Houkago Slashertime (Eriko)

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

20“ú11ŒŽ2015 FRIDAY
NOVEMBER 20TH
•ú‰ÛŒã afterschool.......

Sakuya had just finished classes for the day. The lessons were the same old boring stuff, nothing compared to a couple of days ago during Wednesday where she met the girl Eriko, and gotten to... know her a little. Vaguely. That was definitely a thing for her. Aside from that, the day hadn't been too eventful aside from a slight scuffle involving yet another guy bullying a freshman student by stealing her bag. Sakuya responded by tripping over the thief as he ran past her and returned the bag to the student, causing said bully to get mad. Sakuya responded to THAT by bitchslapping him, pretty much. Yet another point for the Bitch with the Sword. Sakuya mostly ignored the whisperings and the jeerings about it as she walked down the corridor and down the stairs, keeping her possessions tightly on her, and wondering just what exactly was wrong with the boys in this goddamnable institute of this. Some of the boys she walked by glared at her, to which she glared right back at them, some of them stood still and didn't seem fazed but most of them seemed to back off. She guessed they didn't want to start Yet Another Fight, which would be better for both her and them.

Sakuya had reached up to a certain point of the school institution and was wondering if this was going to be one of those Fridays where she was going to hole up in her dorm room sharpening and cleaning her blade and doing homework again like a loser. Man, those Fridays always sucked.

Then again, that was every day.

maybe having a friend wouldn't suck. maybe.

[Eriko Tokisaka]

And so classes came to an end. While Eriko had not gotten much sleep the night before, she also did not feel overly fatigued during the day, which meant that she had no reason- in her mind- to bother with the infirmary. Despite her continuous presence in her classroom, she did not notice anything too lively. No, more correctly, it seemed that everything was performed in inconspicuous manner, which only served to make it a morbid curiosity to the girl. Something was up- she knew that much- but what it was and how bad it could be both escaped her.

Still, there was no evidence that it was something she needed to worry about.

She went through her classes in a slight daze. Interest was not something provoked in her by a majority of the subjects. At points, she did think it would have been more productive to simply go to sleep, but, by the time she did decide to do just that, the bell rang, and classes were over for the day. Some few skittered about like mischievous imps, but the raven-haired maiden paid them no credence as she meandered to the halls, slowly descending from the third floor to the ground floor, yawning along her way.

Finally making it to the lockers, the young woman stretched her arms above her head, shaking off the sleepiness that had begun to claim her. Her night-black mane waggled behind her with every bit of her stride. Luckily, her locker was on the top row- that meant she didn't need to kneel or anything, which would have gotten her hair dirty. Though stationary longer than most of the other students, Eriko was gradually switching her school slippers out with her regular shoes. Vaguely, she did wonder what, exactly, she was going to do with the rest of her day. Gathering information, performing a raid- whatever it would be, she was at a loss at that moment.

Notes: Just lemme know if it's not good enough.

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

Sakuya had not really taken the time to pay much attention to the rabble of the other students who were leaving the campus, and had at this point accustomed herself to loitering about the lockers for a while - she only lived a few minutes away from here after all, it didn't matter to her how late she got out. Sakuya kept the cylindrical case close to her and with her peripheral vision looked about to her sides... Just the same old people were out and about, but it was only a matter of time before she realized that someone else was actually there, someone she actually knew. Laughing to herself, Sakuya shifted herself so she was looking at the girl with the Rapunzel-tier hair and had a weak smile to herself. "fancy meeting you again," Sakuya said pretty plainly and simply, at this point most of the students who were leaving the campus had already left the campus at this point. Those who remained were at this point stragglers. Sakuya decided to idly sit down on the ground at this point. "you seem a little lost with what you want to do right now, neh?"

Sakuya yawned.

is it just me, or is something weird going to happen later?

Sakuya had debated the merits of just going home right now, but the fact she actually saw someone she recognized, by name, no less, meant that there could be opportunity to do some things she normally wouldn't be able to do! She just wanted her days not to be so monotonous, you know? It would be nice to shake things up for a change...

[Eriko Tokisaka]

And then the self-proclaimed knight from the other day appeared. She seemed much calmer than before, Eriko observed. Watching as the younger girl sit down, the maiden simply shrugged. In truth, it was not so much that she was lost, but that she did not know what she wanted to do- the merits of implementing a schedule appealed to her to a degree, in that regard. Still silent, the girl finished slipping her shoes on before turning and staring down at the “knight”. It was only then that her lips curled into an impish smile- much like the one she had shown to the then-ill young lady in the infirmary.

“And if I am lost, are you to whisk me away to find me something to do?” Her tone was innocent, but she had every intention of trying to embarrass the girl. “You seem to be in better health today- both physically and emotionally. I must say that that's a relief- it'd be no fun if you were always on the verge of blushing.” Was it teasing or chiding? Even Eriko was not entirely sure if her words functioned solely as either; but that was irrelevant, she intended to tease, so it was fine.

“So, what? Was that your awkward attempt at asking me out?” She smiled playfully then, seeming more amused than mischievous. “If it was, then I may be willing to respond in a positive manner.” And that impish playfulness returned- in full. Sakuya was. . . well, Eriko had yet to decide what animal the girl mostly resembled just yet, but she was definitely amusing.

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

Sakuya didn't look at Eriko anymore as she said those words, even now, she insisted on that behavior, perhaps it was in her nature to act that way. Sakuya felt a little embarrassed inside, if that's the way she put it, perhaps it might not be too much of a farcry to assume so. Sakuya had not noticed that the older girl was looking down at her with such an expression, but it seemed pretty clear that she was up to something. Nevertheless, the knight continued to stare into space, bringing her palms to each of her cheeks. She sighed but managed a weak smile. "you can be such a witch sometimes..." Sakuya muttered, but she didn't say that in a particularly mean-spirited manner, nay, she meant it innocently, almost as if trying to attach some form of endearing trait to her senior. "if you are so bored, i would be happy to be of use for relieving your boredom, neh?" Sakuya idly blurt out, not really realizing the implications of her statement.

She was just pretty desperate for company, her only real company was during lessons so that she wouldn't be bored out of her mind for certain lessons during the day. But after that, she was on her own, she was alone, like always. Sakuya turned to face Eriko with an incredibly uncharacteristically lonely look on her. "perhaps, i did try an awkward attempt at 'asking you out,' neh? hahaha... this is so weird... i wonder if people saw me like this. it would be weird."

but really...

it's only because...

i just want someone in my life who i could protect.

someone who i could talk to.

someone who i could spend time with.

someone who just wouldn't leave me...

[Eriko Tokisaka]

The younger girl's words struck Eriko much more memorably than they had back in the infirmary. What was it that made it invigorating? She was not quite defiant- there was nothing to defy, after all- but. . . that tone was somewhat. . . insolent? That revitalization was short-lived and quickly replaced with a feeling of discomfort, however. Sakuya's expression as she spoke and gazed at her were disconcerting. Loneliness? Depression? It seemed like the younger girl had the prior, but possibly both. Her inner desire to remove herself from that place did not show, though. She did, however, sigh as she shook her head. One hand slowly reached for her head, coiling one of her locks around her index finger. After two seconds, the bundle of blackness around her finger was fairly thick.

“You won't get too far in life if you worry about other people seeing you. Unless you're an assassin or spy, in which case you kinda need to not be seen. Though you could go with a slightly more lively expression. You look like your pet just died.” Her foot gave the girl a gentle nudge towards the bottom of her body as she stepped back. “Come, oh mighty knight. You have offered companionship to a maiden and therefore must follow through.” Would it anger her? Embarrass her? Would she consider it an attempt at mocking her or of humoring her? In reality, Eriko only spoke in that manner because she thought it could be amusing.

And then, spurred by her own sadistic playfulness, she winked. “And maybe, just maybe, your services will be considered satisfactory enough to earn the princess's kiss?”

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

oh dear i am sorry for not reading this earlier, i was roped into some gaming.

Sakuya weakly giggled as she stood up and held her cylindrical case tightly, looking veritably and undeniably morose for the moment. But, she tried her best to shake that off and try to be her normal self once more. When Eriko spoke, Sakuya couldn't really tell what kind of emotion she was trying to wring up in herself, those words seemed to be cleverly machinated for some purpose, and all Sakuya could glean from that was perhaps not everything was genuine. Or maybe it was, Sakuya didn't want to think about it nor did she want thinking she was paranoid that someone who could potentially call her a 'friend' was in fact just toying with her feelings and using her as a tool for amusement. Sakuya smiled weakly, but warmly.

"it's not easy to get in life when you have no one you can call a friend, either..." Sakuya said plainly and bluntly, still weakly smiling. "so... i would be happy to be of some use to you if you would have me..." Sakuya once again completely threw out all semblance of rational thought when she said this, only caring about the implication that "holy hell I actually get to hang out and do stuff with someone, I don't care who, I GET TO HAVE A LIFE!" She curtseyed in front of Eriko and looked a little flustered.

Just a little bit.

[Eriko Tokisaka]

And again with that strange sort of depression. Pain was the meat to her sadistic hunger; watching one writhe in agony when they rightfully deserved a terrible end was like a carefully prepared feast with proper spices and side-dishes laid out. Despair was tied into that direct sensation of pain- she reveled when she saw the look of terror on one of her victim's faces when they realized that, even if they got away from her, they would not live- or at least not as a proper human. Pain and despair were the two largest forms of sustenance to her as a sadist. The treats she received were those of embarrassment or shame- tempting someone who should be pure, flirting with a hopeless romantic without intentions of going further, and, in Sakuya's case, teasing about things that only a girl interested in other girls could be affected by. Those treats were like high quality desserts, with rich syrup delicately sprinkled on top to achieve the perfect balance of both taste and beauty. Most of all, it was likely the shame and embarrassment of others that made her heart go wild more than any other form of torment.

But she could not enjoy this depression that Sakuya had right now. It was pain in its own right, but it was not a pain that the woman could take pleasure in.

“That would be true, but you seem too dense to understand a very basic truth.” She just wanted to be rid of that. She wanted to get away, but it would be awkward to suddenly try to distance herself from the girl. At the very least, she could slay that depression for the moment, and turn the present into something much more tolerable. “I don't float about people that I hate or have a reason to avoid. Notice that I chose to stick around, and even pull you into following me, young lady. By definition, if I don't hate you, then I must like you. Last I checked, affection, or at least a form of favor, was required for two to be friends. I'll let you do the math; hopefully, you'll arrive at a proper conclusion.” Half-truths escaped her lips in the form a logic game. While she did say that she did not hate the girl, and she was fairly certain she did not dislike her, she did not actually say that she liked the girl, or that they were friends.

Still, if it ended up that way, then what was the harm in giving half-truths in the present? She did not actually utter a lie, and, unless the girl ended up doing something that did made her appalling, it was likely that she would learn to tolerate the knight in training. If she did manage to make herself an eyesore, though, Eriko always had the option of blaming her “change of heart” on that. In that way, her simple, thoughtless words ended up being a perfect setup that accommodated either course of events.

Slowly, the young lady made her way towards the doors, learning against the glass as she smirked teasingly. “So, while you mull that over in your head, come along. I would think your kind would be against making your charge wait, no?”

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

Sakuya just didn't want to feel lonely, didn't want to be abandoned. There had been one or two instances in the past when similar occurrences happened, both by pure serendipity, this one was similar, the encounter in the infirmary was most definitely serendipity, at least to Sakuya it was. Both past incidents ended with pain, she was abandoned, upon finding out her nature as a fighter, as a potential killer. No one would accept that side of her, no one would accept her soldier side. It was much too painful. That was the source of her melancholic spell, it was the root. The cause.

treating this as some sort of...! what was this lady thinking! Sakuya had a lot of thoughts running through her head right now... But she wasn't even sad, just afraid. Just afraid that this would all be some sort of cruel game and just like the last one, she would be abandoned. She didn't like that feeling. She was... Well, she hadn't felt this brand of paranoia in a long while. whatever. it'll just like be every other time. i should be used to this by now. ugh... what's gotten into me? have i gone soft? but yet... how can i know for sure this eriko is telling the truth? what if she's just toying with me? ah, i don't even know anymore. this is too much for me. Sakuya made a faint grin as Eriko made her way to the doors, and realizing that she was going to leave, Sakuya quickly pitter-pattered off in her direction to follow her. "oh. yes, of course. i'm sorry for that shameful display, no? just letting past, bad memories get to me! hahaha." Sakuya lied through her teeth, attempting to mask the true agony she was suffering in her mind, hearing those words from that lady, she wasn't sure what to make of it all. "indeed, let us go~"

[Eriko Tokisaka]

Eriko honestly doubted that she truly put the other girl's worries to rest, but so long as Sakuya no longer verbally- or aesthetically- gave show of them, it was fine. It just left her unsettled to see people like that. She tried her hardest to avoid people like that- why didn't this girl act like that in the infirmary? Or, had she been to quick to tease to witness it? Regardless, with a mental sigh, the young woman stepped back, opening the door with her hips as she slid out the portal. Smiling impishly, she spread her arms wide.

“So don't tarry, then. I'm certain there's something to-” The raven-haired maiden stopped speaking at that point. Rather, that was all of her speech that could be heard before some foul-colored and smelling surge of liquid flowed from above, completely drenching the girl's hair and upper shirt. Laughter, not pure or innocent, but haughty, cowardly, and hostile, rang from above- the source of the liquid. For just a moment, the girl stood there, frozen. Then, slowly, her arms bent as she tugged at her wet locks, spitting a bit to get any semblance of the filth from her mouth then wiping her eyes with the dry side of her sleeve. Her thoughts stemmed from two emotions- disgust and anger. She was disgusted and desired getting clean immediately- her hair especially. She was filled to the brim with burning rage, mostly because the scenario ended with her hair dirty.

The girl had an inner conflict as she stood there. She wanted to go kill each one of the little bastards up above, but she wanted her hair clean as soon as possible. That was the only reason the imbeciles, still laughing above, were able to get out of this unharmed for the present. Slowly, the girl turned her gaze up, her eyes alight with anger. The laughter slowly died down as the young lady offered a cruel smile. “Enjoy today. You die tomorrow.” Whether or not she would go through with that all the way. . .

. . . she had not decided just yet. By the time she had a shower, reason would have most likely won out over cruel vengeance.

Slowly, she turned around, her steps slower than before. It was obvious she was annoyed. In reality, she had forgotten about Sakuya just that quickly, though, outwardly, it was obvious she was angry. Anyone could think she was just trying to get away- which was not wrong, just not the full picture.

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

"oh, crap!" Sakuya exclaimed as she looked up and shot an incredibly batshit insane glare at whoever was still crazy enough to remain at the location, her hands gripped tightly around her cylindrical case, literally ready to run up there and strike them down, but instead decided it would be better to get Eriko cleaned up first. "ah, well, calm down, i live only ten to fifteen minutes from here, you can use my shower if you so wish. and i even have spare clothing that should be able to fit you if you need it." Sakuya said, hurriedly following behind Eriko and fidgeting from her pack to get out a small towel she normally used for herself, but saw that it would be much more useful with the other young woman instead. "so, uh... h-here, please use this? i can take you to my place where you can get yourself cleaned up, you know..." Sakuya blurted out rather loudly, clearly showing some form of concern and trying to be proactive about the situation. Running after those distraught and cowardly criminals would be doing the maiden in her current state no justice; it was far more important to take her some place where she could clean herself and feel better about the situation. Vengeance could come at a later time if the feelings still remained strong.

"please let me help, alright?" Sakuya said, still holding out her small towel for Eriko to use if she wanted to... Though Sakuya would completely understand if she had declined...

[Eriko Tokisaka]

Nothing that day would go entirely pleasantly, it seemed, but when Sakuya made the outlandish- or, more correctly, insane- offer, Eriko could not help but wonder just how things would turn out. Really, the situation was oddly convenient. Why did all the pieces fall together so simply? Was it a simple coincidence that the knight-wannabe had been there when this out broke out, or was it something a little more natural- a little more calculated? Frankly, the young woman was willing to risk the latter if it meant washing up. Worst case scenario, there'd be a fight. Best case, she'd torture the girl to relieve her stress.

Turning her gaze to Sakuya at the last bit of the badgering, she let out a weak huff. Despite the fact that her own breath was perfectly fine, the rush of air shot a bit of the filthy odor forth with it. For a moment, she simply stared, as if gauging the girl. Her eyes were dull and cold, showing her annoyance, even if it was not directed at the girl. “Fine. But you realize that most of my upper body clothing is soaked.” Her words were only slightly cryptic. At face value, they were confusing, but if one thought on it for just a moment, and considered the gender of the speaker, it was painfully obvious what she meant.

Taking the towel, she used it to dry her hands and her face, pushing her hair back into an unsupported ponytail behind herself as she grunted with obvious dissatisfaction. “Lead the way, then, please.” She requested in a listless tone. “I want to get it out before it seeps in. It stinks.”

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

Sakuya rolled her eyes as she moved on ahead to lead Eriko to her room at the dorms upon the comment she made before asking Sakuya to lead on. i'm not entirely depraved, silly woman. Sakuya thought to herself wondering that, while it was perfectly understandable that she was incredibly annoyed by the current circumstances, she could not help but wonder if she did something wrong in extending help, because she could tell that the fair maiden did not quite want to accept it at first. After about five minutes of brisk walking, Sakuya had led Eriko to the outside of the dorm - it was a rather small building complex, probably at most around five stories tall (which was rather short for a building in Japan) and while it looked old, it was still well-kept, as it looked rather clean for its age. After about another minute or so, Sakuya took Eriko to her humble abode... well, kind of.

It was a reasonably sized studio-type room, with a door that led to the bathroom, and ultimately the shower that Eriko needed at the moment, and Sakuya had pointed this door out to her. "well, this is it. you can enter that door to take your shower," Sakuya stretched and fidgeted around her drawers and laid out what appeared to be a selection of spare clothing. "and... uh, if you need it, some spare clothing, i guess?"

[Eriko Tokisaka]

Sakuya denied being entirely depraved. That meant the young lady did, in fact, acknowledge her own depravity. While it was not anything nearly enough to fix her mood, the amusement did slightly improve her mental state. She did not comment on the defensive comment, but she did keep it in mind. There was definitely room for it to be used later for her entertainment. During the few minutes it took for them to get from the school to the “knight's” quarters, the raven-haired girl remained silent aside from the occasional grunt of dissatisfaction. While she could easily ignore the smell of blood, bodily refuse, and other such, rotten and sour smells- the latter just like the stench that had soaked into the girl's clothes- were enough to sicken her.

When they entered, Eriko muttered a few bits of customary politeness before slipping her shoes off. After being direct to the bathroom, she simply nodded, wordlessly drawing her body towards that room. It was only when her hand reached the door that she turned her head enough to look over her shoulder. For the first time since the attack dropped on her, a slight smile had curled her lips. “I'll try not to take too long, but don't peek. If you have to go, then hold it in- I'll think you're trying to peek otherwise.” Her words were not serious, but playful. Her tone had all but adopted an almost impish quality.

“Otherwise, I may have to punish you when I finish up.” She winked, thrusting everything she had just said into the gutter.

Twice.

Without another word, or any hesitation, the young lady slipped through the door and closed it behind her, no doubt amused.

[Kyoudou Sakuya]

Sakuya probably couldn't imagine a thing that Eriko was thinking, but either way, she was relieved that the latter could get herself cleaned up now. The rancid stench that now permeated about the room started getting to Sakuya's olfactory senses, and began to make her eyes water a little bit. "aw, curses, this smell is going to be all about my room... well, i can get some spray or something" Sakuya mused to herself. Eventually, Eriko had mentioned enroute to the bathroom that "I'll try not to take too long, but don't peek. If you have to go, then hold it in- I'll think you're trying to peek otherwise." to which Sakuya tilted her head and nodded slowly, but a faint, faint blush managed to escape and reveal itself on her face. Her voice was not at all serious, but there was a bit of truth to it when Eriko soon followed it up with "Otherwise, I may have to punish you when I finish up." to which Sakuya demurely turned away as Eriko slipped into the bathroom. She must have felt amused to see Sakuya be so embarrassed like that.

While Eriko was in the bathroom, Sakuya stood up and started to get her equipment for cleaning Nameless. There were several colored cloths about, an empty basin, and a large Thermos which appeared to contain hot water. Sakuya poured some of the hot water into the basin and took a blue cloth which she wrapped around Nameless. The cloth itself was big enough to cover it, and once she poured the water into the basin, Sakuya carefully sunk the wrapped blade of Nameless into the basin for a while.

"i wonder..."