thenearshore | [Closed] We could spend our whole lives waiting for justice to be done

Entry tags:

[Closed] We could spend our whole lives waiting for justice to be done

Who: Ginia and Shun
When: Some time around November 18th-19th
Where: Around the Near Shore
What: Ginia and Shun pick up and old lead and decide to pay a vice-principal responsible for draining the life out of children a visit... if they can find him.
Warnings: Violence, murder.

It's not that Ginia wants to personally punch the vice-principal. It's entirely possible the creep is long dead from the hands of someone else - Far Shore justice, Near Shore justice, who knows - or has long fled the area. But maybe, maybe he's still around and they can find out whether he was the first sign of bigger problems. And just maybe he'll say the wrong thing and Ginia can put her fist in his face.

It's not that she wants to punch him, but dammit, he was attacking children. There aren't enough punches in the world for that creep.

The thought carries Ginia from the run from Caster's temple to Shun's. Her backpack is a prepared for survelliance; two note pads, several pens and pencils, laptop, camera gear, battery pack, roll of duct tape. As always, her knife is in the sheath at her back, but it's more out of habit than out of a feeling of necessity.

She slows as she approaches his temple, keeping an eye on the vultures in the trees as she sends a message to Shun.

Just outside.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I think it's an oversight to assume one wouldn't. [Shun's met plenty of nasty women in his time on the battlefield, including the ones who wiped out his entire division of the Resistance, so he's definitely not predisposed to think this couldn't be one.

The man's attempt seems woefully lacking in light of all that, though, and Shun eyes him at length.] How long did you think that was going to last, with what you got yourself mixed up in? Someone was going to track you down again. Whether it was the monsters, or the demon, or us.

[The look he gives Shun is flat and a little hostile.]

I didn't think quitting my job would get me out of the deal. It gave me time to put in the research towards getting out of it.

And at least I didn't have to listen to those whining brats anymore.

At this rate, getting yourself out of that deal is going to be the least of your worries. [Shun's tone is unmistakably cold and unforgiving, and the timing of the remark is rather pointedly after yet another of the man's remarks on how little he regrets using children for his own ends.]

But I'll take any other information you have about the spell, book or demon if you want to put that off for a little longer.

I was wondering when you were going to start threatening me.

[The man looks over at Shun, eyes narrowed.]

I could give you the ritual.

You've been inviting it for long enough. [Shun doesn't sound remotely abashed at the fact, though he does tilt his head slightly in answer to the offer.]

I'm listening. You memorised it enough to know it without the book?

[There are times when violence is deserved. Though Ginia is only getting the broadest strokes of the conversation from watching across the street, the vice-principal is not making himself any more liked with his blatant disregard for the children he hurt.

But ritual first, possible violence after.

It's not hard leaping from her side of the street to their side in a graceful arc. Ginia lands alongside Shun, giving him a slight nod before fixing her attention on the man. Right. Ritual?]

[The man starts violently when Ginia leaps across the street to land next to the two of them, but tries to cover it up, rubbing a hand across his mouth before he looks between them.]

This your friend?

-- Of course I memorized it. I performed it.

Something like that. [Shun didn't do much more than glance over when Ginia leapt across the road, considering he half expected her to intercede before this. The guy's been asking for it for half the conversation.]

Then it's information we'll take. [Shun makes a vague prompting motion with his hand to indicate for him to continue.]

[Ginia offers a thin smile at the man's reaction. Her hands link casually behind her back in convenient reach of her knife as she waits for him to continue.]

Give me a pen.

[He pulls out a battered notebook, snapping his fingers in imperious demand at Shun.]

[Shun voids the temptation of breaking the man's fingers by reminding himself they can just do that in a minute or two when he runs out of useful information.]

You carry a notebook, but not a pen. [Shun puts that rather dryly, pickpocketing a pen from a passing office worker and offering it out with the air of someone dealing with a poisonous creature. He's got plenty of weapons concealed under his coat, but he doesn't typically carry writing implements.]

[Ginia could have pulled a pen from her backpack, but since he asked Shun at not her, so here they are. She steps a bit closer to crowd onto his space, playing the part of tall, silent, and vaguely threatening. Her fingers twitch behind her back; there's no enjoyment in violence, but never has someone deserved to be slugged so much as the ex-vice-principal.]

[The man doesn't bother answering Shun's comment. It wasn't a question, after all. Instead, he bends to write, spidery characters swiftly filling a few pages, and draws out a summoning circle on the page after that, labeled with notes like 'candles' and 'salt' and 'fresh blood.'

It takes him at least ten minutes. When he finishes, he rips the pages out, and holds them and the pencil out towards Shun.]

There.

[Shun doesn't bother to rush him or remark on the time taken. If that's what it takes for an accurate rendition of the ritual - and considering the spellwork he's been exposed to in this world, he doesn't doubt it is - then he'll wait.

He doesn't hesitate to take the pages when the man holds them out, though, looking them over before folding them neatly away for later perusal.]

Is that all you have to tell us? [He doesn't imagine the man is exactly going to be eager to offer unprompted information, but if he has none left he wants to give, then the question becomes what to do with him. Shun would like to search the apartment, which means leaving him unconscious at minimum, but he deserves worse as far as he's concerned.]

[After waiting all day for him to appear, what's a few more minutes of waiting? Ginia doesn't move from her spot, but she doesn't rush him either as she peers at the writing and draws on the paper. She tenses slightly at the handover, but as nothing happens, she relaxes. There's time to look at their findings later.

Ginia pulls out her cellphone and types up a message, letting her phone read it out loud for her.]

Any regrets toward hurting those kids?

So this is the part where you want me to beg you not to hurt me, because I'm really, really sorry, and I'll tell you everything?

[He looks from Shun to Ginia, then back to Shun, before tapping another cigarette out of his fresh pack and lighting it. He doesn't say anything further.]

[That's enough of an answer of itself, and Shun gives a faintly dismissive noise through his teeth.]

I've heard more than enough people beg me for mercy when they didn't really mean it. But if you have nothing more to say and no remorse for what you've done, then it's like I said earlier. No great loss.

[Shun's tone isn't malicious, or expressing any sense of enjoyment. It is, however, cold and vindictive, and undeniably the voice of experience in having done this sort of thing before.

He takes no enjoyment in it. But people who endanger others with no care and show no remorse will receive none in kind from him. Only what it takes to stop them hurting anyone else.]

[This could have ended differently. There's no enjoyment in hurting people, but there's no sympathy left for someone that hurt children and doesn't regret it. There's the chance if left alone, he'll hurt people again or the wrong people will find him and use the ritual for their own means.

Ginia watches him take out a cigarette and even lets him light it and enjoy a few puffs. She casually looks toward the street, at the traffic flowing around them, then turns back toward the man and drives her left fist into his gut.]

[He moves fast, trying to jab the lit end of his cigarette at her arm, but he's not as fast as she is; her fist hits with full force, and he doubles over it with a choking wheeze. His cigarette falls from fingers shocked limp.]

[Shun follows up Ginia's move with slightly different intent - he drives a fist with pinpoint accuracy towards one of the man's pressure points around his neck, planning to knock him unconscious as opposed to killing him (just yet).

He might still be useful if they need to ask about anything in his house, after all.]

[Bent over and wheezing, the man is in no shape to defend against Shun's blow. He doesn't even see it coming; it strikes as accurately as Shun had aimed it, and he crumples.]

[Ginia moves to use her body as a shield from the street, leaning over him like she's concerned about a friend that's had too much to drink. Her signs are close to her chest as she looks at Shun.]

I figure we'll grab his keys and wallet and anything else of use on him, but what should we do with him? Can you teleport him somewhere?

[Shun glances over their surroundings to see if anyone noticed the commotion, but it seems their presence has served to make it slip free of notice.]

I can't teleport living people, but I figured we should at least take him with us back to his apartment. If we find anything in there he's been using for magic and we're not familiar with it, then for now he's more useful to us alive than dead.

[For now. It's unlikely that's going to continue beyond when they've searched his apartment.]

A good thing we have duct tape.

[Though that's for later. For now, the best course of action is to continue to play the part of supportive friends helping a drunk friend back to his apartment. Ginia hoists the man to his feet and slings his arm over her shoulders. A pity he'd draw attention if she carried him; it'd be easier hauling him on her shoulders.]

Why don't you get started searching his apartment while I haul him back? No need for both of us to waste time dragging him. I'll text when I'm close.

[Well, she's not wrong about the duct tape. It would definitely save them some time and annoyance to start checking the apartment prior to having dragged him back there, too, and Shun inclines his head slightly in agreement with the suggestion.]

It'll take a bit of time to figure out exactly which one it is, as well, since I'll have to compare it to the view in that photo. I'll tell you which one it is when you text.

[With that, he disappears from the sidewalk, having teleported back to where they originally appeared.]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject