Chapter 17: Crank"Do you believe in ghosts?"
A question asked in earnest, in the most ordinarily offhanded manner possible.
"Ehhhhhh????!?!?!?!"
As usual, the incredibly huge overreaction from everyone's favorite Reaction Queen.
Aika laughed at her cousin, at the same time taking from the older girl the box she was holding. They were packing. With Risa's parents leaving soon, they had no need for such a big house.
"An apartment will do. It's just the two of us after all!" On one hand, Risa was a tad surprised by how quickly everything was progressing. First her father was alright with her staying behind, and then (re)introducing her to a long lost cousin, and then they were already making plans to leave in the next couple of days.
Their moves were never this rushed. There were so many things to take care of, so it was difficult to rush things. Yet, somehow, everything seemed to already be in place for things to proceed.
Train tickets were the easiest to settle, and Risa blinked in surprise when Aika handed a pair of tickets to her parents.
'Compliments from the main house', or some such. Well, they did say it was on "family business", so that made some kind of sense. Risa wondered what exactly her extended family did. It seemed oddly suspicious to so easily obtain first class reserved seats on the Shinkansen at the very last minute during the summer.
Mafia?! No...this is Japan...then, Yakuza?!! That can't be right either...Risa shook her head and continued sorting through her things. Her discard pile was getting steadily bigger. It was amazing how much junk she had accumulated in a relatively short span of time. An experienced mover despite being only 19, she was pretty ruthless with her own possessions whenever they had to move again. Anything that wasn't strictly necessary was either given away or dumped.
Even with the brutal pruning every single move entailed, Risa did still manage to accumulate a number of things that stayed with her through each journey. A picture here, letters and postcards there. Little mementoes she stowed away carefully in a box. She might not be able to be with her old friends anymore, but she cherished the memories they made together.
Risa eyed her cousin, who was industriously packing household items into another box. Most of it was going to be given away, apparently. Risa's parents weren't going to bring anything but clothes and whatever else they needed, so all they had was a couple of suitcases. Aika had all but decreed that they wouldn't be needing anything except for personal items, as the apartment they were moving into was already fully furnished.
How that teenage girl managed to pull so many strings to make everything come together on notice, Risa could not fathom. Right at this moment, she felt like a leaf carried down a raging stream, fate out of her control. She could only follow the currents and let them bring her where they wished. It felt vaguely terrifying.
It was also strangely exciting, like embarking on a new adventure.
"Ghosts aren't real." Risa said firmly, sealing yet another box with tape. She didn't have much to talk about with Aika, so picking up a previous line of conversation, however brief it had been, was preferable to silence. If they were going to live together, they might as well learn how to communicate. And everything had to start somewhere.
"They cannot be
disproven, and science simply lacks the framework to prove their existence." Aika argued back. Risa shot a curious look at her usually sedate (if she judged correctly) cousin. The girl did seem rather heated up on such a topic.
"And you know this because..."
"A hobby? Or really, research for the family business..." Aika smiled mysteriously.
Again with the family business. Risa was dying to know, so she asked that fatal question.
"What
is the family business?"
Aika seemed to have been waiting for that question. She seemed way too happy to answer it anyway, so there we go.
"We are one of the remaining
onmyouji families in Japan." Before Risa's eyes could even stop bulging, Aika continued.
"Not those frauds you see on TV. You're right, ghosts aren't real in the sense that they can exist on their own. But ghosts do exist, because memories last longer than our human lifespan, and some people can see them because of their psychic sensitivity, and their minds are able to interact with the psychic footprints of those gone past."
Aika was leaning against the wall, calmly lecturing like any professor on the topic. Risa wasn't even aware of the fact that she was gaping like a goldfish. Her reaction was so huge that there was no conceivable reaction that could be enacted at the moment. Aika grinned.
"But ghosts are the least of our worries. Amateur distractions. You see, there are other things a lot worse out there. And they're real. Real enough to kill you." Aika folded her arms casually, allowing Risa to try and scrabble for whatever wits she had left.
"W-what would that be?
Youkai? Demons? Werewolves?" Risa laughed shakily, evidently trying to get a grip on things. "Is there a camera hidden somewhere? You're not trying to prank me, are you?"
Aika looked at her calmly. The expression playing on her face could probably be interpreted as 'understanding'. Even somewhat pitying. But at no one point was it ever condescending.
One could not expect normal humans to discard the ordinary reality they have grown used to in a matter of minutes. Not unless something sufficiently shocking happened to them, and even then they will still seek a rational explanation that doesn't challenge their sensibilities.
Humans are like that. It was one of the reasons how supernatural creatures were able to stay shrouded in the secrecy of myth and legend, rather than being exposed and even more actively hunted than they already were.
That was another human trait. To persecute any Others that were unlike them. People like Aika though, genuinely believed that they were purging mankind of a major threat to their species.
They might even be right.
"I wish I were, cousin."
~*~*~*~
They were walking, just like any other mortal couple out for an evening stroll. The sun had long since set, and the only illumination came from the fluorescent lights from on high.
"Ne, why are we just walking? Can't you just...?" A flutter of hands to imply some kind of spatial jump. Ai smiled at the younger vampire, who was pacing restlessly even as they walked down the street, switching from one side to another.
"Where we are going, how we get there is as important as the destination itself. The journey is the key." Ai explained patiently, smoothing out imaginary creases in her blouse. The cream colored garment didn't even have too much lace or ruffles, thus sparing it any suspicion of having been manufactured in the 18th century or something.
Which, given the owner of said garment, was an entirely plausible option.
A high waisted burgundy skirt and classy heels completed the ensemble. Paired with the dangly earrings and the number of shiny bangles on either arm, the dark lines drawn around her eyes gave the Ancient an elegant and mysterious aura that had little to do with her otherworldly existence. Even if one
had been looking at her on the supernatural level, she would have seemed entirely normal.
One did not live eons without learning how to disguise oneself. As Ai had very patiently attempted to coach Reina along the same lines earlier. She had at best only been able to guide Reina to suppress her aura sufficiently to pass off as a minor supernatural creature. Or to a more discerning observer, a weak vampire. Which wasn't too far off from the truth.
Of course, to ordinary human eyes, the pair of them looked just like any other girl on the streets. A mismatched pair, it must be said, but
human enough.
Reina refused to be put in anything remotely formal. She had insisted on being almost defiantly goth, even. Even if she hadn't been a vampire, the ordinary passerby would most likely identify her as one. But in the human sense of the word, in terms of her fashion.
Reina was like that. Her sense of irony did extend that far. Ai, on the other hand, gave up trying to make the girl look any more respectable, and just went with the look that Reina was achieving, even lending a hand to make it more convincing.
Which probably explained the black leather, fuck-me pumps, spiked silver choker, ruby red lipstick, and the makeup accentuating her dark eyes and pale skin. Not that Reina needed any help looking pale. She
was technically dead after all.
It was essentially a clash of fashions, them walking side by side, but what made people turn for a second look wasn't how odd or out of place they appeared. If any heads turned, it was because they were dressed to make them do so. A couple of guys even walked straight into inconveniently placed lampposts. These things happen.
But back to our undead pair.
"Reina doesn't get it~" The younger vampire whined, then leapt straight into another topic.
"I wanted to ask earlier, but how was I able to wake up in the day? That has never happened before..."
Ai smirked. "That's because you had some of my blood. It was still in your system so you were able to function in daylight. The sun will still burn you though, if you had been out there." She warned, tapping her finger on Reina's nose. The young vampire pretended to snap at her, though her forehead furrowed in thought.
"And if I had more...?" Reina hesitated, the gears in her head spinning. A part of her was salivating at the thought, but she managed to hide the fact. She wanted more. Ai's blood didn't only just taste good, it tasted
powerful. And Reina wanted power, very badly.
You won't be able to handle it. Ai spoke directly into her mind, even as she hopped off the pavement and took a turn into a dingy side street. Reina pouted, knowing that the older vampire had basically just read her mind again, because she could veritably feel Ai smirking at her in her mind's eye. And no, it wasn't her imagination, because Ai really was projecting it to Reina.
"You don't need to take any unorthodox shortcuts like the nice gentleman who kidnapped you, Reina." Ai answered her unasked desire. Reina blinked, glowering suspiciously at Ai. She could never tell how deeply Ai was able to penetrate into her mental defenses. No one else had been able to read her so easily. It felt somehow offensive.
"We've shared some blood. It just made it easier." Ai admitted frankly. Reina scowled, then immediately tried probing in Ai's direction. Nothing.
The older vampire turned and grinned, allowing Reina to see a flash of fang beneath her lips.
"You're a few hundred years too early to even try, much less succeed."
Reina growled.
So not fair. Then she looked up.
"Why are you taking us to the fairground? This is away from the city!"
Ai shrugged elegantly. "I decided on a little detour."
Reina gave up. It was impossible to try and figure out the woman's motives. She did, however, try to pry more information out of Ai, who appeared to be in a generous mood for teaching for once. At least, teaching in a way that didn't end up making her hurt in places she didn't even know she had.
Every vampire had absolute limits for their strength, and not just their physical strength, which was the least of their abilities. In terms of absolute physical condition, a werewolf had more power per square inch of muscle, and Reina shuddered at the memory of being beaten up by that raging beast. Ai smiled.
"Our physical strength exceeds normal
human limits, because our bodies are no longer constrained by mortal concerns. That is nothing compared to a beast's strength, and a supernatural one at that. In an arm wrestling contest, we would lose."
Reina gaped slightly, then frowned. Ai grinned.
"A real fight isn't an arm wrestling contest, Reina. We have other strengths to compensate." Ai glanced across the alley where a homeless drunk was cradling his bottle in a pathetic heap. Without making a single gesture, she fixed her gaze on him, and the man suddenly jerked up, getting slowly up on his feet and dropping his empty bottle with a clink. His eyes were vacant.
For dramatic effect, Ai gestured with one hand, and the man began to shuffle in a robotic kind of dance. Reina laughed and clapped delightedly, like a child given a show. Ai smirked and bowed, then released her puppet without so much as a by your leave. He dropped like a sack of potatoes.
"That was easy, since he pretty much already eliminated his own mind and will." Ai shrugged. She stepped delicately past him, followed by Reina, who stepped on him instead. The man groaned, but did not wake.
"Can I do that too? Reina asked eagerly. Ai shook her head.
"Not to the same degree as I can, I don't think." At Reina's crestfallen expression, Ai chuckled.
"Your Master has other strengths. You will be able to do things I can't, at least not as easily as you will be able to. However, psychic control is something all vampires possess on a most basic level at the least, otherwise you won't be able to mesmerize people when you wish to feed." Ai explained, ruffling Reina's hair affectionately.
"Mesmerize?" Reina tugged on Ai's arm, linking their arms together in a gesture of affection.
"Dominance, control, whatever." Ai waved her hand dismissively. "You probably already notice that you need eye contact for it to have any effect at all."
"
You don't need eye contact." Reina accused. Ai laughed.
"That's because my Talent manifested that way. We are all different, Reina. A fledgling's powers are in some part dependent on their Master's strengths, but those who survive long enough to hone their abilities will find that they have something unique to themselves."
"So what's mine?" Reina pressed. Ai gave her the psychic version of a long stare, without even turning her head, until Reina cringed back mentally.
"That is for you to find out."
Reina huffed. Big help she was. Stuffy old bat.
I heard that.Reina eeped, and focused on not thinking for a while. It was a good way to pass time.
At least, until they entered the carnival grounds, and Reina just had to wonder if the Ancient had finally gone senile because there could not possibly be a bar amidst all these colorful tents.
She received the psychic equivalent of a spank, and stern instructions to stay in the general vicinity while Ai "renewed an acquaintance".
This being Reina, the chance of these instructions being followed was about as likely as a werewolf doing a flower dance in a grass skirt while hula-hooping. She turned and ran into someone almost immediately as she did so.
Somewhere out there, a werewolf in a short skirt sneezed while dancing for an appreciative crowd. There was no hula hoop. That would be part of a later performance. Werewolves generally don't catch cold, though, so that was probably a sneeze of cosmic importance. Said wolf scratched at the collar around her neck. The amulet set into it pulsed warmly, and she grinned a very large toothy grin.
The night was young.
~*~*~*~
"Always nice to meet a real Seeress."
So Ai said without any preamble, taking a seat without being invited either. Her own outfit and bearing mirrored the gypsy dress of the woman opposite her. One could not help but wonder if her choice of dress this evening was specifically intended to invoke irony under such precise circumstances.
Not even Coincidence could have been that coincidental, but this was a 4000 year old being we are discussing. Anything could happen, since any improbability could probably be improbably probable after so long an existence.
But enough digression. The Fates don't sit around waiting for you to finish. They continue spinning their threads, to bind and bond, to trip and tangle. They could also strangle you, but what was the point?
Cutting you off was so much faster.
The human woman opposite her gasped, her face dropping to ten shades below pale. An unhealthy grey not unlike death's pallor.
Not many people had that effect on her. Sometimes you get the odd customer walking in with their fates practically swirling around them, when every probability line around them was doing a salsa dance of danger. People like that got into trouble because their very existence, their every decision plunged them into danger and strife.
Kamei Yuriko usually tried to send those people away on the safest route she could perceive before something traumatic happened to everyone in the vicinity. This, however, was just infinitely beyond anything she could do.
Seers are few and far between. Trained ones even less. Her own mother had only been able to read probability lines for a dice game, and made a fortune for every two she lost. She was lucky to not have been lynched by creditors, though she did get thrown out onto the streets every so often.
Yuriko was a bit better than that. She could read anything up to a few hours ahead, even a few days if she was close to the person. Anything more than that got a little fuzzy on details, and she had to be very specific on what she wanted to find out, or risk having her mind unravelled like silly string and having to spend the rest of her mortal lifespan gibbering away in some mental hospital.
The person sitting before her, if she could even call this...individual...a person, shook every foretelling sense she had. There was nothing to read. Or more specifically, anything that could be read was warped, distorted. An Improbability. Wild Card. A Joker.
The Fool. Yuriko was starting to get spots in her eyes, until a gentle nudge reminded her to breathe. She did, and then stared again at her visitor, who was smiling benignly.
"Don't bother. It doesn't work on me. An ancestor of yours tried and went mad immediately after. I always felt bad about that." Ai shrugged, then rested her chin on the back of her hand, her elbow propped up on the low table. Her eyes twinkled.
"Why are you here?" Yuriko blurted. She'd heard about that story from her mother, who had gotten it from
her mother, and so on and so forth.
"Your daughter is a dead ringer for your mad ancestress by the way." Ai went on casually, then drew a finger around her collarbones. "I trust the amulet helps? I rescued it from Alexandria before those idiots burned it down. What a waste..."
"
What are you?" Yuriko trembled. Ai blinked owlishly at her for a moment, then straightened in a sinuous movement.
"Just someone very very far removed from Time." Ai said gently. She stood.
"It is enough to know that your line has survived. Live well and prosper." She paused at the exit.
"Have a care for those who would exploit your gifts." A pause.
"This meeting is but a dream. Be well, and stay safe."
The candles in the room went out, plunging everything into darkness.
~*~*~*~
"Watch where you're going!" Reina growled, swatting the annoying human off her. Her hand caught against a chain, lifting the heavy pendant off where it was resting on skin.
Their combined momentum made them trip, making Reina plant herself facefirst into the stranger's chest. The pendant she knocked away landed right on the back of her head, making her curse as she tried to pull away, but the girl she had run into was holding on to her arm, and Reina tripping into her made her fall backward.
That moment lasted an eternity for one of them.
~*~*~*~
Fire. A figure, outlined in flames. A raised arm, trailing embers.
"The circle's breaking!" "We gotta hold it!" "No! Send it back!"
Liquid fire danced along every groove, searing it alight. Terrified eyes met fiery ones.
A hand reached out, wreathed in an inferno. It touched skin, a face.
Burn.
Everything melted away, even the screaming, when there were no vocal chords left.
Only the burning was left, an inferno of fear and flame.
Burn!
~*~*~*~
Reina gasped, a useless move for someone who didn't need air. Her throat felt raw, scraped. Her nose was throbbing where she'd hit it against bone. She swore like a sailor and looked at the girl she was currently on top of.
Dark, terrified eyes meeting her fiery orbs. Something eerily familiar.
Something she couldn't remember.
Then the girl fainted, and Reina felt a sudden blast of raw hunger. Not 6 inches away from her, a throbbing artery. A dark night. No witnesses.
Feed.Her fangs were out before she even realized, and just as she was leaning down for a drink, she was hauled up by the back of her neck and shaken like a disobedient kitten.
"Can't I leave you for 5 minutes without you getting into trouble?" Ai chided, then glanced down at the comatose girl on the ground. The pendant Reina had knocked loose was finally back in contact with her skin, and other than her being completely knocked out, she was in perfect condition. Well, save for the little bit of vampire drool that Reina had left on her neck only moments before.
Reina snarled incoherently, only snapping back to normal when Ai forced her will over the misbehaving fledgling to calm her down. The reddened orbs dimmed to a more human shade, and Reina stared back at Ai in confusion.
Ai sighed, then cocked her head to one side, as if paying attention to something in the distance. She put Reina back down, the disgruntled fledgling brushing herself off and muttering about control freaks on a power trip. Ai chose to ignore that.
"Let's be on our way." She held out a hand to Reina, who eyed it suspiciously before taking it with more confidence than she actually felt.
They faded into shadows just as a taller girl with milky white skin bounced into the area with all the exuberance of a bunny. She stopped short when she saw her best friend fainted on the muddy ground.
"Eririn!"
=====================================================
Yay hint dropping like flowers at a parade!
away~
Topic: Gegenschein [Ch.18: Open] - 16/5 (Read 80264 times)