Description: Zach's journey takes him back through familiar territory where a not-so random encounter with an old rival gives him the chance to consider the power at his fingertips. Ayame comes away with an important clue about the enemy.
Zach's journey across the Continent is almost done. He has, of late, followed his gut as to where he should go so long as it was east. He had also been, since Hyberadad, making it a point to avoid large cities. It may make it easier for someone to 'disappear' him, as Cammy put it, but that risk was preferable to the potential for property damage and casualties.
He arrives, strangely, in Taizhou. The area has changed a great deal, partly from the destruction, partly from the repair efforts that he (and others) had helped with. He stops when he gets to a particularly devastated part of the area: the industrial center. He hesitates as he looks across the wreckage. The escape from this place in the end was... intense. Half a year has passed, and he still does not discuss that part of the journey. He tries very hard not to think about it.
It was here that he acquired the wakazashi at his hip, a weapon that he was hesitant to use before neccessity drove him to even consider it.
It was also the last place he saw Jiro Kasagi alive.
Make no mistake; Zach didn't know the guy all that well. His death, however, affected more than a few people in his admittedly small social circle.
Zach is wearing a disguise of sorts. The 'street clothes' most would recognize as his fighting togs are gone, replaced by clothes of a more local look. The only... oddity if one could call it that would be the scarf around his neck, which flutters in the breeze as the psychic knight picks his way through the destruction.
This place is Desolace.
It is remarkable how fast it all falls apart when abandoned by man. The crumbling ruins, the plants growing up where only concrete and streets existed before, the water trickling through the cracks and crevices, running free from some broken pipes that no one has come to fix. Maybe these outskirts will be reclaimed eventually. In the distance one might detect sounds of civilization restored. Work efforts and volunteer projects aplenty to the south and to the east.
But here, on the western outskirts, where the worst of the ruin fell from the skies? Almost nothing at all. Not yet anyway.
Thus it is that Zach finds himself alone, perhaps just as he prefers. But such solitude can't last forever. The Chinese-clothing clad Zach would do well to blend in, all the same. And were it not for the various eyes on the ground throughout this region, he assuredly would be able to slip through unnoticed by some who are seeking him out.
As the young man moves through the ruined world, he will find himself trailed by another. The figure keeps her distance but she is assuredly there. The occasional sound of pebbles skidding beneath feet, or the swish of cloth around a nearby corner, or the movement in shadows beneath a truck propped up oddly against the side of a building. Zach has certainly garnered someone's attention.
In India, Zach wasn't paying enough attention. His run-in with Cammy, however, has made him more than a bit paranoid. It has been /horrible/ on his sleep. It hasn't done much for his already troubled control of the energies at his command. He doesn't slow for a bit; if he's clued into his tail, he's not showing it just yet.
He picks his way through the area a bit longer, heading to a pretty specific place in the wreckage. His tail might recognize it or they might not. But it is obvious to Zach where he is at as he approaches. He arrives at the remains of the iron foundry, walking out to the middle of the metal crater before stopping.
He then turns to face, roughly, where the shadow is trailing him. "Come on out," he says tiredly, the thumb of his right hand tucked in his belt. He makes no move for the blade just yet. He's not sure what he is dealing with.
"So demanding," comes a perhaps all too familiar voice behind Zach as he turns back to look over the way he had come. The identity of his follower makes no effort to disguise herself or fit in now that she is in the open. Her perch is a mishapen girder that must have softened during the catastrophe that took place here half a year prior.
Ayame has her right hand at her hip, her left hand resting at her side, brown eyes focused on Zach with a certain intensity that she had rarely regarded the young man with in their encounters in the past. "So grumpy looking too. This walkabout of yours doesn't seem to be doing you any wonders." She lifts her left hand and gestures at the area around them, "And to come here of all places? What for?"
She grins a little, head canting to the side slightly, "Something troubling you lately?" she asks, eyebrows arching with obviously false concern. "I saw your Neo League match against that loser from England. You blew that stage up like you were trying to dig your way to the center of the earth." She shrugs a little, hopping down off the girder though keeping some distance between her and Zach, her left hand lifting to brush some of her long hair back over her shoulder.
"What's with the toy, huh?" she asks, gesturing with her right hand. "You know you can't just pick one of those up and have any idea what to do with it. Takes a long time... you aren't the first I've seen to pick up the sword after fighting unarmed for so long." She hehs, "I guess he got the hang of it eventually. Suppose you might too."
It would be hard to guess what the purpose of the questions and comments would be at this point, though she does occasionally break eye contact to glance around the area. Is she waiting for someone or some/thing/?
"I know I can't," Zach says, ignoring the first few questions. He keeps a fairly even voice as he addresses quite possibly the only person he has ever wanted to /kill/. It's not unwarranted in Zach's mind; Ayame kidnapped him for experimentation. It may just surprise Ayame that Zach does not simply draw steel and try to do exactly that. Plenty of places here to hide the body, too. Maybe Zach's learned a little impulse control. "That's part of the point of the walk, really. Few things teach better than experience. Hard knocks is one of them."
Zach notes the occassional glance, and after a couple of them, is anticipating Ayame's glances... and is checking the /other way/ when she does so. "As for that asshole from England, well," Zach gives a dangerous smile to Ayame, "Maybe he had it coming." He's waiting for the con artist to lay some cards on the table.
If Ayame has any fear or shame regarding her prior experiences with the young psi wielder, they certainly aren't visible in her expression or demeanor at this point, as if taking him off the streets to feed him to the serpentine monster in the sewers of Metro is just one of those things people should get over already. Or maybe she's expecting him to do just that and just isn't transparent about it?
"You oughta find someone who knows how to use it and get some lessons." she retorts with a bit of a grunt. "Can't just go swinging it around and hope you work the kinks out, after all. But what do I care? If you want to keep showing off those clumsy moves of yours on live TV, it doesn't matter to me." she's still vaguely smiling. Maybe this is being sociable to the likes of her.
As far as Eagle is concerned, she lifts her hand and rolls her eyes skyward, tapping her chin in thought. "Perhaps he did... It's up for you to judge what it takes to explode like that, I guess, hm?" She rolls her eyes back down to him, giving him an almost accusing look. "But you didn't fight that way at first. In fact, it was fairly easy to see that you weren't using any of your usual power for most of that farce of a fighting contest..."
One narrow eyebrow raises slightly, "So what's the deal, hm? I thought you got that nonsense under control at some point, but now you don't? You're a bit old to blame it on hitting puberty. I think. So it must be something else. Did it hurt to release like that? Did it feel good to cause that kind of destruction? Why didn't you fight like normal, hm?"
Zach listens. Something's... just plain /odd/ here. "Everyone's got questions," he mutters. Zach keeps his eyes on Ayame for a moment, then decides to drop some of the tough act that he has been putting up. "I got tricked," Zach says finally. "By an old lady if you can believe it." He tugs the scarf down to reveal a strange looking choker. "Although, if the situation in Zambia had been different," Like no raging Kyokugen Master out to kill his friend, "I probably would not have put myself in this mess to begin with."
It is surprising, he thinks, that he is not snappy or confrontational about any of this. He gestures to the crater around him. "I found this," he says lifting the sword on his belt a little bit, "Here, back when it was an iron foundry." Ayame might wonder why someone who has been openly antagonistic towards her is suddenly waxing nostalgic on her.
The bandit girl's hand drops to her hip where a pouch dangles from one of the multiple belts around her waist. This one is familiar - it's where she stows that collapsing staff of hers. He's had to deal with that before. Maybe she thinks he's going to respond to her questions with an attack? Or maybe she's just trying to get him to let down his guard so she can attack when he's unwary?
When he starts to talk, however, she seems to relax herself, her hand straying away from her stowed weapon, expression shifting from curious accusation to muted surprise at the admission. "An old lady? Who?" she asks immediately, only to lean forward a little when he pulls down the scarf so that it no longer fully conceals the choker around his neck. "Well, well..." she marvels openly.
"Yeah," Ayame replies, acknowledging the sword, eyes straying to the weapon at his side. "I know all about that." She glances to the side then, toward the pit of solidified, neglected metal waste, "I know what happened here too. Tough break, that guy. He wasn't a bad sort. Certainly didn't deserve to go out like that, I imagine folks would say. But mourning the dead does nothing to bring them back and won't help your current situation."
Is she really there to help anyway? "Tell me more about the old woman and that fancy piece of jewelry you got there." She isn't getting any closer but she does start to circle around Zach, as if positioning him between her and the melted iron foundry. "What's it do? I'm assuming you can't take it off or else it wouldn't be much of a trick. What's the catch?"
"The catch is that I am fine, so long as I don't use my power," Zach says, his eyes staying on Ayame. He adjusts if he needs to do this; he knows better than to let her out of his sight. "When I use it, I use too much. Sometimes you get what happened to that Brit. Other times," Zach decides the picture's better than the words. He slowly pulls up his sleeves, revealing bandages. Some of them have a slightly pink tinge to them. "Wouldn't be a problem, if I didn't /have/ to let some power loose every now and then." Zach heaves a sigh.
"As for the old lady, there's not much to tell. She seemed... pretty normal. All I have is a name: Tomoko Kimura."
The girl's brow furrows as Zach explains the nature of the choker, not surprised at all that he stays facing her as she circles around. "It amplifies, but destructively so... Isn't pinging off of chi either or it wouldn't affect you. That's an interesting piece of science you got there around your neck."
She says nothing more after that point, staying quiet as he continues, revealing his banadaged arms, bemoaning his unfortunate circumstances. The important detail is the name given though. "I see." she replies, tone neutral, reserved, as if distracted with contemplating something else on the side and only partially listening now.
"Did she explain what it was for? What seemed to be her motivations? What did she claim it would do?" She continues to keep the same distance for now.
"Admittedly," Zach says, "I'm as curious to poke at it if I can get it removed as I am about this sword. The sword does a bit of the same, but far easier to use and control." He is still keeping his attention on Ayame. Could be he doesn't trust her. "She told me it belonged to an old friend. It supposedly helped that person focus their power." Zach snorts at this. "She claimed that she just wanted it be used by someone like her friend."
"Heh." Ayame replies, grinning, seemingly amused by that. "Typical. People don't help each other out like that for nothing. Guess you had to learn that the hard way." She stands up a little straighter, stretching her arms out at her sides, releasing a bit of a sigh before dropping back into a relaxed stance.
"Well, that's a lot of information you've given me. A lot of what I wanted to find out about. But all that's really done is make it clear to me that the little trinket around your neck would be of great interest to, ah, associates of mine, so I'm afraid you're going to have to come with me... This isn't really a choice I can give you."
Her hand drops to her side again, hovering over her stowed weapon, as if getting ready to enforce this declaration. "Who knows, maybe if you're lucky, they'll figure out a way to get it off without hurting you but that will admittedly not be a priority. Learning more about the origins of that nifty necklace of yours will be."
She calmly gestures at the area around them once more, "We won't have to go far. After all, my associates are the ones that created this whole mess in the first place. It's fortuitous that you've wandered back here. Must bring back such pleasant memories." she beams.
"And so you expect me to just come quietly and help you out, quite possibly at lethal risk to myself for... what,
"And so you expect me to just come quietly and help you out, quite possibly at lethal risk to myself for..." Zach asks with annoyance. He seems about to continue his tirade when he stops. The wheels are turning upstairs it seems. Ayame is working for... Seishirou? He was the cause of the events in Taizhou, right? He changes tacks, "Perhaps we can come to some kind of arrangement here. We both want to learn about this thing, after all. And I still have some questions to ask your associate about this sword anyway."
"Perhaps some kind of short-term alliance or something?"
"Nothing, I suppose!" she seems all too happy to declare that, as if Except maybe a chance to get that thing off your neck so that it can be properly studied. Though we're more interested in the source than the trinket, and more interested in the trinket than you." Obviously.
The girl cants her head to the side a little, "An arrangement? I... don't really think so. I'm not here to negociate terms. I'm here to get what we want, that's it."
He mentions the sword and Ayame narrows an eye a little, "That trinket? What of it? You haven't learned all there is to know about it yet? Hm... No, I suppose not. It does take more than swinging it around like a child... But it doesn't really matter too much." Her right hand goes to her hip, the girl relaxing as it seems she isn't going to have to enforce anything at the moment.
"An alliance? Hah! That implies both sides have something to offer. What we're talking about here is your unconditional surrender. Not the same thing, ya know." She rests her hand at her hip, "Come now, we've been down this road before. It should feel familiar. Of course, that's right... you got away before that woman experimented on you... one of those other girls wasn't so lucky..." Leave it to her to bring up that incident from a couple years ago at a time like this.
Zach's eyes go wide as Ayame does what she does best... piss people off. The hand by his sword slides up towards the guard as if to pop the blade loose. A small gust of wind radiates from the wandering psychic, a sure sign that Ayame managed to get under his skin with that last jibe. The power within him screams to be let loose on this young lady. This thief. This /kidnapper/...
...no. It is not the power. It is Zach who wants these things. A conversation in Tibet comes back to him. *I wield it, not the other way around.*
Zach stops himself. He takes in a deep breath as he slides his hand away from the weapon. Crossing his arms to regard Ayame even as he lets the breath out. He regards Ayame with clear emerald eyes. "Why do you do that," he asks quietly.
As Zach tenses, he gets only that consistant thin smile in return, Ayame's eyes sparkling as if amused, her expression smug, as if judging the young man, evaluating his every twitch and shift in posture. She seems to be preparing as well, her left hand hovering over the pouch at her waist, right foot sliding forward just a little, left leg bent as if readying for the inevitable explosion of raw power and emotion she's provoking from Zach.
"Will it do any good to fight it?" she asks, her tone heavy with scathing skepticism. "You've never been able to stop me before. Why keep trying? Why not just lie down and give up and make this easier for the both of us? I assure you, the outcome will be the same either way. I'm not some fool showman who had no idea what you were really capable of. I've fought you enough to learn every nuance, every parameter of your combat potential. That fancy doodad around your neck changes nothing. Come then, Zach Glen. Let's see if you can defeat inevitability." Her right hand lifts, beckoning to Zach, "Let me see your feeble swordsmanship in action."
But there comes a shift in his demeanor, his hand pulling away from his weapon, a dimming in that ambient power that had been building about him. Ayame frowns slightly. "I didn't think you'd actually do it. Are you giving up already then?" Her expression is unreadable for a moment before shifting to a brighter smile. "I never took you for a quitter. I could enumerate your many flaws at great length, but that wasn't one I'd have picked."
He takes a deep breath, collecting himself, enforcing control rather than having it be enforced on him, and asks his single question. "What now? You want to ask questions? Maybe I do it because I can? Because I want to? What does it matter? Have you decided with your rudimentary capacity to judge that I no longer deserve a demonstration of your power? After all I've done, wouldn't it be justified? Don't quit now, Zach Glen!"
The questions, the prodding, it all slides right off Zach once he is able to see the provocations for what they are. Takuma Sakazaki would argue whether or not the fancy collar changes anything or not. *The Soul Power makes me more of what I am,* he reminds himself. "I just want to be certain," Zach says calmly. "That if I do fight, I fight for the right reasons this time."
Zach smiles. It isn't a smug grin. "Because I see this going down one of three ways," he says holding up a closed hand to illustrate his point. He ticks off the potential outcomes as he speaks. "The first is that we both walk away from this, right now, no questions asked," he says. He /has/ tested what all he can do. The power at his command now... is immense. Even without the potential for self-injury, the sheer destructiveness he is capable of frighten hims a bit. "Neither of us really profits from that."
"The second," he continues, "Is that we talk this out like reasonable people. You get... whatever it is for bringing back something shiny, and I get assurances that you guys won't simply decapitate me to save the trouble." Something Tomoko said to him clicks home. *Such as... our arms and legs. It did not need them. Some say it might have been lacking...* He doesn't need the fancy gestures or even the physical combat techniques if he was relying on the power of his soul. "We both realize some profit by that, which neither of us should have a problem with."
The smile fades. "The third option is that we fight it out right here and now," he says. "We both end up dealing with injuries in a place where appearing weak just is a really bad idea for both of us." He glances around. "Because really, the reason I brought us here had very little to do with nostalgia, and everything to do with the fact that there are not uninvolved spectators around, and no property that would suffer from a bit more damage."
He considers Ayame for a moment. "Though in the interest of disclosure, I have to admit that the last one appeals if only because I'm curious to see just how far I can blast you. But fighting out of a need for revenge rings hollow to me."
"Is that so," Ayame replies, her tone shifting to one easily interpreted as either forced apathy or mild irritation, as Zach begins to explain why he has held his hand for now. "Look at you, all composed and under control now," she adds with a roll of her eyes, her own stance relaxing a little as well. She falls quiet as he lists the possible outcomes to this encounter in the desolate ruins. "You've never thought things out so carefully before. Why all the sudden now? What happened to make you so careful, hm? Are you sure it isn't cowardice?"
She grins a little, "The quality of reason is a subjective matter. What seems reasonable to some hardly seems fair to others. It's a matter of perspective. Those in power establish what is reasonable. They're the only ones who /can/. What seems sensible to a tyrant is cruel and unfair to the peasant. With that said, let it be understood that what seems reasonable to you matters not at all to me." Ayame stands up straight now, hands at her sides, her shoulders shrugged with indifference.
"Besides. Come now. You should also know well enough by now that nothing I tell you should be trusted on face value. If I said that you would be safe to save myself the hassle of wrangling you in, why would you believe it? In this case, I can think of nothing you have to offer that would compell me to keep my word." Peaceful negociations by way of talk seem unlikely.
"Or, yes, we could fight it out. You're far away from home out here. Far from anyone who would help or rescue you. Who did you even tell that you would be here? If you never show up again, who would come looking? They would have no idea." She glances up at the skeletal remains of the building behind her before turning her attention down the length of the ruined street, "I know this area," she points out as her focus settles back on Zach. "I have you at a tactical disadvantage in every way. I still think you're gutless."
Ayame shifts her stance again, settling back into a more prepared posture, left hand hovering over her trusty stowed weapon. "I wonder then. If fighting for revenge means nothing to you anymore, what /do/ you fight for? What is your awe-inspiring power even good for??" Her voice is raised then, demeanor shifting to one of more open anger. "I hate people like you, Zach Glen. What did you do to deserve your power beyond simply existing? What feat did you accomplish, what effort did you undergo? What trials and tribulations did you endure? What intense training regimen have you suffered? What ideals did you exercise for such a gift? Have you ever wondered why /you/ can do what you can do? Have you ever done anything noteworthy with it or merely squandered it on futility? At the very least, you should use such strength to enforce your will. You have the power to make things go your way but here you are, wandering alone through ruined wasteland, effectively a self-made outcast from society. Why are you so afraid to embrace what you could be? Why so reluctant to use your gift to gain power?"
She narrows her eyes, fingers clenching and unclenching, "You should attack. No one would question it, no one would judge you poorly for it. Don't let your gift go to waste when an opportunity presents itself..."
Zach keeps a smile off of his face. In the ways that matter, he's already won this fight. The previous encounters were marked by a loss of temper on Zach's part. Those have always gone badly because while Ayame was in control of her weapons, Zach was not in control of the greatest weapon that has ever been in his arsenal: his mind.
"You're right, you know," Zach says. "This power isn't much more than a birthright." His grandfather, he knows, was very similar to Zach in the nature of his abilities. His father, Zach suspects, has abilities beyond the norm as well even if they tend towards the more traditional lines of what people consider 'psychic.' "The only thing I have done to come close to earning it is to try to learn not to use it irresponsibly. It is a constant lesson. I could argue that existing has been a trial by itself. It almost killed my grandfather, from what I have been told. It almost killed me, the first time."
Zach's stance relaxes, unfolds. His hand is near his sword, but that is more on account of anatomy than intent at this point. Ayame's body language is warning him of an impending attack, but despite that... despite all three previous encounters ending as they have...
...Zach does not fear this woman. In fact, he is surprised to find that for all that has happened between them... he does not hate her anymore. For that matter, her question of worth, or even noteworthiness, doesn't seem to matters to Zach. Whether or not he is considered worthy, or if his actions have been noteworthy, isn't really for him to decide really. That's for the future to determine, and the now is challenging enough as it is.
"I would," Zach says finally. "I question it. Maybe not right now, but I would. If anything, it falls to me to use what I have responsibly. I will always wonder if fighting here was the right course of action. My will is my own, and not to be forced upon others for my own gain." Zach pins Ayame with his gaze, eyes bright and shining. "My power comes from my will. I will not abuse that by disjoining it from my remorse."
"Hmph." Ayame draws a small half-foot long metal tube from the pouch at her hip only for it to expand to its full six foot length with a hydralic hiss as she spins it in her left hand idly. But the threat of a potential immediate attack vanishes quickly as she finishes turning it around completely only to plant one end of it into the ground at her side and leans lazily against it.
She's otherwise quiet as he speaks, seeming to not really pay attention, brushing the nails of her right hand against her black blouse on occasion then inspecting them as if to portray a certain boredom with the answers he gives. "Too bad it was only 'almost.'" she comments with her usual lack of charm in regards to the near-lethal experience Zach had with his power awakening for the first time.
Looking back up from her nails, she meets Zach's eyes, her expression dead neutral for the longest while as he continues. "So you say. But talk is cheap. We'll see how well you actually stick to that when the pressure is really on... Past evidence suggests the odds aren't promising. Suffice to say, I doubt you'll stick to your sudden conviction so thoroughly." She pushes off her staff back into standing upright then swings the weapon up to rest across her shoulders.
"When Roman generals would return to their victory parades, they would have a slave walk right behind them, whispering in their ear the words momento mori. That is to say, remember, you will die. It was to remind them that life is fleeting and that for as grand as they may seem that day, on the morrow it can all come to an end." Ayame crouches a little before springing backward, coming to a balanced landing on the girder she had been perched on to begin with. "For them, it was a reminder to be humble, that they were as mortal as the next man. To you, I would offer the counsel that you stop wasting opportunities before your chance runs out. Time is limited as assuredly as death is inevitable."
She spins her staff down off her shoulders, collapsing it back into its more portable length and stuffing it away. "You don't really have anything I want right now so I'm going to let you go this time. With any level of unfortunate luck, that'll change someday and I'll come after you then. In the meantime..."
Ayame inhales a little then exhales slowly as if weighing out whether she can muster the give-a-damn to mention one last detail. "Perhaps you will be contacted by another sometime soon." She tips her head to the side a little, smirking a bit, "The strength of your will is all that can determine if you survive that encounter. If not? Then this is farewell, Zach Glen." Ayame turns and runs back along the length of the girder into the shelled out building, vanishing into its shadows.
Zach waits. He lets her flee, really. It would have been simple, really, to just reach out and touch her. And by 'touch her' one really means 'belt her clear across the crater.' He sighs heavily as he shakes his hands loose. He tugs his shirt to cover his arms again, adjusting the sword on his belt. He takes several breaths, trying to get the adrenaline out of his system; he is way too keyed up to get out of here quietly.
"Only time will tell, really," Zach says as he pulls a jacket out of his rucksack and slides it on before flipping the hood up to cover his features. The scarf is stowed before Glen starts his trek. He needs to get home, to the people who are waiting for him there. Luckily, he has a bit of cash left, and there are a couple of locals who owe him a favor from his first trip here. He smiles, looking forward to closing this trip out.
Log created on 19:39:30 03/06/2011 by Ayame, and last modified on 18:25:35 03/12/2011.