(no subject)

[ibreakrules]

Who:  Frau and OPEN (so far it should also include Lieselotte Achebach, Sasuke Uchiha, and Lisbeth)
When:  Somewhere between 9/20 and 10/7 or so
Where:  Various sectors, see individual threads
Summary:  Frau is pretty distraught over Teito's disappearance.  Without his light, he's slipping further into the darkness and going after souls he wouldn't usually go after.  More info here
Warnings:  Lots of swearing, corruption, fighting... just general not goodness probably

Everything was so dark.  Again.  Frau had faced the darkness before.  He'd lived in it for a long time, watched it slowly get worse, slowly drag him down.  Now, though, it was different.  Now, without his light, without Teito, it seemed so much worse again.  Without the kid to guide him out of the darkness that surrounded him and consumed him, he didn't know what to do.  It's what had led him out to hunt so often recently.  He wasn't being that careful either.  So far nobody had even suspected there was one person consuming others throughout the city.  There hadn't been a mention of it at all even though it had been months.  Frau was careful.  

Now he wasn't.  Hunting during the day was fine.  He was even going after people he wouldn't usually target.  They were still corrupted, sure, but their souls weren't blackened beyond redemption.  At this point though, he didn't care.  Part of him might have recognized the fact that the scythe probably had a stronger grip on him than it should, but this time he wasn't fighting it back.  He'd slipped a bit.  Not enough that consuming one of them could destroy him, but the path he walked was a slippery slope.  There was only so much longer he could hold on.

((OOC Note:  For those Frau is targeting or those who notice him, feel free to start a new thread.  I'd include the sector and date in the subject line if you can.  Frau's going to be roaming pretty much anywhere, so feel free to use any sector even though he lives in 4 and works in 5.))

Comments

Sector 4, September 21, afternoon

[bondsoflove]

Sasuke was being followed.

The trailing started when he left his apartment to walk to Ino's flower shop, about a block in. His senses tingled and the hair on the back of his neck stood up, the smell of something like killing intent flooding his nose.

This was something he was used to. He had to be--literally every second was borrowed, full of risk that his head would be gone and tossed at some daimyo's feet.

He set off the mangekyou. If his pursuer could sense chakra, they would recognize the raw power, know that Sasuke wasn't going to go down easily.

He continued to walk, but his muscles were tensed, ready to fly into motion and combat in an instant.

[ibreakrules]

Running along the tops of buildings was usually reserved for night when people couldn't look up and wonder what the heck Frau was doing. At the moment he didn't really care if people did see him though. He needed to be up high. It was the only thing that gave him any sense of hope or calm, and he desperately needed that.

He bounded across another building, carefully keeping his eyes on the figure below. Frau had sensed the darkness and had turned to investigating. Even if Sasuke were to evade Frau's sight, it wouldn't be hard to find him again. Darkness gave off the kind of an aura.

For now though he would wait and watch.

[bondsoflove]

The first thing to do was to flee.

So Sasuke took an abrupt turn down a side alley, whipping out his phone to fire off a message to Ino. He wouldn't be in today.

Building up some speed with chakra at his feet, he sped up to a run, hoping to shake off whoever was trailing him.

[ibreakrules]

He'd been spotted. Interesting. Frau allowed a small, almost sinister smile slip across his face before he started running. It had been a long time since he'd gone after someone who'd tried to fight. This could end up being more fun than he'd initially thought.

Frau leaped from building roof to building room, keeping Sasuke in sight. The kid was faster than Frau had initially thought, and he actually had to put forth some effort to keep up. There were too many people around at the moment to close in, but he should be able to find somewhere to act eventually.

[bondsoflove]

The follower gave chase.

That proved that he was being tracked, and it wasn't just a fluke. The reason remained unknown; didn't matter, really. He would have jumped onto a roof, but that would bring him closer to his pursuer--he didn't want to risk exerting himself in a fight that could have been avoided.

So he kept running, pushing more chakra into his legs to give him more speed.

[ibreakrules]

Frau launched himself ahead, drawing on even more speed. Had he not been one of the ghosts, there would have been no way he could have kept up. As it was, he wasn't having much difficulty. If anything, he was rather enjoying himself. Once in a while a real hunt was amusing, and he hadn't had any in a long time.

[bondsoflove]

Sasuke couldn't run forever, and it didn't seem like he was going to lose his tracker if they kept going at this rate. Mouth twitching with displeasure, he jumped onto an awning, then up to a roof.

There, he stopped abruptly, skidding against the ground and kicking up a small cloud of dirt. He blinked and his mangekyou spun into place, bringing the man into sharp detail.

Blond, with a sharp nose and bright blue eyes.

Sasuke's lip curled in a snarl.

"What do you want from me?"

[ibreakrules]

Frau slammed to a stop and was immediately on guard. It wasn't every day that he ran into someone who was capable of getting up onto a roof that quickly, especially without using the stairs or the elevators. As he continued to watch Sasuke, he couldn't quite get a real read on him. A kid who had seen hell and had fallen or just someone who had fallen to the wrong side.

Before he could really make up his mind the scythe made it clear that it didn't matter either way. Frau felt the burning in his arm and heard the quiet cackling laughter of his weapon. A slow smile spread across his face as his control slipped. His teeth were now sharper than a humans and there was a glint of red in his eyes.

"That depends."

[bondsoflove]

"Depends on what?"

He slipped his hand into his pocket and slipped two shuriken between his fingers, holding them there. He could use them as a distraction while he powered up for a fireball, or phoenix flowers, or Amaterasu if it got bad.

The expression on the guy's face was unsettling, as was the weapon. The chakra he smelled was strange, and unfamiliar.

[ibreakrules]

If Frau had been paying any sort of attention, he would have noticed that the scythe had decided to make its way out of his arm of its own volition. Unfortunately for Sasuke, Frau's attention was rather shattered

"What caused you to be who you are."

Or whether or not he'd be delicious. Thankfully that comment from the scythe just rung in Frau's head. If it hadn't, Sasuke probably wouldn't have hesitated in trying to demolish Frau.

[bondsoflove]

"I don't follow."

His muscles were tense, ready to leap at any second. There was something wrong with that weapon--it seemed to give off a sentience, somehow. It was unsettling.

Sasuke was sure he could get rid of the guy with a well-placed blast of fire, but he would rather it didn't come to that. He didn't know if the guy was some kind of vigilante, if he could sense Sasuke's chakra and his own intent, or if he was just a jackass who liked the taste of blood.

[ibreakrules]

"Not everyone has a choice in the path they are currently following. The question of what caused you to start down the one you're on is all that's keeping you alive."

That, and Frau's slipping control over the scythe. He took a half step forward, the unsettling smile on his face growing. The scythe wanted this. Frau wanted this. A dark soul that may not be as disgusting as the others since it didn't hold quite as much darkness. A decent meal. Finally. Maybe a little fun too. Yes. There was no need to know any of the reasoning. He could just eat. Just eat.

Frau clenched his right fist in response, sending a message to the weapon. NO. They were doing this his way.

[bondsoflove]

That scythe was definitely the biggest threat right now. It almost seemed like the killing intent was coming from it, and not the man; it made Sasuke's hair stand on end. But he wouldn't provoke a battle--he silently listened to the answer, and turned it over in his head. There was a chance he could get out of this, and avoid an unnecessary confrontation.

"I watched my entire family die when I was seven years old," he replied. "I'm trying to avenge their deaths."

Sector 4 , September 22, close to the evening

[crimsonpuppeteer]

Being out on her own was nothing new to the young girl. It was what she was used to. The infamy she had in her home world had prevented most everyone from trying to get to know her. They either knew who she was and wanted little to do with her, or they didn't and treated her as if she was a foolish child. No one here knew her though, so she got the 'worried adult' treatment from the people around her. She had long grown tired of it.

Another uneventful day had been spent alone. She had wasted time visiting the mall, more as a way to eat away at time then because of a desire to shop. She didn't have any money anyway, and finding something she liked enough to purchase was next to impossible anyway. The only thing she was bringing home was something that she brought with her, something that looks like a suitcase. It was getting close to dark, so passing by people on the way back to her 'home' was getting rarer and rarer.

Judging by her actions, she doesn't seem to believe that she is being followed. She doesn't seem tense, her arms swing by her side, and despite the fact that it is getting close to sirens, she seems to not be in any hurry.

[ibreakrules]

A child. Frau frowned softly as he watched Lieselotte head down the street. He didn't usually see children with that kind of darkness on him. It wasn't all consuming, but it was definitely there. Hunger was burning within him, and the scythe was making it quite clear that it didn't approve of not being given a meal. Of course it never approved of the meals Frau did give it anyway.

He moved forward, following. For now he would watch. Keeping the scythe in check wasn't easy, but it was doable. For now it was what he needed to do. The desire to consume was battling with the desire to protect. This girl could be just like Teito.

[crimsonpuppeteer]

There was still hope for the girl to let go of the negative emotions that clung to her. She was still young, and though her life so far had not given her that chance, that could change. This, of course, assumed that she lived past this day.

She doesn't make herself difficult to follow, it is as if she is utterly unaware she is being followed. She turns down an alleyway, and for just a brief moment, the girl is out of sight. She is clearly still there, but seems to be standing still. After a moment, she is on the move again. She looks briefly over her shoulder, but not at Frau. She seems to not notice him.

Unfortunately, it seems that she has made a wrong turn. The path forward is blocked by a fence. The young girl stands facing it, unmoving. Without turning, she speaks. Her voice is soft, and tinged with a faint German accent. "Are you intending to introduce yourself? It will be dark soon, and I would prefer not to still be out when it is."

[ibreakrules]

Frau hadn't expected to be spotted, even during the daylight. People didn't often look to the roofs, and the few who did saw him as more of an oddity than a threat. Suddenly having this girl make it clear that she knew he was there was unsettling. It didn't help that he could tell from the way she'd spoken that she'd likely known he was following her for some time.

He sighed uneasily and braced himself for the unknown. Making sure his grip on the scythe was secure first, he bounded down from the building and landed lightly behind her. He'd been careful to leave a good deal of room between the two of them.

"Should I be?"

[crimsonpuppeteer]

The girl might be young, but there was little childish about her. That darkness in her came from living a life where she had to be paranoid enough to assume someone had something against her at all times. Friends had been few and far between, so she had to depend solely on herself.

"I assume you are not following me for no reason." She isn't arrogant enough to keep her back turned. There was little chance she was being tailed for a good reason after all, and arrogance could see her slain. While she didn't know for sure that this man meant her harm, why else would he have been trying to keep out of sight?

"So, what is it you want?" He didn't look like anyone she'd ever met, unless he was some sort of mindreader, he couldn't know about her past. "If you aren't going to tell me that, you are just wasting my time. I don't like having my time wasted."

[ibreakrules]

"For a mere child you have quite a bit of darkness surrounding you."

Typically Frau wouldn't have been that direct, but he didn't care all that much at the moment. He didn't care that he'd allowed more of a dangerous tone to enter his voice either. It wasn't like he'd come with good intentions even if he was still partially on the fence about eating her. How long that restraint would last was still to be seen.

[crimsonpuppeteer]

The girl's crimson eyes narrow. She does not miss the less then subtle change in the man's voice. There was little doubt that he had less then wholesome intent now. She was curious how he could tell, but there was so much she didn't understand going on in this city that perhaps it was just something he could do.

"A mere child? I haven't been thought of like that since..." There's a pause from the girl, and an annoyed expression comes to her face. She's silent for a moment. "..Well, never mind. But what is your point? Have you come to punish me for being a 'bad girl'? Because I haven't done anything wrong in this city, at least so far."

She glances over her shoulder. "I know these back roads pretty well. You probably think that this fence means that I am trapped here. But it is actually you who is trapped." She turns back to Frau, wearing a passive look on her face. "Leave me alone. I don't know you, and I don't like you. If you refuse to go away, I won't be nice to you."

[ibreakrules]

"No. I don't punish those who have corrupted their souls to the point that they can't be redeemed. I destroy them."

By eating them, but he didn't need to share that little detail with this girl. She was obviously more than she seemed, had even admitted it herself, but Frau remained unsure. Her soul was tainted, yes, but he didn't see any reason to believe she was past redemption. Close to the point, but not over it.

At her request that he leave, Frau hesitated. He could find someone else easily enough. It would probably be someone that wasn't so on the fence either. Yet the scythe was hungry and pushing hard. It seemed to think the thought of eating a child entertaining if the cackling laughter coming from it was any indication.

((Whether or not she can hear the laugh is up to you, though my guess would be probably.))

[crimsonpuppeteer]

Any chance of a peaceful resolution to the situation died at the response she was given.
"So, you are going to destroy me? Self-righteous wretch. You don't have the right to look down on me." Her voice has a hard edge to it as she speaks. "And.."

There's a brief pause in her tirade. What was that? It was almost like a second voice, one laughing at her, mocking her, and driving her to lose her composure. "This is funny to you?" She can't be sure what she is hearing, it doesn't seem to be coming from this man, but it annoys her. "Perhaps this will put an end to your amusement."

She raises one of her hands over her head, one finger pointing toward the sky. The pale skin on that finger is marred with red, it looks like the girl is bleeding. The words she speaks are very much not in English. "Erfüllen Sie die Verpflichtung, durch Blut Vertrag abzuschließen." The response is immediate. The ground beneath her is lit up with a red shimmer as a magical circle appears at her feet. It flares up, magical energy filling the alleyway. And then, nothing.

Nothing within eyesight that is. However, behind Frau, something begins to stir. Even if not seen, the thing is so full of dark emotion it could likely just be felt. On the wall, a few drops of crimson liquid had been left. They rapidly merge together into an inky black ball, growing rapidly in size before falling to the ground. It spreads quickly, a puddle of darkness covering the dirty alleyway behind the would be assailant. Within a few moments, what had been a few drops of blood had grown into an amorphous mass, size and shape shifting rapidly until it finally settles upon a shape like a squished tire. Two eyes open on the thing, and a pair of antennae emerge from its 'head'. It looks almost cute.

For a moment, that is. And then, the thing becomes horrible. Moving with an illogical speed for something that looks like goo, the creature springs towards Frau, changing shape in mid-air, a 'mouth' opening in its front. Its a rather simple attack, it simple means to chomp down on him. It is more dangerous then it sounds, as that mouth contains jagged things that resemble teeth, and probably hurt as bad as being bitten by the real thing. It seems that she is of the opinion that is best to destroy him first. Or at least make him incapable of bothering her!

[ibreakrules]

Frau had felt it, but he'd already known something was up when the ground changed. That had only happened once before. At that time, if he hadn't been one of the ghosts, he would have been destroyed immediately. Mikhail was a freaking pain.

Mikhail. Teito.

Sadness rushed through Frau in a wave and the scythe took advantage of it. The weapon summoned itself, seeping out of Frau's right arm like purple oil or silly putty. Before long it was at full form and shot toward the girl. Thankfully Frau noticed, caught the handle, and slammed the weapon into the ground. It growled in annoyance but didn't protest when Frau drew it back to him again.

The scythe under control once more, Frau glanced over his shoulder at the creature he could feel growing near him. He remained where he was, hardly concerned, and waited for the thing to attack. It would be easily enough to bound out of the way and land behind it. Perhaps he could have some fun before destroying it.

[crimsonpuppeteer]

The sorcery the young girl was casting was not destructive simply on its own, though the result could very well be. What she didn't expect was for the man to suddenly manifest a weapon and swing on her before the arcana could finish him off. An emotion manages to find its way to her face, that of surprise. She scarcely has time to back away. Thankfully, the attack is pulled before striking her. Was he hesitating? That could be good for her. Guilt was a weapon she was not above using against her enemy. Particularly against an enemy that seemed a bit more murderous then what she was used to dealing with.

The shadowy creature zips past as Frau evades, seeming to vanish into the ground, oozing back up next to the girl, who has replaced her look of surprise with the same one of neutrality she had been wearing all along. "Ah, so you have your own surprise as well. But I am not entirely certain it shall be enough to 'destroy' me. I fail to see why you even want to. I had done nothing to you, nor anyone you know. You are risking your life to punish someone who, as far as this world knows, is entirely innocent. The word you are looking for is not 'destroy', it is 'murder'." The creature elongates upwards, solely so the girl can pet what passes as its head. "I know a bit about that."

And then the thing attacks again, this time from the ground, by flattening, sliding across the ground like an inky black manhole cover, and attempting to do nothing more then entangle Frau's feet in its gummy body. It isn't the sort of attack that could kill or even hurt, the things body was somewhat cool to the touch but not inherently dangerous.

[ibreakrules]

Frau allowed it to happen and simply remained standing where he was. If he had to break free, zaiphon should do the trick. If not, the scythe certainly would. For now though he needed to correct his earlier mistake.

"I don't. Not any more at least. There is still hope for you."

Really, the concern for Frau's life meant nothing. He had died a long time ago and would soon no longer exist thanks to the scythe. That wasn't unknown to him. Risking his life to free the souls of the corrupt or those imprisoned by them was his life's work. Or his second life's or death's or whatever you would call it.