And we're back after a long delay! Sorry about that, it was mostly my (Estrea's) fault. Fimmy had her section ready, I just had to fill in my parts, and I couldn't find the time or inspiration with college stuff bearing down on me. Finally sat down to write on a weekend. ^_^ Hope you guys like this chapter.
And on yeah, to JFC, Fimmy says that about VoA, she's thinking about either continuing or starting it over in the future, but that it wouldn't be until school gets less hectic and until HT is done. Yup.
Moving on to the show then!
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First Movement: Langsam
Chapter 1
"Are you sure the trail leads in this direction?" A rough voice rumbled over the slashingly cold wind that raked icy daggers over their fur-cloaked bodies. The speaker's bulky shadow fell over his companion's equally furry form, both of them wrapped up to their ears in heavy winter cloaks crudely fashioned from the hides of the arctic bison of the region.
"About as sure as we can in this infernal weather." The smaller tracker growled back. He lifted a shaggy head to test the wind with the tip of his tongue. "Looks like the mild spell we had for the last couple of weeks is over. I knew it was too good to be true." He grumbled, and his larger partner snorted derisively, preparing to move on.
Shuffling through the foot-deep snow, the pair plowed through the drifts, eyes intent. The rugged, mountainous terrain was a challenge to begin with, and add a few feet of fresh snow to that, it made tracking something a pain in the butt. The fact that they were already encountering deep snow within the meager shelter of the pine forest they were traversing announced loud and clear that it would be even more difficult when they went out into the open.
And this was mild weather. In their version of winter, they stopped counting snow in inches. They did it in feet.
"There's the pass just ahead." The taller man noted unnecessarily, before glancing down at his partner. "Think we can climb down the rims to reach the bottom?"
"Not in winter, certainly. A sneeze would bring down an avalanche." The smaller man squinted down the ridge line as they halted at the edge, peering at the narrow mountain pass below them.
"But the weather's been mild of late." The bear-like man, his broad shoulders stretching his fur cloak in way that made him seem more animal than human, observed as he poked at the crust of snow on the ridge with his feet. "Think one of the bloods could have made it down?"
"With no snow, one of our pups could make it down without transforming. I think a leech that could cross the plains on their own could do that too." The smaller one crouched low, taking in the little details while scratching away the layer of new snow that had covered the open ground. "Lichen." He noted after a moment's search.
"What about it?"
"The moss is crushed." Lowering his head to the ground, the tracker sniffed at the vegetation. "Blood. Faint though."
"So our little renegade's has been through here." A distant howl echoing across the mountain range followed the statement. The pair cocked their heads and listened intently, eyes gleaming with the sharpness of those used to the hunt.
"One of the others found something. The herd was disturbed. Not too far off." The larger of the two grinned toothily, his canines flashing. "Shall we join them?"
"We should, if only to report." The smaller agreed. They looked down the sheer drop of the cliff leading to the pass below them.
"This is the fastest way down." Another pause, and maniacal grins. "We should hurry."
"Yes." Another shared look, and wider grins.
"Long time since we've done that."
"Yeah."
"Shall we then?" The decision was unanimous, and the process fluid. Where a pair of men once stood, a pair of beasts now were, beasts in the form of men, their fur cloaks now barely able to cover them in their entirety.
In unison, the werewolf duo leaped off the cliff, skidding down, and in moments were down on the path, already running, to rejoin their pack, yipping and howling like their distant bestial cousins. The mountains were alive with their music. Like a great echo, the message sprang from crag to ravine, bouncing across the miles and carrying their meaning far beyond the ranges, as was from the beginning intended.
~*~*~
It was a dodgy place, complete with low lighting and even lower lifeforms lurking in the area. Lowlife thugs, street whores, thieves and other trash of society frequented such places to drink ridiculously watered down beer at ridiculously low prices.
At least they're charging for exactly what they serve. A slender individual thought ironically to herself. She was shabbily dressed, much like most of the clientèle of this charming hole in the ground, her shoulders hunched defensively into her body as she nursed a large mug of beer that was definitely not watered down. The bartender knew better than to cheat someone like her.
Despite the rundown and overall unpleasant reputation of the place, she liked it here. It was sort of cozy, homey even. Nobody bothered her (well nobody dared). It didn't smell particularly bad, surprisingly, which was a relief to her acute nose. There were fights happening from time to time, which she honestly didn't mind since it gave her a chance to take out her frustrations of the day on whatever drunk idiot who tried to pick on her. All in all, a nice sort of place. A dump, certainly, but a comforting one.
It was slow day for the bar, with few of the shady individuals around, so it was fairly quiet. Peaceful. Her eyes half lidded, she was alone at the counter, her presence dominating enough such that no others dared to sit anywhere near her. It was a relaxing atmosphere...
...that quickly dissipated when her sharp ears picked up a sound she had not expected to hear, not after so long.
The other patrons paid no mind, but she wasn't surprised. They wouldn't be able to hear a thing, after all. It wasn't meant for their ears. Not meant for hers too, frankly. She had given up on things like that a long time ago. But she could still hear it whenever it happened, like it or not.
"So, another one on the loose eh?" She muttered to herself, before lifting and draining the mug in a single breath.
Banging the mug forcefully back down onto the counter, she hollered belligerently.
"One more! And make it snappy!" The bartender scrambled to obey. She smirked.
She didn't ask for much in life. Give her a free flow of alcohol and a few good fights, and she was a happy woman.
Whatever that happened out in the wild was none of her business. Not anymore.
Her beer arrived. She downed it again and signaled for more, eager to drive out the buzz in her ears.
Life was good here.
~*~*~
The short staccato of the young barmaid’s fingers as she drummed them against the counter was beginning to get on Maimi’s last nerve, each little beat jabbing into the older female’s skull and adding to the headache she already had.
“Risako…”
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
The cadence continued uninterrupted, and the one called Risako didn’t even so much as twitch when her boss spoke her name. She merely continued to sit there on her stool, one elbow propped up on the bar to allow her head to rest in her hand, and her other arm—the one that was currently the source of Maimi’s annoyance—doing the drumming, while she stared out at the mostly empty tables in the room.
She was bored, Maimi knew, but it was that time of the day when people had work to do, and no time to stop in and relax with a drink or two. Maimi savored these downtimes throughout the week, though, because when the bar DID start to get busy she would barely have a moment to stop and catch her breath.
For the time being, however, it was quiet. There was only a handful of people in the bar, and no need to have BOTH Yurina and Risako serving drinks and food at the same time. The human lighthouse could do her job quickly and efficiently, and until a few more drunks decided to wander in, the youngest barmaid would only get in her way.
Maimi tolerated the tapping for just a while longer, trying to distract herself by scanning the room for the last member of her staff, but she couldn’t spot the third barmaid anywhere. That was when her patience ran out, and she turned suddenly to Risako, who seemed to have increased the volume at which she pounded out her imaginary rhythm on the table.
“Risako!” She snapped, slamming a hand down on the bar and causing the other girl to jump and eye her warily.
“What?”
“Just… stop… I’ve got a terrible headache and you’re making it worse.”
“Well, jeez, you could have just TOLD me that instead of giving me a heart attack!”
The barkeep rubbed her temples tiredly, letting out a quiet, long-suffering sigh. It was going to be a very long day already, she could tell, and she was about to make it that much longer by daring to ask the question that she pretty much already knew the answer to.
“Do you know where Nakki is?”
“Nope.”
Maimi resisted the urge to cry a little bit, her headache throbbing in reaction to the younger female’s short, annoying response.
“Okay… do you know why she’s wherever she is and not cleaning tables like she’s supposed to be doing?”
“I dunno, why does it hurt to stare at the sun?”
Please… someone else come in through that door so I can give her something to keep her occupied… before I kill myself… please.
And just as the barkeep finished her silent prayer, it was answered, the door to the bar opening and allowing a tall female to wander in from the harsh cold outside. Her clothing was dark and somewhat worn, indicating that either she had been traveling for a while or that she didn’t have much to live off of. Maimi assumed both, since the girl looked to be a bit on the thin side, like she hadn’t eaten in a few days.
Regardless of her half-starved appearance, though, the female was still quite pretty, and the barkeep’s eyes followed the girl as she walked from the door to where she sat down at a table. Maimi wasn’t even aware that she was still staring until the girl looked up and locked eyes with her, those emerald orbs sending a shiver down the barkeep’s spine.
“Yajima-san?”
Maimi felt a slight nudge on her shoulder, and tore her eyes away from the stranger to look at Risako, who was fidgeting and watching her boss intently.
“Can I take care of this one, please? I haven’t had anything to do all day and Yurina-chan’s kind of busy, and Saki-chan’s not around, so please let me handle at least one customer…”
The barkeep had already gone back to watching the newcomer, who seemed to have lost interest in her and was now browsing quietly through the paper menu that had been on the table when she came in. Maimi noticed that there were silver bands—they reminded the barkeep of shackles, though she couldn’t see any evidence that chains had ever been attached to them—around the girl’s wrists, and even though they seemed to be large enough for her to push up to her shoulders, she bore scars on her wrists like something round had cut into them. The same could be said for the female’s neck, though instead of a silver band, she wore an extra-large dog collar as if it were just the latest trend and there wasn’t anything strange about it at all.
Another nudge. Risako was getting impatient, but Maimi could have cared less about whatever it was the younger girl wanted at the moment, and so she waved her employee away in a slightly incoherent manner.
“Yeah… customer. Good. Do that.”
The barmaid rolled her eyes and skipped out from behind the bar, making her way towards the stranger that had walked in. Risako immediately shifted into her happy, hyper “let’s serve other people” mode as she pulled a pad of paper out of her apron and readed herself to scribble down anything that the newcomer wanted.
“Hello, welcome to-”
“Everything…”
Risako blinked, not expecting to be interrupted by the stranger’s quiet voice. When her brain finally caught up to the situation, however, she found it somewhat hard to comprehend what the other girl was asking of her.
“I’m sorry… what?”
“I’d like to order everything on the menu… and a glass of water…”
The barmaid’s eyes widened considerably, and she stared hard at the stranger for a moment, putting her hands on her hips.
“Are you screwing around with me? We don’t mind people coming in here and resting as long as they want, but if you aren’t going to order something, or if you aren’t going to be serious about it, anyway, then-”
The stranger slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out a handful of gold coins, placing them on the table before she stopped to look up at Risako with her oddly-colored eyes. They didn’t have the same effect on the barmaid as they had on Maimi, but the younger female was definitely startled, and she instinctively took a step backwards. This amused the stranger, who grinned a little bit, speaking quietly again.
“I’m perfectly serious. Really hungry, too, so… if you don’t mind… I’d like some food. I can find somewhere else to go if I need to, though.”
“Oh, no… that’s fine, then… Sorry to be such a bother, I’ll get everything out here to you as quickly as I can.”
“Thank you.”
Risako gave the stranger a little bow and quickly scrambled back towards Maimi, who hadn’t moved much since the barmaid left her side. The younger female poked her boss in the side hard, earning a sharp cry in response.
“WHAT, Rii-chan?”
“She wants to order everything we have to eat…”
“Does she have the money?”
“Well, yeah… but…”
“Then I don’t see a problem with it. Gives you something to do, and besides that she looks like she really could eat everything that we have, and still have room for more. And even if she can’t, still means money for us.”
“Yajima-san… There’s something that… well… doesn’t she seem kind of weird to you?”
“I’m not here to ask questions about my customers, I’m here to serve them drinks and food and get their money for it. Now get busy, I don’t pay you to stand around and bother me with pointless stuff.”
The young barmaid scowled and stuck her tongue out at her employer, who didn’t seem to be paying much attention to her at all, actually, and then disappeared back into the kitchen. …Leaving Maimi alone to continue gazing quietly at the stranger. The other girl was doing a very, very good job of pretending that the barkeep didn’t exist, and it was beginning to frustrate Maimi to no end. She wondered if that was what the stranger was going for, though, because as soon as she let out an irritated sigh, she could have sworn that the tall female grinned a little bit from where she was sitting.
She was about to work up the courage to go over and talk to the stranger, when the door to the bar opened once again, and another figure slid into the room to escape the cold. The atmosphere in the room seemed to change from nice and cozy to tense and frosty as everyone in the bar turned to eye this new stranger warily. It was no small wonder why they did, either.
This girl was wearing all black, and had a tattered cape of sorts that trailed behind her along the floor like some ghostly shadow. Her hair was long and wild, and it looked like she hadn’t attempted to brush it in quite some time, jutting out from her head in all directions. Her eyes were a strange, almost blood-red in color, and—after regarding the other people in the bar first—when they stopped to focus on Maimi, the barkeep flinched, feeling almost like she was a tasty dish on display.
The girl’s lips slowly curled upwards into a smile, revealing super-sharp canine teeth and causing the whole room to go dead silent.
“I knew I’d find some humans in here… and this place is kind of out of the way, too… just my luck.”
Maimi’s eyes widened with realization at that point, and she grabbed a broom near the entrance to the kitchen, somewhat glad that Saki had decided to shirk on her duties, since it provided her with a weapon.
“Everybody get out… we’re closing for the day…” She stated in a calm, yet loud voice. However, most of the people still left in the bar had already started to clear out, while the girl standing at the entrance didn’t seem to be interested in them much at all.
Soon, only Maimi and the green-eyed female were left in the room with the other girl, and the barkeep carefully made her way around the counter, holding the broom tightly in her right hand just in case.
“I want you to leave… I don’t need any trouble from vampires…”
The girl sitting at the table was watching the scene unfold with interest, and as she had been forgotten for the moment, she quietly rose to her feet without attracting the attention of the other two. The girl with the crimson eyes grinned wider at Maimi, as if she thought the fact that the barkeep was prepared to use a broom as a weapon was cute.
“Unfortunately… I need to feed… I can’t stand the urges for another second, and the scent of your blood is driving me insane…” The barkeep cringed as the other girl took a step towards her, her courage wavering momentarily. “I think I can get by with just taking you, if that makes you feel any better, though…”
At this point, the stranger with the emerald eyes stepped in front of Maimi, causing the vampire to stop moving and to replace her devilish grin with a scowl. Her voice was filled with ice as she addressed the other, though the barkeep noticed that it was shakier now than it had been when the vampire was threatening her.
“What do you think you’re doing, dog? Just sit back down and mind your own business, I’ll be done in a second. I don’t want to be around you as much as you don’t want to be around me, but that’s no reason to get in my way.”
“Find somewhere else to go. They might not be everywhere, but there are plenty of others for you to choose from in this city, you leech...”
The vampire snarled, and lunged at the tall female after that, knocking both of them to the ground. Maimi backed away and watched the two of them struggle for a moment with wide eyes, unsure of what it was she needed to do. At first, it seemed like the vampire had the upper hand, but the green-eyed stranger showed that she possessed a surprising amount of strength when she suddenly kicked the other girl off of her… and into a wall on the other side of the room.
That wasn’t going to keep her opponent down for long, however, as the vampire was already starting to get back on her feet. Maimi’s jaw was hanging open in bewilderment, and she continued to gape as the tall girl pulled her shirt over her head and tossed it in the barkeep’s direction, not once taking her eyes off of the vampire across the room.
“Hold that for me, will you? I’d really rather not ruin another entire outfit, at least.”
And that was when Maimi was to witness perhaps the single-most frightening thing she would ever see in her entire life.
The girl in front of her began to tremble horribly all over like she was being attacked with a case of some major chills, and she could hear the other’s breathing increase to a frighteningly rapid pace, almost as if she had begun to hyperventilate. The barkeep couldn’t bring herself to move to try and help the other girl, however, because there was a wild, dangerous look in the stranger’s eyes, and something told her that keeping her distance was a smart idea.
An unearthly growl ripped out of the tall female’s throat, and she fell to her knees, grabbing at her head and thrashing about in a way that told Maimi that whatever was happening was extremely painful. The girl’s face started to twitch uncontrollably, and her lips curled back in a snarl as her teeth began to shift and grow, her dull, human incisors being replaced with deadly-looking, beast-like fangs. There was a slight cracking sound as her jaw shifted and her face began to elongate into a muzzle-like shape, short, fine fur sprouting along the length of it and over the rest of her face. Her ears seemed to melt into her head, and two pointed tips of skin began to form a little farther back on her skull, growing out until they could serve as canine ears to replace the human ones. These too were covered with a velvety layer of fur similar to what was on her muzzle.
Her hair seemed to have turned into a mane of sorts, and Maimi watched as the wild stuff burst out in a trail along the tall girl’s spine, stopping just in the middle of her back. Fur was shooting up all over her body at will now, and the girl’s bones continued to shift and crack as they rearranged themselves to allow her rapidly changing body the room it needed. The barkeep now realized why the collar had caused such a mark on the girl’s neck, because in this large, inhuman state, it looked as though the thing had almost embedded itself into the skin beneath her fur.
The same went for the circlets around her wrists, and Maimi wondered how they didn’t pop off under the pressure caused by those bulging muscles. The stranger’s hands had grown into almost bear-like paws, and each finger was equipped with an inch-long black claw.
A loud tearing noise broke through the other sounds the girl was making during the transformation, her pants ripping away as her legs grew and became covered in the same shaggy fur that now blanketed her entire body. There was a painful howl following that, as the girl’s spine stretched itself until the base was long enough to serve as a fluffy, wolf-like tail.
Her feet had grown considerably, to the point where she had completely reduced her shoes to leather strips, claws like the ones on her fingertips replacing the nails on her toes. The girl’s trembling began to slow now, her breathing returning to a much more even—albeit rough—rate. The beast let out a growl-like snort, and she pushed herself to a standing position, turning her head to eye the awestruck Maimi.
The barkeep squeaked a little bit, dropping her broom.
“Uh… so… I guess you’ve got this covered… I’m just gonna… um…”
The werewolf turned her head back to face the still-recovering vampire, and let out a loud animalistic roar that was unlike anything Maimi had ever heard before. And while it scared the living daylights out of her, the vampire seemed to be completely unaffected, pulling something small from one of her pockets.
“Damn mutt… your kind is always sticking it’s nose into places it doesn’t belong…”
The vampire braced herself as the werewolf slammed into her body, bringing them both hard to the ground. Though they were both weak due to hunger, she had a bit of an advantage over her furrier opponent being smaller, and was able to avoid being torn apart long enough to bring the small object she had pulled out of her pocket earlier and press it up against the werewolf’s shoulder.
Immediately the beast let out a sharp howl of agony and rolled away from her adversary, the pungent mix of burning flesh and fur floating through the air in the bar.
“Did you really think that I would be that unprepared to deal with something like you?” The vampire was grinning deviously now as she held up the small item in her hand, which happened to be a silver coin. “Unfortunately… I don’t have the knife with me, but I’m sure this will cause you plenty of grief if I touch you with it enough…”
The werewolf was back on her feet again, one hand clutching at the burn wound, and the other clenched in a tight fist, claws digging in hard enough to draw blood from her palm. Her rage was beginning to slowly boil, and she grabbed the object nearest her in order to use it as a projectile and fling it at the vampire. The unfortunate object happened to be a table, and she launched it with great force into the other side of the room… creating a gaping hole in the side of the building in the process.
While she had managed to cause quite a bit of damage to the wall (not to mention Maimi’s health, since the thought of how much it would take to repair such a hole was almost enough to give her a heart attack), the vampire was quicker than the flying table, and was already on top of her opponent, using the coin to drag a painful trail across the much larger creature’s shoulders.
The silver seemed to have an almost paralyzing effect on the werewolf despite it’s size, and the barkeep realized that if she didn’t do something to turn the tables in her furry friend’s favor, the vampire would be able to distract the beast long enough to come for her.
And Maimi liked all of her blood right where it was: circulating through her body, thank you very much.
She lunged forward while the werewolf was trying to pry the vampire from her back, ramming the blunt end of the broomstick into the fiend’s ribcage. While she, being human, wasn’t nearly as strong as either of the two creatures making a mess in the middle of her establishment, the blow was enough to startle the vampire and knock her to the ground.
As she fell, she lost hold of the coin in the process, and Maimi instinctively went after and pocketed it in order to prevent the vampire from continuing to use it as a weapon.
Now the werewolf had the advantage, and she quickly shook off her silver-induced stupor to lift her opponent from the ground and pin her firmly against the wall (not the one she had so readily demolished, of course.) The beast growled angrily, and the vampire felt sharp pinpricks of pain in her arms where the creature’s hands were holding her tight, claws digging into her skin.
That was a bad sign, since being terribly hungry didn’t mix well with getting sick, and she could already feel the venom from the claws beginning to drift into her system. The werewolf’s muzzle—full of deadly, good-for-eating-her teeth—was hovering dangerously in front of the vampire’s face, and she quickly decided that she wasn’t really THAT hungry after all.
At least… not enough to continue her futile attempts to make the humans in the bar her meal, anyway.
“Eh… um… well… I can see that perhaps I made a mistake in coming here… if you would be so kind as to put me down, I’ll leave quietly…” The vampire managed, a nervous laugh punctuating her speech as the beast’s warm breath tickled her neck.
The werewolf eyed her viciously for a moment, tightening the already fierce grip she had on her opponent before releasing her hold and dropping the vampire roughly on her feet. The beast backed away only enough to allow the other to slip quietly out of the door, watching carefully as the girl shot one last thirsty glance in Maimi’s direction before disappearing.
The barkeep let out a sigh of relief, but she immediately tensed up again as the beast’s head turned her way, that emerald gaze causing warning alarms to go off in her head. The werewolf took a step towards her, and Maimi felt her throat go dry, fearing that the creature was perhaps having second thoughts about how worthy she’d be meal-wise.
She panicked and let out a frightened shriek as the beast closed the distance between them, towering over her, and she quickly pulled out the silver coin she had picked up earlier, holding it up.
“Back off! I’ll fight you if I have to! I don’t plan on being eaten today!”
It didn’t seem to have the same effect on the werewolf when she brandished it than when the vampire had been using it, however, and the beast merely regarded her curiously for a moment, before Maimi noticed that the thing’s fur was beginning to fall away.
She watched as the wolf-like muzzle retracted back into the werewolf’s face, and the pointed ears melted back into the beast’s head, human ears reappearing on a now much more human face. Claws changed into perfectly manicured nails, fur shed to reveal smooth skin (with the exception of the fresh wounds she had been given during the fight), and bones shifted back into their natural position. The beast was now a girl again, and she was standing in front of Maimi completely naked, wearing a most amused expression on her face.
The barkeep was at a loss for words after that, so startled that she dropped the coin she had been holding and began to babble something incoherent while her cheeks turned pink.
“A-ah… um… I…”
“Actually… I was just going to apologize for the mess I made… and offer you a tip, since it looks like I won’t be able to stick around and eat all of the food I ordered…”
Without any warning at all, Maimi felt the other girl’s arms slide effortlessly around her waist and before she could do anything to protest or question her situation, the stranger’s warm lips were pressed against her own.
If she had been having trouble thinking before, she was definitely losing it now. Silly things like vampires and werewolves and the fact that half of her building was pretty much missing didn’t really matter at the moment. All that she was really aware of was that she was being kissed by a rather beautiful stranger… and that hands were wandering a bit low for her comfort… but at the same time she wasn’t sure that she wanted them to stop their journey, either.
At least until she realized that her pants were gone… and that the other girl had detached herself and was now… putting them on?
“Um… what are you doing?”
“Well… I’m a bit taller than you, but these will have to do until I can buy some new ones.”
The stranger then bent down and picked up her shirt from the floor where she had tossed it at Maimi, slipping it on and flashing the barkeep a smile afterwards.
“Just consider it payment for me saving your life, alright?”
“W-wait, you can’t just leave!”
Maimi felt another shiver run down her spine as the taller girl locked eyes with her again, a mischievous smirk on her face. The barkeep backed up into the counter when the stranger started to approach her a second time, and was helpless to do much of anything when she felt those arms around her again. The other girl leaned in close, so that their lips were almost touching and so that the barkeep could hear what it was she was about to whisper.
“If you wanted a goodbye kiss, all you had to do was ask.”
The second time was much more gentle than the first had been, and yet the barkeep found herself breathless as the taller girl pulled away and looked at her for a moment, a smile on her face. The stranger moved to leave, but Maimi managed to gather her wits enough to grab the other’s hand and voice a question.
“Wait… what’s your name…?”
The other blinked at her in surprise, as if that was a strange thing to be asked, and then she smiled again.
“Oh, that… it’s Erika.”
And with that, the stranger quickly made her way out the door, leaving the barkeep in confused silence. Maimi stood there for a few seconds, before sliding down to her knees with a sigh, glancing over at the large hole in the wall that she had hoped might disappear.
…Damnit.
~*~*~
"It's close."
Sharp eyes zeroed in on the dim glow of a city's lights in the distance. It was not too far away, not by their standards. Their feet gave way slightly in the sand as the rest of the group scrambled up the dune where their leader was standing, a diminutive shadow against the false light of encroaching dawn.
"A day or so, maybe less." One of the others, somewhat taller than their leader, estimated. A curt nod, narrowed eyes lifting to the edge of the horizon.
"Soon."
============================================================
-music plays-
-gaudy screen with a handwritten Hello! Project Corner (HPC)-
-camera turns to hosts-
Linlin: Hi there, time for another fun HPC with us! I'm Linlin!
Junjun: Why haven't they changed the welcome screen yet?
Linlin: -jabs Junjun and hisses- The cameras are rolling!
Junjun: Oh, they are? Hi, Junjun here.
Linlin: At least show a bit more enthusiasm, most of the reader letters are directed at you!
Junjun: -looks at letters- Actually...all of them are...
Linlin: No one loves me... -goes emo in corner-
Junjun: o_o .....um....er...I love you?
Linlin: ^__^
Junjun: >_> Something tells me I'm going to regret saying that...
Linlin: -brightly- Shall we move on with the reader letters then? First one chosen is from...JFC-san! It reads “If you and Linlin were to fight each other to the death as characters in the story, which side would YOU be? Werewolf or vampire, and why?”
Junjun: What kind of a question is that?!
Linlin: Well it's for you, so YOU have to answer it. ^__^
Junjun: Keh, werewolf or vampire? Hmm...totally werewolf, I tell you. Those fake fangs they use for the vampires are cheap knockoffs. Even dentures look better.
Linlin: I think JFC-san was asking for it in context with the show, not how it was filmed.
Junjun: Oh, really?
Linlin: Yes, really.
Junjun: Whatever. So, what's that about fighting each other to death in that question anyway?
Linlin: I think he meant theoretically.
Junjun: I knew that. What did you think I am, stupid?
Linlin: -cough- Maybe. -cough-
Junjun: You're giving me a good reason to pick werewolf now so I can tear you apart on set D<
Estrea: You know that's not included in the contract?
Fimmy: -throws popcorn at Essy-chan- Shut up, you~ I wanna watch the fight.
Estrea: -checking small print- Good, I included a clause that lets us off the hook if they get into cat fights
Fimmy: It's not like she can REALLY turn into a werewolf right here on set...
Estrea: She can't, but fingernails can do quite a bit of damage, not enough to kill, but still.
Fimmy: ...Good thing it's not my job to worry 'bout the money.
Estrea: It's not fair.... D:
Junjun: Can we get back to US now?
Estrea: What, you gonna fight or make out on set? Take the latter if you do, more marketable and we won't get sued.
Fimmy: ...I'm sure we can get sued for just about anything, really...
Linlin: -clears her throat and tries to regain control of the situation- Our special guest today here on the set is a former member of Berryz Koubou, Ishimura Maiha-chan!
Maiha: -grins devilishly at the camera-
Junjun: But we never did finish the letters!
Linlin: Oh hush, we have a time limit on these things!
Junjun: -scowls and glares at Maiha- Well then, let's get on with it... do something entertaining.
Linlin: ...She's the guest, Junjun... we have to interview her for the audience.
Maiha: -still grinning-
Junjun: Doesn't look like she's all here just yet, though. That face is starting to get REALLY creepy.
Linlin: ...Ishimura-chan, are you still wearing your colored contacts?
Junjun: -squints- Is she still wearing those horrible plastic fangs?
Maiha: -smirks- Mine are of a far better quality than the cheap knockoffs the extras get, thank you very much.
Junjun: Why you pompous little...
Linlin: -hisses to Junjun- Don't get angry with a kid, you're supposed to be more mature! -to the camera- Ah, Ishimura-chan, how do you find being a vampire in the show?
Maiha: -shrugs- I get to look awesome and I don't have to work very hard. I'd say that's pretty freakin' great.
Junjun: -fuming quietly in her seat-
Linlin: -bravely trying to strive on- Well yes, you do get to look good, but how do you feel about generally getting beaten up in the first chapter?
Maiha: -smirks- Erika-chan's pretty hot, so I don't mind much at all.
Junjun: Hmph. >_> -clicks a tape recorder underneath table and smirks-
Linlin: Well we're running out of time, so one last question. What scene are you looking forward to the most in the future? -Estrea holds up NO SPOILERS sign- No spoilers please, writers request. Just leave it up to reader imagination.
Maiha: -grins- Well... let's just say... the next time you all see me again, I'll be making a very unlikely friend.
Junjun: Heh, unlikely is right. Too bad for the friend.
Maiha: -dangerously- What did you just say?
Linlin: -pushing on quickly- It's almost to the end of our corner, and it's been a fun time here at HPC! -Maiha and Junjun still glaring right through her- Our next guest will be Nakajima Saki from C-ute! I hope you enjoyed the latest installment and we look forward to seeing you next time! This has been Linlin! Byeee~
Junjun and Maiha: -staring contest-
Linlin: Why don't you two---
-end screen-
-credits roll-
-backstage..-
“Hey I wasn't done yet!”
“Ishimura...”
“What?”
“I was going to blackmail you with what you said earlier, but I changed my mind.”
“Oh?”
“Um...Ishimura-chan? Yajima-chan's behind you...”
“....oh shit.”
“Well, that was why.”
“AHHHHHH---kssh”
-screen blanks-
Topic: Song of the Night (a joint work) [Chapter 1 up] (Read 5181 times)