RIN KAZAMA

       … … … … … … … … … No, he isn’t. He’s a monster.

🌸🌸🌸 “The heat is something I’ll adjust to! We have stone of a similar nature in my homeland, as well!” You’d expect her feet to get grossly callous or beaten from treating them in such ways, but they only simply got dirty. Perhaps a perk of her half-bloodedness. 

“Well, you’ll scare off the idiots trying to look cool by just waving around a pistol at least. I still wouldn’t really call that smart.” he said, a bit of annoyance leeking into his words. 

It was as if the girl simply didn’t care about her own safety. That or she lacked common sense. He didn’t particularly care what happened to her but he’d like to actually be able to head home at some point. And murder investigations took time.

     “I can’t do that. I’m gathering data.” She explained. So blunt, and yet so vague. She simply didn’t see a need to elaborate further.

She got him.

Her reaction timing even in a crowd of panic people was fast as hell as once she got her shot off of him he immediately went for cover.

No need to stay around for her to double tap him.

“Your pretty good.”

Skull find himself this time in a cloth store as he sneak to the back and take off that silly costume of his piece by piece while using one of the mirrors he found to cover his angles just in case Rin try to sneak up on him.

If she can react quickly to crowd control then he need to up his game. But how? How to up his game when his foe is just as good as him and don’t make the same mook mistakes as his other enemies?

“Hmmm?”

Skull saw a map of a special event that was suppose to be going on the mall today as his lips curl into another small smile. 

Problem is will he reach “that” spot in time?

“I need SOMETHING to throw the blood hound off my trail but what? What can i use? The same tactics not going to work twice with her….”

Is that a cardboard box? Skull saw the cardboard boxs and a scared employees in the shop and have a idea.

Rin on the other hands is slowly and surely heading into the cloth shop. Suddenly there was cardboard box that sprint out of the store in high speed as the store start having MULTIPLE cardboard boxes sprinting out.

Is he among the card board boxes? Is he hiding inside? 

You got a few second before and you have to make a choice. Go hunt the cardboard boxes people who are most likely the scared employee of the shop   (there a chance skull might be using them as a cover while he in one also. You saw him use the mascot disguise already) or head deeper into the shop and try to find where Skull is hiding inside.

     ...Just in case, Rin pinned her strip into her hair. Nobody should be able to see her face now. Despite this being her first time at the mall, she already knew the layout well enough to chart several escape routes. This wouldn’t be her first time evading police.

     The people in cardboard boxes that burst out of their hiding places and into the open alarmed her. One moment the four boxes were charging at her. The next moment they had paint splashed on them.

     It seemed that she had a rather eager trigger finger when she was in a battle-ready mindset. This would also have to be improved on.

     Still annoyed by her folly, she began walking into the store.

All introduced, it fell to him to complete the line-up, standing with squared shoulders, his frame rigid and etching the very same resolve into every inch on display that could be.

“Yoichi Saotome. Like Kairi and Shulk, I’d like to minimize the risk this creature poses to the public. This beach is a place many of them have waited a substantial time for; it needn’t be overshadowed by a monster lurking about should it intend ill against them. If it might help, I’ve served in the army of my homeworld, and though currently, I’m not in possession of my usual gear, my strength is in long-range attacks”.

「Well, it’s a start, at least. Now you’re all introduced. Look, I’m gonna be blunt here; someone’s probably dying from this. Who, I dunno, but I’d bet on the redhead, since she doesn’t look like she’s got the gear to fight properly. But, hey, that’s the risk you take. I usually go easy on kids, but since you guys are here willingly, I’m not pulling any of my punches here.」

Still, the group was better equipped than he thought. A couple of them had real deal weaponry, and most of the ones who didn’t had some decent makeshifts. Plus, they were all mostly unified, albeit in two goals: public protection, and the promise of food from the beast’s carcass.

Better than the Mad Dog expected, but not ideal.

「Alright, no point in wasting any more time. Get on the boat so we can make our move. Probably some dumb NPCs trying to swim out there to piss it off, or some other dopes trying to snap pictures or study it or some other shit. We’re gonna make sure that this thing’s put down for good, so you kids better be prepared. Much as I still have my doubts, I’ve got faith in you runts to back me up here.」

Right, shit, his introduction. He actually forgot about that.

「The name’s Azrael. The Mad Dog of Sector Seven… Genocider… Angel of Death… Tyrant. Plenty of nicknames, but they don’t mean shit. I don’t need a weapon; my body’s the only weapon I’m gonna need. Trust me, I’m pretty strong, even with these damn scientists sapping my strength down to half what it usually is. Half of a hell of a lot is still quite a lot, y’know.」

     Having boarded the boat she turned to address the others in turn. It was only polite to memorize the names of the people she was going to fight with. “Azrael, Kairi, Shulk, Byakuya, Saotome... It would be best to leave quickly.”

     Her words weren’t driven only by her appetite. She thrust her thumb over her shoulder and towards a lifeboat that just returned from far out into the ocean. Even though it had been created along with the beach just a few days ago, the boat was heavily damaged. The long claw marks along its side was jarring enough, but worst yet was that a large chunk of its stern was missing. It also hefted quite a tow of bodies--some of which were corpses, but all of which were fools who swam too far.

[…Poison…Hasty…Go…But…Learn…]

Poison? Did the girl think she was going to poison her? Or that her food would be so horrible it would make her sick? “Uh, I was thinking of Ramen or Donburi.” Ramen would require less ingredients, which was a good thing considering she had no idea where she was going to get money to buy food once the little bit she had on her ran out. But if she was going to have a guest then Donburi would be better. Plus, she already had most of the ingredients at home.

     ‘I’ve yet to try homemade cooking.’ was a sudden thought, but it was nevertheless true. She has attempted and tasted her own cooking having been told it was an excellent way of expressing ‘love’. However, despite following the instructions perfectly, she was later told that her cooking lacked... ‘feelings’.

     Perhaps by watching and tasting someone else’s cooking, she’d be able to understand.

     “Thank you. I accept your offer.” Rin said, just as they stepped into the grocery store.

♬  } He almost expected the girl to say she hasn’t seen such a place in the city, not because he doubted she would know, but he expected that he would have more difficulty finding help. The city is big, after all. However, when she answered in the affirmative, he almost looked relieved. 

     While waiting to cross a busy street, she turned and asked him, “What instrument do you play?”

→       “Oh cool, thanks!”

At least she knew her home was around here, which was a good thing. She was about to leave when she took a closer look at the girl, man did they seem similar.