It was times like this that Fushiguro Megumi was starting to wonder if his own body was running on fumes. Like a machine pushing out energy constantly, the steel structure and metal casings within it would eventually start to heat up and reach a breaking point. From the inside out, the orange heat of self-evisceration would be prominently seen from a machine working to its limit. Eventually, it would tire itself so much that it would stop functioning altogether.
Burnout was a common thing amongst Jujutsu Sorcerers, not in the Cursed Technique sense, but burning out from taking too many missions. Megumi wasn't a professional Sorcerer, but he knew damn well what it was like to burn out from constant events flooding one's life. Although it was just fine when he first entered Jujutsu Tech, it certainly didn't help when Itadori Yuji entered his life. Not that he disliked the man, just that it was the mark before everything started downhill.
If anybody were to tell Fushiguro Megumi if he disliked or cursed Yuji in any way, the black haired man would most likely shoot them a deathly glare. It was his duty to make sure nobody talked of the bundle of joy and purity in a bad light. Only him, Gojo, Nobara, and a select few other people could do such a thing. Well, maybe not Gojo Satoru.
Yes, he was indeed taking that scenario seriously, it was only natural for a friend to look out for each other. Mutual respect goes a long way in relationships, and Megumi knew he could respect Yuji in every way possible. Did the Ten Shadows user himself deserve to get the respect reciprocated? He would say it was unlikely.
...Where was he again? Right, his thoughts were lingering on for far too long. Megumi attributed it to the rush of adrenaline that had been pervading his body ever since he ran into that white haired Lupo named Lappland. The insane woman was a complete piece of work, one that he felt like could never be incomplete.
"You seem troubled," Lin asked from the wheel, the car swerving across the street of Lungmen with great skill. She had been driving for a good while now, knowing practically every nook and cranny that resided on Lungmen's streets. If it were a small and rundown restaurant that existed, the mouse lady would know it like the back of her hand.
"I'm not," Megumi replied with the best neutral voice he could. It was practiced, stoically crafted from the times he had to deal with Gojo Satoru's endless banter and Yuji's... Yuji's math. How does the pink haired man require his fingers for simple addition? He feared what would happen if he were to be presented with an addition problem that required more than ten fingers.
"First idol show, then?" Lin honestly didn't know what to say to the man. He had always held this air of resignation around him, as if expecting to give up at any moment. Recently, he was starting to seem straying away from a moving corpse, but instead was one boiling with a sense of unease and anger. Anger, that was something the mouse lady was starting to feel worried over. "Or is it in relation to Ch'en?"
That LGD Superintendent would be a pain for anybody to deal with, the headstrong and iron-willed woman that would never back down from a goal. If a criminal needed to be caught, she would go to hell and back to get them put behind bars. In regards to Fushiguro Megumi, it seemed he was lucky enough for Swire and Hoshiguma to advocate for his situation.
Also the fact that he was practically a broken body walking around an unfamiliar environment, the recesses of the world working against him. Even somebody such as Ch'en could hold some sort of sympathy for him. Whether it be the Blood Hounds who have a big bounty placed on his head (Lin discovered it being circulated through goddamned Siracusa of all places), or two insane women, he had the absolute worst going for him.
That was excluding his destroyed home.
"Nothing, I already told you," Megumi continued pressing his index finger against his cheek, while his palm covered his mouth. It was a habit he found himself doing while in cars, waiting for the time of arrival to pass him by. Now that he thought about it, it would be nice if it could easily pass him by as easily as the landscape outside a car's window.
"I see, then," Lin pressed on the brakes of the car, the vehicle slowly skidding to a halt on the sidewalk of a safe location. With where they were at, it was a legal parking location, and they would not have to worry about any cars accidently crashing into them. "If you do not wish to talk about it, then perhaps we could do so some other time?" Her fingers tapped the wheel before she turned to him with her full attention.
"Why do you want to know?" Megumi felt a sense of irritation rise in him, but quickly squashed it down. It didn't do him any good to let any anger control his body, nor let himself fall to unreasonable lengths of lashing out. "There's nothing interesting about me, not once in high school, nor in college," in fact, he was some angsty teenager getting riled up because of delinquents; quite literally squatting down to their level to beat the brakes out of them.
"Even today?" Lin dryly commented, her pink mouse ears twitching. She found it hard to believe somebody who held such eccentric abilities would be 'disinteresting' in any length, synonym, or alteration of the word. "You've done quite a lot of things, both good and bad, yet you also have potential to do either of more. I don't believe that is disinteresting at all." Whether it be the Chimera Bird incident, as people liked to call it now, or reckless actions before, he still held a level of reason.
"I don't want to cause trouble, you're right," Megumi turned away from the window and to Lin, giving her his full attention to reciprocate her own. "But it's getting more... irritating with how many events are surrounding this city," he kept the same expression as before, but the implicit creases of his brows and change in tone completely gave his vices and worries away. "Is it natural for Lungmen to be like this?"
"I wouldn't say so," Lin Yuhsia remembered the times when Lungmen was in a far better state, not with so much crime battering it every day. "There were better times, far before the involvement of the Blood Hounds and all of these... eccentric guests arriving in." It was certainly a way to label the two people known as Lappland and Arturia. "Pardon me if I'm being disrespectful in any regard, but was your home the same?"
"Worse," Megumi nearly spat out, feeling the prickling of his skin when he heard the mention of his home. He didn't care what he said of it at the moment, he could keep it as vague as possible. "I hated it, those Higher Ups who can't do anything to help people risking their lives every day, child soldiers being thrown into the occupation I undertook," he tapped his thumb against his forehead impatiently; recalling all negative aspects he could think of. "No recognition for them either, they die and are forgotten by society, probably sending a cover-up to their families that were attacked by some rabid animal."
The more he thought of Jujutsu Society, the more he could see why Gojo Satoru loathed it so much. A corrupt and abhorrent system that groomed children into being the perfect soldiers that they could control. Unquestioning of whether what they were doing was right, because the puppet masters pulling the strings already decided everything for them. Maybe those 'jokes' he made about toppling the entire structure wasn't so much as a joke now that he thought about it.
Oh who was he kidding? Fushiguro Megumi already hated the pillar which Jujutsu Society stood on anyways. He needed to keep it bottled in himself if he didn't want to paint a target on his back, keeping a sense of calm and impenetrability went a long way in politics. But at the same time, genuinity was a weakness to the black haired man. Case in point, Maki asking him to become head of the clan.
Once he truly understood the situation of the woman who had been scorned by the very people she served under... forced under, Fushiguro Megumi couldn't help but lower his head and accept becoming the head of the Zen'in clan. It didn't matter if some misogynistic freak attempted to go after his head right after, if he could see the scarred woman be less broken, then his moral compass abided by it.
"I... I see," Lin didn't know how to pick her words, seeing the frustration leaking through his normally infallible impression. She had heard of the situations happening all across Terra and in Lungmen's slums, and to put it bluntly; they weren't pretty. Seeing how his experiences in his previous home was no different from Terra, she felt guilty that this city that she practically half ran wouldn't be able to provide him any more respite.
"Forget it..." Megumi shook his head and creased his brows, "it's not worth lingering on any further." He returned back to an emotionless look, letting himself fall back and lean on the chair. In his bout of frustration, he had let his bottled up emotions since the Shibuya Incident leak, and he was sure it didn't look pretty.
"Although I cannot say much for Lungmen," Lin pressed on the accelerator of the car to get it going once more, "I hope you can find your place here." The slums wasn't a place where somebody could survive for too long, and the mouse lady had only recently found out that Megumi had been sleeping in abandoned buildings ever since his arrival into Lungmen. It was an experience akin to that of a homeless man.
A weight seemed to press against the two when the car started moving again. Although they felt no wind pressing against their faces, it was a slightly comforting feeling to be in a moving vehicle.
"Tell me," Lin asked him a question, "what do you think of when you see the slums?" She knew the man was somebody who held many experiences, whether it be combat or something more miscellaneous. Somebody who had been through thick and thin many experiences the mouse lady could only begin to fathom. That was the case for everybody on Terra, and she took her father's words to heart in regards to that.
"...It's miserable, dark, and barely livable," Megumi rapidly fired his answers without so much as a change in his tone. "The amount of crime there is staggering, the Blood Hounds don't even need to disguise themselves to do whatever they please," he remembered how freely they moved around, as if the LGD didn't exist in the first place. "I don't understand if they simply don't care about the slums, or if they have other matters to deal with."
"Hm, that's fair," Lin didn't feel the least bit hurt by Megumi's assessment of the place. "That is to be expected, it seems, the slums are never a place to invoke positive connotations," but deep in her heart, she wanted to see the area thrive and be an actual part of Lungmen. The decrepit place deserved at least some way to be integrated into the city's culture rather than to be pushed and thrown away like a house's garbage disposal. "Do you believe it could ever change?
"No," Megumi replied with the bluntness of a hammer crashing down. "It's illogical to think a place meant for poverty, is ever to break out of poverty," he remembered having this sort of discussion in a philosophy course he took in Jujutsu Tech. Surprisingly, Gojo Satoru was good at that sort of thing despite stating that he, himself, hated it. "If the slums broke out of poverty, there will be a new place to replace it."
"Hah~," Lin breathed a low sigh, "it's quite a pessimistic view to look at it. I wouldn't have expected you to provide sugary words, though."
"I don't have any experience running a city either," Megumi blankly replied to her. "So any answer I provide, I doubt it would be of good use to you."
"It would be nice if you could create people with your abilities, would it not?" Lin off-handedly remarked.
"...Why do you say that?" Megumi could get a gist of why she had stated something like that, but wanted to hear it from her mouth instead. The Ten Shadows user knew she was somebody who held a great deal of responsibility on her shoulders, if her position in the underworld was anything to go by. Seeing how the three highest ranking LGD officers didn't seem to hold too much aggression against her, he deduced she must be a functional part for this city to work.
"If you had two of yourselves, let's say, working on your tasks," Lin painted the picture for him, "then it would definitely alleviate any burdens you'd have."
"That's just a hypothetical then," Megumi couldn't see his Shikigami doing any civil work. Except for maybe... the Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga.
...It was only then did he realize how absurdly long the beast of Heaven's title was.
"It would be amazing if life could become easier in a blink of an eye, but that's just wishful thinking," Lin watched the road with her eyes, keeping a perfect balance on the car wheel. "I wish to see Lungmen's slums become something akin to a 'downtown' section of Lungmen. But it seems from your descriptions, I still have a long way to go." Her voice held a tint of tiredness.
"I hope you succeed then," Megumi spoke with genuine words, "I think there's too few people like you." Most underworld higher ups like Lin would be some of the most corrupt people a person could meet. But seeing the mouse lady speak of her goals, he found himself agreeing with her to some extent. Was the world the type of place to let such views and morals flourish, however? No, it definitely wasn't, not his previous world, nor this new one.
"A compliment?" Lin amusedly pointed out, "I would've never thought it would come from you."
"Sure," Megumi didn't give that much of a reply. He found himself more shifty and generally, not in control of his situation ever since his encounter with Lappland. That woman had practically been stalking him, and this next encounter with her was bound to either blow up in his face, or...
...Actually, what could it even do for him positively? Make sure he doesn't get his throat slit without him knowing the next time they meet? How was he even sure the insane woman would stay true to her words?
He remembered it vividly, she said how she maybe wouldn't kill him at first sight, but did that include attacking, torturing, or maiming? The wording was as vague as it could possibly be, and that maybe did not help with calming his nerves.
Megumi could only clench his fist in silence.
***
Texas stood with her eyes closed, trying to keep her focus on her Lupo senses as best they possibly could. Thanks to the features provided by the wolf race, the woman could sense many discrepancies in the air and act upon what she thought would be best to deal with an encroaching threat. That was excluding the natural sixth sense of danger most Lupos held.
Although many warriors in Terra naturally developed such a thing, it were Lupos who usually developed it first, and at a much faster rate to boot. Such a thing made Siracusa a hard place to assassinate people, considering how densely populated it was with residents of that race.
Right now, the woman was keeping a lookout for any danger that surrounded the stage Sora was going to perform at. With how they were still on bad blood with the Blood Hounds, and she assumed they were going to keep at it with this same momentum, there was no need to rest during such a time like this.
Sora was going to present herself and the idol belonging to Penguin Logistics to the outside world, and so did that present danger itself to aim themselves towards her. Whether it be crossbows, bladed weapons, or Arts staffs, many unsavory tools made to kill would be present during this event.
Texas opened her eyes very slightly, letting a small crack of her vision come out, "you don't do well with sneaking around," she called out to a certain Sankta.
"Eh, really?" Exusiai placed her hands behind her head when she found herself being caught red handed attempting to sneak up on the black haired Lupo. "Yet here I thought I finally mastered the technique of Higashinese shinobis," she pouted to herself.
"I'm sure you haven't," Texas humored her joke, popping a Pocky stick and putting it in her mouth like a cigarette. "We haven't spent much time in Higashi," crunching down, the chocolate portion of the snack turned into dust and fell onto the taste buds of her tongue.
"That's true," Exusiai lowered her hands and walked up to Texas, "hey, could you spare me one? Pretty please~?" Her right hand reached out in a receiving motion.
"You don't have to ask," Texas gave her a neutral expression and took out another pocky stick, handing it towards the Sankta.
"Thanks!" Exusiai patted her on the back when receiving, popping the chocolate delicacy into her mouth and taking a small bite. "The show's about to start soon, and I already see a pretty~ big crowd gathering out there," her vision brought her back to the amount of people gathering around, along with Croissant by her side. "You think Sora's got this in the bag?"
"Of course," Texas replied without so much as a hitch in her voice, "it's up to us to make sure it goes smoothly." Indeed, she believed completely in Sora's ability to deliver the best performance Lungmen could ever receive from an idol. What truly mattered was if they could keep any unsavory people from interrupting it.
"I'll make sure to keep a keen eye out, don't worry," Exusiai pointed to herself with her thumb, an enthusiastic look present. "You've also got Croissant to back us up with whatever help we need." Out of all concerts Sora has held, there had been two instances in their life where she was nearly attacked by people they've pissed off. However, those instances blew off pretty fast if the Sankta remembered correctly, letting the idol perform her show with no difficulty at all.
""Mhm, just don't accidently shoot into the crowd," Texas replied with a neutral voice. Although no humor could be seen within it...
"Hahaha~!" Exusiai bursted out laughing, stretching out her right hand over Texas' back and patted her, "you're getting better at making jokes everyday, maybe you can make Sora and Croissant laugh with one of them!" Popping the rest of the Pocky sticks into her mouth, she wiped a tear while continuing to giggle.
"You've said that before," Texas commented while also biting off the rest of her snack, "we should get ready now." Especially since Sora wanted the black haired Lupo to be at the forefront watching her show, she wanted to get there quickly. Obviously, she took it as the woman wanting a higher degree of protection with her allies in closer proximity.
The flashing sound of industrial lights being turned on could be heard. THe heavy metal switches meant for turning them on echoed across the backstage and throughout the district where the show was being held. The buzzing was most prominent where the two was at, Originium circulating into energy provided for the machines to work.
A head peeked out from the door behind them, farther back than even the backstage itself, "hey you two! What're ya' doin' right now?" A woman with orange hair and a cap called out to them, a metal shield hung over her right arm in a resting position. "Sora's gonna be performin' in a bit, we better get goin'!"
"Oh, don't worry, we'll make it in time!" Exusiai gave a small wave with her right hand while her left rested on her hips, "just talking about a few things, ya' know?" She motioned her chin towards Texas.
Texas silently nodded, before checking if the handles for her Arts to channel through and create blades were there. 'Swords, bandages, Pocky sticks...' The woman had everything she needed. ...'And I also need to keep a lookout for her.' Her eyes turned to a small crack at the back door, leading to an outside view.
"Alrighty, let's get goin' fast, we don't wanna have our spots taken by rowdy fans!" Croissant motioned with her arm for them to follow along.
"Eh? Aren't those spots reserved for us though?" Exusiai raised an eyebrow, "we don't have to worry about them being taken." She started approaching Croissant, the latter was moving to a door that led them outside of the backstage and into their assigned positions.
"If we arrive late, they will be," Texas followed behind the Sankta, speaking her piece. With how crowded places such as a large idol's show, order was usually the last thing one should expect. In regards to Sora, there wasn't any doubt to say that she is the top idol in all of Lungmen. But then again, there weren't many idols in this city to begin with, despite its commercial prosperity.
"Yeah, exactly what Texas said," Croissant called out from the front while the group continued moving. "Last time we arrived a tad bit late, Sora's fans were already crowding the places where we were sposed' to be goin' at!" It brought a rather nerve wracking memory for her, especially since their oppositions were also there during that time.
"That's true," Exusiai looked contemplative, "well, then, let's make it there quick!" She moved with a faster pace, prompting the other two to kick their speeds up a notch. "I'll race you there to my position!"
"Eh, no fair!" Croissant started moving into a full on sprint, "your place is way closer compared to mine, and Texas is the closest between us two!"
"Unlucky," was Texas' only response.
The two other Penguin Logistics' members started breaking off into fits of laughter while they made their way.
***
Crowds, they were something the black haired Ten Shadows user was used to. Just because he was used to them, however, did not mean he enjoyed being in them in the slightest. He wouldn't mind if he were lost in them, nobody recognizing him; but having himself being pressed between so many people was... unappealing. If it were Yuji, Nobara, or Gojo, then he'd expect them to enjoy this moment more than him.
The three were more likely to fall into and be influenced by the euphoria of the crowd, the dancing lights, and the loud music that pervaded the entire area.
To Fushiguro Megumi, he preferred the peace and quietness that came with a place such as the library. Reading non-fiction books was one of his hobbies, and learning more about facts of history was also another facet that came with f it. Too bad he didn't get enough time to indulge it with school work and missions constantly being thrown towards him.
He couldn't even read them during his downtime of arriving to missions either, as anything could happen while he approached his destination points. Cursed Spirits attacking cars that made their way, or Sorcerers who were walking to their designated area was an uncommon occurrence, but were still prevalent to warrant a clear mind.
The Strongest Sorcerer of the Modern Era wasn't perturbed in the slightest by such dangers, though, considering he had enough time and lacked any sense of awareness. That led him to buy sweets during a mission. Yes, during a mission, not even during the downtime where Sorcerers were supposed to approach the location of it.
The black haired man was starting to wish he had a level of strength comparable to Gojo Satoru at that moment. To not care of any dangers present around you, a literal infinite barrier protecting oneself from all worldly malice. In large crowds like that, where anybody could be a danger, Megumi couldn't feel any sense of security.
"Not one to fit into the crowd?" The voice of LIn Yuhsia made its approach into his ears. "I can see why, such places don't seem to be the most comfortable," especially with somebody like her who possessed a tail. If she didn't wrap it around her waist, it would most likely be consistently stepped on or clash with other's own tails.
'...Bear with it,' Megumi didn't reply to her, only giving her a slight turn of the head before looking back. He needed to keep an eye out for the person who... 'invited' him here in the first place. Now that he thought about it, this idol show doesn't even require tickets to attend. Maybe that was why there was such a large crowd of varying people gathered around this open street.
It also bordered the larger district of the slums and Lungmen itself, so it was a place where both sides could gather and enjoy the music at this choke point. Megumi didn't think much of it though, his anxiety and paranoia was too persistent to let him think of anything else relating to Lungmen's social classes. His previous world still held a place in his heart, though.
Lin couldn't help but let out a small sigh, not hearing any response from the man. She turned back to the crowd, watching as they moved about and chattered with each other. WHether it be those who came from the slums or the main city, they all gathered to this one place for one common goal. To watch and support their favorite idol.
She wished it would always be like this between the two classes, but alas, it was a temporary scene that served as an illusory cloak draped over Lungmen's actual social standings.
Chatters from the crowd rose to the point where it became white noise to their ears. In Megumi's case, he knew he could move through the shadows with his Ten Shadows' capabilities, traversing through it without any difficulty.
Compared to Ryomen Sukuna, he didn't believe his skills in shadow traveling to be as good as his. But that wasn't an excuse for not attempting it.
"Lin," he called out to the mouse lady who was staring at the crowd, "I'll be looking around, don't worry about me." Megumi walked forward, jumping off the small platform they were on and into the crowd.
"Megumi?" Lin raised an eyebrow, taking a step over the ledge to take a look-
-He was completely gone, as if he had completely vanished and blended in with the crowd. Even with his choice of outfit, an expensive Higashinese attire would blend out like a sore thumb compared to the casual attire of the Lungmenites. However...
"Where did he go?" Lin narrowed her eyes, wondering what the black haired man was getting at, 'will this become a pattern?'A worrying thought came to her. It was at times like this where she wondered if Ch'en was losing her mind being with him, knowing how the dragon lady was. 'I haven't forgotten about his miserable state earlier,' both when he walked out of the restaurant and came back like he had been thrown through a building.
Lin could only make assumptions, but those wouldn't be productive at the current moment. Lin turned away from the crowd, knowing she wouldn't be able to catch sight of him with how well blended in he was. Right now, she turned to the idol stage, keeping in mind who was making the performance.
'Penguin Logistics? I've heard they've been clashing with the Blood Hounds,' Lin mused in her mind. Entering a thinking position, she was sure that a small squad of those gang members would be sent to disrupt their idol show. Siracusan gangs don't take blows to their pride lightly after all.
Although Lin didn't know much about these Penguin Logistics people, there was a saying her father used to tell her, 'an enemy of my enemy is my friend.' Besides, she's heard of what they've done for the LGD from her insider informants. The Zalak might as well trust them. 'I'll keep my eyes out, then, I'll most likely also be a target if they spot me.' Glancing around at the buildings, the successor to Lungmen's underworld held a more stern gaze.
Despite having cleared her schedule for the university lecture and to watch over Fushiguro Megumi, she felt as if today was as loaded as any other.
***
His black haori fluttered through the crowd, moving in a way that should get it stuck and caught in the movements of the crowd, but it hadn't. Like a grim reaper moving through, Megumi was cloaked in the shadows, distorting anybody's sight of him.
'Here? No, it's useless to search for anybody through the crowd,' despite memorizing the familiar energy signature of Lappland, he couldn't detect her through the area he was searching.
Moving discreetly, he twisted his body to the side to avoid the movement of civilians. Civilians who, in his opinion, were far too enthusiastic for their own good. Then at the same time, could he blame them? He was the cause for most of their worries anyways with Nue: Totality. Might as well not bother them while he was moving through, they deserved some level of happiness.
In general, people like these didn't deserve to be dragged into whatever activities Sorcerers do. That included the Ten Shadows user himself, and man has he failed miserably.
Aside from his distracting thoughts, Megumi could feel his body tensing when a white blur had passed over the rooftops of one of the buildings. 'She really is here,' but that further caused confusion to well up in him, festering to greater lengths. 'Why does she want me here? Does she have a vendetta against Penguin Logistics? Is it related to Texas? Or does she just want to cause chaos in a crowd?'
By Gojo Satoru's strength, he swore he was going to lose his mind at any moment.
'Keep calm like you always have, approach her and discern her goals,' letting the boiling feeling in his chest cool down to normal temperatures, Megumi changed his approach. He was going to search the lines of buildings that surrounded the street where the idol show was occurring. That white blur couldn't have been a trick of his eyes, and Megumi knew it.
'...Nobody else is here, right?' A sense of unease crept up on him, one reminding him of the times during the Culling Games and Shibuya Incident. '...Something's wrong...' Amongst the crowd of people, he halted his steps and looked down. His vision started to wane into a contemporary lapse, ignoring everything happening around. '...No, it's alright,' he pressed a fist against his chest to get his sense of awareness back.
'I know what I'm doing,' his deep glare dimmed out even the light of the afternoon bearing down upon it.
***
The rooftops surrounding Sora's idol performance had been customized by Penguin Logistics themselves to accommodate more people. Seeing all the empty space, the group had decided to rent space on the empty areas, a strategy to have more people see the show upclose; rather than having to stay in the back. Listening to a music concert from far away would be terrible, after all.
It came with its own slew of problems, yet the benefit far outweighed the cost in their eyes. Right now, a certain two Rhine Lab workers were out spending their day off at the area.
"Whew~, everything has really been a total mess of events, huh?" Muelsyse placed a hand over her forehead and glanced at the idol stage. "Wouldn't you agree, Saria?" The woman kept her gaze upwards, squinting a little bit to avoid the intense glare of the sun.
"Are you sure you should be outside?" Saria crossed her arms, wearing more casual clothes compared to her workplace ones, "it wouldn't do well for your constitution."
"Oh come on, we've already had a whole barrage of events thrown at us," Muelsyse's face turned sulky, "especially with all the news surrounding the Chimera Bird, it's getting so insane lately. Besides, sending a water clone is so much more boring than, you know, actually being here?"
"If you say so," Saria moved to grab a chair after uncrossing her arms, pulling it near the ledge before settling it down. "Although, I don't see the appeal for... these."
"Really? You don't want to see an idol perform for her fans?" Muelsyse gave her a dramatic look.
"...Do you follow her?" Saria asked with a perplexed look, not remembering the Elf ever visiting Lungmen before. Even if she did have a few occasional trips, it wouldn't warrant her becoming a huge fan of a singular idol.
"No," Muelsyse admitted without having to think it over, "I was just curious, everybody's crowding here despite the fears of a Chimera Bird or Shadow Tiger appearing." It was starting to become a new horror story parents were using to make their kids behave, "and everybody's so thrilled too, it's like none of those events happened earlier, right?"
"I can see why," Saria nodded while leaning back on the chair. 'Maybe I should take a short break?' She was going to spend her day off by continuing to work in Rhine Lab or furthering any research to be found on Ifrit's condition, but it seemed Muelsyse was right. To an extent.
They were going to go back to Columbia in about a week, so it didn't matter what more they did over here, all establishments needed for their lab here were in place. So, she could at least spend the few moments they were here sitting back and relaxing-
"Oh, by the way!" Muelsyse poked her head in front of Saria, much to the Vouivre's chagrin. "I've seen Zen'in... or should I say Fushiguro Megumi walking around with that blue haired LGD officer?"
"What...?" Saria opened her eyes and gave her a confused look, "what are you talking about?" She felt as if she were missing many details, especially with the explosion scare that happened a few days ago.
"Well, you know how I've been talking about getting some of my clones to explore Lungmen?" Muelsyse placed her hands on her hips with a happy expression. "I was able to spot Megumi a few times on the streets, can you believe it?"
Saria could feel her brain hurt trying to envision such a thing happening. The black haired man, despite his rather honest mannerisms (even if he looked unfriendly at times), was someone who was being fought over by six different women. That was if she were remembering correctly, and the Head of Defense was extremely good at that.
"I'm just confused as you are," Muelsyse gave off a nonchalant shrug, "I was sure he was going to be detained by the LGD, but I guess he works for them now?"
"That's unlikely, he was a mercenary," unless the LGD was content with hiring mercenaries. Or was he some sort of secret agent that...
Pausing her thoughts, Saria was starting to realize she was veering into the territory of conspiracy theories.
"Well, there's a lot of things that go on in life, can't stress over every little detail," Muelsyse shrugged. "At least he isn't hurt, you know? Somebody as young as him still has a long way to go."
"Right..." Saria knew that he wasn't somebody who held ill intentions, even if he were a bit... troubled, she should say. Even then, the Vouivre didn't know much about... "Fushiguro Megumi? Isn't that a female's name?" It was then a small sense of realization struck her.
"If we're going by Higashinese and Yanese culture, then his first name is Megumi... So yes! He has a female name!" Muelsyse nodded her head in confirmation. "Ah, it's totally unfitting too, he looks so~ scary sometimes," especially when he fired off that explosion that lit up all of Lungmen.
"Speaking of... Megumi," Saria was finding it difficult to call him by that name. Although he gave them a fake name back when he was hired, she didn't fault him much for it. "I'm sure we don't have to worry much about him if he works for the LGD," the woman could breathe a sigh of relief for that. Especially with how the water Elf seemed to be staying up all night by having her clones traverse Lungmen.
"There's also something I'm curious about," Muelsyse replied with a far more thoughtful look, "that explosion he caused, it had some science behind it, right?" The purple spectacle created by Fushiguro Megumi was indeed a vast display of power, but what interested her more was how it was made.
"It was thermobaric in nature," Saria completed it for her, "the dust caused by the electricity from the Chimera Bird tearing the ground and clumping them together were electrically charged in nature..." She took a small breath before continuing, "so when the purple flames made contact with them, the finely grounded dust and faint traces of Originium particles ignited into a gigantic explosion."
"Eh~, you're always so knowledgeable about this stuff, Saria," Muelsyse gave her a wink and a salute of gratitude. "Still, it's amazing how the LGD officers made it out alive, you'd think something like that would put them out of commission."
"That's to be expected," Saria knew that a city needed powerful law enforcement to handle dangerous criminals. Those such as Arts casters who can level buildings like a child stomping their foot at a play house weren't common... but they weren't excruciatingly rare either.
Glancing around, the crowd started to get louder and louder, the flashing of lights on the dark stage drew substance out of it. Confetti of colors on the rainbow were shot into the sky, slowly making their descent and mingling with the large populace below.
Muelsyse turned her attention to it, putting her hands over the raised ledge to take a better look, "they're starting now." A small smile appeared on her face.
Saria hummed in acknowledgement, deciding to lean back and take a breather instead. She wasn't one to participate in actions such as cheering, but taking time to relax was something she found far more appealing. Right after, she was going straight back to work.
...Now that she thought about it, taking a few glances around, there were a lot of Lupos dressed with hats that obscured their faces with shadows. Majority of them were on the rooftops too, their outfits standing out the most compared to other people that looked more... citizens-like.
It was at that very moment the Vouivre's focus sharpened.
***
Ch'en looked at the scene around her, the messy warehouse being organized by LGD officers to find any clues or evidence. Ones that could lead them to get a better lead on the Blood Hounds. As they were right now, they were basically holding onto a leash without a dog attached to it.
"That's the third one today, what are these Blood Hounds doing to multiply themselves so fast?"
The dragon lady turned to her right, seeing Hoshiguma approaching from her right. The green haired woman's shield was splattered with dried blood, as if some painter had drawn on it as their canvas.
Opening her mouth, Ch'en replied, "no rest for the wicked," she quoted a line that came from Laterano's religious texts.
"I didn't take you to be interested in religion, captain," Hoshiguma placed a hand behind her neck and moved it backwards for a stretch. "Or did you just think it sounded cool?"
"...Nevermind," Ch'en looked away.
"No need to be so embarrassed," Hoshiguma didn't sound as if she were making fun of the woman, simply waving off any concerns. "Just been a tiring day, and it's only the afternoon," she glanced out the large opening of the warehouse, caused by a certain somebody going on a rampage. "Say, that Megumi guy, it's strange for you to leave him alone in Lin's care. Even if you did place a tracker on him."
"They wouldn't be foolish enough to try anything stupid," Ch'en replied with a droll tone. That was when she realized what she had said, "...well, I see Megumi doing something stupid." Especially with the amount of troubles he had caused Lungmen in. One. Damn. Week.
"Getting a bit feisty there, captain," Hoshiguma gave Ch'en a discreet look from her location, before turning back. "I'm sure he's an honest kid."
"He's 18 years-old."
"...I'm sure he's an honest barely-adult, even if he has a bit too much power in his hands," Hoshiguma corrected for herself. "But at the very least, he hasn't done anything too stupid, just gotta hope all of these events blow over, huh?"
"Blow over," Ch'en scoffed. Hearing those words just made her imagine Lungmen exploding, a horrifying scene to conceptualize in her head. Right after, she pulled a phone out of her pocket, turning it on and checking the installment feature it had.
"Checking his location?" Hoshiguma placed her shield on the ground, placing her elbows over it to balance her weight. Strands of her hair fell over her face when her head tilted towards the ground.
"Yeah... he's at..." Ch'en narrowed her eyes when she looked at the location, "...Isn't that where the idol concert is happening?" She creased her brows, and looked at it with a squint, 'is he... that type of person?' It was bizarre to imagine the black haired man cheering on an idol within a crowd, with how deadpan he was most of the time. Then again, it would be quite a hilarious sight-
'-Why am I thinking that, focus!'
Hoshiguma watched her friend looking at her phone with a peculiar look, "is that a problem? Everybody has their own interests," she shrugged her shoulders while turning back to the warehouse. The LGD officers were just about done getting everything sorted out, seeing how cleared it was compared to the previous mess.
"That would imply..."
"That Lin is also there?" Hoshiguma interrupted, "well, if Megumi dragged her there, then it'd make sense." Now she was starting to imagine the stone faced Fushiguro Megumi dragging the ever neutral faced Lin there.
"...Change of plans, I guess I could take a short break," Ch'en called out to Hoshiguma, "if you want to come with me, then it's fine, we've already cleared out enough warehouses."
Hoshiguma had to do a double take on what the dragon lady had said. It was unnatural for her to take breaks of all things, but with how she assigned herself to watch over the black haired man, the Oni guessed she could see why. "I'll stay here then," she stopped leaning on her shield, slowly standing back to an upright posture and kicking her objects upwards. When it flew into the air, she swiftly grabbed it by the handle.
The two nodded to each other, before Ch'en moved to depart. For some reason, she had an unnatural feeling welling up in her chest. She wasn't one for superstitions, but with all the connections she was making in her head, it was most likely Megumi was going to encounter the Blood Hounds. It was further affirmed in her mind when she recalled how Penguin Logistics were clashing with those gang members, so it wouldn't be too out of left field if assassins were sent their way.
If Megumi was spotted within the crowd, the man who took Hanshi's life, then there would be no doubt the Blood Hounds would also try to vie for his blood.
With those thoughts, she picked up her speed.
***
Lappland held a lofty expression, her trade-marked smile becoming more defined as she made her way across the rooftops. It was hard to do so with so many people around, but the woman was extremely confident in her stealth. The confidence wasn't misplaced either, as looks weren't being sent her way, even with the low air blowing through the venue from her movements. Then again, with how they were all in an open area, the white haired Lupo wouldn't expect anybody to think much of it.
Distortions in the air made by people was easy to mistake for natural wind, which was far more apparent in those not trained with the dancing steps of battle.
Where was she again? Oh, right, the fiery anticipation welling up and igniting her very spirit, signifying that the instincts of a true apex predator have been provoked. 'Oh, they're both here, aren't they!' The two sights she saw, within the crowd and through the small peek of the back door of the concert stage, Texas and...
...What was his name again? Did she never get it? No, no, she overheard it before, when that pink haired mouse lady talked to him...
'Megumi? Ah, right, a female's name,' although she wasn't well versed in Higashinese, she could find some humor in the words. After all, it sounded and looked feminine, a stark contrast to the actual man's appearances.
It didn't matter to her if he was a woman in disguise, or an actual man, she was definitely going to extract that underlying self of his. The soul surrounded by chains and a plethora of dead bodies weighing it down, she would tear it straight from its eternal prison and invoke what laid beneath.
Her body zoomed across the buildings, hair, tail, and ears being pulled back from the exorbitant pressure and g-forces being put onto her body. For somebody like Lappland who had lived under greater discomfort, something like this was nothing to her.
Right now, she was smelling it, the dirty scent of the Blood Hound pups who were staking out in a medium-sized building nearby. She wasn't going to let them ruin her reunion with Texas, so might as well deal with their largest group first.
For the ones camping on top of the rooftops pretending to be citizens (goodness were they terrible at it), she knew implicitly that Penguin Logistics, but more specifically Texas, would wipe the floor with them.
The building where the scent was the most prominent came into her view when she landed on the tallest building around Sora's stage. It was bland, fitting for a building that would intrinsically inspire no sense of fear or worry from it. Baring her fangs into a smile, Lappland could feel a certain presence following her. But that didn't bother her at all, she wouldn't mind if they came along too.
'Let's have some fun!'
A sonic boom resounded, cut off from the cheering and shouts of the crowd while she fired off like an artillery shell towards the building. The bending and emission of air particles followed along with her path, before she placed a firm grip on the sheathed blades by her side. With a slight intake of air...
They drew.
***
Arturia sat from the sidelines, watching the cheering crowd emitting a great passion, as if they were spilling their hearts to the ground itself. The influence of an idol, a word derived from the meaning of a religious figure that held a great hold over people's vices and virtues. To see it in action, the Sankta woman was finding it to be quite entertaining.
The low wind blew on her face, her hair kicking up and nearly flowing up enough to cover her face. Beside her stood a masked figure with horns sticking out of them, donning a black robe that was decorated with gray patterns.
"Frau Arturia," the envoy of hers spoke up, "while I do believe this would be quite an excellent show to bestow ourselves to, there must be some other reason you have come?" Their hands were held forward in a serene way, a noble way of teaching ingrained with every movement.
"Oh, it was merely on a whim," Arturia crossed her legs from the rooftop ledge she was sitting at, pressing her elbow against the upper section of her knees. Her chin rested on her palm, watching with vested interest on the 'shadow' that had moved across the crowd. "Besides, it seems my wishes have been answered."
"If you say so," the envoy nodded their head, the fabric of their cloak flowing along naturally with their movements. "Then I shall watch on with great enthusiasm along with you," raising their head once more, they crossed their palms over themselves at their waist. "These... 'idol concerts' are quite reminiscent of the Leithanien concerts held... though it pales in comparison to the Güldenesgesatz movement."
"Doesn't everything pale in comparison to such a thing?" Arturia curiously asked out, keeping her eye trained on a certain Ten Shadows user. "The Güldenesgesatz is without a doubt, the greatest musical movement in all of Terra, so there's no need to compare one idol's performance to it."
"Hm, perhaps I am viewing it through too critical of a lens," the envoy placed a hand under their chin, "it's best if we simply enjoy it." They entered back into a resting position, as calmly as a feathered bird gliding through the wind.
"Indeed," Arturia smiled, letting her ears enjoy the music that was being played. Although modern in nature, it held some barely perceptible inspirations from music of the olden ages, the more classical kinds. The hints she felt from it would be hard for any musician to notice, but one as trained as her found it child's play to pick out.
A small irresistible urge, like the motor function of a human forcing themselves to naturally breathe, came to her. She wished to bring out her instrument and play in tandem with the pervading and loud music. Arturia could see the intangible music notes flowing in the air from the speakers, the word of the idol playing an extravagant tune in the form of boisterousness.
Oh, but the chaos it would cause, wasn't it such a shame she couldn't let all who stood to witness this scene bleed their hearts out? The truest passion of those self-suppressing masses wouldn't come out today.
A small disappointment, but the Sankta woman knew her limits, especially with the envoy standing beside her.
While her vision was locked onto the summoner of the Chimera Bird, the man had disappeared completely into the shadows, melting into his natural habitat.
'Hm? It seems that he is headed off elsewhere, I wonder...' Her other hand moved to interlock fingers with the one resting on her palm, her chin now placed upon them. '...Ah, now is not the time, we will meet soon anyways.'
Seeing the amount of Lupos scattered across the rooftops, Arturia couldn't help but immediately understand what they were up to. Their acts weren't the greatest after all, 'will you be the hero to bring light to the day, or the villain who will wrought the shadows upon this land once more?'
It was truly entertaining.
***
CRASH!
The shattering of glass, the particles of finely dusted and shimmering reflection of lights glinted in the eyes of the residents. The instinctual and primal screaming of their minds begged all the wolves to run away, off to the edge of the world if they have to.
All bodies present felt their fight or flight responses kicking up a ruckus within. However, none of them could answer to it, the third made itself known.
Freeze.
They couldn't move their bodies, the fear akin to a thousand corpses being dropped right in front of their body was far too great. Under the presence that dictated their life and death, there was no way they could escape from it.
"Aw~, aren't you all just a boring bunch?" The callous voice of a white haired Lupo rang out across the room. Plasters of discreet decorations laid about, from chairs to tables, disguising itself under a cloak of pretentiousness. It looked expensive on the outside, but their vanity of falsifiability showed itself under the creasing dimness of Lappland Saluzzo.
"Fuck!" A voice of a gang member rang out, reaching into their trenchcoat to reach over any weapon they could find. They fumbled in their movements for a split second, but that was all that was needed for a glint of streaking white to rip across the room.
SHING
Within a breath's notice, the hand was cut cleanly in half, no movement detected from the woman who had only decided to just stand up. Splatters of blood followed the arc created by the blade, before a low thump was heard.
"Heh, none of you are even worth our effort," Lappland glanced from behind her, the sound of rattling chains being spun echoed from outside the room, "you finally came, huh?" The sun blared through the window, casting her shadow throughout the entire room. "Well, a promise is a promise," upon her face came the deathly smile of an unbending will.
.
.
.
.
.
Over the horizon's peak of the sun, Fushiguro Megumi, Head of the Zen'in Clan meets the gaze of Lappland Saluzzo, the Exiled Daughter of the Saluzzo Famiglia. Casting aside their masks, they shall abandon all pretenses, and finally, lay upon their greatest curse.
***
A/N: Does this writing style seem too much like a yap-fest? It was co-written by one of my friends, and edited by me. Tell me what you think of it, if you like it, I'm confident I can replicate it. The both of us have the same AP Literature teacher, after all.
Once again, wrote nearly 9k words, please point out any sentences that don't make sense in their structure.