#deviilscry

|| 茜 || :: “ no --- they aren’t my friends. i don’t know anyone here. ” how CALM the ( stranger ) was gave her an idea of how common it was for - lives - to be taken in this era. his EXPRESSION didn’t waver, if anything, it looked like it wasn’t the - first time - he was in this situation nor it was going to be the LAST. the SUZAKU wasn’t scared --- no, there was no reason for her to be even when she had just witnessed him ADMITTING to have killed several men.

“I’m dying.”

Not quite literally just yet, but it was certainly starting to feel like it.

Smack dab in the middle of her living room floor and sifting through countless piles of musty old tomes she’d already practically memorized at this point, Jackie could only get so far in her reading before she wanted to burn the whole pile down as fuel for a bonfire of sorts. Probably run around it singing some made up chant and hope and pray the gods would send her the answers that way.

‘Oh shit.’ The female groaned softly as she finally gave up, tossing the book onto the carpeting next to her as she reached up to run her hands through her hair in exasperation. She could recognize this mood, and to her chagrin could admit that she’d felt it on only one too many occasions in her lifetime. Sometimes twice a day.

She was losing her goddamn mind.

There was nothing more in those books that she could read that she didn’t already know. At this point, it wasn’t a matter of skimming through the text anymore, but more the need for some in-depth context to truly understand it and all that it entailed.

Books of magic they were. Easy to understand, they were not. Especially for someone who only had bedtime stories to back up a huge majority of it. 

How the hell had she even gotten roped into this mess?

“Hanzo.” She called out into the seemingly empty room, as fingertips rubbed against her temples in an effort to relieve the strain. God only knows where the man had run off to, as she’d left him to his own devices whilst she’d meanwhile promised herself to prepare for the oncoming shit fest that was bound to break loose; to at least try to be the kind of master that he wouldn’t find to be an utter shame to have to serve.

She might have already failed that within the first five minutes of meeting him though.

Finesse wasn’t exactly her forte. “Are you there? I need some motivation like – I don’t know, a dagger to the throat or something.”

Was she serious about that? Honestly, who knew?

Her workshop was set, the summoning circle prepared. The weapon that lay in the middle had been acquired illegally for an exorbitant amount of money - but to be sure, it had belonged to the man she wanted by her side in this war.

Atsuko Daidouji was a cunning young woman, and had sought the means to summon the one who was in her mind, the one and only possible best assassin in her entire country’s history. Procuring the catalyst had been a long process - getting in good enough with those who pedaled black market sengoku era blades had been a task in and of itself. Locating it, then, another.

But now everything was set - everything was in place. She was prepared, or so she insisted to herself. She held out one hand before her - no command seals shone red there, hiding away under her shirt on her chest instead. That suited her fine, for no one would think to look there. Crimson eyes closed and she breathed deep of the sandalwood incense whose smoke wreathed round the workshop. Her eyes flashed open and a determined look took on her pale features.

As she spoke the magical energy within the warded room started to rise, whipping up the air in lashes on wind made from mana - 

"I announce - Thy body shall be under my command, my fate shall be determined by thy blade. Walker of shadows! He who served the One Who Ruled All Japan! Most Loyal and Cunning of ninja, prodigal son of the Iga Clan! I call to you through mist and shadow, through smoke and flame! Follow the call of the Holy Grail. If thou wouldst obey this mind and this reason, then answer my call. I summon thee! Now!” 

She covered her eyes against the blinding flash that came through the room, gasping for breath as the magical energy dropped from a surge to a whisper in a single moment.

     " I've never seen anything like that. "

|| 茜 || :: seeing his SURPRISE had her remember that it was the first time she had shown her wings to him. perhaps, her feeling of trust had spanned deeper than she thought, so much that she could feel AT EASE having him witness a part of her that was kept from others’ eyes. his voice of concern had a small smile forming at the corner of her lips.

                “ right --- i should be more careful. ” after all, her FEATHERS would’ve been quite eye-catching, if the color of her hair didn’t do that already. but taking his words to heart, she had her wings folded behind her before it disappeared slowly.

“such a stern look - what displeases you this morning? the existence of humanity?” the former princess leans forward to have a better look at his face, still smiling from ear to ear. “I received a day off from the Colosseum so I figured, why not ask you if you wish to explore the city with me?” even if he said no she would probably just order him to come along ( a bit of fun would not harm the other )... and she rarely got a day off. perhaps it was partly due to toto scolding her for losing all the money she earns during her battles ( mostly because she frees her opponents. or because of her reckless fighting, resulting in her having to pay medical treatment ),