Free Battle: Capricorn

[otakuro]

Who: Atsuro Kihara, Open
Where: Leo -> Capricorn District, night
Summary: Skill cracking, magnetite-farming, and leveling up. Atsuro's no stranger to training...
Warnings: None

[private, voice to Ludwig Beilschmidt]
Hey, ah... Ludwig. ...Do you mind if I call you that?

We're getting close to another full moon. ...That's when they said the demons came out in full force, right? I think we should try and get a handle on summoning our Personas before we have to face something else like last time. I've tried to call Enki a few more times; I don't think it's possible just to do it for fun - it might not work unless we're really in danger.

Can we meet tonight by the town hall in Leo? Let's say... about 11:30. I saw you were asking about Personas; I can fill you in on what Enki can do then before we head out.

[public text]
Hey! I'm heading out to do some training tonight. Free Battles are a free action, right? Don't wait up; I won't be getting back until after that 13th Hour.

Feel free to join me if you want.  I'll be outside Capricorn.

[action, town hall]
Half an hour to go.

Atsuro shuffles nervously in front of the hall, his fingers toying with the adjustable strap on his bag.  The text had essentially been spam; he wasn't sure why he'd felt the urge to announce his plans to the whole city.  He'd met maybe ten people here.  Probably three or four of them actually cared.  Naoya, of course, would want to keep tabs on him, but Naoya kept tabs on everything without anyone needing to check in, anyway.

The real reason, of course, was so that someone would come looking if he ended up dead or unconscious somewhere.  He wasn't afraid of the demons... Not really.  A pack of Waira were nothing in comparison to Belberith or Babel.  But he'd been shaken; the idea of being plucked from the verge of defeat by what was essentially a happy coincidence didn't sit well with him.  What if it'd been a one-time deal?  What if his Persona just... never came out again?

Thou art I and I am thou.  He'd never thought of himself as a great fighter.  All he'd ever wanted to do was survive.  No one had asked him to join a team or become a part of something greater - He, along with the rest of Tokyo, had simply been thrust into a situation where they had to pull out all stops if they wanted to live to see the next sunrise.  Of course, he'd given it his all.  But after living through those seven days of terror and panic, these three weeks of leisure had reminded him...  This was what he'd been fighting for.  So that the world would go back to normal and he could resume his normal life.  Did he really want to stay here and keep on fighting?  For some purpose he didn't even fully understand?  Yeah, it was neat and exciting and novel.  But so was the thought of playing an MMO with his forum buddies again, cramming for placement exams, and hanging out with Yuzu and Kazuya at the mall.

...He sighs slightly and shakes himself out of his thoughts.  The important thing at the moment was to gain control of this power he didn't understand.  Making a decision when he still felt lost and confused... Probably wasn't the best idea.

Atsuro finally stops fidgeting and seats himself on the steps of the building, watching the nightlife die down as the 13th Hour rapidly approaches.  Ludwig ought to show up soon.  ...Maybe some others would too.  He finds himself scanning the faces of those passing by, hoping to find someone familiar.

Comments

[second_destiny]

"That's too early to tell. I've seen another mech and talked to its pilot." Though Gurren-Lagann looked nothing like any mech Asem had ever seen, that was for sure. What kind of mech has a face on its chest?

"You mean you were fighting back home, too?"

[otakuro]

Atsuro shifts his position slightly as he turns his gaze away from Asem back towards the outline of the mech in the distance.

"...Not like... a war or the way you must need to fight or anything. I'm not exactly a great candidate for the military."

His answer is vague, leading to a point from which the topic can easily be changed. Despite having more or less obliquely announced the truth about his world a few weeks back, he seems to be uncomfortable with the subject, still.

[second_destiny]

"That's the kind of thing that's hard to say without testing it, though." Asem looked as if he was recalling something. "A girl in my graduating class joined the military, and she's as gentle as can be. And I was told by somebody that I wasn't fit...but here I am now, a captain in the Special Forces. I have my own squad and everything."

[otakuro]

"Aha, you saw me earlier, right? I'd be too busy pressing buttons to be able to take it seriously." Atsuro laughs to himself, though the sound is a little subdued. "...Sorry. It's all just... a fantasy to me, but it's too real for you, right? I shouldn't be thinking of it that way."

He shakes his head slightly. "It's probably not that cool when you're fighting for your life."

[second_destiny]

"No." Asem looked off toward the Gundam. "Not just because that. You also have to remember that the people you're fighting are human, too."

[otakuro]

"...Yeah."

That was something he'd become acutely aware of back home. Wild demons were one thing, but COMP users abusing their demons to terrorize the powerless... There was no way they could allow them to continue, but at the same time, destroying their COMPs with the city crawling with demons was a bit like signing a delayed death warrant.

"Stories are only ever really fun when they're just... stories, I guess."

[second_destiny]

"Exactly." Asem said nothing more after that; just sat there, waiting.

[otakuro]

Atsuro sits silently and ponders nothing in particular for a few moments. He gives a sudden start after a bit.

"Ah, wait! Were you responding to that text I made earlier? Sorry, I kind of lose my train of thought entirely whenever I see your mech. ...Did you want to go out and train?"

[second_destiny]

Asem nodded. "Yeah. That's what I'm here for. I don't have a Persona, but if I'm up and about during this hour, I'd better get used to it."

[otakuro]

"...What do you mean?" Atsuro blinks for a moment or two. "We've all got Persona - it's the only reason we're here, right? Are you saying you haven't gotten yours to come out yet?"

[second_destiny]

"That's what I mean. I haven't even seen a Persona yet."

[otakuro]

Atsuro nods in understanding.

"...Yeah, I guess I'm not surprised. It won't be awakened until you're in danger - Until then, you'll have to get by with whatever weapons you've got on you." He pauses for a moment. "...That probably means you'll be in danger pretty quickly, so you won't be waiting long. All of ours awakened the first night, during our first fight."

[second_destiny]

"I don't know about that. I think it'll take a bit to put me in danger. And if I am in danger, I can just activate my mobile suit."

For once, Asem was letting his cocky side show.

[otakuro]

And for once, Atsuro is taking things a bit too seriously.

"They're not gonna go down in one gunshot, if that's what you think." Atsuro shakes his head. "Normal weapons just aren't effective against things like this unless you want to empty a whole clip. You've got to use their own magic and skills if you want to have a shot - That's mostly what the Persona are for."

[second_destiny]

"I can handle myself with more than a gun." He may not look it, but Asem is quite agile and skilled at using his opponents' momentum to his advantage in a fight. "I'd be a bad soldier if I couldn't."

[otakuro]

((Sorry for the lateness; I attended a wedding this weekend. Feel free to drop if you'd prefer!))

"Yeah - It's not that I don't believe you. Just... don't be too hasty." Atsuro shifts uncomfortably. He had seen dozens of soldiers - dozens of soldiers trained especially for the catastrophe that had fallen - think they could match up to the demonic invasions. But the ones who hadn't been lucky enough to snag a COMP...

"Ah, anyway. You've still got your crushing ball. Just make sure it doesn't land on me or anything, alright?" Atsuro glances down at his watch. "...Looks like it's almost time. This is the first time you'll be seeing them, too, right?"

[second_destiny]

[No way am I dropping this if I can help it.]

"Yeah, that's right. I didn't leave the apartment this time of night the past few nights. I tried to keep my sleep routine up."

[otakuro]

((Thanks!))

Atsuro laughs slightly at the idea of a healthy sleep routine. ...Joking aside, he laughs mostly to calm his nerves as he watches the seconds tick by relentlessly.

"Yeah, I've been a good citizen and stayed inside after curfew. We probably shouldn't make a habit of this... It's a little inconvenient that we can only fight at this hour, huh?"

11:59. One more minute of calm. Atsuro adjusts his bag and gets quickly to his feet.

[second_destiny]

"Yeah. I'm used to this kind of thing, though." Asem stands up, as well. "Enemies don't always attack when it's convenient."

[otakuro]

"At least it's predictabl -- "

His voice dies as the world suddenly falls still around them. There wasn't much perceptibly different in the atmosphere - perhaps the sky was tinted a different shade, perhaps the shadows seemed somehow deeper. But what he notices more than any visible difference is the sudden sense of isolation, the sense that they were the only two living creatures left in the city.

...No, that wasn't right. It was... the opposite. They were alone. But in a land brimming with whispers and shadows of creatures that very much wanted them gone.

"...........Probably should've calibrated my phone."

[second_destiny]

Well. That was a weird feeling. Asem's hair stood on end and his muscles tensed. He looked around for any sign of movement.

"Where are they? I know they're close."

[otakuro]

Atsuro feels a chill run up his spine as he takes a few steps away from the town hall, his footsteps echoing out through the darkness.

"...Looks like we're gonna have to go find them. They've probably got some wards up around the populated areas - Capricorn's out that way."

He nods as his feet begin to slowly tread that direction.

[second_destiny]

Asem nods in return and follows. "Okay. You've got more experience, so you're in charge."

[otakuro]

He decides against abusing his power to command Asem to give him a ride on the giant robot.

"Seriously, experience just means you know when you need to run away. You've just gotta follow some basic rules when you're fighting - strike their weaknesses if you can and never let them get the jump on y -- "

Atsuro stops in his tracks as he drops his voice to a whisper. They were at the border now, on a patch of grass between city and forest.

"...Do you hear something? ...Something like... laughter?"

[second_destiny]

Asem focused on his sense of hearing. Try as he might, however...

"No...not yet." He says nothing after that so as to continue listening.