[Rail IC] Academy City III: Abusive Physics Never End!

[Lady Serpentine]

"Hmmmmm...I don't really know, yeah. How about we go check out this Millenium Institute place, then we'll go catch some lunch, maybe play some games at the arcade? Orrrr, maybe we could try looking for Astraphobia, yeah."

Ina giggled at the thought of encountering Souji again. He really was such a charming boy, and the fear of their last encounter had all but faded in her mind. She wondered where he was and what he was doing; the search for him, she knew, had been called off. Maybe he had been caught? But if they had, Ina knew they would probably have reported it on the news to avoid panic. Maybe he had outrun the law.

Ryuu laughed, shaking her head in mock-despair.

"Ina, you know you're crazy, right? Last time we met him, we both nearly ended up arrested, you know. The only reason Judgement isn't after us both is that I made friends with that guy I got into the Esper duel with, and helped out the person I was trying to set on fire..."

[Terry576]

[Hajime & Moroe]

"...We've arrived, Master."

It was all Hajime had to say in response to her rant; because it was true.

In front of them was not a building, not a tower, but an awesome structure, far towering over the duo.

Academy City's skyline was high; higher than some could believe. It had buildings that scraped it, and it had buildings that cut it in half.

The building in front of them blew the sky down, waves of pride bursting from it; if a building could have pride. Spires upon spires echoed from the top, and rings of clouds exploded away from it, as a thousand twinkling lights burst from the skies above. Windows and windows glinted high in the distant sky, and the building's very presence loomed over them.

It was the Skycutter, the tallest building in Academy City. The tallest building in the world. It was the center of scientific activity, where all those who worked for any company in the City eventually came to.

Architects praised its elegance.

Researchers praised its contents.

Students praised its ability to remove teachers from school for days at a time.

This was the building that they would ascend, to the tips of the sky itself, to meet with the girl who so desperately wanted to touch it.

[Anyr]

"So we have."

Moroe tried hard not to crane her neck up at the heights of this building, like some credulous tourist. The effort required to not be impressed by the structure was a serious strain. Her cynical reputation would have taken a serious hit if anyone caught her looking awed around here.

Unfortunately for her, there was an even worse potential embarrassment ahead: Crowds. The Skycutter's entrance chamber was, as usual, a hive of activity. Moroe hurried through the hordes of people as fast as she could without looking anxious. Even though there was plenty of room to walk, she felt completely surrounded. The elevator ride was even worse. As Moroe silently tried to stay calm while riding in a metal box full of strangers, she wondered if Hajime could sense how close to panic she was. Probably. He was remarkably attentive when it came to her wellbeing; Unlike a certain brat who dragged people to the top of skyscrapers for no reason. That kid was going to get such a lecture when Moroe caught up with her...

Yua was spared most of the bloodbath itself, having reacted much like most civilians thrown into a warzone. Nearly collapsing against the wall, Yua only looked up again, returning to reality, at the sudden silence.

"Oh no, oh-"

Paling and nearly throwing up at the sight of countless mutilated corpses, faces that would never again smile, eyes that would never again see family and of blood colouring the ground a sickening red, Yua looks up at the sole survivor. For once showing clear emotion, Yua looks at the youngster in a mix of empathy and fear, eyes going wide at the sudden sound.

"...!"

As the unknown murderer turns to walk, Yua's unseen eyes fade back to their old monotonous look, something clicking in Yua's mind. As the killer walks, the Ghost follows, stepping carefully to leave no dead disturbed.

The angel didn't need to step over any corpses. He'd fired from outside the room, so as to not get even a speck of blood on his shoes. He was, in every respect, completely untouched by the act he'd just committed. The gun in his hand vanished with a mere flick of the wrist as he walked away. Soon enough, he and his hidden pursuer emerged from the dark network of alleys, back into the city proper.

Dilapidated buildings and empty surroundings quickly gave way to the busier and more respectable areas of Academy City. The stranger moved through the crowds like a fish through water. He easily navigated the currents until he emerged at his destination: An opulent coffee shop. He entered, ordered a cup of Blue Mountain and, with a refined sigh, sank into a comfortable chair.

A few minutes ago, this boy had murdered another human being in cold blood. And now he was drinking coffee. No sirens sounded in the distance. No lightning bolts scythed down from the heavens. The universe simply didn't care.

[KerfuffleMach2]

At Crocell's words, Krystal turns to look where his attention is. And upon seeing Destan, she gives her normal response to new people. A warm smile and a wave.

Normally, a greeting might follow. However, at this moment, two things stop her from doing this. One being that Crocell beat her to it. The other being that she just remembered something.

She turns to Kin, who is presumably still holding Krystal's hand. Hey, Kin, you didn't plan on doing anything with me tomorrow morning, did you? Cause I'm gonna have to sleep in pretty late.

[Mina Kobold]

The angel didn't need to step over any corpses. He'd fired from outside the room, so as to not get even a speck of blood on his shoes. He was, in every respect, completely untouched by the act he'd just committed. The gun in his hand vanished with a mere flick of the wrist as he walked away. Soon enough, he and his hidden pursuer emerged from the dark network of alleys, back into the city proper.

Dilapidated buildings and empty surroundings quickly gave way to the busier and more respectable areas of Academy City. The stranger moved through the crowds like a fish through water. He easily navigated the currents until he emerged at his destination: An opulent coffee shop. He entered, ordered a cup of Blue Mountain and, with a refined sigh, sank into a comfortable chair.

A few minutes ago, this boy had murdered another human being in cold blood. And now he was drinking coffee. No sirens sounded in the distance. No lightning bolts scythed down from the heavens. The universe simply didn't care.

Following along, the Ghost walked as if in a trance, barely treading aside from the myriad people enjoying or rushing through their day. Once or twice, someone stopped to wonder who had brushed against them, but few ever noticed the blue-haired Esper following the otherworldly murderer.

When they finally arrived at the coffee shop, Yua slows down. Still moving almost unconsciously, Yua leaned against a wall mere metres from the person unknowingly tailed by the invisible Esper. Blinking and seemingly trying to wake up from the shock, Yua looked carefully around. If the indifference of the universe caught Yua's attention, Yua showed no sign of it.
What Yua did do, however, was to let go an unheard sigh and mutter a few silent words. Lost to anyone but Yua's own ears.

Looking up, Yua scanned the room, deliberately looking for anyone Yua might know, before returning to glare at the murderer. The world might not care, but Yua clearly did to anyone who happened to catch the reflection of the angered "shadow".

[Anyr]

The angel paused in the act of taking another sip. Something had got his attention. With a casual tilt of the head, he sent his gaze across the room until it pointed...straight at Yua. For the briefest instant, it might seem as if he were looking directly into her eyes. But no, he was just looking in that general direction. For some reason, he had suddenly taken an interest in that area of the room. After a few seconds, he returned to his drink, a slight frown marring his otherwise perfect face. The whole routine was rather inconsistent with the unflappable aura he'd displayed so far.

Something had clearly rattled him. If Yua continued to direct her anger his way, she would soon learn that that was, in fact, Yua herself. His glances would grow increasingly frequent, and increasingly accurate. A few minutes ago, he hadn't been able to sense her even when she was alone in plain sight. But now, standing in this crowded coffee shop and surrounded by distractions, she was somehow more conspicuous. What had changed? What was he homing in on? Whatever the answer was, she needed to find it quickly.

At Crocell's words, Krystal turns to look where his attention is. And upon seeing Destan, she gives her normal response to new people. A warm smile and a wave.

Normally, a greeting might follow. However, at this moment, two things stop her from doing this. One being that Crocell beat her to it. The other being that she just remembered something.

She turns to Kin, who is presumably still holding Krystal's hand. Hey, Kin, you didn't plan on doing anything with me tomorrow morning, did you? Cause I'm gonna have to sleep in pretty late.

"Well, I might have been planning to sneak into your room and fall asleep next to you. My regular sleeping aids haven't been doing the trick lately."

This may or may not have been a joke. It was hard to tell.

[Mina Kobold]

Yua raises an eyebrow at the glance, turning slightly to scan the room for reflective surfaces before carefully stepping forward. Yua did not do it often, but the Ghost had learnt a few tactics for sneaking about without detection.

Passing behind a nearby group of patrons, Yua stops and leans casually against the wall on the other side of the strange... Esper, presumably. Looking sideways at the person instead of glaring directly. Yua is by no means a masterful actor, but it would no longer look like the invisible Esper was openly spying on anyone. It might not even catch most patrons' attention even without Awareness Control.

Hopefully that would throw off the murderer. Though Yua was indeed angry, the idea of confronting someone without any idea what had lead them to what they did seems unwise to the shy spy.

[KerfuffleMach2]

"Well, I might have been planning to sneak into your room and fall asleep next to you. My regular sleeping aids haven't been doing the trick lately."

This may or may not have been a joke. It was hard to tell.

Oh... Clearly, Krystal wasn't sure if Kin was joking or not. So, she decides to assume it's serious for now, AMD act like she was playing along if it turns out to be a joke.

Well, I guess that'd be okay. It's just, I'm gonna be staying up pretty late tonight with my dad on the phone.

[Anyr]

A few rapid shakes of the head showed what Kin thought of that offer.

"Oh no no no no. I'd never dream of intruding on such a personal moment. I know my family would hate to have someone listening in on our private conversations. Granted, that's mostly because they involve a lot of sensitive financial information..."

A look of melancholy passed briefly over Kin's face. Her smile returned in short order, though.

"...But that's beside the point. If you have the opportunity to talk to a loving parent who genuinely wants to share in your dreams, then you should be free to enjoy it without distractions."

[KerfuffleMach2]

Krystal seems to be confused for a moment. The she smirks and shakes her head a little.

Oh, no, it's not like that. It's a little tradition my dad and I have in the fall.

You know I'm from the states, right? Well, my dad to college at the University of Michigan, and he was on their football team. And ever since he graduated, he's been watching every game. And I kinda started watching with him. So, now that we're over here, we watch the games online and talk to each other on the phone.

If you want, you could watch with me. It's just, the game doesn't start till, like, 2 in the morning here. So, I'm not gonna be sleeping till, like, five or six. Which means I'll be sleeping in a while.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

((OOC: Apparently I got the name of the place wrong-It's Ascendancy Institute, not Millenium. My bad.))

Shougo glanced at the newcomer, noting with rising uncertainty his strange accent and stranger appearance; he was clearly not a native to Academy City, much less Japan. If anything, he looked very much a foreigner, but unlike Krystal, he did not seem to aware of how different he truly was. In addition, Shougo had decided that he did not like the air of this particular individual-He looked very much like the sort who would be entertained by chaos and suffering. Nevertheless, he decided that he would let Crocell sort things out. He could barely understand the boy, for one, and it was not his place to deal with such things, anyway.

He turned slightly, his ears picking up (and eavesdropping on) Kins' and Krystals' conversation. Many unfamiliar words flitted through his head-Michigan? Football? While Shougo had a vague idea of what 'online' meant, he had never really experienced it. The voice inside his head sighed in slight exasperation, and Shougo unconsciously flinched sheepishly. He knew he should be more experienced with what the world really was like. Regardless, it sounded like Krystal was on good terms with her father; that even if they could not be together in person, they communicated frequently. With a melancholic if suppressed sigh, Shougo wished he could do the same; just being able to talk to his father would have been enough for him.

__________________________________________________ _______________

"Man, isn't Masami-taichou a telepath?"

Not strictly true, Masami Noriko, the Taskmistress of Nagatenjouki was not entirely a telepath-She could pick up directly transmitted thoughts or messages, certainly, but her real talent lay in her Instant Send, the ability to transmit not only thoughts, but objects. Tobio had likely seen it in action more than once-A stack of papers conveniently appearing in the hands of a member who happened to be slacking at the time. And while she would certainly be useful for verifying Tobios' experiences, she was also very intimidating-Her no-nonsense attitude, combined with the fact that she was, in fact, rather pretty, would probably have terrified Tobio.

__________________________________________________ _______________

"Y...You were? Oh...In the arcade, yeah? Haha, I was ... A little bit distracted at the time, yeah. A...Any case, um....Did you want to go check out that Ascendancy Institution place later, yeah? I mean...If you want to, that is. It just sounds so...So interesting! You'll tell me what you get up to, right?"

Ina tittered, sheepishly remembering her experience in the arcade and the time she nearly-Alright, actually did faint. That was a close call, and Ina was sure that she would have been in quite a bind if it weren't for Kasai.

[Atrum-Persavor]

"Oh yeah, Masami. Great idea. If you want extra work, go to her. Best way to get extra work."

Jin flips a coin repeatedly, absent-mindedly following the group as he taps away on his phone with his thumb. After a while, he locks the screen and places it in his jeans pocket.

"Hnnngh. Ren's phone is off. He's up to something."

[Anyr]

Yua raises an eyebrow at the glance, turning slightly to scan the room for reflective surfaces before carefully stepping forward. Yua did not do it often, but the Ghost had learnt a few tactics for sneaking about without detection.

Passing behind a nearby group of patrons, Yua stops and leans casually against the wall on the other side of the strange... Esper, presumably. Looking sideways at the person instead of glaring directly. Yua is by no means a masterful actor, but it would no longer look like the invisible Esper was openly spying on anyone. It might not even catch most patrons' attention even without Awareness Control.

Hopefully that would throw off the murderer. Though Yua was indeed angry, the idea of confronting someone without any idea what had lead them to what they did seems unwise to the shy spy.

Yua's evasiveness came to naught. As she moved, the stranger's gaze followed. Oh, he still couldn't see her. His blindly searching eyes only flickered around the general vicinity. But somehow he knew that there was something to find. He no longer seemed to care about disguising his intentions. Now, all that mattered was locating the watcher.

Krystal seems to be confused for a moment. The she smirks and shakes her head a little.

Oh, no, it's not like that. It's a little tradition my dad and I have in the fall.

You know I'm from the states, right? Well, my dad to college at the University of Michigan, and he was on their football team. And ever since he graduated, he's been watching every game. And I kinda started watching with him. So, now that we're over here, we watch the games online and talk to each other on the phone.

If you want, you could watch with me. It's just, the game doesn't start till, like, 2 in the morning here. So, I'm not gonna be sleeping till, like, five or six. Which means I'll be sleeping in a while.

"Really? You'd really let me share such a moment with you? Then yes, I'll absolutely be there! The specific game doesn't matter in the slightest. Any chance to see a new aspect of you is reason enough to attend."

Kin seemed deeply touched by the offer. To her, this was far more than just an invitation to watch some football game. For the first time since the argument with Crocell, she managed a completely pure and unforced smile.

[Mina Kobold]

Yua notices the lack of effect with some surprise. Awareness Control is not perfect, but this attention is seemingly a rare occurrence to the young Esper. Though Yua did not try any harder to remain hidden, if Yua even could, but the Ghost does do.

After pondering the issue and risks, Yua moves just slightly aside, stepping in front of the nearest person looking in the general direction of the stranger. Even if the murder saw Yua, it would seem as if it was the person behind the Ghost who were targeted.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio paled and at the same time blushed heavily. While he was a diligent worker Masami was a very beautiful and, quite frankly, intimidating woman. Tobio thought about being in close quarters with her and turned a brighter shade of red.

"M-M-Ma-Ma-Masami-taichou! A-A-Are you s-s-sure we should b-bother her? I mean I w-w-wouldn't want to inconvenience h-her. P-P-Plus she p-probably has a l-lot of work to d-d-do."

Those who read Tobio's profile would be easily able to see why he was insanely nervous about having his thoughts prodded by the girl. However Tobio's sense of justice won out as he finished by saying, "W-Well if guys are s-s-sure we won't b-bother her I g-guess we could ask h-h-her."
__________________________________________________ _______________

Crocell looked away from their new arrival judging him not to be a threat before turning himself back to his present company. Listening to the conversation between Kin and Krystal he let a small smile show on his face. It seemed like Kin was finally getting back to normal. Plus it seemed like Krystal was quite happy to have her best friend back. Though part of that might have also been from getting to talk to her dad tomorrow.

"Well then you guys have fun with that. I'm not sure how much daylight we got left so training might be off the table. IF you guys want I can try to help you train tomorrow after you guys get some adequate sleep. I'll probably just be reading my Jojo's Bizarre Adventure manga until you guys wake up. Just call me if you feel like training. That being said, we can still try to get some training in today if you guys feel like it."

[Felyndiira]

"Ah, it's getting quite late," Shiho exclaimed. One can sense a wisp of disappointment in her voice - that her fun was interrupted by the passage of time, most likely, although it was mixed with a sense of anticipation for something that could not be easily read. "I need to go somewhere in an hour or so, but, um, thank you very much for showing me around the School Garden, Krystelle-sama. It was very nice meeting all of you."

Shiho bowed individually to the other students. "Oh!" The girl pulled out a small scrap of paper from her pocket and, after scribbling a few numbers on it, handed it to one of the girls. "This is my cell phone number. I am very sorry for being so forceful, but it would be really nice if we could talk like this again...some other day."

((OOC: My writing is horrible today, sorry.))

[Lady Serpentine]

"Y...You were? Oh...In the arcade, yeah? Haha, I was ... A little bit distracted at the time, yeah. A...Any case, um....Did you want to go check out that Ascendancy Institution place later, yeah? I mean...If you want to, that is. It just sounds so...So interesting! You'll tell me what you get up to, right?"

Ina tittered, sheepishly remembering her experience in the arcade and the time she nearly-Alright, actually did faint. That was a close call, and Ina was sure that she would have been in quite a bind if it weren't for Kasai.

Kasai smiled at Ina, nodding, and slipping an arm around her friend, pulling the other girl gently, but tightly, against her side, obviously hoping to reassure her.

"The plan was for us to go take a look, yeah. And of course I'll tell you what happens," she said quietly, reaching over to take Ina's hand with the arm not currently around her, and give it a gentle squeeze. "You're a friend, and a good one. I'm not going to leave you in the dark about something like this."

[KerfuffleMach2]

"Really? You'd really let me share such a moment with you? Then yes, I'll absolutely be there! The specific game doesn't matter in the slightest. Any chance to see a new aspect of you is reason enough to attend."

Kin seemed deeply touched by the offer. To her, this was far more than just an invitation to watch some football game. For the first time since the argument with Crocell, she managed a completely pure and unforced smile.

Krystal smiles, clearly pleased. She didn't really think it was that big of a deal, but she liked hanging out with her new friend.

Crocell looked away from their new arrival judging him not to be a threat before turning himself back to his present company. Listening to the conversation between Kin and Krystal he let a small smile show on his face. It seemed like Kin was finally getting back to normal. Plus it seemed like Krystal was quite happy to have her best friend back. Though part of that might have also been from getting to talk to her dad tomorrow.

"Well then you guys have fun with that. I'm not sure how much daylight we got left so training might be off the table. IF you guys want I can try to help you train tomorrow after you guys get some adequate sleep. I'll probably just be reading my Jojo's Bizarre Adventure manga until you guys wake up. Just call me if you feel like training. That being said, we can still try to get some training in today if you guys feel like it."

Krystal thinks for a moment, then shrugs. I'm fine either way, really. If you two wanna train a little today, then let's do it!

She guesses they will say no, due to their...confrontation. But, if they say yes, she'll take that as a good sign.

"Ah, it's getting quite late," Shiho exclaimed. One can sense a wisp of disappointment in her voice - that her fun was interrupted by the passage of time, most likely, although it was mixed with a sense of anticipation for something that could not be easily read. "I need to go somewhere in an hour or so, but, um, thank you very much for showing me around the School Garden, Krystelle-sama. It was very nice meeting all of you."

Shiho bowed individually to the other students. "Oh!" The girl pulled out a small scrap of paper from her pocket and, after scribbling a few numbers on it, handed it to one of the girls. "This is my cell phone number. I am very sorry for being so forceful, but it would be really nice if we could talk like this again...some other day."

((OOC: My writing is horrible today, sorry.))

Krystal takes the number, smiling. It was nice meeting you, too. And yeah, hanging out again is a great idea.

[Anyr]

A few hasty shakes of the head spoke volumes about Kin's opinion on this matter. Her words filled in any remaining appendixes and footnotes.

"Now now, let's not spoil a perfectly good day with any last minute training sessions. We should just say goodbye now and leave such things until tomorrow. Come, friend: Let us depart!"

Translation: "Let's flee before I accidentally destroy the last shreds of Shiota-san's forgiveness."

So saying, she sped off down the street, dragging Krystal along for the ride.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo inclined his head and bowed shortly before taking his leave; it was getting late(r) in the day and he did not wish to hold up his new acquaintances any longer than he had to. Besides which, he felt, he should have been busy practicing his psychic power as he had intended to-yet after seeing Crocell in action, Shougo once again felt woefully inept. There seemed to be no way that he would ever be able to compete with the likes of him. That goal was as out of sight as ever...

Until that voice in his head quietly reminded him that until of a few days ago, what he had right now appeared to be completely unattainable. Furthermore, that display with Shiho displayed what he could become one day. Some day soon, it added, if you keep up this rate of progress. Shougo found himself nodding in agreement to it. He liked that voice very much, even if he knew it probably didn't belong in his head. It made him feel like someone worthwhile.

After a few hours of hard practice in an abandoned carpark which left him gasping for breath and covered in a thick sheen of sweat, Shougo decided to retire for the day, his mind still whirring frantically as it performed mental acrobatics at a rate he did not think possible. Every time he used his power for something complex, the little voice in his head would spit out numbers, calculations, warnings, orders. Shougo chuckled quietly to himself as he ran home, dashing across rooftops and leaping from building to building with unnatural grace. If you asked him, he'd have said the voice in his head sounded much like a woman.

A hot shower, a bit of food and quite a lot of homework later, Shougo was ready to go to bed, having had quite a productive day. He yawned, tucking himself into his futon. He had a big day tomorrow; he had to be ready for school, and after that, the Ascendancy Institute. He would do his father and mother: He promised.

With that, he yawned again and closed his eyes, his dreams quickly filling with the color of green...

__________________________________________________ _______________

Masami was, as usual, in the middle of a storm of work when Sojiro, Jin, and Tobio approached her in her office. And, as usual, she barely glanced upwards in acknowledgement of their presence, giving them only the briefest of glances with her bespectacled blue eyes before turning them back on her work.

"Asakura. Reijo. Ishida. What is it?"

"Eh-heh...heh...Masami-taicho, Ishida-kun here says he was involved in a murder case and he needs you to read his mind to confirm it."

There was a loud slamming sound as she pounded the papers she was working on her desk, before rising to her considerable height. She was even taller than Tobio, and indeed as intimidating as she was beautiful. Behind her, the 'voop' sound of her papers disappearing off her desk was soon accompanied by a yell of 'Damnit Masami, I wanted to go home early!' from across the hall.

"Why wasn't I informed of this?"

Sojiro was clearly wilting under her gaze, stammering in a most uncharacteristic manner before Jin piped up, rolling his eyes at him.

"From what I can gather, Masami, this only happened a few nights ago and there was no evidence."

"Hmph. We shall see about that."

Without even a word of warning and with no regard to Tobios' obvious discomfort, she suddenly lurched forward, placing her hand on Tobios' head and staring deep into his eyes as she pulled the memories out of his head...

__________________________________________________ _______________

Ina chortled and returned the hug, glad that Kasai was such a wonderful person. She glanced outside at the setting sun. Had they really spent that long talking? It didn't feel like any time at all. At this rate, it'd be too late to do much; if they wanted to explore the Ascendancy Institution, they would have to do it soon or not at all. And District Six wasn't known for being too safe at night.

"N'awwww, you're the better friend by far, Kasai-chan! Nuh, uh, uh, yeah, don't even bother arguing this one with me; you know I'm right, yeah."

In any case, Ina looked as energetic as she always did.

"Soooo....Kasai-chan, you wanna go now? We're gonna have to go fast, yeah, otherwise we'll get back too late to get up for school, haha."

[Lady Serpentine]

"Well, it's not like we have to worry about that tonight, really, seeing as it's only Saturday... But we should get going, yeah," Kasai agreed, going to, if possible, slip off the couch, and pull Ina up with her. "Don't want to get there after they close, after all."

With that, unless something would interfere, Kasai heads out the door, keeping an arm around Ina, so as to make it harder to separate them in the relatively dangerous District they would soon be traversing, and, presumably, the pair make their way to the Ascendancy Institute.

[Felyndiira]

There was a building in the dead center of District 21.

That night, a suspicious-looking civilian van pulled up to its premises; a pair of young, college-aged women, wearing matching white lab coats and a rather tidy suit underneath, were the first to emerge from the vehicle. The two were of little importance here. They were hired as guardians to the VIP guests and to act as research assistants whenever heavy labor or coarse machine work was necessary for a project. In all likelihood, they were actual students from the nearby universities, still giddy from receiving their first major project and still quite a bit green behind the ears. They chattered a bit to each other, then became alert; their uneasy postures were already enough to betray their inexperience.

Behind them, a young girl - no more than fourteen years of age and possibly a bit too short with all things considered - emerged from the vehicle. She, too, was wearing a white coat, although heavily modified with a white hood with cat ears stitched on. The hood, somehow able to support the weight of these extra adornments, wiggled about as she approached the building, as if to simulate the true movements of the animal that they were to imitate. Behind the coat, one could clearly see the distinctive blouse-and-skirt combination of a Tokiwadai student, complete with the jacket and the school emblem. The two college-aged students exchanged a quick glance amongst themselves and followed with no change in expression, as if this strange image was an everyday occurrence.

"Password?" A digital voice was heard from the door.

"For those who seek the truth, carve your name into the door of forbidden knowledge." The girl's voice was calm, as if rehearsing a phrase that she had spoken many times before. "Identification: Researcher Akiyama Shiho. Please pave the road to achieving the final level of esper research."

"Confirmed." The glass doors before the three girls slowly opened, revealing a solitary elevator barely visible in the ambient light. "Welcome to the SYSTEM research headquarters #23, Dr. Akiyama."

"Thank you." The girl turned to her companions and gave a courteous bow, dismissing the two with the utmost of politeness that her language could muster. "And thank you for taking me here, Aki, Saki. Please, I can handle myself from here."

With that, the girl stepped into the elevator, and ascended about twenty floors into the laboratory room.

---

"You're late, like usual." The speaker was a gruff-looking adult man with a pair of arms that looked as if they could crush a human head like one would a stick of margarine. This scientist - Dr. Kihara Tokuiten* - was only one of the head researchers of the Level 5 Shift project, but the name 'Kihara', by itself, was enough to sweep like a magnificent tornado throughout the scientific community. Indeed, the doctor's list of accomplishments in Academy City was dwarfed only by his seemingly blatant disregard for human life. Like all Kiharas, science was the only thing that the man could come to respect, and in that - as much as Shiho hates to admit it - the two shared a common ground in some perverse sense. "Is it really that invigorating to play pretend student at that middle school?" he continued, his voice a mixture of disdain and mockery as his gaze shifted towards the girl's face.

"Oh, it's plenty exciting." It was barely a few minutes since the girl had stepped into the building, and all pretense of politeness had already faded from her voice. It seems almost as if she's at home here much more than with friends or acquaintances; she spoke as if she was talking to a sibling or a friend of many ages, and although still with a hint of grace, it was with a casualness that almost approached yakuza-like rudeness. "I'd recommend that you try it sometime, Kihara. Take up a teaching position there sometime. It might cure you of that incessant sour face that you keep on wearing. Well, that is, if you aren't fired for scaring the kids first."

"Funny joke." The professor did not seem provoked or even a bit miffed at this remark, as if this sort of exchange were a daily exchange between the two VIP researchers. His face was expressionless save for a dire scowl that seemed never to disappear no matter how good of a mood the man is in, and as the girl continued with her tirades, he deflected the remarks with a casual shrug that looked a bit more intimidating than he must have intended with his heavy build. One of the other researchers cowered; Shiho was unfazed, her eyes studying them thoroughly until they finally rested upon a younger man with his eyes hidden behind a pair of thick-framed glasses - the young man that was, apparently, unused to the professor's antics.

"Is that a newbie that I see there? What happened to old Kazura?"

"Oh? IS there? You know I don't keep track of these unimportant things."

"Of course you don't." Shiho sighed, then approached the glasses-wearing man and offered him a handshake. "Well, I guess I should extend my welcome; you've probably been briefed and all of that so you won't really need it, but just in case if you didn't, I'm Akiyama Shiho, AIM field researcher and second-in-command of all this. You'll be seeing a lot more of me if you decide to keep on working on any part of the SYSTEM project. That guy over there is old man Dr. Kihara, the head of this branch. All you need to know about him is that he's grumpy all the time."

The man hurriedly returned the gesture. He seemed rather nervous to be here - cute, really, but he's already showing his inexperience. The girl has no doubt that he was probably some top-notch scientist to be chosen for this project, but that kind of passivity not the attitude that one really needs to survive the dark side of the city. Oh well, she thought to herself, a bit bemused, I guess at least he wasn't calm enough to make a short joke like everyone else seemed to. She turned back to the professor.

"So, did you just want me here to make more body crystal for you? Is it still that poor boy - number 1025, if I remember correctly?"

"Oh, no, that would just be a huge waste of time with what I have planned. You see, I acquired quite a bounty of child errors recently. Costed me quite a bit of research funding, but it was worth it when I realized that one of them would be a level four hydrokinetic. Just think..."

"...wait, WAIT, a level 4 child error?" The girl was suddenly rather excited; her eyes seem to beam with the possibilities of this discovery, and her voice carried a tone of fascination even as she grilled the man on this subject. "You didn't make them again, did you? You know that people are going to stop sending their kids here if you keep on doing that, right? Argh, screw this - Crowley could easily take care of something like that. What I really want to know is: how much did you spend on all of this? I think I should at least have the privileges to know that much."

"What does it really matter? It's seventy thousand, if you really need to know, for the level 4. Hound Dog is damn good at all of this assassinating stuff that they do."

"You got ripped off, I think. FRIEND would do it for thirty, tops, and with much less mess than a bunch of no skills to boot." Her eyes wandered toward the countenance of the newbie assistant, who was quite visibly uncomfortable with this discussion on the price of human lives. It brought her a sense of sadistic happiness, in a way, to make someone uncomfortable like that; still, the guy would learn to deal with all of this soon enough, or he's definitely looking at a career change at some point down the line.

"Oh, **** this. Stop arguing about the funding. It's not like we don't already get enough of it and ****. Or are you looking to buy a Ferrari or something, Shiho-chan? Getting that ambitious already at such a young age?"

"Whatever. Just take me to the subject so we can get on with it already. I'm dying of excitement here."

"Glad you agree." The professor reached into his coat and, producing a small, portable remote control with about four buttons on it, punched in a code of some sort to reveal a hidden passageway connected to the research lab. It lead to a skyway of sorts that was automated with conveyer belts to ease the twenty-four story descent, and as the researchers stepped out of the other side, they found themselves on what seemed to be a medium-sized island surrounded by a lake. This landmark was entirely artificial - one of the first ventures that Crowley had made to prove academy city's prowess to the world - and was connected to the pacific ocean by an interwoven web of overground and underground canals that seemed almost to bisect the nation's entire main island.

The island itself was an extension of the lab earlier; in the middle was a large contraption connected to the ground by a series of oversized tubes, flashing numbers and status updates on a number of miniature terminal screens located about its parameter. A single domed window was located in the center; behind it, one could see that a boy just a year older than Shiho, unmoving with a number of injections and wires connected at various points on his body. Kihara referred to this as a state of 'AIM-Nonprohibitive State of Suggestion.' In layman's terms, the boy was placed into a trance where a single push of a button would trigger an uncontrollable burst of his AIM field, with him in no state to resist. Normally, this is as useful as a hamster on a square treadmill as the powers could only manifest in chaotic - and often weak and self-conflicting - manners. With the esper's control over his own power removed and Shiho at the helm of the experiment, however...

"Perfect AIM Resonance," she whispered; faintly, a few visible AIM lines connected between her and the boy inside the machine. She had a remote control in her left hand with only a single button - it's only purpose is to activate an uncontrolled burst of the boy's hydrokinesis. Her right arm was rested on an elevated table with what seemed to be a touch-screen tablet; a model designed mostly for scientific notes and outfitted with the best of Academy City's OCR technology. "I'm ready to begin," she declared, making a gesture with her left hand without looking back at the scientists behind her. Their assistance would be minor in this particular case; a few cameras set up nearby to confirm the motion of water and to double-check her notes, and perhaps a few sensors of a varied sort. She was the star and the captain behind these sorts of research projects, and every moment of it was like a moment of angelic bliss. To let her power run wild; to become one with the experiment, and to learn - there is nothing in life that could surpass moments like this.

Shiho smiled; behind her, a sequence of five beeps signaled that the equipment was prepared. Her right arm waved as if directing a sort of orchestral symphony. "Blam!" An orb of water suddenly ascended from the lake and sped towards a nearby tree, vaporizing the water pellet and nearly bisecting the tree with its sheer force. Shiho's grin grew wider; even behind her cat ears and the childish fair face, she managed a grin that was decidedly anything but innocent, and would seem almost psychotic to anyone who was not a scion of the city's dark side. Following this, waves of water began to dance like serpents in the sky; her eyes interrogated the scene with uncompromising scrutiny, while her right hand moved rapidly to note the flow of AIM field that accompanied these displays.

Behind her, Kihara began a conversation with the newbie.

"First time you seen Shiho-chan use her ability, eh? What do you think?"

"It's beautiful." The glasses-wearing scientist seemed entranced by the display of water mastery before him, so much that he had already forgotten all about his notes. "Is this really the work of a level 4 esper? Not that I'm doubting Dr. Akiyama's abilities, of course."

"This is what level 5 hydrokinesis looks like." The girl cut into their conversation; her left hand moved about a quarter inch, and columns of water shot up from the lake, suspending themselves in the sky as if defying gravity itself. Slowly, one notices that the lake began to drain; the systems that were supposed to carry water into the lakes were no longer functioning, and soon, the lake was only a hollow hole of reinforced concrete. In an instant, the top of the pillars became spheres of unthinkable volumes of water, and the lake transformed into a oversized barren hole; the pillars of stainless steel supporting the island was now visible to anyone in plain sight.

"It's the reason we are all studying to achieve SYSTEM," she continued. The five spheres of water merged into a humongous Chinese dragon; her hands needed only slightly movements to direct this fantastic creature into magnificent dances in the sky. With another wave of her hand, the dragon descended upon a few nearby trees with the fury of science, consuming an entire swath of the forest with a single sweep. "If this is what a level 5 esper power can do, think about what would happen if we could transcend this!" With another wave, the dragon obediently returned to its point of origin and became, once again, a lake as still as its reflection of the sky. The trees that the dragon had collapsed remained ruined on the ground, broken by the sheer force of the dragon-shaped tidal wave such that even their malleable cellular structures could not withstand its force. "It's a power that truly transcends even that of divinity. This is why the Level 6 SHIFT project - the project that you are now a part of - is one of the most supported projects in the entirety of this city."

The glasses-wearing scientist nodded, as if only half-in-understanding, as he continued to marvel at the performance. Not a single additional word needed to be said; the dancing, destructive water that she commanded then, and the data and theories emerging from the tablet on her right hand, were the only things that moved for the remainder of that night.

[AnimeKid]

Tobio was indeed uncomfortable, if you listened hard enough you could actually hear his knees knocking. Masami was the kind of girl Tobio would dream of (Usually with a much softer personality), but in real life be absolutely terrified of. Not to mention that the slight glare in her gaze upon hearing Sojiro's words felt like the chill of the arctics.

So somehow paling and managing to blush at the same time Tobio was quite content to let the other two people do the talking lest he start babbling incoherently. When she lunged forward towards him not even having the reflexes of spider-man would have saved him as she started rooting through his memories. It wasn't hard to find them as they still stood out particularly strongly in Tobio's mind. From the encounter with the strange dog-like creatures, to the appearance of the man, and his eventual death. All were laid bare.

When she finished Tobio would be left sweating and panting horribly. It was not fun when he had to relive it in his nightmares and it was not fun having to relive it now.
__________________________________________________ ___________

Crocell gave a wave to the retreating figures Shiho, Kin, Krystal, and Shougo before heading home himself. He let out a sigh at how exhausting today was despite the fact that they had not trained at all. Looking back he realized that he should have held his temper better back at the arcade. Now Kin seemed to be fully convinced that the entirety of the thing was her fault. These thoughts plagued him until he reached his dorm room and fell into bed to be embraced by the comfort of sleep.

[Anyr]

Kin slept exceptionally well. While spending half the night watching a football game might not have seemed very conducive to restful slumber, it came with great fringe benefits: Namely, a chance to curl up next to Krystal. Listening to the steady rhythm of her friend's heartbeat was enough to soothe even the worst of Kin's anxieties. In no time at all, she was blissfully unconscious. By the time that Krystal awoke, she would find herself thoroughly entangled with (and supernaturally attached to) the still-sleeping girl, thanks to the latter's natural 'snuggle instinct'.

{OOC: If you wanted to RP the actual football scene as well, by all means say so. This is just a quick dayroll post to keep things moving in the meantime.}

A hot shower, a bit of food and quite a lot of homework later, Shougo was ready to go to bed, having had quite a productive day. He yawned, tucking himself into his futon. He had a big day tomorrow; he had to be ready for school, and after that, the Ascendancy Institute. He would do his father and mother: He promised.

With that, he yawned again and closed his eyes, his dreams quickly filling with the color of green...

The dreams which came to Shougo that night were more like memories than fantasies. He would keep finding himself living out different scenes from his own life, without any of the bizarre imagery that usually distorted the geography of dreams. Sometimes he'd be a child again, sitting on a swing outside his childhood orphanage. As always, he was alone the girl in dungarees had come to keep him company; Sometimes he'd be training in the Nimori dojo, while his father was otherwise occupied. His sparring parter was a simple wooden dummy gave him a challenging smirk, her green eyes shining in anticipation of the coming fight; And sometimes he they would be watching the scenery from atop his their secret spot on the school roof.

The dreams were incredibly lucid, yet somehow hard to grasp. While each scene was happening, everything would feel right and natural; But afterwards, it would seem like something had been...off...about them. Strange feelings of warmth swirled through memories which should have been cold and lonely. Had he really felt that way about sitting alone on a swing? It was almost as if someone had-

-And then he awoke.

[Atrum-Persavor]

The Ascendancy Institute - another one of Academy City's laboratories. A large construction of glass, steel and concrete, the institute had little in common with the nearby research facilities in terms of appearance, with its sleek, high-tech appearance. That much was natural- after all, it was only recently constructed - with direct funding from the city Board of Governors, no less.

As Kasai and Ina approach the structure, they notice a man wearing a black jacket, hat and head mounted display walking around its perimeter, occasionally stopping to look inside and at the exits.

The entrance seems relatively lightly guarded for such an important-looking facility: only a retractable antivehicle barrier, an open gate and a pair of bored-looking, apparently unarmed guards sitting in a guardpost.

[Lord-Cao-Cao]

Shougo awoke in the small hours of the morning, reaching for ... Something (or someone?) who wasn't there in his futon, and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. He forced aside a very uncharacteristic pang of loneliness that nearly brought a surge of tears to his eyes. What was that? Or rather, who was that? For as long as he could remember, and indeed even now, he knew that his life before his father had been cold and lonely, and that he did not have many friends in school. And yet-And yet, he always had this feeling that somebody was with him, even in his darkest hours; no, especially in his darkest hours.

He pulled himself out of bed with the intent of getting a glass of water. Who was that girl? Why did she seem so familiar? Who had he shared the spot on the roof with, besides Tobio? Could it be that ... He shook his head. He did not know that girl, even if -

Even if she shared the same eyes, the same face, the same everything. Could it really be her?

Pouring himself a glass of water at the kitchen sink, Shougo drank slowly, working up the will to find out later that day. Could he do it? Would it even be appropriate? He bit his lower lip. His desire to keep propriety was evenly matched with his desire to find out just who that girl was. Tobio said that he was quite close to her, before; maybe he could try introducing him to her (again)? Butterflies danced across his the surface of his stomach, and he could tell the voice in his head liked that idea very much.

He had to know.

Putting away his glass, Shougo moved to get back into bed, having forgotten all about the System Scan and the Ascendancy Institution. No, the main priority on his mind was that girl, that one, green-eyed girl...

__________________________________________________ ___________________________

"Hm."

Masami stood, fixing her spectacles once again. Her previously hard expression had softened into one quite lost in thought; this did not appear to be a fabricated memory, and Tobio had stayed relatively level-headed throughout the entire encounter. This definitely warranted investigation-The presence of a twisted would-be murderer like the one Tobio encountered would not stand on her watch. She would most certainly inform her peers and superiors about this one as soon as possible. But first...

"Reijo. Asakura. You are dismissed. Ishida, you stay."

She waved the aforementioned two in a manner that would have brooked no defiance and the two, for reasons of their own, left, leaving just Tobio and Masami in the room.

"Sorry you had to go through that, rookie. Now, I'm going to inconvenience you a little more."

She moved before her desk, pulling open a cabinet and filing through its' contents. A moment later, the image of a form appeared in Tobios' mind and an instant later, it appeared in his hands with a 'voop'.

"Fill these out. Oh...And if you have any other problems, like nightmares, come see me. I will set up an appointment with a psychiatrist for you. That's what they're there for, after all."

The form Tobio received, coincidentally, appeared to be a simple form requesting him to write down the nature of his recent incident with any other relevant details.

__________________________________________________ _______________

"Whoooooah! That looks ... Not that scary, actually."

Ina then nearly sneezed, a strong wind picking up from the east. It was getting a little cold-It was past midnight, after all, and likely way past their bedtimes. Not that Ina cared about such things in the slightest. Still, the trip across District Six was surprisingly safe; not once had they even seen someone who appeared to be both seedy and looking for trouble.

"I wonder what's inside, yeah? It looks really, really new...Huh. Wonder who that guy over there is, yeah. Maybe he's got the same idea as us? Hey, mister!"

Ina called out to him right away, ignoring the entire purpose of this exercise; to remain hidden. She certainly wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer when the urge to adventure kicked in.

[Lady Serpentine]

"He might," Kasai agreed, shrugging, and apparently not particularly objecting to revealing their presence, seeing as they would have had to do that to go in in any case, and this way they were at least doing so on ground that was somewhat more theirs than they would otherwise.

Though not being a fool, she did take the precaution of forming a bright flame, an intense blue like that of a pilot light, in the hand on whichever arm wasn't currently around Ina, before she settled in to wait for his response, just in case...

[AnimeKid]

Tobio nodded to Masami in his usually shy way. He was desperately hoping she didn't notice his blush. It was a bit harder to contain than usual because of how her face had softened after she saw his memory. That was the way she usually appeared his little fantasies that never had a chance of happening. After all, while he was a shy young man the fact still stood that he was in fact a young man.

Nevertheless he filled out the form not making eye contact unless it was to speak with her. After all it was rude to speak to someone without looking them in the eye. After he filled out the form he handed it over as he asked, "A-Ano, Masami-taichou? D-Do you have a-any i-idea of wh-what those monsters w-were? They d-didn't look like n-normal dogs or even w-wolves and I d-d-don't think there is a psychic p-power that could c-c-create them."

(OOC: I thought that the Ascendancy Institute/Paramilitary Group were meeting on Monday after school? Or did that change?)

[Anyr]

Yua notices the lack of effect with some surprise. Awareness Control is not perfect, but this attention is seemingly a rare occurrence to the young Esper. Though Yua did not try any harder to remain hidden, if Yua even could, but the Ghost does do.

After pondering the issue and risks, Yua moves just slightly aside, stepping in front of the nearest person looking in the general direction of the stranger. Even if the murder saw Yua, it would seem as if it was the person behind the Ghost who were targeted.

Futile. Such deceptions were useless in a situation like this. It wasn't that the stranger could see through them; It was more that he didn't even need to. Yua might as well have been trying to distract a deaf man with loud noises. Though standing her ground against a murderer with unknown abilities had been a brave act, it wasn't a smart one. Now there was no longer a chance to escape as, at long last, her defences were breached. Without warning, the roving eyes suddenly stopped dead. For a full second, they stared directly into Yua's own, until-

*TREEP*

-being completely distracted by the most ill-timed phone call of his entire life. With an expression that almost approached annoyance, the normally serene angel answered it.

"This is not a good time.
...
Yes, complete success. But-
...
Yes, all of them. But-"
...
Right now? Right this second now?
...
...Fine."

A black car drew up to the kerb outside. Ten seconds later, it departed with the stranger inside.

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

Ishimaru Moroe awoke. She got up. She had breakfast. She left the house. She walked towards a nearby park. She sat down on a bench.

There was little more to be said.

[KerfuffleMach2]

Kin slept exceptionally well. While spending half the night watching a football game might not have seemed very conducive to restful slumber, it came with great fringe benefits: Namely, a chance to curl up next to Krystal. Listening to the steady rhythm of her friend's heartbeat was enough to soothe even the worst of Kin's anxieties. In no time at all, she was blissfully unconscious. By the time that Krystal awoke, she would find herself thoroughly entangled with (and supernaturally attached to) the still-sleeping girl, thanks to the latter's natural 'snuggle instinct'.

{OOC: If you wanted to RP the actual football scene as well, by all means say so. This is just a quick dayroll post to keep things moving in the meantime.}

((Yeah, I was planning on playing at least some of it. Probably not the whole thing, though. I'll put some tags on the posts for it so it doesn't get confused with everything else.))

Krystal's Room - Last Night

One thing Kin might notice is an increase in the number of decorations since her last visit. Mainly posters. Including a few with the word "MICHIGAN" across them in yellow letters on a blue background. In English.

Go ahead and get comfortable. I'll get the site up and get some snacks. Still got a little while before the game actually starts. Krystal plops down in front of her computer and turns it on. The monitor is big enough that one could sit on the bed and see it just fine.

Krystal's Room - This Morning

Krystal wakes up later than usual, what with her staying up well past midnight due to the game. She lays the for a moment, giving her brain a chance to recognize the fact that she was no longer asleep. She makes to roll over, but finds she can't due to a human shaped object firmly attached to her. She looks to see Kin snuggled to her and smiles. While.she didn't exactly expect this, she wasn't too surprised by it. It was Kin, after all.

She'll wait a couple minutes to she if Kin wakes up on her own before gently poking the girl.