Earth

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Dialogue ~ #FF7190

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As soon as she had asked the stranger his name, he'd dropped to his knee and bowed his head to her. Kagari would be lying if she didn't feel a tad embarrassed at this act, but she was more concerned with him drawing attention to the two of them. However, as she looked down at him with one fist behind his back and the other placed over his heart, she tilted her head slightly. He looked just like a knight bowing to a queen, waiting for the royal sword to be tapped upon his shoulders.

"I am disease, a plague to all those who stood before. 'Anzo', a name cursed to bind a soul such as mine."

"Anzo," she said his name quietly to herself as he lifted his head and met his eyes with hers.

"If 'Anzo' sits heavy on the tongue, cast it away. Bring new life with another binding, one that the oceans in your eyes will ebb to."

He spoke about himself in an odd way, as if the name he was giving her hadn't been his own. Not to mention, he was giving her the option to change it as if it wouldn't be the first time someone picked a name for him. This wasn't terribly surprising, though. He was a demon, after all, so for him to have former masters was completely natural. What peaked her curiosity was what reason there was for him having been without a master before this game was set up and she was selected to be partnered with him. If she asked, he'd probably feel obligated to answer her, but it didn't feel all that important to her at the moment. Besides, her attention had shifted to the commotion the other people in the station were making. It seemed the scarf-boy had upset the cat-eared demon for some reason or other.

"Attention. Demons and Masters. The games have begun, proceed to your apartments scattered about Tokyo."

Here eyes quickly darted around in search of the voice that echoed throughout the station, but her line of vision was quickly blocked by Anzo's back as he stood in front of her defensively. As the voice continued, though, she understood who is must belong to. This voice belonged to the one who had left the letter for her to meet here.

"No killing until everyone has gotten home. No following each other home either as that wouldn't be very sporting now would it?"

"So our host shows himself at last." Or rather, he more like announced himself.

"Also. . . Akio. If you attempt to text your gay-lover again. . . Something will happen to him and none of us want that now do we? And Tohrushiki . . . Foolish child, didn't I tell you not to lose it? For this you will be punished."

She had taken a small step to the side and leaned over slightly to watch the scene from behind Anzo who remained in front of her. So Akio was the name of the human boy who had been standing next to her early, and Tohrushiki was the name of the cat-eared demon, who had collapsed to the ground in pain as soon as the voice had finished speaking. Kagari didn't flinch at the sight of blood that Tohrushiki had coughed up, but she did feel her eyes widened ever-so-slightly. The voice was not just a voice, after all.

"Time is little. Take your final bows."

Kagari took a step back, watching the others slowly depart for a few seconds before reaching into her pocket and pulling out her phone. She wouldn't be allowed to make contact with her mother, or anyone else from here on out until this game was over. In that case...

'28 Missed Calls'
'18 Unread Voice Messages'

Most of these were from her mother, with two or three being from her manager. She pulled open her mothers contact and tapped her thumb on the screen. This would cause a riot anyway, but it would be better than disappearing without a word.

-Won't be home for a while-

With that text being sent, she opened up the only two contacts on her phone and blocked them for now. It would be annoying to have her phone constantly vibrating the entire time she was gone.

"Make haste, red paints the furniture, and paints the eyes of the hungry. Starving I am not, but I do not wish to fill the bellies of others, either."

"Right," she said as she slid her phone back into her pocket. She gave him a small smile as she began to walk with him. "I don't think you'd have the right taste. Personally I think the somewhat plump one's are best. Soft and easy to chew."

Maybe that joke was in poor taste, but she felt the need to say something to try and lighten the mood a little after the events that had just occurred. As they approached the exit, Anzo moved ahead to hold the door open. She felt no need to say thank you, as she was used to having people cater to her this way. Come to think of it, the only time she ever opened a door herself was when she was alone.

"My heart is held only by you, wield it well."

She stopped in her tracks as she stepped through the exit. "Anzo, it means 'giant' I think, right?" She looked away from him again and continued forward, giving him no time to answer before she spoke again. "I like it."

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The door to their assigned apartment sat facing the mouth of the stairs on the third floor of a more-than-questionable, and quite compact, building. The stairway itself wasn't well maintenanced, the handrails were greasy to the touch and the air held the unmistakably foul odor of feral cats, but the dusty skylight that sat high above their heads let in the lazy, late morning sunlight making the whole space look deceivingly more pleasant. Anzo wasted little time once they had reached the top of the stairs, pulling his key from his pocket and pushing it into the lock. The scrape of the bolt moving back, then a satisfying click, and Anzo was turning the knob, trying to push into the new home that his Master and himself will share.

Trying being the keyword.

Under the pressure of his hands, the wood of the door only creaked, moaning loudly with age. Anzo pushed again, harder this time. No dice. Finally, with a half-step run-up, Anzo slammed his shoulder into the door, popping it open so harshly that it swung back into the room and hit the wall behind it with a startling slam. A plume of dust and rust flakes rained down on the pair's heads.

Anzo, not bothering to brush the debris from his hair, he reached to wipe it from Kagari's instinctively. He had barely brushed his fingertips against her hair before remembering her orders not to touch her and snapping his arm back, bobbing his head in a silence apology, hoping she hadn't seen. He quickly turned and leaned his head inside the room.

"The King Of Cats dances. Dances oh-so merrily. High upon his hill, with all his rich milk and foods for a belly as large as none. Yet -- he dances -- his people's eyes hollow -- he dances -- with the prospect of plates -- he dances -- gone dry," Anzo mumbled, mostly to himself, musing his distaste for the Demon King's tastes. Anzo imagined the demon cackling to himself, sat up upon his throne, out of the reach of the game. A true King of Cats.

The whole room was an unpleasant sight. Even from the doorway, Anzo felt a bit sick to his stomach looking at the yellowing wallpaper peeling off the walls and feeling the humid air of the room hit him full in the face. His old hoodie was no longer a comfort, but rather began to make him sweat. Something tugged at the back of his mind, a memory long forgotten, but very prominent and quite unpleasant.

Anzo pushed the door back against the wall, moving aside to hold it there and allow Kagari to enter, bowing his head as she passed. When they were both safely (More or less) inside, Anzo let the door fall shut, and flicked the lock for good measure. As he turned, he couldn't help the wrinkle his nose did as he looked upon their new living space. It was even worse when they were inside.

One might call him a spoiled dog, but Anzo was used to a certain living standard that a place such as this did not uphold.

Both the kitchen and the living room were visible from the threshold, with an open closet on the right wall and a window at the far side. There was only one door in the whole place, and it sat ajar. A quick glance could reveal it was a bathroom, but that was all. No bedrooms, no extras. Even the furniture was minimal. There was an odd, faded floral-pattered couch in the living space, sat in front of a coffee table that looked to have seen better days. A single, oscillating fan sat on it, doing a deplorable job. The whole place was no bigger than a postage stamp.

Stripping himself of his hoodie, and half a mind to strip his shirt too, Anzo moved to drape it over the back of the couch. He glanced to Kagari, and, for a moment, he saw Nami. Surprised, Anzo stumbled back slightly, catching his foot on a fold in the rug and falling hard with a loud thud.

When he looked up again, blinking frantically, the shimmering image faded away, leaving Kagari in her place. A sudden wave of guilt washed over Anzo as he pushed himself slowly back to his feet. He tried to talk the thoughts away, turning away quickly to begin eyeing the moth-eaten curtains with far too much interest, "Had the sun risen in another lifetime, another dice had been thrown, Kings would gossip and swear with envy for the kingdom I would build you. A Queen's castle, a dream to clutch." It came out much more bitter than Anzo had hoped, but he was only upset at himself.

Kagari was his new master. Nami was dead, Anzo always forgot. Kagari, although they shared the same heritage, was not Nami. Anzo should be hit for just thinking such a thing. He was already so unfaithful, and it had only been a morning. He only knew her name, and that she was human... Curiosity ate at him. Would it be too forward to ask?

"Um..." The Alp Demon took a long pause, no sure how to ask who she was in a way she would understand, and in a way she would not be offended. Finally, he sighed, deciding to just go for it, "Queen of Tides... Has the ink yet dried on your ledger? As pages turn, what worlds have bowed to your pull? Can you fill eyes such as mine with tales of long ago?"

Zadkiel could feel something akin to relief wash over her as she passed through the doors of the crowded station and into the bright sunlight that seemed to await her outside. The sounds of the city where everywhere; car horns, voices of your average passerby, and just the daily "heartbeat" of the city so to speak providing her with a strange assault of sound as she simply stood there a moment rooted to spot as if she was dumbfounded by all of this. It would take the sound of Akio's footsteps beside her however to stir her from this trance as she hurriedly took a few good strides to catch up with her partner as he moved through the streets, his eyes glued to the sheet of paper in his hands. Zadkiel gave him a sideways glance as if watching him for a moment before returning to her childlike sightseeing around her as her head seemed to always at the moment on a swivel. The human world had change since she had last viewed it in full, but she did suppose a good hundred years had passed since her imprisonment and knowing the ever forward driven humans they would not stop until they reach the pinnacle of progress...that was if they didn't kill each other off in their conflicts first. The demon continued onward following Akio before he seemed pause as finally the boy next to her began to speak.

"Finally I got a chance to speak. Let me reply your earlier statements first."

The demon fixed her attention on the boy, but kept her eyes locked straight forward on the ground ahead of her. It was time to hear what her "master's" thoughts were on this matter at hand.

"First, can you please just address me by my first name? Or even if you wanted, just Aki is fine. You said you didn't really want it to be too formal, so do I, whether I'm a Master as they called or not. And second, you said that in order to win then I've to accomplished such atrocities. You don't have to be worried about that. I've stained my hands with the blood of so many bastards and do many other terrible things to survive and protect my own brother. Trust me, I've already decided that I will show no mercy under whatever circumstances. And about what you've just said, I don't mind you staying by my side and protect me or anything likes that. It wouldn't be wise to up against things that you've never got any experience with rashly. Anyhow, I understand you might think that I'm weak, that I'm not significant in any aspects. But know what? I once slit the throats of a whole gang with 5 assholes double-sized bigger than me."

The demon seemed to listen quietly to his words, her expression seemingly in a constant state of apathy. However the words themselves had reached home deep under the mask she wore outwardly. He had wished her to call him by his first name or by his pet name as if they had known one another from quite some time. She was not sure what to think of this, but it was better than having her bow before him and if only for that little bit of seeming respect for her she would in turn honor that request. The next little bit of news was taken with slightly mixed feelings on her part in the matter, but at least he was competent in the art of killing which would make things much easier in the the long run she supposed. None to less the idea that a human of Akio's age had done such things brought of pang of pity for the boy who had his innocence stripped from him though she began to wonder why such emotions still lingered after all had she not fallen so many years ago? The demon gave a slight nod as he finished this with his own promise. As it turned out this Akio Hakudoshi had turned out to be quite interesting indeed.

The had continued to walk for a while more before they reached the structure that they would call home for the time they where bound together. It seemed like as nice enough little apartment from the outside as it was off the beaten path of most travels which made it all the better to her as in this game seclusion at times was a good thing. She stood behind Akio coming uncomfortably close to him in the process as if she were unconsciously trying to act as a literal body shield while he had stopped to open the door. However once the door swung open she began to back out of his personal space before following him into the apartment revealing the inside of the place.

It was surprisingly nice though the lavishness didn't appeal to the demon as much as it did her partner, though one could not say she didn't enjoy the opening feeling of the place. She could hear Akio begin to move off while exclaiming his pleasure at their room and board before she shook her head slightly. "I would have preferred something a bit more utilitarian..." She muttered slightly as she followed him down the hallway to the door of his room in which he stopped before turning to her.

"We should have a small break first after all that had happened, don't you think? When our minds are cleared, we can discuss our tactics. Feel free to enter should you need me but I hope you'll knock first. Basic civilities."

The demon opened her mouth as if to protest something as the human began to close the door before closing it once more. "As you wish.." where the final words she uttered before the door was closed though they seemed to contain some level of irritation to them. The plan the fallen angel had drawn up in her head already was they she would reside in his quarters in order to stand guard over the human in case of some sort of danger, but it seemed this was not to be the case. The angel stood outside the door a moment in silence before proceeding to her own room. In comparison to Akio's room it was by all means a utilitarian space, it's space void save everything but a desk, a bed with a side table and shelving and a small television set. The demon set her bag down next to the bed after she had shut door before making her way back over to her bed as she fell backwards onto it. She closed her eyes a moment as she lay there the sounds of birds chirping outside the window being the only things that would dare make its way into the room as her mind went over the events of the last few days before finally she opened her eyes with a pained look coming across her facade as she stared upwards at the ceiling as if asking a silent question to the heavens above, to which in truth had long ago forsaken her.

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Dɪᴀʟᴏɢᴜᴇ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✦ #33178b || Tʜᴏᴜɢʜᴛ Cᴏʟᴏʀ ✧ #0ea1bd

Location ; Apartment, Cafe
Mood; Exhausted, Blood-Thirsty, Angry
Species; Human < Bird < Cat
Date; 1st day //
ooc; Aquilla gave me permission to kinda sorta control Sora. Yey~

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XXXWith a start Amaya woke up to the sound of silence. She breathed in heavily and let the air out all at once, trying to calm her nerves. It wasn’t a nightmare which had awoken her, but the sound of her thoughts that even in sleep never seemed to go away. ’It is when we think we are alone that the walls we built break and our facades fall.’

With a rather loud groan she rolled her body off the chair making sure not to catch herself on her hands, and then stood up straight and moved toward the refrigeratorr, but not before she looked at the clock that read six am. She was dismayed when looking inside and found absolutely nothing. In a fit of exasperation Amaya walked back into the living room where she saw her partner sleeping without a care in the world. ’I could end his life right now.’ she brushed her hand against his cheek in fascination before the sudden urge to strangle him appeared and quickly she backed away from him.

Seconds later when she knew the impulse was gone she began to reach into his pocket, hoping to find money but once more to her displeasure she found none. And in a fit of restlessness she opened the window of their five foot story apartment and jumped out.

Within a matter of milliseconds she transformed into a bird that greatly differed from the one she used previously. As she flew above the city it seemed as though all the anger she had been feeling before fluttered alongside the wind and was forgotten momentarily.

The seconds passed by and she wondered whether or not looking for a coffee shop without any clue as to where one would be was such a good idea, and she concluded it wasn’t but to her amazement just as she thought that a bagel shop appeared before her. ’Luck.’

As the pink haired woman descended from the air she morphed back into a human and walked to the back of the store, hoping one of the employees was stupid enough to leave backdoor open. It was, and so making sure she turned invisible the demoness walked toward the bakery section of the store; where she quickly grabbed an assortment of bagels and snatched two cups of black coffee from the pickup line and then put all the items into a to-go bag.

It was easy stealing from the little shop when it seemed to be so crowded that no one in line could even move, and the frantic bustling of the workers didn’t even notice those around them.

As Amaya walked out the back door once more she wondered how she would get everything back to their apartment while it was still hot. An idea hit her though as a cab pulled up to the curb, seemingly waiting for a customer inside the store. Still invisible she set the bag by the front wheels of the taxi and then proceeded to open the driver’s door. With a quick jab to the man’s throat he couldn’t scream and suffocated to death. An apathetic look to her face indicated she felt no remorse for the demise of the driver. Sure, it wasn’t his fault but when was it really ever?

Amaya, now visible, moved the man’s body from the driver’s seat to the back making sure to stage it as a girl helping a drunken man into a taxi. No one paid attention but she could never be too careful.

Grabbing the bag from the front of the car she placed it in the seat next to hers, making sure to buckle it up. She did the same and was pleased to find that the man whom she had killed drove a more modern taxi with an iPhone GPS system. Not knowing how to get back to their apartment but having memorized the address she quickly typed it in and then hit the start button.
And even though not having driven a car for more than ten years – for she usually had others do that for her - she still remembered the basics and continued to follow the instructions of the voice. ”I do not remember people being such bad drivers before.”

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It only took her seven minutes to get back where the brat was and as she arrived at the door to their apartment she realized she left Sora alone. Unprotected. ”Fucking God-damn, that brat better not have gotten hurt.”Uncharacteristically Amaya fumbled with the keys and opened the door, a long sigh escaped past her lips. Awful Scarf was okay.

Amaya set the brown bag on the table in-between the chair she slept in and the couch which her partner was then occupying. Before anything else she pulled the two coffee cups out and gently placed them alongside each other, and then flattened the bag as a make shift plate for the five bagels. There were of course plates in the cabinet, but she was exhausted and wanted to sit.

”Wake up brat.” and to further her statement she threw a bagel at his head which in turn woke him up immediately. His dark blue hair was messed up and his eyes seemed to be frantically searching the area before they finally landed on her. ”Eat quickly. We’re going to do some research today so you better be bright eyed and awake because like Hell am I going to do it myself.”

She too then began to eat a plain bagel and as she took a sip of her too bitter coffee she couldn’t help but be reminded of herself.

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Dialogue ~ #FF7190

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When Kagari had read that her partner and her would be sharing a home during the game, being assigned a complete piece of trash was the last thing she expected. Or perhaps 'piece of trash' was an understatement, but she really couldn't think of any other way to explain the abandoned-looking apartment complex that now stood before her. It looked like a building that would be used as the base of some sort of haunting, or maybe the location of the first murder that a serial killer would commit.

At the first touch of the railing that lead up the staircase, Kagari quickly pulled her hand away as she felt the rusty surface brush off onto her hands. She removed her hat and wiped the palm of her hand against it, paying no mind to the dark brown traces of rust that were left on the black fabric as she did so. She followed Anzo up the stairs and stopped beside him as they reached the door to their apartment, if you could even call it an apartment. The door refused to open, the wood creaking as Anzo attempted to push the door open to no avail. It took Anzo having to slam himself against it in order for it to open, only to have it slam into the wall inside, causing a fair amount of dust and other particles to sprinkle over their heads.

She tossed her hat to the side as she walked passed Anzo who was once again bowing his head as he held the door open. She had noticed that his hand had come close to her head, but he'd quickly pulled away before his fingertips could brush her hair. She paid no mind to it, the same way she ignored the stain she'd rubbed onto her hat, and reached her hands up to try and brush the dust away. She felt slightly regretful that she'd removed her hat earlier, but there was nothing to do about it now. Pulling at the loose-tied bun that kept her hair above her neck, the black locks cam loose and fell around her shoulders. Having it down made it easier to run her fingers through to brush the rusty flakes away.

As she combed her hands through her hair, she took a look around the little room as Anzo mumbled a list of rhymes to himself. This would be their living quarters from here on out, it might as well be a shack in an alleyway. She itched at her long sleeves, feeling the moisture slowly start to build up under the thin cloth as the humidity of the room flowed over her. The humidity looked to be the last of their problems, however, with the wallpaper looking like it was melting from the walls and the floor being caked in dirt as if it hadn't been met with a broom in years. Not only that, but the place was hardly more than a single room.

Anzo removed his hoodie, clearly being effected by the dampness of the room as well, as Kagari took a closer look at the walls of their "apartment". She reached her hand up and rubbed her pointer down the wall a few inches before examining her finger, narrowing her eyes at the dirt that had turned the tip of her finger brown. "Filthy," she said bitterly, the only word that could escape her lips before a loud 'thump" made her turn her head. Anzo had ended up on the ground for some reason or other with a hint of surprise in his eyes.

She tilted her head at him, raising one eyebrow in both curiosity and confusion, but he quickly recovered himself and picked himself up off the dirty floor, his attention turning to the spotted curtains that hung on a rusty rod that was placed above the window. "Had the sun risen in another lifetime, another dice had been thrown, Kings would gossip and swear with envy for the kingdom I would build you. A Queen's castle, a dream to clutch."

She felt no reason to question him now. If anything he probably just tripped on the rug, either way she had already lost all curiosity she had felt a moment ago as he spoke again. By now, she was starting to understand his poetic speech, though it still took her a few seconds to comprehend what he was trying to say, but she could more or less make it out. He seemed upset about their room assignment, as was Kagari. There was nothing to do about it now, though. She let out a small sigh before a smile returned to her lips.

"Guess you'll have to turn this mess into a Queen's room, then."

"Um..."

There was hesitation in his voice, and for a moment Kagari though that maybe he had changed his mind and decided not to say whatever he was going to say. During his moment of silence, she made her was over to the closet. There was no way she would keep her clothes in here unless it was scrubbed clean with bleach.

"Queen of Tides..."

She straightened herself and turned slightly, halfway facing the closet and halfway facing the black-haired demon.

"Has the ink yet dried on your ledger? As pages turn, what worlds have bowed to your pull? Can you fill eyes such as mine with tales of long ago?"

"You want to know who I am," she said, more as a statement than a question. It was her turn to show hesitation. They'd be working as partners in a game that might cost them their lives, so it was only natural that the two of them should become more familiar with each other. If they remained strangers, there's no way they'd be able to cooperate properly, or at least that's the way most would see it. In Kagari's case, she would've preferred to be as vague about her personal life as possible. On the other hand, be able to understand Anzo would likely work in her favor.

Her eyes moved along the wall slowly before once again resting on the open closet. "I can't live here with just the clothes on my back. We can't live here with the place being this filthy either."

She then turned and took a few steps towards Anzo, stopping with a couple of feet between them. "Our first order of business is making this place at least somewhat decent. After that, we can take a trip to my other house and pick up a few things from my room. As long as we don't make contact with my mother, we won't be breaking the rules." She stopped a moment, her eyebrows furrowing just slightly, though not enough to form a wrinkle, as a thought brushed over here. "Um, we need cleaning supplies too. So, maybe we should go buy some. Uh, the normal store should carry that kind of stuff, right?"

When had been the last time she'd cleaned? Five, maybe six years? The smile that was once on her face curved downward into a small, somewhat frustrated frown.