimbs, struggling to climb up higher, but here, Elsa leaps up at it again, spinning and kicking it down. It lands only a second before she does, hard enough that it's still dazed when she lunges forward and swings the sword downwards.]

[It's a good blow. It seems that she's used a sword before, Hakkai notes in a corner of his mind as he slices down towards the creature. Good, they'll work together more effectively this way.

Dazed though it is, the ayakashi still moves fast. Hakkai's blade bites into the library carpet, and then into its side, scoring a deep wound but not slicing it as neatly in half as he should have. It's scampering away towards the window, with new, translucent legs unfolding from its side into a bizarre multiplicity of limbs. Hakkai lunges after it, dragging Elsa's hand with him as he tries to strike again.]

[And with Elsa's hand follows the rest of her, off balance for a few steps before she matches Hakkai's speed.]

Not so fast, or I'll fall! [And then the ayakashi will get away.

Rather than keep running after it, she jumps again, aiming for distance rather than height. As she nears it, she exhales, her grip on the sword's hilt shifting ever so slightly. It's firmer now, as if she's more certain that they can do this. They will do this.

With a loud cry, she slashes at the ayakashi again. At the last second, she turns slightly to avoid cutting the curtains nearby, throwing her aim enough that she swears under her breath. She doesn't relent, though -- better a cut anywhere on the ayakashi than missing it completely.]

[Ah -- he'll have to learn to work with her movements, too. Hakkai's edge bites into the ayakashi's body again, and he turns to compensate for her movement, sweeping what would have been only a shallow cut to its body into a long slice down one side. The blow slices free dozens of the tiny legs it's sprouted to try to escape. The creature falls heavily to one side, heaving as it tries to renew cut limbs.]

Now!

[Yes, now is the time. Words come to Elsa unbidden, as if they're an innate part of her godhood, drawing on the darkness she herself lived and tried to propagate.]

For trespassing upon this precious place, for defiling that which I hold dear, I, Menrva, with this Gouki, purify thy vile contamination. Cleave!

[She brings the sword down upon the ayakashi, slicing it in half. It screeches, collects into a ball of shadows, and explodes in a burst of light.

Elsa straightens and faces the place where their adversary lived its final moments. Lifting the sword, she sets the blade upon her free hand, broad side down upon her open palm, and examines it. Amazed doesn't begin to cover it. From start to finish, this felt right in ways that holding Shaki hadn't.]

Hakkai. [She pauses, smiling.] You were marvelous.

Edited (esl problems and typos) 2016-05-09 14:34 (UTC)

Why, thank you. You did well too.

[Hakkai considers her in return. Yes, she knows how to use a sword. He'll need to learn to predict her movements, and she'll need to adjust to a blade that has a mind of his own, but he thinks they have the potential to fight well together.

There's only one more thing to address.]

Must you pass judgment on it first?

[It just seems excessive.

On the other hand, she is a god. Perhaps the divine righteousness goes to their heads.]

[She frowns down at him, lips twisting in a half grin.] It seemed appropriate. And, well-- it just came to me. Let it know before it dies that we acted justly, that it had given us reason to kill it. That's fair, right?

[Sassy sword. She likes that, though. A partner she can joke with is a partner she can live with.]

We'll need to make time to train together when we get back. I've never used a living sword before.

[But anyway, the deed is done, and they have a student to go back to. Elsa holds the sword up towards the window.] Gouki.

[The sword vanishes in a swirl of fog, and Hakkai's feet land lightly on the carpet. He rolls one shoulder in a stretch and glances down at the slash in the carpet.]

Yes, we should train together. I don't want to throw you off balance against anything more threatening than that.

[That it had given them reason? Well, Hakkai's not sure it matters whether the ayakashi knows what their reasoning is or not. It hardly lasted half a second after the judgment had been passed.

In any case, it's done. Maybe he can come up with some less florid lines for her. He'll have to write up a list.]

... But first, shall we go help Mari? I think she may find her work easier now.

[For someone who saw teenagers summon giant mechanical dinosaurs to fight giant mutants, it's a testament to how exciting Elsa still finds new things that she grins widely as she watches Hakkai return to his normal form.]

Maybe we can work out a way for you to lead, like in dancing. That way, we'll be able to make split-second decisions without catching one another off guard.

[But he's right. It's time to go help Mari. Nodding, she leads the way back to their student, whose head is bent over the test prep book, and whose frown is significantly less pronounced.]

Looks like she's already feeling more confident. [Standing next to her, Elsa looks at the problem she's just finished.] Perfect! Well done. See? You're going to be fine.

Or at least a signal to let us know which one should follow!

[He may be able to direct himself to an extent, but she's the one wielding him; his own attacks will have to be no more than refinements of hers, unless he sees a danger she doesn't.

For the moment, he's content to follow Elsa back to their young devotee. There's a new assurance in the girl's expression.

Funny, it makes him feel like they've really done some good here.]

You're doing very well, Mari.

[He glances up at Elsa, smiling, and reaches for the next prep book.]

Now, let's try some literature questions!

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[March 11 - Closed]

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so now i know how mortals 'notice' kami/shinki so im sorry i messed up upthread ;;

s'all good!

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