Description: Shurui, poor Shurui, constantly in the spotlight for her powers that she had never wanted, but was given anyways. And now, when she just begins to return to a state of normal life at the YFCC, a very peculiar character enters the picture. Igniz has personally visited the YFCC to see Shurui himself. What will K' think?!
There are places on earth that are horrible. Breeding grounds of violence and destruction, where no good can come from the neighboorhoods, some that don't even spawn, yet wait for unintended victims. But to balance out such desolate waste lands of death, there must be a shining light in suck a bleak outlook. Would not the YFCC be that, training run aways and other children the right path, rather than letting them all grow up to be thieves and thugs?
It's a very renowned place, with very renowned people, but that doesn't stop another from approaching it. A dull purple robed figure, unknown to many save for a select few, begins to advance on the building. It doesn't have an army behind him. Another that could back him up. Nothing. He simply comes by himself. But who could it be? In truth, it was Igniz. Having tracked one of his creations here after insider information led him through a series of unfortunate events that enevitably ended up in his favor, Igniz can only simply be happy for this stroke of luck.
Inside the front doors, he's already getting a few looks from others. Usually robed figures do not enter all of a sudden, but this one is different, and he's looking about. Perhaps he shouldn't be here. But perhaps, just perhaps, he doesn't care about formalities. He looks between the differen hallways, looking for where Shurui might be.
If she is here at all.
Indeed, Shurui is here. Despite K''s gruff warnings for her to go home and rest up, his words only seemed to have a positive effect for the period of a few days. But that was a few days where Shurui was able to take in food, sleep, and attempt to repair the damage to her mind. After all, not all strikes to the brain are the result of her opponent having the same power as hers.
No, all you need is time, malnutrition, and violence. The body and its needs do the rest.
Shurui is not training right now, however. She was, but she still gives into her body's need for rest. It's a need that grows less and less frequent as time goes on, but it's a call she still needs to make time for. In the library, Igniz's search stops, the unaware Shurui resting there with a book and her reading glass.
Scars still mark the girl's body as she sits curled up in the library chair, book placed against the angle of her bent upper legs that hook over the arm of the comfortable chair. The thick plexiglass rests in one hand, aiding the girl's eyes as she peruses the text of some random non-fiction book, the pages yellowed from disuse and age.
Grey hair, short. Brown eyes. Her hair was longer when she had been ushered away, but now it's chopped short, the wayward locks giving the girl a boyish appearance.
Igniz can see that his search is finally over. The project three years in the making - was it three years? Finally has come to a close, or at least a mark on the calander and chart. It's been a very long time since NESTS had studied the girls psi, or any psi to be completely exact. With one of their first and formost psi user in the wild, one must make sure that this endeavor is well kept.
And Igniz will. Slowly making his way into the library, the robe sways and shifts here and there, streaming around as he moves his way towards the girl all wrapped up in fairy tales. But the truth might not too far off from a Fairy Tale. In fact, it could make Fairy Tales pale in comparrison.
The robed figure doesn't approach too closely at first, getting closer and looking over the change and growth. Igniz would have to estimate if the hypothesises of the scientists were in fact right.
"Hello... Shurui." Igniz rasps at first, speaking slowly, his words like silk. "It seems you've found a home."
Perhaps the very first thing that would lead Igniz to believe his scientists' conclusions are correct is the way Shurui reacts to the man's presence. That is, at first, it's with immediate confusion, as if attempting to decipher if the man who somehow knows her name is someone she, indeed, knows. Then, though sharp eyes narrow, as if focusing on an intricate artifact in front of her instead of a man.
What Shurui sees is not always the truth; a person's energy signature is influenced by how they view themselves as much as how their body and personality controls the chi or psychic energy within. Kain, despite being a man many would call 'evil', registered with Shurui as... well, neutral. The energy was black, but black does not neccessarily mean evil. These colors come with emotions or textures as cues; Igniz's is white, but not of innocence or a state of calm. Godliness. But a man-made god, an idol made, not created by the hand of nature.
Suspucion floods Shurui's emotions. K''s words sit at the back of her mind.... alongside the caution she feels about calling him about anything. She'll... stick this out for a while. See who this man is. If this man is from NESTS, she will definitely need to get K' involved, whether now or later, if the man retreats.
Or he could just be someone her father knew. It's hard to tell, even with that second sight. "... Who are you," she snaps back in a manner akin to a kitten arching its back in the air, tail puffed. "And what the hell are you talking on about?"
Igniz does not immidiately speak again as the girl looks up towards him. Good, good. She sees something. What he's not too sure. She is the one he was looking for after all. Nothing else would confirm it with such a fervor, but with an instant, as she looks up towars him, well, a slight grin beneath the cloak, only a few rays of light dancing on the mans lips could really tell any story.
"Ah... forgive me of my trespasses. Allow me to introduce myself. You may call me Igniz." The robe figure states, a slight bow given to the young fighter. "I've heard of your recent troubles, and I've come on my own will t help you get over such terrible things." He speaks plainly.
His chi stays dormant as long as he wants. It doesn't flare up violently save for when he fights. Still, the man stays right there. "I'm a friend. I can plainly tell you that I have come to make your life better than what it has been for the past three years." He states, looking about her features.
"I remember when you were younger, when you were more of a street urchin. But now it seems you found some place. However, I can offer you something that you might be interested in." Igniz begins, trailing off for a moment, his voice becomming nothing but a murmur.
For better or worse, K''s advice sounds in the back of Shurui's paranoid mind as the cloaked man smoothly introduces himself. She's not all too sure this man is from the organization that K' talked about, or even if she's from the same source. Hell, this guy could be from some stress relief center.
It isn't gonna keep her from looking out for number one, however. If not for her sake, everyone else's. She can't just willingly walk into another potential trap without a good reason, even if it's possible personal gain. After all, that's what happened to Stasya... "Help me get over? How? Besides, what do you know about what I went through? It wasn't in any of the papers."
5 The book is carefully closed, spilling the scent of yellowed paper into the air. "If you've been there when I was in a bad shape, why come to me now? You could have come and saved my ass instead of coming when I was in bad shape. Besides, what could you possibly offer me that I'd want?" Shurui's eyes scrunch together, scrutinizing the blurry hooded form in front of her. "Tell me a reason to trust you."
The cloaked figure shakes his head. Such distrust in the ones that created her? How has this age progressed! Igniz could only imagine it, as everything they worked on has had about the same amnesia about it, an after affect, if not a totally new mind being created. The process was at least complex, and at most, impossible to mimic without the same tools and knowledge.
"Yes, Shurui. Over it. I know about all that happened." Igniz continues, "From when you were cast out, became an urchin, lived with a family, got captured and finally came here." The man states without a word of malace, without a trace of anything of the thought.
"I only come now that I know you are worthy to recieve my blessings, Shurui. My Shurui." The man trails off. "For you see, I am your father. And I am here to take you away... back to paradise where no one will hurt you. You will never have to worry about money again, and most importantly..." Igniz states, sliding a hand from his side towards Shurui's chin, gently stroking it. "They will love you. I will love you, Shurui, my Shurui, daughter of mine."
It's more the environment that created this, rather than any fault of a memory slipping through the cracks of that mindwipe. Shurui had no pressing memories that her brain wasn't willing to let go of. No memories of a sibling, or of another life. ".... If you know what happened before that, if you know so much." While the girl seems to reject the man's sincerity despite there being no trace of any malice in his words and actions, it's the touch that gains her attention.
At first she flinches, as if given a static shock, but beyond the initial response, she doesn't move, her heart racing like a sparrow being stroked while in a net.
Only she's not physically trapped. Not at all.
Shurui's will, just for a moment, sways. It is the dream of many children, after they have experienced love, to yearn for it when there is an absence. Muda was not the most loving man; he was mindful of his age and mortality. For a moment her eyes drowsily close, her face conflicted between paranoia and a desperate need for the things the man's pleasent voice promises.
It's not as if Shurui doesn't experience love. It's something more vague and indirect; Stasya's words. Alma's persistance in checking in on her. K''s rough concern, no matter how selfish and specific. ".... Who are they?" she asks, her voice a quiet conflicted whisper.
The leader of NESTS persists against the will of a young girl. Rebellious, out to prove themselves, but there is one force that conquers all. One that all girls dream of, a fancy of being a princess or something akin to it, their own descriptions. Igniz is not a king, but a god. And his children the children of the garden.
"I know every thing about you Shurui, poor Shurui." The man almost whispers as his touch lingers only for a moment before it disappears completely. "And I know that you want a simpler life. No more worries about being taken away. No more torture. You never have to be scared again. And if any one touches you, they will have to answer to me directly." Igniz states, a soft grin being molded beneath his robe still.
"They? Why, they is everyone who could ever care for you. Your mothers. Other daughters and sons of mine. We're a happy family." Igniz explains with a nod, "And I only ask simple favors of all that live there."
Shurui has never dreamed of being a princess; her needs and dreams were and still are more direct, more personal. It's Igniz's words that struck closer to the truth if not directly on it. Simply, she has a child's need to be in a family. To feel safe and have a place to fall. Igniz's pity, whether fake or real, is ignored; but, with the words following it, it's a moot point.
Then, his answer snapes the girl back to reality. "....." Mothers. Sons. It begins to become surreal, for someone whose concept of who her family was, up until now, was something far more traditional. While she imagined her parents as a pair that were dysfunctional to not look for her or too abusive to warrant her forgetting them, the idea of her parents being two people, rather than many...
It's this surreal image that is enough to break Shurui temporarily free of Igniz's spell, a deep, stablizing breath coming from her slightly open mouth. Facts. Information. She needs these, no matter what. These will help her form a plan. "What sorts of favors? And do you people have a name? A name that you call yourselves?" The girl's voice is low, soft. Thoughtful. "If you know everything about you, you'd know I wouldn't just walk into a situation without knowing all the facts, no matter how I feel. If I didn't, I wouldn't be alive today. And that's why you think I'm 'worthy', right?"
Igniz shouldn't lie. And why should he lie? He's completely sincere. To take her there, she would know instantly what it is. And so, Igniz does not lie. "A few arrons like any son or daughter does when their mother or father needs aid. It's quite simple really." Igniz begins, still standing rather tall, the cloak continuing to veil his features rather nicely.
"Yes, you have out performed our expectations, for you see, Shurui, that is not truely your real name, but it is not that you have lived many years after your first." The man doesn't move, his voice never sways. It's perfect the way it is. True, inescapable, hanging in the air thick.
"The group I belong to, you probably have heard about before. Do not let others decided for you, you have to decide for yourself. The group in question is NESTS." He doesn't even try to mask it. He just, at that moment, tells her, "And you're one of our children. I think you have earned yourself the ability to see. Would you like that?"
Still so vague, still so maddeningly sincere. He speaks and acts like his words were law. "That's not an answer!" Shurui says, worriedly, eyebrows raised. "Even if my life was horrible because of what happened, before that I was really happy. And since the person responsible for that is gone, I can still be happy like I was before. My life isn't perfect, but it's something. Why give it up for vague promises so quickly?"
She hasn't lived many years after her first? "...... What do you mean by that?" Shurui finally turns to face Igniz, hands holding the old book in her lap. "Just how old am I really?" Twelve? Thirteen? Fourteen? Fifteen? Could it be possible she's been wrong about her legal age? It would explain a lot of things, after all...
NESTS. Her suspucion is confirmed, a soft sigh leaving her lips. Indeed, she has heard about it before. K''s careful assumption was right. And yet... "..." Would she like that? ".... You're offering me a lot of things. Will I have a chance to think on these? I assume nothing will happen if I refuse, correct?"
Igniz doesn't respond to Shurui's first question. The answer would just cause it to turn into an argument, something that he surely doesn't want to happen. Instead, he lets it brush by, leaving Shurui's questions to go mostly unanswered. "It is not a promise, Shurui. It's a truth I can guarantee to you." He says, continuing on.
He barely moves, barely sways. Even in a place where K' is dominant, he feels at home. If K' was to see this he would certainly not be happy, but K' isn't here to see this, is he?
"A single hair on your head will not be touched if you refuse. You will have nothing to worry about. And if you want to think, I will give you time. Such a decision isn't an easy one at all. Please. Take your time." Igniz says with a nod, "There is no rush."
While K''s words are strengthened by his extreme display of sacred fire, something that proved so unwittingly painful to Shuru to witness, along with his surly attitude, even someone as suspucious as Shurui is momentairely taken in by Igniz's words, whether they would remain true or not after the fact has passed. "Can you promise me a childhood? A sense of who I am?" At this point, it's mere curiosity, a poking of a kitten's paw as an object they've never seen before. No malice or suspucion in her voice, right now.
Shurui wouldn't go with him, however. She's not that curious, and he's chosen only to make promises, rather than answer her questions. "Then I'll think." And notify K', meanwhile. That, at least, is something she owes the clone.
Getting up from the chair if not otherwise impended from doing so, Shurui stops, craning her head with her eyes narrowed in vain to focus on the man's cloaked face. If he says he is her father, does this mean symbolically, or does she look like him? ....Come to think of it, she doesn't truly know what she looks like, aside from the various pursuits she's tried with magnifying lenses and mirrors. A fractured sense of how she appears to others.
"Are there others like me, running around? Also, are there any with the same... powers as mine?"
"I can easily promise you a childhood. Mothers. Fathers." The man draws on, "Love. You can even hone your skills there, become stronger so that you won't have to be scared of what the world may hold." Igniz continues, aiming to eek out the little girl still in Shurui, even if she may have changed a little bit during her period. Even if she met K', what could he possibly tell her? What kind of role model his he?
"Ah. Very well then. You may think. I will be checking up sooner or later to see if you made up your mind." Igniz continues. Charismatic, K' is not. Igniz on the other hand... But that doesn't matter. "There are many other children there as well. I'm sure you would make lots of friends. Your powers, however, are completely original to us. You were our first and only, Shurui." He speaks, still like fine satin. His figure, however, dare he show it, would be almost impossible to erase. He's quite unforgetable, or at least, he likes to think he is.
He offers her everything she could possibly want. Almost everything she's ever wanted have been intangible things; things like wealth, fame, popularity... they were either useless to her or means to an end. Most of the time, they were the former. Money was good, but only as far as to gain the things she couldn't scourge up on her own. Things like love, family, safety.... those are things money can't buy, and can even be difficult to obtain.
Igniz lets her go for now. It's almost too easy to simply accept his offers, no matter how vaguely worded, with the way he allows her to come and go as she pleases. "..." Children. Is she really a child? Someone who's twelve instead of sixteen? Just who is she, anyway? Closing her eyes as she ponders over this, she lets out a sigh, stuffs her hands in her pockets, and walks past the cloaked man a few paces before stopping.
She almost forgot. The crux of this whole situation...
"Why did you dump me on the streets in the first place?" That pale face cranes back to look at Igniz with wrinkled brow and her lips curved in a frown. "I found my happiness and my freedom, but I found those things on my own. Why throw me out and come find me only after I've found things to be glad about in life? Why not get me when I would've gone with you without a second thought? Did I have a life before that?" She steps close to Igniz, enclosing in on that personal space that she passed by moments ago. "Who was I before I was on that street? What did I forget?"
K' may not be a good role model, but he did stir some questions in Shurui's brain.
Shurui continues to pry into the very things that Igniz would wish she didn't. It would be almost easier to knock her unconscious and wisk her away, but he's more confident in his abilities to persuade than his abilities to anihilate inside of the YFCC. The management might come knocking, and he doesn't want that yet.
As she beens to walk, he himself would be laeaving. But she stops. Turns around, and gets closer. Asking even more of the man than he had wanted. Hoped for. She was, after all, grasping for her past. It's understandable.
"Humility, Shurui. If you were brought up any other way you would not appreciate what I can give you." The god of NESTS begins, "Before you were on the street, you had lived with us. You must have experienced amnesia. That is the only way I can explain why you cannot remember. You were so happy before, child."
It's no fault of Igniz's that he's only been somewhat successful in coaxing the girl to immediately come with him; the timing was something neither party could exactly appreciate. No one counted on Marise swooping in to take the benefits of whatever data Shurui could provide before NESTS, or indeed anyone else, was aware of her value.
Shurui wants nothing more than answers before she allows her emotions to take ahold of her again. .... And therein lies the crux of the problem. While Igniz appeals to the part of her that yearns for the things he promises, it's the analytical part, the part that has kept Shurui alive up until now, that remains unsatisfied. Humility. Ha.
Who does this Igniz think *he* is? God? And who is she, some sort of Job-like character who exists to show man's devotion towards a jealous deity?
And then that remark about her amnesia. "...." Shurui's silent, her thoughts again going back to K''s conversation with her. '...pretty sure you must've been out of NESTS too,' K' had once said. 'Amnesia. Weird abilities. .... All the trademarks.' Even if it's just the testimony of one man against another's, she does know K' better than Igniz. Barely.
It's just too damn hard to think about all of this. "Yeah, it's amnesia. I don't feel anything, looking at you." She pauses, backing away. "... I'm gonna go think on this." With that vague note, she turns, leaving the book on the chair as she goes to exit the library, if unheeded.
She has someone she needs to call.
As Shurui begins to leave, Igniz watches her as she leaves. He makes no motion towards her as he go, but a simple nod. "Very well then. I shall see you later." The God of NESTS states as he begins to leave himself, moving for the front door of the YFCC to simply just leave. He knows where to find Shurui when he eventually does return.
But who, if anyone, will be waiting for him?
hat's an entirely different question.
Log created on 22:55:51 04/07/2008 by Igniz, and last modified on 19:23:21 04/09/2008.