vatheon | [backdated] hunting ~ locals

[Serph isn't surprised when he receives the message, but he's concerned when he sees how badly Yukari's initial sentences are typed compared to previous times she's messaged him. The hunger must be getting distracting.

He returns her message.]

Yes, my offer stands. Where do you live?

[...So he can figure out a good place for her to hunt, of course.]

Voloo dorms

[She types hurriedly. And it occurs to her that Serph may not even know where it is, since she doesn't recall him ever coming.

He's smart, though. She knows he can find it.]

[...but she'll send another message anyway.]

I can come tp our base if it.s easier

your*

[damnit, that was another word--]

[Wow that's a shining example of fantastic typing, right there. Anyway, he's familiar with the dorms. It'd be better if they hunted closer to Yukari's residence, just in case some of the blood and viscera ended up on her; there'd be less chance of her getting caught before she can change.]

I'll be outside the dorms.

[He's already on his way when he sends the message; he goes at his usual leisurely pace so it doesn't seem like he's doing anything unusual to the patrols he passes by.]

[...Shush. She'll probably just delete all of these later anyways, once she sees how horrible they are and has the capacity to care about it. This kind of thing is embarrassing enough, so she appreciates that he isn't calling her out on it for the moment.

Seeing his latest text, she doesn't even bother to respond.

She just sighs, shutting her eyes for a moment as she tucks her starfish back inside her pocket and makes her way outside without anyone seeing her.

When Serph arrives, she'll already be waiting; sitting on the stairs out in front of the dorms, mostly in the dark with her face in her hands.]

[It's pretty dark at night, but Vatheon has the good fortune of lighting on the main streets to show Serph the way. It isn't unusual to see Serph armed with a pistol since he rarely goes about without it, so the addition of a knife -- Cielo's, since the temporary troll has claws now -- isn't out of place. Even going at his leisurely pace, it doesn't take Serph very long to reach the Volo dorms and see Yukari.

It's no surprise she's upset about this.

He approaches and crouches beside her before he reaches to gently touch her shoulder. He doesn't say, It'll be okay -- it'd be of little comfort -- but he's willing to wait until she's 'ready'.]

[Feeling his hand on her shoulder, she is a bit startled; but not for long. She looks up quickly to see Serph and gives another sigh, this time of relief as she calms herself. And she stands up wordlessly, her eyes meeting with his.

The truth is, she would never be ready for this. No matter how long he waits.

So really, it's just a matter of ripping off the bandaid.]

...Hey.

[Serph nods in greeting. Hey, yourself. He gets to his feet and holds out a hand for her. Very gentlemanly.]

Let's go for a walk.

[It will allow him to keep an eye out for locals, and to give Yukari the opportunity to move. The opportunity to focus on moving, rather than what they're about to do.]

...Yeah. A walk.

[She gives him a nod in return, because walking does sound quite good at the moment. She enjoys night walks, and despite the circumstances-- and lack of Koromaru-- she'll try to enjoy this one, until the inevitable happens.

Her breathing is heavy, and her vision slightly blurry. Her head is pounding. But she prepares to follow Serph.

And trust him.]

[Heavy breathing. It's best to do this quickly, before he starts looking like a tasty meal.

Serph leads Yukari to a side alley away from the lights of the main streets. A short distance ahead, there's a narrow street that leads to an alley running parallel to the one they're currently walking down. This area isn't his usual hunting ground, but he's hunted here enough times to know the nearby local's routines. So when they reach the intersection with that narrow street, Serph turns his head to look down it, certain there'll be a local walking down the parallel alley in the opposite direction right--

--now.

It's time to hunt. His voice is calm and even as he speaks to Yukari while they continue walking, like he's just talking about the weather.]

Continue walking down this street until you reach the end. Turn left and walk. I'll be waiting for you down the first street on your left.

[And with that, he turns back to go down the narrow street they just passed, his footsteps much quieter now.]

[She listens to his directions carefully, despite the circumstances.

She's used to doing what her leader told her to anyway, so she supposes this isn't really that different; though it would be a bit more difficult for her than usual, with the distraction of her hunger. She's luckily familiar enough with the area, though, so she isn't worried about that.

No...

She's stubbornly more concerned about him. And the fact that he's essentially babying her right now...]

W-Wait.

[Her voice is low, as she takes a couple steps after him. It's obvious speaking is taking some effort.]

Shouldn't I come with you? If...something goes wrong...

[She would at least have her demon to step in; her demon hasn't overtaken her just yet. Meanwhile, Serph only has his gun to work with, and though she has no doubt he's skilled with it, she still thinks working together would be best. The locals may not be overly strong, but...

Even Minato didn't explore Tartarus alone.]

[Serph only pauses for a brief moment. He's used to his orders being followed the first time. It's easy to tell her to "Just go" but he remembers, Yukari isn't a soldier, so he bites back the words.

Instead, he turns to look at her, calm and steady as ever.]

Trust me.

[And he turns back to slip down the alleyway.]

[...

She freezes at those simple words. 'Trust me.' Because although she hasn't talked about it much with him, she'd always had a problem with trust. And becoming an Asura didn't change that-- so it's no surprise she's having trouble with it now.

Regardless though, his tone indicates he's in no mood to argue. And she's in no condition to, either-- so she watches him turn away, and then breathes another sigh before continuing down the path.

Slowly.

Just as he'd instructed.]

[The delay caused by Yukari means the local is quite a bit further ahead than Serph would have liked. Normally, Serph would opt for tracking a different local, but Yukari isn't as accustomed to quelling the hunger. Which option carries the greater risk...?

He'd rather deal with the known than the unknown, and since he doesn't know how much longer Yukari can hold on, he banks on his own capabilities. It's a toss-up between silence and speed. Take too long, and his opportunity would be lost. But if he wants to catch up more quickly, the local may hear his approach too early. Serph opts for speed. He follows the local at a quicker pace than usual -- thankfully the local doesn't seem to notice -- and when Serph draws close enough... he breaks out into a full run.

Yukari had thought he'd be working with his gun. But even a silenced pistol is too noisy for hunting near patrols.

Before the native can turn at the sound of his rapid approach, Serph strikes her neck with his left hand, turning the question in her throat into a choke. Serph wastes no time in driving Cielo's knife upwards into her back, just below the lowest rib, before catching her now limp body to silently lower her to the ground. Another quick and easy kill.

He wipes the blood on Cielo's knife off on her clothes before standing, expression impassive.]

[...She hadn't thought about the loud sound a pistol would make.

In fact, she really doesn't even think about it until she finds herself listening-- quietly focused, waiting to hear it from the other alleyway. She focuses on it because it's better than focusing on her hunger, and that's when she realizes how much attention it would draw.

If Serph has kept this little hunting habit of his secret for this long, he must have been using something else. Close range, dangerous.

She hadn't seen what, but she would find out soon enough.

...She frowns, turning left once she reaches the end of the path and continues on. By this point, she's decided to stick close to the wall for support.]

[Close range? Yes. Dangerous? Certainly. What he usually uses? Definitely not.

He sheaths the knife -- keeping it out could attract unwanted attention -- and crouches by the body, keeping an ear out for Yukari's approach. If anyone else happened upon him, it would be easy to lie and say he just found the body. His position of trust means fewer are likely to question him, though using said trust to get out of trouble is not the reason he seeks it out. Serph may genuinely wish to be friends with the people of Vatheon, but he isn't above using the tools he has available to protect his friends.

It's taking Yukari a while longer than he'd estimated to get here, but he stays calm. It's a bit unfortunate, though; the fabric around the knife wound can't contain all the blood, causing it to leak onto the paving. That's going to stain. It can't be helped.

He waits.]

[Serph may be able to hear Yukari coming before he sees her. Her footsteps are slow as she walks-- her eyes closed, as she simply tries to focus on the destination at hand, breathing in and out, in and out. She knows she shouldn't keep Serph waiting though, so...eventually she picks up the pace a bit, like she knows she has to.

It's at least easier to motivate herself once she opens her eyes and spots him, slouched over like that. She doesn't see the native's body right away, but she knows what to expect as she approaches, so she's definitely trying to mentally prepare herself. Part of her doesn't even really want to look--

Though she's not sure whether it's because she knows she has to eat it, or because she's afraid she'll suddenly want to.

...]

This is...

[She finally tears herself away from the wall, stumbling closer to him. And she covers her mouth with her hand upon seeing her. Bathed in all that blood...

'This is...my meal?']

[Serph does hear Yukari's approach, but only stands when she draws near, stepping aside so she has clear access to the dead local. He finishes Yukari's sentence for her.]

...Necessary.

[But it doesn't change that the horror he can see in her body language. It hadn't been difficult for him to adjust to the demon's diet, but he can sympathise with her; many of the Embryon didn't take to devouring easily.

He thinks that perhaps Yukari doesn't want him to watch, so he turns away.]

Transform. It will be easier.

[Necessary.

Yes...it is, isn't it? Or so he keeps insisting; and he's more serious now than she's ever seen him, so she isn't about to doubt him now. Not after everything he's done. Not even as he turns away from her-- because she knows he isn't leaving.

He won't.

He wouldn't.

And somewhere inside, she probably appreciates the fact that he isn't watching, too.

She hopes no one else is, either.]

[There's a quiet moment when all she can do is stare at the Atma mark on her hand, as if she's never seen it before. She's heard what Serph said of course, even if it does take her a while to process it; but she can't take much more of this. So in frustration, she closes her eyes, placing her other hand over the tattoo.

She doesn't even realize it's begun to glow, along with the rest of her body. It's amazing that she is even able to keep her eyes shut as she feels the tremendous power from her demon begin to take over-- but she does so, and once they open again, she looks and feels completely different.

The golden headress, her wings--]

[Wow.

...She stares, not knowing what to think except that-- as expected-- she still feels like herself. And although she is grateful for this, the relief is short-lived, as her hunger has only gotten worse. She knows.

She knows, and it ends now.

She lifts the lifeless body in front of her, swallowing once to adjust to this new throat of hers, and how much wider it seems to be. She even takes the time to look at the expression she's making-- or lack thereof, and the guilt begins to tug at her again. But then she swallows it all, and begins with one of the poor girl's arms... because she thinks her fingers might be the easiest to start with.

It's slow at first. But it takes surprisingly little time for her to adjust to the taste of blood, and what it feels like to devour.

Her speed picks up; she begins to take bigger bites. And it's almost as if she hasn't eaten in a very long time. For just a moment, she loses sight of herself and her morals that plagued her so.

And she barely even realizes.]

[The sounds are familiar. The hesitancy to devour, before it gives way to ravenous hunger, he's heard it before. The chewing, the tearing of gristle from bone, the squelch of blood and tissue, it's all very familiar. He has to admit, the sensation of someone's torn open body clutched in his hands had been... fascinating. Flesh had a taste quite unlike bland rations and medicines. Flesh was different. Flesh had tasted good.

But for the first time in a long time, he doesn't feel appetite gnawing at him when he hears those sounds.

A stark reminder of how different things are without that hunger.

He keeps the majority of his attention on their surroundings though, in case another wandering local or independent patrol passes nearby. But he also listens for the end to the eating.]

[It probably isn't totally obvious when she is done-- or at least she doesn't mean for it to be. Her breathing doesn't change too much, but you can hear it a bit better once she isn't devouring. It's still heavy-- but this time, it's more like she's just coming up for air, rather than being in pain.

There's blood all over her wings.

All over her mouth.

But the weight of the body that burdened her is gone, and she lifts said wings, letting out an inhuman growl as she turns to Serph.

...Luckily, she isn't too loud.]

[Serph turns when it sounds like Yukari is done and just quietly observes. Isis... Hah... a bit unfortunate; if anything goes wrong, he doesn't have much to defend himself with. Her devouring is messy, but that's to be expected, really. And... well, all those feathers look like they'd be difficult to keep clean regardless.

His response to the growl is to keep calm. It's not a good sign, but she hasn't lashed out yet.]

Revert.

[He makes a motion to lightly touch where his tattoo used to be before lowering his hand.]

It's best not to stay in that form.

[For many reasons.]

[...Yukari hasn't quite lost all of herself yet, despite how it may seem. In fact, the growl sounds very strange, coming from her mouth-- at least to her. But she watches him carefully, eyes scrutinizing as she spreads her wings.

She's not used to having them or controlling them, so that is strange as well; and the truth is, she would've liked to learn more about this form, now that the worst of it is done. Learn about what she can do, and what she can't... but she gets it.

She understands that they can't linger.

So-- following his orders, she touches her tattoo once more, this time to revert.

She can just barely see it glow before she closes her eyes again; feeling that warm light as she takes her human shape once more. And a far more composed Yukari stands in front of Serph a moment later, expression mostly neutral.

No longer afraid.]

I wasn't going to hurt you.

[Serph gives Yukari a nod before turning to walk away from what little was left of the local. Yes, it would be best to get away from the scene, but it would also be nice to actually take the walk he'd suggested earlier. He expects her to follow.]

I didn't think you would.

[His voice is as calm and even as ever as he says it.]

...Good.

[She follows him as expected, with a sigh; because she obviously isn't going to say at the scene of the crime, as it were. Let alone by herself.

She hopes that with that out of the way, she might enjoy his company even better-- and with a new understanding of him, too. A new understanding that this awful hunger is something he and his friends have to live with every day. Something they have to feed, very often.

And there isn't anything they can do about it.

...It still makes her uncomfortable in ways she never thought possible. But now that she's done it herself, she certainly can't be angry at him, his friends, or Tiir for it. She'll just...have to remember.

Remember what it feels like.]

So...where to now...?

[...nngh.

Suddenly, her voice isn't quite as steady as it had been.

It's subtle-- as subtle as the churning in her stomach that is seems to slowly be getting worse. But aside from the movement of her hand over her stomach, she tries not to make a big deal out of it.

It would pass...

It would have to.]

[Hmm, where to...? Well, usually Serph just goes wherever his feet take him, which tends to be the areas with some kind of plant life or water. He keeps their pace easy-going as he thinks over their direction. Oh.]

The streams by the coral look nice at night.

[Sometimes he likes to sit by them, when he doesn't want to walk all the way to the elevator to the beach. But...]

Yukari.

[Serph's gaze goes down to where her hand is over her stomach, concern in his look. He tilts his head, questioning. Stomach ache?]

Edited 2012-07-01 10:37 (UTC)

[The streams...

Water...

Right, right. Yes, she actually does agree with him here; she's visited them, too and they're beautiful at night. Romantic, even. Though she's hardly thinking about that right now. She just nods, keeps following--

Anything to keep them moving.

That questioning look of his, though...]

N-No.

[It's a shame she's kind of stubborn.]

I'm fine.

[Translation: yes, stomach ache.]

[Yeah no, Serph's not having any of that. He recognises the signs of a stomach ache; he's seen it on everyone he fought with, at some point or another. Cielo in particular handles stomach aches very badly.

As they walk, Serph digs into his pockets and pulls out a Dis-Ache before pausing. He holds it out for her to take.]

We get stomach aches, too.

[A reassurance that it's not just Yukari who feels ill after devouring.]

[Isn't this to be expected?

Eating something new...something like this. She shouldn't even be surprised. And she isn't, really-- but she does blink once when Serph holds out this Dis-Ache. Another temporary distraction, this time from a different kind of pain.

...

There's a tilt of her head as she takes it, because this is obviously what he's expecting of her. And she does appreciate the reassurance, but--]

Wh... what's this?

[She lets out long breath. It seems to be...some kind of medicine?]

It soothes the stomach.

[It's very potent. Made for demonic stomachs, after all. He nods, before he adds--]

Its effects are immediate.

[You are sick, sickened you are, consume the Dis-Ache do it do it do it--]

[Wow pushy!!

...It sounds promising, though. There's a scratch of her head as she tries to come up with a suitable reason not to take it, but-- coming up empty, she she simply shrugs.

And she'll close her eyes when she drinks, as she does with most other medicine.

...]

[Serph watches her drink the Dis-Ache.

He tilts his head. Is it effective...? The possibility of the Dis-Ache not working for Yukari during the curse exists; it hadn't worked when he had a stomach ache from a curse, after all.]

[Luckily, that isn't a problem this time. It's effects are as immediate as Serph promised; though she'll give it a minute to make sure it doesn't backfire on her horribly. She'll stare down at her stomach, holding the now empty little bottle in her hands--

And when nothing horrible happens, she nods, looking relieved.]

...Thanks.

[Serph nods, accepting the thanks. It's no problem. He turns back to the direction they were walking in and starts moving again.

C'mon, Yukari. Let's see some pretty things, to wash away the ugliness of what you just participated in tonight.]

[Yukari follows easily, and there's a faint smile now that the situation has calmed. And even though she has done something ugly tonight-- out of necessity-- she can live with herself a little easier because of Serph and all of his reassurances.

She doesn't say anything at first, enjoying the peace and quiet of the night. But as they near the streams, she stops for a moment and speaks up.]

Hey, Serph?

Hm?

[Serph tilts his head, as a secondary indication that he's listening.]

Your demon...

[She idly lifts up her hand with the mark as she speaks-- though she of course knows that he hardly needs the visual aid. Most of her attention is focused on him anyway.]

After the curse is over, will you show me?

[Serph nods.

There isn't really much else to say to that; Serph has no reason not to show her. Varna is a part of him. And while he's sad he needs to devour, he's accepted it. He bears no ill will towards his demon.

Despite what they've done, it's a good night. The streams shimmer under the lights of the street, the coral's glow bathing the immediate area in its light. He'll spend time here with Yukari, until she's ready to head back.]

[backdated] hunting ~ locals

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