907/Devil at the Gate

Devil at the Gate
Date of Scene:	21 January 2016
Location:	Uminari City - Residential District
Synopsis:	Kunzite lies in wait for Ikiko. Somehow, Ikiko winds up thinking of the result as 'something uplifting.' Er.
Cast of Characters:	Ikiko Hisakata, Kunzite

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Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
It's Thursday afternoon, two days before the Wolf Moon -- the full moon of January. Ikiko is somewhat preoccupied with her plans to free Ayana from Riventon's influence. There's rituals that might work, and assistance from friends that should strengthen the magic needed to remove the link for good.

Still, she can't help but be concerned. Will it work? What trouble might come? How much can she hide from her family?

Will Ayana still love her afterwards?

Ikiko's path is more from muscle memory than paying any significant attention to what's along the streets. Still the usual caution near road crossing and driveway, but not a lot of focus anywhere else. If something unusual happened outside of her immediate field of vision, she might not even notice it!

Kunzite has posed:
It's not even something unusual. Well, no, that's not true. It's not something that's unusual in the normal way. There is no witch's labyrinth. There is no youma. There is no horrible thing draining color out of the world. There is nothing magical about it at all.

There's just a man wearing grays, winter coat and all, not particularly even trying to hide that he's watching a house, or which one he's watching. Tall. White-haired, but not old enough to justify it. More than a little bored. He's not trying to hide that part, either.

But he's watching Ikiko's house, watching for anyone approaching it.

This always bodes well.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
As Ikiko approaches her house, she puts her concerns aside and straightens her shoulders. Best to look like nothing's wrong to her family; that way, they'll be less likely to be tipped off.

This means she's actually looking around when she spots the white-haired man watching her house. She stops for a moment, blinks, then starts walking forward again, keeping an eye on him as she approaches the front gate of her family's property. Something about him speaks of magic, and given that Ikiko's the only magically active full-time resident of this collection of households, there's a greater-than-usual chance that whatever his reasons for being here, she's going to be involved.

Kunzite has posed:
Ikiko approaches the front gate, and the white-haired man pushes away from the wall he was occupying, walks toward that gate as well. Boredom's gone as if it'd never shown itself; businesslike, purposeful. Straightforward.

"Pardon me," he says once he's within a distance that permits reasonable conversation. The words are for form's sake, a ritual element, rather than any kind of actual apology for interrupting the girl or for stalkery behavior. "I'm looking for someone. Do you happen to know a girl who calls herself Ayana?"

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko's eyes widen for a moment, then narrow slightly. "I... know her, yes," she replies slowly. Something about the white-haired man seems slightly familiar, but why does she almost recognize him...?

    ...a cape, nudging one of the frozen parasites onto it...

Wait, could it be that guy from the time Ayana was infested with those monstrous leeches? For a brief moment, Ikiko is very glad that her hair-length and -color are significantly different between her everyday self and Tsukiko.

"May I ask why you are inquiring about her?" she replies, somewhat more cautiously. The fact that he's asking about her girlfriend means that he's a slightly different potential threat, but so far he's being polite; thus, it's only fair to be polite in return.

Kunzite has posed:
The voice is familiar, too, although the tone is a little different. Maybe when he's going visiting on purpose, he leaves his contempt locked away in a drawer at home - it's not on display for a moment, at least, not the way it was intermittently back then.

"She seems to believe she's in trouble," he answers the cautious question. There's a slightly more polite inclination of his head made to Ikiko as he's speaking. "And she seemed to be - particularly comfortable - here." Prancing up to the door with ears and tails on full display. "If anyone here knows something about it, I'd like to talk with her, if she's amenable. I owe the girl a favor or two."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata sizes him up for a moment, weighing her options. "She does believe that she's in trouble, and she has mentioned why," she finally nods. "And I suspect you know more than you're letting on, but that's not unexpected, and neither here nor there at the moment."

Her posture shifts slightly, going from standoffish wariness to polite caution. "As Ayana-chan's... friend, I'm willing to hear you out," Ikiko allows. She's not going to state their actual relationship to someone she's barely acquainted with! "What kind of favor are you offering her?"

Kunzite has posed:
The man's laugh is brief and sharp. "If you know what she's worried about, then you know why offering her a favor would do no good at all. No. My question is whether you know if anyone else has been looking into the problem." His tone stays matter-of-fact, relatively polite, a little on the irritable side. Only a little. "It's not one I'm suited to solving. But if someone else were interested in giving her more choice in the matter, then I'd have an interest in their success."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"I do know of some people working on a possible solution," Ikiko replies with a faint smile. "And I know that they would appreciate support, even if it's not directly related to the solution. Even if a skillset isn't suited for the primary task, it doesn't mean that it wouldn't be useful for addressing secondary complications, after all."

Kunzite has posed:
"At the least, these things usually want someone to stand outside and make sure that the primary parties aren't unduly interrupted." The white-haired man shrugs, brief and apparently unconcerned. "If you'd be willing to pass on contact information - well. That makes it their choice whether or not to follow up; as the latecomer, I'm willing to trust their judgment on the matter for now."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
"Indeed," Ikiko nods, a friendly smile on her face. "Having someone available to protect the ritual from external interruptions will be a very good thing." She reaches into her backpack, pulling out a piece of paper and a pen, then quickly jotting down her (civilian) name and a number. "My cellphone number," she remarks, handing him the paper. "Thank you for being willing to help us out, even if it's just as a favor to Aya-chan."

Kunzite has posed:
Paper is accepted, and traded for a card - an almost-blank card. Just a number, already handwritten. No name attached. "I make no promises," the man says. "Particularly if the ritual isn't well thought out. But some chance is better than the chance she thinks she has." Whether she's right or not? That's another question.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
The card is accepted with a polite nod, then gently tucked into a roomy pocket. "The ritual will be this Saturday night," Ikiko mentions. "The full moon will lend strength to the rest of the process, and the other elements have a solid base in lore and magical knowledge."

She gives the man an encouraging smile. "All we can do is our best, and trust that knowledge and determination will win out against despair and grief."

Kunzite has posed:
"Saturday night," the white-haired man repeats, and inclines his head again, neat and sharp and precise. "We'll see. Secondhand determination may be less effective, especially if you have to oppose hers as well. But if you've dealt with it competently, then you'll have figured that in. Or imagined yourselves some way to win her consent before the fact, perhaps? But with these things, occasionally consent afterward is the best one can do."

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata nods sadly. "Given what I've heard of the mage-familiar bond, the best I'd be able to do in that category is to get her to admit that Riventon has partially rejected her," she admits. "Not the best place to start from, but there's other methods and lore I can draw from to make up for it."

She bows slightly to the white-haired man. "Thank you again for offering your help, and I look forward to contacting you on Saturday," she smiles. "Until then, may the blessings you find work benevolently for you."

Kunzite has posed:
Not a word. The man returns the bow, slight as it is, and turns to leave without a well-wish voiced in return.

Given that he backed a step or two away from her howl, the last time she saw him ... there's probably a reason for that, somewhere.

Ikiko Hisakata has posed:
Ikiko Hisakata gives him one more smile, then turns back towards the gate to her family's property. The offer of assistance had been very unexpected, but it definitely gave her something uplifting to think about. And another person to secretively keep in the loop, but that shouldn't be any harder than what she's already having to manage.

Besides, she only has to keep the secrets for another two days...