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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 0:18:38 GMT -5
NOVEMBER 9th, 2015
Several days after that terrible incident, Yuu had been discharged from the hospital. Karen, his sister, and he himself shared some of the money in footing several of the charges incurred by the institution in question, and the two had a discussion about the events that had transpired about five days ago. Yuu explained that several of the "unknown attacks" that went on in the city could be explained by something incredibly strange and unbelievable; terrible creatures akin to that of demons and other such things... These otherworldly beings that seemed to have to have come from SOMEWHERE... Yuu didn't know. Karen did not believe him at first, and thought that he had gotten himself into a fight, but Yuu insisted that that was not the case. They dropped the topic after a small argument about it.
Yuu also had to arrange the necessary documents and had to present them to all his professors, as he had missed several classes during his time at the hospital. Fortunately, during his recovery, he was able to contact them to try and see what he missed, but for the most part, it was trivial in nature and fortunately did not hamper his studies... Much. For the meanwhile, Yuu decided to go online and check on some of the recent developments on the various online news sites posted by local publications and other regional online papers. Fortunately, nothing of the incident had been really written about; it seemed likely that there was no one around. Karen sighed. "Yuu-chan, I'm sorry."
"About what?" Yuu responded.
"Earlier. You aren't the type of person who would get into a fight, but I don't want to believe that it was some sort of snake monster that did it." she said.
"That's understandable. I'm just telling you what happened to me."
"..."
"Anyway, nee-sama, I'm going to go to the groceries and go get some stuff for cooking, okay?"
"Alright. Please take care."
Yuu nodded and set off, wearing a velvet skirt coupled with a thick turtle-neck, and accompanying knee-high boots and black thigh-highs. There was a gauze eye-patch around his left eye, as part of the skin around it got burned from that day. "Thanks. I won't be too long." Yuu said just before he left.
He began making his way to a grocery store awfully close to Myouhoudou...
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Post by Seian Verian on Nov 13, 2011 0:40:26 GMT -5
Five days. It didn't seem like it had been that long at all. ...Or that short, for that matter. It was as fresh in Seian's mind as anything ever was, and yet, he'd done enough worrying to pack into about a year. The implications of the entire ordeal were so profound that he knew he hadn't the slightest comprehension of just how much it meant. Ancient beings with magical powers, all the plans such beings had... How deep did it all go? These things were completely unexplored by science, unknown to the world at large. How and why were they secret?
What stuck most in Seian's mind, however, was that serpent. He was more than a monster. He was clearly capable of reason, and his aggression seemed to be something other than entirely willing. Whatever was above him likely would not be happy with his sparing the two. So why? What was his purpose? So much to try and understand...
At the least, there were some clues to his identity. Seian hadn't gotten much time to research it, between classes and homework, but he had found some interesting information... It wasn't conclusive, but he knew he would have to speak with Yuu about it when he got the chance.
He'd also searched a bit for information on SEES, but hadn't found anything. That lead seemed to be a dead end, at least until he found some other way of checking up on it.
The exchange between Hathor and the serpent had been intriguing, but a cursory search revealed no special relations between Hathor or Sekhmet and the being he thought the creature likely was... And he didn't have much time at the moment to try and follow a lead that was at best only of very slight relevance.
Seian had some free time today, so he intended to ask a librarian about the serpent later. For now though, he found that he was hungry, and not feeling up to the school's food... He decided to go to Myouhoudou.
Today, his walk was a bit more leisurely, and he actually took a couple of breaks on the way. He wanted the food, but he wasn't in any real rush today, so he didn't feel compelled to exhaust himself.
He was almost to his destination, when his idly wandering gaze saw someone very familiar just inside a grocery store... Immediately, he decided to take a little detour inside.
"Hey! Feeling better?"
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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 0:50:20 GMT -5
Yuu smiled warmly upon encountering Seian again in the grocery store. Seian will note that several parts of Yuu's body has been bandaged, at least those that are exposed to public view. He had already put some ingredients in his shopping basket which he was carrying very much like a mother who was going to the store or the supermarket shopping for supplies, and nodded. "I'm feeling a lot better, thanks for worrying..." he said. "By the way, I'm just buying ingredients so I can go cook lunch for my sister and I... You want to join us?" he asked as he shoved some more ingredients and a carton of milk into the basket. "Karen-nee-sama is a big eater, not as much as me, so I have to cook a lot. I think if you'd join us it'd make my servings a bit worth it!" he continued, looking at Seian with a warm smile and a genuine expression. Yuu also wondered if his current outfit was something that would scare Seian a little. The shopkeeper, who was in the middle of checking inventory stock, waved at Yuu for a moment.
"Hey, who's he, a boyfriend or something?" she asked teasingly. Yuu giggled.
"Ahaha. It's nothing like that... I'm just helping him settle down; he's new to the area."
"Such a sweet little girl~ I wonder where Karen-san would be without someone like you, eh?"
"Ahaha... Don't be such a tease..." Yuu grinned. "Anyway, do you want to join us, then? We can talk more there."
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Post by Seian Verian on Nov 13, 2011 1:07:02 GMT -5
Even after all the doctors had said about how he'd be fine, seeing Yuu well, even if bandaged, was a great relief to Seian. He tended to be fairly pessimistic, and had a fairly active imagination, so worrying came to him naturally. Thankfully, he had a decent grip on what was realistic and what wasn't... Though, that line had blurred a hell of a lot more than it already was since the incident. It was hard not to imagine a vicious creature in every shadow, waiting to pounce. ...He really did need to get something for self-defense in case something else appeared. That wouldn't be easy though...
But enough worrying. Seian snapped himself back to reality again, at about the time the shopkeeper spoke to Yuu. He'd at least managed to get that Yuu was offering to go to lunch... When Yuu asked again, he responded happily. "Yes, I'd like that a lot. I've been wanting to talk to you anyway, since I've found some stuff out." He paused, looking a bit more closely at Yuu's clothing, with what the shopkeeper had said in mind. "...So by the way, you like going as a girl? Not that I really care too much or anything, I've known some friends that do. ...Er, maybe just ignore me now."
Awkward as usual. Still didn't change. Nor did his feeling of borderline self-loathing every time a moment like this happened.
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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 1:26:00 GMT -5
Yuu smiled. "As I said, this is how I was raised, my mother and my siblings have me go out like this; it's to maintain a reputation, I guess..." he said, but he didn't really want to talk about it much. He began to pay for the things he bought, which amounted to a metric ton, at least compared to what people would usually buy. Seian would be wondering what anyone would need with so many ingredients and supplies. "Thanks for doing business!" the shopkeeper said. Yuu then beckoned to Seian, telling him that he was going to go back to his place to cook lunch for Karen. "Well, let's go, then. I'll go cook lunch for the three of us then," he concluded, continuing to smile. Hopefully, a repeat of the incident five days ago wouldn't happen again. But no one could ever be too sure, and having Seian around would be a good witness for what had happened. "Also, I think I could use some help trying to convince Karen-nee-sama of the situation. She doesn't want to believe me..." he said.
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Post by Seian Verian on Nov 13, 2011 1:35:12 GMT -5
"Hm." Seian was sort of curious, in a way, but more idly than anything. He certainly wasn't going to ask about the subject further, and he suspected if it was talked about too much it would lose the interesting aspect and go straight into increasingly awkward.
The sheer amount of ingredients that Yuu bought here was staggering, and Seian couldn't help wondering how one would be in a situation to need to buy all these at once. He knew a lot of spices and such could be involved in cooking, but such variety shouldn't be gone through that fast... "Er, do you want some help carrying all that?" Was he planning on just walking home with all of that...?
...Convincing Karen of the situation? Well, at least he wouldn't have to worry about hiding anything from her. "It's not surprising that she would be rather incredulous. Honestly, if I heard the story without rather compelling evidence to back it up, I'd think the person telling me was crazy. ...Though, does she know about Hathor?"
That last question might seem tacked on, but it was kind of important. Knowing about some supernatural things already would make hearing about others more believable.
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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 2:05:51 GMT -5
Yuu nodded. "I'm fine with carrying all this, don't worry about me!" he said, holding up three large bags of groceries, even hefting Tensaibou with two of his fingers. "Um... Well, she sort of knows about it, but she doesn't really want to believe THAT either..." Yuu sighs, guiding Seian out of the store and making him follow him back to his place. Yuu smiled, seeming to have little problem with carrying these huge grocery shopping bags. "Anyway, is there any kind of preference you want with regards to food? I can cook all types of food because I've been studying it in my spare time..." he asks, soon eventually taking Seian to his humble abode, which actually was a reasonably sized apartment in a condominium by Todai. Yuu had dragged Seian along and by the time they reached Yuu's apartment, Yuu was panting considerably and was visibly tired. He placed the bags on the ground and opened the door to his apartment. "Come in!"
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Post by Seian Verian on Nov 13, 2011 2:22:51 GMT -5
Watching Yuu carry those bags and the cane all at once brought a very odd feeling in Seian. Something rather close to incredulity, almost with some envy in that. Sure, Seian himself was strong enough and had big enough arms to carry those bags... But holding them through an entire walk like this? And Yuu didn't have the excuse of size to explain his ability to do that. It was just... Odd to see, really.
Seian shook his head.Sort of knows... So Yuu hadn't actually shown her then. Though maybe Hathor wouldn't like being summoned just to be shown off. It wasn't that big a deal as long as Karen's disbelief didn't lead her to cause problems, but it did seem like it would have been better for Yuu to actually show her...
"Food? Um... I'm not that picky, really. I'll admit that I don't care too much for most vegetables, but I'm usually fine with whatever is put in front of me. I do tend to like meat though, and pasta..." He wasn't sure when the last time he'd had some good pasta was. There had been plans for lasagna the night before he'd left for Japan, but that sort of went wrong...
"Arigato." Seian said idly as he stepped through the door into Yuu's apartment. "It feels kind of strange really... I haven't gone to visit a friend's house since primary school. But then, I never had much in the way of friends..." He shook his head, and added kind of awkwardly. "It's nice to be here though."
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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 9:44:47 GMT -5
Yuu sighed and picked up the bags again and hefted them inside and placed them on the dining table. "I'm hooooooome~!" Yuu called out, causing Karen to pitter-patter out of her room (she was apparently watching TV, as evidenced by the faint noises of news chatter emanating from it). She saw Seian and tilted her head. "I brought a visitor, he'll be joining us for lunch today." Karen smiled warmly and nodded, excited at the prospect of Yuu cooking a bit more to accommodate for the extra mouth. Yuu unpacked the groceries and started placing them in various drawers and compartments in the cupboards and also in the tiny pantry that was by the kitchen, as well as storing the meats in the freezer. "I think I'll be serving pasta today, what do you say, nee-sama?" Yuu asked.
"I want carbonara today!" Karen beamed, lightly clapping her hands together. Yuu nodded and, with his footwear and thigh-highs already kicked off, grabbed his trusty apron (it was pink and had hearts and teddy-bears on it for a design) and set off to grab the ingredients he needed and the pasta he was going to boil and cook with. It apparently was angelhair today. "I missed angelhair anyways..." Yuu smiled to himself as he then proceeded to stow himself in the kitchen, leaving Seian and Karen in the living room to wait.
"Don't forget to take off your shoes!" Yuu yelled out to Seian.
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Post by Seian Verian on Nov 13, 2011 16:53:36 GMT -5
Seian waved at Karen, feeling rather uncomfortable. "Hello..." He still remembered how things were the last time he'd seen her. She didn't look upset now though, and she hadn't really shown her feelings then either, so maybe it wasn't a problem... He did still blame himself for what had happened, but he knew dwelling on it too much wasn't something he should be doing, and didn't want to bother Yuu and Karen with his incessant apologies.
At Karen's mention of carbonara, Seian's face lit up with excitement. "Yes, carbonara would be wonderful! I've always loved it, and it's been so long..." There was only one place that he'd ever gotten to eat it at, and the last time he'd been there was months before he left. ...Not only that, he hadn't even gotten to eat it since it was so expensive, and he'd had to make do with a meatball sub. While it was hardly bad, it wasn't nearly so amazing either...
At Yuu's reminder to take off his shoes, Seian stammed out "O-oh yes! Sorry!" He wasn't really used to this at all. Before he'd left for Japan he'd always taken off his shoes at home, but it was generally in a specific place, and he wasn't used to taking them off in other peoples' homes. He slipped them off, and walked into the living room.
After several moments of uncertain silence, Seian hesitantly managed to speak. "Um... Yuu told me that you were having trouble believing the incident with the snake, right? Well... He was telling the truth." He pulled up the right leg on his pants, and pointed to a completely charred looking spot on his leg. "I got this from just a bit of cast off flame from the serpent... But Yuu got hit directly by it, when it was completely cloaked in fire. I didn't mention it before, because I didn't know how much he wanted to tell you... But it really is a miracle that he's alive."
Maybe telling her all this wasn't the best idea. He wasn't sure. But as long as Yuu wanted her to know what happened, he wanted to make sure she realized it was the truth. He was uncomfortable enough with failing to mention it to other people, but he didn't honestly expect most people to believe the story.
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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 18:23:12 GMT -5
"Um... Are you trying to tell me that... He really should have died...? What...? I don't understand..." Karen shook her head and sighed, peeking into the kitchen to see Yuu who was busy doing the cooking, even with an eyepatch over his left eye. He didn't seem to be having too much trouble. "And yet... He looks just fine!" she exclaimed, turning to face Seian once more. "Actually, Yuu-chan has already told me that, I had enough trouble believing him... But... If you're saying it too, and you got affected by it... Then... Wait, how do I know that it wasn't just some fierce fire and you two were try-- ...Wait, if that were the case, I'd have known about it in the news..." Karen shook her head and rubbed her forehead, trying to figure out everything.
"Look, this is all overwhelming for me, you know?" Karen said. "I don't know what I'd do if Yuu-chan disappeared from my life. He's not only my little brother, but also the housekeeper, you know? Ah, I'm sorry, you're just a friend of his... You don't need to be hearing all this from me." she trailed off as she sat on the couch and turned on the TV. It was on the news channel which was showing footage of a silhouette beneath some flames, it looked /extremely/ similar to that snake creature Seian and Yuu encountered the other day! It was apparently a video footage taken from somebody's cellphone, most likely when the serpent had already left Yuu and Seian alone.
"...Um. Was that the one?" Karen asked.
Yuu suddenly hollered "Lunch is ready!" and began to set the table for lunch.
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Post by Seian Verian on Nov 13, 2011 18:53:20 GMT -5
"I don't think I'd say that he should have died. Looking at it in those terms is... Uncomfortable, to say the least. I don't think anything should happen to Yuu. I barely know him, and yet, he seems like such an amazing person..." Seian shook his head. "As for it just being a fierce fire, I wish that were the case. It wouldn't be as worrying as to the long term implications..." That was a half-truth, really. The fact was, he was still excited about learning of all of this. The existence of these creatures and their magic could have a profoundly negative effect on the world... And yet, it could also mean so much good as well! Truly, he wanted to understand it. But, trying to explain that was not something that he should be doing right now, so it was simpler to put it as he had.
"Don't worry, it's fine. I'm willing to listen if you need it, and I do understand. Being alone... It's not something pleasant." He did know what it was like to feel alone, at least... He'd never had very many friends, and when what few he did have weren't around when he needed it... He could only imagine what it was like to lose someone just that close to you. ...He'd come close, when he found out his father had cancer, and yet... It didn't feel like it had affected him that deeply. It seemed like when he wasn't feeling too much, he wasn't feeling enough..
When Karen asked her question, Seian looked up at the TV. "...Yes, that's definitely it, or one like it." Arson... Perfectly suited to its abilities, certainly. What purpose did it serve though? He tried listening to the news story...
"...originated in the home of Haruka Yamaguchi, a woman well known for her strong opinions on reducing government influence on affairs throughout the country. Though accused of links to extremist groups in the past, and often called an anarchist, she..." The report itself sounded like it had a political bent to it. Most of it was mindless drivel as far as Seian was concerned, though... It did make sense that a notable figure such as that would be a victim of any targeted arson by that creature. It did fit well with his theory, and what the serpent had said...
His thoughts were cut off as Yuu called them to lunch. "Alright!" Seian called back as he stood up and headed toward the table.
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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 19:09:44 GMT -5
Karen shook her head and turned off the TV. Blip! She also made her way to the dining table, keeping note that apparently that was the creature which Yuu and Seian had encountered about five days ago. "So that thing was real? That's... unbelievable, to say the least..." Karen muttered, and Yuu did catch that after he set the last plate down with accompanying spoon and fork. On the center of the table was a large, steaming bowl of angelhair pasta, served with generously large amounts of carbonara sauce with bacon bits and ham cubes mixed with it. "Ah, it's my first time to try this new recipe of carbonara which I found on the internet, I hope you guys like it!" Yuu said smiling as he removed the apron and went off to take a seat at the table.
Karen grinned. "Well, that does look pretty good." she said, eyeing the large pasta spork, it was orange in color, they had always used this, even before when everyone was still alive back in Okinawa. It made her extremely grateful Yuu had actually survived that... But she still wasn't sure how to react to the snake attack. "That report talked about some political stuff..." Karen groaned. "Aren't you interested in that stuff, Yuu-chan?" Yuu nodded.
"I heard most of it while I was cooking," he said. "It makes sense, you know? Someone being attacked for expressing radical political views against the norm... But what doesn't make sense is why a demonic creature from God knows where is doing it... Unless they were summoned by someone, but who does that anymore?" Yuu asked, sheepishly laughing.
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Post by Seian Verian on Nov 13, 2011 19:40:25 GMT -5
"To be fair, it's not much more unbelievable than Yuu having an Egyptian goddess attached to him." Seian remarked dryly back at Karen. "Though of course, that was a shock when I saw it as well..." He shook his head, and sat down, focusing his attention on the pasta now.
Ham cubes? That was an interesting choice to put in there, but it wasn't one he would complain about. It was a rather sensible variation on the standard bacon, which was still in there. ...How the hell was he even noticing this much about it? He probably wouldn't have put the thought to realize it was supposed to be carbonara if it hadn't been mentioned. Regardless...
"It looks delicious, Yuu~" Seian gave his standard compliments to the chef, and started eating. It tasted as good as it looked, and he said so. He'd always enjoyed meals like this, and this was even better than the restaurant version he was used to. It was certainly an improvement over the school food he'd been living with for most of the time since he'd got there. Of course, even that would only last so long... He was only allowed fifteen meals free throughout the month, and he was down to his last two.
...Of course, conversation went right back to the snake. It didn't really bother him, and he'd wanted to talk about it here anyway. It was just slightly jarring to go back to after his thoughts had drifted away.
"Actually... I may have some idea why." Seian took a deep breath, before he started with his conclusion. "I think he's Samael, the angel of death." He waited a moment for that to sink in, before he continued. "Samael is an archangel in Jewish lore, considered as accuser, seducer, and destroyer despite being a servant of god. I'd actually say because of it actually, but I'll get to that."
He paused, looking toward Yuu and Karen in turn before he continued. "Now for the reasons I think Samael is that serpent. To start with, there are texts which refer to Samael as the serpent who originally tempted Eve. As well, the Christian Bible refers to flying fiery serpents, though I will admit that the context in those passages does not contain a context referring to him. ...However, there is one passage that mentions God sending fiery serpents to cause death in Israel. This fits with his role of angel of death."
He paused again, sighing. "I keep talking, and don't let you. Before I go on, is there anything you want to ask me?"
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Post by Kisaragi Yuu on Nov 13, 2011 19:47:52 GMT -5
"Well that's nice to know and all," Yuu said. "But that still doesn't explain why such a being is roaming the streets of urban Japan in the first place." he plainly points out in between nomming on the food he just cooked. Well, hey, what do you know, the food did taste pretty good. "It just doesn't make sense to me. Where are these creatures coming from, and what is their purpose? If someone is bringing them or willing them to existence, what is their motive for it? How do they even do that in the first place?" he began to question as Karen just nodded her head as everything just flew past her head. She was also too hungry to really pay attention as well, ravenously devouring the pasta in front of her. "Knowing just what exactly they are is one thing, but what we should really be after here is... Number 1, how do we get them to go away? Number 2, what is the source of these creatures? And number 3, are there other people who can help us?" Yuu said, rapping his fingers on the table.
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