sweethymns | OPEN RP POST QUATRE

[From the roof of the building that's just above Noctis, someone is squatting down, resting her face in her palms before standing up in alarm when the young man appears seemingly out of nowhere, crashing against a brick wall. An attack already? But that creature wasn't any type she recognized even with her compendium of knowledge that rests within.

There's no time to ponder and stand around staring with a mouth agape. The time to act is now.

In front of Noctis, there's a flash of white and the billowing of a long skirt. The malboro stops in her path at first, but then moves forward undeterred by the smaller prey.

But then it's forced back by an unexpected amount of strength. Arcueid Brunestud, lets out a huff of breath as she retracts her claws as she creates distance between them. She turns to Noctis and... Yikes, he's bleeding. Not good, but she'll be fine on his account. She approaches the young man, eyeing his weapon.]

Ah... I think you're going to need more than a sword for this kind of job young man!

[He isn't sure what to make of the sudden appearance of the young woman. At first, he thinks, maybe it's some sort of spirit? After his sudden transition from one setting to the other, it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility.

Whatever she was, whoever she was, she was strong. She had pushed back the malboro with what looked like such minimal effort. He feels a tinge of relief, however temporary, even though it may be misguided at best. After all, she just represented one more complication.

He manages to push himself back up to his feet, leaning against the wall in order to do so. Blood still drips down his arm, and his sword disappears in a burst of blue, shattering light.]

Sword's worked for everything in the past. [Just about, at least.] Who're you?

In this case? Looks like I'm your savior of the evening!

[... Is the chipper reply he receives from the blonde red-eyed girl. Despite her attitude however, there is no doubt, she's giving Noctis a once over, watching how he dematerializes his weapon. Magecraft? It's one possibility. The complicated machinations may have to wait in this instance. She puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head at him.]

But if you're asking for a name, it might be better to take care of your injuries first. You got thrashed around real bad it looks like!

Yeah. My hero. [-comes the dry response, though it's oddly not lacking in a whisper of grateful sincerity.]

That thing's meaner than most. I... I think it's poisonous too, so I'd watch your back.

Like, now.

[Because that malboro? It's lurching awfully near her, now, teeth gnashing forward.]

[Arcueid turns around and crosses her arms, brows furrowing at the malboro.]

Mmm. Awfully kind of you to bring something this inconvenient into the city. It pains me to say that I have no idea what that is unless it's some Dead Apostle's sick idea of a familiar...

[Arcueid, please don't get lost in terminology, you have a bleeding man over here. She puts her hands down to her side and her lackadaisical nature that was displayed to Noctis starts to fade away.]

... Say. Have you fought one of these monsters before?

[He scoffs, despite everything happening.]

It's not like I exactly planned for it to happen like this. I don't even know where here is.

[He has no idea what a "Dead Apostle" is, and trying to ask right now would just be a waste of breath and time. Something he found he was short on both.]

And yeah, I have. It's called a malboro, and if it breathes that stuff on you, you're going to be in trouble.

[Meaning, that green smog that happens to be eking out of each breath.]

"Malboro?" Oh, it rolls off the tongue well.

But, tell me. If another monster went up against it...

[Her fingers suddenly morph and twist, becoming huge claw-like weapons, belying her otherwise normal, if beautiful looking face.]

What would you say her chances were?

[Noctis furrows his brow, grimacing in both the unexpected transformation of this girl, and the pain in his body. The fuzziness of his mind (the toxin, perhaps?) is really making it hard to focus.

Just what the hell is happening here?]

Guess... that depends on the kind of monster.

Lucky for you then.

[There's a split second where he should be able to see her eyes turn gold as she turns to face the malboro.]

Looks like you met the right one.

[And with that, she charges at the creature and her impact is a huge strike against it. It stumbles and struggles to find its footing, but she's already leaping into the air and swiping her claws against its face. And it cuts deep as if there are blades of air instead of just her bare hand causing damage.]

[His breath hitches at the sight, caught in a wave of shock. He isn't sure what he's seeing, or rather, he's uncertain what to make of it. This girl -- this monster she had implied herself to be -- was rushing forward with speed and strength that he did not expect to see from anyone merely human. She was tearing through the creature like paper.

He had opened his mouth to yell at her to stop, that she was going to die if she took it head-on, but his words don't come out. Instead, he watches, one hand gripping at his shoulder to staunch the flow of blood, skin tainted red because of it.

The malboro makes an awful sort of noise, the attack on itself unexpectedly fierce. It tries to fight back, lashing out with those long sharp teeth, but it's growing weaker. It won't take many more hits at his rate.]

That's... insane...

[It helps that this creature can't regenerate its tissue. It may be gigantic, it may have a scent that smells absolutely noxious, but Arcueid, being the unique life form that she is, is not affected by its poisons.

One more hit. Just one more blow. She uses the wall behind her as leverage to take it down completely with just her strength alone.

There's a dying screech and the malboro shudders, the last of its dying breath echoing from its sharp and toothy mouth.]

... So in the end, it wasn't much, was it? I'll just let that nun take care of this mess.

[Arc's eyes return to normal before she turns to look at Noctis.]

... Ah, you're a mess!

[So she says as her hands return to normal and she walks towards Noctis, stopping a few yards away from him (and for good reason)]

Anyways, are you some kind of magus? Was that monster some kind of mad experiment gone wrong?

Edited 2016-12-27 08:30 (UTC)

[Noctis blinks in a half-daze as she walks over to him; the surreal sight of the monster crumpling into nothing plays out behind her, and he really has to wonder to himself whether or not he's been dreaming.

Well, the pain feels real enough. The blood feels warm enough. Though his head is swimming, so maybe that's one clue.

And this girl... she's asking him the questions? Shouldn't it be the other way around?]

A... a what? [He breathes out, confused. Noctis isn't sure he has the energy for this.]

N-no. It was just... something we were hunting. And then out of nowhere, I was brought...

[Suddenly he feels wobbly on his feet. His vision seems to be becoming blurred at the edges, and Noctis sucks in a breath, trying to finish his statement.]

...here.

[And then, the adrenaline which had kept him going begins to fade, and he can feel his mind drift into darkness.

He collapses, fainting, right before her.

How embarrassing.]

[W h o o p s.

Down he goes! Arcueid doesn't do anything, but stares dumbly at the sight of the young man fainting and falling right in front of her. She looks at Noctis. Looks back at the dead malboro. And then back at Noctis. Rinse and repeat.

Well...]

... If I leave him, there's going to be questionable people interrogating him most likely. I don't want to trouble myself, but...

Edited 2016-12-27 08:45 (UTC)

...

[Her eyes scan the blood that he's losing ~~and even though she denies it, something within her skips a beat, an instinct, a craving a...~~

The vampire walks over to Noctis, lightly stepping over any drops that have fallen into the street and uses one hand to grab him by the collar.]

I'd definitely get scolded by Shiki for abandoning an injured person. You really are a lucky young man, you know that?

[And so, she grips her new cargo by his clothing and makes her way back to her apartment by way of leaping in the shadows and avoiding crowds. It'll be the first time in a long while since she's had another human stay the night with her.]

[Hours past, countless and unfathomable in Noctis' deep slumber. If he dreams, they're fleeting -- of falling into a darkness, of a city burning and of mechanical soldiers tumbling from the sky. He doesn't awaken from them in a jolt, not this time. They merely fade away, as if taken away by the tide, and his sleep continues, uninterrupted.

He won't actually awaken until the morning comes, the light him pulling gently back into reality. He opens his eyes, staring up at the ceiling, half-lidded; immediately, he feels sore before he even attempts to move, and a part of him wonders if it would just be beneficial to go back to sleep.

And so he does.

Two hours later, he awakens again. Still sore. Still staring up at the ceiling. He realizes, this time, that he still doesn't know where he is, and Noctis attempts to sit up in a bed that isn't his. It's a struggle to do so; he grimaces, hissing out through his teeth. His shoulder still hurts, and it's difficult to move -- he glances over at it, to see it wrapped up in... was that a towel and duct tape?]

Geez...

[He eyes scan the room, but it doesn't help him figure out where he is. And so, being Noctis, he attempts to swing his legs over the side of the bed and stand, his uninjured arm gripping at a bedpost as he tries. Where the hell was his shirt?]

Edited 2016-12-27 09:02 (UTC)

[It's a simply furnished apartment, a one-room affair, but well-kept and with the sunlight shining through the window, there's a calming effect as a result. Noctis' shirt, if he glances around the room carefully is on top of a chair, folded neatly with consideration.

The door knob moves and in walks in the blonde haired girl with scarlet eyes. Her appearance is spotless as if she never tired from her endeavor last night and there's a plastic bag hanging on one arm. The moment she sees Noctis up and about, her face lights up with a beam.]

Oh! You're alive!

Good morning!

[Noctis tenses immediately when the door knob turns, unsure what to expect. And when Acrueid walks in, he merely blinks at her. His hand still grips at the bedpost, tightly, keeping him balanced.]

You... you're the girl from last night.

[The one who saved him. The one who slew the malboro like it was nothing.

His mind churns, despite the confusion threatening to break through the surface. He frowns, shaking his head, then lifts his gaze back to her. (How did she look so cheerful, so unaffected by the night before? It's as if it hardly made her break a sweat.)]

This is your place, isn't it?

Mm hm! I've been living here for the time being. I don't get many visitors so you're the first new one I've had in a while.

[She places the bag on the mattress and then proceeds to sit on the foot of the bed.]

I brought actual bandages this time. Sorry about the one on your arm. I had to improvise or else you'd get blood all over the apartment.

[He scoffs a little again.] Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen anyone use duct tape before. At least you're creative.

[He'd sound more grateful if he wasn't so confused and disoriented. In an attempt to feel some sort of control over... anything, really, he moves to where his shirt is, ignoring the fact that the young woman had just sat at the edge of the mattress. He manages, if not a bit wobbly, and picks up the black article of clothing. Noctis sticks a thumb through the large tear in its shoulder, frowning.

Then he turns to look at her, the expression still etched onto his features.]

Who are you, exactly? Where am I?

Works well in a pinch.

[She doesn't do anything to stop him, not insisting on him resting and laying back. She just watches, curious.]

Well, first thing's first. Names. You can call me Arcueid. What's yours?

[He tries his best to straighten, with mixed results. And so he merely just gives up half-way through, grimacing again when a pain shoots through his shoulder.

He supposes he should oblige. She did help him, after all.]

...Noctis. [It's said plainly, without fanfare. Even if he believes himself to be still in his own world, if just far away from where he started, he doesn't expect everyone to recognize him right away, or if all.]

[There's no flicker of recognition in her eyes. Just an easygoing smile and a wave.]

Nice to meet you Noctis!

Ah, try not to move too much. I think the bleeding should have stopped by now, but we don't want it flowing again, do we?

[He has to refrain from sighing, and just eyes Arcrueid for a moment longer before offering:]

Look... I'm glad for your help and everything, but my shoulder really is the least of my worries right now.

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