[Rail IC] Academy City II: Electrokinesis Is Love~

[Anyr]

Moroe blinked. Fear was mostly replaced by confusion as she tried in vain to process what had just happened. Of all the insane mind games to which this man had subjected her, this was by far the most disturbing. Before her widening eyes, two people had just spoken to her with only one face; And for the life of her, she couldn't figure out how the trick was done. This went far beyond simple acting talent. Even the greatest of actors couldn't instantly switch every single aspect of their outer shells to that of another person, down to the smallest facial twitch; It simply wasn't possible. Unless...Unless he really was...

"No. Stop it. Don't fall for the trap. Don't play his game. This is a trick. It has to be."

Quickly regaining control of herself, Moroe threw Souji an unimpressed look which wasn't nearly as convincing as she would have liked.

"I honestly have no idea what you're trying to accomplish here, but it's not going to work."

----------------------------------------

"HOW THE HELL DID I GET LOST!"

Kin's face suddenly lit up like a Christmas tree. It was him; He'd come back. All thought of cats and trees forgotten, she took off at a run in the direction of that familiar voice.

"Well if it isn't the great adventurer! Hey, over here!"

[Terry576]

Souji grinned wickedly at her, winking.

"Ishimaru-san, please don't listen to Rin-chan anymore! He has no clue what he's talking about!"

Rin again. Fearful, harrowed, filled with horror as he looks at Moroe. "P-p-please Ishimaru-senpai! J-j-just t-tell him t-t-to stop for a b-b-bit! H-h-he'll listen to you! I-I-I know it!"

The face before her was eerie, to say the least. One eye, wild and horrified. The other, filled with bemusement, a sardonic twinkle in it's midst. The voice talks casually, the bemused eye rolling.

"Right Rin. I'm the dominant one here, I made you and I own you. If I wanted to, you would be gone like that," Souji snaps his fingers, a spark appearing for emphasis, "But I don't, because I need you for my cover identity. But if you're discovered, you won't be needed anymore, will you?"

Rin's eye just looks at Moroe. "I-I don't h-h-have any ab-ab-abilities, b-b-because h-h-he won't l-let me, otherwise... Otherwise I'd b-b-be too obvious... P-p-please Ishimaru-senpai, m-m-make him st-st-stop! I j-j-just want to be m-m-my own p-p-p-person!"

[Anyr]

This was insane. During the last exchange Moroe had strained all her senses to their maximum and tasked them with finding even the slightest trace of deception, without any success. Everything about Souji's rapidly shifting face, manner and voice told the same story: That there were two people here. Not only that, but her analytical mind was starting to dredge up memories of this 'Totsuya Rin'; He was a student of Onizuka, and she had seen him there before, sitting quietly in the back of classrooms or shuffling unobtrusively through the corridors. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to imagine Fuschichou Souji keeping up an act like that day after day.

Was this possible? Could Souji really have created an entire splinter personality to use as a disguise? With all the evidence she'd gathered, Moroe could no longer dismiss the idea. And if Rin was indeed real, she might have found an ally in the most unlikely of places.

"Okay, let's suppose for just a minute that this is all real: Why are you so sure that he'll listen to me? That's like saying that a cat would take the advice of the mouse it was batting between its paws. Being obsessed with someone isn't the same as caring about them."

[Terry576]

Rin blushed, and looked at his feet. "Be-because... B-b-because... he's n-n-not obsessed, j-j-j-just fascinated b-b-by you. Y-y-you d-d-d-don't g-g-give into him, l-l-like everyone else d-d-d-does. H-h-h-he w-w-wants to know w-w-w-what lets you do that, b-b-because... I-I-I can't r-r-really describe how h-h-h-he feels... I'm n-n-not him. I'm Rin."

He really wasn't.

Tetsuya Rin.

Fuschichou Souji.

One was a shy brunette.

The other was a devious bastard with hair as silver as his eyes.

It was almost funny. They were so very, very different, and so closely related.

[Anyr]

I-I-I can't r-r-really describe how h-h-h-he feels... I'm n-n-not him. I'm Rin."

Moroe's brow furrowed in bemusement. Rin didn't know how Souji felt? Now there was an idea which would take some getting used to. The more that she heard Rin speak, the harder it was for her to think of him as being just another part of Souji's mind. He felt more like a fellow victim of Souji, just like her. It really was as if he was a totally...separate...wait...

"What did you just say?"

Without warning Moroe suddenly halted in mid step. A thought had just occurred to her. With a look in her eyes that spoke of many little wheels turning behind them, she started speaking slowly and carefully.

"You're not him. You're not him. We keep coming back to that, don't we? The idea that you're not just some mask that Souji puts on; That you're a separate person with your own hopes, dreams and fears. The two of you talk, think and argue as if you were a pair of completely different people who just happen to share the same body.

...So what exactly makes Souji the dominant one?"

Moroe paused to let that point sink in. It was very important for Rin to understand where she was coming from here. When she spoke again, the slow and careful rhythm was gone, to be replaced with a fervour that surprised even her.

"Is it just because he came first? That's not much of a reason. Is it because he's stronger? How do you know that he's stronger if you've never seriously fought him? Haven't you been saying this whole time that you're just as real as he is? If that's true, then why don't you prove it? Show me just how real you are, Tetsuya Rin!"

[Cole10000]

"Well if it isn't the great adventurer! Hey, over here!"

Carver almost didnt notice the voice calling out to him when he heard it, he was too busy thinking about how he had actually managed to not only lose track of the guy he was looking for, but also got lost in the sewer!

He really needed to keep up with the situation better, things were starting to get out of hand here.

But despite all that he did in fact hear the person call out to him

That really sounds familiar...

Looking in the direction of the noise he noticed the person calling out to him he realised that it was familiar because it was the girl he had met earlier.

He starts walking over while saying

"Wow, what are the odds of this huh? Well, I certainly hope that your day has been better than mine since we split up. Judgement business and all that, let's just say it ended up with me getting lost in a sewer, let's leave it at that."

He stops when he reachers the others, and realises that he probobly smells from the sewer he was just in a sewer and he took a moment to look in each of their eyes and use his ability to hide the smell from the sewers from them.

He was going to need a shower soon though...

WIth that thought going through his head, he realised that he knew the siblings there, as well as there was a boy he didnt know there as well.

"Well now, it's nice to see the two of you again as well, and the young man I havent met yet, my names Carver."

[Terry576]

Moroe's brow furrowed in bemusement. Rin didn't know how Souji felt? Now there was an idea which would take some getting used to. The more that she heard Rin speak, the harder it was for her to think of him as being just another part of Souji's mind. He felt more like a fellow victim of Souji, just like her. It really was as if he was a totally...separate...wait...

"What did you just say?"

Without warning Moroe suddenly halted in mid step. A thought had just occurred to her. With a look in her eyes that spoke of many little wheels turning behind them, she started speaking slowly and carefully.

"You're not him. You're not him. We keep coming back to that, don't we? The idea that you're not just some mask that Souji puts on; That you're a separate person with your own hopes, dreams and fears. The two of you talk, think and argue as if you were a pair of completely different people who just happen to share the same body.

...So what exactly makes Souji the dominant one?"

Moroe paused to let that point sink in. It was very important for Rin to understand where she was coming from here. When she spoke again, the slow and careful rhythm was gone, to be replaced with a fervour that surprised even her.

"Is it just because he came first? That's not much of a reason. Is it because he's stronger? How do you know that he's stronger if you've never seriously fought him? Haven't you been saying this whole time that you're just as real as he is? If that's true, then why don't you prove it? Show me just how real you are, Tetsuya Rin!"

Original Post

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Then Rin was gone.

It was Souji again. And he grinned. "Oh? You want to see how real Rin is? That's unlikely. There's an easier way to show you how real he is."

Souji pulled off the wig, removed the glasses, and the contacts. It was the silver haired boy, with the mirthful silver eyes once more.

"By showing you how real I am."

And Souji was gone. He was there for a second, and then he vanished. In his place was a feeling. Of nothingness, an empty spot standing in front of her.

What Moroe never realized was how silver Souji's eyes were. They were always dancing with some emotion, or twinkling with deviousness. The boy in front of her had nothing in his eyes, they were as blank as a newly cleaned slate.

"Hello Ishimaru Moroe said the Reality Controller. The Reality Controller introduces itself to the girl standing in front of it."

It was a blank slate. Empty.

"The being you are speaking to is the vessel of the Reality Controller, which is why both Fuschichou Souji and Tetsuya Rin are real. The Reality Controller reveals."

"Fuschichou Souji is the dominant persona of this vessel, for a single reason. The Reality Controller extrapolates on it's previous revelation. He was the original personality of this vessel before the Reality Controller was implanted on his consciousness the Reality Controller explains."

Souji's eyes pierced your soul. Rin's eyes implied implicit trust.

The Reality Controller's eyes said nothing. Did nothing. Were nothing.

"Fuschichou Souji is the two thousand, seven hundred and ninety sixth clone of Doctor Adachi Souji who originally found the consciousness of the Reality Controller when it was weak and made it strong again the Reality Controller reveals."

Adachi Souji was well known among many circles. The Demonic Scientist. The Mad Man in a Labcoat.

"The Reality Controller made a bargain with the Doctor who healed it, allowing three years of freedom before it had to resurrect him post mortem said the Reality Controller. The Reality Controller can manipulate the Personal Reality of the host to suit the host (or its) needs. Fuschichou Souji has vague knowledge of this fact, and is allowed access to a single facet of the Reality Controller. The Reality Controller explains to the girl in front of it."

The Reality Controller paused.

"The Reality Controller requires you to return this vessel to Judgement, so as to fulfill the Reality Controller's agreement with Doctor Adachi Souji. The Reality Controller demands."

Moroe heard every word.

Tobio, on the other hand, heard nothing. It was like a blank space where the Reality Controller stood, and wordless movements of the mouth.

Rin stared at the girl in front of him, his eyes wide, mouth open. "I... I... I..."

Then he was gone. And this time it seemed like forever. Souji stood before her again, sighing, his eyes hard and cold, colder then she'd ever seen them, those dancing, twinkling eyes.
Everything was fine.
"You just couldn't leave well enough alone, could you Moroe? You just had to get involved!"
Everything was fine.
Left. Right. Left. Right.

"Everything was fine. Brilliant, in fact Moroe! Rin was alright. I was alright. Everything was fine."
Everything was fine.
His eyes stared into her soul, piercing her. It was odd in a way. His eyes didn't look green anymore, didn't feel green. They felt silver, the piercing heat, the coldness that cut like a knife.
Everything was fine.
"You seem to be the only one who remembers anymore Moroe. Who I am. What I am. Who I could be. Why. Why is that?!?! Why is it only you! Nobody else knows! Why do you know!"
Everything was fine.
His eyes spelt hate. So much hate was in them at that moment, a single moment, just for a second, and then it evaporated again, like tears in the rain.
"Don't you get it Moroe? You're the only one who knows."
His left hand in the air. His ring finger standing up.
"Tetsuya Rin."
The middle finger.
"Fuschichou Souji."
The pointer finger.
"Astraphobia. Why do only you remember the power, the sheer indulgent power that that name means!?! Why is it that out of the two million, three hundred thousand people who could remember, only you care! Only you acknowledge that Fuschichou Souji is Astraphobia! Already, in your head, you seperated Tetsuya Rin from me. You think of him as someone to save, just because of a few words!"
Everything was fine.
Tears in his eyes, Souji's hand slices the air, the electricity bursting from every pore in his body.
"WHAT GIVES YOU THAT RIGHT?!"
Everything was fine.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio had heard everything. Now he could act. Turning on his headset he says, "Rin-taichou, Mei, I have confirmation that Testuya Rin was a cover for Fushichou Souji. Transmitting coordinates." With that done he darts forward on his skates Tobio grabs Moroe bridal style as it was the easiest to perform and keep moving. He primary concern was getting her out of Souji's range as his powers were showing activation signs. So he grabs her and tries to put her behind the alley wall that he had been hiding behind before turning towards Souji, his eyes set in a determined stare. I don't know who if Testuya Rin is a cover for you or a split off part of your personailty Souji. However I do know that I made a promise to protect Moroe. I also promised myself to protect as many people as I could. Fushichou Souji, your are hereby under arrest." His piece said, Tobio releases his control on his Aura of cold, letting extend to it's full 20 foot radius and 0 degrees Celsius.

[Terry576]

Souji stared at him. And then he laughed.

He laughed and he laughed and he laughed.

"He was a person for your information. And he's also me. But I'm Astraphobia. And do you know what I do?"

A crackle of lightning flickering in his right hand, as a bullet case opened in his left.

"I force the fear of storms into people. So come on then, Judgement-san. Face the storm!"

Three bullets in his right hand.

Three shots towards the soul in front of him, only slightly stalled by the aura of cold.

"Tobio, member of Judgement! Remember me! I am Fuschichou Souji, the last clone of Academy City, Astraphobia!"
His voice cracked in desperation. He had been forgotten by everyone. Even though he had done terrible, wonderful things, they had all forgotten. They treated him like an ordinary level four, not the level four who had broken twelve members of Judgement and five members of Anti-Skill.

Then his hands reached for the sky, and electricity arced from his fingers towards Tobio, and Souji roared.

"I will not go back to that madman, do you hear me?!?! I will not go back!"

[AnimeKid]

Tobio was moving the moment he let it known that he wasn't going peacefully. Unlike Souji seemed to think, Tobio knew exactly what he was dealing with. Kin thought that he was being melodramatic with his declaration of what Astraphobia had done. What he was capable of. Tobio never forgot, he was fooling himself if he thought that this would end without conflict. His hand extends forward to help him focus. first he chills the humid above Souji to form a block of ice to drop on his hand. His other hand also extends to help him focus on the bullets in Souji's hand. He is redirecting the heat subtracted from the area above Souji to the metal bullets to try to make them to hot for Souji to hold and therefore drop them. Then the lightning comes. It is only due to Tobio wearing his skates that his is barely able to avoid the deadly bolt. However he notes how he was lucky that he was able to considering how he wouldn't be able to keep it up since they were in an alley and the amount of dodging he could do here was limited.

[Anyr]

Moroe's spirits sank as yet another of her hopes blinked out of existence before her eyes. She couldn't help feeling a little guilty about basically killing poor Rin; He may have been just a fragment, but sacrificing him for the sake of a vague hunch had been callous even by her standards. Then Souji fixed her with the coldest gaze she'd ever felt, and all thought of that was forgotten. It was only there for an instant, but the feel of it lingered, like an afterimage from staring into the sun. As Souji's calm playful demeanour was replaced by a frightening intensity, Moroe knew that she'd at least succeeded in one part of the plan: She'd made him angry. And now there was a very good chance that she was about to die.

Moroe didn't move a single step during the whole of Souji's rant. Despite the situation, she felt somehow compelled to hear him out. Perhaps it was because of how desperate he sounded. It seemed as if he was trying to make her understand something really important; Something that would make sense of all this insanity and let her understand why he was doing this to her; Why he wouldn't (couldn't?) leave her alone. but no matter how hard she listened all she heard was nonsense.

And then he struck. If Tobio hadn't swept her to safety, the life of Ishimaru Moroe might well have ended with that attack. Before she knew what was happening he'd already set her down in the alley and skated back out to fight on her behalf. And for some reason, the only thing she could think about in her dazed state was the way that Tobio still called her 'Moroe' instead of 'Ishimaru-senpai'...

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

The second a considerable amount of electricity surged into being and a trio of railguns raced down the street and collided with a hapless van, Hiroshi let out a yell.

"Holy crap, powerful electrokinetic!"

Curiously, Kensuke scowled in a response to this before letting out a yell that put the entire group, Ren and Mei included, into motion. As they passed Tobio, there would no longer be any doubt as to just what these adults were-They were Espers. Many did not appear very powerful, true, but some did, and as the saying goes, there was strength in numbers. Or at least, one would hope. They were mostly having trouble believing it-Although they would certainly win, there was a great possibility that at least one of their own here would die...Even Kouta looked edgy. The group turned as one to their leader-

Who was currently charging head-long at Astraphobia, without a trace of fear in his eyes.

"Souji, you bastaaaaaard!"

He had his red hoodie wrapped tightly around his right fist and a strange red aura blazing around himself. And he was fast, far faster than most would suppose an ordinary human would be able to move. When he was within 10 feet of Souji, he jumped to deliver a flying punch-And something would probably click within Souji.

He'd seen this before. In fact, he'd have been hit by this exact same punch before-And he'd remember how much it hurt. And if he was struck by it, he would have flown straight into a very narrow alleyway just behind himself, immediately proceeded by Kensuke who would have yelled "Stay back!"

And that might have been wise-The alleyway was so narrow that it would have been nearly impossible for more than one person to fight at a time in its' tight confines.

[Terry576]

And Tobio was still underestimating Souji.

Five members of Judgement had taken him on, and he had bargained with them. He gave them a choice. He always gave them a choice. It was stupid, but he didn't want them to die for no reason. He hadn't killed a single member of Judgement or Anti-Skill. But those five couldn't walk outside during a storm, couldn't function when they heard the roar of thunder.

It reminded them too much of Astraphobia.

Then Souji turned, if only for a second, hearing a voice.

"Hmn?"

It was a slow awakening in the back of his head.

A concept.

Oh dear. That looked like it was going to be a bit... painful.

The fist slammed into Souji's face, and he went flying into the alley, slamming against a wall.

"Gah..." That hurt quite a bit. But a half-muddled memory rose to Souji's mind. Of a man standing over him in the exact same way, so many years ago.

[Lady Serpentine]

Carver almost didnt notice the voice calling out to him when he heard it, he was too busy thinking about how he had actually managed to not only lose track of the guy he was looking for, but also got lost in the sewer!

He really needed to keep up with the situation better, things were starting to get out of hand here.

But despite all that he did in fact hear the person call out to him

That really sounds familiar...

Looking in the direction of the noise he noticed the person calling out to him he realised that it was familiar because it was the girl he had met earlier.

He starts walking over while saying

"Wow, what are the odds of this huh? Well, I certainly hope that your day has been better than mine since we split up. Judgement business and all that, let's just say it ended up with me getting lost in a sewer, let's leave it at that."

He stops when he reachers the others, and realises that he probobly smells from the sewer he was just in a sewer and he took a moment to look in each of their eyes and use his ability to hide the smell from the sewers from them.

He was going to need a shower soon though...

WIth that thought going through his head, he realised that he knew the siblings there, as well as there was a boy he didnt know there as well.

"Well now, it's nice to see the two of you again as well, and the young man I havent met yet, my names Carver."

((Oops, misread your post... Editing.))

Original post:

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Carver might recognize the young man, actually - he's the one who got into the knife fight, after which Carver came to see him.

He might also remember Johnathan's pretty sister, who's currently getting up from the ground next to the empath.

"Well, nice to see we're so memorable...", he says, helping his sibling up.

Alia snorts, brushing herself off.

"You'd better hope you're forgettable, considering you let the person who cut you up like a steak go."

"Fair enough..."

Alia smiles at him wickedly, getting up from the ground next to her brother, and brushing herself off.

"Lost in a sewer, huh? Hardly the glamorous chases and such you had in mind when you joined, I bet..."

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

And so the pair continued their scuffle in the dark confines of the alleyway-Or so it appeared to outsiders, unable to truly tell what was going on. To them, it might appear that there was a fierce, life-or-death brawl between an inexplicably powered Kensuke and a dangerous Electrokinetic criminal; a noble, if rather foolish action that would almost inevitably lead to the formers' demise. Hiroshi and a few others took a step forward, intending to aid him, but Kouta stopped them, standing in their way.

"Ken knows what he's doing...You'll just get in his way."

The actual confrontation between Kensuke and Souji, on the other hand, whilst certainly violent, was hardly life-and-death. Kensuke, whilst furious, refrained from any further physical abuse, limiting himself to pushing Souji up against a wall by his collar.

"Damnit, man! What the hell did you get into this time!? Didn't I warn you about misusing your powers like that!? Ugh..."

He glanced behind himself anxiously, not at all worried about getting electrocuted.

"We don't really have time for this, anyhow...Hey, Astraphobia, or Souji, or Rin, or whatever you call yourself now-Shock me, and then relax. I'm gonna pull your ass out of the fire, just like old times. I know you probably don't remember, but I'll explain later."

Kensuke then grimaced and stiffened, allowing himself to be shocked. If Souji did so, he'd take the punishment with surprising stoicism. Regardless, the red aura clinging around his body would have suddenly blazed into prominence, filling the entire area with heat and utterly befuddling Tobios' heat-sensing ability as his body recovered from the damage at a hyperaccelerated speed. Steam would have risen off Kensukes' body as he then touched Soujis' forehead. If Souji relaxed, he'd feel himself suddenly drift off to sleep, his metabolism having suddenly ground to a standstill. In the suddenly heated area, Soujis' heat signature would have virtually disappeared to Tobios' eyes. Kensuke then shoved him unceremoniously under a large bin, all but invisible in the darkness.

And then he fell to his knees, pointing to the other end of the alleyway.

"Ugh, that really hurt-He went that way!"

[Terry576]

Souji just stared at the man in front of him, eyes filled with confusion, and obliged with a shock to the man, and then his eyes widened in recognition.

Oh.

"What're you doing he...r...e...."

His eyelids fluttered for a second, and then he fell asleep.

And as he slept, he dreamed.

Of a man in red, pointing a finger down at a small boy with all the authority of god.

Of that boy realizing the man was right.

Of that boy growing up, in a lab, unable to escape.

That boy's life, filled with loss and sorrow, and nothing, nothing good ever came.

And yet the boy carried on, a grin on his face, dancing in his eyes.

[AnimeKid]

( here we go again)

A little annoyed that a civilian had interfered with Judgement matters Tobio looks confusedly down the alleyway that the man had pointed. Thing is while the heat that Kensuke was emitting did hide Souji, to the logical mind his words didn't make sense. Masking the signature was one thing, but for Souji to have run away he would have sensed a signature going that way. Tobio voices this, "Eh, but I didn't sense a heat signature going that way though. How did he go that way?"

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

"Ran away...Just after he shocked me. Eurgh."

He then made a show of rising to his feet and falling immediately to his knees..

"Heat signature...? Oh right...Esper. I don't know, but I managed to get a rib or two, I think. If you hurry..."

[Anyr]

Moroe didn't move from where she'd been put even after recovering her wits. Instead she simply sat there with downcast eyes, apparently too shocked, scared or exhausted to move; However, the gaming device carefully concealed in her lap told a different story. While she remained still, a host of drones drove, hovered or flew into new positions all across the district. Soon two of them were on the roof of a nearby building, looking down into the alleyway where Kensuke and Tobio now were. As it happened she was just in time to hear the latest part of their conversation.

"...He got away. I risked my life to bait him, and they let him get away."

For a moment Moroe felt her spirits plummet once again, but only for a moment. No, she'd been down that road before, and it hadn't done her any good at all. Besides, the chase wasn't over yet. Within seconds her fingers were dancing once more, sending drones to scour every inch of the area. If Souji really was running with broken ribs, even he couldn't have gotten too far.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio's brain races at a hundred miles per hour as he takes in all of the information. He then takes a deep breath as he eyes glaze over and he exhales, his face becoming expressionless. Inside his head his mind calmly starts putting pieces together.

Then his brain comes across a piece that it had almost forgotten. When he was facing Souji he was desperate, cornered, and most of all enraged. When a person finds themselves in these conditions, the tend to desend into a more primal state of thinking. The only thing that Souji was thinking of was attacking. If he was thinking about running away he could have, as evidenced by the fact that he did so earlier by blowing a hole in the ground and escaping through the sewers. Souji a.k.a Astraphobia would not have run in this situation. This would be the perfect spot when in his state. The narrowness of the alley would provide a valuable choke point to force one on one confrontations. Using this chokepoint he could repeat his actions from a few years ago to terrify the Judgement agents into having Astraphobia, the fear of thunder and lightning. This could keep them off of him until more Judgement officers had to be put on the scene. Combine that with the fact that he did not sense a heat signature leaving the area it does not add up that Souji escaped.

As he thinks all of this in his mind he is saying it aloud as well in a monotone emotionless voice.

[Atrum-Persavor]

"Yes, Ken. I totally trust you on this one." Ren mutters from further down the alley, his voice dripping with sarcasm. (One would wonder, when did he teleport down there?)

Ren uses his finger to create a streak in the untouched dust in the alley before walking out, sneezing. Ren kneels next to Kensuke and helps him up, whispering in his ear.

"Life Blaze. I know. You wouldn't block me like that unless it were..."

He let the sentence trail off as he stood up.

"I don't particularly like this alley. Reminds me of a certain closet and a certain gym bag. We're done here. This isn't our area of jurisdiction. Anti-Skill can deal with its own problem.

He looks at Kensuke one more time, muttering in his ear as he walks past.

"I hope you're happy. Keep him on a leash."

[Terry576]

Elsbeth grabs the kitten off her head, and continues her cold glare at the boy in front of her, frantically trying to ignore the incoming messages.

girl cat movement speed

Flashes of words. Simple images. That was her ability, and despite how much she wanted to break eye contact, it wouldn't do. It would show weakness, and as a Englishman, and a noble, that simply wouldn't do. Even if all the images and words that entered her head during a surface glance of a mind hurt.

[Mina Kobold]

[Tree of Shenanigans]

Katsu, as the random words and pictures reveal the boy's name to be, looks back innocently.

"Maybe I could help you get it repaired! Would that help?"

As the long-haired boy look optimistically at her, Elsbeth might be confronted with a lot more thoughts and images than she expected.

Fortunately, the cat seizes her distraction to launch a surprise attack. Meowing curiously and giving her it's most adorably innocent face. How could she look away?

[Anyr]

Weaving around all the many distractions, Kin skidded to a halt in front of Carver. She accomplished the manoeuvre with surprising grace considering the extra weight she had to drag along with her. Not that she thought of Krystal as 'extra weight', of course; But she did have a tendency to forget that her friend was along for the ride when she dashed off like this.

"So, Lord Carver, what great quest are you pursuing this time? Is there a dragon beneath our feet which needs slaying?"

[KerfuffleMach2]

And Krystal gets to join the conversation with Carver! Yay!

She doesn't really mind. However, as she rubs her shoulder, she wished Kin would be a little more gentle about running off like that.

[Cole10000]

Carver looks somewhat uncomfortable when he says,

"Dragon? no, what I was chasing through the sewers was an esper with Electrokinesis powerfull enough to blow a hole in the middle in the street and run into the sewers."

Carver grabs the hilt of his sword before adding,

"Not exactly the kind of person you want to try fighting a with a metal sword huh? Well, it wasnt even my job in the first place to go after him, it just kind of happened. I think I'll just leave it to the others to deal with this one. I'm sure something else will come up soon though."

[AnimeKid]

Tobio snaps out of his intense concentration before looking at Ren. He hesitates for a second before he says, "Hai, Ren-taichou." Tobio looks over the scene one last time before he walks out of the alley and towards Moroe, slipping out of mission mode. He approaches her with a slight blush on his face with his head looking down at the ground and twirling a piece of his hair in his fingers, somewhat shadowing his face.

"A-ano, Ishimaru-sempai I-I'm sorry to say that Souji g-got away. I w-wish that I could have done m-more. I'm s-sorry to have f-f-failed you and allow you to p-put your life on the l-line for n-nothing."

[Anyr]

"Not sorry enough."

Tobio's apology might as well have been given to the wall against which Moroe sat. She wasn't a very forgiving person even at the best of times, and these were most certainly not the best of times. As she rose slowly to her feet (being careful not to reveal her gaming device), she didn't even bother to give him a withering glance; It would have taken more effort than he deserved. Instead, she simply turned her back to him and disappeared into the night.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Kensuke let out a deep, shaky sigh of relief, silently thanking Ren and berating himself for not thinking this plan entirely through-Though to be fair, it was literally thrust on him a few minutes ago with no prior warning. As the Judgement members left, he sighed and rolled his shoulders, before pulling Souji back out from under the dumpster and shaking him gently, restoring his normal metabolic rate in the process.

"Wake up, dude."

By now, a few members of Kensuke's gang had found their way into the alleyway, still edgy and on their toes. Still, calmed by Kensuke's lack of fear, they relaxed their powers-Until they took a closer look at Souji, whereupon a look of recognition and more than a little surprise soon appeared on their faces.

"Ken, is that....-"

"You really don't recognise us, do you? Well, I suppose the hypnotherapy did work..."

__________________________________________________ ________

"Oi...Oi, dumbass...What...What just happened? Wasn't that Astraphobia? Why are we just..."

Mei looked around uncomfortably, before glancing at her brother who threw both of his hands up in the air and then angled his head towards Kensuke. Mei followed his gaze and then covered her face with her hands, utterly confused (and a little relieved), before groaning a faint 'I give up...'.

She then turned to follow Ren, kicking at the ground indolently.

__________________________________________________ ________

If Moroe had a phone which had access to the internet, and if she'd bothered to check her own social networking account, she'd have received a message from a freshly-created account named 'Hi no Kitsune', one with no display picture and no visible details.

'I noticed you following us, or more precisely, Daisuke. Suddenly digging up information on Kensuke and Kamakura Kouta out of the blue, too. I also heard that you had a run-in with Daisuke, and that you're a technopath. Yet it doesn't match your listed power. Regardless, I take it you do not wish him well?'

[Anyr]

If Moroe had a phone which had access to the internet, and if she'd bothered to check her own social networking account, she'd have received a message from a freshly-created account named 'Hi no Kitsune', one with no display picture and no visible details.

'I noticed you following us, or more precisely, Daisuke. Suddenly digging up information on Kensuke and Kamakura Kouta out of the blue, too. I also heard that you had a run-in with Daisuke, and that you're a technopath. Yet it doesn't match your listed power. Regardless, I take it you do not wish him well?'

Unfortunately (but not surprisingly) Moroe's account didn't allow messages from anyone not on her friend list; Which, despite being two years old, was just as empty as that of 'Hi no Kitsune'. Clearly a more direct approach would be needed to reach such an entrenched opponent of the superficial.