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RPC Background Stories Part 4: Evanescent Loyalties (sec.6) |
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Author's Note: Yes! Finally! I finished another section! *crowd cheers* God, this one took me forever. Does anyone even read this thing anymore? I hope so. It would suck if no one read my stuff. emo If anyone does still read this, will you please comment so that I'll know I'm not just posting this to get gold?
Anyway, this is another filler section...or is it? I start talking about Zara Mohan. There's something up with her that makes her a pretty major player later on. And for the record, each time she appears in Evanescent Loyalties or is mentioned, I'll drop a little hint about who she really is. People who read this are free to guess. In fact, I'd love it if you would. Those of you who have been told the answer *cough* Kana *cough cough*, please don't spoil it. Here, I'll even tell you the hints I've dropped so far:
1. Zara addressed Kiran directly when she asked for his name.
2. Zara has an oddly realistic tattoo. Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that effect?
I'll even give you guys a clue: Zara knows who Rei is, but she doesn't know that Etsuko Nasu is Rei and Rei knows of Zara's existance, but nothing else. Stumped? mrgreen
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Daichi leaned back in one of the chairs positioned in front of the wall of television screens in the security office. He sighed, put his feet on the switchboard, and crossed his arms across his chest. “Sasaki always was a cheapskate,” he muttered to himself. “Why let the security guards watch the security screens when you can make the demon slayers you’re already paying do it and save money?”
“You know Sasaki-san?”
Surprised, Daichi fell out of his chair and onto the floor. He looked over at the doorway and saw the girl who’d introduced herself as Etsuko Nasu. She was laughing.
“Did I startle you?” Rei asked.
“Yes,” Daichi admitted as he stood up and picked up the chair. “I didn’t hear or sense you come in.”
“Oh? Can you sense auras or energy signatures?”
“Energy signatures.”
“I was hiding mine. Sorry.”
“What do you have to hide?” Daichi asked. He studied Rei’s facial expression before adding, “Never mind. Don’t answer that. So, why are you here?”
“I thought I’d keep you company,” Rei said as she sat in an empty chair in front of the wall of screens. “This must get pretty boring. Can you believe people actually get paid to do this?”
“We are,” Daichi said, sitting down in his chair.
“True enough.” There was a short silence then Rei said, “Hey, there’s a vending machine around the corner. Do you want anything?”
“Um, a soda’s fine.”
“Kay. What kind?”
“As long as it’s not diet, I don’t care.”
Rei left the room and came back a minute later with two sodas. She handed one to Daichi and sat in her chair.
“Thanks. I’ll pay you back later,” Daichi said as he accepted the soda.
“Don’t bother. It wasn’t that expensive.”
“You sure?”
Rei nodded.
“Thanks, Nerio-chan.”
Rei froze. Okay, he knows. “How’d you know?” she asked quietly.
Daichi opened the can of soda and said, “I recognized your voice and face. The contacts didn’t do much.”
“I’m not wearing contacts.”
“What’s up with your eyes, then?”
“I switched eyes with Kuro.”
“Ah. Speaking of which, where is he?”
“I dismissed him. He attracts too much attention.”
Daichi nodded in agreement. “That and his aura is distinctly demonic.”
“Yeah, that too.” Rei looked at the security screens than asked, “Does anyone else know?”
“I’m sorry?”
“Did you tell anyone else who I am?”
“No. I figured I’d talk to you and find out why you’re here first.” Daichi took a drink of soda. “So why are you here?”
“We’re trying to figure out why these thunder demons are attacking this place,” Rei explained. “This is totally out of character for them.”
“How do you mean?”
“This group usually avoids humans. It’s rare for them to even leave the Demonic Realm, or Hell, as you probably know it.”
“Then why come in disguise?”
“Because none of us are demon slayers and demon slayers are what Sasaki-san requested. It’s doubtful that he would have trusted us otherwise.”
“That makes sense.”
They sat quietly staring at the screens for a few minutes before Daichi asked, “Why did you choose a shirt that shows your tattoo?”
Rei raised an eyebrow. “Come again? And it’s called a binding point.”
“Well, it looks like one,” Daichi muttered. “Fine. Why are you wearing a shirt that shows your binding point?”
“I’m not sure I follow.”
Daichi sighed heavily. “How long have you lived in Japan, Nerio-san?”
“Nasu-san,” Rei corrected quietly. “Since I was five.”
“Then, Nasu-san, you should know that tattoos are usually associated with the yakuza.”
Rei frowned slightly. “Times are changing.”
“It’s still not a good idea to show off that binding point of yours.”
“What about Mohan-san, then?”
“She came to Japan only last month. She only learned the basic culture before coming here. Apparently no one told her about tattoos.”
“She has a strange energy signature,” Rei noted.
“I didn’t notice anything.”
“It’s hard to pinpoint, but there’s an abnormality. She’s probably hiding it.”
“You can do that?”
Rei nodded. “If you’re skilled enough you can dampen or enhance certain aspects of your energy signature, but most people use a charmed object to achieve that effect. Jewelry’s used a lot for things like that because it can be worn. The metals and gemstones hold the spells well, too.”
“She wears a necklace all the time.”
“Chances are that’s charmed, then.”
“What could she be hiding?”
Rei shrugged. “Maybe she’s not entirely human.”
“You mean like a half-breed?”
Rei scowled at the derogatory name. “The term is ‘Halfling,’ and yes, possibly. Halflings are more common than you think.” Rei took a drink of her soda then added, “Her energy signature feels familiar.”
“Have you met her before?”
“No, I mean the abnormality.” Rei closed her eyes and thought for a moment. “I can’t place it. If she wasn’t hiding it I could figure out where I know it from. Not knowing is driving me insane!”
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 Kyokiri · Wed Oct 29, 2008 @ 01:51am · 3 Comments |
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