Snippet #2150578

"Yes," Ayumu replied bluntly, giving a slight nod to signal that they should get moving before the overly-friendly shopkeeper decided to give Crow another inexplicable hug. "But it hardly matters. I'm feeling a bit better now anyway." She left the fact that her head still felt like it had been smashed in by a sledgehammer unsaid, deciding it best to simply focus on problems she could handle at the moment and hope that the seisui's healing effects, now completed, would numb the pain sooner or later.

"As for getting new clothes, well... it's tempting, considering I only have one outfit, but I don't exactly have anything to pay with. Speaking of which, just how on Earth did all of you guys manage to get seemingly inexhaustible supplies of money as well as fake IDs and high class apartments, all within a day or so? That doesn't seem physically possible - or, at least, it's monumentally unlikely-" Ayumu's brief confusion was suddenly cut short by an ear-piercing cry from nearby, spoken in an all too familiar voice.

So Miki was here, too. Oh, joy of joys. Turning darkly upon the approaching ball of seemingly indefatigable cheerfulness, Ayumu gave her best cold stare, cocking her head slightly in irritation at Miki's nonchalance. She just couldn't believe that girl. Removed from the world she cared about and everyone she loved, hunted to the death in an unfamiliar place by seemingly endless swarms of enemies... she just kept on smiling and acting like she didn't have a care in the world? Did she really care so little about absolutely everything as to be undeterred by her insurmountable loss? Either way, Ayumu didn't trust her as far as she could throw her - which, given her small size, wasn't very far. After all, someone who couldn't care less about losing her family and friends would have no qualms about abandoning her new allies if it meant her own safety, would she? Ayumu didn't doubt that, in a pinch, Miki would be the first person to stick the knife in her back.

And the second would probably be Riku. He struck her as the sort of arrogant type of person who'd do anything for his own sake, and didn't really give a damn about other people's opinions if they didn't coincide directly with his own. A loner like that wasn't exactly a team player under the best circumstances, and, if worst came to worst, Ayumu fully expected him to betray her as well. Oh, and also, in her opinion, he was a major pain in the ass, which helped absolutely nothing. Did she mention that he happened to be here also?

Ayumu sighed inaudibly in exasperation, resisting the urge to take Crow's arm and run off to avoid the two of her so-called friends she least wanted to see, if only because she knew he was in a fragile state of mind already and such a sudden contact would probably cause him to pass out, which would be incredibly awkward for all parties involved. So, instead, she simply shouldered the burden of having to interact with the two most annoying people in this century, and gave them her usual, cold response.

"I don't recall ever giving you (The "you" here would probably be "omae," or a similar direct and rather insulting form of address.) permission to refer to me so intimately," Ayumu said, deadpan, as the two approached, not even bothering to turn fully to face them. "We may be in the same situation, but I believe I've made it rather clear to you that I don't like it when people force camaraderie on me." Giving a resigned sigh, she shrugged her shoulders and continued in her usual apathetic, matter-of-fact way. "Still, I suppose that's at least better than calling me a freshwater trout. As for what I plan to do, I... Oh, well, well."

The youngest of the Ningen no Kami's gaze shifted slightly, blue eyes focusing on the blonde-headed boy who had arrived alongside Miki. She gave a disdainful smirk, appraising his new attire and not wasting an instant to make her rather blunt and insulting observation.

"Well, if it isn't our very own dandy. Let me guess, too busy prettying yourself up to bother helping us survive an attempt on our lives? Or were you too scared?" Ayumu asked coldly, placing a hand nonchalantly on her hip and angling her face slightly, as though looking down on Riku despite being shorter than himself. Her words seemed to imply something deeper - perhaps an insinuation that he had betrayed them, or had left them to die simply so that he would survive. Even if she didn't make these accusations plain, it was pretty clear that she didn't think much of his absence during the recent fight. "Well, it doesn't matter either way, I suppose. If you're so shallow that you don't care about defending our collective fortunes, then I doubt you would be much help in such an encounter, regardless, and if you're too much a coward, then the answer is still the same."