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Post by mugenginga on Jul 17, 2010 8:20:06 GMT -5
Yuugi looked embarassed as Ryoji told him to use his first name. He didn't run around using the first names of a lot of people. Both Souji and Minato had to specifically request it. He nodded and gave a smile.
"Sorry, Ryoji-kun..."
Ryoji rolled his eyes and threw his weight forward as Minato answered the question. He was trying not to show it for fear of worrying Minato more, but he was a bit worried too. If he had the facts right, Souji had assaulted Adachi. But for now they could head back. He let out a sigh as the thought about that. The afternoon and any chances there of was probably now shot. He stood up and made sure he was stable before holding his hand out to Minato.
Honda frowned and looked towards Yuugi. He had waited until the short teenager was focused on Minato and Ryoji before doing so. All he could figure out at this point was that Yuugi had been through hell. A thought occurred to him and he considered not saying anything. The only that that prevented it was how Yuugi might react if he realized he'd forgotten.
"Weren't you here to check on Bakura...?"
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Teddie frowned and looked away at Takahashi's words. It wasn't that he was angry, but he felt bad. He was kind of acting a jerk lately, wasn't he? He jerked a bit in surprise as the voice came up. The woman shook her head and walked around them, walking towards one of the "cupboards". She looked at something scribbled on the front and put her hand on it for a moment. She paused without opening it and looked back towards the trio.
"So did you folks want him gone before you checked the body...? We're gonna have to report that glitch, its supposed to read the vital signs on anything that steps in. Including robots and undead..."
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Shikome had no problem returning the glare. Demons could be as immortal as gods, and she had direct memory of chasing after him in Yomi. She looked away from him, her aura making it clear she had no intentinos of listening further, when she heard the groan. She jerked her focus back in surprise as Izanagi stated his comment. She feared what would happen to the teenager if left alone. She did not approve of Izanami's attention towards what she had to know was a shell, but speaking out was not her place. She hesitated for a moment before returning to a glare and shaking her head.
"I was informed to check upon Souji by my mistress. I do not feel satisfied with his condition and I shall not leave. You may give me no orders, and I suspect it is not withing your power in this shell to force my dismissal."
(OOC: And I've decided she is speaking in very formal/polite Japanese, despite her hatred of Izanagi. An Okami is an Okami, whether you hate his guts or not. XD)
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 17, 2010 16:08:47 GMT -5
Minato looked toward Honda with a confused look on his face as he mentioned Bakura. Minato then looked toward Yuugi. If he remembered right, Anpu had run off from the hospital some time before the Fall, right? Then again, Minato hadn't been really talking to the others during that time. He'd been so depressed because of the Fall then...
"Bakura? I thought he wasn't here at the hospital anymore?" Minato asked.
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Takahashi frowned It would be problematic if the blond freaked when he saw the body. Takahashi was also now having his suspicions the kid wasn't exactly normal, and that wasn't counting his odd cosplay habits. If he was something the teleporter had glitched over, it was probably something that didn't even count as alive...
"Bah, that's why teleporters suck. Too glitchy for me. You should put in some stairs for those of us who don't want to use that thing," Takahashi growled. He looked toward Teddie.
"Hey, your friend with the weird spiky three colored hair was in the lobby. If you hurry you might catch him before he leaves."
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"Hmph," Izanagi growled. That was a likely story. Shikome didn't trust him, and he didn't trust her.
Souji slowly sat up and looked around. It looked like he was in the hospital. The stitches on his left arm sure indicated that. He gave a small chuckle. They hadn't even restrained him or anything, which was surprising. That one cop seemed to think he was insane. Just by her behavior toward him she'd seemed to think he was going to flip.
A sudden chill moved through Souji's body. He felt afraid for some reason... There was the feeling that someone was watching him, but there was something else there, something he couldn't put his finger on.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 17, 2010 16:29:25 GMT -5
Ryoji had looked towards Honda as he mentioned Bakura to Yuugi. His hand was still extended, and the teenager had enough to sense to brace himself as he turned. Minato wouldn't be pulling him down on top of him if he took the hand. Yuugi's expression shifted from one of almost relax to worry. He glanced at Minato and shook his head.
"Adachi-san had the Ring, and I had given it to Malik before. If Izanagi got it when Malik or Anpu had it..." Yuugi shook his head.
"Are you here to bother me about that Seta again?" frowned the receptionist.
"N-no... I wanted to see if either of my friends showed up here. They've been missing for a while, and I heard a bunch of things that made me concerned..."
The man frowned, "I can check on their descriptions. Names would help too, they might have been wearing wallets."
"Ishtar Malik, teenager, Egyptian. Would have had massive scarring on his back that looked like writing and images. Bakura Ryou, Japanese. Long white hair, pale skin," Honda had stepped forward at Yuugi's obvious discomfort. He seemed annoyed still. Yuugi looked surprised at how he had interfered.
After a few moments of typing the man shook his head, "No one fitting that name or description has shown up."
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The woman frowned, "I'll have you know they have never glitched once before. It is likely something involving your friend, not our systems!"
Teddie had looked towards Takahashi as he gave a blatent attempt to get rid of him. Blatent enough even Teddie could see it. The officer might have gotten an ear full had the woman not insulted him too. Teddie scowled. He wished he could fight back, but if the system was designed in the way she had said it could have been him. He told himself there were things more important than his dislike of Izanami and nodded.
"I-I'll go check on him then..." he sulked off.
Izanami watched him go. She turned back towards the woman. The whole time she had seemed fairly worried. She had put up the illusion of Sayuri again, and the night and day difference was a bit creepy. From a rather arrogant goddess to a worried young woman who seemed to know her "place" as it were. The woman shook her head and pulled a digital key from around her neck, unlocking the cabinet she was in front of and pulling it open.
"Oh god, Mana!"
Izanami then proceeded to turn around and bury her head in Takahashi's chest. There were actual tears, his shirt would be getting wet from them. On the table, paler than a sheet and covered only by a white cloth was the body of the one who had been known as Mana Tadoru. As for Sayuri, she showed no signs of getting off Takahashi.
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Shikome didn't move an inch. She didn't remove her gaze from Souji. That chuckle was of the sort humans gave when they were breaking. It was at that chuckle she glared at Izanagi. Was he trying to destroy his avatar simply because Izanami had attached herself to it? The only word she could think to use to describe that infantile behavior was human.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 17, 2010 17:28:43 GMT -5
Minato took Ryoji's hand and was pulled to his feet as Yuugi made his inquiry to the receptionist. He frowned as the receptionist stated that no one fitting their descriptions had shown up at the hospital. The reason Yuugi was here was because he obviously thought Malik and Bakura were at the very least injured because of what happened. On that note, when had Malik shown up on the island? Minato hadn't heard about that.
"If he's not here... then where is he?" Minato asked. The only thing he could think of was either of them possibly being dead... Considering Izanagi, that seemed very likely.
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Takahashi sighed as the cabinet was pulled open. That was definitely that shrine maiden. Looked almost the exact same as she did back during that one visit to inspect the shrine for the festival. He didn't object as Sayuri buried her head in his chest. Izanami was playing the part of the girl called Sayuri Shin right now.
"I'm sorry for your loss," Takahashi said to Sayuri. He looked toward the woman and motioned to her to lock the cabinet back up again. He'd need to head back to the station soon and inform them that the body was indeed Mana Tadoru's.
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Izanagi only smirked at Souji's chuckle. He really was broken. No wonder he hadn't let anyone die during the murders. The feeling of guilt just from one more death would have been enough to break him for good. Not only that, but there was a terrified expression on Souji's face. An instinctual reaction to the Shikome, perhaps? Or just more proof of his broken mind?
Souji looked down at the sheets. He clenched it in his hands and continued to chuckle. Maybe he really was insane. He'd nearly killed Adachi, broken into tears over Izanami's death, and now he thought he was being watched. Maybe he'd even hallucinated Izanagi making him try to kill himself too. He didn't know.
Izanagi looked toward Shikome. No words, but he still had that smirk on his face as he did so.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 17, 2010 17:45:28 GMT -5
Yuugi looked very worried. What were the odds that they hadn't been injured? He closed his eyes and tried to compose himself. Maybe Atem would come up empty as well. Malik and Anpu weren't defenseless. He didn't like them, but they weren't defenseless. He looked towards Minato and shook his head as he asked the question.
"I-I don't know... Atem is checking other options..."
"Malik wouldn't get himself killed easily and this Anpu guy is sounding more and more like Dark Bakura to me. I'm sure everything is fine," Honda stated, "Come on, let's go to wherever you're staying."
Yuugi nodded. They needed some kind of confirmation, though. If he could be sure Bakura wasn't in the Ring, there was a chance the Puzzle could be used to find him. But he couldn't think of... he paused. Wait, could that be used that way?
"I just remembered! The Millenium Eye can be used to Mind Scan! The Items all recognize Atem as their real owner, so maybe we can use it to find out whose in the Ring!"
It would be a start, at least...
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The woman gave a sympathetic look and did as instructed. Giving the resemblance, it was likely the two were closely related. Possibly sisters. She put the key back around her neck and walked over, putting her hand on Sayuri's shoulder. There wasn't much indication that the miko felt it.
"You're free to stay here to compose yourself, but the lobby is much nicer..."
Sayuri lifted her head and looked embarassed. She scooted to the side to avoid ramming into the woman and shook her head. She lifted her hands to conceal her face a bit, wiping with the edges of her sleeves as well.
"I-I'm sorry... I shouldn't break down like this in public..."
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"Do you care that little for your shell?"
Why had Izanami attached herself to this? There had to be sides to him she hadn't seen. The resemblance to one of Izanagi's most common forms (the other tending to be very stereotypically Japanese looking) couldn't be all of it. There had to be something she wasn't seeing. She was not pleased about the shell, but she held her mistress' happiness first. And if Izanagi broke this Souji...
The demon looked around until. There were no surveillance videos she could see. She moved towards Souji, aware that Izanagi would need to actually use him to do much. She frowned for a moment before giving a deep bow. It was of the sort to mean reverence, not a simple act of politeness. She wasn't pleased with this, but if he was the one Izanami had chosen... she allowed herself to appear.
"Please settle yourself, Seta Souji. My mistress would not be happy for your face."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 17, 2010 18:31:11 GMT -5
Minato's eyes widened. That would work, wouldn't it? Apparently Atem had most of the Millennium Items now because they had showed up with just about everyone when they appeared on the Island, and Atem could use them all. They could easily use the Millennium Eye to figure out where Malik and Anpu were.
"Let's find Atem and get him to do that, then," Minato said. "Think we could use it to find Malik too?"
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Takahashi only continued to give Sayuri a sympathetic look as she apologized. He was the next put a hand on Sayuri's shoulder.
"Your cousin who was practically your sister just died. I'd be surprised if you didn't break down," Takahashi growled. He patted her shoulder. "Come on, let's head back out to the lobby."
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Izanagi didn't respond to the Shikome as she asked her question. He had been trying to get rid of Souji for a while. He had tried coexisting with him, and that didn't work because the stupid shell couldn't control his temper. He'd finally just given up and tried to kill him, and even that didn't work. He'd liked him better when he was just an emotionless jerk who tended to push others away. Everything that had happened in Inaba had changed Souji for the worse, and now Izanagi was having to deal with the consequences of that. At least Souji was getting to that point where he'd have a hard time existing as a person without Izanagi's influence, though knowing that stupid Shadow he'd probably somehow still stubbornly hang on.
Souji stopped chuckling the moment he heard the Shikome's voice. He looked up, his eyes widened, and he jumped back as he saw who was standing there, and-- was that a bow?! Was she bowing to him?! He scanned his memories. This thing was familiar, he knew it from somewhere... A Persona! That was it, it was a Persona he'd used once... wait, mistress?
"Wait a minute, did Izanami send you?" Souji asked in as calm of a voice as he could muster. It was still shaking a bit. Well, that certainly explained that unexplainable fear and the feeling of being watched...
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 17, 2010 20:20:23 GMT -5
Yuugi frowned and looked away as Minato asked his question. No, no they couldn't. The Millenium Eye would be useless for that, and the Pendant wouldn't be of any help. Yuugi didn't hate Malik any more, but the feelings were neutral. Perhaps a friendship could have formed had Atem not... Yuugi shook his head.
"No, the Eye doesn't work like that. Ah, it can read minds and seal people inside things, but it can't find people," Yuugi didn't go into detail on the Pendant. Was it his fault that they wouldn't be able to use it to look for Malik? "He's probably back at the Apartments by now."
"I've seen Duels take longer than this," Honda said. He had a bit of a silly expression on his face. He walked past Yuugi and pointed towards a set of doors, "They told me we could leave via there. We headed out or not?"
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Sayuri hiccupped as Takahashi put a hand on her shoulder. She didn't look convinced, but she gave him a nod. She was avoiding looking in his eyes. The woman from before gave a final sympathetic look before turning around. Sayuri walked towards the doors to leave the area.
The lady shook her head. She had a corpse to ID from earlier. The gender was the only thing clear, the damn woman looked like she'd had her face burned off. The staff member sighed and walked over to get some gloves. It was cases like the recent ones that made her hate this job...
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Shikome straightened a bit, but there was still a specific posture. That reference was still there, as if she were treating Souji as above her. She gave a slight nod in response to Souji's question.
"I was informed by my mistress to observe your condition. I am known as Yomotsu-Shikome and I serve directly under Lady Izanami. It is my honor to make your aquaintance. I apologize if I have worried you in some manner and shall endeavor to repair any problems if I have the means to do so."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 17, 2010 21:01:09 GMT -5
"I see," Minato said. Damn. It would have been nice if the Eye or the Pendant could do that, but it seemed that wasn't the case. Bakura could possibly be easy to find with the help of the Items, but they'd have to search around town to find Malik. They could probably put out a missing person's report for him too, though Minato had a feeling Atem had already done that.
He gave a tired chuckle as Honda made his joke. "Yeah, let's go." He started walking toward the double doors Honda had indicated. He really felt really tired... sore too. He was going to be feeling that sprint for a while. He had a feeling Ryoji was going to be feeling it for even longer. This was why you didn't overexert yourself.
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Takahashi gave another sigh and followed after Sayuri. It was only once they were outside the morgue that he spoke.
"Unless you need me for anything else, I'm going to leave now. Everyone's overworked because of the torture murders and it's likely what happened to Mana's going to cause all of those superstitious guys at the station to start freaking about curses and stuff." Takahashi conveniently left out the part about him being included in that superstitious group. No need to tell the goddess about him believing in those kind of curses after what happened back in Hinamizawa and Okinomiya.
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Souji felt a little embarrassed by the formal tone Shikome was using with him. He was well aware that it was likely related to Izanami's love toward him and his position as Izanagi's avatar. He looked down at the bed for a moment before he spoke.
"Unless it's something that will keep me from being arrested the moment that officer finds out I'm awake, you don't really need to do anything," Souji said. "...How's Izanami? Is... is she okay? Where is she?"
Izanagi scowled. Damn avatar was concerned for that bitch Izanami. If he wasn't careful he was going to end up accidentally returning Izanami's feelings, encouraging her even more. Or even worse, he'd fall for her too, which would just infuriate Izanagi further.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 17, 2010 21:15:31 GMT -5
Ryoji's legs were already feeling stiff, as a matter of fact. The fifteen or so minutes they had spent in the lobby had helped, but there was a definite feeling that tomorrow was going to be hell. He headed after Minato, and Yuugi and Honda were following when Teddie turned a corner and bumped into Honda. Honda jerked back a bit and looked at Teddie, who had somehow managed to hit the floor and was rubbing his nose.
"Jeez, are you okay!?" Honda exclaimed. He was kind of just standing there.
"Teddie-kun!?" Yuugi ran past Honda and held out his hand to the blond.
"Yuugi-kun...? Oh wow, you really are still here! I'm bear-y glad! I've been dealing with Izanami and I'm worried about Sensei and-"
Yuugi winced a bit at the pun, but shook his head, "They won't let us see Souji-kun. How long have you been here?"
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"If it will keep a level of respect towards the Shrine, a dose of fear is good for mortals," Izanami had dropped the facade within seconds of leaving the morgue. She narrowed her eyes, "And while I am not one to run around inflicting curses, keep in mind Souji's wellbeing is a current priority of mine. That Shrine is mine, after all. I suspect you understand my meaning?"
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"My mistress is well. She has spent twenty years within another world allowing her current avatar to mature, returning as soon as she was able. I do not know her full feelings in regards to the situation, but I do know she would not keep such a goal for those years for just anyone. It is likely she worries about you, Seta-sama."
Shikome was ignoring Izanagi. If Izanami chose to treat the god and his shell seperately, she would respect the distinction. The attitude difference was becoming glaringly obvious as time passed. However, his depression had her concerned. She didn't want to leave him, in particular with one who may try to kill his shell again.
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 17, 2010 21:49:00 GMT -5
Minato hadn't even seen Teddie until the bear turned a corner and ran into Honda. Minato blinked at the blond. So Teddie really was here? Minato gave an even greater wince than Yuugi did at Teddie's pun. That bear was worse than Ikutsuki, especially in the sense that both of them genuinely found themselves funny.
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"If he gets arrested, I'm not going to be able to keep him out of jail, Izanami-sama," Takahashi growled. "The guys at the station already think I'm going insane after that damn Lucius kid convinced them so. Whatever testimony I give to help that kid probably isn't going to be regarded very highly."
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Souji winced as Shikome called him Seta-sama. That was the title he'd dreaded to hear for a very long time. He didn't want nor deserve the kind of respect that honorific gave. He'd actually looked depressed over the mention of Izanami's new avatar. So someone else had gone through the same hell he was right now... just for him. Dammit.
"She shouldn't worry so much... I'm going to be just fine," Souji said. His tone said he felt the exact opposite, though.
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 17, 2010 21:59:21 GMT -5
Teddie blinked as Yuugi cut him off. Honda had stepped back. He had an eye on the situation, but it wasn't obvious. The current group was lacking the most observant members of their team, so it was likely it would be missed.
"I'm not sure... I know I went through the teleport thing and it dropped me off in this place with silver walls and cupboards. Some lady in a lab coat came in..." Teddie paused, "Why won't they let us see Sensei?"
Yuugi frowned, "I think he's in trouble for attacking Adachi-san. I'm pretty sure they won't let us in, Honda-kun tried and..."
Teddie blinked, "Honda-kun?"
"Yo, Honda Hiroto," Honda said, lifting an arm.
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Izanami frowned at Takahashi's words. So they didn't trust him? Then he was useless. She crossed her arms and glared at him. Some kid named Lucius had made him not trusted?
"Lucius being...?" her voice bordered on a growl as well. No, she couldn't accept some normal kid had ruined the trust of an officer.
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"That may very well be the case, Seta-sama. However, my instructions were to check on you and confirm your wellbeing. I am not convinced of such yet," Shikome very purposely allowed herself to glance at Izanagi's presence to the side, "I hope I am not an inconvenience if I stay and observe."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 17, 2010 22:23:56 GMT -5
Minato raised an eyebrow at Teddie's explanation. It dumped him in... the records room or something like that? Why would the teleporter drop Teddie off next to a bunch of filing cabinets?
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Takahashi actually looked incredibly angry as he spoke. There was clearly a grudge regarding Lucius there even before he spoke.
"He's this kid I found in that 'TV World' Adachi pushed me into. He saved my ass a couple times, and after that Teddie kid bailed me out and Adachi disappeared from work for a couple days, he showed back up at the police station and basically told a buncha lies about me that made Yamada think I had Hinamizawa Syndrome," Takahashi growled. "Oh, and he attacked this kid I saw at the hotel today and basically blew a bunch of crap up, so I've got a feeling he's either got a lot of explosives, which I doubt, or he's not human."
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Souji winced again as Shikome called him Seta-sama. He looked toward where Shikome glanced. There wasn't anyone there... Meaning that a very particular person was there. Izanagi. Izanagi had been observing that whole time after all.
"It's alright if you stay, but could you please stop calling me Seta-sama?"
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 17, 2010 22:36:48 GMT -5
Teddie looked towards Honda. He gave a grin traced with worry and lifted a hand up to return the wave. He looked back at Yuugi.
"I don't want to go until I know Sensei is going to be okay!"
"You've gotta trust him, Teddie-kun," Yuugi offered with a smile.
"I trust him just fine! I'm just worried! Why does everyone say I don't trust him? I trust that he didn't try to kill himself! I'm worried about what Izanami might do to him!" Teddie looked down, "And... and... It's my fault Mana got killed and Souji is like this..."
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Izanami jerked her head up, "Are you informing me he was wandering in the TV World? He 'blew a bunch of crap up' and was wandering the TV World?"
Demons and gods. Simply wandering in the TV World in such a manner was something only doable by demons and gods. Even Adachi had only done it as a result of Ameno-Sagiri. So this Lucius simply had to be a demon or a god, and one with a grudge of some sort against Takahashi...
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Shikome looked away and frowned. She had no problem calling Souji as nothing more than a shell, but Izanami held him higher. If he refused to be called in such a manner, she would have to come up with something else. She didn't want to insult him, Izanami sometimes had a temper. She looked towards Souji and gave another deep bow.
"Then by your leave. If I am not allowed to refer to you by such a title, how would you wish I call you? I feel it would be crass to omit the honorifics entirely."
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Post by Firebreath Fishslap on Jul 18, 2010 2:24:31 GMT -5
Minato frowned as Teddie went on. Why did Teddie think people didn't think he trusted Souji? The bear was admittedly a bit simple at times, but this didn't seem like some kind of misunderstanding. Besides, Teddie practically worshipped the ground Souji walked. He switched to looking concerned as Teddie put all of the blame on himself, though.
"Teddie, why do you think that?" Minato asked, taking a careful step forward as he did so.
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Takahashi nodded. "Yeah. He had one of those Persona things, too, though I didn't get a good look at it. But even with that Persona thingy he just didn't seem normal. Seemed more like an oni than a human."
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Souji looked uncomfortable as Shikome gave yet another bow. He really didn't like the idea of being revered like this. Even if it was likely out of politeness when one considered who Shikome's "master" was and what god Souji was an avatar for.
"Seta-san will do just fine."
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Post by mugenginga on Jul 18, 2010 11:44:00 GMT -5
Teddie looked up in surprise. There was an expression of being cornered. Hell, the bear looked like he was about to cry. He hung his head. Minato wouldn't be able to tell from the angle, but his eyes were looking away from him. Ryoji put out a hand and grabbed Minato's shoulder, shaking his head if Minato looked at him. Yuugi was lifting his hands to put on Teddie's shoulders, but the bear shook his head and took a step back.
"B-because I didn't trust her enough. Sensei let her into the apartment and I kept thinking she was going to do something to him. A-and so I didn't protect Sensei like I should so she had to and she got shot. And now he's like this."
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Izanami said nothing. She was convinced a god or demon had taken an interest in Takahashi. Or Takahashi had crossed one's path somehow. Lucius was a male name, so the human form was at least male. She looked down the hall. Souji was still a concern, and if something had made Takahashi a liability this development could concern Souji. She would have to look into this.
"Do what you can in regards to Souji," she stated, turning to leave. As it was, the humans would make it impossible to visit Souji. This was part of why she had sent Shikome out.
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"Understood, Seta-san. Then by your leave," Shikome stated.
She moved over to the corner again. She wasn't even standing, hovering above the floor just a bit. She wasn't staring at Souji now, and she didn't vanish from his site. So there did seem to be a level of care about his comfort. The teenager didn't seem capable of using much (if any) of Izanagi's latent abilities on his own, so she had to remain visible if she wanted to see him. Likely an interference of the god.
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