Proud Dust (Gin/Battle)

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira had agitated some low-level Shadows. Admittedly, the boy in drag was shocked that the little guys actually tried to bum rush him. Pretty ballsy of them, considering the instincts of others to avoid him. Still, fighting a literal horde would have been annoying, regardless of their strength. That was why the boy had summoned Alma Elma and had the succubus give him a ride. The embodiment of lust and temptation had wrapped her arms around the boy in drag as if she were holding a teddy bear, the duo just floating above a pool of squiggling blackness waving their arms about uselessly. Floating over them like that, the boy actually found the form of Mayas to be a bit endearing. He'd almost consider the idea of petting one and taming it as a pet if not for the fact that the army had discarded the idea that physical attacks would work, and, instead, sent a storm of magic- fire, ice, lightning, and wind- up into the sky to attack the boy and his succubus.

At their altitude, though, dodging was a piece of cake, and, eventually, the two were out of range of the platoon of Shadows. Slowly, they descended, the boy letting out cries of fake excitement in the form of “Yay, yay”. Once on his own two feet, the boy straightened his blouse. The belly area was a bit wrinkled. It was black, so it might not have mattered to others, but he did like to look nice if it was his intention. Drawing his gray jacket shut, he shifted his focus to his vermilion skirt. The flight hadn't ruined them. Blouse was still safely tucked in, too. Pantyshot? Wasn't happening. Thigh-highs were set, though some of the gray dust and powders stood out on the black socks. With a sigh, he tried brushing the mess away. His black pumps were dirty, but shoes were meant to get dirty in a place like that, so he wasn't bothered.

While Alma Elma scanned the surroundings, the boy then straightened his hair and glasses. All was well. He was the embodiment of femininity, he believed. Well, not really. But he looked damn good and looked the part of a girl.

[Gin Takemoto]

Sniff. Sniff.

Gin was in his shadow form, prowling the Shadowlands in an effort to stretch his legs. He ran for a couple hours, hardly tiring in this form. But that was before he had caught the scent of something. A human. And then he saw the oddest thing ever.

An army of Mayas, heading in the same direction. It was almost comical.

Still, with a few more sniffs to the air he could tell that they were heading in the direction of the human. So Gin sat on his haunches and watched to see what would happen. He was surprised by the outcome. The human seemed to summon a creature ho carried it out of the fray. Gin vaguely remembered that something similar was what brought him to existence, but he didn't pay those memories much mind.

What he did keep in mind was where the human was going. He followed them from the ground, and calmly walked up when they landed. And the human appeared to be female..

"Erm... Miss?" Gin spoke out to the human. "What are you doing here? This place is dangerous for you."

[Akira Nakajima]

As the boy situated himself, he sensed something approaching. It wasn't like the stereotypical things wandering about all over the ruins. No, it felt more like an area guardian. But he was outside, so that certainly couldn't be the case. Or had they begun segmenting the overall landscape into regions now? Whatever the case, the boy turned and found himself staring at a tiger. A huge-ass white tiger. And then the thing began to speak to him. Yeah, no. He was all for some fetishes, but he wasn't exactly in the mood to take or give to a giant cat. Or for talking animals. He found it very doubtful that he would be having intelligent conversation with a dog in heat.

”Ah, me? Well, I guess I'm just wondering whether I'm absolutely high and seeing a big, old pussy cat talking to me, or if you're just a Shadow. Mm. Considering that I don't like to touch nasty things with bad side effects, I'd say you're a Shadow. By that extent, this place is just as dangerous for you as it is for me.” Ah, intelligent conversation with a Shadow. Given that he'd heard back during that recon attempt that human Shadows did exist, then it wasn't too much of a shock to find other, intelligent ones around. The Grim Squeaker had been intelligent enough to speak. Either way, he wasn't going to just open up combat with something if he could talk to it. Instead, he'd show he was willing and capable, but with the intents of it being a deterrent. With a swing of his arm and scissros to the side and a surge of will, Alma Elma used Heat Riser. The boy's strength, resilience, and reflexes all jumped up a bit.

”So, Mister Pussy Cat, what are you doing here?” His tone had become increasingly cutesy. It was feminine from the get go, but now it was just borderline teasing. ”Am I supposed to be on your plate? Or are you just. . . curious like that cat in the stories?”

[Gin Takemoto]

Gin chuckled. However, in his shadow form it may sound like some sort of monstrous purring. He didn't care, though. This was one human who actually spoke to him. This was surprising because this wasn't the first time a human had strayed so far from their protective area. Those humans just charged in. They weren't around anymore. Still, as to the girl's statement. "Dangerous? For me? Can't you tell? I may not be a lion, but I'm king of this jungle sweetheart." Figuring that a conversation would be easier to carry on as a human, he transformed. 

He looked the girl over. "And trust me, you're not high. You wouldn't have thought to put up protection if you were. Still, as for your question. The answer isn't one or the other. Yet. I'm curious for now, but one wrong move on your part and I'll pick my teeth with your bones." Suspecting what the next question would be, he decided to supply an answer. "And before you ask, I'm curious as to what you know about my kind's blockade on you. I didn't help set it up, and I can't figure out the reasoning. Sure, it makes it easier to feed, but it's a bit... Obvious. It attracts too much attention. So I'm curious to see what you can tell me about it." 

In case the girl tried to attack, he transformed again. Then he prepared a spell, so as to counter if the human really were stupid enough to try to fight.

[Akira Nakajima]

So the kitty cat thought he was the king of the jungle. Even thought that it was fine to call Akira “sweetheart”. Well, that was adorable. Actually, it was a little hot. A Shadow was calling him pet names like that. His form warped into a human shape. Well, that answered a few questions. While the crossdresser was, in fact, listening, he was more interested in the boy's appearance. He was taking in every little detail he could. Height. Build. Hair color. Eye color. Everything he could possibly need to know to search for a person using what powers he did have, he recorded in his head. Had he a camera on hand- and not on a phone in his pockets- he might have actually tried taking a quick shot. Well, there was no harm in answering his question. It wasn't like it mattered if he answered- it wasn't a secret. While he did plan on it, he did have Alma Elma buff him once more. A second Heat Riser boosted his stats over once more.

”Ah, blockade, barrier. Well, you know. Your kind makes a circle and acts like the military. Keeps everyone all cozy in the other half of Mosaic. Could be any number of things. Could even be just a part worldwide segregation.” The crossdresser shrugged lightly, throwing an on-spot theory out there. That was enough of an answer. ”You said it makes it easier to feed. Judging by the fact that I don't hear about Shadows in the city, I'm going to assume you don't just mean physical feeding. What else do Shadows thrive on, then, Mister Cat?” The crossdresser casually inquired. His social partner was back in kitty form. Even if he was attacked after giving that knowledge, he was confident enough that he could hold his own.

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If 1-2, the following attack will be avoided.1-5

[Gin Takemoto]

Gin looked at the girl. She had given herself another boost while answering, so he could tell where this was going. Still, she had answered his questions. Not any reason to attack without imparting some info. Of course, Gin was getting the impression that the girl would be able to hold her own. Which just gave him more reason to be concerned. And there was one thing a person should never do: never concern a big cat. It was the equivalent of backing him in a corner. 

So, with a stretch, he allowed his claws to make an appearance. He doubted the girl would notice, unless she had extrasensory abilities. If she did, then he might have a problem. Wait. Her question. He started to pace around her, walking in a large circle.

"Well, missie, you were kind enough to indulge in my curiosity. So I see no reason not to satisfy yours. We Shadows feed off of human emotion. As it brings us forth, it sustains us. Now, I notice that you are preparing for a fight. Now, it wouldn't do me any good to be caught off guard, would it?" With a slight pause, he jumped at the girl. He swiped at her with his claws, dealing slash damage. If it connected. 

"Sorry about this, but I can't go dying yet!"

[Akira Nakajima]

Akira only smiled as he got what he was looking for. So Shadows could, in a way, coexist with humanity. In a strange way. Well, more correctly, Shadows more acted like a benign parasite. The tiger prowled around him. He slowly, casually, turned in suit, keeping his social partner in his sight. Such a polite person, though. He had no obligation to return the favor before trying to attack. Of course, Akira was not just a piece of prey to be had by a big, bulking tiger. He didn't know how he would die, but it was not here, and it was not now. The tiger lunged at him. In response, with reflexes boosted by Heat Riser, he twirled out of the way, almost like a ballerina, with his scissors acting as a drill pointed to the heavens.

”An understandable string of logic, I suppose. But. . . your resolve is weak if you're apologizing for attacking. If you're that weak-willed. . . then the result here is already determined.” It might as well have come from the dialogue of an RPG, but the boy meant what he said. As a User, he was prepared to die every time he went into the ruins. That was the risk he was willing to take. He had no apologies to give to the Shadows whose lives he stomped out to remain alive. That simply was not his way.

”Alma Elma, Heat Riser.” He directed the succubus calmly as she extended her arms, allowing a third and final empowering pulse of heat to engulf the crossdresser.

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If 1-3, the next attack will be dodged.
1-5

[Gin Takemoto]

Gin looked on as the girl twirled out of the way of his attack. Was twirling really needed? With a sigh, he turned to face the girl. Not only did she dodge his attack, but then she insulted him. Figures. He had only tried to be respectable to his opponent.  Of course she would in turn be disrespectful. And she thought that he was weak-willed because he was apologizing?

"You honestly feel that way? I'm not weak-willed. I just don't like causing needless death. Not only that, but I figured knowing that killing you wasn't my end goal would provide some small comfort. My bad." Still, he was irritated now. How dare she insult him? She was the one who didn't even have the confidence to take a weak blow. It was already going to be a bad day, he knew. He continued to circle his prey.  "Now then. Can you do me a favor, sweetheart? Die for Me." 

He looked on as darkness enveloped the area around them, and seemed to concentrate around the girl. He didn't want to have to fight, yet it was now needed. She had insulted him.

[Akira Nakajima]

The kitty went on a bit of a rant. Ah, that was cute. The boy remained silent, matching the tiger's movements with his gaze as he kept himself ready. Darkness came crashing down on him as he requested that Akira die. Well, that was certainly cute. Even as the darkness smashed down on him- it was too widespread to avoid on the first time, he judged- he laughed slightly. It hurt. Sure, it hurt. But he'd dealt with worse. He was stronger than he had been when he first stepped into the outer circle. He was armed and armored. Furthermore, his battle spirit was maximized by Heat Riser. As the darkness faded, the boy in dragged only smiled and slowly approached his opponent.

”You don't want to cause needless death, yet you attacked me first. You thought that knowing 'it wasn't a goal' to kill me would make it any better? Sorry, Pussy Cat. I don't think you quite understand what it is to be human.” He shook his head. ”Perhaps not even to be an animal. If you start a fight, you damn well better be ready to finish it. If you fight, it better be to kill or to defend. Every time I come out here, I'm prepared to die if it really comes to it. Death is a real predator, looming over everyone and everything, waiting for its time to strike.” The boy stopped his approach and readied his scissors. It was time to figure out what made this thing squeal.

”If you're ready to kill, you're ready to die. Hope you understand that.” The boy in drag concluded before charging with quick, long steps. The speed would have been impossible normally, but with Heat Riser in effect three times over, even what could be considered inhuman speed was possible. Once in range, he gripped the handles of his scissors and swung down, using the sharpened outer edges to treat it like a sword!

Action: Physical attack with scissors; Slash attribute
Notes: Heat Riser x3 (Maxed)

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If 1-3, the next attack will be dodged.
1-5

[Gin Takemoto]

Watching the human go on with a monologue was slightly amusing. Gin couldn't help but be entertained. The silly human was actually telling him how Death was a predator. As if he didn't already know. After his slight amusement, he went back to being irritated. The human was going to preach? To him?



Then she surprised him by dashing at him with an impressive speed. Then she slashed at him with what appeared to be a giant pair of scissors. And while, yes, it hurt. A lot more than it should have. It hurt, but probably not as much as the human hoped. After all, his hide was made to resist such things. Sadly for her, this had little more effect than making him mad.



"Listen, little girl. You know how we Shadows come to exist with a human form? We often have to kill our host. As for death, this guy was surrounded by it his entire life. He had been shunned because of it. When I took over his body, his memories merged with mine. I know all of his pain. I know his suffering. As such, I won't kill unless necessary for my survival. I attacked you because I could tell you were going to attack me."


Still, he doubted the human would listen to reason. Heck, he doubted this human had the capabilities to listen to anything. So, with a sigh, he cast "Dia" to heal the bothersome cut on his hide.

[Akira Nakajima]

It seemed that his scissors were not that effective. They did do damage, but not nearly as much as he'd expect. In other words, the Shadow resisted Slash attribute attacks. Not a problem. He had a few other types to try out. He'd use his bare hands next, just to make sure if Strike would work, given that he didn't want to rely on Alma Elma for much outside of healing until he knew exactly where this fight would go. That said, when his opponent gave another rant and healed itself with some small healing spell- was that a Dia? Seriously, a Dia? This cat was adorable- he just stared again, much like when he first saw the enemy.

”That's cool. Done talked a girl out of suicide that went through a similar life situation. Cool story, bro.” With a shrug and a step back, the boy in drag carefully planting his scissors into the ground. ”That girl? A Persona-user, like me. She faced her darkness. I won't develop sympathy for someone weak enough to succumb like that. And, protip, kitty? If my opponent is intelligent, I don't attack first. I don't start a fight with something that can communicate with me. I prepare, yes. I ready, yes. After that, it's up to them. You attacked, I'll finish.”

With that, the boy planted his right foot in the ground, using that bit of dirt as a springboard to kick from his spot. Closing the distance again, he whirled, sending his knee at the tiger's face.

Action: Physical attack utilizing body; Strike attribute
Notes: Heat Riser x3 (Maxed)

[Gin Takemoto]

Gin stood there as the attack came at him. No point in trying to move. It'll hit either way. He took the blow square in the jaw and reeled. The girl had attacked his weakness. But the giant tiger couldn't care. He had lost his will to fight. He had no reason to. Sure, the girl had harmed him, but he was at a disadvantage. She had his weakness. He had nothing to go off of. She had the upperhand, and Gin wasn't going to wait to be in major damage before leaving. He was done. 

"Girl, you have guts. I will give you that. However, I'm no longer in the mood. Count this as a win for yourself, but I'm not going to spend time trying to stall the inevitable. You have the upper hand. I haven't got anything. As such, I'm just going to leave now. I'll save us both some pain. You'd win either way. Maybe I'll see you in the future. Heck, maybe then I'll have some actual answers about the barrier. Either way, I'm gone."

He turned to leave, but turned his head back to the girl. "By the way, my name's Gin."

With that, he bounded up a small building and left.

[Akira Nakajima]

And just like that, the Shadow retreated. It was a “victory”, but he felt hollow on the inside. His words had no effect. More than that, his opponent fled. In other words, he had nothing to show for his victory. Clicking his tongue, the battle-high crossdresser stretched and headed back to grab his scissors. Hefting the things up and swinging them about, he grumbled to himself. He was annoyed now. Heat Riser left him in a state in which he wanted battle, but the battle chance he had was gone. What was left? A bunch of low-level Maya in the distance? That was boring.

Shit, he was depressed now.

”King of the jungle, my ass. You were just a big-ass pussy.” He grumbled before turning on his heel and starting to walk away. He wanted something sweet to eat. After that? Maybe he'd use the school dossiers to see about getting some information on that Gin boy. Having a name to go by, as well as a face in mind, pretty much meant that the work was done for him. All he had to worry about was the boy actually not being in school. It was a valid concern.

Even if he wasn't in school, though, Akira had contacts to find this person. With a laugh, the boy continued away. There was still a few ways to play cat and mouse. And, if that fight was to show anything, he certainly wasn't the mouse.