thenearshore | [Closed] I have no fear of falling

[Hak, on the other hand, stares up at the top of the building with a frown, watching the shadow that looms over it, arms folded in front of his chest and looking mildly unimpressed. He hadn't expected it to be this high, which makes it much more troublesome. It would be far more impressive were it not for that giant ayakashi. He makes that much clear with the way he hums thoughtfully to himself at Yona's question.]

If Shizuo and I work together, we could throw you all the way up there.

[He leans forward near Yona and cups his hands near her legs for her to step on, his expression as deadpan as ever.]

Here, Princess. Let me give you a boost. Shizuo, come.

[ While Hak was going ahead with his deadpan humor, Shizuo ignored his order and kept looking at the skyscraper. Even more, he was looking at the windows for each of the floors and considering things. ]

Actually, I think I could scale it.

[ It wouldn't be too hard either, with how easy it was to get airborne for shinki and gods. He seemed to mostly be recovered from the ablution, though the blond still wasn't eating or drinking as much as he used to, but it wasn't something he completely neglected. ]

There's no way I'm carrying both of you, but if you sling Hak over your shoulder and stay on my back...

[ He might not realize how it could seem like he was playing along with Hak. Then again, how often was Shizuo not sincere? ]

Oh, no. Absolutely not.

[ She is putting her foot down. Quite firmly, in fact. ]

Neither one of you are throwing anyone. Or climbing it from the outside. [ She points a finger at Shizuo because she's been learning things, she's onto you, Mister. ] Big buildings like this have.... what are they called? Elly-vators? We'll use that!

[Between her protests, Hak stands upright directly in front of Yona and puts his hands on both of her shoulders and not even bothering to hide his grin at Shizuo's jest. Bless you for playing along.]

You heard Shizuo. I ate before we came so I might be a little heavier than normal. Can you do it?

[Did either of them really think anything would get done quickly with Hak here? Carry him like the princess he is, Princess!]

[ Joke's on you, Hak. Shizuo was completely serious. It's not even about weight or size- there's just no way that he was going to tolerate having a guy draped onto his back. Except something logical came from Yona's mouth instead. Mostly. Sort of. ]

Depends on what's going on inside. You might need an access card or something, if it actually has roof access.

Where'd Izumo take you that had an elevator?

[ Because this is obviously the time to start questioning someone's field trips. ]

An access card? More than just the buttons, then? We could go look anyway?

[ Because please, she is not letting anyone climb the outside. ]

Maybe we could take it part of the way up and then take stairs? ...They still make stairs, yes?

[ She grins at the question about Izumo, amused that Shizuo had caught on immediately. ] He took me to Tokyo Tower!

[Aw, sad Hak is sad. He was really looking forward to watching Yona sling him up on her shoulder and carry him all the way up while on Shizuo's shoulders, but guess if they gotta take the stairs, then they'll take the stairs. Or this elly-vator thing.]

Lead the way, you two. But if I get tired, I volunteer one of you to carry me the rest of the way up.

[He looks pointedly at Yona and is just going to head towards the door now despite just... Yeah.]

Edited 2017-07-30 04:36 (UTC)

Tokyo Tower, huh? That's a good first landmark to take you to...

[ It helps that Izumo asked for Shizuo's permission on that little trip to Tokyo before it had actually happened. Tokyo Tower was a staple for new people to see though- not that he could think too hard on how he knew that. Like Izumo, Shizuo didn't have any trouble getting around the city. It was just that he knew some areas better than others.

However, he has no qualms about flicking the side of Hak's head. Even if a flick from Shizuo is far stronger than some people's punches. It's fine. Hak has a thick enough head. ]

We're gonna just leave you where you are until Yona calls your other form. Like I said, it's all about access. If it's a normal enough building without anything sensitive in it, we should be fine in going straight up.

No.

[ She interrupts that strategy with a shake of her head as she stares up the building at the ayakashi floating overhead, a slight frown on her lips. ]

We stay together. The humans aren't likely to notice us anyway. Let's see how high the elly.... elevator will take us first and adapt our plan from there.

[You guys coming or not? Hak is already on his way to the building by the time Yona's done talking, not having heard most of what she's said. Something about elly vators and weird modern terms he's never heard of before.

He waves his hand over his shoulder and pauses his journey to the door to flash them both an impatient look.]

I liked my plan better, but this ayakashi isn't going to destroy itself.

Ah, I guess he's done trying to be funny.

[ Not that Shizuo was doing the same- he'd really have been fine with all that he's said as it'd be a way of getting past any silly acts and just keep moving.

His hand stops just before Shizuo was about to pat Yona's shoulder, letting it fall back to his side before walking past and ahead of the redhead to get the door instead. May as well use this as a chance to teach Hak more about this modern world that he'd never been in, right? ]

Yona knows what to look for, but you want a pair of doors with no knobs, that has a set of buttons on the wall next to it.

[ Yona gives a soft laugh at that and glances up to give Shizuo a smile. ] Oh, I doubt that. Give him a few minutes. I'm sure he'll be back to trying to be funny in no time.

[ Because it's Hak, after all.

Still, she pushes herself forward to follow him inside. As she'd said, when they step into the interior of the skyscraper, no one gives them so much as a second glance, despite how out-of-place they look. She uses this to her advantage as she glances around, searching for their way up. Then she points, spotting the shiny silver doors. ]

There, that's what we need!

[ She darts forward and catches Hak's arm, giving him a tug towards them. ] Come on! These are fascinating!

[He lets himself get dragged to the doors, but they look far from anything that he would consider fascinating. They're just a set of silver doors, with buttons. That he reaches out to press once they arrive. The up arrow must mean up, right? He stares at the way it lights up, waiting to see what will happen.

Nothing happens. So he presses it again. And again.]

If this is your idea of fascinating...

[There's a happy bing! and... ah, the doors are open.]

I guess that'd depend on if he gets motion sick or not.

[ Still, he's following behind at a casual pace. It was never about people noticing them- Shizuo was just considering the possibility of electronic means of stopping them. Which, luckily, doesn't seem to be the case.

With the doors open, Shizuo goes inside and keeps the doors open by holding that convenient button, checking to see if there's roof access right from the elevator. ]

Ah... Looks like we'll have to use the stairs for that last leg. Hak, you might want to hold onto the bars when we start moving.

[ Yona is already holding on, if that's any indication of what's about to happen, once she slips into the elevator, glancing around. This one looks a little different than the one at the Tower, but she assumes it still works the same way. ]

I don't mind taking a few stairs. Let the elevator take us as high as it can and we can take the stairs from there.

Good, you both need a workout.

[He slides his hands behind his head, stubbornly ignoring Shizuo's suggestion to hold onto something and also not acknowledging the fact that Yona happens to be doing just that - holding onto something.

His eyes glance up to the light that bings above the doors as they slide shut and he narrows his eyes. Is something special supposed to be happening here? Hak continues to be completely unimpressed by this silver box.]

Now what?

[ See, just for that, Hak isn't going to get the warning that Yona clearly had gotten when she first went on one of these elevators. Instead, Shizuo just pushes the button for the highest floor. ]

Says the one that probably weighs the most in the entire temple and wants to be carried.

[ She almost cautions Hak again to hold on but if he's going to be stubborn about it, well... Then he probably deserves whatever he's about to experience

Instead, she tightens her own grip on the rail as the buttons ding and the elevator swiftly starts moving upwards, making her stomach lurch at the movement. ]

This still feels so strange...

['No, that's Jae-Ha' he almost says out loud but when the elevator lurches, he stops short of opening his mouth to protest. Instead, he peeks open one eye and opts to lean against one wall of the elly vator like the cool guy he is because who needs handlebars?

Moving up at this speed without having to do anything but stand here is definitely an interesting feeling and he would be far more intrigued about it were it not for the ayakashi that waits for them at the top. That brings about his next question:]

What's the plan once we get up there?

[Do they... even have one...?]

[ The more amusing part will probably be watching Hak walk and adjust to the feeling of no longer being in the elevator. That can really stick to your sense of balance, or that's what he can guess. ]

We just have to rend it, yeah? There doesn't have to be a more complicated plan than that.

[ The elevator slows as it nears the top of the building and the door swings open to reveal a quiet but brightly-lit hallway and Yona steps out to peek around, relieved that there didn't seem to be anyone around. ]

Now we just have to find stairs, yes? [ She glances back to Shizuo for direction, and then to Hak to make sure he'd fared the trip up alright. ]

[He wobbles a little as he exits the elevator but he stubbornly tries his best to remain as nonchalant and unaffected as ever. He's fine, he's totally fine, nothing to see here! What the hell kind of thing is this, though?

The light in the hallway has him blinking hard as he finds his balance again and he looks to the left and then to the right in search of signs of movement.]

Is that what we're looking for?

[At the end of the hallway to their right, he points to a door with a sign picturing a stickman climbing what look to be stairs.]

[ Have a hearty pat on the back, Hak, though it was really a light one from Shizuo's attempt to hold back the best he could. You're not fooling anyone at all. ]

Yeah. It'll give you a chance to readjust.

[ Pushing the door open, he holds it to let the younger ones get in and head on upstairs. He'll cover the back for the time being, just in case. ]

You should probably call us to our other forms before you open the door to roof access too. That way you can just go straight to rending the thing.

[ She casts Hak a concerned look, but focuses on the task at hand, heading for the steps and starting to climb.

Shizuo's advice gets a nod of acknowledgment at that as she climbs. ]

That's a good idea. I have no intention of letting it catch us off-guard. Are you ready?

[ She waits to hear for both of them before activating their vessel forms. ]

Ryuuki, Raiki, come!

[He only manages a curt nod with shut eyes before he opens them again to find himself in that weird infinite white space again, dazed and confused. He still hasn't grown used to this in the least and he shakes off the weird feeling.]

No one can see us, right? Because this looks mighty suspicious.

[Y'know, the whole redhead with sunglasses carrying a bow...]

Try not to drop me when you aim, Princess.

[ Do you tell her not to drop you every time, Hak?

Aah, but it's still so strange. Not only was he in this infinite white space, but there was that weird awareness of the actual world around Yona. Completely around her, which is how he knew it was still safe behind her. ]

No one else should be up here, so it's fine. We won't have to go back down the same way either, and just teleport back home when this is done.

[ He likes the 'lazy' way back to the temple. ]

[ He probably does. But at least if she's huffing at him over this indignity, she's not getting more worried over what they're about to face as she marches up the steps and scolds him as she goes. Had that been his intention? That doesn't even occur to her. ]

I'm not going to drop you! I'm not that clumsy! [ Or at least, she hasn't been in quite some time.

Reaching the top floor, she pushes the door open and peers out onto the roof, quiet and empty. And considerably more shaded and overcast than it should be, considering the bright sunny weather casting over the rest of the city.

...

She glances up, only to come face to face with an enormous ayakashi, round and blob-shaped, hovering directly over her. Its half-a-dozen eyes are swiveled around to focus directly on her and when she glances up at it, a mouth slits open in a cheshire grin, revealing rows of jagged teeth.

It startles her enough that she jerks back with a startled sound, eyes going wide and her grip tightening on her bow as she ducks behind the door, heart racing, an inexplicable fear racing through her - from where, she's not even sure. ]

[He'd make another cheeky comment were it not for the sudden hesitation he feels from her and the sudden tightening of her fingers around the bow. Hak isn't sure whether or not she can see him, but if she can, whatever smirk he did have fades into something more serious as concern quickly rises in his chest.

This seems almost like any other ayakashi, so why the pause?]

What is it?

[ Whether or not it was like any other ayakashi, Shizuo knew what fear was. He faces it all the time, after all. ]

Take a deep breath, Yona. There's no way it can hurt you- not while I'm here. Just keep the sunglasses on, take aim and fire at it. This is what was causing people to be afraid, remember? You just have to push through it.

[ She drags in a deep breath of air at the reminder, eyes clenched shut and staying frozen for a long moment, because looking up into its many eyes had brought with it the sense of dizzying inertia and the terrifying memory of falling, even though she knew she had both feet planted on solid ground.

Her grip still white-knuckled on the bow, she manages a nod, doing her best to work through that gut-clenching fear that had seemed to come out of nowhere. ]

R-right. I know that. I can do this. It just... it surprised me.

[ Another ragged inhale and she opens her eyes, stepping out from behind the door. The ayakashi still looms there, grinning at her with that jagged smirk and that sickening clench of her stomach bottoming out returns, but she tightens her grip a moment before lifting her bow, struggling to regain her determination. ]

I can do this. [ Because repeating that will make it more real, right? ]

[Hak remains quiet, choosing to wait in silence for her next move. When she steps out from behind the door, Hak lets out the breath that he had been holding in. He would have been disappointed if they had come all the way up here just to leave again, and even more disappointed had she made the choice to run.

His smile returns to his lips, filled with a sense of pride that Yona might be able to feel through their connection and he nods his head.]

You've done this before, Princess. [Back at the firefly festival, he remembers.] Aim and shoot. That's all you have to do.

Nothing is going to happen to you.

[ Yona has done this before, but this was the first time she went out on a prayer about this situation specifically. With the fireflies, she had just been too stubborn to let Shizuo work on keeping them back and acted. ]

After all, we're both here to make sure you pull through and finish it off quickly.

[ She can feel the rush of pride from Hak as well as the steady strength and calm from Shizuo and she draws her strength from that, letting that banish the lingering fear she could feel chill her anytime she met the monster's gaze. It was still there, but if she focused on her shinki, it became easier to ignore. ]

I trust you. [ She murmurs the words, finding her resolve in them, and lifts her bow.

The ayakashi, realizing its purpose here wasn't affecting her, opens its mouth wide and gives a high, aggravated shriek, stirring up the wind around it that gusts and batters at her, attempting to push her away from the door and back closer to the edge of the roof.

She'd been aiming, but the wind catches her off-guard, the shot going wide to the left, only raking across the ayakashi rather than hitting it directly. ]

[He makes an uncomfortable noise to himself when the arrow goes off in the completely wrong direction and he offers her his commentary in a stony, deadpan voice.]

Ah, good job. Again, but try aiming this time.

[At least she got the 'shoot' part down.]

Injuring it is a start.

[ That was the best way he could put it. Then again, arrows seem like they take more consideration than just throwing a thing.

Unfortunately, what Shizuo could do didn't quite account for wind. After all, he didn't stop elements exactly- though it would counter the bulk of intended aggression. Just not all of it. ]

Just take a deep breath and try again.

I was aiming!

[ She sound a little huffy at them both, even if her irritation is more at herself. And the ayakashi, since she hadn't expected to get punched by wind the moment she released her grip.

Enraged now by the graze of her arrow, the ayakashi bellows again and the wind gusts get stronger, sweeping up around her and kicking up dirt and debris. Her cape gets tossed around her with a sharp snapping sound and for a moment, she clenches her eyes tightly shut against the sudden onslaught.

But then she shifts, angling herself partially behind the door once more, just long enough to notch another arrow and draw it back. This time she doesn't hesitate as she takes aim, dead center in the middle of the massive spirit's head. Jaw clenched in determination, she draws her fingers back along the arrow as she steadies it, reciting the spell as she does so. ]

Rend!

[ Despite another punishing pummel of wind, this time when she releases, the arrow flies true, streaking through the air in a bright burst of light to embed in the ayakashi, which rears back with a shriek before exploding and dissipating, the wind finally dying down around them. ]

[He smiles again, the feeling of an arrow being shot and hitting just as invigorating as it was the first time he'd felt the sensation. It almost makes him want to hop right out of his vessel form and fight the thing head on himself with his own weapon but too little, too late, the thing's already vanished from over their heads.

Hak knew she could do it, always has, and that wave of respect returns.]

You didn't leave any for the rest of us.

[ Ah, yes. That was a good, successful rend. Despite not having to do much past being a guide to the two, he was ready to go back. ]

Good job. Now we can head back home.

[ Yona gives a soft laugh in relief. ]

That's it. next time I'm making you two do all the work.

[ That's a lie. She'd never dream of it. ]

Would you rather I turn you back now or once we are home?

Ah.

[The sudden realization hits him like a light bulb going off in his head.]

Now you can carry me on your back!

[Hooray, he's finally found a way to make this happen! He's so clever.]

[ Where Hak's thinking that he's being clever, Shizuo was feeling lazy. If Hak didn't want to turn back, that made things easy. ]

You may as well just teleport us all back and return us back at the temple.

[ Yona just laughs at that, straightening once more before slinging the bow - Hak over one of her shoulders, resting it there with an easy comfort, especially since the shape he took in this form so closely resembled the bow he had first given her to learn on.

Both her shinki's delight in this isn't missed, making her smile as she shakes her head and sighs playfully. ]

If I must. Very well, then. Let's go.

[ And she closes her eyes to focus on her temple, teleporting them all home. ]

[Closed] I have no fear of falling

>_>

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