forum Changes so Much // One on One // Closed

Started April 05, 2020 by @Knick

tune

“Right or wrong is subjective,” At last, Louka lowered his rifle, turning to focus on her for whatever reason. “There is no free-“ Louka has been cut off as a shot, much much closer than before rang out.. from the male Shio’s gun. The bullet had hit Louka, and although his body armour did provide protection, it wasn’t enough to completely stall the bullet.

Ears ringing, Louka slowly looked down to where the bullet had hit. Lower left torso. It wouldn’t be lethal, not to him, but the pain was beginning to settle in, and there was most definitely blood drawn from it.

The male Shio moved to flee the area.

"Holy fu-" Adrielle jumped, staring. "Did you just get shot?" It was kind of a stupid question, but she couldn't help it. She blinked in confusion.

When the Shio moved, she turned to look at him. She gave him the tiniest of nods, telling him to run, run as fast as he could, away from this brainwashed monster.

As if he weren’t listening to the world around him, Louka did not respond to her at first, instead keeping focus on his bullet wound.

Or maybe he wasn’t even focusing at all. Perhaps, he was just in shock.

There was a distance yet at the same time close crackling noise; almost like fire crackling; as what seemed to be ash rose up from the ground. Anybody who had seen a Mono in action before would probably recognize this sign. And anybody who heard the stories of Mono summoning monsters from shadow would probably recognize this, as well.
It almost seemed to wrap around his hand like a claw: no, exactly like a claw. However, that was the only thing that showed up, there seemed to be no more ‘ash’ aside from the portion that had surrounded his left hand.

He inspected the wound once more before turning around in direction of the fleeing Shio in silence, taking a deep breath as he turned focus to the female Shio.

Having never seen a Mono in action before, Adrielle had no idea what he was doing. She jumped at the sound of fire, looking around. But there was nothing, and with her finely-tuned fire senses, she probed around. Nothing. She had played with fire a lot as a child, more than was healthy, but this noise was more sinister.

She stiffened as the claw-thing appeared, tensing, as if ready for a fight. Maybe this wasn't a good idea. At least the other guy had gotten away, though.

When the Mono chose to look at her instead of chase the other Shio, she felt a ribbon of dread slide through her. Wisps of unformed illusion power wove through her fingers, ready for her to use at a moment's notice. She was ready to fight, although with the ease that the Mono held the gun, and with the stories she had heard about them, Adrielle was pretty sure she would lose.

Louka held his gaze for a while, just doing nothing but holding his ground. He didn’t even speak nor blink. When his radio went active again however, “Where is the Shio?” he seemed to release his focus and relax. Activating the radio, Louka spoke into it. “He got away.”

There was a pause. “..Head back to the truck.” For a moment, Louka didn’t answer, as if considering something, but deciding against it as he shook his head and the ‘ash’ which seemed to swirl around his left hand drifted to the ground.

Louka pointed the gun away, back down to the ground before exhaling and turning around, obviously leaving the area.

No. I will not do that. Not today, at least.

Adrielle let out a deep, relieved breath. She never would have admitted it, but he had scared her, in a way she didn't like. Admitting it, of course, would have ruined her reputation as the girl who was afraid of nothing and no one, but she had never faced down a Mono before. He was freaky, and less like a human than even Shios were.

She stared after the Mono for a moment, considering. "Are you okay?" She finally asked. She knew that she probably shouldn't ask that, but still. She had to know. The guy had gotten shot, for goodness sake! Even if he was a Mono…

Louka stopped upon hearing her question. Though still turned away, his eyes moved down to his bullet wound in which he could clearly see some of the blood loss from it. His response was not immediate.

Without turning around, he answered. “No.”

Adrielle blinked. She didn't actually think that he would tell the truth.

"Um… do you need help?" It sounded lame. What was going on with her today? Usually she was cold and harsh, and knew exactly what to say, and she didn't care about other people. But this… this was different. She didn't know why. Maybe it was seeing a Mono for the first time? Or maybe it was how she had thought that she was going to die, and her adrenaline was still rushing.

Whatever the case, she didn't know.

Louka activated his radio and spoke into it. “I’m on the Shio’s trail again, I’ll get him first and then I’ll meet up.” That was a lie, but he knew if he did not meet up with the others, they would figure something’s up when one of their only Mono members went missing.
“Okay,” came the response, “But don’t take long.”

Deactivating it, Louka slowly turned himself back around to face the female Shio. “Sure.” Was his only word he said, as of now.

(Nice profile pic!)

"Sure? Sure?" Adrielle rolled her eyes. "What do you want me to help you with? Getting bandages, or hunting down one of my own kind?" This was a bad idea.

Why are you so stupid, Dria? She asked herself, half tempted to run away while she could.

(Thanks!)

Louka took a breath in and out, keeping his eyes on her the whole time. He didn’t look too upset or mad or anything like that; just..tired. Maybe slightly ticked off, but it was hard to tell with him.

“The former, would be preferable,” he responded dryly.

"Okay, so he does know what he wants!" Adrielle threw her hands in the air. It felt a little bit like she was talking to a two-year-old. "It's a miracle." She sighed, shaking her head. "Do you want me to get them for you now, or wait until you're doing whatever the hell you're doing at the moment?"

A faint breeze rustled her hair, and she turned. She should probably get back. They were expecting her to sign autographs or something like that. She made a face.

It was a moment before his response came, maintaining a neutral tone throughout his voice. “You could get them now.” Came his answer, as he moved his left hand down to the bullet wound. Surprisingly, there wasn’t too much blood, at least compared to some previous experiences. Just enough to be seen on his hand as he inspected it.

Louka switched the safety on for his rifle. He figured he wouldn’t be shooting much today, or at least shooting at any people.

"Fine." Adrielle turned and started to walk away. She called over her shoulder, "I'm not sure if you want to follow me or not. You could sit tight here, I guess." If he wasn't acting like it was life-threatening, then the need wasn't dire, and she didn't have to run.

She arrived at a corner store, and she patted her pockets, making sure she had brought her wallet along. If she hadn't, she would probably die of shame, or something. Brushing her hair from her face, she moved to the drug section and found some bandages. She bought them quickly, and left the store as soon as she could.

Louka leaned against the wall, turning his attention to his bullet wound the moment she’d left. There was a similar crackling as before, but this time, Louka had done it consciously, as only three of his fingers were surrounded in the black material. He attempted to extract the bullet in the meantime. It wasn’t hard, he’d thought, since the bullet didn’t go that far in. And he was right about the second part.

The first, maybe not so much, as he did struggle with that. But it didn’t take long for him to bring up his hand for inspection. The bullet was a silver colour, though that silver had been stained with darkened blood. He switched the bullet to his other hand as he allowed the ash to dissolve.

Louka went back to leaning on the wall, holding pressure on his wound for the time being.

When Adrielle got back, the guy was leaning against the wall, applying pressure to his wound. She tossed the bandages to him. "I hope you don't want me to help you wrap yourself up." She made a face. She was not about to help a strange Mono guy tend a wound. He probably knew what he was doing.

Her phone buzzed, and she pulled it from her pocket and scowled down at the screen. She needed to go. People were looking for her, and if she didn't get to the theater right now, they would call the police. She sighed.

"Well, I'm off. Don't get shot again."

Louka watched her return and grasped the bandages firmly in his hands. Glancing at his other hand, where he’d held the bullet, Louka decided to toss the bullet onto the ground. It landed on the pavement with a light, quiet clatter.

Louka began to wrap his wound.

“I’ll try not to.” He mutters.

"Good." Adrielle waved to the guy without turning to look at him and started to walk faster. The consequences of leaving would be enormous, and, honestly, she wasn't sure that it had been worth it.

Louka stayed silent as he watched her leave. He wanted to say something else, but this encounter was just different, and he wasn’t sure what he would even say. Finishing up with his bandage, it was soon time for him to report back on the Shio. He too left the wall, making the journey back to the truck.