re_alignment_logs | Angry crow takes flight [OPEN]

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Angry crow takes flight [OPEN]

WHO: Anyone who happens to walk by
WHERE: Out by Trion's Lake
WHEN: During the week the pillar is in Haven
WHAT: Frustrated girl is frustrated and taking it out on whatever she can. Might need someone to bring her back down to Earth.
WARNINGS: Said angry child

[Even some people have their breaking point. Kay was usually malleable, she could bend towards a situation and adapt. It was how she made this far in the world, and found strength in doing so. She'd lost a lot of friends, too many to count...

but some always remained there as her pillar of support. She was only 18, barely able to make it on her own on Earth, let alone an alien planet where humans are the vast minority. Not many could understand her.

But Kagerou did. He was patient with her, and made sure she was comfortable. A second dad--no, a REAL dad.

Something she'd never had as a child. And when that was taken away, Kay lashed out. Not on anyONE, but inanimate objects. You could find her out by the lake, decked in her armor and armed with the plasma axe Elita gave her. Just...turning rocks into smaller rocks, and then those into pebbles.

Which then she threw into the lake. There was no rhyme or reason for this, it was just to expend energy. If she was too tired, she didn't have to think, and then...

It didn't have to hurt.]

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Deckard was patrolling the whole of this place he'd been told was called Haven - though if it truly were, he wasn't sure he wanted to know what it was a haven from. Still, no matter where he was, he had a job to do. He was a police officer, and no matter what, he'd fulfill that duty to the best of his capacity.

Thus it was that he found himself in the vicinity of Alpha Trion's temple. The sight of it gave him pause. He'd been here only once before so far - to meet with Kagerou, when he'd first arrived just...had it really been barely two weeks ago?

Kagerou . . . alive, whole, not reformatted, not reprogrammed, not lost to a trench in the ocean floor . . . and not twisted, not broken, not tortured into something Deckard could barely comprehend.

Why? ........dammit, WHY? Why couldn't the ninjabot have been left alone? Had he not suffered enough already? Kagerou had been the first - mercifully only - one that they'd ever lost (part of his mind wanted to add "so far" but he ruthlessly refused to give it room). Even the Chieftains' and Hyper-Chieftains' Super A.I.s had been recovered more or less intact. But not Kagerou's. That had never not bothered Deckard. So to have met his fellow Super A.I. here had given him a sense of closure, and of joy. He'd been so happy for the ninjabot.

And then . . . and then . . .

Deckard was disturbed out of his thoughts by noise and motion not far to his right, at the edge of the lake. He turned his steps to investigate and found a young woman in warrior's armor and wielding an impressive weapon, some kind of energy-based axe the likes of which Deckard had never seen. He thought at first that she might be practicing in some way . . . but the more he watched her, the more he could see that there was no rhyme or reason to her strikes, no technique, just raw power . . . and anger . . . and if he wasn't mistaken, grief.

He wasn't sure if he should approach or not. Should he disturb her or leave her alone? His experience told him that someone in the frame of mind that he suspected her to be in was best not left alone.

He shifted around, positioning to approach slowly from a direction he knew she'd have to notice him. How she reacted would determine what he did next.

Her strikes continue for a good amount of time, not taking notice of Deckard just yet. Her anger was blinding. After everything that happened--everything they did or tried.

Kagerou still got taken. Just like everything else. Like her dad, her life, Edgeworth when she came to this world. Everything stable just crumbled away. And it made her angry. She was too powerless to stop it either.

But like all humans, they get fatigued fairly easily, despite training. It isn't long before she's using that axe as support, kicking them into the lake now.

Only then does she see him. Deckard watching her.

"...D-Deckard? You're back...?"

Honest surprise. That's new.

Deckard flinches a little. This young woman recognizes him . . . and he has no idea who she is. She must have known the him who was here before. He offers her a grin as he steps forward, hoping not to disappoint her too badly.

"Sort of. I understand a version of me was here a while back. You knew him . . . uh . . . me?"

The resemblance is there. It's a perfect match up, actually, to the old Deckard. But the presentation, the lack of familiarity. It's gone too, isn't it? Just her luck...it seems to be a reoccurring pattern with this world.

For a moment, she doesn't say anything. In fact, it isn't until she tosses another stone that she speaks.

"You don't remember either, huh..."

It's not his fault, by any means. And she hopes it doesn't come across like that.

"Sorry, that was kinda rude, huh. I'm...Kay. We were friends back when I first got here."

"I'm sorry . . . I don't possess his memories, no. I'm hoping to build ones of my own, though."

At her apology, he grins and closes the rest of the distance, crouching down to talk to her. "Kay, I'm pleased to meet you. I hope we can be friends again?"

Edited 2013-11-16 22:48 (UTC)

Her head drops a moment at that. It'd happened with Shepard too--seemed to be a pattern of those returning. And if they returned with memories? They were soon gone again. Like one last final glimpse before they set off again.

But when she looks up again, there's a soft smile on her face. New memories weren't...all bad, at least. It was still Deckard.

"That depends..."

Her tone is sad, attempting to be happy. It's...a weird mesh.

"I'm a Great Thief, you know. Are you gonna arrest me?"

The comment throws him, and that shows on his face. Is this some kind of test? Well, if it is, he can roll with it . . . right?

He grins, hoping to lessen her sadness. "Just on your word? Nope. No more than I could not arrest if it looked like you had actually done something and you said you didn't. I go on evidence . . . and I have none." His grin widens a bit as he gestures to indicate the area and the rocks she'd been bashing up. "Unless this is destruction of private property. Then I might have grounds." He flinches faintly as he realizes what he just said. "Uh . . . no pun intended."

And she listens, hearing almost the exact response from him as she did the previous Deckard. Which is exactly what she wanted to hear, in a sense. That it was the 'same' Deckard, even if they were different in experiences. A soft smile spreads across that face.

"Okay, then it's nice to meet you again, Mr. Deckard."

She holds out her hand, a little humbly, to take his.

Deckard's relieved by the girl's acceptance. He'd hate to ruin someone's memories of a friend of theirs by somehow messing up or being a disappointment now. Really, in the end, he can only be himself, but still…

He puts a fingertip against her palm, carefully pinching his thumb to the back of her hand. "The pleasure's mine, Kay." He looks again at the rocks around them, and her attire and axe. "That's pretty impressive armor and weaponry you have. Are you also a warrior?"

It was being yourself that got her acceptance anyway, Deckard. At least feel confident in that. The handshake is well received, actually bringing some colour to that once pale and upset face.

But at the question, she has to shake her head.

"No, well...not yet at least. I'm still training."

A hand rubs her arm, looking at the lake. "I'm supposed to get used to it, so I wear it a lot."

"It's really impressive." And it is. "And it's all right. Everyone has to start somewhere."

He hesitates, then asks.

"Is there anything I can help with?"

She can take that to mean the training or what had her upset - he doesn't want to push, so he's being deliberately a little vague.

"N-No...I'm okay."

It's a diversion, really, as her head turns away from him, focusing on the lake. "I'm just angry at this place. They...they messed with Kagerou.

Again."

"Kagerou?" Okay, THAT gets his attention. "You know Kagerou?"

He scowls deeply as he remembers his recent encounters with the broken ninjabot. "Again?" That does not give him a happy. At all. "And . . . yes, I'm afraid he's one of those deeply affected by whatever's going on." His fist clenches at his side as he too turns to look out over the lake. "Whatever it is, if I can find some kind of cure . . . Kagerou's the first one I'm getting taken care of."

He shouldn't play favorites – he knows that – there should be some impartial measure for how thing are handled and who's given priority . . . but this is one of his teammates (even if in his own mind), and he will see his team whole and healthy!

"Hmm? Oh yeah...he's like my dad here. He looks out for me and we do all sorts of stuff together. Even trained me to use that sickle weapon he has...Heh, I always forget the name. He'd be here to correct me on it."

It's a sad smile as she kicks at the ground, idly. It was hard, having this consistently happen to the one she cared about most. But really...what could she do? She wasn't battle born or battle ready.

But Duke's words bring a slight ping of hope, and her head shoots up.

"You really...you're going to?"

“Kusari-gama.” The words came out almost distractedly. “At least . . . I think.” Shadowmaru told him, though he wasn’t sure he was remembering the name right himself at the moment. He glanced down at Kay, somehow not surprised by the relationship. All other Super AI’s had been programmed from him, and he knew that part of his programming had been to prepare him to be partnered with someone. He’d always wondered if the others felt it too but had never asked. It’d been a moot point, since they all had Yuuta. Kagerou, on the other hand… “I’m glad you two are so close.”

His expression hardened again a little as he gave a decisive nod. “I can’t promise I’ll be able to, but I will do my very best. I don’t know what all he’s been through here, but I know he was wronged back home. I’m afraid I was a part of that, too, though I didn’t mean to be. We were all operating on incorrect information.” His chin tucked a bit, staring hard over the lake. “He’s programmed from my Super AI, just like all the others. I’ll always do whatever I can for him.”

For a while now, Shepard's been walking. Just, walking. Looking. Rather inbetween places to find things and space to shoot targets. Instinctively, it's to survey damage. To see if anything, or anyone has taken a hit and not been heard of. Or maybe it was just to explore? She didn't have a reason, other than restlessness. Pressing her lips into a line, she's trekked a long way. A really long way. So finding a lake is---

Okay, it's not a huge deal, since she'd brought water with her. But it's refreshing to know one was all the way out here, at the very least.

But Kay. She hadn't met Kay in person yet, just on the video, and seeing her in her armor is a little jarring. And perhaps---comforting, that a teen was sufficiently armored in a place like this. Approaching, Shepard's---gentle, somewhat. Kay looked pretty focused on her little task.

"Everything okay, kid?"

She didn't notice Shepard walking by--too focused on her little 'project'. It was amazing how much of the world you could tune out if you had the proper mindset. Anger could block out a lot. It wasn't something to hold to high-esteem, but for the moment, it offered a sense of control. Almost therapeutic in a sense.

Relaxing or not, it still took a toll on her, as her swings get more and more laboured as she moves on. Her pebble tossing suffers too, now being reduced to mere flicks. She was getting worn out. Tired.

And...just maybe that was her goal.

But hearing that voice--one she recognizes too--she turns her head, eyes wide.

"O-Oh."

Well, suddenly she looks a bit silly, putting the axe (now merely a 'handle') behind her back. For some reason, it was like getting caught by a parent.

"Just...venting."

"Oh yeah?" Shepard half smiles, however interested she is.

"Don't let me stop you." She remarks, putting both of her hands on her hips. Pausing for a moment, Shepard then shrugs.

"Well, unless you'd rather vent at an old lady like me instead. It might make you feel better."

Shepard takes a look at the lake behind her---

"It might make the rocks feel better, too."

"Old?"

That gets her attention, as if looking Shepard up and down when she says it. As if the woman was speaking some other language.

"If you're old, then I want to grow up to be old just like you."

It's small, but there's a smile on those lips.

Good. Any smiles a good smile and you can't tell Shep otherwise.

"I dunno, kid, I've had a lot of work done."

You aren't funny, Shepard.

"You gonna tell me what's eatin' ya, or we gonna count all my gray hairs instead?"

No arguments here. She's definitely up for some optimistic talk, despite how she was just dicing up rocks and providing the lake with new gravel.

"Heh..."

How to even start.

"Everyone's acting crazy. I mean, people always act crazy here, but...it was someone important this time."

Her hand goes to her opposite arm. It seems almost silly to throw a tantrum about it now.

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Angry crow takes flight [OPEN]

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