07-06-2016, 01:05 PM
(This post was last modified: 07-06-2016, 01:07 PM by Kenpachi Zaraki.)
The feline and the sniper progressed through the increasingly dense wood, she keeping her firearm tucked ready by her side as he continued his search of the vicinity. Red had lost track of precisely how long they had been walking since leaving the waterfront, though if time in the Danteverse worked anything like it did in the Omniverse at large, it likely didn’t really matter. What did, though, was finding surviving and somehow putting together the puzzle that had brought them together in the first place.
“I have no idea what this is,” Christa muttered thoughtfully, her enunciation somewhat hampered by the rolled tobacco she kept between her lips. Red watched the cancer stick bob unsteadily as she spoke, threatening to fall to the earth, though it never did. She had been slowly depositing the smokes in their wake as they walked, leaving ‘breadcrumbs’ as she called them, though Red didn’t understand the significance of the word. “It doesn’t seem to do...anything,” she said, mild irritation evident in her tone. She slapped the tablet sharply, as one might punish a bratty child.
The burgundy beast remained silent, splitting his attention half between surveying the area for threats or comrades and half on Christa herself. He was having precisely no luck in the former, only able to pick up the scent of the occasional small mammal and of the veritable kaleidoscope of plant life. Instead, he had taken to sizing up his companion, noting her relaxed gait and distracted expression. Her apparent trust for the feline was a far cry from their first encounter; though he had a feeling having a gun aimed at him would be a standard greeting, he didn’t fear her. Had she truly wanted to do him harm, letting the colossus pummel him would have been the easiest way to do so. Whether she realized it or not, her actions on the beach had convinced Nanaki of her character in a way words could not.
“Any ideas?” the blonde gunslinger inquired, turning her gaze to point her intact cigarette down at him. He wasn’t entirely “up on” human culture, but he was pretty sure that cigarettes were normally lit.
“I’m not the one to ask about technology,” he responded, turning his head at an awkward angle to allow his good eye to inspect the contraption. From his perspective his keen optic could spot a tiny circular protrusion on the side. “Maybe that bit sticking out the side?”
The woman turned the device over, running her pointer finger over the widget. “Seems like a...knob maybe?” Her fingers found their grip, a tiny click sound audible as she turned the dial. A few uneventful seconds passed between her and the device before she let out an exasperated sigh, dropping the tablet into her pocket. “Fuck it, I’ll figure it out later.”
The crimson Prime smirked, turning his attention back to his surveying duty. In a way, traveling with Christa was relaxing. Her gruff demeanor and her cigarette habit- though unorthodox- reminded him very much of the fair-haired, chain-smoking, airship pilot Cid Highwind. He, much like his current companion could be quite rough around the edges, but was faultlessly loyal; a characteristic he understood and respected. Whether or not she shared this with his old friend remained to be seen.
“So,” she began, wiping a moist lock of hair from her brow. The farther they went into the forest, the thicker the mist became. “Why’d you come?”
Red exhaled sharply at her words, casting his memory back to recall why he had begun this expedition. He remembered his past conversations with Karl Jak since arriving, the sleazy executive producer’s snide remarks being wholly unhelpful. The feline hadn’t seen Jak since he had left to follow Christa, but he could still smell faint whiffs of his pungent cologne. He thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully before speaking. “I’m looking for a friend.”
The sniper stopped short, looking down at her feline comrade for a few seconds before returning her attention to their trek. “Ah.”
“He’s been missing for a long time. The last place he was seen was here,” the burgundy beast explained. Whatever happened on the island, and despite the showrunner’s non-answers, he could not give up hope on finding Vincent. In his darkest times, the pale man had been nothing if not a pillar of support, promising to meet with the feline frequently throughout each other’s supernaturally long lives. Perhaps if he were to return Karl- assuming he wasn’t in on the whole thing- safely to his home, he could squeeze the needed information from his constantly smirking lips. “It’s the only lead I have,” he finished quietly.
The sniper nodded, pulling another cigarette from the carton and depositing on the ground as they walked. She kept ownership of the one cradled between her lips, despite the fact that it had long since begun to deteriorate. “Must be a good friend,” she said.
Nanaki thought for a moment. “He is,” he responded, “he and I have a similar...history. Suffice it to say, we’ve both been through the same…” he paused, mentally struggling with how best to explain his past. “Well, to put it simply he knows better than anyone the pain I’ve been through. In a strange way, you could say that we’re brothers. We’ll both be around for a very long time, outliving our other friends; he knew this, so he’d promised to keep in contact.” The feline glanced up at his companion, “My apologies if that was confusing. I just...can’t relax knowing he could be in danger, and jumping through Karl’s hoops is the only way to get answers.”
“I understand,” Christa replied, nodding knowingly. “I guess you could say that I’m in this for a similar reason. Someone I care for is in harm’s way and I need to get them back. And then there’s him…”
“Hmm?”
“Someone from the plane,” she responded almost too quickly, as if to brush away a painful thought. “He’s out here,” she said finally, nodding. “We’ll find him and your friend, if he’s here, Red.”
“My birth name is Nanaki,” the fiery feline said without meeting her gaze. “Not that it matters, but as Karl Jak let slip your surname, I feel it’s fair.”
“Nanaki,” she said, pondering the name. “So should I call you that?”
The crimson Prime shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me, call me whatever is comfortable for you. In my culture, a name is simply that. We define ourselves by our actions more so than our titles. My father taught me that...when he passed.”
She nodded silently, letting the distant sounds of wildlife provide her response. Though the island was anything but welcoming, friendship provided a measure of comfort. As each considered the other’s plight, an audible ping drew their attention to the sniper’s pocket.
The blonde quickly plunged her hand into her pocket. “It’s beeping,” she said, pulling it free. She frowned, gazing down at the strange piece of technology. “And...blinking?”
“I have no idea what this is,” Christa muttered thoughtfully, her enunciation somewhat hampered by the rolled tobacco she kept between her lips. Red watched the cancer stick bob unsteadily as she spoke, threatening to fall to the earth, though it never did. She had been slowly depositing the smokes in their wake as they walked, leaving ‘breadcrumbs’ as she called them, though Red didn’t understand the significance of the word. “It doesn’t seem to do...anything,” she said, mild irritation evident in her tone. She slapped the tablet sharply, as one might punish a bratty child.
The burgundy beast remained silent, splitting his attention half between surveying the area for threats or comrades and half on Christa herself. He was having precisely no luck in the former, only able to pick up the scent of the occasional small mammal and of the veritable kaleidoscope of plant life. Instead, he had taken to sizing up his companion, noting her relaxed gait and distracted expression. Her apparent trust for the feline was a far cry from their first encounter; though he had a feeling having a gun aimed at him would be a standard greeting, he didn’t fear her. Had she truly wanted to do him harm, letting the colossus pummel him would have been the easiest way to do so. Whether she realized it or not, her actions on the beach had convinced Nanaki of her character in a way words could not.
“Any ideas?” the blonde gunslinger inquired, turning her gaze to point her intact cigarette down at him. He wasn’t entirely “up on” human culture, but he was pretty sure that cigarettes were normally lit.
“I’m not the one to ask about technology,” he responded, turning his head at an awkward angle to allow his good eye to inspect the contraption. From his perspective his keen optic could spot a tiny circular protrusion on the side. “Maybe that bit sticking out the side?”
The woman turned the device over, running her pointer finger over the widget. “Seems like a...knob maybe?” Her fingers found their grip, a tiny click sound audible as she turned the dial. A few uneventful seconds passed between her and the device before she let out an exasperated sigh, dropping the tablet into her pocket. “Fuck it, I’ll figure it out later.”
The crimson Prime smirked, turning his attention back to his surveying duty. In a way, traveling with Christa was relaxing. Her gruff demeanor and her cigarette habit- though unorthodox- reminded him very much of the fair-haired, chain-smoking, airship pilot Cid Highwind. He, much like his current companion could be quite rough around the edges, but was faultlessly loyal; a characteristic he understood and respected. Whether or not she shared this with his old friend remained to be seen.
“So,” she began, wiping a moist lock of hair from her brow. The farther they went into the forest, the thicker the mist became. “Why’d you come?”
Red exhaled sharply at her words, casting his memory back to recall why he had begun this expedition. He remembered his past conversations with Karl Jak since arriving, the sleazy executive producer’s snide remarks being wholly unhelpful. The feline hadn’t seen Jak since he had left to follow Christa, but he could still smell faint whiffs of his pungent cologne. He thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully before speaking. “I’m looking for a friend.”
The sniper stopped short, looking down at her feline comrade for a few seconds before returning her attention to their trek. “Ah.”
“He’s been missing for a long time. The last place he was seen was here,” the burgundy beast explained. Whatever happened on the island, and despite the showrunner’s non-answers, he could not give up hope on finding Vincent. In his darkest times, the pale man had been nothing if not a pillar of support, promising to meet with the feline frequently throughout each other’s supernaturally long lives. Perhaps if he were to return Karl- assuming he wasn’t in on the whole thing- safely to his home, he could squeeze the needed information from his constantly smirking lips. “It’s the only lead I have,” he finished quietly.
The sniper nodded, pulling another cigarette from the carton and depositing on the ground as they walked. She kept ownership of the one cradled between her lips, despite the fact that it had long since begun to deteriorate. “Must be a good friend,” she said.
Nanaki thought for a moment. “He is,” he responded, “he and I have a similar...history. Suffice it to say, we’ve both been through the same…” he paused, mentally struggling with how best to explain his past. “Well, to put it simply he knows better than anyone the pain I’ve been through. In a strange way, you could say that we’re brothers. We’ll both be around for a very long time, outliving our other friends; he knew this, so he’d promised to keep in contact.” The feline glanced up at his companion, “My apologies if that was confusing. I just...can’t relax knowing he could be in danger, and jumping through Karl’s hoops is the only way to get answers.”
“I understand,” Christa replied, nodding knowingly. “I guess you could say that I’m in this for a similar reason. Someone I care for is in harm’s way and I need to get them back. And then there’s him…”
“Hmm?”
“Someone from the plane,” she responded almost too quickly, as if to brush away a painful thought. “He’s out here,” she said finally, nodding. “We’ll find him and your friend, if he’s here, Red.”
“My birth name is Nanaki,” the fiery feline said without meeting her gaze. “Not that it matters, but as Karl Jak let slip your surname, I feel it’s fair.”
“Nanaki,” she said, pondering the name. “So should I call you that?”
The crimson Prime shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me, call me whatever is comfortable for you. In my culture, a name is simply that. We define ourselves by our actions more so than our titles. My father taught me that...when he passed.”
She nodded silently, letting the distant sounds of wildlife provide her response. Though the island was anything but welcoming, friendship provided a measure of comfort. As each considered the other’s plight, an audible ping drew their attention to the sniper’s pocket.
The blonde quickly plunged her hand into her pocket. “It’s beeping,” she said, pulling it free. She frowned, gazing down at the strange piece of technology. “And...blinking?”
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