thenearshore | [Closed] A Prayer to the "Master Power"

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[Closed] A Prayer to the "Master Power"

Who: Lara and Felicia
Where: Osaka Mountains
When: A week after This
Summary: Lara and Felicia stopped a street racing gang, and now they're heading back to deal with an ayakashi.

[The previous trip into the Osaka Mountains had been anything but quiet, what with the street race and all, but Lara had thought it was pretty well resolved in the parking lot of that Lawson Station. The car had been returned, the streets were silent, and Lara had checked, which was why the prayer that'd come drifting her way had felt wrong somehow. Very wrong. A little investigating had revealed that her suspicion was right.

It wasn't the gang causing trouble anymore. It was an ayakashi.

So, this time, and for the first time since Felicia arrived, she teleports them not out for a nice time, but for battle. Dressed in armor and armed with her bow, a heavy revolver, and an already transformed Ingrid, she lands on the roof of a street and gives Felicia a look.]

Felicia. Are you ready for this? I know I haven't asked you to fight yet, and I want to make sure you're on board. Ingrid and I can handle it, if you're not.

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I....I'm ready.

[Felicia said, pressing her lips together and nodding firmly to reiterate her resolve in her decision. Whether she was nervous or not, she knew she couldn't just sit by and let this sleepy little town be disrupted by that crazy driver they had met a week ago. The fact that they hadn't listened to Lara's warning showed how little they cared for common decency or respect.

And, even though she was fond of her ruffled skirts, she didn't feel uncomfortable like this. She would be the first to admit that she wasn't a fighter...

But, for the sake of someone in need, she would fight.

[Lara knew better than to question Felicia's resolve and combat ability. She knew the girl could fight, and that assurance of her readiness was enough for her. Felicia understood, and that was all there was to it.]

Alright. Good.

[She steps closer and gives Felicia's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, sizing up the 'battle maid' with another nod. She was ready, ready as she could be.]

We're going to fight something that could look like anything. It'll be a nightmare, most likely, and I'm probably going to use some unconventional tactics. You have those knives I gave you, right? And the gun?

[Which may seem like a bad idea, giving the clumsy maid a weapon at all, but she was so much more than the sum of her parts. And appearances could be deceiving, as so many people who encountered Lara had learned.]

I have everything-- although I'm still not that confident with the gun you gave me.

[Not for lack of practice. She had a natural knack for throwing daggers and using them to ward off attacks, but she was still a bit jumpy to keep her aim perfect one hundred percent of the time with the gun. Felicia's skill with volleyball, it seemed, was just an extension of other skills that she didn't fully realize she had.

She pulled out one of the knives as proof of her word-- as if there were any doubt-- and put on a brave face for Lara.

...Felicia was nervous. Of course she was-- but, she knew that she could do this.]

No matter what happens, I'll stay by your side. I...trust you, you know.

That's alright. I hope you won't have to use it.

[Lara was a pretty strict drill sergeant, in some ways. She was never mean or yelled at Felicia, but she did make sure that the pistol got a daily workout, as much as the knives. Ingrid got similar treatment, and the handguns she'd given them were simple enough, small revolvers with good weight and ones she'd personally tested. But if Felicia could use her knives, then Lara knew she could count on her shinki's talents.

How strange that someone so clumsy was such a natural with them.

Not...that it mattered. Not now. There was a mission and Felicia was nervous. So, giving her a reassuring nod, Lara replies in a confident voice:]

I know you do. And I trust you. And Ingrid. We've got one another's backs. And together we'll put this thing in the grave.

[With that, she drops off the roof of the building and steps out into the darkened street, waiting for Felicia to join her. And for a sign of the monster they're hunting.]

[Truly, she was grateful for Lara's trust. It was a thing that she cherished deeply in her heart, in ways that she couldn't fully begin to describe. To be taken as she was, for all of her strengths and weaknesses, was all she could ever ask for.

And, in her partnership with Lara, she had gotten so much more.]

Right!

[She said, not even thinking to question Lara's suggestion as she followed her liege out into the streets with surprising grace for how often she dropped the laundry in the temple.

They had bested this creature before, and they would do so again-- this time, following the Ayakashi's own rules.]

[As they walk, that same noise from the first trip to the area kicks up. The sound of an engine. This time though, it's idling, rather than the buzzing roar that fills the air when it's taking off and that's...weird. Crouching low, Lara stalks down the street like a hunting cat, ax in one hand, pistol drawn in the other.]

I think it's coming from that car lot.

[Peering around a bit of wooden fencing, she spots...something...standing in the parking lot of a small grocery. Something that stands about seven feet tall, and appears to be covered in shining paint. It's humanoid in shape, but it's arms are flattened out, as are it's legs, looking like it's made out of car parts. And it's humming, teeth clenched together, making that buzzing sound. Thankfully, it's looking the opposite direction, giving Lara a chance to pull back and whisper to Felicia...]

Did you see that? Holy shit...

Is-- is that a...?

[Ayakashi.

The word hung unspoken in the air after her whispered stammerings, and Felicia was already reaching for the blades that Lara had given her for her personal use. She knew the dangers of Ayakashi from previous discussions with Lara and what she had gathered by listening to the other Shinki she had met, but she didn't expect that she would ever meet one in this sort of circumstance.

Nervousness kept her from leaping away-- nervousness, and her understanding that she had been chosen to stand by Lara's side.

Her own fears didn't matter. She knew that, if they two of them stood together, they would be stronger than they would be if they stood on their own.]

It is.

[Lara's voice is grim, determined. This was a big one. Bigger than the spider creature and the other monsters she'd seen in books here. Not enormous but...definitely not easy to deal with. Pulling back further, keeping to the shadows, she jerked her head to the far side of the street and slipped across as quietly as a mouse.

Crouching in an alleyway, voice still pitched low, Lara stared into the parking lot for things they could use to fight the monster.]

Okay. So this could potentially get messy. We need to find a way to knock it off balance. It's pretty well armored, so I think guns are useless, but I believe I can rig up some sort of explosive. Only, I'm going to need a way to deliver it, and I don't have the tools to rig it to an arrow.

[...it does give her a thought though.]

Felicia, you're good with those knives. But how about throwing something like a bottle? Think you could do that accurately?

...I think so.

[Her voice was barely above a whisper as she replied, her attention torn between paying attention to Lara's words and staying aware of where the Ayakashi was for their own safety.]

If it's properly balanced, throwing a bottle shouldn't be a problem at all.

[Felicia's tone was oddly clear and precise on this point-- as if she had truly been paying attention to the weight of her knives and how they were balanced between the hilt and blade while she had been practicing in their private grounds earlier.

...She had gotten herself focused, because she understood how much danger they were actually in.]

That's fine. I think we can manage that.

[She nods further down the street towards an all night convenience store. The pale blue of a Lawson Station stands out, and Lara's certain it'll have what she needs.]

I need to go pick up a couple of things. I'll be right back. You stay here, and use your phone to buzz me if the creature moves. If it does come out, I want you to hide, get out of sight and don't let it see you.

[Quickly, she starts off, darting from shadow to shadow until she reaches the convenience store and ducks inside...heading for the alcohol section.]

Okay!

[Felicia watched Lara vanish into the store before ducking around behind a car that was parked nearby, her hands in a white-knuckled grip around the hilt of her knives while she all but held her breath in her nervousness.

She never let the creature out of her sight. She couldn't; there was too much at stake here.]

[Lara isn't gone very long. Just a few minutes, and she's returning with two bottles of cheap vodka and two rags, along with a lighter.]

Any trouble, Felicia?

[The thing hadn't moved, just sort of standing around and making noise.

Ducking down, Lara starts working the caps off the bottles, stuffing the rags down inside to create two molotov cocktails, simple explosives that wouldn't need too much finagling.]

No trouble,

[She replied quickly, watching Lara make her impromptu molotov cocktails with an oddly focused gleam in her eyes.]

Are those the bottles you were talking about?

They are. They're called Molotov Cocktails.

[She hands one over to Felicia and grins.]

And they're how we're going to start this. I'm going to light the rags, and then you're going to lob one. Then me. And then Ingrid and I will attack while it's stunned. You can be my backup. Alright?

Right!

[She nodded firmly, unwavering in her determination to see this through and support her team to the best of her abilities. Even though her only talent seemed to be throwing things, she was much better at it than she had realized.]

I'm ready when you are, Lara. We can't let that thing get further than it already has.

[Throwing things is useful though.]

Okay. Let's get this going.

[Flicking the lighter, she extends it to the cloth of Felicia's cocktail, then does her own. The flames catch quickly, the cloth having soaked up some of the alcohol, and they don't have long.]

Now!

Got it!

[She hurled the blazing bottle toward their target without second thought, her aim arcing true as it always did when she was practicing with her knives. Throwing really was handy...

But, something told her that 'fire' and 'cars' weren't supposed to mix...]

[She's not wrong. Lara hurls her own bottle and it impacts against the monster's chest and face, exploding and staggering it. Which is just what she was hoping for.]

Felicia, hold back and do your thing. I feel like your knife form's not going to do as much as an axe. But if you've got control over your ice, or you see an opening take a throw, or there's a Borderline you think would help. I trust you.

[And with that she charges into the parking lot, bounding off the hood of a parked car to leap straight up at the thing's exposed back, bringing Ingrid down in a chopping motion and hanging on for dear life.]

Okay!

[And, holding onto her knives tightly, she bobbed her head firmly in her understanding of these orders.]

I've got your back-- don't worry!

[Keen as any sentry, Felicia watched as Lara leapt over the fence with Ingrid's weapon-form in hand with admiration in her eyes. Truly, Lara was the epitome of what a goddess of wisdom and war should look like. The grace with which she moved was a thing of beauty, but only a fool would be blind to her carefully calculated strikes and the strength and efficiency of her movements.

It was a sight to behold. Felicia could think of few things that could inspire a similar level of awe in her.]

[There's nothing quite so graceful about Lara's fight with the thing. She's hanging off of it, jouncing around a bit as her weapon digs in. She holds on tenaciously though, the monster's eyes darting around wildly for a way to get the god off his back. The blade bites in deep, and the things flailing opens it up, exposing not only it's eyes, but the sides of its knees.

Those might make for ideal targets...]

[Felicia's movements were faster than her thoughts. Each blade was flung with the poise and dexterity of someone who had trained for years instead of a couple weeks, and her aim was true to target. The first volley of knives hit the knees firmly, making Felicia's intent to cripple the beat clear. The second volley targeted the seemingly delicate eyes without a shred of mercy or remorse.

There was no way this Ayakashi would be able to put up a decent fight after this...]

[Felicia's aim is true, and the monster staggers, falling to it's knees. a wail of pain and rage cracks the glass of nearby cars, but as it drops Lara goes in for the finishing blow. Down comes Ingrid, the blade surrounded in bitter, frosted cold. It strikes the base of the ayakashi's neck, the cold turning it brittle. Blow after blow rains down until at last it's head rolls away. Severed, and Rent.

Looking up, panting, face awash with adrenaline and haze, Lara takes in her Shinki. Bloodlust boils behind her eyes, but those soft green ones calm her quickly and she straightens.]

You...that was superb, Felicia.

[...Truly, Lara looked the part of a war goddess. Felicia offered little more than a sheepish smile in reply as she closed the distance between them, wanting to be near Lara in this time as a support like she should be.]

I only took advantage of an opening, [She replied, shaking her head.] You were the fantastic one out there.

[Setting aside the fact that she's sweaty and all, Lara has no objections to being near the other girl. Adrenaline still high, she sets down Ingrid and lets the other shinki shift free of that form and start cleaning up the mess. She liked that, as near as Lara could tell.

A gloved hand reaches out to cup Felicia's cheek and she shakes her head.]

You gave me the opening I needed, love. You don't have to be so modest. We make a good team.

[Ingrid's appreciation for the simple details never left Felicia feeling guilty about taking too much of Lara's time-- and she was quietly glad that she didn't need to worry about angering the solemn, serious Shinki with her own whimsies and antics.

....And Lara's gentle smile was all Felicia needed to feel better about anything that troubled her.

Reaching a hand up, she laced her fingers around Lara's and presse her cheek against the hand, smiling peacefully despite the recent battle.]

We do...and I'm glad for it. I never thought of myself as having a place on the battlefield, but it's good that we do work so well together.

...I'm glad that I can help you.

[Lara nodded, eyes crinkling a little as they met Felicia's. It was a strange feeling, knowing that she was coming out of a battle and right into the waiting softness that was this strange girl. She appreciated it more than she had any right to, probably, but after their meeting nothing felt quite like it.

She knew too that Felicia meant every word she said, despite her...eccentricities.]

I know, Felicia. And I'm glad for it.

[She hesitated, looking back down at the fading corpse, then back up. She debated moving closer, enjoying the moment a little more keenly, but now wasn't the time or place. And she certainly didn't want to seem pushy.]

Though, we should be getting back. The bottles may have attracted some humans, and we don't want to cause a scene.

[She wouldn't have argued against such closeness. The intimacy and intensity of their first meeting aside, Lara had become a person that Felicia genuinely enjoyed being around for both her strength and wit. Lara's talents and charm were something that set her apart from the rest of the gods who travelled between the Near and Far shores, and her experience was something that Felicia was constantly looking toward in this ever-confusing world.

Felicia trusted Lara's word, and believed that Lara would never say such things lightly.

Her gaze lingered on the fading corpse for a moment before meeting Lara's once more with a firm nod.]

You're right. Let's get you cleaned up, and then we can put some water on for tea afterward.

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[Closed] A Prayer to the "Master Power"

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