[closed]

[p66]

CHARACTERS: Reika Kagura and Haise Sasaki
DATE: Backdated to 2/20
WARNINGS: Nah
SUMMARY: [dramatic jojo music] ITS AWAKENING TIME

[ By now, much of Woodhurst has become a ghost town. Reika is out alone, but it's not that far a walk to Haise's safe house and she has her bat with her. If something happens, she'll be able to defend herself without killing other people. The most important part.

Coming to Haise's place is partially to help him, and partially to check on the people around the area. She's not too educated, thus barring her from the science side of things; so she only has physical work to devote herself to. Soon enough she arrives without being ambushed and rings the doorbell. ]

Comments

[ex_adept136]

[It had taken a while to find a suitable place for training, but Haise is nothing if not tenacious. His apartment wouldn't work, and so he'd scouted around for places where unusual abilities might not be so readily seen or exposed to outsiders. Eventually he'd come upon a home that appeared abandoned, and he suspects that the owners were unable to return because of the quarantine.

With a generous garage and basement, they have multiple places in which training is possible without prompting unwanted attention, and so Haise makes a note of the location. When it comes time to meet with Reika, he provides the address and explains the situation. The property should be left as they've found it, since it does belong to someone out there...they're simply borrowing it.

Upon hearing the doorbell ring, Haise is quick to head for the door, opening it and gesturing for her to come inside]

I hope it wasn't too difficult to find.

[p66]

It's plenty fine. It's close by to where I stay, too.

[ Close... ish. Enough for her to be able to leave Julius and Sakura home without either of them coming after her, for a variety of reasons. She hasn't been able to bring the blade that Koltira made for her, given how out of place it would be in Woodhurst, so the bat would have to do. ]

How are things on your end?

[ex_adept136]

Holding down the fort lately...most of the officers are feeling worn out.

[And his sympathetic tone suggests he finds this entirely understandable. Most of the police here had surely never seen active combat, save for Smith who was an ex marine. It said much of the man's ability that he was looking out for the others, now.

But Haise doesn't linger too long in the subject of the co-workers his cover has provided him with, at least not in this moment. Instead he closes the door behind Reika once she has entered and locks it securely]

I think the basement would be best for training...it's spacious and should make it easy not to draw attention.

[p66]

I hope it improves soon.

[ Even if both of them know that it's likely to only get worse, at least it's worth a thought. ]

Alright. Let's go, then. What do you feel like doing today?

[ She has her bat in place of her sword, thankfully stable enough to withstand the strength of her strikes. ]

[ex_adept136]

I thought I might leave that up to you today, since you've had to improvise.

[He gestures to the bat. It would be understandable if Reika had a preference as far as what she would and would not want to practice with a weapon that she isn't as acclimated to. While it's comparable in form, the balance surely differs.

Next time, he thinks, he should see if there's anywhere he can dig up a kendo sword]

[p66]

It's not that big of an issue. I've chosen not to go with a blade, but I can use it the same way. Just that I won't be as strong, is that fine?

[ Since if she does has to fight someone, she doesn't want to kill them. ]

[ex_adept136]

I'll find something to use in place of my quinque... It'd be liable to cut right through wood.

[And a great many other things, considering it's made from a ghoul's kagune]

Let's check the garage, I'm sure something will work.

[He says, already veering in that direction]

dat icon tho

[p66]

Going average seems to be a trend in this mission... though things are hardly average now.

[ Garage it is. The house has functioning lights, which she very much appreciates. ]

How are things on your end?

glorious amirite

[ex_adept136]

Yes, it's easiest to blend in that way. When I work with the police, I have to use a firearm.

[Have to, because it's just not natural for him]

They've been going as well as might be expected, considering the circumstances.

[When they reach the garage he nudges the door open and flicks the light on before stepping into the room, glancing around to assess what might serve as a decent practice weapon for their purposes]

IT IS

[p66]

[ Reika herself is familiar with guns, but not in the handheld types - assault guns, blast guns, monsters that take two hands to wield. ]

We'll pull through.

[ It's all she offers before she turns her attention to looking around. There's a shovel near the back wall, but it seems unwieldy. ]

[ex_adept136]

I'm sure you're right.

[Haise scans the tools arrayed along one wall until he spots a hoe. It's about as long as the weapon he's accustomed to, without the less manageable ends that a rake or a shovel might offer.

And even then, when he tugs it down from the wall, he's twisting the end piece off so he's just left with the long handle]

This should do.

[He'll even wield it like a two-handed sword]

[p66]

These two should match up with sturdiness, too.

[ She hefts her own bat. It's a bit worn now due to having been used against some of the infected, but it's sturdy. ]

We'll be set.

[ It's more of a reassurance than anything else, said for both Haise and herself. ]

[ex_adept136]

Shall we get started then?

[He assumes a ready stance, only to pause.

Perhaps he ought to...]

I'm not sure if I've said this previously, but you don't need to hold back on my account. My body recovers quickly, and just gets stronger if I get hurt, besides.

[And he'd much rather she get the full benefit of practice than restrain herself for his sake]

[p66]

Then we're the same. Thanks, Haise.

[ He probably already knows this; she doesn't keep her modified nature under wraps to those whom it might concern. ]

Let's do our best, then?

[ With that she squares her stance and a violet aura shimmers around the baseball bat in her hands. Yet she doesn't move first, waiting to see what he would respond with. ]

[ex_adept136]

Of course.

[Well, that's certainly an impressive ability. Haise doesn't know what it does, of course, but he's willing to bet it's more than just for show.

Since he doesn't possess any abilities quite so flashy, he supposes he'll find out how Reika's power works when he closes distance and takes a swing with his makeshift weapon]

[p66]

[ It's one of her Blood Arts, the most versatile one - she'll tire herself out using it, but this is only for practice, so it should be fine.

She catches Haise's strike on the side of her bat - the wood hums as if alive, resonating with the aura around it. Its purpose is to strengthen the item so it wouldn't break as well.

Will he push? ]

[ex_adept136]

[Rather than throwing his weight behind his strike, Haise treats it as a feint. As soon as their wooden weapons impact, he pivots and attacks from the other side, his pretend sword cutting through the air with unnatural speed.

He's not a regular human, and since Reika isn't either, he ought to ensure she gets an actual challenge if he can]

[p66]

[ Reika is a balanced fighter above all, but her speed definitely isn't up to his. She lets his strike reach her, a blink being the only reaction she allows to the pain - instead, she twists her weapon away to feint at him instead.

He's fast so maybe she'd have to play defensive this time, but it's worth a try. ]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise shifts his grip from one end of the pole to the other to guard against her strike, once more too swift for a normal human. It concerns him that she simply absorbed that first blow, but since her reaction was minimal, he hopes that means he didn't actually hurt her.

Later he can always use a healing spell if he needs to]

[p66]

[ She's a lot stronger than she looks, but that doesn't make her fast enough - so it's the defensive this time, jerking the bat down to force Haise's pole away from herself.

Fighting a human is very different from fighting an Aragami, and it's something she's sorely lacking experience in. It probably shows. ]

[ex_adept136]

[Haise does notice the stiffness about the way she parries, and it's enough to make him inquire-]

What sorts of enemies do you usually fight?

[He takes a half-step back to let her recover, weapon flicking back into a ready stance along with his posture]

[p66]

[ At least Aragami give graces of being large. Small and fast is.... ]

Ah, large beasts... [ It's probably showing, so she looks apologetic. ] I'm not used to fighting people.

[ex_adept136]

[Small and fast is Haise Sasaki.

Especially when some of their teammates are practically trees]

Ah, it must be strange then... But my experience with ALASTAIR has mostly been with opponents about our own size, so it's good to get accustomed.

[p66]

Yeah. It requires different strategies... but I'm strong, so I can learn.

[ It's never pleasant fighting other people instead of senseless monsters, but. ]

I really appreciate you helping me.

[ex_adept136]

I benefit from it too. I mean...with regular humans I have to hold back a bit.

[A bit may be something of an understatement here, but Haise always appreciates having people closer to his degree of brute strength, or at least bearing abilities that help them keep up]

If you don't mind my asking, what's that light?

[He gestures at her improvised weapon]