destinystrings | 01 - Pint Sized Terror Unleashed!

Entry tags:

01 - Pint Sized Terror Unleashed!

Who: Yamato Hotsuin and YOU!
Where: Taurus Ward at night
Summary: Yamato is more than a little disorientated
Warnings: A fire breathing dog. THE FIRE BREATHING DOG. Also Taurus ward I guess.

Yamato's brain felt like it was in the middle of a grand overload.

The bright neon lights, the bustle of people in all sorts of outlandish clothing moving from building to building in groups, the loud laughter and catcalls - it was so alien to Yamato, who had spent his years isolated in a quiet, out of the way mansion, that he found himself frozen in place, his head stiffly moving from side to side as he drank in the gaudy sight.

At least he had his faithful demon companion by his side. Cerberus was looming over him, more than twice his height, the beast's shoulders hunched in a tense way. Its body language clearly stated that it was prepared to lash out at anything that exhibited the slightest bit of threat, a low, muted growl rumbling in the back of its throat.

Yamato took an abrupt, cautious step forward, and Cerberus shadowed the movement. As... bewildering and confusing this was, he couldn't stand still all night. He...had to get to the bottom of this. A calm, detached observation of his surroundings, even if the lack of memory about his arrival here was disconcerting.

So. A child by his lonesome, dressed in a traditional yukata, with a Cerberus trailing after him... in the red light district during the busiest hour. Approach?

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When Aoi first sees him, she doesn't quite register that he looks somewhat familiar. Instead, her expression immediately becomes both serious and concerned, and she slowly, cautiously approaches. He's so small, and that demon, although it does not appear to be dangerous right now, could easily snatch the child up in an instant if it wanted.

"Are you alright...?"

She reaches out to him, holding her hand out even as she begins to crouch down to his height. It occurs to her that the beeping from her COMP must be referring to this child, but for him to appear here of all places - and so close to such a dangerous looking demon of all things - must be quite unlucky. It was so fortunate she happened to be patrolling this area to catch him so soon after he arrived.

Yamato stopped when a strange woman approached, only to shy away when she crouched down and reached out towards him. People never touched him, and he would hardly have it start now with a complete stranger. Who was this woman? Yamato's gaze flickered about him, as if to make sure it was just her, and not some sort of trap to lure him into a more isolated location.

Children would trust females more than a strange male. A child would be coaxed by a strange woman. Yamato was above that though.

Cerberus was quiet and still behind, the beast's hot breath ruffling his hair from how close it was. It was comforting.

"...who are you?"

Now that she's closer, it's hard not to notice the resemblance. After all, she had spent quite a bit of time with his twin sister, even though neither of the two would realize the true connection quite yet. But she can't stop a small "Hotsuin...?" from slipping past her lips.

"...My name is Aoi Misato. I am a Visitor here, just like you."

She frowns a little at the thought. They were both brought here by the same person, and yet... Even a glance tells her he is much too young. A child his age really shouldn't have been involved in this.

"I'd like to help you, if I can. This district isn't very safe for people your age." Her voice remains soft and calming as she speaks to him. He must be frightened, right? To suddenly find himself somewhere completely different.

Something in Yamato's gaze sharpened at hearing his family's name pass the woman's lips. How did she know...?

Yamato shied away a bit more, until he was practically pressed back against Cerberus. His demon nudged his head with its dry nose, but its eyes were intent upon Aoi, ears pricked forwards in an alert position. Both of them were very high strung and ready to leap to conclusions (or action)...

"I am capable of looking after myself well enough," Yamato said stiffly, feeling that quashing any perception of him being a weak child was the highest priority. "Explain how you know my name, and our current location."

She stiffens a bit when the demon nudges him, relaxes only slightly when it doesn't make to bite his head off. It... looks an awful lot like it's with him, oddly enough...

"Eh- So you're a Hotsuin as well?" She's genuinely surprised at this. "Ah... Sorry, I'm friends with Miyako Hotsuin. You looked so much like her, I couldn't help it." She's studying him a little more closely now. "I knew she had a twin brother, but I didn't realize she had a younger sibling as well..."

Wait, he'd had another request, hadn't he? "Currently, we're in the Taurus district of the City of Hinoto-Ri. I can explain more, but we should probably leave this district first. It really isn't safe."

Yamato's head was buzzing as he processed this. Miyako Hotsuin? What was his sister doing here? Younger sibling? What was this woman nattering about? If she knew Miyako, she would know her as a child as well...

He mulled for a moment, before hesitatingly casting caution to the wind. This woman was a source of vital information, and if he was walking into a trap, well... Cerberus was a powerful demon if it came to it.

"...very well," he muttered, his gaze deeply suspicious as he stared up at Aoi. "But we will remain in a public place. I do not want to be in an isolated place with you."

Although Yamato had never been in a 'public' place, he knew enough that criminals weren't very inclined to commit their illegal acts in a crowd. He was picking the lesser evil here, suffering discomfort in such crowded areas.

It takes her a moment to realize what he means by that. Did he think she was dangerous...?

"I promise, I don't mean to hurt you. But we will be walking through public spaces on the way to the government building, so please don't worry."

She holds up her hand again - clearly indicating he should take it.

Yamato stared at the hand like it was a venomous creature.

"...I dislike being touched," he said, his tone sub-zero. His expression was cold as well, eyes like flints of ice. "And I do not need to be led like a child."

...But he is a child. Still, if it makes him uncomfortable, she'll go ahead and let her hand drop, trying to keep up a smile nonetheless.

"In that case, try to stick close to me, okay?" She stands up and begins to walk, although she remains half turned to make sure he follows - as well as keep an eye on that large demon.

Yamato made an irritated noise in the back of his throat, but obediently trailed after the woman, his geta clacking against the street's tarmac. Cerberus lumbered by his side, and Yamato actually lifted his hand up to curl his fingers into the beast's thick mane - just to make sure nothing caught Cerberus's attention and made him wander off.

Yes. It was that reason only.

They walked in silence for a long while, but when the bright lights and raucous crowd started to thin out...

"Where are we going?"

"We're going to the station. It will take a little while, but it will take us right over to the government buildings, where we can find out where you will be living as long as you stay here."

True to her word, she sticks to main streets (although that is also in part because frankly the alleyways could be dangerous for herself as well, much less with a small child in tow). As the station comes into sight, she points it out. "See? It's that building over there."

And, rather cheerily: "Have you ever ridden on a tram before, Hotsuin?"

Government buildings? Where he'd be living? Yamato pressed his mouth into a thin line, confused and hating himself for it. Was he being relocated...? His head was beginning to hurt. He had heard no whispers of him moving to a new location, and he doubted that he would be abandoned in the middle of a civilian street without explanation. Considering how they tried to keep him as separate as possible from the common man...

He was broken out of his anxious thoughts by the woman speaking again, and he looked up to see a large building. It was somewhat sparse, crowd wise, this late at night, and the clock mounted on the very front of the building said it was inching close to ten o'clock at night.

"...no," he said after a pause, disliking how the woman was speaking to him. She sounded... patronising to his ears. Treating him like a child. It irritated him. "I've never been on public transportation before."

"The transportation they have here is a little different from what I'm used to as well, but... it's the most convenient way to get around the city. You'll probably need to ask for help from an adult, though. The different tram lines can get confusing until you memorize them."

Once they reach the station, she pays for both of their passes before pausing to look at Cerberus. Does he... count as a passenger too...?

Yamato was quiet when he watched the entire process with fascinated eyes. Having been ferried about in a car whenever he had to move locations, this was quite... interesting, seeing how civilians travelled if they didn't possess a car. Tickets were purchased with currency, the prices differing upon the person's ages (children were cheaper than adults, and, according to the ticket board, elders were cheaper as well, and there were things like season tickets, or year long passes, and-), and there was a very intricate map of all the rails that led to different parts of the city (that Yamato tried to memorise as well as he could in a one minute glance over).

Despite his suspicion and confusion, Yamato felt a childish sort of excitement bubbling up in him - not that he would recognise it as such.

When Aoi stared at Cerberus though, Yamato tilted his head at the delay. Was there a problem with the demon's presence? Ah, well, yes, Cerberus was quite large. Would he fit in a 'tram'? Yamato didn't really know what a tram looked like, so he wasn't quite sure how the sizings would be...

"Cerberus can follow the tram. His speed is very impressive."

"Well..."

She's beginning to see now that Cerberus seems to be there to protect him, and realizing that it might be more comforting for the little Hotsuin to have Cerberus close by. She taps her COMP on the scanner once more, purchasing yet another ticket.

"Just in case there's room. He wouldn't be the first demon to ride along, I'm sure."

She checks the time as they step into the waiting area and decides it would be best to just sit it out until the tram comes. She makes her way to the benches, always keeping an eye on Yamato to make sure he follows safely before seating herself, gesturing at the open space next to her.

"I can explain things in a little more detail while we wait, if you'd like."

"Hmm..."

Yamato absorbed that titbit of information. Not the first demon - he understood that the existence of demons were kept hidden from the public, but she spoke as if it was common for demons to roam about in this city, in full view. Of course, he knew something was up when she took Cerberus's appearance without batting an eyelash, but it was... strange? Very strange. Yamato just couldn't puzzle this out.

He followed her into a sort of waiting area, the room filled with hard, metal looking benches. They looked uncomfortable, and when Aoi gestured to the seat next to her, Yamato decided to decline with a small shake of his head.

"Yes," he said, straightening up and tilting his jaw upwards slightly, "Explain the situation to me in thorough detail."

Too close, maybe? Well, she'll begin anyhow.

Her expression becomes serious again as she gives him not answers, but instead a question: "Do you remember a dream of a masked man?"

A masked man?

Yamato thought deeply. He remembered reading in his room as usual, then feeling somewhat drowsy. It happened regularly. He took random naps throughout the day, as it was quite wearisome to have Cerberus maintained twenty four seven. He fell asleep... and then, yes, he remembered some sort of dream with a butterfly? Yamato couldn't quite remember the details but...

"Vaguely."

She'd known from the start that he was another Visitor just like herself, but her expression still tightens when she hears that. He's really, truly young for this kind of a responsibility.

But now that he'd been drawn here, he deserves an explanation, so she will do the best she can.

"That man... his name is Philemon. He brings people like you and I from all different worlds to help this city, Hinoto-Ri. It must sound strange, but... As far as we know, this seems to be the only city left in the world, and we have to protect it and its people. In order to do this, we are each given a special power called Persona."

She pauses to make sure he gets all of this, ready to try to break it down even further in the case that he does not.

There was a bit of a pause.

"I don't understand," Yamato said, his tone bland, "We are to protect a city that we have no prior connection to, and therefore no duty towards, simply because some supernatural entity conscripts us into being its guards?"

It was laughable really, and Yamato felt his lips twitch into a smile in response. It wasn't a very nice one, and in fact, carried a slight, mocking edge to it.

"Unless there is something more, of course. Is there a prize or reward given to those who obey?"

She'd met Yamato (the older) and Miyako, and realized that they did not share her ideals when it came to saving people. But for even this small child to be saying such things...

"The people here are struggling. With the demon population as it is, and this city being the only one that remains... There's only so much they can give. However, as long as you are here you will be provided with a room, as well as enough money to pay for supplies for about a month."

Which... just reminds her of yet another concern, really.

"Hotsuin... It might be best if we found your sister and stayed with her as long as you're here."

This didn't really seem satisfactory to Yamato - kidnapped and placed into a city with the mission to protect it, and gently bribed with offers of food and lodgings, even though they were the ones to kidnap the person in the first place? It left a bad taste in Yamato's mouth.

But he dropped the subject, giving Aoi a blank look, his eyes sliding half closed. "My sister...? I'm self-sufficient enough." And, considering at that moment Yamato thought Miyako was a child like him... would just give him extra baggage to carry around, as she hadn't yet summoned her first demon yet.

...But he's just a child.

"Still, it would probably be best for you to stay with someone older... Especially in a dangerous place like this."

Older?

"My sister is younger," Yamato said slowly, his blank expression crinkling in confusion.

...Huh?

"But Hotsuin-- That is, Miyako - is about the same age as I am." It's clear from her expression that she is just as confused. Were they speaking about different people? Just how large was their family...?

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