Description:
So this is the sound beach. It's night time, quite too late for the young people to be outside. Not only due to the cool weather, but the fact that the park is closed also gives signs for those trying to enter to be turned away.
So the World Warrors tournament has started. Big deal. Just see where he is at and get things over with.
Currently at the shores of the beach is a young man, sprawled out on the ground with his legs out. His head low, he is playing the instrument of his harmonica. It's a gentle tap, but the music becomes quite whimsical and a little on the mysterious level.
The harmonica player, Jiro Kasagi, rests with his trenchcoat on and spread across the sand. It's just his peaceful time.
Perhaps if the melody isn't familiar, the instrument is. It's not only that, but also the familiar emotions that drew Ingrid to the beach, having only been passing by on a small walk late at night. But these familiar things made her change her mind, to stay out a little longer and seek out what may be a friend whom she hadn't seen in a fairly long time. Not since she was last in his home, those months ago.
And as she draws closer her vision helps to confirm that which she'd already thought, that Jiro was here on the beach. She smiles lightly and approaches slowly from the side, folding her arms gently across her stomach and holding one elbow with her hand. She waits until the tune is either coming to an end or reaching a lull before speaking up. "Good evening, Jiro." Her voice is warm and friendly.
There is the interruption of the peace that Jiro sought. As his solitude is brought to an end, so is his peaceful behavior. Finally putting the harmonica down, an eye lifts up to see the cause of the disturbance. After a moment, the Stray Dog turns his attention towards Ingrid, inspecting her for a few moments.
"..."
At first, there is a bit of silence before he finishes dusting his clothes off and he finally responds with a, "Yo."
Looks like someone is still getting used to emerging from seclusion.
Whoops. She didn't intend to intrude upon him; some people need seclusion and time alone to be able to face people. Ingrid's the exact opposite, so even despite her empathic abilities she can sometimes forget that. A friend alone on a dark night is an opportunity for companionship to her, but perhaps for Jiro it's a disturbance in a much needed respite from humanity.
"Oh, I'm not intruding, am I? I can leave, if you'd like." Perhaps he didn't say as much, or perhaps even think it, but this time she doesn't ignore the feelings. Her tone is apologetic.
Too late now. The flow that Jiro was feeling had been brought to an abrupt end. But, it is probably for the best, as Jiro would had continued to avoid people to do his own thing once more. He had done his damnest so far to avoid having to get involved with stuff. Beating Kain one on one is a lofty one. But, socialization is needed, isn't it?
The irritation on Jiro's face is apparent, but after a moment it fades away to a more bored look. Shrugging at Ingrid, Jiro lifts a hand up. "Eh, don't worry about it." Jiro places the harmonica back into his pocket, then he looks up at the moon with both hands in his pocket.
"Been a while, hasn't it?"
Hopefully it's for the best, as there seems to be no alternatives left now that Ingrid has interrupted him. "It has been. A little too long, by my thinking." She gives him a small smile upon stating her opinion. She walks around so that she's standing in front of him and casually holds her arms behind her back. "How have you been? I'm not sure if it's only me that hasn't seen you in a while or if you were just gone. Though I don't believe I've heard of you entering in any of the local competitions lately." Meaning SNF, mostly.
Or not long enough. At least, to Jiro anyway.
"I'm touched that I'm missed. I think." Jiro considers with a shrug once, then he looks back at her, "Not many people seen me for a while. I came back a few weeks ago. I've noticed Mimiru got stronger." He considers. "I can say that I'm impressed with her now." From this point, the Stray Dog snorts about the local competitions.
"The local competitions are nothing more than jokes." One can see the snarl escape his mouth as the disgust drips forth like acid coming out, "Gimmicky, annoying, demeaning, and insulting." He spits at the ground to further his opinion in regards to the Saturday Night Fights.
"I washed my hands with it. I moved on to the World Warriors tournament."
Ingrid nods a little, "Has she? Its been longer since I've spoken to her than I have with you." She considers for a short moment, "Hopefully everything is going alright, though from the sounds of it they are."
She ponders his words on the competitions for a moment, and nods her head. "I've decided to enter the tournament as well. I don't condemn the other smaller matches, though. I've trained as much as I can on my own, and I need experience fighting against others in order to improve further. At least, I do until I know what it is that I need to improve upon." A small smile, "You may have moved beyond that point, but I'm thankful for them; they give me a multitude of people to test myself against."
The news of Mimiru and Ingrid not seeing each other surprises the young man to where his expression changes. "I see. I am surprised, I figured Mimiru would be pestering you to go on with the marriage or using that as her chance to drag you to marry her." Pause. "She's odd like that."
After a moment, Jiro walks further along the beach, kneeling down towards the water to tuck a hand down to the cool liquid. "I was thankful for them as well. At least before it turned to what it was today. Admittedly, I expected that, but to be insulted and demeaned at these matches, and humiliated...." His fury almost flares up once more, but he later dismisses it, "Bullshit." He shrugs once more.
After the World Warriors, he's probably done for good anyway. "Good to know that you have folks to fight against."
"At least someone has goals in mind." He pauses. "Has the cockmongler been reigning terror?" Vega, he means.
Ingrid gives a small little shrug, "I suppose I'm as much to blame for that as she is, I haven't exactly been seeking her out." The young woman raises a hand to her hair and smiles, "Is she? I wonder if she's serious or just goofing around if she acts like that..."
She follows Jiro slowly, lagging behind a bit as he puts his hand in the water, "Hmm... I suppose it would be aggravating if they used the matches specifically to demean you. I suppose you could take it up with Howard Enterprises, though I doubt you'd get far. Perhaps you're right about them." Her eyes close at the mention of the person she considers to be the most evil in the world, "I'm not entirely certain of who you're speaking of, but I can only assume you mean the man who calls himself Vega. If you do then yes, he has been making himself known. He attacked me recently, and then showed up at a fight sponsored by Duck King." A little smile crosses her face, "It was supposed to be a free for all, though I managed to convince everyone to turn on him. I imagine he went home quite sore, though I was unable to deliver a deathblow."
"Hard to tell." That is all that Jiro says about Mimiru.
From this point, Jiro doesn't even bother to speak about the Saturday Night Fights. He said what he needed to say. After this point, the young man shuts his eyes. He listens to her Although he ignored her about taking it up with Howard Industries, he pays attention once more about Vega.
Snort. "Looks like that means he must like you." Sadly, Jiro can recall getting his ass kicked by Vega numerous of times. That part after Kain -really- sucked. He is surprised he survived that.
But he doesn't say anything else from here. At least, not until he slaps the water into the air. "There's another megalomaniac. But he seems more delusional than whatnot. He's strong though, it was like punching a wall that would not break. His name was Urine."
Pause.
Placing a hand over towards his chin, he shakes his head with a thoughtful tone, "Wait, no. Urien. Tall guy in a business suit."
"He thinks of himself as a new god to restore humanity."
Ingrid laughs a little at the mention of Urien. "Really? I met someone who has the same sort of ideals, but seems more misguided then a megalomaniac. His name is Lykaio." She shakes her head a little and smiles a sad little smile, "He doesn't like me. It's my power that he likes. He's already taken it from me once before; he just wanted to test me to see if I was powerful enough to give him more yet. Luckily, I failed his little test."
She quickly disposes of that line of thought, however, not wanting to dwell on Vega any more than she needs to. There's plenty of time for that. "It's hard, knowing there are people like that out there, and not having the power to be able to stop them. That's why I'm trying to become stronger, myself."
"..." THe young man blinks for a moment, then he turns to face Ingrid. His eyes narrow, as if piercing through her. Not particularly her that he's dissatisfied with, more of the news. The tone is flat as he states, "Lovely. Another one." He shuts his eyes, "I'll send his ass to the emergency room if he tries that on me." There is the vicious side returning alright. Then, the eyes narrow at Ingrid and focusing on her this time, "I know another certain individual who needed to be hospitalized that you prevented me from breaking that day." Gabriel.
Dismissing the thought, the Stray Dog turns his back once more, looking at the moon. "I suppose that's the reason why as well. My thing is that I'll have the power to smack them down and tell them to piss the hell off."
Ingrid shakes his head at Jiro, "You're lucky; he wouldn't be interested in using you for that purpose. He wants fighters with power like mine. I'm sure you've noticed that the energy I use and that which you use is very different. He wants the kind I have, so you, at least, are safe." She lets Jiro continue for a few moments, and turns her back slightly, looking out across the water. "I don't intend to put anyone in the hospital, or teach anyone a lesson. That man is beyond saving. I intend to kill him."
"...For once."
The Stray Dog shrugs, "Eh, maybe he'll run into Alma and Alma will decide to use him as a boyfriend to make up for the lost Valentine's since Forehead's gone." The Stray Dog muses to himself before he puts the thought on the back of his mind. Now, as for her comment about killing him, the boy there is more of an amused look before he turns to face her.
"Oh cool, let me know how that turns out."
Ingrid nods, "I will, but I wouldn't expect this to be any time in the near future. I would have finished him before, except that he was able to escape by teleportation. I intend to learn how to do that myself, and then how to follow someone that teleports." She smiles, "And then it's simply a matter of luring him into a fight he can't possibly win and then hunting him like he's so used to hunting others."
"Pity." The Stray Dog shuts his eyes, then he starts to turn around to face her. He glances at her for a few moments, smiling a little more for one moment. But it fades away and he is walking past her.
He stops, considering to say something, but he shakes his head and dismisses whatever was on his mind. Instead, he releases a puff of breath and he tucks his hands into his pocket, waving a hand out to continue his walk.
Ingrid nods a little to that. The sooner he's removed from the world the better, as far as Ingrid is concerned. She tilts her head slightly when Jiro cuts himself off before talking, and waves a little herself, though he can't see it, and simply watches him walk off.
Log created by Ingrid, and last modified on 05:34:17 04/27/2007.