Going Home [Brynhild]

[Kaitou Nagano]

A weary Kaitou shuffled along the subway platform, sword held loosely in his left hand. Another night, another pack of Shadows sliced up. He'd managed to return from the Outer Circle unscathed this time, but his wounds from the other night's encounter still stung, evidenced by the slightly bloodied bandages wrapped around the man's arms.

"Mn... It's only eight... I probably have time to lounge around before going back," he mused, taking a moment to sit down at a nearby bench before pulling his sword out. It had gotten rather dirty in the last fight, and seeing as there was no one else around, he could take his time cleaning it before returning home. Reaching into his bag, the brunette pulled out a slender box containing cleaning papers and cloths and a bottle of oil. After taking another look to ensure he was alone, Kaitou set to work on cleaning his blade.

In a way, this process helped him to relax. When he was younger, Kaitou was quite hotheaded, flying off the handle at the smallest jabs. Even when his grandfather roped him into kendo lessons, he still found himself losing his temper quite often. It wasn't until he was made to clean the family's swords as punishment for getting into a scuffle that he could channel his pent-up energy into something that wasn't destructive. He wasn't sure what it was, but cleaning and polishing the steel blade to a lustrous shine gave the man a sense of fulfillment that soothed him.

As he was finishing up, the echo of footsteps caught Kaitou's attention. Users often came passing by the platform at this time of evening, so the person approaching probably wasn't anyone to be worried about. Still, it was best not to assume. He quickly returned his cleaning tools to the box and stuffed it in his bag before rising to his feet, blade grasped firmly in hand.

'Who's there, I wonder.'

[Brynhild]

The abandoned subway platform was an oddity. As a rule Shadows did not appear inside Mosaic City. The ordinary citizens didn't have to worry about being attacked in their homes. For some reason, however, the monsters had crept their way into the station and nowhere else. Well, there might be a second area in trouble. She didn't know. Brynhild rarely asked questions when she could just find out for herself. Certain coworkers would take the opportunity to talk for hours, and there was only so much torture she could handle in one day.

If the shadows could travel this far, what stopped them from spreading outside? The robotic girl decided to explore the place as thoroughly as possible. For the past three nights she stopped by after work, and today was no exception. So far she hadn't actually learned anything. Duty bound her to defeat most shadows she came across, which slowed any potential research.

Resting the spear against her shoulder, she decided to take a short break. Nonstop fighting would get her killed before she figured anything out. The advantage of being so close to downtown meant she could rest somewhere completely safe. Walking back to the entrance on auto-pilot, it took a minute for her to realize that another person stood in front of her. She frowned, mostly out of confusion.

“What are you doing?” Her voice came out more hostile than intended. The metaphorical adrenaline rush kept her ready to fight again. Brynhild quickly reminded herself that humans are not enemies. Shadows can not disguise their true forms, so there was no reason to be suspicious. Mentally this kid ended up being sorted into the same category as customers from her job. Pretending to be nice would get him to do what she wanted. Leave. Pulling that off without overtly mentioning certain things would be difficult, but necessary.

“This place is not safe, boy.” Obviously he new this already and expected trouble. Brynhild felt her eyes focus on his weapon. What did he bring a sword for? It couldn't be the enemies he didn't know existed. No, that had to be for cutting people. . . and suddenly she did not want to ask. “Your business can be done somewhere else.”

[Kaitou Nagano]

A brow quirked as the figure came into view. A woman, huh. She was about Kaitou's height and held a spear aloft in her hand. Was she another User, or a powerless fighter like him? Judging from the people he'd come across in the subway, the latter was unlikely. The woman was frowning at him, but her posture did not seem to imply hostility. However, her voice was gruff and somewhat... confrontational, perhaps.

"Eeeh? What am I doing here? What, are you some kind of subway enforcer?" he replied with a frown matching hers, lifting his sword before resting it on his shoulder. "And for the record, I'm twenty-two, girl." Perhaps he came off a bit snappish there. It wasn't intended, but the guy was just a bit worn out and now someone with a weapon popped up in front of him. An extremely long weapon, at that. The spear she hefted looked longer than the both of them put together. Maybe it'd be a good idea not to provoke her.

He should've just snarked a bit more at her and left. It was the easiest and least stressful course of action, and one that he'd taken up with other Users who approached him in the past. However, he couldn't keep pushing people away forever. Without a Persona of his own, Kaitou would need friends if he wanted to attempt to have a hand in expelling the Shadows from Mosaic City. One could not operate alone, after all. Through partnership came strength.

...Or maybe it was his utter lack of friends poking him in the head to try and start a stupid conversation. Who knew?

Kaitou cleared his throat, looking away before lowering his sword and sheathing it in a fluid motion. "Er. Right. I'm aware that I can slack off within the relative safety of the city, but this end of the subway tends to be empty enough to lounge around in. I'd know this from experience, y'know?" The brunette crossed his arms, shifting his weight between his feet every few seconds.

"In any case, you seem to be coming from the outside as well. Am I correct in assuming you weren't using that spear to practice pole vaulting?"

[Brynhild]

He didn't leave. Instead guy felt like being stubborn and having an attitude. According to the rules of socializing, this wasn't enough to justify kicking him. Brynhild failed to understand why he felt like mentioning his age. It's not like she made a mistake. Being three and a half times older than her still made him a boy. Men and women were people their parents' age. Maybe if the guy said thirty-five she would’ve rounded up. Coming up with a word in between might be a good idea for later.

Explaining any of that involved saying something either unimportant or confidential. The boy did put his sword away, which now made it wrong to try to fight him. She would sheathe her spear, if such a thing was even possible. Instead she walked over to the nearest pillar and rested the weapon against the wall.

“Of course I don't bowl fault, that would be ridiculous.” Not at all what he said, but that made even less sense. Who in the world needed to jump over a stick?

As well. Back up. His word choice was vague, but caught her off guard. It implied, that he knows what's going on. I mean, regular citizens did not know to look out for shadows. If he seriously visited the outer circle, didn't that mean he had a Persona? It didn't seem like he worked for. . . the Organization That Made Her Whose Name is Unknown (should really ask somebody about that). Although, this brought up the question of whether or not people outside their group even fought shadows. She never had to think about it before, but theoretically someone unrelated could accidentally summon their own spirit, right? That made sense. Brynhild already knew humans were able to, but how many were there?

She crossed her arms, and took a second to think. Briefly going over every restriction in place, none of the rules prevented her from talking more openly. Not mentioning the secret organization? Fine. Hiding the fact that she's a six year old robot? Perfectly okay. Now was not the time for in dancing around and pretending the other person doesn't know anything. The whole point of this conversation was wasting time, but come on.

“You have a Persona, then. If you know about all of this out there.” The goal was to ask a question—so he could possibly say no and move on—but it ended up being a statement. During the last half of the sentence, had been accompanied by the girl waving her arms around to indicate the entire outer area. It almost looked like she was drowning.

[Kaitou Nagano]

...Was this woman alright?

Kaitou could not help but raise his brow once more-- this time in perplexion. "Bowl... fault?" The words fell clumsily from his mouth to emphasize how bewildered he was at her response. Come to think of it, the woman's features implied she was of European descent. Perhaps this was an issue of "lost in translation"?

In any case, she had at least disarmed herself (he was still getting over the ridiculous proportions of her weapon) and seemed willing to stand around to make idle chatter. He tugged idly at some of the bandages that were beginning to loosen. His arm stung in response. Jerk. Maybe it'd be better to take the next day off before diving back into the cesspool of Shadows...

The remark about him owning a Persona snapped the brunette out of his thoughts. Just in time to see her floundering as if she were drowning mid-air, too. 'Europeans are... strange...' If only he knew. Kaitou was silent for a moment, deliberating on a rebuttal to the statement. He'd already gone out on a limb introducing the topic of the Outer Circle, and she had replied well enough. There probably wouldn't be any harm in talking about his status as a non-User. After all, it wasn't as if he'd be reprimanded for his actions by a total stranger.

"Feh... Not quite. I do indeed know about the city's circumstances, but I am not a User. I just happen to be knowledgeable on the subject." Kaitou nodded, finding his explanation satisfactory. Hopefully she would not have him expand on the fact that he did not have a Persona to fight with-- the sudden fear of being seen as inadequate popped up in his head at the thought. It was true, but still. While he would not deny it, nobody enjoyed admitting that they were weak.

[Brynhild]

“You. . . but. . .” She did not try to hide the look of confusion on her face, or close her mouth. Again this guy tried his best to baffle her at every turn. Brynhild lowered her guard at some point in this conversation. Somehow she felt completely relaxed. Perhaps due to being alone, this felt more like talking to a co-worker.

“He can't be serious. That doesn't even work.” She mostly muttered this to herself. Her eyes were not even looking at him, distracted by trying to solve this paradox. How could anyone know about Personae without having one themselves? That's not a thing. It's like being a cat without being an animal. Maybe her parents didn't have any, or one of the other scientists, but Boy had nothing to do with them. This. . . seemed highly unsafe. Granted, Bryn herself had fought shadows pre-Berserker, but that happened in a controlled environment. Others theoretically watched and could step in if something went wrong. If that's what brown-hair wanted to do, then somebody else should be nearby.

Regaining her composure, Brynhild took a deep breath (or at least pretended to). Part of her looked forward to the simplicity of not thinking and fighting shadows. She had no actual right to get him to leave. Could she pretend to be a part of the Persona Police, and say there's some law against civilians fighting evil? No, lying was dishonorable. He'd have to keep trying in order to gain superpowers. That didn't mean he had to be stupid about it. “This place is not safe, especially when you're alone.”

Cycling back around on this was not enough. Judging from what happened last time he wouldn't react well. More explanation may be necessary. She brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. “If you're doing something crazy, at least bring a friend with you.”

[Kaitou Nagano]

Ah? Ahh? This time, she seemed to be the confounded party. Her reactions were starting to amuse Kaitou. Well, maybe it was just the way the woman was staring utterly slack-jawed at him. That was pretty funny. His arms fell loose at his sides and he assumed a more relaxed posture, mimicking hers.

Catching her muttering, Kaitou chose to respond unnecessarily. "Au contraire," he quipped, a smirk drawing on his lips. "It is quite possible for him to know these things." She didn't look French, but Kaitou wasn't that well-versed in European languages. Regardless, this new piece of information he'd provided did not seem to be going over well in her mind. She was all frowns and perturbation and the like. Was it really that big of a deal that he went and battled Shadows without a Persona? He was no different from the rest of the Users, risking his life to fight against the monsters that were trying to run them into the ground.

Well, okay. He was a bit different. He had to fight them the hard way, without a Persona.

Maybe that was a lot different.

Eventually, his conversation partner (when would they get their names across, anyway?) gathered herself once more, putting on the neutral expression again before restating the obvious. Kaitou's brow twitched, but he kept his retort to himself. 'Yes, I know that. You don't have to tell me twice. You didn't even have to tell me once. Are you going back to getting on my nerves?'

She tacked a suggestion at the end of the statement that defused Kaitou's temper. Bring a friend. What friend? Kaitou had his cousins, and they were both experienced Users, but they were out doing their part to gather information and drive back the Shadows. In the beginning, they worked as a three-man unit, but after a mission gone sour due to the fact that Kaitou had no Persona, they had to let him go, and he could not fault them on their decision. They were strong, and he was far too weak. Nevermind the fact that he was far more proficient in combat than the both of them-- he was a liability without a Persona.

"I..." He paused, the smug look on his face quickly flipping into a frown as he looked to the side and tapped his foot. Bah, whatever. Just say it. Gold eyes turned back to the woman. "I don't have friends... y'know? I mean, I have co-workers and acquaintances, but none of them are aware of the situation surrounding the city. Even if they were... we're not friends. That's why I fight alone. I don't have anyone to rely on to watch my back... and for the most part, that's been alright."

[Brynhild]

Great, now both of them were serious. For the first time everything he said actually made sense. The whole story sounded very similar to her life. Well, at least the not having friends part. Brynhild hadn't felt close to anyone since Nineteen and the rest, however long ago that was. Everyone either died off or got assigned elsewhere, which might as well be the same thing since no one can leave.

Was this empathy she felt? That'd be a first. Relating on this deep a level did not seem to have any tangible benefit. This just made her feel terrible. They weren't at the amusement park. She wasn't ready for this roller coaster of emotions. By now it was too late to walk away and pretend nothing happened.

Brynhild kept shifting her weight from one foot to the other. What did regular people do in a situation like this? The thought crossed her mind to give the boy a hug, but she had never done so before. . . and was afraid of breaking him. Today did not look like a good day to learn how durable humans are.

Without even noticing, she lost interest in trying to drive him away. He fascinated her, more than the other regular people around. Branching out and interacting with others was the whole point of pretending to be human. Brynhild wanted at least one more opportunity to talk (preferably with less confusion but she wouldn't bet on it.) Leaving him alone would lower the chances of that happening. Boy couldn't survive: she barely lasted without a Persona, and he was weaker.

“It'd be nice if—” we could hang out together? Don't say that. She wasn't planning on dating the guy. No one had ever given her a lesson on friendship. It felt uncomfortable being the one doi ng the asking. Usually the person with better expression skills would introduce the idea of being life partners. . .

. . .Why was it so easy to make this romantic?

Slowing down and explaining everything seemed to work well before. Besides, it's not like it mattered if he said yes or not. “I can't blame you for doing the same thing I did, but we're going to have to fix that soon. Even if you were a wizard everyone needs help to survive. We can't exactly wait around for someone too stubborn to leave.”

[Kaitou Nagano]

Silence. Though it was not the first lapse in speech between the two tonight, this was the first time the air seemed so heavy around them as they each contemplated the other's words. Was this awkward? Probably, yes. But at the same time, Kaitou felt extremely vulnerable now. He'd never exchanged more than a greeting with other Users in the past, and now here he was, laying out such sensitive facts about his lack of a social life to a... strange stranger. Was he supposed to feel this exposed while trying to interact?

The woman teetered from one foot to the other, adding onto Kaitou's discomfort. What was she thinking? Was she mocking him internally? Did she feel for his situation? Perhaps she just wanted to use the facilities... Regardless, it was maddening to think that he cared about her opinion in the first place.

'Christ, has socializing always been this difficult?'

Eventually she spoke up, though her words were quickly revoked. Kaitou wound up staring at her more than he was expecting. The anticipation had built up considerably since he'd explained his situation, and all of a sudden she started to speak as if...

As if wanting to hang out, perhaps? Partner up and fight Shadows? Take a ride on the damn merry-go-round? He didn't know! He didn't know, and it was driving him up the wall. 'No, no. Cool your jets, pal. The lady's already shown she has an odd vocabulary. Maybe she's just taking her time to word everything out nicely.'

Once more did she speak up, this time with measured volume and wording. The same thing I did. So she was also alone in her endeavors. It wasn't surprising, but the way she said it implied that she was in a similar predicament as Kaitou. Friendless. Or without a companion. To fight with. Not one of those life partner thi-- why did his thoughts turn that way in the first place? Damn it. In any case, she talked as if she wished to have a hand in fixing the brunette's situation. Perhaps she didn't want to ask directly? Maybe she couldn't.

Socializing was tough, after all.

"If I were a wizard, I'd at least be able to blow the Shadows into bits without laying my hands on them. Feh." Right, the snark had to come first. Kaitou scratched the side of his head before looking back at her, forming his own words carefully. "Ah, but I'm not. You don't look like one either. And I'll go out on a limb and assume we're both having a tough time surviving on our own. I know you're a stranger and all, but... you seem to understand where I'm coming from. Making bonds isn't easy. I'd much rather charge headlong into battle and cut everything up, but nobody's won a war by standing alone. So..." A hesitant arm rose, though the man's conviction helped him steady himself as he held his hand out for the woman to take. It was a gamble at best and utter embarrassment at worst, but what did you have to lose when you were sitting at the bottom of the well?

"The name's Kaitou Nagano. If you don't mind taking on a non-User deadweight as a partner, why don't we team up and fight together?"

[Brynhild]

Mentally she prepared for whatever hostility he'd respond with. What she had said was a statement, not a question. As soon as he declined she planned on launching into a tirade about how he couldn't really stop her. The whole reason for her existence was to protect humans from Shadows. Even if she followed this guy around and interrupted every battle, no one would complain. Except for him, but that didn't matter.

Then the boy started talking, and immediately distracted her with visions of Shadows being eliminated. Combining two of the greatest things in the world—combat and dead shadows—instantly made her smile. She allowed herself a moment to happiness before refocusing on what he was saying.

Which, in summary, agreed to her demands. Suggestions. Whatever. Logic had gone out the window a while ago. It's a good thing she'd never have to go into detail about their whole exchange.

“Why would I offer if it bothered me?”

This agreement benefited both of them. She got to make sure he was alright, and he Kaitou got to stay alive. Any thoughts of abandoning the boy created images of what her life might've ended up without companions. There was no doubt in her mind that one day he would discover his own Persona. Luckily by then her power would've also increased and she could prevent him from doing anything dangerous.

She blinked, and stared blankly at his outstretched hand. Something about this seemed familiar. Suddenly, her eyes widened in recognition. This was that thing she read about forever ago. Back when warriors touched hands to prove they weren't holding a weapon. A trust exercise. She used the corresponding arm and grabbed his hand.

It took a second for her to realize that she was supposed to say her name here. “I am called Brynhild, for reasons I've yet to find out. Sounded less unusual back in Denmark.”

[Kaitou Nagano]

The woman stared into space for a moment as Kaitou held his hand out, and immediately his confidence began to plummet. It was a pointless endeavor, wasn't it. The world wasn't kind like your family-- if you had nothing to offer them, then they had no reason to offer you anything in the first place, you know?

As he was about to pull back and mutter a deflated farewell, a smile broke out on her face. Well, that was unexpected. Maybe he was completely wrong about her after all? Then she spoke out, and his reactionary smile came almost instantly. Hey, wait. Calm down a bit, pal. It's not like you just won a billion Yen.

Well, maybe you did. Some people were under the belief that friendship and camaraderie were priceless or something.

Regardless, she seemed at least somewhat pleased by his proposal when she agreed. A few awkward moments of silence followed as she stared at his hand thereafter. It wasn't bloody or anything, was it? He'd washed up at the Gap... Oh, wait. Her eyes went wide as if she just figured something out. Was this another European thing? Finally, she took his hand and he shook in response (her grip was rather stiff...) as she introduced herself. The words that came out, however, left confusion lingering in Kaitou's mind.

"Eh? You... don't know why you've been named that?" Kaitou quirked a brow once more, releasing Brynhild's hand before putting his on his waist, adopting a puzzled expression. "Are you perhaps amnesiac? Those types come around more often than I care to admit." It would explain some of her odd mannerisms, for sure. If not that, though... then what?

[Brynhild]

Amnesia?

Her hand went back to her side as she contemplated his next question. Another reference to one of her books. A brain problem where humans forgot events that already happened. Or, they had a problem remembering new information. Either way it required damaging an organ she never even had. Didn't it? Brynhild knew that she occasionally spaced out during combat, but that's not the same issue.

“I can't have amnesia, I simply forget a lot of things.” She said this matter-of-factly, but in hindsight that statement was too vague. It very clearly sounded like a contradiction. Every part of she said was honest. She got used to being called number Eight and would have been happy to stick with that. One day everybody in charge called her Brynhild, which automatically felt natural. As if that's how they always addressed her. To be honest, it's not like she was the eighth android they had built, so that didn't make any sense either. Her bosses may have opened a book to a random page and chosen the first name they saw.

The need to clarify what had been said earlier prevented her from changing the topic. Kaitou would have to do without her theory for now.

“Bryn has something to do with armour or protection, and Hild translates battle. A character out of Norse mythology had this name, but she was a jerk. Plenty of unrelated people have some variation or another, which makes the original spelling unknown.” The last section had been an assumption, close enough to a lie to still bother her. She never saw any of the numerous people she had referred to. One day she'd have to look this up in a library. For today, going further into detail would not help her feel any better.

She looked away for a moment before continuing. “None of this answers the question of why, so I left it out. Until now. There's also no surname given to me either.”

[Kaitou Nagano]

"...?"

The more he spoke with Brynhild, the less sense he could make out of her situation. Her words were incredibly vague, as if she either couldn't explain her situation or simply did not wish to elaborate completely to the brunette. Not to be cynical, but it was likely the latter. She then went on to draw on the etymology behind her name which, while fascinating, didn't answer his question at all. She was  aware of this.

In the end, all he was left with was more questions. Not that he could criticize her-- it'd be more than a bit demanding for him to keep pressing her on the issue. Kaitou shook his head and sighed, waving a hand in front of his face to dismiss the subject. "Look, it's alright if you don't want to explain. I'm sure you have your reasons. However, we're partners now! If we want to be an effective Shadow-slaying duo, we, uh... probably have to get to know each other better."

'Maybe some trust exercises? Perhaps we should get dinner... Wait, scratch that-- it sounds too forward. Maybe we can just get to know each other better during battles.'

Ah, he'd figure it out later. For now, Kaitou put those thoughts away and turned back to Brynhild, gesturing to her spear. "Anyway... that's a topic for another day. Why don't you tell me about your fighting style and your Persona? I've got several years of battle practice and strategizing under my belt, but nothing to really show for it except daily injuries from Shadows."

[Brynhild]

Kaitou didn't get it. Her own inadequacy had made they guy suspect her of being secretive. Anger won out long enough to get her to start yelling. She opened her mouth to explain why he was wrong. . .and immediately closed it. This wasn't right Arguing against his point now would mean she'd have to lie. Information was being hidden from him. It wasn't worth the effort to keep this up while trying to stay honest. They'd have to come back around before she could correct him.

What were they talking about now? Fighting strategies. Focusing on something else may calm her back down. His own survival made it easy to believe that he knew about warfare. Sharing their own strengths and weaknesses to let the other know what to expect. An easy subject to start out with, yet still completely useful.

“We stab them.” Right afterward she looked away and sighed. Not a good way to start. “Obvious statement is obvious” she mumbled to herself. A live demonstration would make this easier. Brynhild walked over to the spear and placed one hand on the center of the shaft, the other a good distance below.

“I've practiced other weapons, but currently only own the spear. I am not always emotional enough to use magic at the start. In that case I charge and get in as many thrusts as I can.” Double-checking that she would not actually strike anything, Brynhild went and poked at the air few times, forming a diamond pattern of high, mid and low attacks. Gently placing the weapon on the ground, she faced Kaitou before continuing.

“By now I've been hit or in enough of a frenzy to summon my persona, Berserker. He manifests different medieval weaponry of ice and steel to cut the enemy down. After we move on to the next opponent.” Multitasking had always been difficult at best. If Personae were supposed to represent their owner, she'd be stuck fighting one at a time.

Curiosity drew her gaze down to his scabbard. Earlier when Kaitou had the blade out, her priorities were elsewhere. Curved swords weren't exactly mainstream in her country. Brynhild pointed in his general direction. “Forgot I wanted to ask, what style of sword is that you are using?”

[Kaitou Nagano]

Brynhild seemed anything but pleased at Kaitou's decision to not press her for details. Was it the way he spoke? Did he somehow slight her? ...Was this another European cultural custom he didn't understand? He really needed to brush up on his cultural know-how.

In any case, she held herself back from making any retorts, instead focusing on his last question. When she began to respond and then chided herself for such an obvious statement, he had to turn away to hide his bemused smirk. The way she spoke so frankly was kind of... silly. Endearing, if you pushed it. Afterwards, he watched intently as she hefted that enormous spear with practiced ease, It was even more remarkable how she could fluidly strike without lunging too far and falling over. Following this, she introduced her Persona's name. 'Berserker... It manifests medieval weapons, you use a spear, and you were named after a Valkyrie. I wonder how much of this is supposed to be coincidence? Regardless, that's really impressive...'

When she brought her attention to the family's blade at his waist, Kaitou followed her eyes then looked back up. "Ah, you're not familiar with these?" A smile tugged at his lips as he flicked his thumb against the tsuba to release the blade before drawing it and holding it aloft for her to observe. The brunette was quite fond of talking about swords, especially his own. "This is a katana. It's a blade native to Japan. Their use dates as far back as the 12th century, but they did not become revolutionary weapons until the 15th century when tempering techniques were being discovered by blacksmiths. You could say that this is the East's equivalent to the European's medieval long sword."

Kaitou took a few steps to the side and began to take slow, practiced swings with his sword before turning back to Brynhild, sheathing the blade. "There are several differences between the two blades, though. Katana are not meant to constantly clash against blades and steel armor like longswords-- they're crafted with a blunt edge in the back and an extremely sharp edge on the front. I can't demonstrate, but these blades are sharp enough to cleanly sever limbs. In any case, my fighting style is much more reserved compared to yours. Due to the razor-sharp edge of the katana, I can afford to eliminate Shadows in as few strikes as possible. It's simply a matter of finding a weak spot and then..."

In a moment, he'd pushed off his feet and dashed several yards down the platform, drawing his sword in a wide slashing arc from its scabbard and then re-sheathing it in one sweeping motion. Kaitou turned around and walked back to her, stopping a few feet away.

"...Then they get bisected. Or so I hope. Shadows are made of tougher stuff than us humans."