thenearshore | Catch All for Prayers [Closed]

When Makoto had first arrived, Shikyoin Hibiki had definitely made an impression on her. The ridiculous mannerisms, the obvious flirtation that even she couldn't miss, and the invitation to a private audition that reeked of bizarre expectations was basically impossible to miss. She'd probably have ignored the woman's invitation if it hadn't been for the commentary on revolution, and due to her commentary to some of her friends? she couldn't just ignore that.

So, when the day came that Hibiki had just arbitrarily decided Makoto should show up? She actually did. A knock on the temple door and all! Being polite never hurt.

The door swung open at Makoto's knock, revealing an interior lobby that....well, was about par for the course given the temple's white-and-purple-turreted exterior. If Makoto looked down, she could see herself in the polished floors. If she looked up, she'd be treated to the sight of far more chandeliers than one building should probably accommodate. Looking from side to side would yield the sight of countless corridors spinning off this main thoroughfare, which itself boasted various opulent decorations.

Including, practically blending into the surroundings, a god standing propped up in one of the doorways, arms crossed.

"You were punctual," Hibiki observed, chin dipped low, not even having to look to know who's there. How long had she been standing like this waiting for Makoto's arrival?

Secret of the trade. No telling.

The temple was impressive. Far, far grander than her own, though Makoto had never been one for anything resembling ostentatiousness. This, though, was almost opulent, and a little off-balancing. It reminded her of Shido's Palace, and that was hardly a positive comparison. Still she folded her arms and met Hibiki's eyes with her own, red to green, without the usual blaze of defiance.

"I do try," she answered, "I wouldn't have been a terribly good student council president if I couldn't be on time. May I come in, Hibiki-san?"

Hibiki unfolded herself from her pose, the better to fully occupy this doorway, hand on her hip. "Follow me."

And she did, indeed, turn to lead the way down the hall. Her route took them past what looks like an entire amusement park around the corner, but she didn't bat an eye.

"So you were interested in having all the students' eyes on you?" she inquired as they strolled - Hibiki was, shall we say, not a terribly fast walker. The trivia about being President was new. She filed it away for future use.

Makoto stepped inside, flats clicking on the polished stone floor. She wasn't entirely sure what Hibiki was getting at, not really, and this place was throwing her off balance. The opulence, the sheer level of whimsy...was that a roller coaster? It...wait, was that a compliment or an insult?

"No, I just wanted to set a good example. That has nothing to do with it," she responded in a measured tone. not angry, nor terribly committed to anything. She didn't want to give away too much too quickly.

The young lady remained insistent on holding her cards close to her chest. An interesting opponent, to be sure. Hibiki's smile fought becoming a smirk and almost succeeded.

"So you're a role model." Hibiki could work with that. Yes, definitely. "An ideal."

"I suppose that so, yes," Makoto answered smoothly, her eyebrow arching as she followed along. Keeping her cards close to her chest was indeed something she intended...being a Phantom Thief. That came almost naturally.

"Quite the temple you have. Mine seems almost plain by comparison."

Hibiki shrugged: she knew this temple was amazing, having once designed something much like it. "This is the seat of revolution," she pointed out.

They reached a set of double doors. Hibiki pulled one open so Makoto could walk through. "An average environment, lacking in magnificence, could never stir hearts."

"I suppose so," Makoto replied politely. She disagreed, vehemently, but then that was sort of what the Phantom Thieves did. In school uniforms.

"So, Revolution? How are you planning on accomplishing that?"

Hibiki smiled and didn't answer right away. She let the area they'd just entered speak for itself: a grand stage, with cameras pointing towards it. The stage itself boasted some stairs, atop which sat an entirely unnecessarily large throne.

A further pause so this could all sink in. Then, Hibiki nodded to the stage. "Climb on."

This more direct method of recruiting was still new to her, but she was curious. What sort of talent would this girl have prepared?

Makoto followed quietly and stopped just short of the stage. She blinked, her eyes widening in surprise. A stage? What was the point of that? It hardly seemed particularly revolutionary.

"A stage? You want me to perform?"

"The choice of milieu is yours." Heading to a small table where a cup of tea had already been waiting for her next to one of the cameras, Hibiki lifted her saucer and took a sip. "I'd told you, hadn't I? This is an audition. Radiate the light that only you can exude."

Perhaps she should have been clearer earlier, but the mystery was, for Hibiki, half the enjoyment. Besides, this girl had seemed like the straightforward sort. By being upfront about this meeting's status as an audition, Hibiki was tailoring her approach to its recipient.

Well. This was odd. But alright. Makoto slowly climbs up on stage and rolls her shoulders, limbering up like an acrobat before a show. There's only one thing that really stands out to her as a performance she's any good at, and that's a little demonstration. So...

"Well, I don't sing well, and I'm not much of a dancer. But..."

She breaks off and begins performing a complex series of martial arts forms. One stance to another shifting and moving from one to another with a fluidity that belies her stocky frame. Makoto isn't a slender flower by any stretch of the imagination, but she can be graceful. And she'd done well at form competitions in her earlier days, so this is a jump back in time for her.

One, two, three, one twist to another, rapid spins and such, almost like a dance...with a few punches thrown in.

Intriguing. Hibiki's eyes tracked Makoto's motions across the stage, imposing that same poise and sense of form onto performance. As a soloist, she certainly cut an elegant figure. But, therefore, what if....?

Hibiki put down her cup and headed for the stage. She wasn't in the proper attire for this, but with a wave of her hand she adopted the appropriate martial arts uniform (except purple - one stuck to one's style). A one-handed steadying of her weight for balance, and she was vaulting onto the stage alongside Makoto -

And the next time the girl's fist shot out in a punch, Hibiki blocked it, then twisted into a kick of her own.

"Duets are more interesting," she observed calmly. "Don't you think?"

Now, dance with her. And prove whether or not you were a genius.

Well. This is weird. It's not that Makoto had never done doubles in a martial arts form, but the suddenness of it briefly throws off her rhythm. Enough so that she probably slaps the kick down with more force than was strictly necessary. But she recovers quickly enough, hip twisting to throw a spinning backhand...a deliberately showy one...at Hibiki.

"They can be. With the proper partner."

She'll shift gears now, going for speed in her routine rather than the power she'd displayed earlier. Not as complex, but eye-catching, flashy, filled with rapid punches and a few kicks, moving to the beat of some unheard taiko drum.

"I'm of the same mind." This could work. Especially with the way Makoto's moves changed the moment an opponent showed themselves. She was already reading her partner, and being picky about her choice of costars....

Hibiki dodged that backhand by twirling out of the way and ducking, but wasn't given a full chance to retaliate (nor is she interested in doing so) as Makoto's routine changed. Instead, she focused on calmly preventing those punches and kicks from landing, waiting for the perfect opening. "What would constitute your perfect partner?"

Makoto didn't miss a beat at the awkward question. She'd expected it, in a way. Hibiki just seemed to flirt with nearly anything that moved, and she'd been mentally stealing herself for it. Her answer came amid a flurry of punches, punctuated with a knee strike that would take anyone unwary in the stomach...but still looked quite flashy.

"Someone who's not afraid to get their hands dirty doing what's right."

"Oh...?"

Good answer. Hibiki crossed her forearms in front of herself to absorb the impact of the knee strike, though it still caused her to step back a pace. She smiled at that. "Should a student council president be condoning such things, I wonder."

Pushing off, she leaped backwards to give herself some space. Just about time, she was thinking. Soon. Push her just a little further, execute the finale, and Hibiki'd have her answer. "The student handbook is unlikely to recommend it."

"Sometimes," a punch, a quick step forward, her reflexes not letting Hibiki get too much distance. She's relentless, well trained, eager even to play fight with someone who can hold their own.

"One has to consider the pursuit of one's own justice instead of merely what the rules say. I should think that you, a phantom thief, might know that."

....how

No, Hibiki wasn't about to let that phase her. One person guessing Phantom Thief Genius's identity was like a single drop of drinking fountain water in a burbling Palps stream. Easily washed aside. "That's quite the accusation."

And it also, she figured, made an excellent cue. Rather than trying for another strike from this angle, Hibiki jumped into the air, turning somersault after somersault after somersault as she tried to flip clear over Makoto's head. Choreography that didn't encompass the whole stage might bore the audience. And-

"The noble rogue shouldn't be unmasked before the climax!"

It wouldn't be the first time Makoto discovered the identity of a Phantom Thief. And this time she had aides and informers to give her help. It wasn't hard, of course, given how unsubtle this girl was.

The flip, well, Makoto didn't grab an arm or leg as she flew overhead, that wouldn't do. It was a performance, not a ballroom blitz, so she just spun and launched another obviously choreographed punch.

"So you admit it then, rogue?"

Hibiki countered the punch with a kick, trying to knock Makoto's arm out of the way and leave her open for a follow-up kick with the other leg. "What were you hoping I'd show you today?"

Please note, that was neither an admission nor a denial. An actor lived in the shadowy borderline between lies and truth! Indeed, it was that interplay that made the lies they spun preferable to the truth. And it was that sense of balance that made this climax so exciting.

Makoto allowed the kick to move her arm, and when the kick came she slapped it aside with one of her own, another well choreographed move designed to catch the eye. Clearly that was what Hibiki wanted from this after all.

"I was hoping you'd show me your spirit of rebellion. So far, I'm not disappointed."

Hibiki couldn't have asked for a better cue to go on the offensive. She smirked. "It pleases me to satisfy."

But why merely satisfy when one could satiate? This bout required some sort of piece de resistance. Her foot hooked out low, hoping to knock Makoto's legs out from under her -

and if that worked, catch her herself, Prince-style. Best to end this in a pose befitting Shikyoin Hibiki, after all. And if it didn't work, why! Hibiki would play things from there. Ad-libbing was a pleasure with such a partner.

Hibiki's maneuver was telegraphed, badly, to an experienced fighter like this. But Makoto could tell that she wanted this more than to continue the dance. And it was a performance, and not a fight. So she deliberately allowed the strike to hit, and fell...right into Hibiki's arms.

"Well, that was quite the performance."

It was, wasn't it? Hibiki's smirk curled at the edges. Standing Makoto up properly, she got down on one knee, reached to take her right hand. "It was my pleasure. Niijima Makoto."

Her lips approached the back of Makoto's hand. Perfect. She'd found someone perfect for her revolution. "You are a genius."

It'd been a little while, and Makoto was more or less finally beginning to feel settled in this temple. It was almost feeling like a real home, and Mabel certainly was helping with that. The girl's energy was certainly something to behold, at least. Makoto couldn't help but feel a certain degree of responsibility for her happiness and well being though, even more than just the shinki bond, so she made a special trip to the Near Shore to pick up something.

Returning in the early evening, she meandered down the hallway and knocked on Mabel's door, figuring the girl was probably lounging around.

"Mabel? Are you in?"

After spending the past few weeks, Mabel was starting to get the hang of living around here. While it was quite difficult knowing that she had died, it wasn't something that bothered her too much. Or at least, that's what she wanted to think. As much as she wanted to keep on being happy, she couldn't deny the facts surrounding her.

Which was why, she was sitting on her bed sighing to herself. Man, just how was she able to handle this? Of course, that's when her thoughts were cut off the moment she heard a knock on the door.

"Yeah, I am! C'mon on into the room a la Mabel! Your presence is needed!"

What a sweet girl. Really. she's just so energetic and cheerful, even in the face of death. Makoto pushed open the door, her arms behind her back, and stepped inside with a light smile.

"Needed huh? Is there something going on? I was just bringing you a little surprise."

"Nah, not really! But I may or may not be planning something for you...!"

She said before looking a bit to her left. Why no, she's still not thinking about making a bunch of superhero costumes for the phantom thieves. What are you talking about!

"That can wait though! The important thing right now is your little surprise!"

Edited 2017-07-23 19:15 (UTC)

Oh. Dear. Mabel with ideas. That's trouble and a half.

"Well, it's not much but I thought about things you like, so I went to this import candy stop in the Near Shore."

Spinning, she produces a gigantic pack of gummy squids. And not the small sort, either, they're all about half life-sized.

"I hope you like them."

When the young girl saw the giant pack of candy, she gave out a loud gasp! Never in her life has she seen such a wonderful display before her! ...Okay, maybe perhaps she has in her previous life but as of right now?

"Oh my gosh, thank you so much Makoto! I just love it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!"

She shouted before diving in to give her God the biggest hug she could give her!

Oh. Hugs. Hugs are happening.

Makoto does her best not to clam up, and awkwardly returns the hug. She even pats Mabel's back a little. See? She can people.

"I'm glad you like it. I mean, it seemed very you."

In that moment, Mabel simply raised an eyebrow at Makoto. Oh dear, did she go a bit too far?

"You certainly know me very well! I guess it comes with the territory when you're suppose to be my God! We're going to be three peas in a pod right?"

But then as she thought about it? "Especially when we go crime fighting!"

"Especially then," Makoto said, rubbing Mabel's head a couple of times for good measure.

"I'm glad you like the snack. I'll have to point you to the store next time we're in Shibuya."

"Oh?" She said before leaning a bit closer toward her hand. "Then care to tell me exactly what this store is called? I think I might just have to keep my eyes extra focused on it!"

"Yeah, it was called Cid's Candy Cabin."

Which...sounds pretty ridiculous, but that's okay. It was a pretty cool place all in all.

"Cid's Candy Cabin?" Mabel just raised an eyebrow at her. "Sounds like we can just call it the C.C.C's! Now that's much more catchier if you ask me!"

Is this really our job?

[ Akira brandishes the flyer not completely unlike Makoto might wield his vessel, albeit with far less explodey ayakashi guts. Akira's rather settled into the work of the gods by now but by that it's traditionally meant to be involving said ayakashi guts and taking a really long, hot shower after to remove the stench.

Akira doesn't remember being a human, but he sure knows human foibles, the prayers to unseen gods for the smallest, stupidest things that they could accomplish if they just put in effort. His nose wrinkles. ]

It's not like we can be caterers. Or know how to play instruments. [ Grumble grumble. ]

We accepted the prayer, so yes, it is.

[Makoto hadn't really minded taking something that wasn't super fight-tastic, just as a change. Now it wasn't exactly her thing, but it'd come to her, and she'd actually had an idea or two.]

And while we can't play instruments, I think we can do other things. What we need to do is keep the talent scouts around so that they can't leave before our performer, right?

[She has a devious plan, if her grin is any indication.]

So. We don't let people leave. It's not a huge venue, there are only a couple of entrances, and if we make it really inconvenient to leave, then the woman we're helping will get her chance.

I knew that, but.

[ This feels like one of those stupid human things that just doesn't fall under Heaven's purview. But, y'know, who cares.

As soon as he hears Makoto's plan a tiny light bulb goes off in his head, blinking slowly at her for a beat. ]

More than a fair chance by the sound of it. [ Head scratch. ] You're a little scary, Lady Makoto.

[ Joking of course. ]

I watched a movie called Carrie with Lord Ryuji and I can't help but see the similarities.

[Makoto's eyes gleam a little in the early evening light, her smile nothing short of wicked. That was a movie she had seen, and it happened to be one of her favorites.]

Well, it's not as though I'm going to burn down a school dance.

[Or do anything of the sort in fact.]

The easiest thing to do isn't even to lock them in, it's more...we just make it easier to stay here. Nothing drastic, just a few messes here and there that'll have the janitorial staff needing extra space. Unless you want to bar the doors. That might be easier, if less subtle.

And more of an indication that the room is about to get gassed; let's go with plan A.

[ Panic doesn't make for happy or interested scouts, Lady Makoto -_-;

It does mean that they have to travel to the mortal world and Akira's due for the touch of nausea that usually accompanies him on the journey. Folding the ~~flyer~~ prayer and sticking it in his pocket, Akira falls into step next to his God. Next stop: Earth! ]

The usual then? Discreetly case the place, pick a few locks, and look for ideal spots to misplace some buckets of paint?

[ :3 ]

[Makoto nods brightly and adjusts her shirt a little before the whole world goes topsy-turvy and they're standing outside of a hardware store in central Osaka. Not all prayers were centered on Tokyo, after all.]

I like the way you think. We'll need paint, a few buckets of the thickest formula, as well as some industrial glue, and I think some turpentine that we can leave for the janitors.

[There's no sense in doing anything that would permanently damage anything, and there's also no way she wants to make anyone's life harder than absolutely necessary.]

Let's split up. You grab the paint, meet me back here in ten minutes.

[ Akira smirks. ]

Sooo I have your permission for a little theft? Far be it for me to sting you over a little prayer. [ Kidding. ] Be back soon.

[ Long legs carry him quickly from the store's entrance to the towering displays not too far tucked away. Displays festooned in color swatches, the clientele and staff both take little heed of the boy ticking the colors off with one finger, his mouth moving in silent conversation with himself and he grins, decides, and grabs the most garish bright red that he can manage.

A can of solid black is taken merely as insurance that they have enough for the job, totally not because that's the first impulse he indulges while the clock ticks down to the appointed time, paint cans held on the ends of visibly stiff arms. ]

Here to make a statement one way or another, right. What's next?

Of course, if it's necessary.

[Makoto didn't really think it would be a problem. And it was Akira's morals they had to worry about, not her own. She slipped inside and started poking around herself, all but ignored as a resident of the Far Shore. When he returned, she was holding a container of turpentine, and several large bottles of industrial strength glue. Some for wood, some for metal, and still others for rubber.

Along with a length of hose. Who knew what that was for...]

Next we find points of entry. I doubt that the windows will be a way scouts try to leave, so we can forget about those. But we want to make sure there aren't any staff exits they might slip out of besides the main two doors. Ready to go?

Catch All for Prayers [Closed]

For Hibiki

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...Palps. Made me think of a stream made of Palpatine.

it's a far, far purer and more refreshing place than that....

Let's hope. Sorry for being a slacker.

It's all good

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For Mabel

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prayer 27

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