just a couple kids on a summer street

[socials]

Who: Souji ( socials ) & Homura ( timeshields )
When: 06/28, 06/29
Where: Downtown on the Near Shore
What: Team Izanagi decides to deal with some yakuza and ayakashi in one fell swoop.
Warning: Minor violence

Though Souji is a social creature, nowadays, he understands that his shinki isn't in the least bit. It's in contrast to both Reiji and Akihiko, although they were social in different ways, but, really, he cares a great deal about Homura and her comfort. He's not about to force her into a situation that she's not comfortable in.

Which is why he's opted to take this prayer. She doesn't do well in social situations, but she does do well in combat ones, and stealth as well. This prayer calls for them to at least locate the den, if not deal with yakuza or ayakashi. It feels a lot more appropriate than the prayer they helped Nanako with, even if they all enjoyed it. For the most part.

Long and the short: let Homura do behind the scenes work or fight things, when it comes to prayers. It'll result in less stress for her.

Comments

Prayer #23

[socials]

Having finally gotten his hands on a sword to use, in the absence of a shinki with a weapon vessel, Souji adjusts the carry bag he'd found at an aikido school as he assesses the street that he's brought them to. For the most part, it seems unassuming.

That tends to be the way things go, here.

But, all the same, appearances can be deceiving. He's willing to get through that deception - he always is. "I think this is where their territory started, so we're going to have to look around and investigate."

[timeshields]

There's a long list of things that Homura is bad at, and tends to avoid if she can. Anything to do with socialization for one, being nice to the general populace for another. If she's pressed, she might, especially if it's for Souji or Nanako, but otherwise she tends to be rude and blunt.

She stands to Souji's left, looking at the street that was detailed in the prayer. As much as she likes her human form, her shinki form is more valuable for a prayer like this. She can scan the whole area instead of being limited by her vision.

"Yes. Turn me into my vessel form. You'll be safer."

[socials]

"You're right. And if we come across them, I know you'll be able to give us a chance." Either to escape, or to get the drop on them. Souji feels like they ought to leave human yakuza to the Near Shore authorities, if given the choice, but he's not taking chances.

Shifting, he sets two fingers against the side of Homura's wrist, a simple form of contact that he tries to use when it's him reaching out to her. He's glad that they've got this figured out - but, he never doubted it, once he started to get to know Homura. She's efficient and observant, and putting herself opposite his dominant hand is only a minor show of it.

"Houki."

[timeshields]

Time stop is a useful shinki skill, and she's grateful to have it. The skill complements Souji's skillset well, considering he's already combat proficient. If anybody tries to jump on him, Homura has his back- she's sure of it down to her bones.

Once her vessel name is said, there's the ever odd shift of becoming a shield and locking around Souji's left arm. It's strange but never unpleasant, and being used like this is satisfying in a way she can't quite pin down.

Ready. She starts casting her 'vision' around them, looking out for any potential threats to her god.

[socials]

While every shinki he's been partnered with has worked well with him, between their personalities and abilities, Homura is probably the one that compliments him most. He's still learning how to utilize her as a shield, true. But a shield to his sword is what he needed, and he has a range of skills with his Personae, along with his god ability, but that doesn't include the ability to stop time.

It all makes him a pretty well-rounded, prepared god.

He adjusts where Homura's vessel form locks around his arm, letting her look around as he assesses things. "I'm going to head down the back alleys, first. We'll stop and check corners before we advance on, make sure nothing can spring up on us."

[timeshields]

As long as she's useful to him, she's glad to work with him. She hasn't actually been used as a shield proper yet, but she's fairly certain she's sturdier than she seems at first glance. It would take more than a few blows to break her.

She does the equivalent of a nod in shinki space. Souji's approaching this with caution, and she's glad for it. The caution likely comes from previous experience, and that she gets even without her memories.

Understood. We're clear for now. I can stop time before we turn corners.

[socials]

"Just long enough for us to check," he decides, moving forwards. "If we run into something big, we want to make sure we're at full strength, and we haven't tested the limits before you tire out, if you do."

While yakuza aren't necessarily monsters - whether Shadows or Witches - they should still be approached carefully, and Souji isn't going to risk either of them getting caught in a situation that they can't easily get out of. Homura is strong, and likely sturdier than the delicate design of her shield suggests. He has combat experience, because he had to pick it up, but...

It's not because he wants to dive into trouble. So he'll stop and check the corners before carrying on.

[timeshields]

It's five minutes of stopped time before she needs to recover. If it's a second or two to check corners, that's very little strain on her. If it was longer...

She has faith that Souji can use the extra time she grants well enough. So the moment he looks around the corner is when she uses her power, letting time still around them.

It seems clear.

At least for now, but her guard is still up.

[socials]

While he knows it's five minutes before it wears off, Souji is more concerned about having to use it consecutively. But with his ability for augmentation - only tested with Reiji thus far - it'd be interesting to see if it could be longer, or have a greater range.

Thoughts for another time, or for when things are their most dire, whichever one that they wind up encountering first.

As soon as she says it's clear, he moves, advancing down the alley and deeper into the darker parts of the city. "I had a question for you, Homura."

Well, now seems like as good a time as any to talk a little. Not much, and he's obviously focused on where he's going, reaching to unzip the bag in case he needs the sword, but he's been thinking on it since yesterday.

[timeshields]

They haven't exactly taken the sorts of prayers that necessarily need time stop. She's not sure what Souji's god power is, but she's sure they'll be able to work with it, whatever it happens to be.

For now though her focus is on making certain Souji stays safe. Even without any apparent threats at the moment, she's ready and waiting.

I'm listening.

It's not as though she'd deny him such a simple request.

[socials]

Adjusting the strap on the bag, so that it hands down and open at his hip, the perfect height to draw a sword, Souji figures now is the time to change that. They both have experience in fighting their worlds' monsters, and neither of them balk in the face of danger, something he knows from her memories, the things he caught when they were first partnered together. Fighting ayakashi, using their abilities and experiences.

It'd help a lot of people.

He pauses, waits until they're sure the next corner is clear, and then rounds it, speaking again only then. "The Heavens don't know who, or what, is bringing us here, or who's attacking all of us. That ignorance is going to get people hurt, or worse. But if we can do something about it - protecting Amaterasu, or starting an investigation - I'd like to, if you would, too."

[timeshields]

The thing about Homura is she cares immensely about the few people she considers her friends. Here she can count them on one hand. Souji. Nanako. She's not in the market of finding more people to care about, even if she's willing to put up with others.

Everybody else? She could not be bothered if they died or were injured. They're simply not in her scope. The problem becomes the two people she cares about most also care about people as a whole. She doesn't understand personally, but it makes them into who they are. She can accept it.

She falls silent as she considers.

You matter to me. If you start investigating, I want to be there. If only to keep him safe.

[socials]

Rather than pressing for an answer, Souji continues his investigation, allowing Homura her time to consider the question. He knows what kind of person she is, has seen it, has felt it as she reacts to things strongly enough to give him an impression of her emotions. She's exactly like the cats he picks up off the streets to rehabilitate - her trust and care aren't given out freely, but when they are, she's loyal to the one that she's decided to give it to.

He gets it. Not to the same degree, but enough to understand her and how to approach this.

"Thank you," he tells her, moving to set two fingers on the edge of her vessel. "For caring about me, and Nanako. I know we're in good hands with you."

Prayer #24

[socials]

Souji can't help but want to follow up on the prayer from yesterday, considering what happened - they'd followed the graffiti, the signs of activity, and they'd found the den. And while they didn't get directly involved with dealing with the yakuza, he called it in and reported it anonymously, and then stood back and let the police handle it.

... but that doesn't mean that they got all of the members of the group, or that there wasn't something else involved in what happened.

Rooftops give them a better vantage point than the street did, in this particular case. They're not as worried about stealth, creeping up on their target the way they were before, and instead just - looking, for something. Anything. Making sure that everything is okay and quiet.

[timeshields]

She's already in her shield form, comfortable and alert. For their first few moments on the job it's quiet. Her focus is directed outward, checking for any oddities or threats that may come after them.

The police got most of the members, but there's always the chance of it being Far Shore related. There's no way she's letting her guard down.

Something manages to flit across her 'vision', and it's clearly inhuman. There. Two blocks over. It feels like an ayakashi.

[socials]

Considering how the investigation back in Inaba went, he's not about to just let things go unquestioned. If there's something from the Far Shore here, and they left it unattended, then what's to say something worse wouldn't happen? Disbanding a yakuza clan would certainly result in a great deal of negative emotions, after all. It'd be even more for the ayakashi to feed off of.

So, with Homura's confirmation, he teleports in a flicker, crossing the rooftops in the direction she indicates.

What Souji spots isn't necessarily surprising, then. "I see it." They look like devils sitting on the shoulders of the guy - probably his age, maybe - but there's an absence of a correlating angel.

[timeshields]

She's frowning at the scene in front of them in her own shinki way. It's certainly not written on her face while she's inhabiting a shield. That's the ayakashi they're looking for, but there are more of them than she'd like and far closer to the gang members than she'd like. It would be easier to get rid of them if they weren't so close to the humans they're affecting.

Even if she doesn't care much for these people, they have a job to do. She's certain Souji would prefer it if the humans weren't hurt by whatever measure they attempted to use to destroy the ayakashi.

We need to get the ayakashi away from the humans..

[socials]

"I know you're not going to like it, but we may have to play bait to get them away."

Even if he can't see the frown, Souji can certainly sense the implication of it. Her emotions are often even, neutral, a more exaggerated version of his own calmness, so anything that tips one way or another is easy enough to detect. Especially when he feels the same, now. They're perched and far too close for him to be able to attack from a distance with any of his Personae without hurting the humans they're attached to.

And trying to stab or slash each one off with the uchigatana he has wouldn't work, or be particularly effective. Or safe.

[timeshields]

He's right, she doesn't like it, and the emotion is minuscule on the surface but runs deep. She hates letting her god put himself in any danger if they can avoid it. But this is forcing them to a situation she'd love to turn back time to avoid.

Not that she has that power, but it's times like these she wishes.

My vessel isn't a weapon. Be careful.

[socials]

Setting his hand against the shape of her shield in an attempt at comfort, Souji moves to step off the roof where they overlook everything. He's gotten used to this whole godhood thing pretty quickly - as he so often gets used to things that happen to him - so it's easy to teleport to soften the landing at just the right time. It lets him draw the sword from its bag and sheath, a small flick of his wrist to free it of the sheath.

"I promise to do my best." Because that's what he can give her, as he moves forward.

It'll just be a matter of attracting as many of the ayakashi as possible, and getting them away from the people they've attached themselves to.

[timeshields]

She believes him, he's never given him a reason to distrust his word. But she's on edge the second they're on the ground.

The ayakashi turn to face the god, but they're still whispering something into the gang kids' ears. They're too far away to hear and stopping time like this wouldn't give Souji must room to work. She's stuck until they decide Souji is a better target than the humans they're preying on.

[socials]

While he doesn't try to make himself more visible, necessarily, Souji slips into that sort of mindset, or space, or whatever it is that works for gods, that feels like he's making himself more present. It's the opposite of what he does when he wants to fall back and observe, like he's quieting everything about himself.

In this case, he's just - wanting to draw the ayakashi, but not the kobun. Ex-kobun? Hopefully they'll be making that ex.

He taps the tip of the sword on the ground, almost like a delinquent would do with a metal bat, advancing forward.

[timeshields]

A few of the ayakashi decide that Souji is the better target. He's threatening and the kids will be here to torment later. Rid the threat go back to business.

The second the ayakashi are far enough away from the humans Homura stops time around them. Souji can be bait, but she won't let harm come to him. There are at least five of these little things trying to go for him and stopped in their tracks.

[socials]

Good - the distance is enough that they'll be fine, and the number is manageable.

"This is good for now," Souji tells her. He's not about to go in there and lure more than this right now, to be honest, because it's just not worth it. He reaches his left hand up, summoning Ishtar. She's the smallest of his Personae, and as the primary healer out of all of them, he can maybe use Diarahan on the kids if they need healing from what the ayakashi have done to them while being able to target multiple enemies with Maziodyne if something happens.

"Let's rend them and see what else we can do here."

[timeshields]

She watches and observes the world around them. It might be in stasis for the moment, but there's no telling if something else might show up and attack. The range is only so wide and she can't prevent things from coming into her zone.

Alright. She's here for any backup Souji might need, but she's not a weapon herself. The best she could be used for in this form is bashing against an ayakashi.