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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 11, 2021 21:31:36 GMT -8
Her mouth hurt from keeping her throat closed around all her vowels. Lyra spent the day learning her French accent was not as neutral as she had been led to believe. Rectifying this gave her a bigger headache than the incident she had been sent to investigate. Thankfully the documentation (each page numbered and the attachments lettered) was properly stowed in her briefcase and she could put the last 18 hours out of her mind.
Taking advantage of the blessed flatness of Rue de Commerce after the twisting up and down sidewalks she had finally escaped, Lyra strolled across cobblestones and watched the flow of traffic. The Grenelle quarter was quieter this time of day compared to a few hours earlier when the streets had been packed with the morning commute. If she maintained her current pace she may even have enough time to visit the Tour Montparnasse – Lyra was no great student of architecture but Father would appreciate the second-hand description.
Lyra straightened the cuffs of her button-up, switching her briefcase from left to right hand as she did so. She sped up for no real discernable reason, taking a sharp corner on a whim. Her boots skirted a nearly desiccated rain puddle – the remnants of two nights past if Lyra was remembering the conversation of her seatmates during the short metro trip correctly.
Pursing her lips, Lyra mouthed random words to herself, practicing her accent. She had a niggling fear, a sliver of trepidation that built as she walked, and which couldn’t entirely be blamed on her linguistic conundrum.
Worry slid into place like the latch of a door coming home, the click of dots connecting nearly audible when Lyra caught a whiff of the corrosive reiatsu slinking after her.
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Post by Meridith Sheppard on Aug 12, 2021 6:39:00 GMT -8
She wasn't sure how long she would linger in Paris. The city was expensive! And was far from the spiritual nexus she was hoping to find in her journey. She was, after all, out here not (solely) on some kind of field trip or adventure she was here because she actually wanted to help people. And there was one thing someone like her had to offer.
The time that had passed since her arrival had allowed the excitement to filter down into a colder bit of dread. She was making a mistake. No, no! If she went back she'd never have another chance, they'd never let her out of their sight and she'd never get her chance to do this. She had moments of panic where her heart felt like it lived in her throat, where she was certain she'd throw up.
Then she'd get out of her room, she'd wander the city streets of land that she had never been, she'd observe a sky familiar to her but utterly different too and she'd feel absolutely certain that she had made the right choice. For now. The war would rage on.
Far from living large, she'd managed to snag a dormitory room with few travellers. There was a cute little garden. She had money on hand, and a credit card which every time she used caused her heart to skip a beat. Would they cut her off? Would they use it to find her? She'd have to find a way to sustain herself before long, certainly. She'd go to grocery stores and buy herself some bread and cheese and she'd linger in places with poor security and find her way to the rooftops and enjoy it underneath the foreign sky and enjoy the sight of more people than she'd seen in a lifetime.
From her long thoughts, she felt snapped out of it in an abrupt and unpleasant way. She -felt- the wave of a sharp cry in a disturbingly familiar way and for a moment her entire body froze. She snapped to her feet but couldn't remember the steps she'd taken to do so, and began to race across the roof of the building are her senses locked down the sensation.
Hollow. There's a Hollow here. Broad daylight? In Paris? They weren't supposed to be here. I'm not supposed to be here. What if there's a Shinigami on duty? What if they find me? What if the creature is too strong?
Someone's in danger. Move! MOVE!
None of the mounting dread really mattered, it couldn't have slowed her down if she wanted, her body was moving straight towards the source.
The streets were quiet now, perhaps there wouldn't be anyone present for the monster? She arrived at the opposite end and noticed first the woman who stood alone facing away from Meridith. She was sharply dressed, with pretty ochre skin and a corkscrew of brown black curls. Then she noticed the creature pull its way around the corner. Jet black skin, with patches of fur across its body. On four legs it stalked forward towards its prey, haunch over like a massive misshapen wolf, an ominous green fog pouring from its mouth, lined with rows of razor-sharp teeth inset into a stark white mask.
She reached the edge of the building and put her all into it, springing from the tip of the roof. She shouted the only command she thought might reach the woman below, "Run!"
She soared through the air in a worryingly increased acceleration towards the ground and gripped the broken blade around her neck tight in one hand and reached out with the other. At the moment of connection, she called out to the reishi around her, commanding it to her as a brilliant blue light shone, forming the semi-transluscent shape of a bow that was nearly as tall as the girl herself.
She soared towards the ground and just barely managed to slow her descent by collecting Reishi below her feet. She was far from being able to use Hirenkyaku with any amount of skill, but it was enough to avoid turning her bones to jelly from the impact. She still hit the ground hard ahead of the woman, sliding across as her skeleton rattled.
She formed an arrow as she went stumbling across the ground. She managed before long to catch her foot on a stone, pulled herself upright and loosed a single brilliant blue arrow forth. The hungry Quincy projectile soared forth towards the Hollow creature which reared back causing the shot to narrowly miss as it flew on and slammed into the ground. A spray of concrete echoed as the debris flew forth.
She turned her head back towards the woman. She wore a bright confident smile as her heart raced and her stomach threatened to flip over. "I'll take care of this, hurry away, I'll make sure you're safe, I promise!"
The Hollow creature lowered itself and readied to enjoy a second meal that offered itself before them.
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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 12, 2021 9:01:46 GMT -8
Lyra had half a plan martialed (take the right up ahead, towards a less populated area -- test to see if the Hollow was actually after her) when the air shifted and all of her calculations flew out the window. Quite literally, in fact, as the figure of a small girl came hurtling onto the scene, her hair floating like a red cloud as she descended from the sky.
There was the whoosh of something cold, a light so bright it seared into Lyra's eyes like a laser beam reaching into space, and Lyra fell backwards in an ungraceful stumble. Her stomach lurched. When had the Hollow gotten that close?
Her tumble took her down, briefcase held in flailing hands as shards of concrete bounced off the leather with enough force to sting her wrists.
Lurching to her feet, Lyra only just managed to avoid faceplanting as her ankle rolled over their now unpredictable footing. She shot the girl a sideways glance, wide-eyed and off-balance.
"Err, is your aim likely to improve?" Lyra asked, twitching back as the Hollow roared, presence like a sledgehammer to the head.
"Only... if it's not, I think it'd be irresponsible to flee the scene."
The Hollow crouched, black skin rippling as it crept towards them in a sinuous crawl. Its fur bristled, pulled tight over what might have been shoulder bones. Lyra didn't want to find out how fast the monster could lunge.
She gripped her briefcase tighter, pulling it towards her chest and taking another step backwards.
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Post by Meridith Sheppard on Aug 12, 2021 10:34:10 GMT -8
Most people ran away! That was expected, normal, and extremely useful. Meridith had done this dance a small handful of times and she really loved it when whoever she was helping never even spotted her. But sometimes they didn't run, fear froze them solid to spot but when the explosions started they wound up running away. But not her, not this one. No! This one sassed her! Unbelievable. Meridith's expression was blank, immediately obvious of all the possibilities she expected that this wasn't one of them!
She stammered something out, maybe something like, it's fine! Or I've got this! But it came out in English in an extreme accent so it might have just been a curse. Maybe she wasn't dealing with someone normal...
The crunch of concrete as the creature crouched low, power rippling across its impressive frame as it threatened them.
"I don't know if you know what these things are but I can't protect you and myself at the same time," she warned as she raised the shimmering semi-real form of her bow towards the beast warning it. "I won't miss a second time," she promised.
She reached forth with her free hand and grasp at air seizing the ambient Reishi present, then drew back, commanding the surrounding particles into a brilliant blue lance of raw energy. She went to say something else but as she took her eyes off the beast it sensed its opening and sprang forward.
It was fast, it was so fast and so big, she couldn't possibly miss. She also couldn't possibly get out of the way in time if she failed.
The arrow hummed brightly surged larger by the moment of desperation as she loosed a second one that day. It crashed into the body off the Hollow leaving a deep and grave gash spraying the ground with its rich red blood but it did nothing to blunt the momentum. Meridith delivered far less than the destructive blow she needed to save not only herself but the woman she had promised to keep safe.
A heartbeat passed as it closed the remaining distance between them, a deadly claw poised.
Move. Please. Move. Do anything. I-
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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 12, 2021 11:03:50 GMT -8
Rubble crunched underfoot as Lyra shifted her weight, eyes pinned to the Hollow, and yet still unable to grasp the moment in which it took flight.
It was there -- and then closer -- looming, dark, heavy. Another burst of brilliance stirred the air, lights dancing like dust motes, and her heart dropped down into her boots as the Hollow hurtled towards them.
She tackled the girl, bony shoulder taking her out at the bicep, as they both collided with enough force to bounce up off the pavement. That was important because it meant the Hollow's swipe passed harmlessly over their heads -- but it was also distinct in that it left them sprawled with a monster a little too close for comfort, bones reverberating from the harsh introduction to the ground.
Later Lyra would question what she was thinking -- it was a gross misuse of official property, and filling out the loss or destruction of office equipment form was going to be mortifying -- but the truth was there hadn't been any space for thought.
Her arm swung in an arc, letting loose at the last minute so that her projectile went zinging the scant feet between them to smack the Hollow right on the nose. Maybe. Judging precision targets over those blank masks was difficult.
The briefcase connected with a dull thwack. Woman and Hollow stared back and forth in shock and for once it was Lyra who collected her nerves first.
Seizing her compatriot's arm, Lyra wrenched them to their feet with a heavy lurch that brought them upright at an abrupt enough angle to win a meter or so's distance.
Her grip slackened and Lyra let out an agonized moan, hands flying to her face. "Oh my god. My paperwork!"
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Post by Meridith Sheppard on Aug 12, 2021 11:45:30 GMT -8
She couldn't move, not from fear although there was ample of that, if she moved then the creature's blow would strike the woman in her stead. But she had to do something, anything?
Before anything came to mind a heavy blow struck her, although not so fatal as she feared and from a source she did not expect. She hit the ground hard enough to drag a cry of pain from her lips but little more. She lived which was a far better outcome than the Hollow promised her. She struggled to regain her breath, to get her bearings and to orient herself. The creature wasn't going to hesitate she was down and-get up! get up!!!-a hand seized her and pulled her to her feet.
Her vision focused firmly upon the creature, as she connected the dots. A briefcase? Had she really thrown a briefcase at this thing? The one she had promised to protect could certainly see it then, and had the sense to fight back. It might not have done much but the creature seemed perhaps more surprised than Meridith was. So, she didn't waste the moment she had been given.
The scattered form of her bow flared outward brilliantly, she focused her energy, called upon the Reishi and collected herself. No more of this, she chided herself. She did not come out here to be a lamb. What would her family say if they had witnessed this...embarrassment? She lurched forward purposefully forging a third and final arrow from the air itself. She ignored pain from her impact with the ground and glided across the ground in a flash toward the beast before it ready itself for another assault.
Dyfal donc a dyr y garreg
She appeared inches from her quarry's slavering maw and pointed the arrow directly at its mask. It reared back, trying to move away and rend her apart but this close there was no way she was going to miss.
The arrow surged forth into the center of its mask, the blue light, subdued by the noon sun, shone and tore the creature in half, causing its form to dissipate. The spirit was freed from its tortured state and removed from existence. She stepped back, deed done, and stumbled backward. She fell to a knee as she huffed and tried to catch her breath.
"Sorry," she managed each word between a gulp of breath. "I'll help you gather your paperwork. Give me a second."
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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 12, 2021 11:59:32 GMT -8
"Ah... It did improve," Lyra noted quietly, to herself -- nodding like she was about to check off another box in a list. This girl was capable of plenty of firepower, and in quick succession as well. That was impressive. If her aim left something to be desired at least it increased when they were standing so close to the target.
She lowered her hands, curling them tight so that her nails scraped the skin of her palms, and glanced at the downed girl. Wind skirled, tugging at their hair, though Lyra couldn't be sure if it came from the sky or if the Hollow had released some tangible pressure when it exploded. (Was that technically an explosion? She didn't remember the exact definition or if it could apply to souls.)
"Are you injured or just tired?"
Lyra tilted her head, curving her lips in the impression of a smile because they had skipped introductions and she imagined it would be rude to maintain a stranger's distance at this point in the conversation.
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Post by Meridith Sheppard on Aug 12, 2021 12:57:07 GMT -8
Meridith slowly began to drag herself upwards, living off the ground in one unsteady movement before catching herself with a wince. Left-arm, hurt a lot she'd have to check that later but she was pretty sure nothing was broken. Her knees were scuffed, bleeding but not too bad, a little bit of wind which filtered past them stung but considering the adrenaline it was barely noticeable.
"Just tired," she responded, putting her brave face back on. She stared at the empty space the creature once occupied as if concerned it might return. She turned to face the woman and inclined her head. "Thank you very much, I'm sorry I was so late, and that I put you in danger. You probably saved my life," she said seriously. Definitely did. "My name is Meridi." As that same wind scattered one of the papers by her Meridi reached out and flailed before snatching it. "Oh no, let's gather these up..." and moved to begin to collect the papers for the woman.
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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 12, 2021 13:30:32 GMT -8
Observing the interloper, she didn't appear to be lying or hiding any weaknesses. Lyra's eyebrows rose in sync with the red-haired girl - she had counted several hard events of impact and who knew whether all those aerial acrobatics had left muscles aligned as they would be had a body not taken a nose-dive off a rooftop.
Durable, Lyra added to her swiftly growing list - and then adjusted her mental notation to stubborn when she spotted the wince hidden behind a practiced smile.
Both were impressive or troublesome depending on the circumstances.
"Oh!" Lyra bounced on the balls of her feet after being addressed, smoothly folding into a bow. Only after straightening and setting her shoulders did she remember that bowing was considered a strange convention in normal society.
Heat crept up her throat. "Uh, yes, nice to meet you."
Lyra glanced away, the ease of her introduction stalling out like an engine with its propeller fouled in ropes. She scratched at one cheek. The newly named Meridi saved her once again by neatly transitioning towards a new topic, snagging one of Lyra's forms as it fluttered by in the wind.
All that heat turned to ice and Lyra jumped forward, collecting paperwork in a panic even though it was highly unlikely the stapled packets would travel any real distance.
"Sorry! Sorry!" she exclaimed, apologizing both to the girl and her paperwork. Lifting each piece with great care intended to avoid further wrinkles, Lyra barreled ahead. "My name's Lyra, which you can probably see from the folder tabs -- sorry!" She grabbed the last packet and rose, clutching the pile to her chest and staring at Meridi.
"Thanks... ah. And I assure you, you most certainly are the one who saved us. That was incredible."
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Post by Meridith Sheppard on Aug 12, 2021 14:18:47 GMT -8
Meridi noted the bow and the awkward rise with a quiet giggle, less because she was amused than charmed. The awkward silence that followed went barely noticed as she busied herself collecting the papers which flitted about. When the disaster was averted she reached over and extended any she had gathered along with the briefcase.
Lyra~ What a nice name
"Lyra, are you alright? Hopefully that heroic tackle wasn't too hard on you?" She folded an arm over her left arm, holding it gently now that she had handed over the paper. "I think we can safely chock that one up to a team effort." She gestured vaguely towards the space the Hollow once occupied when it existed.
"That must have been some throw with the briefcase huhn?" She grinned and let out another trembling laugh as the last of her adrenaline vanished. Glad to be holding her arm to keep herself from shaking. She was starting to chatter on wasn't she.
I almost died. I almost got her killed. The Shinigami are going to find me. My family is going to find me.
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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 12, 2021 14:42:24 GMT -8
"Oh," she said a little more quietly this time, watching the fine tremors surface in the girl. Adrenaline was an amazing thing. Watching that fight one might assume Meridi was confident in her training. Primed if not abundantly skilled. Now that the crash had begun Lyra wondered whether the girl had seen combat before.
Lyra widened her smile, drawing it to a comforting bloom, as she bobbed and gratefully accepted her things back. "I'm fine. Just a few bruises."
She flipped over the briefcase, slotting her paperwork in with only a minor fumble, as if to illustrate the integrity of her body.
"Perhaps, ah... We could relocate and finish this chat? I think people may be arriving to deal with the explosion." Lyra nudged a bit of brickwork with the toe of her boot.
"There's a cafe nearby," she took a step backwards, angling towards the street. Lyra made eye contact with the girl, trying to lead her away from the scene without actually touching her.
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Post by Meridith Sheppard on Aug 12, 2021 14:58:35 GMT -8
She was just about to say something about departing, about making sure everything was alright and taking off before those very people arrived. So when Lyra suggested they sit down and enjoy a chat Meridith was already getting ready to say no.
"Sure."
Her traitorous mouth accepting the offer while her eyes scanned down the streets and flitted up towards the rooftops looking for figures what hadn't appeared (yet). She had abandoned her bag somewhere along the way, along with its bandages and the needle and thread she would use to patch up such trifles. Thankfully, these injuries were easy enough to explain. 'I fell'.
Lyra was already moving along, guiding Meridith along and so she followed behind a few feet at a relatively even pace beside the hop on every other step. "Not to pry too much into this but, that isn't the first time you've seen a Hollow is it?" Gosh, she hoped not. If that was the first encounter and she was that collected ('Oh my god. My paperwork!' would echo in her head for weeks if not forever) then what excuse did Meridith possibly have?
"Is this the first time you've met a Quincy?" she dared to ask as they made their way.
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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 12, 2021 15:14:42 GMT -8
Lyra stumbled over a bit of rubble which was what you got for trying to move while facing the wrong direction. It helped, though, to add to the illusion of crisis victim. She wasn't doing a very good job at that, apparently, judging by Meridi's questions and tone.
"Great! Most people would be dazed after experiencing such a sudden shock. It's perfectly understandable if you need to sit down. In fact -- that appears to be what a bunch of people are doing." She pointed towards the crowd, broken into two distinct groups, the ones taking pictures of the concrete and chattering about probable cause and those leaning against each other in small clumps under storefront awnings.
"Here we are," Lyra said, leading the girl down one of the wide blocks and taking a left. A peripheral location was ideal. Not too close but within the bounds of understanding should anyone question the dust on their skin or Meridi's injuries.
She stumbled again, without any intention of doing so, and blinked myopically at her companion as the girl's words slowly registered. "A Quincy?" Lyra formed the syllables with intricate care, just quiet enough her voice wouldn't carry.
Lyra regained her balance and spared a thought towards whether it was weirder to trip over nothing than to react calmly to words like Hollow or Quincy.
"I've never had a conversation with someone like you. Not that I remember, anyway."
She rarely spoke to people. Work was changing that - far more rapidly than Lyra could have ever imagined.
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Post by Meridith Sheppard on Aug 12, 2021 15:43:43 GMT -8
Meridi paused lingering on it, was she in shock? No, no no no. Don't be silly. She laughed. No. Haha. So funny! Shock? Her? She smiled brightly and shrugged it off until of course, Lyra mentioned to other people observing. The smile faded she turned to look and suddenly all of her anxieties and fears spiked. Did they think she was involved? Did they snap a picture of her? Was she going to be on the news? Oh Lord.
She hastened her footsteps as they rounded the corner.
As the conversation continued, Meridith confirmed to herself that she was pretty sure Lyra did know what the Quincy were, that was good? It confirmed a little bit of what she suspected. The mortal world was waking up to the reality of the spiritual world, but it wasn't as if Quincy was a word on the lips of local and frequent gossip. But still, maybe Lyra was just...like that? It was hard to tell, was she just guarded or weird! She decided to focus on that mystery rather than what might have been the front-page spread of tomorrow's paper (or a 3rd-page column in the local interests section). She was glad to be moving away from the scene.
She watched Lyra's steps with worried interest but didn't insist she turned around.
"I suppose now's a chance to?" she offered. The further they got away from the scene it seemed visibly obvious a weight was being lifted from her shoulders. "Though, I guess I'm curious, since you're okay and all, is there anything you're looking for from me?" Her eyes studied Lyra's reaction curiously. Was this just concern? Curiosity? Something else? She did her best not to sound suspicious, she wasn't! Truly!
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Post by Lyra d'Aiglemort on Aug 12, 2021 16:17:34 GMT -8
The one thing about Paris was that you couldn't swing a dead cat without hitting a cafe. The other thing about Paris was that no one much cared if you loitered nearby but not quite *inside* the bubble of said establishment. Of course, this was easier with two people than one. Conversations were a suitable reason for standing somewhere.
Lyra wasn't immune to the redhaired girl's anxiety so she slid forward at an angle, conveniently coming to a halt in such a position that anyone walking down the street wouldn't get a good look at Meridi.
"Hm? Ah, I didn't have any specific conversational goals..." Lyra made a mental note to come up with a list. Perhaps on a flashcard. That way she could carry it with her and practice for moments like this.
She didn't miss Meridi's lingering gaze and wasted a moment frantically searching in her pockets for a handkerchief which she could present to the girl. "You've a little bit of stone dust, just -- ah, right there." Lyra gestured slowly to avoid spooking the child.
"I can try to take a look at those," she trailed off delicately while staring at the Quincy's knees.
Scrapes weren't life threatening but Lyra did have time before her flight. It seemed impolite to walk off while the girl ran the risk of staining her clothes. Blood was harder to get out once it'd dried.
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