Closed

[reckless_fire]

Who:Kenji and Tadashi
Where: A park near the shopping district
When: July 18, evening
What: The plan was just for an ordinary night out, but something has other ideas.



The sun was just beginning to set when Kenji got off the bus. He was meeting Tadashi for an evening of their usual troublemaking, but a quick glance at his watch informed him that he was a little early. It would be at least fifteen to twenty minutes before his friend was off work. Being more or less allergic to work--even if it was someone else doing the actual working--he opted to do his waiting in a small park across the street.

Well, perhaps calling it a park was giving the place too much credit; it was more like a vacant lot with delusions of grandeur. There was some grass, a few trees and some shrubs, a small fountain, and a park bench--the latter of which commanded an excellent view of Tadashi's current place of business. Plopping down on the bench, he settled in to wait for his friend to emerge.

Comments

[odd_jobs]

It always seems longer when there isn't all that much to do. The crowds had thinned out with the setting of the sun and all Kenji can see from the inside is one of the busboys setting chairs up on the tables. It can't be long, but it doesn't make the simple odd, stillness of the streets anything more to occupy oneself with.

In the back alley by the pizzaria, where the crates and ladder for water balloon antics had taken place, a figure seems to shuffle back against the brick wall.

[reckless_fire]

Well, the wait hadn't been nearly as long as he'd expected. Catching a glimpse of a figure skulking around the scene of their former crime, Kenji suspected Tadashi of planning an ambush. Standing up, he casually strolled toward the alley, calling out once he was in voice range. "Yo, Tadashi! A little late for water balloons, ain't it? So don't even think about it, dude."

[odd_jobs]

As Kenji approached, the figure seems to pause, half turning to look at Kenji, and then ducks back behind one of the crates. The movements are just a little too fluid, a little too off to be something normal.

[reckless_fire]

Ooookay, that was far from the response he had expected. If the half glimpsed figure had really been Tadashi, he'd have most likely tried to bullshit Kenji into dropping his guard before lobbing a water balloon at him--not duck behind a crate. Whoever it was didn't exactly move like Tadashi, or anything human, for that matter.

He suddenly became aware of how unnaturally quiet the night was...and how deserted the area he was in. And hadn't he heard something on the network a couple of days ago about the grues getting restless again?

"Shit."

Keeping a wary eye on the area where the...whatever it was...had disappeared, he began backing out of the alley. The entrance to the building wasn't too far away; if he could just get there...

[odd_jobs]

Almost as if in answer, something chirps, dropping into an angry chitter from the shadows. It moves fast, racing behind one of the crates. One of its clawed hands reached up and wrapped around the rung of the ladder.

It yanks hard, swinging the long, makeshift weapon with blinding speed and whistling force at Kenji.

[reckless_fire]

The angry chittering was enough for Kenji. He remembered that sound--and nothing good ever came of it. Turning, he abandoned any attempt at dignity and began to run for the building entrance, so he didn't see the vermedi reach up to grasp the ladder, nor did he see it swing said ladder at him. He did hear the faint whistling of something cutting through the air, but barely had time to register it, much less question its source, before something hard--maybe a freight train--struck him, the force of the impact lifting him off his feet and sending him flying.

A few seconds later, gravity reasserted itself, and he hit the pavement, rolling a few more feet before finally coming to a stop. Vaguely wondering what happened, he struggled to right himself, to climb to his feet, and Christ, everything hurt. Vision blurred, he shook his head in an attempt to clear it. Bad idea. Grey fog seemed to cloud his sight and it took all his will to keep from passing out.

Unable to stand for the moment, he peered through the grey fog and tracers marring his vision, trying to spot whatever had hit him. Digging in with his heels, he tried to scoot backwards across the pavement, hitching in a hoarse gasp as the movement sent a shockwave of pain through his ankle. Had that son of a bitch broken his leg?

[odd_jobs]

As Kenji struggled to clear his mind and vision, the HM lunged forward. Darting quickly, Kenji's vision was a blur of strange, matted fur hurdling towards him. It veers just slightly to the left, needlelike claws extended to rake along his side.

Recognizing its prey as stunned and weakened, the chitter almost sounds delighted as it settles in to play with its new toy.

[reckless_fire]

Although indeed stunned, weakened, and weaponless, Kenji was still far from helpless. As always, the thread of light flickered and hummed at the back of his mind; that bitch was always there, hanging around like an obsessive girlfriend, just waiting for his call.

So, he called.

Reaching out like an eager lover, he grasped the thread, pulled it to him, letting it fill him. As always, it felt good--almost too good--and somehow he managed to grin at the HM as it closed on him. Almost every part of him hurt like a bitch, and his focus was shit, but even if he couldn't blow the bastard's head off, he was confident he could put a hole in it somewhere. Enough to discourage it, at least.

C'mon then, you son of a bitch. Let's dance.

Then things went horribly wrong.

Bright light flared out from him, the power building to a crescendo...but instead of the usual sick pop of displaced air and the spray of hot blood accompanying the sudden disappearance of the HM's head, two shallow pits appeared on either side of where he crouched on the pavement. White-hot pain shot up the length of his right arm, forcing a startled cry from his throat. Glancing down, his eyes widened in horror as his arm split into three sections and then slowly began to reform itself.

Again, he was knocked onto his back as the HM bowled into him. Hissing through clenched teeth as needle-like claws raked across his already abused ribs, he flailed wildly, trying to shove the thing away. Something red and gold flashed at the corner of his vision when he moved his arm, but he had no time or wits to even wonder what it was. Had he hit the thing? He couldn't tell; he couldn't feel much of anything in his right arm anymore, but the vermedi had backed off for a moment, seeming to reconsider its course of action. Using its hesitation to his advantage, Kenji once again tried to get his good leg under him and climb unsteadily to his feet.

[odd_jobs]

As Kenji staggered to his feet, the thing was thrown like a ragdoll halfway across the deserted roadway. The unnaturally heavy force from the punch clipped its shoulder and sent it into something of a mad spin, like an unbalanced coin. It shrieks in shock and anger, crouching low, and the claws of its left arm drag the ground as something dislocated made the arm useless.

It watches, eyes hidden by hair, deciding if this creature was worth a second try at.

It lunges forward again, crossing onto the sidewalk when there's an resounding metallic CLANG followed by a heavy rushing sound...

From Kenji's point of view, the charging creature gets knocked clear off its feet again by a heavy stream of fire hydrant water. A moment later, there's a brown flash as it seems to decide it had had more than enough for the evening, and races off to the far alley instead.

"Everyone okay in there?" Tadashi's voice is unmistakable even before Kenji can see him peaking very, very cautiously around the corner, a heavy wrench in hand.

[reckless_fire]

After Tadashi had shoved him through the clinic doors, all Kenji saw for the next hour was a flurry of white lab coats and scrubs. While he was grateful that the patching up process didn't take too long, while said patching up was taking place, he felt more like he was being repaired by an Indy pit crew than a medical team. Still, although he wouldn't be running any marathons for awhile, when he was herded back out to the car, he felt a great deal better than he had upon arrival...although, he was wondering exactly how he'd explain the crutches to his parents when he returned home. Hopefully, everyone would be asleep by then, and his less than triumphant return would go unnoticed. After the shit he'd been through this evening, he was certainly long overdue for a little luck.

Snorting at Tadashi's remark, he waved one of the crutches at his friend in a vaguely threatening manner. "Shut up before I hit you with the curse crutch and blow up your car again."

Shifting a bit in his seat, he tried to find position for his abused ankle that didn't make him want to cry. "Actually," he mused after a moment, "I feel more like the mummy, Frankenstein's monster, and a big pile of shit, all got together and had a love child."

[odd_jobs]

The leaning back away from Kenji was absolutely real. "Don't even joke about that, ass! She JUST got back from the shop!"

He patted the dashboard, as if reassuring something sentient that the terrible curse of his friend would not be going any further than the passenger side at best.

"Dude, what is even that mental picture?" Once Kenji settled he pulled the car back out.

[reckless_fire]

Kenji opened his mouth to make another smart-ass retort...but the way Tadashi patted his car's dashboard made him hesitate. Sometimes...sometimes he wondered about the exact nature of his friend's relationship with his car... He quickly shoved that thought away though as bursting into hysterical laughter wouldn't do his bruised ribs any good at all. Instead, he managed a not very contrite sounding "Sorry, man," in between snickers.

As Tadashi pulled away from the clinic, he shrugged. "Damned if I know. I blame whatever pain killers the pit crew gave me."

[odd_jobs]

He shoots a look at Kenji, dour and grumpy. Look, there's an understanding between a man and his wheels that a bane upon all mechanical things will never understand.

He waves a hand through the air, dismissing the excuse. "Nah, nah, after the giggle fit earlier? You don't get to claim jack shit."

[reckless_fire]

Grinning cheerfully, Kenji gave Tadashi the finger. "When you get your ass ragdolled by an HM, you can tell me what to claim. 'Til then, I'll claim whatever the hell I wanna claim, and if it don't meet with your approval, you can go headbutt a stump, bro."

That piece of business taken care of, Kenji retrieved what remained of his drink and took a sip. Bleh. After sitting for an hour, it was too watered down to drink, an anemic-tasting ghost of its former carbonated glory. Oh well...

"So what's next on the agenda," he continued, "A Death match with the Creature from the Black Lagoon?"

[odd_jobs]

He shot a glance back over at Kenji. "One," he held up a finger for emphasis. "Not hairy enough. Two, right now a kitten could take your sorry, beat up ass. Three. I will pass on any and all ragdolling. My role is to be suave and in control of the situation."

He sighed. "But that's the kind of shit I'm talking about. We've gotta figure out a better exit plan than we've got. This fighting all comers is gonna get us both killed."

[reckless_fire]

"Hey, I didn't exactly want to fight the damned thing in the first place," Kenji huffed. "I tried to run, but the bastard brained me with a goddamned ladder." Nope, he wasn't taking the rap for this one--he wasn't that crazy SOB whose memories he kept intercepting, after all. "It's not like I enjoy this shit, y'know..."

He trailed off, confused. That...wasn't exactly true. When he'd been caught up in it, he'd liked it. He'd liked it just fine. It was only afterwards, when he returned to normal, that he could look back with aversion for what he'd done. And every time, he hated that other bastard, the one that wore his face, just a little more.

"I'll admit you've got a point, though," he continued. "So I'm open to suggestions, Mr. Suave and In Control--'cause I'd just as soon pass on another night like tonight."

[odd_jobs]

That was the real question, wasn't it? What could they do? He drove almost on autopilot, sifting through what they didn't know and comparing what they did...

"Okay, so this is twice right? Both have been dark, both have been secluded. The things either don't like bright lights and may be as adverse to general population finding out about all of this shit as we are." His fingers tapped patterns on the steering wheel, now that he got going on it, it felt easier. "So, I'll move my shift back and avoid closing, you stay off the beach after dark. ... Strange shit, we should call for backup still. I mean, we have a network and everything."

And now came the real electricity, hanging on the promises of possibility.

"... Do you think if you practiced with it, you might be able to use it without needing him? Keep in control, you know?"

[reckless_fire]

Kenji snorted. "I dunno, man. I think I look pretty pitiful right now--even without crutches--but suit yourself."

As they drew nearer to Kenji's street, he turned his attention back to giving directions. "Okay, take the next right, and my house is the fourth down on the left."

[odd_jobs]

"Dude, you've gone past pitiful into fucking wrecked. But it's all about the LOOK."

Now that they were getting closer, Tadashi flipped on the high beams. You know, just in case. Looking for the shapeless shadows of HMs.

It is, happily, without event, that he pulls up into the drive of the house Kenji points out.

[reckless_fire]

"Gee...thanks." It was one thing to say yourself that you looked like shit--but quite another to have someone else confirm it.

As the car pulled up in front of a modest, two-story house, Kenji noted with some relief that all the lights except for the one in the front hall seemed to be out. It was about damn time he finally caught a break. After taking a quick survey of the yard and finding no over-achieving HMs in the vicinity, he began gathering up crutches, sample packets of pain killers, instructions, and the various other paraphenalia bestowed on him by the pit crew.

"Uh...might need a little help getting all this crap upstairs..."

[odd_jobs]

Blunt honesty is what friends are for.

Tadashi made an affirmative sound and slid out of the drivers side to open up the door for Kenji. "Pass it over." After a second of though, he added, "Keys too." Juggling crutches with a lock sounded like more than enough time and fumbling to get caught.

[reckless_fire]

Kenji fished his keys out of his pocket, handing them over to Tadashi, along with most of the other stuff from the clinic. Although not mechanical, the crutches didn't seem interested in cooperating with him, so it took him a few minutes to actually make it out of the car--during which time, he came close to breaking out one of the windows in Tadashi's car--although he did manage to avert that disaster at the last moment.

Nor was maneuvering on crutches an easy task. As he hobbled up to the front porch, he felt rather like he was participating in a three-legged race. By himself. After only a few near-catastrophes, he finally made it and waited for Tadashi to unlock the front door.

"Good thing they didn't give me a wheelchair," he grumbled, "I'd of probably killed myself and half the neighborhood..."

[odd_jobs]

"If you got any closer to the windows I'd have saved you the trouble." Tadashi hissed. As he picked out the key that looked the most like a house key, he had the decency to lower his voice. It turned out to be the second he tried... He looked into the hallway carefully before stepping into the house, holding open the door for Kenji.

[reckless_fire]

"Oh, shut up. I didn't hit the damned thing, did I?" Kenji growled as he crutched himself through the doorway. Honestly, you'd think he could get some credit when he managed not to break something, but apparently not.

Although the rooms were dark, to the left, vague shapes suggesting a couch chairs, and a fireplace marked the living room. To the right, an open plan kitchen/dining room combination. Straight ahead was the stairway leading to the second floor--and fortunately, Kenji's parents had left the light on dim so at least he wouldn't kill himself getting up the stairs. He hoped.

Propelling himself forward, he paused at the foot of the stairway, giving the steps a doubtful look. Tricky. After a moment, he shifted the crutches to his left hand, grabbed onto the railing with his right, and proceeded to hop/pull himself up the stairs.

[odd_jobs]

"Yeah, yeah." Tadashi muttered, keeping a hand at Kenji's back. He didn't really want to watch his friend break his neck, especially after all of the supernatural bullshit. (He can't help a quiet snort of laughter there. Of all the things, that would be their luck.) Not to mention, a tumble down the stairs WOULD wake up anyone in the house. Possibly the next two houses.

"I'm not underestimating your unholy car powers."