expiationlogs | [01] [closed] she's drax strong

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ai tsf: mizuki date

[01] [closed] she's drax strong

Who: Mizuki and Saito (closed log)
Where: Starting off at the inn, then out into the wilds.
What: Backdated (?) after this whole mess, Mizuki finds out the locals will pay them for bringing them meat, and they also get dinner out of it. She's like, "I can do that."
Warnings: Saito is a walking spoiler for AI, also maybe depictions of animal death. There's some hunting expected.

[ After "Date" leaves their shared room at the inn, Mizuki spends a couple hours by herself and feels like it is first time she's been able to relax since waking up here. To be clear: it is still strange. Nothing makes sense, but as the festivities continue, Mizuki has slowly come to accept it, simply because she feels there is no other choice.

Without any distraction, she finds herself thinking even more about what happened at home and the life she left behind. About Ryuki, and about Bibi, and what she and Boss would say if they were here.

The sun hangs low in the sky, and Mizuki finds her hands on that curious little charm once more. ]

Hey, you there?

[ There's a pause, and Mizuki continues fiddling until the speech function brings up a hologram. ]

I know they're letting us stay for free, but apparently they could use some more meat. They gotta make sure there's enough to make it through dinner.

[ There's a pause, and her hologram can be seen looking out of the window of their rather spacious room. ]

I was thinking of heading out there to see what I could find before it gets dark.

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[First that Ryuki person, and now this Reika person too? Not having the slightest idea of what in the world she is talking about puts Saito at a disadvantage, but whatever she meant by that passing comment is of little importance right now.

He can't tear neither his eye nor his aim from the direction of the noises, adrenalin also kicking in and accelerating the hammering of his heart. Still, he merely waits, watching. Watching that massive snout protruding from the bushes. Watching the beast give a startled cry as the other monster leaps in front of it.

Until the moment the beast — a boar, he recognizes — makes a haphazard start, a wild dash past Mizuki's legs. Saito wastes no time thinking (or waiting anymore), and pulls the trigger in reflex. Whether the creature will rush behind or in front of Mizuki makes no difference; the boar's head isn't even the exact height where he is aiming, neither is it what he's aiming at.]

[ The locals that warned her that some of the wildlife would be aggressive as well, and that some would find themselves too close to town. They made no mention of why that would be so, but Mizuki doesn't wonder for long anyway. The terrifying boar makes itself known with a wild cry, moving faster than Mizuki would have expected, yet as it brushes past her, she finds herself wincing as a sharp pain starts at her thigh and travels outward.

She winces, a noise escaping despite her best efforts, and though she feels the slow trickle of what must be blood, she ignores it. Call it adrenaline or her crazy genetics. She hadn't even been watching Saito to gauge his intent, but she'll bark a displeased: ]

Watch it!

[ She scowls, though the fact that the boar is aggressive probably makes this easier. Swallowing the pain for the moment, she raises her pipe and swings hard with all her strength, hoping to also use the boar's weight against it and knock it over from the windy blast. ]

[Saito silently relishes in watching her wince and grunt in pain, while suppressing the involuntary twitch of his lips. But even he has little time to savor the sensation. With just another wild cry as a warning, another boar of roughly the same size, springs out of the opposite direction, in a mad dash towards Mizuki.

Maybe he wasn't so wrong about the sound coming from the right side, after all.

Thanks to the extra rounds she gave him, he can fatally injure, or even kill, her right now and here. Shoot, then literally stab her right in the back, similar to what he did the very first time he killed. It would blow his cover, and he wouldn't get any of the other answers he's curious about. But he would get his reward, the maddening rush of euphoria. He would get what truly makes him happy.

He adjusts his aim.

Or he can score two, less thrilling kills and keep playing pretend for a while longer. Then have his identity exposed eventually. See where this new journey might lead him.

He fires twice.]

Behind you!

[The wild animal releases a cry of pain as the shots hit it, but it doesn't completely stop in its momentum.]

Two—?!

[ Mizuki yelps, barely able to process as she watches him adjust his aim at the last second. Two bullet shots ring in her ears, one after the other. The deafening cry of the new boar fills the air next, and when she looks, she notices this one has tusks.

He keeps charging and Mizuki haphazardly tries to swing her pipe again, but he's coming too fast, too strong. She's forced to drop the pipe with a muted clang against the dirt as she grabs tusks with both hands, holding him back with her own strength while the wounds drain his energy. At the same time, the wound from Saito's bullet continues to drain hers. ]

Edited 2023-02-27 00:07 (UTC)

[With Mizuki holding the male boar in place, Saito can carry out the kill with relative ease. After closing the distance between them, he lunges himself at the animal, and sinks the knife in the meaty crevice between its skull and back to steady himself against it. The next second, the Evolver's muzzle is already placed against its massive skull, to fire at point-blank.

He'd shot cats to death before, but never had he imagined he would be seeing boar-y fireworks. He's barely able to distinguish the exact contents of the messy splatter due to the partial absence of sunlight. But what he sees is enough to make his whole body start shaking lightly with contained laughter as their prey tumbles to the ground with a pained cry. And Saito follows, still holding onto it.

Ironic how her sharing her rounds with him is what saved both of them, in a sense. Of course, if she wasn't holding back in the first place, he wouldn't even need to act. But both of them followed the improvised plan as best as they could. Except for the part that he shot her, that is.]

Quickly.

[For once, he doesn't turn to face her as he speaks, voice quivery with hastened breathing. But he points in the general direction of the other boar, presumably the female counterpart.]

Stop the other one.

[Although weakened, said boar is still struggling to get on her legs.]

[ All tension appears to leave Mizuki's arms as the lifeless prey is lowered, and she finds it safe to let go of the tusks. Her hands are shaking for the moment, and her breath is also quivery, the entire experience already feeling far worse than she could have anticipated. Just when she thinks the worst might be over, however, she's turning to the other boar at his insistence.

Stop the other one—

There's no turning back now.

She uses the precious moments afforded her by the struggling boar to pull out Evolver from its holster, pointing it at the threat. Her hands are steady again. Not even the beast's mighty cries deter her. The shot rings out as the boar starts to charge, but not before her aim automatically veers upward in that final moment, causing the bullet to miss. ]

[The reason Saito tasked her with stopping the other beast is none other than he wished to relish in this meager high a little longer. Granted, given what the victim was, it wasn't enough to shook his entire being, but it proved to be enough to spur some happy chemicals in him. Though he's only able to bask in that blissful state of mind for a little while, until the gunshot from Mizuki's Evolver brings him back to the reality surrounding him. After the all-too-familiar sound reverberates, he unhurriedly turns his head to look. And exasperation kicks in instead.

That brat. Apparently, while she excels in physical prowess, she lacks in brains. Or aim. Or both.

Now that he's out of rounds, he needs her to take that creature down more than ever. If it turned to him instead, he'd be in for some (more) potential bruises, at best. Before he can properly think this through, he's getting up, yanking the knife out of the male's corpse—]

Move!

[—and rushing in to shove her out of danger. However, with the threat's trajectory curving sideways at the last second, he is the one knocked off his feet, and sent toppling onto the ground (for the second time that day), falling on his side; with the knife landing just a couple of inches away from him.

Scrambling, Saito sits up and reaches out his arm backwards, a grunt escaping him in response to the pang in his shoulder. He manages to recover the knife but, the creature seems tirelessly ready to pounce, now with a good advantage over him. From that angle, he can't go for its throat or any other vital points before those tusks can pierce his flesh.]

[ Damn! The image of Boss's disappointed face is all too clear, and there's a tch under her breath. She's in no position to beat herself up, though; this isn't training, and in the next moment, she can feel her weight shift entirely forward as she's shoved. Hunched over, she can feel the thunderous rumbling of the boar's advances, and she watches as it pounces, somehow hurling itself clean into the air.

Its weight threatens to come crashing down on Saito when in a flash, her super speed kicks in. ]

Date! [ Mizuki cries out, adrenaline pumping—which is probably the only reason she's able to ignore that leg wound—and she also launches herself into the air to meet the boar, tackling it with such force that the boar rolls over, skidding when she lands.

Mizuki also skids as she lands, and her legs shake as she catches her breath. ]

[It's not the display of sheer strength and superhuman speed that has Saito staring in disbelief, but the fact that she should have activated these nonsensical powers of hers when she was the one in danger. And past that ambiguous expression also ran a cynical thought: if only she knew the truth, she certainly wouldn't have been so eager to come to his rescue.

He opens his mouth, but instead of the acerbic remark regarding her failures, what comes out is quite more pleasant to the ears. Although still lacking in emotion somewhat.]

Thanks, Mizuki.

[Standing up, he throws a glance at the boar, and makes a quick mental note to kill this one in the slowest and most painful way as possible in revenge; for both what happened, and for what would likely have happened hadn't Ms. Hunting Tool stepped in.]

Think you can hold that one down like you did with the other?

But—

[ Is it really necessary? Mizuki glances at the boar warily, but as quickly as that brief pang of guilt rises up within her, the boar is rising to her feet to match. Mizuki gasps, stumbling back a couple steps, but then is quickly saved the trouble of deciding. The boar lunges forward for Mizuki and she is forced to catch her weight, only this time, she is really starting to feel that scar in her leg. A subtle burn that is worsening.

She starts to limp, and she feels herself lowering to the ground on that side. There is a nice gash in her glove now, and her hands shake with the effort of pushing back against this boar.

Maybe she can take aim with Evolver again. She can't miss like this. Maybe she has a round left—

Maybe— Is she still holding back?

She can't think. ]

[The boar is wide open to him, and Saito has every kind of advantage this time. He approaches it from the side, mustering some strength before plunging the knife as deeply as he can into the flesh of its lower abdomen, a little above its hind legs. Presumably, it will not hit any vital points, but might reach one of its digestive organs, and cause a decent amount of pain. Hopefully enough to weaken it further, until it stops struggling and accepts its fate.

The animal immediately gives a shrill cry, and jerks away a few inches, her hind legs now limping somewhat like one of her captors'. He attempts to latch onto her backside and bring her down, but his strength or weight alone aren't enough.]

Mizuki, help me pin it down on the ground!

[He gestures towards the animal's head and forelegs, signaling he'll need her help to keep the creature down for good, so he can finish his half of the work.]

[ His voice registers as authority and she finds herself obeying.

Mizuki is already wincing at the animal's shrill cry. Her eyes shut, though when she hears her name, she does glance his way just long enough to see where he gestures. Her grip on the animal is already loosening because of how weak the boar has become, but Mizuki can feel her breath when she snaps at her with her mouth, and she is quick to retaliate and press down.

When the boar's forelegs start to move, she grabs that too with an iron fist.

Hurry— ]

((ooc: ♪ 'cause I just knock them (flags) down, just knock them down, just to set them up (again) ♪))

[Now, this is perfection. The animal resists even as it is held down, its cries also growing more desperate, as though it knows what is coming. It starts thrashing about frantically as the knife pierces its now entirely exposed belly, grazing against its rib cage. Blood starts gushing out profusely, and more anguished cries leave the hapless boar.]

Ah, come on, just stop struggling. It'll make things easier for both of us.

[Saito coos in a soothing voice, even though he knows the boar doesn't understand his words. A full-blown grin threatens to break through the figurative mask as he repeats the motion, pulling the blade out before sinking it back into the prey's fatty flesh, as though looking for the sweet spot that will shorten its torment and end its misery. The longer the animal clings to its life, the more erratic the next stab of his assault becomes, making him resemble more of a wild animal than the agonizing creature beneath him.

Eventually, the boar's body goes nearly completely still, except for the wheezing sound of its breathing. That has Saito completely at the mercy of his own brain, flooding him with ecstasy. He bends over, quietly chuckling to himself — having reached the peak his brain allows him to with ending a non-human life, and places a hand over the bloody mess. In his blind frenzy, he must have succeeded in perforating the creature's heart.]

[ Mizuki is no stranger to violence, but she really doesn't need to see all that, she decides. Her eyes are clamped shut, her head tilted away from the carnage, though she can feel it spill onto her clothes and skin. Is he actually talking to it? Was this what he was like? In his old life, the one he wanted to leave behind...

She opens her eyes when she feels like it's over, and her stomach churns as she steps back. She can feel bile travel up her throat, but thankfully, she's able to swallow it down again.

If she's ever going to do this again, she'll have to be a much better shot, with much better rounds. And more of them, too. ]

Well, that sucked. [ Just... gonna say it like it is. Her voice shakes slightly as she speaks before she's able to steady it, trying to appear casual. ]

[Well, she may speak for herself. For Saito, that moment just now was the absolute best since waking up in this strange place. He wishes he could openly disagree with her, but ah, the things he's sacrificing for the sake of this plan he decided on a whim...]

It was your idea, remember?

[But he doubts she even bothered with actually devising a plan, considering she followed his ideas and orders. Still, one question remains: how should they proceed with this, now? As far as domestic pork goes, almost the entirety of the pig's body can be consumed, so maybe the same applies to boars? Perhaps they should just bring these two corpses back to the inn and call it a day.

Before he can suggest that, however, another unseen animal makes its presence known with its meek cries. Distinctive, high-pitched cries of a young piglet.

Saito looks up at Mizuki, expectantly.]

There's more of them nearby.

[ The locals would probably know more about what can be used and what can't, so Mizuki is definitely okay with leaving that to them. For now, she is mentally bracing herself to do the physical labor of hauling the carcasses back to town when she perks up at the same time that Saito regards her with those demanding eyes.

Aiba would've known, she thinks. Aiba would've told me.

Other things she misses about Aiba right about now are her thermo mode. Without that as an option, however, Mizuki seeks the source of the noise the hard way. She appears on her guard and picks up her pipe along the way, taking gentle, slow steps in the dirt and grass. ]

Wha...

[ She can literally air leaving her lungs. When she sees there is no threat, however, her guarded posture visibly relaxes, though she has to move away some underbrush to get to the clearing where the sound is loudest.

In the clearing, squirming innocently, two piglets see Mizuki and instinctively back away and try to hide. ]

[Saito lets her take the front-line again, half expecting this new presence to be inoffensive, given the characteristic babyish squeal from just a moment ago. Her startled sound has him getting up and striding over quickly to her side. Unlike her, though, he doesn't utter a single sound when he sees the tiny creatures.

Orphans, he thinks with some humor, they made these piglets orphans. Naturally, knowing the consequences beforehand wouldn't have changed Saito's mind either way, but...

He glances at Mizuki, gauging her reaction.]

... What do you wanna do with them?

[He can imagine what her response will be, but it doesn't hurt to ask — to pretend to care.]

[ How the hell is she supposed to know? They're not going to kill them, that's what. Yet she doesn't feel like anything good will come of taking them back to town. She frowns, though ultimately scoops both of them up with ease. She tucks them both underneath her arm like she's holding a couple of plushies. ]

Don't know. I'm gonna find a place for them, for now. I'll... I'll come back later after we deliver.

[ What are the chances of them staying in one place, or even surviving without help? Not likely. But she's going to give them a chance.

They're small enough that she could probably hide them in the trunk of a particular large tree. Failing that, perhaps there's a cave in the mountains nearby. Either way, the parents clearly aren't going anywhere. ]

[In her attempt at giving them a chance to survive; she will also give him a different kind of chance.

This is probably the part where any decent person would offer to go with her because it's too dangerous to go out in the woods alone at night, but Saito has more important business to take care of later.]

You're in no condition to be wandering out here. Especially not at night. You can always come back early tomorrow after resting up.

[It's totally his fault she's hurt, but oh well. Just stay in the inn and sleep, so he can slip out quietly without her noticing, dammit!]

[ Man. He really does not know how to mind his own business. He doesn't just get to ghost for six years, suddenly gain back his memory and expect everything to be okay again. Pursuing Tearer, she needed him, but now...

She really doesn't have the energy to fight. She has to keep moving, else she could well collapse. ]

Come on. [ After making sure she's got her pipe and Evolver back on her person, walks toward the heavier-looking of the two boar carcasses, the male. ] Just because you don't have superstrength doesn't mean you can't help.

[ Ignoring his "concern," it's a quiet walk back into Aldrip. ]

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[01] [closed] she's drax strong

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cw mention of animal abuse and slight gore??

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cw: animal death + blood + some gore

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1/2

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