Description: Miki takes Jira to a secluded location to try to learn a few things from her, but through talking she becomes more worried that Akabara's relationship with Jira might be abusive, so she talks to him about that.
A normal day after school, after clubs. Jira's had her stint on Zack Island and after her team fell apart, and the enemy team was a no-show, she'd made her way back home to Southtown. It's the end of her first day back and she's laying in an open expanse within the park, gathering herself up and enjoying her return to normalcy.
Miki walks through the park, carrying a white duffel bag straight-armed in front of her. Seeing someone laying on the ground - which it's perhaps a little early in the year for, it's cold out even if not as cold as most days - she looks over to make sure they're not dead of something. And finds that it's actually Jira. She walks over, stares down.
"Oh, good. You're alive, Kasagi-san." She glances around the park, then looks back to Jira.
"What are you up to today?"
Jira's just idly staring at the sky. Well, until a Miki stares down at her. "Hello, Murakami-chan." she replies, beaming up a smile. "Not up to much, was enjoying the last bit of sunlight before dark and dinnertime called me home." she explains, sitting up.
"Did you want to do something today?" she curiously eyes the bag, but doesn't say anything about it.
Miki looks down at the duffel bag. "I have some visiting to do - there's a secret society with a secret village I belong to - but it's not urgent." All said with a perfectly straight face.
"Hmm. If you want to try teaching me some techniques, I'd be up for that. Or I could try to teach you some techniques - I do wonder if Akabara-san would be able to partially leave your body and fight. What about you, Kasagi-san? Is there anything you'd like to do before dinner?"
Jira nods. "Well, I won't intrude unless you're allowed to bring guests.. Akabara thinks it might be a way to get more sparring partners, but I think it'd be rude to just try to come with on that premise alone." she murmurs.
"I could see if you can learn the thorn kick." she muses, with a grin. "Have you enough to control to bring out your energy from specific places, and shapes?" she asks.
"Places, yes, shapes, no. I just have the tiger inside me." Miki glances around. "We'd have to be somewhere more private, though, Shinma isn't public knowledge." She tilts her head a bit to one side. "...It's about fighting evil. I don't think that group is really your thing, since you seem to be more focused on using martial arts to train and help others rather than killing horrendous evil things from beyond the veil. Also, I'd be slightly worried that they'd think Akabara-san is evil."
Jira nods quietly. "We'll have to build up your own energy at some point, so you can have more control. We could adapt the energy aspect to reflect Shinma's presence.. oh yes, privacy." she seems a little carried away in something, almost excited. "Akabara will unyieldingly admit it has no alignment based on the lines of good or evil, he states he exists solely to carry his legacy on and grow stronger, and that honour is a custom he promotes.... phew, I got all that out right" she gets onto her feet and stretches. "Where to, then?"
"Well, it's run by a man named Nightwolf. I can talk to him on your behalf if you want, but I don't think he'd want people to know about the village just for sparring purposes. There's another abandoned building near here I checked out when I was hunting for The Butcher." Miki turns, and starts to walk away, perhaps expecting Jira to follow her? "I've been trying to practice that, but it's hard to even start. Not being able to use my own energy is why I acquired the tiger spirit in the first place."
Jira shrugs. "My only interest would be in training. I'm sure there could probably be an arrangement made for it, but. A building sounds nice, if you care to lead the way." she muses, giving Miki a genuine smile. Jira follows behind Miki, keeping in line with her stride.
Miki nods slowly. "I doubt he'd make an exception just for that to visit the village, but he might be willing to train with you. I don't know how interested in training he is." She leads Jira out of the park, down a sidewalk.
Jira follows behind Miki, out onto the sidewalk. "It's not much of an issue, there could be a less secret meeting place for such things, that doesn't compromise the village." she replies. "I realize I don't know much about your style to know of compatability."
Miki looks back at Jira for a long moment, tilts her head a bit to one side, stares at her for a long moment. "My style was originally based on Kung Fu, but I rely on Shinma a lot now. Also techniques taken from tokusatsu and how a tiger would move, since that seems easier. Also just whatever seems like it'd get inside someone's head at the moment."
Jira chuckles. "You should be fine. It's more likely I'll be teaching you the motions, it seems." maintaining her smile. "How secure is the house?" she asks, curiously. "Is it stable?"
"Not too secure, I hope. And, it's fairly stable." Miki comes to a stop on the sidewalk, and turns back to look into Jira's eyes. "...Just how destructive and flashy techniques are we practicing here? At a certain point it might be better to simply go practice in the forest."
Jira nods affirmatively. She then pauses to look at Miki back. "Just close combat things, learning anything too wide-reaching I'd object to being indoors. These are techniques I'd practice in my room even. And you have seen how small it is."
Miki nods, turns, and points to a rather nice apartment building they're currently standing next to. "Room 303. I'll buzz you up." She walks into an alley alongside the building, and leaps up onto a fire escape, walks up the rest of the way, jumps off it to a just slightly ajar window nearby, opens it up, and walks inside, closing it behind her.
Jira is left unsure how to react as she's informed to come up... so she does, taking the proper trek around and to room 303, knocking on the door and waiting outside, flabbergasted.
Miki opens up the door, smiles. "Welcome." The apartment is a little cold, perhaps due to the window being left open, but still warmer than outside. It's also empty of furniture. "No one was using it but they left the window open," explains Miki. "Thus it seemed pretty much perfect for our purposes. I noticed it while I was patrolling the other night."
Jira peers at he room and blinks, confused. "I see." she's going to filter out the room's acquisition from her mind and bows politely instead of dwelling on it before stepping in. "Roomy enough, definately." she muses. She's also been wondering how to pull off this teaching.
Miki tilts her head a bit to one side, as if she's having trouble placing why Jira seems a bit put off for some odd reason. She refocuses as Jira bows to her, returns the bow after a moment, slightly lower. "Yes, another reason I picked it." She straightens up and stares at the teacher expectantly.
Jira slides into her stance and eyes Miki. "I'll show you one of my personal favourites. And because it'd adapt well, I think." she states. Though, mainly for demonstration, Jira holds out her right arm and dredges up a mass of pink energy. It creeps down her arm and forms up at her fingers, extending past each one and forming four claws. "You could project Shinma similarly, but the point of the technique is to stab, rather than slash." she returns to her stace, still projecting the pink, groaning energy claws. From this she moves forward, notably to the side of Miki, and jabs her clawed fingers forward from her center, where the four points of energy extend, then hover in the air. They hiss and whine and slowly bleed their essence with the 'wasted' expenditure.
Miki tilts her head a bit to one side watching that pink energy form around Jira's hand. She reaches her own hand out to extend claws, but instead a pink tiger paw emerges from her hand. She furrows her brow slightly, and pulls it back inside her. She flexes her fingers, and focuses on Jira's demonstration again, watching her jab her hand in the air, tensing a bit but then not moving as she sees the blow isn't aimed at her, then mimics the gesture, albeit minus the claws. "Hmmm."
Jira has her eyes on Miki, despite the focus on demonstration. "The point of the technique is to strike past their guard and set the claws in, but without getting your hands in too close. I'm sure you can improvise with Shinma and get a nice version of your own to use." she states. "I also have another one you could replicate."
"Ah, like... using a switchblade I suppose? It's hard to block because they think they're just block your fist, but then you stab them through the gut?" Not that Miki has experience with that, either. She lowers her hand, and tilts her head a bit to one side as she's told of another technique she could replicate, smiles. "What is that, Kasagi-sensei?"
She nods. "You leave yourself open for the extra reach, which makes up for the attack being inherantly obvious. Hard to hide the fact you're gonna claw them." she notes, but already returns to her ready stance, drawing up another mass of energy into her hand. But it just lingers in her palm. Without really making a step, she simply thrusts her palm forward- again with enough angle to leave Miki out of its path- and sends forth a violent, roaring shockwave of pink energy, which quickly dissipates into the air. "The contact is over a wide area, and is entirely made of energy. It's meant to provoke a guard against the feinted palm strike, and shake them up further with the blast. You could do similar, but have Shinma bite, or swipe, or thrust at your foe, with extra reach from your palm strike."
Miki ponders this, nods slowly. "...Well, once they've seen it once, I suppose that's true. If they don't know of your capabilities, you might surprise them." She slams her left palm forwards towards Jira's opposite side, and the tiger spirit's head comes out of it, headbutting the air just to the side of Jira. "...I don't think this technique is going to be as effective with Shinma as the claw jab. The claws and bite are powerful, but aren't quite so fast or broad as your energy burst." She furrows her brow. "Even now, not being able to use my own energy gets in my way."
She furrows her eyes, concentrating, and various tiger appendages poke out of her, but she can't get even a wisp of energy that's not a tiger out.
Jira listens and nods. "I can account for repetition myself. I just do it faster the next time!" she chimes in. But as seeing that action, Jira nods "Akabara's techniques will benefit you better, I think. Less energy finesse involved, a more direct approach."
Miki stares at Jira. "Akabara-san has less finesse than you after training for thousands of years?" She furrows her brow slightly, looking something that almost approaches mildly concerned. "That doesn't make sense to me, but I suppose Akabara-san would know more about why that is than you would."
Jira chuckles. "Akabara, from what I've been shown, prefers to overwhelm his opponents with force and timing. The technique and branch of his skills taught to me reflect careful placement, finesse, and keeping a bit of distance." she replies. "I am certain he'd put it to words better." flashing a smile to Miki.
"...Yes." Miki bows to Jira. "I'd like to talk to Akabara-san now, if you don't mind, Kasagi-san. I can see if his techniques are useful, and I also have something else to talk to him about now that I think about it." She glances around the apartment, wondering if his techniques are safe to use here. Oh well, it's not like it's /her/ apartment.
Jira bows back. The transition from Jira to Akabara's control is rather hidden, physically, other then her getting a little bit taller.. And, of course, the dual voice. "Yes, Miki?" they ask. "What did you want to talk about?"
Miki stares up into Akabara's eyes. "You're decieving Kasagi-san, aren't you? Various aspects don't quite match up. I'm not sure /why/ exactly you're doing this, but that your energy is painful to use and sounds like screaming damned souls... she's going to suffer eternally once you absorb her, isn't she?" She furrows her brow. "Not that I'd usually care that much, but you told me to befriend her, so I did."
A curious raise of Jira's brow starts as Miki begins her questions and observations. "No, I do not deceive." they answer flatly. "Though you are rather observant, an impressive talent. She, nor any of my hosts, suffer once they pass. And to think that she isn't already melded into my essence is wrong. My energy is derived from pain and death, what I lend to Jira is the raw energy. However, pain and death leave heavy emotional imprints on the energy, and what is let out often thinks it is reliving the moment. No, none of my hosts are being harmed, it is the opposite. I selectively drain the pain from their memories in life that any suffering is washed away, willingly, to assist the current host." they reply, at length. "I am glad you took it to heart, befriending Jira. While she is growing stronger and more accustomed to the training, and enjoys those facts, despite being surrounded by people daily, she does feel alone. Even with me in her head. Actual company is the best remedy I could attempt to give her."
Miki frowns a little. "Assuming I believe you - and I'm not sure I do, if I was a version of you who did torture the souls of those I carried forever, I'd lie about that like crazy and then be absolutely honest about everything else - then it's still in your best interests for your hosts to suffer and feel pain. And then you cut little aspects of their soul off to fuel the powers. The most unhappy parts, sure, but that's also draining any kind of strength from them."
"You haven't been entirely up front with Jira about what happened with your last host, either. You admitted as much to me. You wouldn't tell me exactly why that was either, however."
"You do everything you can to fight and become stronger forever, even more than me. And I believe that appearing to act in your host's best interests is better for that goal than actually acting in your host's best interests." She shakes her head slightly.
"This is the problem with having a friend who is in a close relationship with another friend, apparently."
Jira listens, and slowly expresses her own expression of unhappiness. "It would be much easier to constantly put the previous ones through torture and force my way through them, but.. it would be boring, and would make me dishonest and unworthy of trust. And it would eventually lead to being caught in a lie or with repercussions. I enjoy having a body, I enjoy being courteous, honest, and honourable. I enjoy having friends, I enjoy life. Sharing such with previous hosts, whom willingly let me in, prolongs what they can gain from life and in turn grants me greater satisfaction. It just so happens that pain is an energy which is very effective when you cannot access the planet's natural essence." they answer.
After that note, they pause. "If you truly wish to know, I'd have to speak with you in total confidentiality."
"It would also make you a good deal stronger." Miki thinks about this for a moment, staring up into Akabara's eyes. "I'd do it." She smiles slightly, at the idea of all that power. "I'd just choose hosts I didn't like, be up front about the cost of contracting with me, and use their tortured souls to power myself." Her smile fades, and she sighs slightly.
"I can't really promise total confidentiality for anything you say unless I stop being friends with Kasagi-san. But I'm not sure the three of us are going to be able to get along as things are now, either."
They shrug. "If one becomes a monster, then mankind will forsake them, and they will have naught but their own pride to confide in. But, Miki, when I inform you, I will also allow Jira to know the story. I won't further hide things from her, she has certainly proven worthy of having the full story."
Miki blinks, nods. "Well, I'll keep it in confidence from everyone but you and Kasagi-san, sure." Her tone implies that this is obvious and Akabara didn't even need to ask her about it. She pauses. "As for becoming a monster?" She smiles. "I really think it depends on how one does it, Akabara-san. There are many extremely popular monsters in this world."
Akabara has another smirk, and nods. Then leans in a bit closer to Miki. "I'm not talking about those that are different physically. I am talking of true inhumanity, those strong enough to slay mountains, thinking themselves above nature and mankind alike. Those whom would even give up themselves to gain more power, the ones that would sacrifice the world even to grow a small portion greater." he murmurs. "Limitless power is useless, unless it has purpose. Unending life has no value, if you alone have the novelty."
Miki's eyes start to shine as Akabara talks about true inhumanity, a smile spreading across her face. She shrugs. "I'd never give up all of myself to gain more power - kinda defeats the point after a certain point. I guess I probably wouldn't sacrifice the /whole/ world, though. Power is comparative, if there's no one alive you're more powerful than, what exactly is the point?" She pauses, frowns. "...I guess I'll probably have to stop that man from killing off humanity at some point." A shrug of her shoulders. "I don't see any problem with unending life, though. Besides. You're already part of that club, among others."
Log created on 19:20:47 02/17/2015 by Miki, and last modified on 04:58:00 02/19/2015.