Description: Suprisingly a sequel rather than a prequel to Ghosts in the Night. Miki delivers some food, meets up with Testament to strategize how to kill off the United Nations, informs him of what she's been up to. Talk about their pasts and Miki's future goals a little. They agree that attempting to turn the Full Moon Society against the United Nations could have no possible downsides. Tset eats some peanuts and gets huffy about being attacked earlier.
It's early evening, perhaps a little earlier in the day than the last time she came, and the days have grown a bit longer.
Miki is not wearing her usual kimono. She's still wearing a kimono and her hair up - she's still under the guise of Miki Murakami, Seijyun Student, after all - but it's a plain black one with a white obi, and her hair is up in a simple bun. From her left hand dangles a bag from a convenience store.
Not seeing Testament around, she spins the bag in a lazy circle, slings it up to hand in the branches of a tree overhead. She slips out of her wooden sandals, removes her socks with her toes, and steps barefoot into the fresh layer of snow that fell earlier today. She stretches her mouth open, does some jaw exercises, revealing her fangs, rub her cheeks - something she doesn't feel comfortable doing back in Southtown where there's more people around.
Miki's left alone for a while, letting her do her facial exercises in peace. Though soon enough there's a disturbance. It's just a raven, though, perching in a tree overhead, with a soft caw. There's a shadow in the same tree, far enough up that it's not fully seen. Those with astute vision however, can probably make out the shape of Testament, all that paleness amongst the shadows of the canopy above.
Miki blinks as she hears the caw, and raises her head, her eyes immediately flicking over to the source - the crow. She has pretty sharp eyesight, and she's been squinting at things to make out the shape of Testament, so she spots him as well. She smiles, waving up to her friends as she sees them. "Hey, Tset! Hey, Testament!" She runs up to the tree, and jumps from branch and branch to join them, avoiding jumping to near to the crow but not giving the gear the same consideration. She lands in a sitting position on one of the upper branches.
"How's life going for the two of you?"
Testament doesn't move from his spot, merely shifting on the branch if Miki ends up in danger of shoving him off onto the forest floor. The raven comes to land upon Testament's shoulder as Miki comes to rest finally. The Gear himself settles once Miki's in the tree. "...Well enough," Testament replies. "Aside from a few humans choosing to try to meddle in my affairs. Yourself?"
Miki considers this question as a serious matter, then nods. "Things are going well. I'm not exactly sure what to do with my life beyond gain a lot of power, but I'm investigating all the options." She's already back to hardly moving her mouth as she speaks, purely out of habit. She tilts her head a bit to one side.
"Well, you can hardly expect humans /not/ to interfere when you're trying to kill them all. It was the attack on the United Nations, right? I couldn't find much about it, but it seemed like a pretty frontal assault." She's silent for a moment. "The idea was you'd show them the power of what they wrought out of their control, so they'd fear what they did, be less likely to do it again. Right?" Another pause, and she slowly turns her head towards Testament. "...Do you need to breathe, my friend?"
She blinks, realizing something. "Oh!" She smiles, showing her fangs. "Would either of you like some peanuts or cat food or sushi? I'm not really sure what either of you eat." A pause. "If you eat?"
Testament tilts his head. Pause, a look at the raven, who fluffs her feathers, and then heads closer to Miki. "Tset would like some peanuts, if you wouldn't mind," he replies. "Do you have enough food to share? It's difficult out here to get hold of." In his mind, food is a precious commodity. Though that does answer her question of whether they actually ate or not.
The mention of meddling humans then catches his attention. And he nods. "I would expect," he confirms. "Though now they're trying to psychoanalyze me. Trying to give my sympathy and pity. As if I need it from them. Too little, too late."
Miki jumps out of the tree, lands on the ground on all fours, and races over to the tree she hung the bag up, still on all fours. She leaps up, snatches it, and then runs back over on two legs to the tree Testament's in, and leaps from branch to branch as before, until she's back up at her seat. "Of course! That's why I brought some! Only cat food and peanuts and sushi, though." She hangs up the bag on a branch next to her. "I don't usually think much about portable food. It's pretty good sushi, though!" She got it at a very nice restraunt.
She pulls a bag of peanuts out of the bag, and focuses for a moment. A tiger paw comes out of her body, slices the bag open a little with it's claws, causing a few peanuts to fall to the ground. She smiles, and holds the bag up to the crow. After a moment, she looks back to Testament.
"Who are trying to psychoanalyze you? The humans who performed the tests? The humans who stopped you?"
Testament actually smirks. "No cats here, I'm afraid," he notes, with amusement. "Only birds and..." He pauses. Stops. What even IS he? He's not a human, not anymore. A shrug, and he uses the word that he'd heard before. "Darkstalkers, I suppose."
The raven actually swoops down to pick up the peanuts on the ground, and then places them on the branch, then picks a few more out of the bag and places them next to those on the branch. Then she stands on one peanut and uses her beak to crack it open and get to the insides.
Meanwhile Testament addresses the question about psychoanalysis. "Not the ones who made me this way. Others. The ones I fought at the UN building. I've run across a couple of them since then. Both have tried to dissuade me. Even one who... I know will be in my place one day..."
"I read crows can eat cat food, but I didn't really know Tset's tastes. I though it'd be something good to fall back on if she didn't like peanuts or sushi." Miki puts the bag of peanuts back in, then pulls out a sushi tray in one of those convenience store sushi trays, although the actual sushi inside it is much higher quality, and holds it out towards Testament, tilts her head a bit to one side.
"This is the problem with a single person frontal assault. We should kill them all with a surprise attack." She smiles, excited at the idea of helping her friend out. "If we suddenly appear on the /inside/, we'll definitely be able to kill at least some of them before the rest escape, and terrify those who don't." A pause.
"What kind of arguments did they attempt?"
"Thank you," Testament replies, selecting a piece of the sushi from the tray. He's polite enough to eat before he starts talking at least, listening to her suggestion. Her question distracts him from one of his own, and he answers it first. "Old hatreds, being a slave to anger, that sort of thing. What I'd expect from people who can't face me fairly and instead want to play with my head."
Then he comes back to his own question. "What do you mean 'on the inside'?" he inquires, raising a brow. "Do you have an idea?"
Miki shakes her head at the talk of old hatred and being a slave to anger. "Mmm. It's not like they're bringing the people in the United Nations who did this to justice, right? Someone who can't or won't correct something themselves has no business talking about the means used."
She's silent for a moment. "I have several ideas, but some of them relate somewhat to the matter of your abilities and so forth. That's why I asked if you needed to breathe earlier - if your physiology is sufficiently different than human, could smuggle you in in a keg of wine or something, and then you imbue a little of it with your chi, and as they drink it, you explode out of the keg and do nasty things to the insides of their body. I think that'd be really terrifying for most humans." A pause. "I'm not sure when or if United Nations people get together to drink wine, though, that's a slight flaw in the plan. Also, you need to eat apparently, so not sure if the rest of it's a good idea either."
She's silent for a moment. "Similar one with coming in /inside/ one of the larger United Nations people, then exploding out, but I imagine you can't keep in your blood form that long? It'd be easier to pull off if you could, though. We could dress up as police or security, possibly, barge in exclaiming that there was an immediate danger - and then make it true. Not as flashy, though."
"Exactly," Testament states. "Had they kept a better eye on them to start with it wouldn't have happened. The people who let it happen need to be punished too. And since I know they'll just replace them with more people and make them do the same thing... their pool of candidates needs to be wiped out." By 'pool of candidates', of course, he means humans as a whole.
he listens carefully to her ideas. They have merit. "...A large enough container could get me in there anyway," he reasons. "I can stay as blood long enough to pass by a metal detector or x-ray scanner. I'm not sure if the consistency of that blood wouldn't arouse suspicion, though. Disguising myself as an officer wouldn't get me in-- I'd need an ID badge and thumbprint scans. And I think it'd be noticed if I was walking around holding a severed thumb."
He gives a thoughtful 'hmmm'. "But then those people who stopped me before... they'd probably just show up and gang up on me again. Stopping THEM first is a greater priority. If I have them done away with, it'll be less of an issue getting in. If it hadn't been for them I would have gotten in."
Miki swings her feet back and forth, thinking about all of this. "We're way outnumbered. We need to either in underhanded methods, sow confusion among their ranks, or to build more strength and allies. Fighting them in a straight up battle probably isn't going to work."
She's silent for a long moment. "We could try to talk them into letting us kill just the most culpable people off - pick say, two or three specific ones who were extremely involved - and say that would satisfy your anger. If they agree, we'll drive a wedge between them and the United Nations and get started on your revenge. Then they'll have bought into our methods, so with our and their combined strength we might be able to stop this sort of thing from ever happening again without killing off humanity. If they /disagree/, we can point out that they aren't really fighting for justice, but just to prop up the current system. Say that a corrupt system that can't police itself needs to be destroyed. If any of them have a shred of justice, they'll realize that this is to some extent /true/, and divide some of their efforts between fighting you and fighting against the corrupt system."
She smiles. "We can play inside their heads a little. It might not work, but there's certainly no loss from trying it."
"All three could work," Testament replies. "Though there's still a lot I don't know about them. I need information to figure out some way to get to them." Though he does note, "Getting the people that did this won't matter. Publically or not, they'll just replace the people that were taken-- either by arrest or death-- and then just start up again. They'll turn more people into mindless drones like they wanted me to be."
He shakes his head. "I have to stop it completely. I have to make sure there's no one to change people, no people to make like this..." He sighs. "Your plan does have merit, though. Creation dissention in their ranks... that's surely to at least trip them up."
Miki shakes her head slightly. "Well, we just have to figure whoever 'they' are and take them out for good. It's certainly going to be easier than killing off all of humanity. Testament, neither of us are anywhere /near/ that strong right now. It's not realistic." She shrugs. "I might be able to find out some information for you." She ticks off on her fingers. "I've been developing various contacts in my search of self-discovery - I joined an organization that fights Otherworlders, I know someone in Interpol, I have a really nosy friend... I'll see if I can pull anything up." She looks over to Testament, furrows her eyebrows.
"...what exactly did you go through that you'd rather everyone experience death than anyone ever have a chance of going through it again?"
"Right now, no," Testament replies. "Starting with the UN." He nods. "One goal at a time. A ladder can't be climbed in one step. Each rung has to be climbed." So at least he's willing to postpone the 'kill all humans' part, until he gets rid of the UN people who changed him. "Every day they aren't brought to justice is one more day they're able to change more people."
And then comes the question. What had he suffered? "Being called useless because I couldn't fight." His voice grows distant, the metallic sound fading a little. And he looks out over the forest with a glassy, unfocused look. "I was too afraid. But I wanted to help them so much... wanted to help Father. I saw him every time one of us was hurt or died. But Father understood. No one else did. They called me useless... weak... a waste of flesh...."
His brows draw down in a scowl, and his voice is harder now, the metallic tone very evident. "And then THEY came... they told me they were from the UN, that they had a training program that could make me a better fighter. I shouldn't have trusted them... but I was desperate. They said they had an examination to do, and put me under. I don't remember much from there... except pain.
"I don't know what they did to me. But when I woke up, they talked to me like I was a machine. And when I showed that I wasn't they were surprised. I think they were going to put me back under. I had to kill them to escape..."
Miki listens to all of this, nodding her head a little.
"I can kind of understand that. I've always wanted to be stronger, although I didn't have anyone taunting me about it. I went to a lot of trouble to become stronger than my human body and soul would let me, and it seems to be slowly turning my body less and less human. I'm not particularly attached to humanity, though it's useful for fitting in until I'm strong enough that it doesn't matter."
"...Still. I don't think like most people think, but I do have to note I'd rather be experimented on painfully, become stronger, and then kill my creators as I escaped than a lot of things. Especially death. Death seems pretty harsh, can't come back from it. So I... don't entirely understand your feelings there."
She tilts her head to one side. "Who was this 'Father' person? Why aren't you using this power to help him, to help those of you who were hurt or dying?"
"Those people tricked me," Testament replies. "They said they could make me stronger... they didn't tell me it was expected to turn me into a mindless, thoughtless little puppet. And if they tried to do it to me... they've done it to others. And they'll KEEP doing it to others, until they're stopped."
He pauses, though, as she asks about his father. "He is... my father," he answers simply. But as for going back? He shakes his head. "No. I... can't go back to him. To THEM. Not like this." He looks at one hand. "I'm one of the very things they were fighting against. If I tried, they'd want to kill me. The people who made me like this... took everything away from me."
"Oh, I mean, sure, the people who did this to you were horrible and I'll totally help you kill them. I just don't really get the killing all of humanity afterwards thing. That'll eventually mean killing your father and the rest of them too. I don't get the draw." Miki pauses, shrugs. "It's your own business, but I'm not going to let you kill my human friends or family." She falls silent for a long moment.
"I wonder if my friends and family will want to kill me, once I look like a monster. I'd like to think they wouldn't." She smiles a bit. "Well, I guess I'll probably find out."
"Because... it doesn't matter if they're all dead," Testament explains. "They'll just replace those people with others. And then it'll start up again. Besides, it's humanity itself that's allowed things to gt to that level. Humanity wants an army of superpowered, mindless robot soldiers to fight its battles against the Darkstalkers... because they're afraid to do it themselves."
As for when Miki looks like a monster? "Oh, they will. Humans are afraid of what they don't understand, and hate what they fear. So yes. They'd think you were a monster, and hate you. There's another in a similar place. She thinks that she's going to be accepted if she helps them, even with her being obviously dark." Testament snorts.
"Mmm. I don't think you need to kill them all off for that to happen. Just enough of them that you seem scarier than the Darkstalkers." Miki is silent for a moment. "I wouldn't claim to be one of them, unless they're actually helping you in some way. Put the fact that you were made by humans as a killing machine up forefront. Publicize it. And make that fact more terrifying than anything the Darkstalkers do. If you do that right, you won't need to kill everyone to accomplish your goal."
"I'm beginning to think I just might be able to turn the Full Moon Society against the United Nations on my own."
She looks back to Testament. "...Also, what /is/ a Darkstalker, anyway?"
Testament thought. Maybe it wasn't a feasible goal, to kill all humans. But he didn't think it was. Eventually they'd get strong enough, and defeat him. Permanently. Or he'd kill all of them. So either way he'd win. But... no one believed it. Not even those who would help him. So... so he'd have to show them. Let his actions speak for him.
For now though... the UN. He'd start with them. Though he does hear something that interests him. "Full Moon?" he inquires. "What's this? Is it a place for Darkstalkers?" And as for what a Darkstalker is? "As far as I've been able to tell, a 'Darkstalker' is anything 'not human' that is not also an animal. I am, Tset is, you either are or will be..."
Miki nods. "Then fighting against Darkstalkers is a pretty foolish goal. I guess I'll try to put an end to that eventually."
"The only member I know of the Full Moon Society right now calls himself Nightwolf. He says he fights to defend the 'Earthrealm' from 'Otherworlders'. I'm not entirely sure if 'Otherworlders' is just a term for Darkstalkers who don't work on his side or not, however, or what it means precisely."
"Notably, The Full Moon Society knows of me under my other disguise, Tiger Mask, although Nightwolf has also met Black Tiger Mask, and I've claimed I'm sisters with myself. He doesn't yet know about Miki Murakami, as far as I know." A short pause. "...The short version of this is talking with them about me will make my current plans significantly harder, so I request that you don't."
Testament nods, listening carefully. "Nightwolf... the dark-haired one? The one who can chance into a wolf?" 'Dark-haired' plus 'wolf' equals night wolf, right? Besides, it sounds like a Native American name, and that one did look and sound Native American. He also takes that term under consideration... 'otherworlders'. So there are more... perhaps people he can become allies to...
However, he shakes his head. "I won't mention you. Though... what plans? I may be able to help you with them." And after all, he'd told her HIS plans, and his ultimate goal. So it was only fair, right?
Miki nods. "The one without pupils." She's not sure how many dark haired people can transform into wolves, and she's not sure if she's seen him as a wolf, although she certainly saw a wolf and then saw him. Hmm. Perhaps she should ask sometime?
"I want to keep on becoming strong until I'm the strongest being that exists. But, I also need to figure out what I want to do with that power. So I need to experience a variety of uses of power so I know what I like best. Also, the whole plan for turning the Full Moon Society against the United Nations works better if I'm on their side." She smiles. "Of course, I will help them some, although not against you."
Once more Testament nods. "That's him. One of the ones who offered me false pity," he states. Tset makes a hissing caw, and the Gear places a hand on her back to stroke her feathers. "Yes, I know. I'll give him to you one day, mein liebchen..." That seems to settle her down.
And he also agrees to her plan of turning the Full Moon Society against the UN. "That may not be too difficult," Testament notes. "Nightwolf... he knows that I was made. I've told him nothing else. But both he and the human at the UN building that attacked Tset--" Here he pets the bird again-- "Seemed upset to know that I had been made. So perhaps you could use that."
"Why were they attacking Tset? Is Tset a fighter too?" Miki looks over to the bird, tilts her head a bit to one side.
After a moment, she nods. "Okay. Let's say this is something Tiger Mask talked to you about, if it comes up. She kept on talking about 'Justice' and stuff, but did seem genuinely interested in why you were doing what you were doing, and asked such questions, and you told her answers. Still, hearing your plan to destroy humanity, she attacked you, and you defeated her. A fairly simple story, and not entirely untrue."
"She was helping me. Pushing the people inside towards me," Testament replied. "It was a fairly weak attack, but still." Another hiss from Zio. Grumpy bird! Testament smiles. "Yes... I'll give him to you as well."
He quiets as Miki explains her plan. "It will put a lot of information in their hands... information that I'm not sure they wouldn't use against me. Leave out my father. He has nothing to do with this. Tell them only that I was in an organization that fought Darkstalkers that had run amok, and was tricked into being turned into one myself."
"Okay, I won't tell them about your father. Nightwolf seems pretty ruthless." Miki doesn't state this as a good or bad thing, merely a fact. She looks over to Tset, smiles at her like she's being a brat but she's amused by it. "I don't know why you're getting mad at people attacking you when you get into fights. That's naturally going to happen." She's silent for a moment, looks back to Testament, smiles.
"Now I have like four plans to work on, so I better get started. There's some more sushi and peanuts in the bag. Also... cat food, if it ends up being useful." A slight shrug of her shoulders, and she drops down branch to branch, lands on all fours.
Can a bird give a raspberry? Because it totally looks like that raven just gave Miki a raspberry. And there's a 'phbbbbt~' sound from the bird. Hard to tell if it's malicious or not. Probably not, because Testament just chuckles.
However, as Miki makes to leave, he nods. As she indicates that the bag is being left behind, he leans forward a bit on the branch, to see her better. "Thank you. I will try to help you as much as I can."
Log created on 18:35:07 01/18/2015 by Miki, and last modified on 02:10:12 01/19/2015.