["The Director is bound to catch on if you keep insisting like that, Ciel."
That's what Merem told her with his usual angelic smile before he was treated to her version of the bird, but attitude problems with her co-worker set aside, she's well aware that as per usual, Crown DOES have a point. It just so happens that the Director owed her after the Einnashe incident. A report HAD to be made for poor Eins' death, and with her usual tampering, pushing the points that Ciel is well aware she well possesses, and abusing her authority and privileges like it's in the habit of any Agent, she walked away with a favor under her arms.
Which is why she's moseying about the Bavarian Alps right now, in Southern Germany. She last stopped at Berchtesgaden 2 days ago, now finding herself deep within the Obersalzberg retreat. ...Geez. It just had to be a morbid place like that, huh? She can't say to be surprised, though. There are flashy places around here like that big hotel, but the ruins deeper in would make for a good retreat for anyone who's looking to dodge society. Contact to the last team sent here was lost on their way to Berghof, so around there is where she's currently loitering at. Checking in with the population in Berchtesgaden revealed nothing particularly alarming, but she probably SHOULD exert some form of caution anyway. Dead Apostles always fancied Germany, but with a supposingly "far more imposing and lethal threat" lurking in these mountains of late, or so reports say, even the "most elite of task forces are advised to exercise the highest form of caution while traveling".
Well alright, then.
After a quick survey of the surroundings through some tree-hopping, Ciel finally settles for a relatively open clearing. She could be sniped from roughly 27 spots from where she stood, but she's not too worried. There was no report of long-range weaponry ever used by this ~mysterious killing force~, no smoke or bullets were ever left behind at places where they're reputed to have been.
So.
She stretches a hand towards the sky. A circle spreads out from under her feet. Her lips move, and within seconds, an arc of light is formed perpendicular to her arm. The bolt's target? The moon. Within seconds, a ray of light is shot upwards. It pierces through the thick cloud that obscured the starry sky, not unlike a reversed shooting star.
Are you watching the moon right now?
It'd be more work if she needs to do the WHOLE tracking, but if this can draw the 'true' targets out...
Hm, either way. That done, she'll hop back into a nearby tree and wait a bit. The night's still young, after all.]
[Indeed, he is always watching the moon at night. Wistfully, of course, but not completely lost in the sight of it.
But he's not the naive kid he used to be. On the other hand, he was certain that the creator of such an obvious thing was not out to get him by surprise. No, she probably just wanted to speak with him and speaking....speaking he was okay with. Even if Shiki was killing those Ciel might consider comrades, she wasn't the type to kill something she felt sentimental about without at least hearing thing out.
It took about an hour. He wasn't in a hurry and, instead, slowly walked towards where he felt the shot originated from. Navigating between trees while blind (he had taken the bandages off to watch the moon) wasn't terribly easy, even with his own mysterious sixth sense. When Shiki made it to the clearing, he could feel the residual power and knew this was the place.
Instead of calling out or waiting, he simply took a seat and waited. He was being watched, he knew, but he also knew that he could sense if there was an incoming attack so he relaxed a little.]
[He better not be the naive boy he used to be, or he's going to be the reason why it happens, if Ciel ever wakes up with a strand of white hair one morning. (Even if that pretty idealism was part of his charm, that she can't quite deny either.) Still, if he remembers 'senpai' - and he surely must, with the events of Einnashe having taken place not too long ago for them both, then he should already have a good idea of her true intentions. But really... Geez. Hasn't she already told him that if there was one person on Earth to whom she'd show her merciful side to, it's him? Sure, there MIGHT be circumstances in which she will engage in combat against him, but if any killing occurs, it won't be from her.
...
She silently breathes out to herself as she watches the familiar figure take a seat by a nearby log. It sure has been a while, and Merem isn't around to make smartass commentary tonight. Talk about a real blessing, hm?
--Ah, but she can't get carried away, now. This is still a mission, after all. Even if it was predestined to end in 'failure', it has to at least be a professionally acceptable one. ...Or 'politically correct', for those who fancy more sophisticated terms.
He'll hear - or feel? Eh, probably both - her descent. The soft crunch of hard-woven boots on twigs and leaves, followed by easy and familiar footsteps closing in from the side.]
It's a nice evening out tonight, isn't it Tohno-kun?
[It may have been a while too, since he was last spoken to in fluent Japanese. But shh, small indulgences in small moments of sentimentality, okay...]
[He doesn't look up at Ciel, a gesture that's obviously useless as he currently can't see either way. Instead, he rests his elbows on his knees and uses his hands to hold up his head.
But he knows Ciel's voice. It had been a long while since he had ever had a chat with her but it was something he'd never forget. His youth was filled with special people who would never leave his memory. That was one thing Shiki would fight for, to keep those memories.
When she speaks, he smiles as if reminiscing on the moments in the past where they shared curry bread and tea. The more normal moments, of course. Not the lecturing about staying out of vampire business.]
About as nice as an evening can get in this area. But I thought that was you, senpai. I guess I wasn't wrong.
[A lot of fat good her lectures did, just look at where they are now...
But well. Things are as they are, hm? She doesn't have much right to complain anyway, given that his meddling has changed her life for the better, in a roundabout way. Shiki himself might never come to realize just how big of an influence he played, but...
Ah, it may just be better off that way. Ciel herself was okay with it, this is strictly her business there anyway.]
I'd chide you about the location, but I suppose you don't have much luxury of choice in the matter. Germany is a hot spot for everyone, you know? The Church especially has been on higher alert with all that's been happening recently, so you could run into meddlers no matter where you choose to go.
[A beat.]
None of them are as subtle or skillful as me though, but I wasn't trying to be just now. Still, I'm happy that you got the right message. [Which is true, there's genuine warmth in her voice.] How have you been holding up? [She doesn't mean his eyes, that's obvious. It's already a matter long settled anyhow, there's no use beating a dead horse. No. If anything, this small talk...
It's more like an attempt to recapture those old days, aha, or at least the specter of memories from brighter and easier days long gone. Ciel is opportunistic, don't let anything be ever said otherwise.]
Most people from the Church choose to stay away from me. Or stop and see what I'm going to do since I might finish their mission for them.
[That was a slightly sad state of affairs but when it came to killing Dead Apostles, it was always best to wait and see what the interloper would do. Not to mention that Shiki didn't really hunt down Church members. He only went after them if they were after him or Arcueid. Any other time and they wouldn't bother him.
Shiki shrugged at Ciel's last question, though. How he was holding up was anyone's guess. As far as he was aware, he was just fine. The real question was 'How long would he be just fine?'.]
Decent, maybe. I probably couldn't ask for better.
The higher-ups don't like to admit it, but we get our handful of hot-headed trainees just as much as the Mages' Association. It's even more embarrassing when veteran Executors make that mistake, but it happens more often than you'd think. Your name and description are associated with the White Princess as important references, so that might be part of the reason why you get troublesome interferences sometimes. Aha... I'm sorry about that.
[She chuckles sheepishly and gives a small helpless wave of her hand. He might not be able to see it, but he probably would also have no trouble whatsoever simply picturing it.]
Mm, that's true too. ["He's grown..."] 'She' is doing better now too, I would assume, now that you've got the fruit?
I should be the one to apologize. Since you know me, you've probably had to undergo some kind of scrutiny. I didn't want you to go through something like that so I'm sorry.
[He wasn't going to let that stop him, though. Then again, Ciel never really seemed to care about what others thought of her so it didn't bother him too much in the first place. Shiki still needed to acknowledge that he did put in her a certain situation by circumstance, though.]
I can't get to her, even if I do have it. It's not like it will wither away though so she'll see it when she does come around.
Oh, don't worry, that was no trouble for me. My reports can't be reproached, I know how to handle myself fine, and I've got my own share of authority that very select few can overturn. You don't have to apologize for something so trivial, Tohno-kun. If you want to apologize, I'd rather hear you saying sorry for getting yourself tangled in this whole mess to begin with, but you won't feel sorry at all even if you say the words, am I right? Tohno-kun is too honest for that anyway, so let's just call it even and leave it at that.
[NOPE...]
So it's still like that, after all. [She gives a small sigh. There's a faint but wistful quality about it...] So much is going on these days, yet that airhead is still sleeping. ...Well, things are moving. It's only a matter of time before she's forced to come back, but even I think you should get to her before that happens. Have those two told you anything useful? I know I usually do the explaining, but we've passed the times when you needed me to repeat everything twice, hm?
[Thanks for answering that for him, Ciel. It might have been awkward to explain, even to the ever listening senpai.]
It's fine. It's not like I need to understand things. Once I'm given what I need to know, I go at it appropriately. Then again, it's usually me who has to hold back a certain someone.
[Because we all know Enhance is hotheaded and rushes headlong into every fight.]
Maybe now, I should be asking if I need to do any explaining.
[The sharp ones know she dgaf about vampire killing, not really.]
We're usually good at turning a blind eye, but it becomes a problem when too many go missing and don't report back. Should I talk to him next time I see him, too? He does have to meet up with me periodically for his... um... condition. He doesn't like it when I get on his case either, but he doesn't have any other choice in the matter~
[Ciel is also his Engie so HE HAS NO CHOICE...]
Haha, that's certainly humbling, but you do have a point. How about you go first, then? We can fill each other in as we go along.
[a quick beat.]
--Ah, but before that. I do have tea with me, even if it's not natural. It's the best that we can make do, in our kind of situation. Would you like a can, Tohno-kun?
[But isn't it nice to find out that SOME THINGS NEVER CHANGE...]
I'll start one if you're feeling cold, but there's no need otherwise. I can heat the can up without a fire, if you'll give me a few minutes?
[She chuckles quietly.]
I know, I know. But he never seems to be listening, you know? He takes things far too seriously too, so he gets even more bullheaded than you sometimes. Still, since it's from Tohno-kun, I'll see what I can do.
[He might hear the soft thud of some parcel bag being set on the ground and some faint clunking of goods before the air grows still again.
She gives a bashful giggle.]
Didn't someone once tell you that strange powers attract other strange powers? Think of it as something on that line. Besides, with a line of work like mine, that sort of thing really can't be helped. Makes sense?
I'm surprised you can make allies of a certain sort in your line of work.
[He's not even going to question how Merem got there but Enhance was another story altogether. It seemed like he would be some kind of double heretic since he was a halfie.]
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you tell me man
That's what Merem told her with his usual angelic smile before he was treated to her version of the bird, but attitude problems with her co-worker set aside, she's well aware that as per usual, Crown DOES have a point. It just so happens that the Director owed her after the Einnashe incident. A report HAD to be made for poor Eins' death, and with her usual tampering, pushing the points that Ciel is well aware she well possesses, and abusing her authority and privileges like it's in the habit of any Agent, she walked away with a favor under her arms.
Which is why she's moseying about the Bavarian Alps right now, in Southern Germany. She last stopped at Berchtesgaden 2 days ago, now finding herself deep within the Obersalzberg retreat. ...Geez. It just had to be a morbid place like that, huh? She can't say to be surprised, though. There are flashy places around here like that big hotel, but the ruins deeper in would make for a good retreat for anyone who's looking to dodge society. Contact to the last team sent here was lost on their way to Berghof, so around there is where she's currently loitering at. Checking in with the population in Berchtesgaden revealed nothing particularly alarming, but she probably SHOULD exert some form of caution anyway. Dead Apostles always fancied Germany, but with a supposingly "far more imposing and lethal threat" lurking in these mountains of late, or so reports say, even the "most elite of task forces are advised to exercise the highest form of caution while traveling".
Well alright, then.
After a quick survey of the surroundings through some tree-hopping, Ciel finally settles for a relatively open clearing. She could be sniped from roughly 27 spots from where she stood, but she's not too worried. There was no report of long-range weaponry ever used by this ~mysterious killing force~, no smoke or bullets were ever left behind at places where they're reputed to have been.
So.
She stretches a hand towards the sky. A circle spreads out from under her feet. Her lips move, and within seconds, an arc of light is formed perpendicular to her arm. The bolt's target? The moon. Within seconds, a ray of light is shot upwards. It pierces through the thick cloud that obscured the starry sky, not unlike a reversed shooting star.
Are you watching the moon right now?
It'd be more work if she needs to do the WHOLE tracking, but if this can draw the 'true' targets out...
Hm, either way. That done, she'll hop back into a nearby tree and wait a bit. The night's still young, after all.]
no subject
But he's not the naive kid he used to be. On the other hand, he was certain that the creator of such an obvious thing was not out to get him by surprise. No, she probably just wanted to speak with him and speaking....speaking he was okay with. Even if Shiki was killing those Ciel might consider comrades, she wasn't the type to kill something she felt sentimental about without at least hearing thing out.
It took about an hour. He wasn't in a hurry and, instead, slowly walked towards where he felt the shot originated from. Navigating between trees while blind (he had taken the bandages off to watch the moon) wasn't terribly easy, even with his own mysterious sixth sense. When Shiki made it to the clearing, he could feel the residual power and knew this was the place.
Instead of calling out or waiting, he simply took a seat and waited. He was being watched, he knew, but he also knew that he could sense if there was an incoming attack so he relaxed a little.]
no subject
...
She silently breathes out to herself as she watches the familiar figure take a seat by a nearby log. It sure has been a while, and Merem isn't around to make smartass commentary tonight. Talk about a real blessing, hm?
--Ah, but she can't get carried away, now. This is still a mission, after all. Even if it was predestined to end in 'failure', it has to at least be a professionally acceptable one. ...Or 'politically correct', for those who fancy more sophisticated terms.
He'll hear - or feel? Eh, probably both - her descent. The soft crunch of hard-woven boots on twigs and leaves, followed by easy and familiar footsteps closing in from the side.]
It's a nice evening out tonight, isn't it Tohno-kun?
[It may have been a while too, since he was last spoken to in fluent Japanese. But shh, small indulgences in small moments of sentimentality, okay...]
no subject
But he knows Ciel's voice. It had been a long while since he had ever had a chat with her but it was something he'd never forget. His youth was filled with special people who would never leave his memory. That was one thing Shiki would fight for, to keep those memories.
When she speaks, he smiles as if reminiscing on the moments in the past where they shared curry bread and tea. The more normal moments, of course. Not the lecturing about staying out of vampire business.]
About as nice as an evening can get in this area. But I thought that was you, senpai. I guess I wasn't wrong.
no subject
But well. Things are as they are, hm? She doesn't have much right to complain anyway, given that his meddling has changed her life for the better, in a roundabout way. Shiki himself might never come to realize just how big of an influence he played, but...
Ah, it may just be better off that way. Ciel herself was okay with it, this is strictly her business there anyway.]
I'd chide you about the location, but I suppose you don't have much luxury of choice in the matter. Germany is a hot spot for everyone, you know? The Church especially has been on higher alert with all that's been happening recently, so you could run into meddlers no matter where you choose to go.
[A beat.]
None of them are as subtle or skillful as me though, but I wasn't trying to be just now. Still, I'm happy that you got the right message. [Which is true, there's genuine warmth in her voice.] How have you been holding up? [She doesn't mean his eyes, that's obvious. It's already a matter long settled anyhow, there's no use beating a dead horse. No. If anything, this small talk...
It's more like an attempt to recapture those old days, aha, or at least the specter of memories from brighter and easier days long gone. Ciel is opportunistic, don't let anything be ever said otherwise.]
no subject
[That was a slightly sad state of affairs but when it came to killing Dead Apostles, it was always best to wait and see what the interloper would do. Not to mention that Shiki didn't really hunt down Church members. He only went after them if they were after him or Arcueid. Any other time and they wouldn't bother him.
Shiki shrugged at Ciel's last question, though. How he was holding up was anyone's guess. As far as he was aware, he was just fine. The real question was 'How long would he be just fine?'.]
Decent, maybe. I probably couldn't ask for better.
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[She chuckles sheepishly and gives a small helpless wave of her hand. He might not be able to see it, but he probably would also have no trouble whatsoever simply picturing it.]
Mm, that's true too. ["He's grown..."] 'She' is doing better now too, I would assume, now that you've got the fruit?
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[He wasn't going to let that stop him, though. Then again, Ciel never really seemed to care about what others thought of her so it didn't bother him too much in the first place. Shiki still needed to acknowledge that he did put in her a certain situation by circumstance, though.]
I can't get to her, even if I do have it. It's not like it will wither away though so she'll see it when she does come around.
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[NOPE...]
So it's still like that, after all. [She gives a small sigh. There's a faint but wistful quality about it...] So much is going on these days, yet that airhead is still sleeping. ...Well, things are moving. It's only a matter of time before she's forced to come back, but even I think you should get to her before that happens. Have those two told you anything useful? I know I usually do the explaining, but we've passed the times when you needed me to repeat everything twice, hm?
no subject
It's fine. It's not like I need to understand things. Once I'm given what I need to know, I go at it appropriately. Then again, it's usually me who has to hold back a certain someone.
[Because we all know Enhance is hotheaded and rushes headlong into every fight.]
Maybe now, I should be asking if I need to do any explaining.
no subject
We're usually good at turning a blind eye, but it becomes a problem when too many go missing and don't report back. Should I talk to him next time I see him, too? He does have to meet up with me periodically for his... um... condition. He doesn't like it when I get on his case either, but he doesn't have any other choice in the matter~
[Ciel is also his Engie so HE HAS NO CHOICE...]
Haha, that's certainly humbling, but you do have a point. How about you go first, then? We can fill each other in as we go along.
[a quick beat.]
--Ah, but before that. I do have tea with me, even if it's not natural. It's the best that we can make do, in our kind of situation. Would you like a can, Tohno-kun?
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I prefer my tea at least warm but I can start a fire.
[Getting firewood would be easy enough. He could also light it but he suspected that Ciel would have a much easier time at that task.]
But don't be too harsh on him. [As in, Enhance.] He has his own problems that he wants to resolve.
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I'll start one if you're feeling cold, but there's no need otherwise. I can heat the can up without a fire, if you'll give me a few minutes?
[She chuckles quietly.]
I know, I know. But he never seems to be listening, you know? He takes things far too seriously too, so he gets even more bullheaded than you sometimes. Still, since it's from Tohno-kun, I'll see what I can do.
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But you sure surround yourself with a lot of weirdos, senpai. [Shiki is including himself in that.]
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[He might hear the soft thud of some parcel bag being set on the ground and some faint clunking of goods before the air grows still again.
She gives a bashful giggle.]
Didn't someone once tell you that strange powers attract other strange powers? Think of it as something on that line. Besides, with a line of work like mine, that sort of thing really can't be helped. Makes sense?
no subject
[He's not even going to question how Merem got there but Enhance was another story altogether. It seemed like he would be some kind of double heretic since he was a halfie.]
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[The BAs are cray cray, basically...]