Waifu rp II (No slots open)
1
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
Jerry placed the two other screens next to the first with a large grunt, then networked them together and went back to work. This was an all-out assault on the cafe, more than he had ever experienced. The encryption key was cycling the first sentence from each scene of every Shakespeare play at random with a 10-second cyclic transition, and still he had to shut down at least two attempts manually every couple minutes.
"Nodoka, that triple-six firewall up yet?"
"Yeah, but it's killing our bandwidth. Do something, Jerry!"
"Easier said than done. This is a full-on invasion!" He yelled through his now open door. He turned his attention back to the computer and isolated another backdoor trojan someone had tried to use to gain access. "Goddamn amateurs." He muttered before sealing the entryway and deleting the code.
The phone in his pocket vibrated once more, pushing him over the edge.
"What the hell is it now?" He said through gritted teeth, almost willing his brain to let his eyes move independently. He took his hands off the keyboard and thanked God that cracking wasn't like how it is in the movies, running code filling up entire screens. He flipped open the phone and dropped it on the desk before looking back to a blue screen. "Shit."
He turned one of the two computers in the room off and allocated all his data to two screens. In his lost time another intruder broke through, and put a stranglehold on the whole system.
"Gotta be fucking kidding me."
Nice moves, RAZ. I'll see you again sometime.
-AKI@DEEP
The foreign code killed itself and Jerry regained system control as he looked to the clock, which already red 2:00 PM.
"That's even more unsettling than if it was some random Super-cracker." He murmured uneasily. Before logging out and picking up his cell-phone. He massaged his fingers lightly before finally focusing and reading the message.
I dunno, but I'm feeling sushi. It's your pay-day, right? Well it's time to bleed your account a little anyway. It's kind of depressing to see an 18 year-old setting that much money every couple weeks aside for retirement.
He smiled and sent back a simple "Heh, alright." as a response before wiping a small bit of sweat off his brow and stepping over the numerous cables that snaked out of his room and into the main room of the cafe.
"The triple-six is down. Someone ordered a hit on me. I'm serious about that raise now, by the way. I shut down over a hundred attempted incursions today. You're welcome." He said lightly to Nodoka as he left the cafe.
"Nodoka, that triple-six firewall up yet?"
"Yeah, but it's killing our bandwidth. Do something, Jerry!"
"Easier said than done. This is a full-on invasion!" He yelled through his now open door. He turned his attention back to the computer and isolated another backdoor trojan someone had tried to use to gain access. "Goddamn amateurs." He muttered before sealing the entryway and deleting the code.
The phone in his pocket vibrated once more, pushing him over the edge.
"What the hell is it now?" He said through gritted teeth, almost willing his brain to let his eyes move independently. He took his hands off the keyboard and thanked God that cracking wasn't like how it is in the movies, running code filling up entire screens. He flipped open the phone and dropped it on the desk before looking back to a blue screen. "Shit."
He turned one of the two computers in the room off and allocated all his data to two screens. In his lost time another intruder broke through, and put a stranglehold on the whole system.
"Gotta be fucking kidding me."
Nice moves, RAZ. I'll see you again sometime.
-AKI@DEEP
The foreign code killed itself and Jerry regained system control as he looked to the clock, which already red 2:00 PM.
"That's even more unsettling than if it was some random Super-cracker." He murmured uneasily. Before logging out and picking up his cell-phone. He massaged his fingers lightly before finally focusing and reading the message.
I dunno, but I'm feeling sushi. It's your pay-day, right? Well it's time to bleed your account a little anyway. It's kind of depressing to see an 18 year-old setting that much money every couple weeks aside for retirement.
He smiled and sent back a simple "Heh, alright." as a response before wiping a small bit of sweat off his brow and stepping over the numerous cables that snaked out of his room and into the main room of the cafe.
"The triple-six is down. Someone ordered a hit on me. I'm serious about that raise now, by the way. I shut down over a hundred attempted incursions today. You're welcome." He said lightly to Nodoka as he left the cafe.
0
Then tense air that hung about in the internet café was starting to feel uncomfortable, a clear sign to get the fuck out of there. With that in mind Granth pushed open the doors of the café and headed back out into the busy morning rush of the city. As he made his way through the horde of people he passed a newspaper stand, while the papersalesman was talking to another guy Granth quickly seized this opportunity to snatch a newspaper, in one swoop he passed by and picked one up and then vanished smoothly into the crowd.
A little while later he rested his behind on a bench, located within the park, a nice luscious monument of green that was located within the heart of the busy city. As he put his coffee next to him, which he had payed for actually, he flipped open the newspaper. Immediately the header, which was printed in thick black letters, caught his attention.
"FRAUD GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL BOMBED IN HOME"
By a looking at the title he could already describe how the murder would be portrayed within the newspaper: two F1 hand grenades, thrown from a high angle, from a window, into the home of the victim, the victim's remains are still being collected from the rubble. There was no doubt about it, though the further please his curiosity he decided to read further into the article.
"After the victim's death the police looked into the man's background. Shortly after the murder of the victim the officials received an anonymous tip that stated that the man in question had been committed several cases of fraud, mostly filtering government tax money meant for sustaining hospitals and such institutions into his own private account. After further investigation the police concluded that the man indeed had been involved in such cases of fraud, 3 of the man's colleagues whom are also suspected of being involved, have currently been taken into custody."
Granth would've kept reading but the smirk on his face was so obviously glaring in pleasure that it would look awkward to bystanders if he continued, however there was no doubt about it. This had been "her" work. Bomb first, the rest comes later. That sure seemed to be her way of doing it, but in the end it didn't matter if the job was done properly it was fine. After taking a few sips of his coffee Granth leaned back onto the bench staring at the sky.
- Around 19:00 that same day. -
After pretty much wasting the entire day on his own petty errands Granth returned to his skyline apartment, after all it was during the night that he truly became alive. After the immensely long elevator ride upwards he arrived in front of the door of his apartment, after unlocking the door with his key he stepped inside, hung up his coat and planted himself on his couch. As he bent over to the small table in front of his couch, in order to reach his laptop. However it was only then that he noticed... Within the dimly lit living room of his apartment was another presence, somebody else was already there. The intruder has made no mistakes breaking in, no sign of entry, no traces had been left upon his entry. Whoever he was, he was good. Within the shadows of the room the sound of footsteps, coming closer, could be heard. One footstep sounded regular, the other one sounded loud and somewhat blunter then the other one. As he looked into the other side of the room a voice called out, a soft female voice that was indeed quite familiar.
"If that one had been ignited, you'd be dead the moment you sat yourself down."
Out of the shadow of the room emerged the familiar figure that was Holly, dressed in her usual "work outfit" (if one could really call it that as it showed more of her body then it protected). As Granth looked at her she pointed towards the spot under him, slowly his gaze dropped downwards. His eyes gently fell onto the grenade that was now lying directly at his feet. In an instant he jumped up, trying to compose himself, then it hit him... The thing wasn't armed. His expression turned sour as he was walked over to her.
"You know, normal people make a call before they... Break into people's homes."
(Just a little remark from me, but it would nice if we could all try to somewhat in the same time period. Otherwise it'll get confusing for us when we try to confront each other, or even just read each other's post. Juggling time different time periods is hard.)
A little while later he rested his behind on a bench, located within the park, a nice luscious monument of green that was located within the heart of the busy city. As he put his coffee next to him, which he had payed for actually, he flipped open the newspaper. Immediately the header, which was printed in thick black letters, caught his attention.
"FRAUD GOVERNMENT OFFICIAL BOMBED IN HOME"
By a looking at the title he could already describe how the murder would be portrayed within the newspaper: two F1 hand grenades, thrown from a high angle, from a window, into the home of the victim, the victim's remains are still being collected from the rubble. There was no doubt about it, though the further please his curiosity he decided to read further into the article.
"After the victim's death the police looked into the man's background. Shortly after the murder of the victim the officials received an anonymous tip that stated that the man in question had been committed several cases of fraud, mostly filtering government tax money meant for sustaining hospitals and such institutions into his own private account. After further investigation the police concluded that the man indeed had been involved in such cases of fraud, 3 of the man's colleagues whom are also suspected of being involved, have currently been taken into custody."
Granth would've kept reading but the smirk on his face was so obviously glaring in pleasure that it would look awkward to bystanders if he continued, however there was no doubt about it. This had been "her" work. Bomb first, the rest comes later. That sure seemed to be her way of doing it, but in the end it didn't matter if the job was done properly it was fine. After taking a few sips of his coffee Granth leaned back onto the bench staring at the sky.
- Around 19:00 that same day. -
After pretty much wasting the entire day on his own petty errands Granth returned to his skyline apartment, after all it was during the night that he truly became alive. After the immensely long elevator ride upwards he arrived in front of the door of his apartment, after unlocking the door with his key he stepped inside, hung up his coat and planted himself on his couch. As he bent over to the small table in front of his couch, in order to reach his laptop. However it was only then that he noticed... Within the dimly lit living room of his apartment was another presence, somebody else was already there. The intruder has made no mistakes breaking in, no sign of entry, no traces had been left upon his entry. Whoever he was, he was good. Within the shadows of the room the sound of footsteps, coming closer, could be heard. One footstep sounded regular, the other one sounded loud and somewhat blunter then the other one. As he looked into the other side of the room a voice called out, a soft female voice that was indeed quite familiar.
"If that one had been ignited, you'd be dead the moment you sat yourself down."
Out of the shadow of the room emerged the familiar figure that was Holly, dressed in her usual "work outfit" (if one could really call it that as it showed more of her body then it protected). As Granth looked at her she pointed towards the spot under him, slowly his gaze dropped downwards. His eyes gently fell onto the grenade that was now lying directly at his feet. In an instant he jumped up, trying to compose himself, then it hit him... The thing wasn't armed. His expression turned sour as he was walked over to her.
"You know, normal people make a call before they... Break into people's homes."
(Just a little remark from me, but it would nice if we could all try to somewhat in the same time period. Otherwise it'll get confusing for us when we try to confront each other, or even just read each other's post. Juggling time different time periods is hard.)
0
Spoiler:
Hitomi sighed. She wondered if it was truly a good idea to have lunch on the roof since gym class had been particularly hard today. She could swear that gym teacher came straight out of the armed forces or something. But if she ever asked herself why she made a habit of having lunch on the roof, the gentle march breeze answered her.
She took a step towards the fence and breathed in the fresh afternoon air, then slowly opened her emerald eyes to the vast scenery of the school, the city block it was set in and then some. Hitomi allowed her a little smile. No matter how exhausting climbing the stairs was, getting to eat lunch in front of such a view would always be worth it.
"Enjoying the view, Hitomi-chan?"
"E-Eh?!" Hitomi jolted, nearly dropping the bento in her hand and turned towards the voice. The moment she saw me and the smirk under my cap she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Mou, Lang-kun don't do that." She whinned, earning a little kiss.
"You know I can't resist you moe-ness"
Once again Hitomi blushed before having a seat on the bench and offering me a seat next to her. We spend the lunch hour feeding each Nao's home cooking, chatting away and... Something else.
Spoiler:
DING DONG
The school's way of telling its students to drop what their doing and get to class... It also told uninvited guests (like me) to get the fuck out before security makes rounds. I manage to sneak in one last heartfelt kiss before Hitomi collects her things and heads to the door. We wave each other goodbye before she heads inside, and I leap over the fence and off the side of the building and use my lightfoot technique to glide my way down.
My next stop is Settou girls institute...
0
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
Jerry emerged into the full force of the afternoon city and instantly felt out of place, as he almost always did. Not many people native to the region stood any higher than 6', save for your occasional exception. Jerry was a full 6'3'' and, though pale by American standards, a full shade darker than most locals. He shrugged uneasily and took an LRG hoodie from his messenger back.
The thin hoodie slid on easily and he flipped the hood over his head before he began walking slowly to God knows where. He took out his old TI-84 calculator and booted up the probability simulator programs, and set the die roll to a three sided die. As he came to the first intersection, he hit the enter button and stood still as the die tumbled on the low-quality screen. After a few seconds, the die came to a rest, displaying a number one.
"Left it is." He murmured to himself before spinning on his heel and continuing his walk. He was surprised he had never though of such an effective time waster as this. Was it because of that AKI@DEEP cracker? Jerry decided that if they ever met again, he'd give AKI his heartfelt thanks before breaking into and destroying his, her, its system.
"Hey, you. The shady guy." A newsstand vendor said, obviously directed at Jerry. He lowered the calculator and looked to the man with half-open eyes.
"Yep?"
"How 'bout you educate yourself and stop wasting your life." He tossed a paper to Jerry, who tossed a 500 Yen coin(assumed currency) back.
"Sure, only if you stop lecturing people you don't know."
"Get out of here, you damned NEET."
Jerry looked at the man with the same passive stare, but he could feel the aggravation festering inside himself. He tipped the brim of his hood like a hat and continued on his way, flipping open the paper with his free hand.
"Killed by an F1 grenade? Archaic, to say the least." He said with a smile before tossing the paper into the trash, his interest in it already having hit zero. He hit the 'enter' button on the calculator and looked at the digitized three before nodding and turning to the right. "I should do this every day." He whispered to himself.
The thin hoodie slid on easily and he flipped the hood over his head before he began walking slowly to God knows where. He took out his old TI-84 calculator and booted up the probability simulator programs, and set the die roll to a three sided die. As he came to the first intersection, he hit the enter button and stood still as the die tumbled on the low-quality screen. After a few seconds, the die came to a rest, displaying a number one.
"Left it is." He murmured to himself before spinning on his heel and continuing his walk. He was surprised he had never though of such an effective time waster as this. Was it because of that AKI@DEEP cracker? Jerry decided that if they ever met again, he'd give AKI his heartfelt thanks before breaking into and destroying his, her, its system.
"Hey, you. The shady guy." A newsstand vendor said, obviously directed at Jerry. He lowered the calculator and looked to the man with half-open eyes.
"Yep?"
"How 'bout you educate yourself and stop wasting your life." He tossed a paper to Jerry, who tossed a 500 Yen coin(assumed currency) back.
"Sure, only if you stop lecturing people you don't know."
"Get out of here, you damned NEET."
Jerry looked at the man with the same passive stare, but he could feel the aggravation festering inside himself. He tipped the brim of his hood like a hat and continued on his way, flipping open the paper with his free hand.
"Killed by an F1 grenade? Archaic, to say the least." He said with a smile before tossing the paper into the trash, his interest in it already having hit zero. He hit the 'enter' button on the calculator and looked at the digitized three before nodding and turning to the right. "I should do this every day." He whispered to himself.
0
Eventually I notice the sky taking on a tangerine hue, noting the end of the day. I've done enough aimless wandering for today so I figure I'd head home already. The crowds begins to grow and traffic busier as I walk, and by the time I round a corner I'm submerged in a tide of bodies and the traffic's backed a good quarter mile behind a red light.
Eventually traveling like this causes me to bump into somebody, a hooded guy with a calculator from the looks of it.
"Sorry" I say absent-mindedly and keep walking, but not far enough as I can hear him mutter "Prick". I shake my head, a lot of people are rude... But then again it's not like I'm any saint myself at times.
I take a short cut through the park, which seems devoid of life... Which is strange since the park's only like this at night. Eventually I can hear it, a violin being played somewhere to the east and just like that the park goers-joggers, parents and certain couples are all packed up in a group where a single violinist is playing a song.
He's good, and that makes me wonder why he's only playing in the street. But I notice his gaze is locked on a certain boy in the crowd, it's like he's playing for him. I shrug and keep walking until reaching the residential district and taking the long jog up the stairs to the floor our apartment's located on.
By the time I reach the door I see Gentoku and Tiffania about to let themselves in. Since their schools are a two train stops away, Tiffania goes to pick up Gentoku and ride back home together while Nao & Momona go to pick up Hitomi, Koumei and Mitsuna... Provided the clinic doesn't suddenly fill up with more patients before closing time.
"Hey..." I greet them
"Oh, Lang-kun." Gentoku chirps.
When we get inside and take off our shoes, Tiffania lets me into a conversation she was having with Gentoku on the way back while I get some food ready for dinner. It turns out this one guy in her class wanted to make a production out his confession by turning a pipe into a dozen roses. It worked to say the least, but the fact that he had to go to the nurse showed that it worked too.
In case you're wondering I used to pick these two up from school, but to make a long story short, a string of incidents and a friend of Gentoku's having it out for me has caused them to decide to go to and fro beside themselves rather than having me go through the trouble of being their escort... And it's the same story over at the school Hitomi, Mitsuna and Koumei attend as well.
Speaking of which, the same three along with Momona come walking in.
"Don't tell me Nao's got another (shit)load of patients". I inquire.
"Yes and no: There was only a couple of patients when she said I could go back. She should be back any minute now." Momona explains just before a light appears in the middle of the room and dims to reveal Nao.
"Gah?!"
"Hehee, sorry to startle you Hitomi-chan." Nao smiles and pets Hitomi's head.
Eventually traveling like this causes me to bump into somebody, a hooded guy with a calculator from the looks of it.
"Sorry" I say absent-mindedly and keep walking, but not far enough as I can hear him mutter "Prick". I shake my head, a lot of people are rude... But then again it's not like I'm any saint myself at times.
I take a short cut through the park, which seems devoid of life... Which is strange since the park's only like this at night. Eventually I can hear it, a violin being played somewhere to the east and just like that the park goers-joggers, parents and certain couples are all packed up in a group where a single violinist is playing a song.
He's good, and that makes me wonder why he's only playing in the street. But I notice his gaze is locked on a certain boy in the crowd, it's like he's playing for him. I shrug and keep walking until reaching the residential district and taking the long jog up the stairs to the floor our apartment's located on.
By the time I reach the door I see Gentoku and Tiffania about to let themselves in. Since their schools are a two train stops away, Tiffania goes to pick up Gentoku and ride back home together while Nao & Momona go to pick up Hitomi, Koumei and Mitsuna... Provided the clinic doesn't suddenly fill up with more patients before closing time.
"Hey..." I greet them
"Oh, Lang-kun." Gentoku chirps.
When we get inside and take off our shoes, Tiffania lets me into a conversation she was having with Gentoku on the way back while I get some food ready for dinner. It turns out this one guy in her class wanted to make a production out his confession by turning a pipe into a dozen roses. It worked to say the least, but the fact that he had to go to the nurse showed that it worked too.
In case you're wondering I used to pick these two up from school, but to make a long story short, a string of incidents and a friend of Gentoku's having it out for me has caused them to decide to go to and fro beside themselves rather than having me go through the trouble of being their escort... And it's the same story over at the school Hitomi, Mitsuna and Koumei attend as well.
Speaking of which, the same three along with Momona come walking in.
"Don't tell me Nao's got another (shit)load of patients". I inquire.
"Yes and no: There was only a couple of patients when she said I could go back. She should be back any minute now." Momona explains just before a light appears in the middle of the room and dims to reveal Nao.
"Gah?!"
"Hehee, sorry to startle you Hitomi-chan." Nao smiles and pets Hitomi's head.
0
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
The calculator batteries died out with a grand sputter of life before the screen faded to its normal hue. Jerry frowned and threw it into the park he was walking past. That thing was ancient junk, a relic from his Algebra 2 classes back in High School.
"Terrible days, those." He muttered to himself before a hand clasped on his shoulder. He turned quickly and saw Yukari's hand resting on his right shoulder while her gaze was fixed intently toward the park. Had she been waiting there? "Probability, you are a fickle bitch." He whispered to himself before closing the distance between the two of them and putting an arm around her waist, then directing his own attention to a man playing a violin.
"Doesn't it sound strangely familiar?" Yukari blankly said, almost as if in a trance. Jerry's expression turned rock solid and he scowled.
"I hate this tune. 'Mortal's Coil', I think. Either way, I'll see you back at home if you're gonna stay here."
"Uh-huh."
"Thought so. Bye"
"Uh-huh."
Jerry nodded before spinning on his heel and walking toward the cafe he had just about been orbiting all day, thanks to his new idea. From the cafe he could get home, and at home he could put on some Pachelbel. He gazed at the sky, which was slowly turning from a calm blue to a war or orange, red, and pink as the sun began to disappear under the horizon. The view was nothing out of the ordinary, though, and he looked back to the street in front of him.
"Dear God, how jaded have I become. Too jaded for a fucking 18 year-old. That much is clear." He admitted as he passed by the cafe, but not without stopping for a sitrep. "How we doing?"
"No problems since you clocked out. Oh, and Jerry. The manager saw the message you got. He told me to tell you to forget about coming in tomorrow." Nodoka said, though he couldn't tell if the apologetic tone was sincere or practiced acting from a couple years working a cafe dressed as a maid.
"Um, yeah. You got it. Thanks, I guess. When can I come in for my severance?"
"We'll call you, just don't stop by here anymore. You're a flight risk now."
"Okay, sure. See you never."
"Bye."
Jerry let the door close and backed into the street, suddenly passive. That dirtbag vendor was right. He was a few hours fast, but he was dead on the fucking money. New designation: NEET
"I'm gonna fucking fry your ass, AKI"
"Terrible days, those." He muttered to himself before a hand clasped on his shoulder. He turned quickly and saw Yukari's hand resting on his right shoulder while her gaze was fixed intently toward the park. Had she been waiting there? "Probability, you are a fickle bitch." He whispered to himself before closing the distance between the two of them and putting an arm around her waist, then directing his own attention to a man playing a violin.
"Doesn't it sound strangely familiar?" Yukari blankly said, almost as if in a trance. Jerry's expression turned rock solid and he scowled.
"I hate this tune. 'Mortal's Coil', I think. Either way, I'll see you back at home if you're gonna stay here."
"Uh-huh."
"Thought so. Bye"
"Uh-huh."
Jerry nodded before spinning on his heel and walking toward the cafe he had just about been orbiting all day, thanks to his new idea. From the cafe he could get home, and at home he could put on some Pachelbel. He gazed at the sky, which was slowly turning from a calm blue to a war or orange, red, and pink as the sun began to disappear under the horizon. The view was nothing out of the ordinary, though, and he looked back to the street in front of him.
"Dear God, how jaded have I become. Too jaded for a fucking 18 year-old. That much is clear." He admitted as he passed by the cafe, but not without stopping for a sitrep. "How we doing?"
"No problems since you clocked out. Oh, and Jerry. The manager saw the message you got. He told me to tell you to forget about coming in tomorrow." Nodoka said, though he couldn't tell if the apologetic tone was sincere or practiced acting from a couple years working a cafe dressed as a maid.
"Um, yeah. You got it. Thanks, I guess. When can I come in for my severance?"
"We'll call you, just don't stop by here anymore. You're a flight risk now."
"Okay, sure. See you never."
"Bye."
Jerry let the door close and backed into the street, suddenly passive. That dirtbag vendor was right. He was a few hours fast, but he was dead on the fucking money. New designation: NEET
"I'm gonna fucking fry your ass, AKI"
0
(Time to breath the life back in here.)
"Normal isn't what our type of people is called, you should know that by now... Refined Black"
At the sound of the name Granth cringed, almost as if somebody had just gut punched him really hard. The association had the habit of naming their employees with a pseudonym, to "disguise themselves", since Granth hadn't bothered nor did he have any initiative thinking of one it seemed the association had picked one for him... A really bad one. Regaining his composure he looked back up to Holly.
"Why couldn't they have just kept my name, like you. What's wrong with that?" Granth asked looking up at Holly questionably.
"Because yours is silly..."
Her words pierced his heart like a dagger, making him cringe once more. He knew Holly had a somewhat cold personality, but it seemed that she didn't mind her words even against him. Thinking about it they sure did have a strange kind of relationship, not really a romantic one but not really a business relation either. Occasionally they "made love" but at the same time they didn't really got close either, at least she didn't. Granth wasn't going to dwell on the thought any longer, he had decided at the start to just flow with it, in the end both of them were kind of unusual people after all. During his pondering Granth had sat himself down back on the couch once more, trying to remember what he was doing as he leaned back. Without noticing Holly had already taken the liberty of setting next to him, quite close actually.
"So what rank are you currently?"
"I'm ranked 15, but I'll admit it's only because of these laughably easy jobs that I've made it this far."
"Is that modesty speaking, or do you just not want to blossom?"
"You know the cryptic speech isn't really helping. Whatever though, as long it gets me payed it doesn't matter right? Unlike you I don't have to worry about others coming after my head for that Rank 6 spot."
Granth's expression somewhat turned apathic as he decided to stand up once more, turning his face back to Holly after standing up.
"Well if you're going to stick around for a bit, then I guess I'll go get you some of the sake you like. At least we'll have something to do, this talk about work is making me depressed."
As he lectured Holly he put on his coat and made his way back to the door, with his hand on the knob he turned his head back and left Holly with some last words before leaving.
"Don't blow the place up while I'm gone, OK?"
- A little while later -
After visiting the closest liquor store Granth made his way back home, plastic bag with the bottle of sake in it in hand. Since the evening breeze felt nice he decided to make a little detour through the park. As the sun was starting to sink even deeper into the horizon the sky began growing more dark, as a result the park became illuminated by the glow of the countless light poles scattered through out. The park was rather empty today, normally a good number of people could still be found through out, however it seemed this night was an exception. Though there was one person there. As he followed the cement trail that ran through the park he arrived at a small spot, consisting out of a few benches and a few vending machines that served several sort of drinks. On one of the benches set a rather odd girl, dressed in a rather unusual set of clothing which mainly consisted out of a colour variety of pink and... Even more pink. She herself was had short pink hair, with a white ribbon tied in it. She was a small girl nonetheless, about reaching to a little above his abdomen, it was hard for him to put an age on her (considering how misleading the looks of girls nowadays were) but she surely wasn't old enough to be sitting around a desolate park at this hour.
However she wasn't news to him, he had actually seen her sitting there on the same spot a couple of days back when he was passing through. Normally Granth would pay these sort of things no mind but somehow he couldn't shake it off. The girl's expression was gloomy to say the least, as she just sat there staring at her feet. He decided it was perhaps time to break the silence, and indulge on his curiosity. He silently made his way to one of the vending machines, scanning through the variety of drinks with his eyes. Eventually he settled on a can of creamed coffee... Well two cans actually. With a rumble from the machine his drinks were dispensed, after picking them up he smoothly continued by sitting himself down next to the odd girl.
It seemed the girl hadn't noticed Granth, that was until he decided to open one of his cans. The noise broke the girl's daydreaming, and with a puzzled look on her face she looked up to him, however she didn't utter a word.
"You know this isn't a good place to hang out at this kind of hour, you never know what kind of shady, deviant characters you'll come across. Plus it's getting colder and colder these nights."
As Granth tried to jumpstart the conversation the girl just simply gave him a nod while continuing to stare into nothingness. However Granth was used to this sort of treatment and simply continued almost speaking to himself.
"You know shouldn't you be getting home around this hour? Your going to make your parents worry, and there's nothing more obnoxious then a pair of those you know."
a few seconds of silence passed, within this time Granth continued by taking a few sips of his coffee. Though suddenly, in a frail and timid voice, the girl replied.
"There's no home to go back to, no parents to make worried."
Granth figured that she ran away from home or something similar to that, kids these days always do these kind of things. But in the end they have to learn to stand on their own legs someday, perhaps being on her own for a while will help her become stronger on her own. Granth wasn't one to get himself involved with the business of others, so he just decided to leave her be. After finishing his coffee, and throwing it in the trashcan aside him, he stood up and reached his hand which was holding the other can of coffee towards the girl.
"Well drink this, it'll warm you up. After that get some shelter somewhere, OK?
Well take care."
With that he set off, the tapping of his footsteps resounding in the silence of the moment. The girl just sat there with the can in her small hands, with a blush on her face she replied in a small faint voice.
"Thanks..."
"Normal isn't what our type of people is called, you should know that by now... Refined Black"
At the sound of the name Granth cringed, almost as if somebody had just gut punched him really hard. The association had the habit of naming their employees with a pseudonym, to "disguise themselves", since Granth hadn't bothered nor did he have any initiative thinking of one it seemed the association had picked one for him... A really bad one. Regaining his composure he looked back up to Holly.
"Why couldn't they have just kept my name, like you. What's wrong with that?" Granth asked looking up at Holly questionably.
"Because yours is silly..."
Her words pierced his heart like a dagger, making him cringe once more. He knew Holly had a somewhat cold personality, but it seemed that she didn't mind her words even against him. Thinking about it they sure did have a strange kind of relationship, not really a romantic one but not really a business relation either. Occasionally they "made love" but at the same time they didn't really got close either, at least she didn't. Granth wasn't going to dwell on the thought any longer, he had decided at the start to just flow with it, in the end both of them were kind of unusual people after all. During his pondering Granth had sat himself down back on the couch once more, trying to remember what he was doing as he leaned back. Without noticing Holly had already taken the liberty of setting next to him, quite close actually.
"So what rank are you currently?"
"I'm ranked 15, but I'll admit it's only because of these laughably easy jobs that I've made it this far."
"Is that modesty speaking, or do you just not want to blossom?"
"You know the cryptic speech isn't really helping. Whatever though, as long it gets me payed it doesn't matter right? Unlike you I don't have to worry about others coming after my head for that Rank 6 spot."
Granth's expression somewhat turned apathic as he decided to stand up once more, turning his face back to Holly after standing up.
"Well if you're going to stick around for a bit, then I guess I'll go get you some of the sake you like. At least we'll have something to do, this talk about work is making me depressed."
As he lectured Holly he put on his coat and made his way back to the door, with his hand on the knob he turned his head back and left Holly with some last words before leaving.
"Don't blow the place up while I'm gone, OK?"
- A little while later -
After visiting the closest liquor store Granth made his way back home, plastic bag with the bottle of sake in it in hand. Since the evening breeze felt nice he decided to make a little detour through the park. As the sun was starting to sink even deeper into the horizon the sky began growing more dark, as a result the park became illuminated by the glow of the countless light poles scattered through out. The park was rather empty today, normally a good number of people could still be found through out, however it seemed this night was an exception. Though there was one person there. As he followed the cement trail that ran through the park he arrived at a small spot, consisting out of a few benches and a few vending machines that served several sort of drinks. On one of the benches set a rather odd girl, dressed in a rather unusual set of clothing which mainly consisted out of a colour variety of pink and... Even more pink. She herself was had short pink hair, with a white ribbon tied in it. She was a small girl nonetheless, about reaching to a little above his abdomen, it was hard for him to put an age on her (considering how misleading the looks of girls nowadays were) but she surely wasn't old enough to be sitting around a desolate park at this hour.
However she wasn't news to him, he had actually seen her sitting there on the same spot a couple of days back when he was passing through. Normally Granth would pay these sort of things no mind but somehow he couldn't shake it off. The girl's expression was gloomy to say the least, as she just sat there staring at her feet. He decided it was perhaps time to break the silence, and indulge on his curiosity. He silently made his way to one of the vending machines, scanning through the variety of drinks with his eyes. Eventually he settled on a can of creamed coffee... Well two cans actually. With a rumble from the machine his drinks were dispensed, after picking them up he smoothly continued by sitting himself down next to the odd girl.
It seemed the girl hadn't noticed Granth, that was until he decided to open one of his cans. The noise broke the girl's daydreaming, and with a puzzled look on her face she looked up to him, however she didn't utter a word.
"You know this isn't a good place to hang out at this kind of hour, you never know what kind of shady, deviant characters you'll come across. Plus it's getting colder and colder these nights."
As Granth tried to jumpstart the conversation the girl just simply gave him a nod while continuing to stare into nothingness. However Granth was used to this sort of treatment and simply continued almost speaking to himself.
"You know shouldn't you be getting home around this hour? Your going to make your parents worry, and there's nothing more obnoxious then a pair of those you know."
a few seconds of silence passed, within this time Granth continued by taking a few sips of his coffee. Though suddenly, in a frail and timid voice, the girl replied.
"There's no home to go back to, no parents to make worried."
Granth figured that she ran away from home or something similar to that, kids these days always do these kind of things. But in the end they have to learn to stand on their own legs someday, perhaps being on her own for a while will help her become stronger on her own. Granth wasn't one to get himself involved with the business of others, so he just decided to leave her be. After finishing his coffee, and throwing it in the trashcan aside him, he stood up and reached his hand which was holding the other can of coffee towards the girl.
"Well drink this, it'll warm you up. After that get some shelter somewhere, OK?
Well take care."
With that he set off, the tapping of his footsteps resounding in the silence of the moment. The girl just sat there with the can in her small hands, with a blush on her face she replied in a small faint voice.
"Thanks..."
0
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
Username: AKI@DEEP
Password:2789456
Welcome, Megumi
Megumi Shitow's finger played languidly across the keyboard, almost beautiful despite the nefarious commands they were giving. Within a minute of logging in she had already broken into Raz's cafe's system and had the roster up. As she had thought, Raz, or Jerry Anarei, had been terminated as an employee. She sighed and a smirk flickered across her face.
"Heh, sorry, Raz. Really I am."
ERROR: Trojan detected. Engage firewall? Y/N
"Course not."
Megumi hit the 'n' key with decisive finality before a mass of windows appeared on her screen, each of them spawning a dialogue box. Her eyes widened as the screen quickly filled.
Now that was your first mistake.
All Above Hell
All Under Heaven
Rain Through the Sunlight
A Five-Act Done in Seven
A Meaningless Little Rhyme
While I Destroy Your Life
Be Thankful It's Only Your Terminal
Be Thankful I lack a knife
-Raz
Each line of the poem was contained in its own box, and Megumi barely finished reading it before her screen flickered to blue and her machine sputtered, dead.
She sat frozen in her room for minutes, maybe even hours. She couldn't tell how much time had passed. In one fell swoop Raz had destroyed her completely. How? He had no terminal she wasn't watching. If he had logged on, then she would have been one of the first to know.
The phone rang next to her, and for the first time in however long, she finally blinked and tore her eyes away from the blue screen.
Hello?
"You can stop looking at your screen. It's over. Your unit is fried. Find something else to waste your time, or at least know not to fuck with me again." A gruff voice said through the receiver before hanging up quickly. She held the phone to her head despite the fact that the call had ended, and began breathing heavily before it rang again.
"You can put it down. I'm done" The voice said again once she thumbed the receive button. She quickly looked around and moved to her window, which she usually had closed. Across the street in a sushi restaurant, a tall man sat comfortably in a booth, his cell-phone still in his hands. He gently placed the phone down on the table and waved to her window with a smile before a woman sat down across from him, completely oblivious to whatever he had just done.
"So, did you do what you needed to with my laptop?"Yukari asked as she sat down across from Jerry, who had just finished his grand revenge on AKI@DEEP, or Megumi Shitow. He could care less at this point, though.
"Oh, yeah. It's all taken care of. Thanks."
"Well then back to what we were talking about before. What are you going to do now that you're job-less? I'll go ahead and suggest school one more time, but your head is probably too thick to hear me."
"How sharp of you, Yuka-tan, but I'm almost depressed to say that's one of the better ideas I've had." He replied sarcastically as the two of them waited for their food. He could barely contain a smile, knowing that just across the street a couple floors up there was a shocked girl with a busted terminal that was once known as AKI@DEEP
Password:2789456
Welcome, Megumi
Megumi Shitow's finger played languidly across the keyboard, almost beautiful despite the nefarious commands they were giving. Within a minute of logging in she had already broken into Raz's cafe's system and had the roster up. As she had thought, Raz, or Jerry Anarei, had been terminated as an employee. She sighed and a smirk flickered across her face.
"Heh, sorry, Raz. Really I am."
ERROR: Trojan detected. Engage firewall? Y/N
"Course not."
Megumi hit the 'n' key with decisive finality before a mass of windows appeared on her screen, each of them spawning a dialogue box. Her eyes widened as the screen quickly filled.
Now that was your first mistake.
All Above Hell
All Under Heaven
Rain Through the Sunlight
A Five-Act Done in Seven
A Meaningless Little Rhyme
While I Destroy Your Life
Be Thankful It's Only Your Terminal
Be Thankful I lack a knife
-Raz
Each line of the poem was contained in its own box, and Megumi barely finished reading it before her screen flickered to blue and her machine sputtered, dead.
She sat frozen in her room for minutes, maybe even hours. She couldn't tell how much time had passed. In one fell swoop Raz had destroyed her completely. How? He had no terminal she wasn't watching. If he had logged on, then she would have been one of the first to know.
The phone rang next to her, and for the first time in however long, she finally blinked and tore her eyes away from the blue screen.
Hello?
"You can stop looking at your screen. It's over. Your unit is fried. Find something else to waste your time, or at least know not to fuck with me again." A gruff voice said through the receiver before hanging up quickly. She held the phone to her head despite the fact that the call had ended, and began breathing heavily before it rang again.
"You can put it down. I'm done" The voice said again once she thumbed the receive button. She quickly looked around and moved to her window, which she usually had closed. Across the street in a sushi restaurant, a tall man sat comfortably in a booth, his cell-phone still in his hands. He gently placed the phone down on the table and waved to her window with a smile before a woman sat down across from him, completely oblivious to whatever he had just done.
"So, did you do what you needed to with my laptop?"Yukari asked as she sat down across from Jerry, who had just finished his grand revenge on AKI@DEEP, or Megumi Shitow. He could care less at this point, though.
"Oh, yeah. It's all taken care of. Thanks."
"Well then back to what we were talking about before. What are you going to do now that you're job-less? I'll go ahead and suggest school one more time, but your head is probably too thick to hear me."
"How sharp of you, Yuka-tan, but I'm almost depressed to say that's one of the better ideas I've had." He replied sarcastically as the two of them waited for their food. He could barely contain a smile, knowing that just across the street a couple floors up there was a shocked girl with a busted terminal that was once known as AKI@DEEP
0
Dinner in this apartment is pretty much the same as breakfast (and lunch on certain days) here. But instead the girls go over the events of their day at school.
"And the next thing you know; his hand's bleeding profusely and his arm was shaking. I'd imagine that person was in a lot of pain, so I was surprised he didn't scream." Leading Tiffania to repeat the exploits of her latest fanboy's confession attempt.
Eventually dinner is finished, and the girls leave me to take care of the dishes... Well not really.
"So, Lang what lead you to visit the clinic today?" Momona asks while washing a plate.
"Just started walkin' around today and kinda ended up there." I respond.
"Oh. I thought you came to chase away the patients... [size=10]Considering how you kissed me and all...[/h]"
"And maybe I did want to scare off some of those horn dogs." I remark and Momona giggles. But the giggling ends with a sharp gasp when Momona suddenly feels her waist being hugged. Blue eyes sweep up to mine and I smirk at the blush rapidly fading into her cheeks.
"A-Anou..." She looks away in embarrassment and blushes even harder when I pull her closer, making her chest squeeze up against mine. I lean closer to Momona's face and her eyes squeeze shut when our lips are on the brink of a kiss... And then,
*Chu*
"Eh?!" Momona touches her cheek and looks at me confused.
"What?" I return.
"N-Nothing... [size=10]You just got my hopes up....[/h]"
"If that's the case we can continue when we're finished."
"O///O"
"And the next thing you know; his hand's bleeding profusely and his arm was shaking. I'd imagine that person was in a lot of pain, so I was surprised he didn't scream." Leading Tiffania to repeat the exploits of her latest fanboy's confession attempt.
Eventually dinner is finished, and the girls leave me to take care of the dishes... Well not really.
"So, Lang what lead you to visit the clinic today?" Momona asks while washing a plate.
"Just started walkin' around today and kinda ended up there." I respond.
"Oh. I thought you came to chase away the patients... [size=10]Considering how you kissed me and all...[/h]"
"And maybe I did want to scare off some of those horn dogs." I remark and Momona giggles. But the giggling ends with a sharp gasp when Momona suddenly feels her waist being hugged. Blue eyes sweep up to mine and I smirk at the blush rapidly fading into her cheeks.
"A-Anou..." She looks away in embarrassment and blushes even harder when I pull her closer, making her chest squeeze up against mine. I lean closer to Momona's face and her eyes squeeze shut when our lips are on the brink of a kiss... And then,
*Chu*
"Eh?!" Momona touches her cheek and looks at me confused.
"What?" I return.
"N-Nothing... [size=10]You just got my hopes up....[/h]"
"If that's the case we can continue when we're finished."
"O///O"
0
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
((I'm gonna ditch the variable-color font))
"So, you ready to leave?" Jerry asked Yukari, who had just eaten another Sea Urchin. She finished chewing, swallowed, and nodded slowly, a dreamy smile appearing on her face. "You know how you used to run a couple years ago when you were part of SEES?"
"Yeah, what about it?" She replied skittishly, watching the smile crawl over Jerry's face.
"Well I don't feel like paying and I know a few shortcuts home and--oh, damn--the door is wide open. Let's go!"
"Jerry. Jerry, wait!" Jerry didn't listen, and slid out of the seat quickly before beginning an all-out sprint with Yukari close behind, still yelling objections his way.
"Too late now, let's book it!" He yelled behind him as a man tried to move into his way, only to be easily shouldered into the counter by the 6'3'' sprinter. "Sorry!" He yelled again as he dashed into the open street for no more than ten paces before disappearing into an alley.
After each footfall, he heard the click of Yukari's shoes, and was relieved to know she was able to keep up. Two years of being a normal student hadn't slowed her down at all.
As they navigated the twisting alleys of Fakku, Jerry could almost see the map of the city in his mind, neatly guiding him through every single turn with the ultimate goal of their apartment drawing ever closer.
"Hold on." He said before stopping abruptly at the mouth of the alleyway that faced their apartment building. On the third floor, on the left side, a slight light glowed from the window. "Someone's in the house." He said coolly, wishing he had been able to bring his USP .40 with him overseas. Instead, he reached for the small kay-bar in his back pocket and un-sheathed it before waving Yukari on and calmly crossing the street.
They came to the door of the building and Jerry nonchalantly let the two of them in, holding the door open for Yukari before closing it gingerly. They climbed the set of stairs in silence before finally arriving at their room. Yukari looked to Jerry apprehensively, who simply smiled and shook his head.
"I didn't train with Gunny Ackerson for a couple years for nothing. I couldn't know what I was getting into over here." He whispered, trying to comfort Yukari, who just nodded slowly as he thumbed the doorknob, then opened it.
"The blade will be quite un-necessary, Mr. Anarei. We both know it isn't your strong point anyway." A European-sounding voice came from the interior of their living room. Jerry cautiously stepped in to find five men in business suits seated on his couch, chairs, and even the floor. Of the five, one wore a white suit with a black tie, almost stereotypical Yakuza. Jerry inhaled deeply and entered, surprised to not see anyone at the thresh hold ready to dis-arm him. He nodded to Yukari and indicated that she come in. She nodded, gathering her own courage, and stepped inside, her eye already on a practice bow she always left near the door. "The blade, Mr. Anarei. I won't ask again." The man repeated. Jerry shrugged and buried the kay-bar in his wall to the hilt, for no other reason than to intimidate.
"To whom may I be speaking?" He said with what little he remembered of western etiquette. The man nodded knowingly and raised his chin toward Jerry, already insulting him.
"I am Priest, and I come representing certain interests." The man said seriously. Jerry's face contorted and he fought laughter before finally calming himself down.
"Alright, Father. What interests are, well for lack of a better term, interested in me?" He asked bluntly, causing the man's lips to curl into a mischievous smile.
"I'll not name names, Mr. Anarei, but I merely came to say that my employer has taken notice of your skills, and that when my employer takes notice, my employer gains another to his cause. Do you follow?"
"Let's say for the sake of argument that I am. One: what 'skills' are you referring to, and two: are you insinuating that I will be employed by this Mr. Man you're here for?"
"Come now, Mr. Anarei. Your skills should be obvious to you. Your uncanny ability to give rise to and control such massive volumes of information with your computers is of course what we're after. It isn't natural to do some of the things you've done before. Oh, and don't tell me you haven't told your wife of the synthetic conscious you've been working on. It's, for lack of a better term, magic. Hocus-Pocus, Mumbo-Jumbo, a feat that modern man cannot understand. You are taking part in such things, Mr. Anarei. That is why you will be employed, and take note that I said will be."
"Jerry?" Yukari said, de-railing his train of thought. Of course he hadn't told anyone about Rei. He couldn't tell anyone about Rei. By all rational thought Rei shouldn't exist, and yet she did, neatly tucked away on Jerry's closet terminal. He ignored her one-word question and locked eyes with the Father.
"So, if I join," as he said this the man smiled again, "what'll happen?"
"Well of course you'll go straight to work, and your wife will go straight to my employer. This is strictly SOP. Don't go thinking you're someone overtly-important." He said airily, as if he had done this all numerous times. Hell, maybe he has.
"Well then, I'll have to say Mr. Man can go choke on one, and so can you, Father."
The man's smiled broadened to physically impossible widths, each of his teeth immaculately white.
"Oh, I'd hope such an insolent whelp like yourself would say that."
"Whelp, really? Alright, Father. We'll be taking our leave now." He said as the lights died in the whole city block. He flipped his cell phone closed in his hoodie pocket and grabbed Yukari by the elbow. "Grab your bow and run. We're getting the fuck out of here."
EDIT: Could I go ahead and continue or is this whole deal dead and buried?
"So, you ready to leave?" Jerry asked Yukari, who had just eaten another Sea Urchin. She finished chewing, swallowed, and nodded slowly, a dreamy smile appearing on her face. "You know how you used to run a couple years ago when you were part of SEES?"
"Yeah, what about it?" She replied skittishly, watching the smile crawl over Jerry's face.
"Well I don't feel like paying and I know a few shortcuts home and--oh, damn--the door is wide open. Let's go!"
"Jerry. Jerry, wait!" Jerry didn't listen, and slid out of the seat quickly before beginning an all-out sprint with Yukari close behind, still yelling objections his way.
"Too late now, let's book it!" He yelled behind him as a man tried to move into his way, only to be easily shouldered into the counter by the 6'3'' sprinter. "Sorry!" He yelled again as he dashed into the open street for no more than ten paces before disappearing into an alley.
After each footfall, he heard the click of Yukari's shoes, and was relieved to know she was able to keep up. Two years of being a normal student hadn't slowed her down at all.
As they navigated the twisting alleys of Fakku, Jerry could almost see the map of the city in his mind, neatly guiding him through every single turn with the ultimate goal of their apartment drawing ever closer.
"Hold on." He said before stopping abruptly at the mouth of the alleyway that faced their apartment building. On the third floor, on the left side, a slight light glowed from the window. "Someone's in the house." He said coolly, wishing he had been able to bring his USP .40 with him overseas. Instead, he reached for the small kay-bar in his back pocket and un-sheathed it before waving Yukari on and calmly crossing the street.
They came to the door of the building and Jerry nonchalantly let the two of them in, holding the door open for Yukari before closing it gingerly. They climbed the set of stairs in silence before finally arriving at their room. Yukari looked to Jerry apprehensively, who simply smiled and shook his head.
"I didn't train with Gunny Ackerson for a couple years for nothing. I couldn't know what I was getting into over here." He whispered, trying to comfort Yukari, who just nodded slowly as he thumbed the doorknob, then opened it.
"The blade will be quite un-necessary, Mr. Anarei. We both know it isn't your strong point anyway." A European-sounding voice came from the interior of their living room. Jerry cautiously stepped in to find five men in business suits seated on his couch, chairs, and even the floor. Of the five, one wore a white suit with a black tie, almost stereotypical Yakuza. Jerry inhaled deeply and entered, surprised to not see anyone at the thresh hold ready to dis-arm him. He nodded to Yukari and indicated that she come in. She nodded, gathering her own courage, and stepped inside, her eye already on a practice bow she always left near the door. "The blade, Mr. Anarei. I won't ask again." The man repeated. Jerry shrugged and buried the kay-bar in his wall to the hilt, for no other reason than to intimidate.
"To whom may I be speaking?" He said with what little he remembered of western etiquette. The man nodded knowingly and raised his chin toward Jerry, already insulting him.
"I am Priest, and I come representing certain interests." The man said seriously. Jerry's face contorted and he fought laughter before finally calming himself down.
"Alright, Father. What interests are, well for lack of a better term, interested in me?" He asked bluntly, causing the man's lips to curl into a mischievous smile.
"I'll not name names, Mr. Anarei, but I merely came to say that my employer has taken notice of your skills, and that when my employer takes notice, my employer gains another to his cause. Do you follow?"
"Let's say for the sake of argument that I am. One: what 'skills' are you referring to, and two: are you insinuating that I will be employed by this Mr. Man you're here for?"
"Come now, Mr. Anarei. Your skills should be obvious to you. Your uncanny ability to give rise to and control such massive volumes of information with your computers is of course what we're after. It isn't natural to do some of the things you've done before. Oh, and don't tell me you haven't told your wife of the synthetic conscious you've been working on. It's, for lack of a better term, magic. Hocus-Pocus, Mumbo-Jumbo, a feat that modern man cannot understand. You are taking part in such things, Mr. Anarei. That is why you will be employed, and take note that I said will be."
"Jerry?" Yukari said, de-railing his train of thought. Of course he hadn't told anyone about Rei. He couldn't tell anyone about Rei. By all rational thought Rei shouldn't exist, and yet she did, neatly tucked away on Jerry's closet terminal. He ignored her one-word question and locked eyes with the Father.
"So, if I join," as he said this the man smiled again, "what'll happen?"
"Well of course you'll go straight to work, and your wife will go straight to my employer. This is strictly SOP. Don't go thinking you're someone overtly-important." He said airily, as if he had done this all numerous times. Hell, maybe he has.
"Well then, I'll have to say Mr. Man can go choke on one, and so can you, Father."
The man's smiled broadened to physically impossible widths, each of his teeth immaculately white.
"Oh, I'd hope such an insolent whelp like yourself would say that."
"Whelp, really? Alright, Father. We'll be taking our leave now." He said as the lights died in the whole city block. He flipped his cell phone closed in his hoodie pocket and grabbed Yukari by the elbow. "Grab your bow and run. We're getting the fuck out of here."
EDIT: Could I go ahead and continue or is this whole deal dead and buried?
0
Spoiler:
The moment the last dish is dried and put away I grab Momona by the hand and lead her out of the kitchen, just in time to meet Nao and others who are coming into the living room.
"Oh, Lang-kun, Momo-san, you're just in time to watch the movie!" Gentoku greets us.
"Um... What about your homework?" I ask.
"Oh, our teachers didn't give us much homework today" Koumei chimes in.
In case you're wondering, some of the teachers girls have are under the impression their students don't have lives outside of school; leaving the girls to haul up in one room and do their homework with Nao's assistance. The girls look relieved as they take their seats in the living room... With Momona joining them. I breathe a sigh and go over to the couch.
When there's a knock at the door.
"I'll get it!" Tiffania says as she goes to open the door.
On the other side are a group of men. All wearing suits of white save for the one dressed in red.
"Um, can I help you?" Tiffania politely asks.
"We're looking for someone" The one in red explains. "A young man who calls himself Kuroryu."
I could say everything had fallen silent at the mention of that name, but there wasn't much noise in the first place. I grab my hand and rush to Tiffania's side and grab the door.
"What's this about" I ask the group.
"Ah, there you are..." He pauses a moment. "I suppose I should call you Mr. Dragon. May we come in?"
"We're in the middle of something." My tone doesn't sound inviting.
"Oh don't worry, Mr. Dragon-This won't take too much of your time." And he isn't phased.
The both of us take a moment to inspect each other. These guys look like Yakuza, they're probably here to recruit me. Any amateur who isn't intimidated by these kinds of people would simply close the door on them. Besides, this isn't the first time we've had this situation on our hands. I motion for Tiffania to stand back, then nods and step aside for the men to come in.
"This way." I lead them to a table where the leader takes a seat across from me while his men stand behind him.
"As aforementioned you and your... Family I guess you can say, were in the middle of something, so I will be brief." He stops to clear his throat. "Your reputation in among warriors and martial arts, even mystics proceeds you, Mr. Dragon. It proceeds you enough that my lord has taken special interest in you."
"So, this is the part where you try to convince me to fight for your little gang." I respond. "Well, this is also the part where I say no and respectfully ask you to leave."
"Oh, but you don't understand, Mr. Dragon... We are much more than some crime family or gang. My lord is man of great power, both physically and influentially. You would do well to respect his wishes and come with us."
"My apologies, sir. But I believe Dragon has made it quit-"
"And what makes this female think she may speak amongst men?!" One of the guys in white yells before Nao can finish.
"Hey!" I point my finger at him. "You leave that out of my apartment!"
"Isn't this a loft?"
"Whatever!"
"Ha! HAHAHAA!!"
"And the hell's so funny?!" I demand the guy in red.
"Listen, boy. Despite your reputation you are nothing compared to one such as I, who bares the rank of Blademaster in my faction. And we didn't travel all this way to be refused. You and these females are going to come with us." He explains.
At first I say nothing, just give the guy and his cronies a long hard look and then.
"How about you and I discuss this further; out on the roof?" I suggest.
"Really, now?" They get the hint almost instantly. "This ought to be interesting." And then the red suit snaps his fingers and points to the door, commanding his cronies to march out the door, but not without shooting the girls a slimy look that makes them shudder. The red suit is last to leave, but he stops short of exiting.
"If you have any pride towards the reputation you've built up; you wouldn't use this as a chance to flee. I'd hate for my men and I to have to chase the lot of you down, Mr. Dragon."
"Don't you worry." I reassure him.
He turns ever so slightly and smirks at me just at the corner of his eye, then casts the same look at Tiffania making her need a bath all the more. When he's gone I go down the hall of the apartment and come out with a weapon in my hand and the girls follow behind me.
Spoiler:
0
Jericho Antares
FAKKU Writer
Jerry could feel his legs burning from the sprint he and Yukari had been enduring up until now. With quick commands from his cell phone, he had given the two of them all the aid they could get from the city, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that the Father had won, and that this was all just going to add to him dying tired. He searched himself for his second 4'' survival knife and pulled it from his interior pocket with a sigh of relief before the two of them stopped at a busy intersection. No amount of cracking the transit network could help them here. They'd have to either fight here or run through them. Jerry was all for running.
"Well, Jerry?!" Yukari said as she strung her bow and nocked it, a swan-feather arrow being drawn back to her ear as two of the Priest's men stepped from the shadows, their trench-coats as black as the darkness they emerged from.
"Take these two down first, then improvise." He muttered before Yukari nodded and let her arrow fly. A gentle hissing sound cut through the air as the arrow embedded itself in one of the men's trench-coats with a solid thud. The man grunted, but pressed on.
"Jerry!"
"Working on it!" He said as he slowly advanced one of the men and widened his stance. The lumbering man took a swing at Jerry, which was easily side-stepped before Jerry buried the knife in the man's shoulder. He grunted and pulled the knife out himself before tossing it behind him. Jerry smirked before backing away slowly and bumping into a pedestrian. "Oh--" His voice died in his throat as he realized that the entire crossing was frozen in time. From the shadows, a set of eerily white teeth smirked, reminding Jerry of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. He felt an involuntary shiver run up his spine before the Priest stepped from the same abyss, his suit still neat as if he had been driven to the scene.
"Can't run fast enough when the world itself refuses to move, Mr. Anarei." He said, still smiling. Jerry considered one last mockery of the father before his bizarre and well-deserved demise, but he checked himself and looked to Yukari.
"Your choker, throw it here." He said. She shot him a strange look before nodding and taking off the old leather choker she always kept on herself. Jerry opened up a slit he had cut in the heart-shaped cut of leather and pulled out a chip, which he had placed into his phone. "Your intelligence was...inaccurate, father. I didn't only create a synthetic consciousness. I created a synthetic way to distribute it." He said with a victorious air as the street around them melted away. He had one final trump card to play, but it involved tilting his hand entirely. The Priest smiled in obvious amusement, and Jerry only hoped it would hold him up long enough.
"So you aren't just blowing hot air, I see. Quite impressive. My employer will be very happy to hear of this."
"But he won't"
A diamond bounced on the floor between them
Shackles clanged in the distance
A bolt of lightning split the sky
And a massive serpent erupted from the ground, eating the shocked Priest whole. The blank world and the serpent faded away to the now moving crossing, where the Priest thrashed on the ground in pain and Jerry had already grabbed Yukari's hand and dashed away.
"What was that?!" Yukari yelled over their loud breathing. Jerry shrugged before finally thinking of a short enough answer.
"That was a virus in comp-vision. A real nice one I made not too long ago. I call it CETUS. Never thought it would work that well, anyway."
"It worked great, he's still on the ground I think."
"I meant the illusion the program produced. I never thought it could be that potent, let alone work in the first place. I gotta thank the Father for one thing though, he gave me the balls to try it out."
"Well, Jerry?!" Yukari said as she strung her bow and nocked it, a swan-feather arrow being drawn back to her ear as two of the Priest's men stepped from the shadows, their trench-coats as black as the darkness they emerged from.
"Take these two down first, then improvise." He muttered before Yukari nodded and let her arrow fly. A gentle hissing sound cut through the air as the arrow embedded itself in one of the men's trench-coats with a solid thud. The man grunted, but pressed on.
"Jerry!"
"Working on it!" He said as he slowly advanced one of the men and widened his stance. The lumbering man took a swing at Jerry, which was easily side-stepped before Jerry buried the knife in the man's shoulder. He grunted and pulled the knife out himself before tossing it behind him. Jerry smirked before backing away slowly and bumping into a pedestrian. "Oh--" His voice died in his throat as he realized that the entire crossing was frozen in time. From the shadows, a set of eerily white teeth smirked, reminding Jerry of the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland. He felt an involuntary shiver run up his spine before the Priest stepped from the same abyss, his suit still neat as if he had been driven to the scene.
"Can't run fast enough when the world itself refuses to move, Mr. Anarei." He said, still smiling. Jerry considered one last mockery of the father before his bizarre and well-deserved demise, but he checked himself and looked to Yukari.
"Your choker, throw it here." He said. She shot him a strange look before nodding and taking off the old leather choker she always kept on herself. Jerry opened up a slit he had cut in the heart-shaped cut of leather and pulled out a chip, which he had placed into his phone. "Your intelligence was...inaccurate, father. I didn't only create a synthetic consciousness. I created a synthetic way to distribute it." He said with a victorious air as the street around them melted away. He had one final trump card to play, but it involved tilting his hand entirely. The Priest smiled in obvious amusement, and Jerry only hoped it would hold him up long enough.
"So you aren't just blowing hot air, I see. Quite impressive. My employer will be very happy to hear of this."
"But he won't"
A diamond bounced on the floor between them
Shackles clanged in the distance
A bolt of lightning split the sky
And a massive serpent erupted from the ground, eating the shocked Priest whole. The blank world and the serpent faded away to the now moving crossing, where the Priest thrashed on the ground in pain and Jerry had already grabbed Yukari's hand and dashed away.
"What was that?!" Yukari yelled over their loud breathing. Jerry shrugged before finally thinking of a short enough answer.
"That was a virus in comp-vision. A real nice one I made not too long ago. I call it CETUS. Never thought it would work that well, anyway."
"It worked great, he's still on the ground I think."
"I meant the illusion the program produced. I never thought it could be that potent, let alone work in the first place. I gotta thank the Father for one thing though, he gave me the balls to try it out."
0
When the lot of us reached the roof, the men that came bothering us looked unrecognizable for a moment. Gone were their white suits and they stood wearing an armor of steel plates reinforced by chain mail underneath and their leader decked in an ornate black and grey armor, resembling knights and samurai respectively.
The cronies formed their usual line behind their leader, who stood to meet us with his arms folded over his shoulders. I noticed that wing chun dummy I practiced with next to him, right before the man sent it sprawling over the edge with but a single blow. His eyes that glowed behind the helmet looked expectantly at me.
"And...?" I answer him.
Silence. Not a sound save for the wind. The moment I take my stance the Blademaster was on me throwing a barrage of punches and kicks that increased in speed and power by the second. I dodge and parry every strike with relative easy until he grabs my shoulders and throws me over his. I roll on the ground, but suddenly get knocked forward by a force against my back.
"Lang-kun!" I hear Momona cry out.
I don't have much time to react as the Blademaster closes the distance against with his fist cocked back. This time I intercept the punch all the while slipping into his stance and toss him over my hip, slamming his head into the ground. He kicks me when he's on the floor and I raise my hand to block, letting the kick force me back. When I regain my footing I dash forward and land a kick against his head... Or at least I would have had my leg not been cut.
'What the?!" I look up and notice a blade protruding from the Blademaster's helmet that definitely wasn't there before. I can sense a smirk from the way the shape of his eyes shifted and suddenly parts of his armor began to bend and twist into another blade before he rushes me.
With the wound on my foot I can't stand, but that doesn't mean I'm out of options. I focus and breathe out, energy flowing from my lower stomach to my arms. The energy at first an aerobic white turns into a crackling blue before I force it out of my palms with "HAAHH!" and hit the Blademaster square in the chest. He hung there a moment, the electricity coursing and tearing through his being until he fell to the ground, all but lifeless made evident by the occasional twitch.
The cronies rush to their leader, all of them shouting "Blademaster!" and inspect the fallen fighter. Then one of them turns.
"Why you...!" He doesn't finish his sentence and just charges me. I just look at him, breathing out for another attack when something flashes behind me. I turn ever so slightly to look at it, just when the light blinds me and I can hear the cronies scream.
When it fades I look at Gentoku put her glasses back on as Nao rushes to me. She gets right to work with reciting an incantation under her breath while the hand hovering over my hounded leg heals.
"Are you alright?" She asks.
"You know I am." I answer with a smirk.
A flicker of movement turns my attention to where the group had ended up. Tiffania stands over the group and produces a wand and holds it over her hand. She whispers glide along the winds that swirl and rise around the pile of bodies. There's another flash of color that goes from gold to green then fades.
Tiffania had just erased their memories. But whoever sent these guys will refresh it sooner or later.
The cronies formed their usual line behind their leader, who stood to meet us with his arms folded over his shoulders. I noticed that wing chun dummy I practiced with next to him, right before the man sent it sprawling over the edge with but a single blow. His eyes that glowed behind the helmet looked expectantly at me.
"And...?" I answer him.
Silence. Not a sound save for the wind. The moment I take my stance the Blademaster was on me throwing a barrage of punches and kicks that increased in speed and power by the second. I dodge and parry every strike with relative easy until he grabs my shoulders and throws me over his. I roll on the ground, but suddenly get knocked forward by a force against my back.
"Lang-kun!" I hear Momona cry out.
I don't have much time to react as the Blademaster closes the distance against with his fist cocked back. This time I intercept the punch all the while slipping into his stance and toss him over my hip, slamming his head into the ground. He kicks me when he's on the floor and I raise my hand to block, letting the kick force me back. When I regain my footing I dash forward and land a kick against his head... Or at least I would have had my leg not been cut.
'What the?!" I look up and notice a blade protruding from the Blademaster's helmet that definitely wasn't there before. I can sense a smirk from the way the shape of his eyes shifted and suddenly parts of his armor began to bend and twist into another blade before he rushes me.
With the wound on my foot I can't stand, but that doesn't mean I'm out of options. I focus and breathe out, energy flowing from my lower stomach to my arms. The energy at first an aerobic white turns into a crackling blue before I force it out of my palms with "HAAHH!" and hit the Blademaster square in the chest. He hung there a moment, the electricity coursing and tearing through his being until he fell to the ground, all but lifeless made evident by the occasional twitch.
The cronies rush to their leader, all of them shouting "Blademaster!" and inspect the fallen fighter. Then one of them turns.
"Why you...!" He doesn't finish his sentence and just charges me. I just look at him, breathing out for another attack when something flashes behind me. I turn ever so slightly to look at it, just when the light blinds me and I can hear the cronies scream.
When it fades I look at Gentoku put her glasses back on as Nao rushes to me. She gets right to work with reciting an incantation under her breath while the hand hovering over my hounded leg heals.
"Are you alright?" She asks.
"You know I am." I answer with a smirk.
A flicker of movement turns my attention to where the group had ended up. Tiffania stands over the group and produces a wand and holds it over her hand. She whispers glide along the winds that swirl and rise around the pile of bodies. There's another flash of color that goes from gold to green then fades.
Tiffania had just erased their memories. But whoever sent these guys will refresh it sooner or later.
0
Upon arriving in his apartment Granth found to the place lifeless and deserted, instead of Holly there was now a small piece of white paper in her stead. In a steady pace he walked over to the dinner table, picking up the piece of paper and inspecting it's content.
"Another job. You won't get lucky tonight.
~Love, Holly.
P.S. : I took some money."
Directly after reading the note Granth's fist spontaneously crushed the piece of paper, whilst at the same time an expression of rage settled on his face, his mind screaming out "Bitch!" during all this. It seemed Holly had been offered another assignment whilst he was away, no surprise there considering that she's the 6th Ranked assassin within the UAA. However for some reason Granth had been looking forward to some company, considering his profession it was safe to say that him and public relations did not get along very well. Hence most of his time was spent alone. However then it hit him, he had left in the park the thing he went out for in the first place. His bottle of sake. Since Holly had ditched him, and seeing that nobody was around, he could surely use it. As such he decided to put his coat back on and head back out to get it.
After, once again, the immensely long elevator ride down he made his way to the steps of the skyline apartment building. However in front of it was standing someone he had not expected to see again. The girl from before, dressed in various colors of pink, was now standing in front of him holding the white plastic bag Granth had been carrying earlier. It seemed that she had noticed that he had forgotten his bag and somehow she had been able to track him down, it seemed that his skills in erasing his trail had grown rusty. However taking a look at the somewhat woozy expression on the girl's face Granth immediately reached for the bag in the girl's hand, and as expected the sake bottle inside of it had been opened.
"You drank from it didn't you?" He asked her while he glared at her with his eyes closed narrowly.
"D-Don't say that... I only took a sip."
Upon hearing the girl's reply Granth sighed, so loud that probably the whole neighbourhood had heard it. Now his evening had become perfect, first he had been robbed by about his only lady friend, and now he had an semi-drunk minor on his hands. Of course there was only one thing he could do to solve this situation, he needed to let the girl stay over at his place. It was his responsibility as an adult, because even cold-blooded-payed-by-the-kill-assassins-living-at-the-edge-of-society like him had their standards and morals. However if had imagined somebody to keep him company it would at least have been someone more... "Well matured", but for now she would have to do because he'd be damned to make loneliness his new best acquaintance.
"So girly, what do they call you? Besides rummy?" Granth asked in a rather pompous tone.
"...Viola..." She replied whilst she looked away from him, avoiding eye contact.
"Sure thing, Viola it is. Well let's get you off the streets for now then, you're bound to become walking pedophile bait at this rate."
With that he picked her up, rested her stomach on his shoulder, and head back up to his apartment. (From a bystander's point of view this must've looked incredibly awkward.) Naturally Viola resisted with some kicked and screaming, though also naturally she gave in and peacefully let him carry her. After another long climb with the elevator he arrived back in front of his apartment door, after putting Viola down he unlocked the door and guided her in. Viola shyly stumbled around his apartment's living, somewhat exploring the luxurious environment. Without taking off his coat Granth ran to his bedroom, returning shortly after with a few towels and one of his old shirts.
"If you're planning on staying here for the night then you'll have to comply to one rule!... The only one allowed to be drunk in this place is me, so go wash the alcohol out of your system. However you'll have to do with one of my old shirts for the moment, whilst we get your clothes washed." He said to her without even taking a single breath in between sentences, in the meanwhile pushing towards the direction of his bathroom.
Viola stood in front of the bathroom door for a few seconds, with Granth staring into her back, before turning around and looking towards him with her bright blue eyes.
"...Thanks... But... What do I call you exactly?"
Her question was so obvious that Granth almost felt stupid for not having told her his same yet, however since he usually didn't pass around his name it was kind of natural that he hadn't yet.
"The name's Granth, now get in there." After he finished speaking he forcefully pushed Viola inside, closing the door after her.
"Thanks for waiting, quite courteous of you bunch..."
With that comment out of the way Granth turned himself towards the "lovely" bunch of gentlemen, dressed in suits, that had been occupying his couch for the past few minutes. They had been there ever since he had entered his apartment, however it seemed that they had been waiting until Viola had left the room before making any sort of move, hence why Granth had rushed Viola in there. In the middle of the bunch of suit wearing grunts sat a guy dressed in a red suit, who stood out a little more then the others. A few things were certain to Granth: They weren't from the association, they usually sent more "eccentric" individuals as messengers. They weren't here to kill him, otherwise they could've made their move already. They weren't here for just a chat either, Granth wouldn't have enough coffee to serve them all anyway.
"So what is it that you gentlemen need from a humble civilian like me this evening? If it's about that porn magazine I stole back in 8th grade, I already apologized for that one before."
Granth played the fool, he wasn't planning on revealing anything revolving himself to them until he knew why they were here, considering they didn't already know who he was exactly.
"Your sense of humour isn't quite up to par with your skill for killing Mr. Refined Black." (Granth cringed upon hearing that silly pseudonym.)
"I am referred to as Blademaster, you are welcome to call me that for now. The reason why we are in your company for the moment is because my lord is fairly interested in your skills, he can offer you a great deal more for your services then your association can, that is considering you do what you are told. However we won't delude you, you have brought another reason to our attention tonight that made us come here.
The girl.
She is also an individual our lord is interested in, however unlike you she wasn't going to be given the freedom of choice. Were you actually even aware she was working for an secret government faction until recently? Perhaps you should be more careful whom you take into your home Mr. Refined Black.
But that doesn't matter now, what matters now is that you comply with our offer. Once that is settled we can escort you and your friend to our headquarters."
The guy dressed in red spoke in an slimy unnerving tone, attempting to convince Granth while at the same time attempting to intimidate him.
"You see Mr. Blademaster, that's all fine and dandy but I already have good gig going here for myself. Killing slimy corrupt government scumbags for a good sum of cash per hit, sounds like the good life to me. If I really wanted the truly big bucks then I would've switched my profession to robbery a long while back. Not that your offer doesn't sound tempting but you see, the United Assassins Association doesn't take kindly to people whom leave their employment unauthorized, and since the only reason for resigning is being dead I don't see that happening for quite a while. Considering all the eccentric individuals that are ranked above me I wouldn't want to upset the association and make them send one of those guys after my head for a nice price, so I'll have to decline Mr. Blademaster.
However it seems you guys didn't quite think one bit through. Revealing the importance of the girl wasn't really a smart move, I think I'll keep her around for now. She's awfully cute you know, it would be a shame to leave such a pretty thing in the hands of shady characters as yourself.
So for now could you and your posse kindly get the fuck out of my home? Thank you."
After finishing his rather long-winded speech Granth slowly reached underneath his coat, to the backside of his belt. (Whilst looking around) At the same time a few of the men in suits stood up from the couch, Blademaster eventually followed.
"Don't bother, we know about your skill with beam katanas. Hence why we took the liberty of removing most of them from your home." Blademaster said as the bunch moved in closer. But with a sudden burst Granth pulled a handle loose from the back of his belt, instantly the dark metal frame on top of the handle began mechanically folding itself out, revealing a long broad katana about half as big as Granth himself. As Granth pushed the small button on the side of the handle the part of the blade that supposedly should have been sharp lightened up with a bright line of orange energy, flowing down the whole curve.
"Seems you bunch forgot about the Orange II.
I suggest you gentlemen leave right about now... Because it's a long way down from here."
"Another job. You won't get lucky tonight.
~Love, Holly.
P.S. : I took some money."
Directly after reading the note Granth's fist spontaneously crushed the piece of paper, whilst at the same time an expression of rage settled on his face, his mind screaming out "Bitch!" during all this. It seemed Holly had been offered another assignment whilst he was away, no surprise there considering that she's the 6th Ranked assassin within the UAA. However for some reason Granth had been looking forward to some company, considering his profession it was safe to say that him and public relations did not get along very well. Hence most of his time was spent alone. However then it hit him, he had left in the park the thing he went out for in the first place. His bottle of sake. Since Holly had ditched him, and seeing that nobody was around, he could surely use it. As such he decided to put his coat back on and head back out to get it.
After, once again, the immensely long elevator ride down he made his way to the steps of the skyline apartment building. However in front of it was standing someone he had not expected to see again. The girl from before, dressed in various colors of pink, was now standing in front of him holding the white plastic bag Granth had been carrying earlier. It seemed that she had noticed that he had forgotten his bag and somehow she had been able to track him down, it seemed that his skills in erasing his trail had grown rusty. However taking a look at the somewhat woozy expression on the girl's face Granth immediately reached for the bag in the girl's hand, and as expected the sake bottle inside of it had been opened.
"You drank from it didn't you?" He asked her while he glared at her with his eyes closed narrowly.
"D-Don't say that... I only took a sip."
Upon hearing the girl's reply Granth sighed, so loud that probably the whole neighbourhood had heard it. Now his evening had become perfect, first he had been robbed by about his only lady friend, and now he had an semi-drunk minor on his hands. Of course there was only one thing he could do to solve this situation, he needed to let the girl stay over at his place. It was his responsibility as an adult, because even cold-blooded-payed-by-the-kill-assassins-living-at-the-edge-of-society like him had their standards and morals. However if had imagined somebody to keep him company it would at least have been someone more... "Well matured", but for now she would have to do because he'd be damned to make loneliness his new best acquaintance.
"So girly, what do they call you? Besides rummy?" Granth asked in a rather pompous tone.
"...Viola..." She replied whilst she looked away from him, avoiding eye contact.
"Sure thing, Viola it is. Well let's get you off the streets for now then, you're bound to become walking pedophile bait at this rate."
With that he picked her up, rested her stomach on his shoulder, and head back up to his apartment. (From a bystander's point of view this must've looked incredibly awkward.) Naturally Viola resisted with some kicked and screaming, though also naturally she gave in and peacefully let him carry her. After another long climb with the elevator he arrived back in front of his apartment door, after putting Viola down he unlocked the door and guided her in. Viola shyly stumbled around his apartment's living, somewhat exploring the luxurious environment. Without taking off his coat Granth ran to his bedroom, returning shortly after with a few towels and one of his old shirts.
"If you're planning on staying here for the night then you'll have to comply to one rule!... The only one allowed to be drunk in this place is me, so go wash the alcohol out of your system. However you'll have to do with one of my old shirts for the moment, whilst we get your clothes washed." He said to her without even taking a single breath in between sentences, in the meanwhile pushing towards the direction of his bathroom.
Viola stood in front of the bathroom door for a few seconds, with Granth staring into her back, before turning around and looking towards him with her bright blue eyes.
"...Thanks... But... What do I call you exactly?"
Her question was so obvious that Granth almost felt stupid for not having told her his same yet, however since he usually didn't pass around his name it was kind of natural that he hadn't yet.
"The name's Granth, now get in there." After he finished speaking he forcefully pushed Viola inside, closing the door after her.
"Thanks for waiting, quite courteous of you bunch..."
With that comment out of the way Granth turned himself towards the "lovely" bunch of gentlemen, dressed in suits, that had been occupying his couch for the past few minutes. They had been there ever since he had entered his apartment, however it seemed that they had been waiting until Viola had left the room before making any sort of move, hence why Granth had rushed Viola in there. In the middle of the bunch of suit wearing grunts sat a guy dressed in a red suit, who stood out a little more then the others. A few things were certain to Granth: They weren't from the association, they usually sent more "eccentric" individuals as messengers. They weren't here to kill him, otherwise they could've made their move already. They weren't here for just a chat either, Granth wouldn't have enough coffee to serve them all anyway.
"So what is it that you gentlemen need from a humble civilian like me this evening? If it's about that porn magazine I stole back in 8th grade, I already apologized for that one before."
Granth played the fool, he wasn't planning on revealing anything revolving himself to them until he knew why they were here, considering they didn't already know who he was exactly.
"Your sense of humour isn't quite up to par with your skill for killing Mr. Refined Black." (Granth cringed upon hearing that silly pseudonym.)
"I am referred to as Blademaster, you are welcome to call me that for now. The reason why we are in your company for the moment is because my lord is fairly interested in your skills, he can offer you a great deal more for your services then your association can, that is considering you do what you are told. However we won't delude you, you have brought another reason to our attention tonight that made us come here.
The girl.
She is also an individual our lord is interested in, however unlike you she wasn't going to be given the freedom of choice. Were you actually even aware she was working for an secret government faction until recently? Perhaps you should be more careful whom you take into your home Mr. Refined Black.
But that doesn't matter now, what matters now is that you comply with our offer. Once that is settled we can escort you and your friend to our headquarters."
The guy dressed in red spoke in an slimy unnerving tone, attempting to convince Granth while at the same time attempting to intimidate him.
"You see Mr. Blademaster, that's all fine and dandy but I already have good gig going here for myself. Killing slimy corrupt government scumbags for a good sum of cash per hit, sounds like the good life to me. If I really wanted the truly big bucks then I would've switched my profession to robbery a long while back. Not that your offer doesn't sound tempting but you see, the United Assassins Association doesn't take kindly to people whom leave their employment unauthorized, and since the only reason for resigning is being dead I don't see that happening for quite a while. Considering all the eccentric individuals that are ranked above me I wouldn't want to upset the association and make them send one of those guys after my head for a nice price, so I'll have to decline Mr. Blademaster.
However it seems you guys didn't quite think one bit through. Revealing the importance of the girl wasn't really a smart move, I think I'll keep her around for now. She's awfully cute you know, it would be a shame to leave such a pretty thing in the hands of shady characters as yourself.
So for now could you and your posse kindly get the fuck out of my home? Thank you."
After finishing his rather long-winded speech Granth slowly reached underneath his coat, to the backside of his belt. (Whilst looking around) At the same time a few of the men in suits stood up from the couch, Blademaster eventually followed.
"Don't bother, we know about your skill with beam katanas. Hence why we took the liberty of removing most of them from your home." Blademaster said as the bunch moved in closer. But with a sudden burst Granth pulled a handle loose from the back of his belt, instantly the dark metal frame on top of the handle began mechanically folding itself out, revealing a long broad katana about half as big as Granth himself. As Granth pushed the small button on the side of the handle the part of the blade that supposedly should have been sharp lightened up with a bright line of orange energy, flowing down the whole curve.
"Seems you bunch forgot about the Orange II.
I suggest you gentlemen leave right about now... Because it's a long way down from here."