3 ☽ ACTION ☾ RIDE THE WIND

[berthierite]

[ Daylight is too harsh for Berthier, if she is entirely honest. She spends most of her time out in the streets hiding beneath a parasol, fair-skinned and fair-haired, large blue eyes with pupils contracted down to pinpricks. She's meant for somewhere darker, the very edge of the solar system where it's always cold and the sun does not reach.

The nighttime is better. The air is cooler and it is much easier for her to see without squinting against that hateful daystar. The more distant stars, tiny pricks of subdued light are better appreciated, and this city has nowhere near the light pollution of central Tokyo. She appreciates that.

Tonight, she is appreciating it from above the rooftops. A lithe figure flitting overhead, jewels glittering at her ears and silver hair a liquid sheen in the low light. It's not the first time that she's explored the City from above, but it's the first time she hasn't gone out to spy.

...At least not on purpose. ]

Comments

Action (ah, what the hell, why not?)

[itsjustafruit]

[After a day spent feeling rather young and festive, the urge to fly hasn't left Crowley, but once it cools down, his ophidian form has real drawbacks, such as being too sluggish with cold for more gliding.

Thus Berthier might spy a figure with sweeping white wings on one of the tower apartments' rooftops. It appears that he's... grooming them.]

Action (why not indeed 8V)

[berthierite]

{She has been rather careful about hiding her abilities from prying eyes. She is adept at stealth, and her ability to teleport can hide her instantaneously should circumstances begin to conspire against her. Even with this curse pushing her to take to the air, she's left it until the evening when the shadows can take her in and keep her mostly out of sight, the heights of the city making her only a dot to the passersby below.

When she sees this curious preening sight, she teleports down, alighting delicately on the balls of her feet.]

Oh my.

[Hello there, sir.]

Action

[itsjustafruit]

[Oops. It's not often someone gets to see him so... exposed. His wings flex and spread as he startles.]

Berthier.

[Don't you know how to knock? Figuratively speaking.]

Action

[berthierite]

[She steps down onto the rooftop proper, her hand crossed harmlessly at the small of her back.]

Crowley.

[Because she's not giggling even a little. Not at all.]

What a... [Is pleasant the word? She's not sure.] an interesting surprise.

Action

[itsjustafruit]

[He folds his wings as much as great, white, incredibly well-groomed angel wings can be folded in and taps a cigarette out of a pack from his pocket.]

Out for a little flight around the City?

Action

[berthierite]

It seemed a nice evening for it.

[She tilts her head curiously. And then, because she has a little sister and this sort of teasing comes easily to her she wonders,]

Are you being shy right now?

Action

[itsjustafruit]

It's been that kind of day.

[His fluffs his wings a little and takes a drag on his cigarette.]

Why would I be? [Maybe just a little.]

Action

[berthierite]

A pity only a few have been hurt.

[Her chirpy little voice is at odds with that statement, and she wanders closer, lifting a hand to touch one of those wings.]

Well, you just seem a bit withdrawn. You stopped what you were doing when I said hello and now you're hiding behind that cigarette.

Action

[itsjustafruit]

I tried to get a few people to jump, but-- [He takes a step back before she can touch.] Hey, do I just reach out and grab your chest?

Action

[berthierite]

[Her hand doesn't lower.]

Are they comparable? Or are you just a bit sensitive.

Action

[itsjustafruit]

You don't just go showing off your chest, I don't just go showing off my wings. They aren't comparable, but it's near enough.

[He's watching her hand, oh yes he is.]

Action

[berthierite]

I would have thought-- [She gestures with that extended hand.] With such diligent care taken to them, you would be a bit more proud of showing them off.

Action

[itsjustafruit]

I've spent more than 6000 years not showing them off. Privacy becomes a habit.

action; ^^

[mortemscintilla]

[ One of Hei's principal skills, the result of ambushes in Heaven's War, is keeping concealed in darkness. Tonight, taking advantage of the clear sky, he has a starlight scope to assist in reconnoitering. Masked, (not in the Deities' ridiculous 'parting-gift'), he's crouched on a building ledge. Near-perfectly unseen. ]

[ And he feels it. A familiar chill. ]

[ Same as last time. ]

[ Someone -- something -- is nearby. ]

action; @_@

[berthierite]

[She's drifting by lazily, not paying too much attention to him until the scope piques a little more curiosity and she comes in a little closer.]

[She'd still rather not be seen, however, and she keeps just out of sight, maybe a judicious application of teleportation should his head turn a bit too fast.]

<3

[mortemscintilla]

[ Since the last time he sensed that chill, he's taken precautions. In case of a second-encounter. From his coat, he produces a canister of flares. Sets it alight in a precise motion, before tossing it in the direction of the cold. He's high enough the no passersby will notice the flare. ]

[ But if his tail is sentient, the dazzling light will shock them. ]

[ That's what he's aiming for. ]

[berthierite]

[She avoids being hit by the thing, but not suspecting that blinding light, she's not moved herself far enough away to avoid taking the flare head on. She gives a pained little squeak before she manages to teleport away.]

[Not far, just to a fire escape where she huddles down and covers her eyes with her hands, the sparkling light burned into her vision, head reeling.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He hears the squeak. Suspicions confirmed. Sentient. Possibly light-sensitive. The chill is absent a moment later. The tail is gone. But where to? Someplace dark, sheltered, would be a good choice. Possibly nearby. ]

[ At least he assumes so. ]

[ Silent, efficient, he tucks his gear away. Slips from the rooftop -- to locate his briefly-blinded tail. ]

[berthierite]

[She is trying to listen, in case he comes looking, but her ears are ringing, making the task a difficult one to execute.]

[Perhaps she should move again, but she estimates that she has at least a few moments, doesn't she? Enough to get a little of her vision back.]

[She lifts her head slowly, but where the evening should be there's still a smear of white.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He slinks noiselessly down the fire-escapes. Alert for movement. Scent. Any indications of where the tail might hiding. ]

[ And then he spots something. ]

[ A woman. Dazed-looking and huddled. He recognizes her as Birdie. She can't be here by coincidence. This must be the tail. He considers his options quickly. He can either leave her be. Or question her on what she's upto. ]

[ He chooses Option B. ]

[berthierite]

[Steel carries vibrations well, and it's that faint thrum around her that makes her tense up, back straightening as she lifts her head. ]

[Her choices are to teleport in plain sight, tucking tail to run, or to hold her ground.]

[She's done nothing wrong.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ He notices her tense. So she's aware he's close. ]

[ Wrongdoing or no, she'd followed him last time. He wants to know what for. Ostensibly, they're of the same cloth. Gathering intel. Spying. But he has his reasons. What are hers? ]

[ First, he needs to ensure she's not feigning weakness. From his belt, a length of wire shoots out. Aimed for Berthier. She can either dodge it, revealing other special abilities. Or let it wrap tight around her throat. Holding her down while Hei interrogates her. ]

[berthierite]

[She might have been nimble enough to dodge, had her sight been on her side, but as it is, she feels the cable close around her.]

[She doesn't panic, however, as that line can lead to only one place. Her hands, wrapped in blue cloth, close fearlessly around the wire and jerk it towards herself.]

[mortemscintilla]

[ Grabbing the wire is a common reaction. And a fatal one. Hei has secure balance. The disadvantaged one is the one with the noose around their throats. He hits a switch on his belt. Gears whirr. The wire zips back in place. ]

[ Yanking Berthier -- abruptly -- in his direction. ]

[ What will she do? Lash out? Resist? He'll adjust his level of defense accordingly. ]

[berthierite]

[Fuck you with a rusty spoon, Douche Reaper. She gives an incensed grunt, stumbling forward only a step before teleporting back barely an inch. It doesn't appear as if she moved at all, less than a blink, but she's free of his noose.]

[And she can see something other than phosphenes now, still blurry but the figure's location is clear.]

Who do you think you are!

[Irate as she is, she's no more inclined to display her capabilities overtly. She stands back, ready.]