Previously on IAS: Akiza used her necklace to apply a splint after Yusei sprained two fingers prior to his attempt to save Bruno. Sadly, the necklace was lost during the rescue.
Previously on TLA: While in police custody, an officer assaulted Phantom for resisting arrest. She retaliated to a baton in the face by repeatedly slamming him against the bars of her cell before throwing him over the railings from three floors up.
'Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.' An old nursery rhyme that she had learned in Germany was the first thought in Akiza's mind when she woke up and saw the crimson tent posted above her face. Everything was still visible through the translucent membrane but tinted in a bloody hue. A rusty chainsaw sounding from one side revealed the origin of the awning: Curled tightly by her side was the gently rumbling storm of Musume's snoring face with both wings turning them both into the filling of a supernatural burrito.
Ugrh. Wait, that wasn't right... urgh. Right, post-wakening headache adjusted for, evaluate the surroundings. Big room, comfy king bed, still in the penthouse. Door in the far left corner made this... Akiza tried to sketch the layout with a finger. Rear room on the right (?) end of the hallway.
"Snagh, ack, ack?" Cracking open a glowing eye, Musume ground a couple of knuckles into her face. "Gurrrrrrrrgh?" She yawned inquisitively.
"Mmm." Akiza stretched in exhausted agreement. "Let me up?"
"Hmm?" Evaluating their arrangement took a few seconds through the haze of her waking. "Oh, sorry." Curling one wing back, she waited for Akiza to roll off the other before sitting up for herself. "Damn." Reaching for the bedside cabinet, she fumbled for a replacement top as the tail gently receded back over the top of her shorts.
"How often do you wake up like this?" With her torn shirt removed, the eldritch insignia across her back were clearly visible. Each red line was clearly defined and gently smouldering with an inner fire but the deeper shades... They were like hungry bruises reaching out to bite at any doctor careless enough to get close.
"Eh." A tattooed shoulder shrugged aside the issue as easily as it shrugged into the new shirt. "Rough night equals new shirt. Not like I can't afford the expense." Most bulk buyers of her size were either charities or discount outlets. Musume wouldn't be the first person in her family to blow all her tournament winnings on clothes.
"You're living down the hall from a fashion designer with a charity complex." She eyed the fabric disdainfully. "I'm sure she can make something that doesn't need replacing every other day."
"But you're not seeing the advantage of this." Grabbing her personal effects from the side, she shuffled into yesterday's trousers with the clear intent of not showering until there was sufficient irritation to use the excuse. "No having to worry about laundry." Following her mother towards the bathroom, she tossed her ruined shirt into the rubbish bin with a dainty flick to slam it home.
Shuffling in the cabinet behind the mirror rewarded Akiza with the usual spare essentials that Yusei kept stocked in his properties. Beside her, Musume splashed a bit of water on her face and called her ablutions complete before switching to accessorising with her usual candour. "Fucking thing." Low caffeine levels prevented Musume from realising her mother was two feet away brushing her teeth.
"Hrm." Akiza spat in the sink and rinsed out her brush. "Let me."
"Thanks." Few tasks were more frustrating than trying to fiddle a bracelet into place while still waking up. The latch was smaller than a pinkie nail and how the fuck was she meant to balance two bits that small with one hand? "Wha~t are you doing?"
"Shush." Unravelling the delicate sliver chain, she flicked it over the redhead with practised ease. "Why didn't you think to try it on your neck?" From its new position, the snowflake perfectly nestled in the dip between her clavicles.
"Not really a big jewellery girl." She tugged the chain into a better position. Any longer and the magical key to an eternal bar outside reality could snag during Runner maintenance. Any shorter and it would be painfully tight. "What happened to that necklace of yours? Grandma and Grandpa showed it to me a few times. Pretty nice."
"I used it to splint Yusei's fingers eight years ago." Picking up a brush, she began straightening her captive's hair. "He had it on when he went to rescue Bruno from that event horizon. It must have fallen off back then."
Sandpaper coated Musume's throat. "Sorry." She managed to grate out. What else could she say? It had been Akiza's favourite piece of jewellery. Even all her newfound abilities couldn't fish it out of a black hole.
"It's not your fault." Tugging a few more tangles free, she marvelled at how smooth the hair was. No care, constant mechanics, yet still fresh and full. "We all wanted to get him back and you provided an opportunity. A lost necklace is more than a fair price for that. There," Framing a few hairs around that glowing face, Akiza admitted that it was the best she could do. (Truthfully, she could do a lot better but anything else would be disregarded as soon as she left the apartment.) "All done." Tugging on the silver chain, she gave Musume's cheek a gentle kiss. "That's funny." She smiled.
"What?"
"I remember when my Mark used to be warm like that." Even when it lay dormant, the sigil had felt a few degrees hotter than the surrounding skin.
"What?" Neurons failed to fire beneath the freshly prepared hair. This was nice, this was normal. Her mother had combed her hair and kissed her cheek. How could it be so impossible to form a coherent thought?
"They all did." Ignoring the signs of an ongoing stroke, Akiza simply pulled her hair into a loose bunch at the back of her neck with a couple of clips. Showers at the SRC were better than nearly anywhere else and expensive products were provided to all staff. It was more common for everyone to arrive to work an hour early and take advantage of the facilities than it was for them to use their own ones back home. "Jack tried using his to make coffee."
"What?" Blind inquiry seemed to be the winning formula.
"Mmm, didn't work. Not for lack of trying." She carefully peeled an eyelash from the corner of her cornea. Damn thing had sneaked in while she had been doing her hair. "Went nearly a full week without caffeine before Stephanie stepped in. Longest he's ever slept through the night."
"What?" That screaming in her head was already on the way back now that she was awake but it usually went away when she slept. Had it been different for Jack?
Taking another look at her companion, Akiza measured how much each of them was contributing to the conversation. "You need caffeine." She ran an internal check. "I need caffeine." A full day with her demented lab partner was more horrifying through a sleep-deprived daze. Caffeine usually took the edge off.
"Wh's cfeee?" Suddenly not awake enough to care for full sentences, Musume slumped dramatically onto the kitchen island. "'m soooo sleeeepyyyyy." She whined until a hot mug was slid into her grasping hands.
Rolling her eyes, Akiza perched on the next stool along. "Where's everyone else?" By her count, there should have been at least two people in the living area. It had been too late to return home by the time movie night finished and Jack and Crow should have been somewhere on display, maybe throw in Leo or Jaden as well.
Leo has a sleeping bag beside Luna, the two of you together, Jaden in his bed, She courteously placed a cup of coffee in front of Akiza. And Jack and Crow sharing a tender embrace in the spare room.
Akiza mulled over the logistics in the list. Siblings in one room, a pair of ladies in another, and their political guest the sole solo occupant. Which only left "Jack and Crow don't really go for 'tender embrace'. Unless they happened to have assistance?" Some vague mutterings indicated that maybe a leg had been foisted into place or an arm draped lovingly, yes.
"Get any pictures?" Nobody could wake up that fast with caffeine alone. Musume smelled blood in the water and was circling her prey.
Unfortunately not. She bowed apologetically in response. The apex predator gave a weary sigh, slipped off her seat and dragged herself in the direction of the stairs.
"Where are you going?" Akiza didn't bother to turn around from her breakfast brew.
"Erm... Upstairs?" Another springy hop and she evaded any further questions as easily as she cracked open a door.
Is there anything in particular you would like for breakfast? Taking family pranks in stride, Phantom returned to her normal duties with practised ease. We have eggs, several types of cereal, juice, smoothies, fruit, and some leftovers from last night. With the amount of sugar in some cereals, cold pizza was an accidental healthy option for students across the globe.
"Coffee for me." The good doctor smiled back. "I've got a longer commute this morning and Din can get irritated if people are late." An understatement if ever there was one. Traffic had made her five minutes late the last time and a hefty non-disclosure had taken place as a result. Needless to say, she now took advantage of the few minutes of overtime to avoid... more of what she was legally forbidden from talking about.
"Hey!" Crashing down the stairs like a rampaging rhino, Musume slammed herself back into her seat and thrust her phone onto display. "Check these out." Displayed in disturbing clarity on the screen was the type of sordid shot that every paparazzi and tabloid journalist dreamed of. Their unique relationship excused the junior redhead from instinctively grasping Akiza in a chokehold but the cuddling on display was such a textbook picture of dependency that the trained psychologist was automatically trying to figure out exactly which textbook she had seen it in.
Not everyone was so impressed. Poor lighting choice. Stretching across the table, she scrutinised the images like a professional blackmailer. And you could have taken advantage of the opportunity. A few poses, some props, She glanced down at the knife embedded in her forearm. Not that one.
"Musume." The whip cracked. "Out! Now!" Arguing with a god was difficult. Commanding your pissed-off teenager to stop stabbing her friend was closer to impossible. Glowering across the table, the bundle of anger retracted the knife. Slowly. "How many times is that now?" No answer was going to come from her daughter so Akiza went to the victim.
To the left, an enraged psychologist who could tear you apart with her mind as easily as her words. To the right, her daughter who contained enough cosmic power to rip you apart in all the other ways. One short of five-score. Perfect. Straight answer to sate the doctor, obscure enough to sate the patient-maker.
"Ninety-nine?" Damn German bakers! Why did they still use imperial measurements on older recipes? "You've stabbed her ninety-nine times?"
"Nooo?" She quickly tried to rationalise the number lower. "Maybe forty, fifty max." Wait, coffee stabs. Snack stabs. Boredom stabs. "Eighty-five..."
Three types of idiots tried to break uncomfortable silences: family, the desperate, and the ignorant. At least you nearly qualify for the prize.
"Prize?" Musume said as Akiza groaned "Prize?" despairingly. "Please, tell me you didn't make getting stabbed into a game." Idioms being what they are, Phantom was bound by her autistic nature to take it literally and kept silent. "You two are a bigger headache than Din sometimes." Exchanging a long look, the pair pulled twin expressions of reluctant pride for their success in an unusual area.
"Morning." Waving cheerfully in the direction of the stairs, Musume expertly diverted all attention away from where she wanted it. "That be five-score, li'l lady." Adopting a phoney prospector accent, she leered unpleasantly over the blade impaled through Phantom's glove. "Whar my prize?" Dragging it free, she gave her widest, toothiest smile.
"I hope it's worth it." Izinski women had a habit of putting people in uncomfortable positions. Mrs Izinski was directly responsible for passing a bill after causally confronting her husband's primary opponent about unfounded rumours of his accepting bribes. Two angry denials had inadvertently given enough details to prove the charges and earn her the fearful respect of the political community, all before the canapés could make a second round.
'Anything that just costs money is cheap.' Turning back to the cupboards, she began lining up new mugs for the others still sleeping.
"'ey!" Musume glared at the turned back. "Gimme." Risking her mother's wrath for a mystery prize was acceptable. Getting stiffed afterwards wasn't going to fly with her and she slowly pulled the blade for another assault.
'No.' Akiza glared at her younger copy in wordless communication.
'But,' Musume gestured wordlessly towards the blade.
'No.' Glared back the reply. 'Try my patience again, I dare you.'
Rolling her eyes in silent defeat, Musume spotted something on the ceiling. 'Watch out.' A finger pointed towards the convenient distraction.
'Really?' A disappointed angle to that frown said that she honestly didn't think that her own daughter would be so ineffective at bluffing. Then her eyes crossed at the spider slowly dangling two inches from her nose. Sensing the momentary distraction, Musume lunged around the kitchen island with barely a rattle of her chair.
Sliding gracefully to one side, Phantom caught her by the wrist, spun them both back around to the freestanding counter and precisely twisted Musume's arm behind her own back until it released on instinct. By the time her 'victim' was able to bring her spare hand up in a defensive measure, Phantom had already slipped the handle of the sword back into place with a reverse grip.
The Yawarakai-Te is not a tool of rage, it is a weapon of necessity. Keeping her pace as if nothing had happened, she continued to prepare various drinks for the rousing guests upstairs. It secrets itself until the moment it strikes true, and it need only strike once yet never in aggression.
"That's it?" Like a cosmic pebble removed from the tread of her shoe, the Tender Hands instantly felt more comfortable in her grip with barely any change in circumstances. Musume had been hoping for something more incredible.
"You could have just told her that it was meant to be held in a reverse grip." Akiza disliked the brutally physical methods of communication her daughter used and had hoped the more serene companion could have provided a mitigating influence.
'Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.' Arranging the cups on the counter before them, Phantom began slowly pouring boiling water into each. She'd wake the other occupants as soon as their drinks were ready. There would be enough time later on to shower and dress but having a cuppa with friends and family while still groggy and in pyjamas was one of the best ways to start a day.
"Involve this." Not caring for Benjamin Franklin quotes, Musume simply lifted her left hand (which felt too comfortable holding the Tender Hands for her own comfort) and rammed it into the front of the otherwise impenetrable helmet like a freaky nose on a snowman made of nightmares.
"Musume!" That whip cracked, again. Too late, again.
Phantom had an odd way – among others – of pouring the kettle. She would put her hand through the handle instead of dangling it until the water poured free. Take it out. Steaming water erupted as a twitch of her hand crushed the metal pot into scrap. Take it out!
In all the time that Musume had been waiting for the inevitable betrayal, she hadn't seen Phantom display anything greater than mild exasperation. Hearing that shout was enough to silence the screaming constantly in the back of her mind and she found one foot instinctively dragging her back a step as both wings tore her new shirt in terrified reaction, blade still clutched tightly in fist.
"What's going on?!" Sprinting down the stairs, Jaden was the only other person in the city who could arguably be a threat. Yubel kept a constant vigil on the pair downstairs and had alerted him at the first sign that one of them had finally snapped. "Hey!" It was simple logic that the person looking to leave in a hurry was the most likely culprit, stumbling in the direction of the pool outside while trembling like a junkie hitting withdrawal. Hunting Rare Hunters for several years hadn't told him that, it was the tiny nugget of basic intelligence Jaden kept in reserve. Duty done, it rolled back to sleep at about the time he grabbed Phantom's shoulder.
A backhand blow knocked him clear across the room. Had it been a few years earlier, one of the many statues Leo had erected for his idols would have caused embarrassing injuries as Jaden collided with the cabinet and toppled it atop himself. Musume might have laughed at the sight if she hadn't been watching in shock as the aggressor sprinted onto the patio and launched herself over the side of the building, glass door smashing into the wall in her wake.
"What the fuck happened?" Arranged along the top of the stairs, the family shared a clear view of the situation. There was the cracked glass door through which the victim had fled. There was the collateral damage in the corner. And, standing with all the symbols of otherworldly power on full display and mystic weapon clenched tightly in fist, was the monster clearly responsible for the carnage. Looking around to protest her innocence, all that Musume found was judgemental glares.
With that dramatic plot twist, we hit 100 chapters for this entry (dramatic party noises) and a combined total of 790k for the overall story - more than the Bible (more dramatical partier noises)!
Next stop, one million! (Words or reviews, both are good.)