Make yourself at home why don't you ? Soul thought, mildly annoyed at the fact that the witch felt entitled to sleep on his couch. Granted, the boy didn't look quite as crazy when he was asleep; with his feet dangling off one end and his head nestled into the far end of the couch, he looked almost like a normal teenager. Blair sat happily on his chest, her amber eyes staring down at his sleeping face that only she could see because of the tilt of his head. The witch draped one arm over the cat, holding it close to his chest as he let out a content sigh in his sleep.
"Can we keep him?" Blair asked happily, cuddling deeper into his chest that slowly raised and lowered with his breaths. Buddy appeared around the corner, wiping his hands on a dirty rag. His face was covered with some form of grease that only accentuated the deformity of his face.
"Sorry, he's spoken for. Besides, you couldn't afford to feed him." He said casually. The boy plopped on the ground next to the couch cleaning the edges of his fingers before tossing it over his back. The rag wetly slapped against the wall, sliding down until resting in a heap on top of the dryer. "How did you manage to completely destroy that thing?"
"When you press buttons, lights come on! How could I not try to light all of them up?" Blair wailed, Digging her face deeper into the witch's heaving chest. The witch responded by mumbling something about fluffiness. Buddy shook his head in discontent, but didn't question the matter further; after all the time spent with the witch he must have been used to sub-par reasoning. Leaning casually against the couch, Buddy tapping his knuckles against the witch's side; with no response presented from the witch, Buddy relaxed slightly.
"He's not getting up." Buddy yawned. The witch stirred slightly, his head lolling from one side to the other. As if to emphasis Buddy's point, the witch let out a low snore, blowing some of the hair out of his face. "Well, at least not for twelve hours."
Soul found it odd that Buddy seemed to know the exact amount of time the witch would sleep; exactly how long had the pair been traveling together?
"We should continue our... discussion, while we still have the time and... uh... privacy." Buddy began awkwardly. His smaller eye twitched as he glanced around the room, looking over their merry gang.
"So you're saying that we should completely trust a witch that tried to escape; and in the process, destroyed part of Shibusen and almost killed us." Maka pointed out, adding as much emphasis on the words 'destroyed' and 'killed' as humanly possible. Buddy stared at her for a moment, seemingly in deep thought.
"Killed?" Buddy repeated, the edges of his mouth quivering as they began to form an uncontrollable smile, a single snort betraying him. He quickly raised his hands to cover his mouth, doing his best to hide his oncoming snickers, but after failing horrible he burst into a round of laughter. "Killed you!?" he managed between fits of laughter. After studying Maka's face for a second, his grin grew even wider. "You're serious? That makes it so much better!"
Buddy gave out, laughing so hard he began to cry. Maka glared daggers at him, testing to see if one really can kill someone with a look. Thankfully, after a minute, he began to wind down.
"Thanks for that, haven't laughed like that in... a long time." Buddy said collectedly, wiping the remaining tears from his eyes. His voice must have been tinged with much more sadness than he wanted to portray, glancing down sheepishly from the rest of them. "Trust me, if he wanted you dead. Really wanted you dead. You'd have been dead a long time ago."
"We are well aware of that. He took his shot, but was merciful. Luckily, Stein was able to-" Maka droned on before being interrupted by Buddy.
"I don't mean today." He said darkly as he plucked nervously at the fringes of their couch. "I mean the minute he stepped into this meister ridden city. He could probably wipe this whole place off the map if he wanted."
With that statement, Blair stopped purring and everyone turned to face the sleeping witch. His scar seemed more pronounced in the fading light, making him look more sinister. Buddy bore holes into the ground with his eyes, his hands fell away from the couch as he stood up suddenly. With an upset look on his face, buddy strolled to the kitchen.
"Please. Forget I said that." He said regretfully, opening the fridge up with a tug. How the hell can we manage that? Soul thought nervously as he stared uneasily at the sleeping witch. In the end, was he really just toying with them after all? His head spun at the possibilities; the mayhem that was the consequence of their previous conflict could've been worse. Not just worse, much worse. Luckily for the witch, being asleep was a good defense mechanism against questioning. With a snort, he coiled his arms tighter around Blair, who let out a happy squeak.
"Either way, that wasn't the point of this conversation in the first place." Buddy desperately said, trying to change the subject as he rifled through the contents of their fridge. "The problem here is the kishins."
His desperate attempt actually succeeded. The witch was mostly docile at the moment, whereas the kishins were... less so. Soul pushed himself off of the wall, fixing his posture.
"What do you know about them?" He asked carefully, slowly making his way through the verbal minefield. Buddy shook his head as he began to scrawl out notes on a nearby sheet of paper.
"What don't I know at this point?" He asked, presumably rhetorically. He shoved the slip of paper in the groups general direction. "Could you pick these up? I need them if I'm going to cook... really anything."
Buddy frowned at the contents of the fridge in front of him, surely displeased at the lack of quality goods. Tsubaki picked up the slip, happy at the idea of getting Black*Star out of a confined space as soon as possible. Buddy nodded his appreciation as the pair slipped out the door, Black*Star shouting his own praise as they made their way to the market.
"Let's go from the basics, shall we?" Buddy began as he picked out the acceptable items in the fridge. "Kishins eat souls to gain power, over time they become more and more noticeable, until Shibusen deals with them."
"Until recently." Maka finished. It was true, their job board had gone suspiciously quiet over the past week, those that they were able to find were more... trouble than what they expected.
"Like our friend from before. You remember the Huntsman, I assume? He wasn't always like that. At one point it was just a psycho on horseback, and then… that happened. The kishins are gaining power, they're getting smarter. Someone's leading them." Buddy said as he calmly sorted out the contents on the counter.
"Besides the fact that it is impossible to do something like that, who would want to lead the kishins?" Soul laughed, terrified of reliving that kishin nightmare. Maka cleared her throat from her seat, drawing the group's attention.
"Not impossible, Asura was able to do it." She stated, trying to hide the shaking in her own voice.
"Kishins are extremely strong if… trained correctly, to partially answer your second question." Buddy said, hesitating to use the word train. He shivered as a haunting chill ran up his spine, his imagination spinning at the prospect before finishing his explanation. "But it's not a who… it's a what."
He hated his dreams, nothing ever good ever came out of them.
Although the part he hated the most of them would have to be the 'halls of mirrors'. He thought he deserved a good rest. He had been good! He hadn't even killed anyone, of course he had come close but that didn't count. But, no, hell house is what he gets as a 'reward'. He knew he was screwed the moment he entered the door; after hearing it slam shut, he turned only to be confronted with another mirror. It could've been only minutes or hours or even days since he first entered the room. Not only time was inconsistent in the hell house, distance got wonky as well. He could travel for ages, so long that he could feel the sweat soak into his clothes, only to turn around and find himself mere inches from where he began. He knew the bastard's game, get him into a position of desperation and deal-making. Not a chance. Not with something this important.
"You have me here!" He yelled into the endless cavern of reflections and illusions. "What do you want?"
A sinister echo reverberated off of the walls, growing so loud that it began to resonate with the mirrors, shaking them violently. After a moment, the sound died down, making the him wonder if it was all just another trick. He was about ready to give up with reasoning when he caught a glimpse of movement to his right. In the mirror stood an almost exact copy of himself, but the devil was in the details. The eyes flickered, the pupils nothing more than vertical slits filled with thinly veiled malice and blood-lust. When the witch frowned, every other mirror in the torturous chamber followed suit. Except for the mirror in front of him, that only smiled evilly in turn.
"Miss me?" it asked, its voice more deep and loaded than his own. The reflection flicked hair out of its face, while pressing his free hand against the mirrors edge. The mirror molded around the hand, pushing outward until the liquid glass shattered. The proximity stepped out of the dark hole onto the crunching glass, straightening its jacket while grinning happily at the witch.
"I'll take the silence as a no. what's the matter? Forget about your incompetence?" It said. It reached its hand into thin air, drawing it back with a glowing slip of parchment. It unrolled the scroll, pointing at the base of the worn paper. It held its hand out expectantly. "I could always help you with your... problem."
"No." The witch said, doing his best to control his voice. The proximity's smile faded in an instant, it's face contorted into a forced stoic expression, sending waves of hate at the witch while its hands slowly choked the life out of the inanimate contract. It only knew strength, one wrong move and he could get torn apart. He cleared his throat, uttering his words precisely. "I can do this on my own."
The proximity shook its head, making a grunting a sound before unfolding the crumpled paper.
"It's not that bad! Just gloss over the area that talks about the whole 'relinquish control of the body' part and it's damn near perfect!" It grinned hopefully, as if that would change his mind. The witch shook his head, unmoved by the proximity's prodding. It growled, tossing the paper behind his back. The parchment sparked before erupting into a plumage of reds and yellows, burning momentarily before falling to the ground in a lump of ash.
"You've been using the powers that I've given you, you're slowly accepting this side of you. I'm so proud!" The proximity laughed. It stepping up to the nearest mirror, doing its best to fix the fluttery green hair that refused to stay out of his eyes. "All you need is more of a push. Something to help you realize your true... potential."
The proximity swung its fist, shattering the glass into sparkling dust. When it withdrew its hand, it turned angrily towards the witch. He was totally convinced that the proximity would torture his, kill him, bring him back, and start the demented cycle all over again. Instead, the proximity glanced down at its hand, smiling wickedly.
"Good, it does work properly." It said ominously. The witch felt himself tremble slightly as all the terrible possibilities for 'it' might be. As if reading his thoughts, the proximity held up the hand that had shattered the glass. There wasn't a single sign of injury on it. The witch felt his blood turn to ice as he slowly turned his gaze to his own hand. As if on cue, the back of his hand tore open, dripping blood at a disturbing rate. He struggled against the burning pain, keeping whatever was left of his 'confident composure' alive by staying emotionless.
"You will bow to my will" The demon grinned, "one way or another."
The proximity turned and stormed off with a grunt. Stepping up to the same mirror he escaped from. He did the same liquid glass trick, slipping through to the other side with ease.
"Consider this your warning." It said with a dry smile. Holding up two fingers on his right hand. "A sign of things to come."
with that, it tapped its fingers against the glass, causing it to shatter. The room filled with laughter as all the remaining reflections burst into fits. The laughter grew steadily louder, drowning out the witch's other senses. The room grew dark as he pressed his balled fists against his ears. The laughing grew to a vicious volume, so loud that the mirrors that held them began to crumple. Instead of reacting negatively to their eminent doom, they only laughed louder. Every fiber of his being was telling him to run, to get out of the hell-house that had become his prison. But there was no exit, at least not one he could find easily. The witch knelt on one leg, his closed tight as he tried to think of a plan of escape. His mind went blank as the noise overpowered him, sending him into the black, oppressing void.
When he woke up, he wasn't in the hell-house. For that matter, he wasn't even in his own body. His eyelids flickered across his eyes as he tried to take in his surroundings. The walls were made up of gray bricks that were sweating with the mid-morning heat. The only indication of time in the room was a hole in the wall that must have constituted a window in what ever time-era he had unknowingly fallen into. Soft sheets billowed in the refreshing breeze that blew through the hole, shifting the sunlight into all manner of shapes and intensity. The flowing light allowed him to better see the room that surrounded him. He was lying on a rough bed covered in goat skin, with a bed-frame comprised of oak wood. The small stand next to him was littered with scraps of paper, a few copper and silver coins, and a burnt out candlestick that seemed surprisingly depressing in the flickers of the morning sun. the bed creaked softly in protest as his body sat up without his consent. That was the biggest peeve he had about this out-of-body experiences; the fact was that he wasn't technically 'out-of-body', he was just in another person's body seeing what they saw. When the he fully righted himself, he brought his hands to his face, desperately trying to wipe away the hazy vision from his eyes. With his hands covering his face, the witch suddenly noticed the strong scent of alcohol on the driver's breathe. With a smile, the witch realized that the person he was piggy-backing had as much of a clue about his surroundings as the witch did. With a groan, the body stood up, leaning against a bed post for support. From an upright position, the witch could see much more of the room. A couple feet away stood a small wardrobe, its wooden exterior dotted with knife marks. The body opened it slowly to find it practically empty, with only a leather belt resting on the floor. The body leaned over to pick it up; too eager in its task, the hungover body lost balancing, sending it head first into the back of the wardrobe. The body cursed as its hands instinctively went to its head, rubbing the tender goose-egg it had acquired in its haste.
A quiet laughing sound was heard on the far end of the room. Granted the term far was quite relative, the room was functional but extremely cramped, with merely a bed, small nightstand, embarrassingly small wardrobe, and (now that it was brought to the witch's attention) a small table with a flimsy chair. The laughing figure was clothed in a flowing robe, one that would cause the common passerby to relate them to a priest or acolyte; however, the scabbard for a wicked looking dagger hung at the figures side on a midnight black cord. The aforementioned blade was wielded in the figures hand as it calmly peeled the apple in its hand.
"wha da yu wan?" the body asked gruffly, its words slurred from some mixture of leftover alcohol and drowsiness. Crouching down, the body reached with their right hand to pick up the belt on the wardrobe floor as the other hand meticulously attempted to nurse the swollen goose egg back into non-existence. The bodies left hand left the aching lump, causing it to wince involuntarily. With both hands free, the body took both ends of the belt, sloppily trying to connect both ends together at its midsection. The figure in the chair laughed once more at witch's driver, clearly amused at the hungover individual's lack of coordination. For a split-second, the witch recognized the laugh, he had heard the same laugh before but couldn't place the owner. The body stuck its tongue out childishly as it finally managed to buckle the leather belt into place. The body's face gained a small smile at its finally defeat of the notorious buckle. The witch finally noticed that the belt contained two daggers, strapped to the belt on either of his hips. The body reached down, flipping a dagger from its scabbard with practiced finesse. With a flick of the wrist, the dagger darted through the air. The stranger in the chair barely managed to let out a shocked gasped as the dagger sunk halfway into backrest of the chair he sat on. The stranger examined the still quivering dagger, chuckling at the near homicidal outburst.
"Your form has improved, just not you're temper." the figure said remorsefully, rising from the chair. As he stood, a light breeze ruffled the delicate curtains of the room, casting the somewhat stable light into a miniature frenzy. The light bounced everywhere as the linens attempted to settle into an agreeable mess. From his seat inside the body, the witch's blood froze in place as the light came to a rest on the stranger's face, illuminating a terrifying image.
In the altered daylight, the familiar face sent a shockwave of emotion up the witch's spine. In front of him stood none other than the demonic unchanging-child of his nightmares, Daren. The slender figure cheerfully raised the hand holding the apple. With a gentle toss, the apple floated through the air, gingerly landing in the body's upturned hand. The body's face gave way to a small smile as it lifted the apple to its mouth. The witch began to scream out, regardless of the knowledge it would do nothing. The apple gave way in a hearty squelch as the body ripped a large chunk off between its teeth.
"How did it go?" Daren asked, facing the window. The body bite off another section of apple happily before answering in broken english, the hindrance thanks to the assistance of the lingering alcoholic influence.
"Great job on the information, caravan 'idn't know what was 'appening until I pilfered over 'alf of their goods!" the body replied, its voice much less gruff than before. The body turned and closed the doors, sealing the wardrobe carefully before leaning its weight on it. "Just need to lie low o' the guards for awhile."
Daren nodded, the smile on his face was innocent and empty of any signs of sarcasm or danger. The witch immediately knew something was wrong. Daren never did anything unless it benefited him in some way, there was some trick going on here that was going to make itself visible in a very unfriendly way. As if the thought triggered it, Daren turned to the body.
"Have you reconsidered my offer yet?" He asked, the question was innocent enough but the way he said it made it sound like everything depended on what the intoxicated thief said next. The aforementioned thief turned away as if contemplating the question, taking another hearty bite out of the apple.
"I 'on't think so, sorry 'ut I work alone." He replied, his free hand rubbing the back of his neck. There was an audible sigh from the devilish boy behind him, surprisingly one of regret and not frustration.
"That's really too bad, I was actually willing to give you a way out of this." Daren said, his words drawing the thief's attention. He turned around to see a truly horrifying sight.
Daren's face sparked into a grin, a dangerous, evil grin which the witch unhappily translated into an unspoken 'you're about to regret everything'. There was a tumult coming from what must have been a tavern one floor beneath them. There was a vivid and... imaginative exchange of words, but one word that made the cheery mood of the room dissolve into unabridged terror was 'authorities'. Daren skillfully hopped up, perching himself on the base of the makeshift window.
"Took them long enough." The devilish child chided to noone. The body tried to grasp at the remaining dagger at his side, but his arms didn't respond quite as deftly as they had moments ago. Daren turned back at the body as a constriction in its neck brought it to its knees.
"Enjoy your apple?" It asked jokingly. The body's face turned into a malice-filled glare, directing its unebbing tidal waves of hate at the child. Daren rolled his eyes at the hate, treating it as if he dealt with it on a regular basis... then again, with it being Daren, he probably did. With a seemingly goodhearted 'have fun', the small boy leapt from the windowsill, falling out of sight as the door to the room began to rumble as if significant pressure was being applied to the opposite side. The body chocked, its breathing became labored and painful as it began to slide down the side of the wardrobe. With a frightful grunt, the body collapsed to the ground. Its limbs began to twitch violently as the poison rushed through its veins. With one final heave, the door burst into splinters, a company of armed soldiers rushed into the room, almost disappointed that their only confrontation was a crippled, poisoned thief. The vision went black as the witch's spirit was thrown from the fragile body. With a start, the with realized that the chocking hadn't ended, he was still desperately trying to breath even though he was free of the poisoned body. I'm getting really tired of dying in my dreams, the witch thought in the back of his mind while the rest of his air deprived brain tried to mentally shake himself out of the nightmare. Just as he began to lose what little life he had left, the witch was thrown back into reality, finding the perpetrators that had tried to strangle him in his sleep.
Two large, fleshy mounds formed warmly around his face, stifling what little air was able to make it to his mouth and nostrils. The witch quickly realized that the body his spirit was now attached to was under his own control and heaved the would be killers off of him. When he regained his composure along with some deep-breaths for good measure. The witch found himself glaring at a fully nude, purple haired woman. Except he wasn't, something seemed off about the woman. When it finally clicked, the witch smiled playfully at the 'woman's' questioning look.
"Hey there Blair. Could you try not to kill me in my sleep?" He asked baring his teeth menacingly. The cat-woman's eyes shot up in surprise for a brief moment before lowering themselves, along with here eyelids, a sly look spread on her face.
"Oh, that's the first time someone's guessed it so fast. Would you like a prize?" She said seductively with hooded eyes. She jiggled her chest for good measure, giggling happily at the witch's subsequent blushing. With too many things stewing in his head, the witch decided the last thing he needed at the moment was more confusion-of any sort- and stifled a grin as a crafty idea sprang into his head. With Blair's back to the kitchen, the witch discreetly snapped his fingers, casting a spell he learned very young. After a moment, the cabinet doors began to open and close erratically, omitting gruff barking and growling sounds. Blair shot forward like a cannonball from pure terror, colliding with the witch in the process. She whimpered quietly, burying her face in the witch's shirt. After a moment of shivering, she risked a look at the unseen barkers, only to be confronted with an ordinary looking kitchen. She gazed back at the witch, surprisingly bearing an amused looked instead of the expected irritated or angry look.
"Cheeky boy." She purred, her face still uncomfortable close to his chest. After a moment, she leaned in, pressing her still blatantly nude body against his. Laughing at the witch's flush that returned with urgency. Her face rested carefully on his chest as she listened to his ever quickening heartbeat. She turned her face to him again, her eyes once again hooded.
"Would you like me to make something else throb?" She asked, the sensual tone of her voice turning his face's color from pink to napalm red. Her hands that were previously placed on either side of her face began to slowly slip down his body, leaving a river of goosebumps behind them. The witch sat mouth a gap on the floor, dazed in a mix of denial and perverse curiosity. Her hands crept ever lower, finally passing from his chest to his abdomen and it seemed they had no intention of stopping. Blair's eyes following them as they traveled, causing her to lean back and show more of... herself. The with numbly thought that he should stop her, but he simply couldn't. It was like watching a sexy train crash. The witch gulped, unsure of what to do, not quite sure of his upstairs brain was even functioning anymore. Blair gazed up at the cornered witch, her eyes sparkling in the early morning light peeking in through the windows. She bit her lip as she gazed back, her hands unaffected in their quest. The witch inhaled shakily through his nose as the hands began to near the edge of his pants. Without warning, there was a clatter down the hall as a voice echoed through the apartment, causing the mutually distracted pair to look up.
"SON OF A BITCH!" he heard Great White shout groggily. Broken from his spell he glanced back down at the sensual cat girl whose hands hovered just above a very sensitive area, her lips pursed and her eyes filled with murderous intent. With a snap of her fingers, the area around her burst into a purple cloud. The witch sat slightly dazed as Blair scooted slightly back from him, magically dressed in a skimpy purple outfit as she glared at the noise. She sat with both legs sprawled outwards, bent at the knee, defiantly giving the witch something to peep at even as footsteps resounding from the neighboring room.
The scythe stomped into the living room, glaring at Blair surprisingly.
"What was that earlier?" He asked angrily, nodding his head at the cabinets, some still hanging slightly ajar. The witch was about to own up to his actions when Blair cut him off.
"Just having some fun with the new toy you brought me." She said innocently enough gesturing at the witch who sat with his head still spinning from the rapid succession of events. She turned her head back to him, winking playfully. Whitey pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, apparently seething at Blair.
"It's 6 in the damn morning." He groaned out through gritted teeth. Blair tilted her head as if the statement of time added nothing to his argument. With a sigh, the boy dropped his hand and shook his head, surrendering the impossible discussion. He looked wearily at the witch who sat with his legs sprawled out in front of him.
"Looks like you're up." He noticed, his sleepiness slipping back into his voice. Adding thoughtfully after a moment, "Need anything?"
"Uh..." The witch started, his voice immediately cracking. He mentally slapped himself for the awkward start but recovered quickly, "Maybe a shower?"
The white haired scythe nodded, as the witch thought internally, arctic temperatures would be preferred.
While the witch was in the shower, everyone arrived at the apartment. Half out of interest about their next move, half because of the smell of Buddy's cooking. The had only barely began to start discussing what to do next when the tell-tale sign of a door creaking open brought their attention to a drooling boy. The witch didn't spare any time digging into the buffet of food that Buddy had laid out before him on the table. The minute he stepped from the steaming bathroom with a towel on his mop of sopping wet hair. The witch managed to grunt out a form of thanks between desperate breathes when he didn't have food in his mouth. Buddy took the thanks happily, giving the others permission to have some if they wanted. Pretty soon, everyone was digging into the food. Buddy was a bloody master chef, and didn't bother to hide it. After the table had been cleared to the last scrap, the witch sat back in his chair, totally content.
"This is the life." He breathed wistfully, closing his eyes as he propped his legs up onto the table. Maka resisted the urge to bash his skull in for treating the furniture poorly, instead she simply swept the chair out from underneath him. The witch lay on the ground, not bothered slightly in the abuse. He opened one eye to look up at her slyly, a small smirk playing on his face.
"Bad move on your part. From this angle, I can see right up your skirt." He said innocently. He barely managed to roll out of the before a boot slammed down where his head used to be. He chuckled as he bounced to his feet, looking straight at the now steaming Maka.
"Let's go." She said, her tone dangerously even. The witch was taken off guard by the sudden statement.
"Why? It's really nice here!" he said, lazily shuffling to the couch before flopping face down on the billowy cushions. He hardly had a moment to wriggle into a comfortable position before being dragged off of it by Maka. He whined childishly as he glanced up at her, taking care not to look up her skirt again.
"Because we said so. Besides, the last thing I need is more opportunities for you to wreck it." Maka managed to hiss, as she began to drag him to the door. The witch didn't struggle as he was brought over the threshold, only crossing his arms and pouting. Once he realized he wasn't going to get his way, he easily slipped from Maka's grasp. The witch Casually dusted himself off as he took the stairs two at a time. Buddy followed the group without question as they made their way to the DWMA, only stopping to help drag the witch away from any distractions he managed to find. After some struggling and occasional deal-making on Buddy's part, they managed to get to the footsteps of the massive institution. The entire group began the journey up the stairs, except for one.
The witch stood petrified at the bottom of the steps, his whole body shivering slightly. Maka's coldness melted partial at the sight of the terrified witch.
"It's safe. No more prisoner routine. No one is going to hurt you here." She assured him, gesturing for him to follow them up the stone slabs. The witch nodded appreciatively at the reassurance, some of the tension in him visibly melted away as he began to make his way up. With each step, his fear melted away evermore until he stood at the top of the stairs with the rest of the group. Maka nodded silent congratulations to the witch as she wondered what they would do with him now that they were actually there. After a moment of pondering she decided the best course of action would be the Dojo, maybe they could work out some of the witch's all too apparent excess energy. Another wrong move as it would prove.
Nygus nodded professionally at the group as they entered, her stance casually if not somewhat reserved, until she saw the witch. In an instant, her stance tensed into a coiled spring, ready to pounce if the need arose. Maka looked back to see the witch digging his finger in-between some teeth, trying to wedge food out.
Terrifying, she thought to herself sarcastically, while at the same time making a mental note to observe him more carefully; just because he was complacent now did not guarantee his peacefulness in the future. The witch perked up, suddenly realizing that he was the center of attention. His Cheshire grin came back with vigor as his eyes scanned the wary meisters with a dangerously predator-like gleam. He lifted his arms, swaggering back and forth like a gladiator.
"Who wants some!?" he shouted at the group, Maka pinched the bridge of her nose while simultaneously smiling. She quickly brushed the smile away, the last thing the world need was two Black*Stars. With a start, she realized that the joking taunt would sound like a massive gauntlet being thrown down to the quirky ninja. She turned in time to see Black*Star vanish in a blur that was on a collision course for the oblivious witch.
Seemingly oblivious, but in practice, the witch had a complete awareness of his surroundings. With the timing of a master, the witch ducked down while his right arm extended swiftly. Black*Stars fist cleared the witch's temple with merely half a centimeter of clearance as the witch's hand clamped down on his throat with a vice-like grip. As Black*Star's brain fired into overdrive, automatically sending his foot out in a kick, the witch spun, kicking out Black*Star's legs from underneath him. Maka winced as Black*Star's body plowed in the ground with enough force to knock the breath out of an elephant. The witch mockingly placed a foot on his chest, a mistake he regretted immediately when he was flung straight into a wall. Black*Star got up, stretching his arms as he rose.
"Lucky shot, but it won't happen again." He said, his cocky demeanor ever-present. The witch peeled himself from the wall, green sparks quickly rearranged the plaster and broken picture that had once hung there until no sign of fracture remained.
"Wanna bet?" He asked, his grin undisturbed about having nearly eaten drywall.
"Not, in my dojo. Magic fixing or not, I don't want it torn to the ground." Nygus said stepping in-between the two riled boys. The witch peeked around the teacher, Black*Star quickly mimicked the move.
"Courtyard?" The witch asked innocently. Black*Star's eyes set with determination at the challenge.
"I'll get you back for putting me in that void." He agreed happily. Nygus shook her head at the exchange of words. It was going to be a long day.
By the time they had everything set up in the courtyard, word had spread and a crowd of people were waiting anxiously for the fight. Black*Star was hyped at the idea of beating the witch senseless in front of a crowd, while the witch stood motionless and calculating on the far side of the courtyard. Black*Star's intuition kicked in and he became deadly serious, his mind running through the ways to deal with a witch.
"I enjoy a challenge." The witch started as he began to pace back and forth on his end of the courtyard, trying to view Black*Star from as many angles as possible, "I won't use a drop of magic in this fight."
Black*Star grinned, he was the one that usually displayed cockiness but the witch had managed to get an early lead, and that was the only lead Black*Star was willing to allow. Black*Star's hand curled tighter on his blade as he prepared for the witch's first move. Nygus nodded and the battle officially started, without hesitation the witch dashed forward, an all or nothing strategy. Black*Star tensed his legs as the witch closed in, counting down the distance. 5 meters, 4 meters, 3, 2, 1, half a meter. without a moment to spare, Black*Star sprang into the air at full speed, narrowly missing the plow that would've easily knocked him back another 5 meters. He swung his arm to strike at the small of the witch's back, an area that should've been completely unguarded due to the witch's inertia. he was stunned momentarily when he felt something coil around his leg, all four limbs were in view and he couldn't think of anything else the witch could do without magic. The shock drew his attention long enough for him to completely miss his opportunity at striking. The witch spun dangerously on one foot, letting Black*Star view the end of a long scaly tail that emerged from the base of his coat. He only had a moment to register the information before being forcefully slammed into the ground. Black*Star wriggled free of the tail long enough to dart to a safe distance, his resolve bruised but unbroken.
"I thought you said no magic!" He goaded as he tried to reformulate maneuvers and plans on the fly. The witch shook his head with dreadfully playful smile on his face as he threw off his cloak in Buddy's general direction.
"Not magic. Quite the opposite, actually." He said calmly as he swaggered forward, his tail now clearly visible. "I usually have my... bonus appendages hidden from sight with magic. In a way, I actually told you I was going to do this."
While the witch ranted, Black*Star examined the new element. It stood at more than half his height and curled and writhed in a mixture of playfulness and anxiety. the scales glistened in the sunlight like tiny gems, reflecting light in a splash of color. the mesmerizing effect didn't phase Black*Star as he quickly summed up the new development. the tail had a larger reach than any of his appendages, his best bet would be to keep his distance, take a couple pot shots at him, then dash in when his guard was down. His next few steps had just begun to be planned out when the witch broke through the invisible line that Black*Star had constructed with his mind, signaling the vital need for a change of location. Black*Star feinted forward, intending to draw back immediately when it occurred to him that the witch had said 'appendages'. plural. He was struck by another surprise. literally.
The pink flesh appeared for half-a-second, completing its task quickly and efficiently. A tongue. the witch's tongue was long, much too long to be considered even remotely human, but far more dangerous. The forked tongue made contact with Black*Star's head like a heavyweight champion. Black*Star recoiled in pain as his forehead began to throb from the blow. Black*Star was able to look up in time to see a right hook closing distance rapidly, he ducked under and tried to sprint away only to be caught by the ridiculously muscled tail. Instead of turning to face his captured prey, the witch continued his turn, letting his tail bring the target around the other direction. with the extra momentum, the fist made contact with staggering power. Black*Star didn't have a chance to call out in pain as he was flung backwards, the tail that had once entangled him was nowhere to be seen, therefore didn't hinder his arc into the air. he fell to the ground with an ungraceful thump, his senses only barely returning.
"Who's the lizard man!" He heard the witch shouting. He sat up groggily, thoroughly pissed at the antics. he had a few tricks up his sleeve, but then again, so did Black*Star. He stood up soundlessly, as he made his way towards the joyous reptile. he pushed forward, urging his legs to their full speed as he brought his hands up for a strike. The witch's head tilted slightly as he noticed the movement far too late. The electric pulse passed through the witch's body like a hot knife through butter, effectively shutting him up. the witch murmured to himself as he sat up, as if in a trance. he grinned up at the ninja unexpectedly.
"Glad you weren't down for the count, hate it when fights are too easy." the witch said, as he hopped to his feet. the tongue in his mouth unraveled slightly, peeking out between the boys pointed incisors and wiggled in the air, beckoning Black*Star to fight. Black*Star was happy too, not many people actually asked him for more punishment.
The two pirouetted around the battlefield, exchanging blow for blow. Black*Star found that the most effective location to discharge the blast was on the witch's unguarded tongue whenever it was bold enough to lash out and the witch soon learned the best way to provoke the pint-size ninja was to critique his fighting style.
"You call that a kick? pathetic!" he said, hoping back as a vertical kick sliced through the air next to his head. "I've seen old ladies move faster than your sorry ass!"
Black*Star took that as a personal challenge, turning his increasing frustration into energy to help beat the insolent worm's head in. one misstep was all one of them needed to end the battle, and the witch granted it regretfully. something shattered his concentration for a moment, just a moment, but that was all Black*Star needed. He swooped in taking away the witch's footing and striking his chest with the palm of his hand. The witch grunted as he flew through the air, coming to a stop only when he broke the cobblestone beneath him. The witch disregarded the pain, much to Black*Star's disappointment. The witch tilted his head back and sniffed at the air, his eyes wide as if in a panic. Black*Star wondered for a moment if he had knocked the boy's brain loose, his suspicions were disproven when the boy shook off the spell, slowly rising to his feet. He grinned at the blue-haired boy, his back arched slightly as he tried to catch his breath.
"Nice hit." The witch wheezed, trying to force air into his pained lungs. Black*Star only nodded and grunted at the statement, he obviously knew it was a good hit, he had delivered it after all, but it never hurt to be reminded of one's own greatness. he patted the opponent on the back, it was good to find a sparring partner that was as agile as him. The crowd that had gathered around cheered as Nygus held up Black*Star's hand, signaling his victory. The witch clapped admirably, accepting his loss with grace.
Kid and Maka studied the witch with stone faces, not revealing a hint of emotion. The scales and tongue reminded everyone too much of a certain serpent-y witch for them to be truly comfortable, but at least the witch seemed decent about keeping his word. Everything is beginning to look up, Maka thought, even when everything feels like it's falling apart, at least there are some things that remain constant.
Black*Star's ego, Kid's insanity, Soul's and Black*Star's nearly insatiable hunger, and everything crumbling to pieces just when things begin to look up.
"What is going on here!?" Maka heard a familiar voice cry out from the edge of the courtyard. she turned in time to see Kim push her way through the group. Maka held herself back from delivering a friendly greeting, the look on Kim's face said enough words for the both of them. But it wasn't her that the face was directed at.
The witch, the new witch, stood in the middle of the group of students, dazed by the stomach-churning turn of events. Kim gestured to her partner and Jackie quickly materialized in her hand, ready to ignite the boy at any second. In response, the witch conjured two massive fireballs, one in each hand, and assumed a defensive stance, ready to move at any moment. Kim took another step forward, a fire in her eyes as she screamed.
"You should be dead!"
so... yeah...
I'm not that great at motivating myself and the (honestly) indefensibly long-ass time it took me to finish this kind of proves that.
But in my defense... hot cat-girl. Pretty sure that evens it out.
(BTW, laptops quasi-working now, meaning i'll probably get off my lazy ass and write more! yeah!)
