Xenomuck - Kaori - Thursday, February 14, 2002, 9:41 PM
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It's a difficult thing to sneak about in broad daylight, but two grown men were attempting it on this sunny day in Nisan... the City of Peace had been troubled of late by visitors from a strange land, and at present, Gabriel Taisen-- the attendant and "bodyguard" of the Holy mother-- and Bart Fatima-- the prince of Aveh, Margie's cousin, and the erstwhile captain of the Yggdrasil-- are both sneaking about, trying to skirt around the strange ambassador's guardian... At present, Gabriel has shed his heavy robes in favor of normal clothing, and even pads along lightly in only socks, trying to move as soundlessly as possible to the rear of the cathedral...
However, it certainly doesn't /seem/ like she's being too well fooled... sure, she knows full damn well she wouldn't stand a chance against both, but if it's a one-on-one fight...? Well, that'd be a different story. Stepping as quietly as she can, of course, her combat boots crunch but lightly against the dirt as each step comes and goes, gritting her teeth in a attempt to keep quiet. Indeed, it would be bad for her if she were discovered... Kaori keeps her right hand behind her back, however, eyes narrowed as each step draws her closer and closer toward the rear end of the cathedral...
Gabriel ducks behind a conveniently placed shrub as he rounds the bend, drawing his revolver and peering about, his whole body tensed and ready for action-- but his mind is filled with the incessant prayers of the cathedral he stands beside: "God, PLEASE let this not come to violence... I will kill if I must... but PLEASE do not make me..."
Gabriel pages, "Okiday! Sleep well, my captain! ^.^" to Bart and you.
One leg rears up, slowly moving to tip-toe ... and slowly, she draws herself a bit closer. However, as she shuffles forward her next step, she fails to be so lucky-- her boot strikes a pebble, sending it rolling a distance down the path around the building. (Shit-!) Immediately fearing retribution for her mistake, Kaori throws her back flat against the cathedral wall, hoping to keep herself just a little bit hidden against the corner of the building... Slowly now, she shuffles to the corner of the building and pokes her head around in a trained, almost spy-movie way.
Gabriel hunches even lower against the soil, pressing himself hard against the ancient stone as well... his ten-shot revolver tracks the stone, and soon after is trained on the corner... However, at the sight of the woman... he does not fire. Instead, he remains absolutely still, his unwavering aim focused on the tiny portion of her head exposed. 'Please God... I beg of you...' he prays in his mind, desperately trying to keep his breathing quiet, 'Don't make me hurt her...'
No, she hasn't quite spotted the gun... though, she /should've/... she's trained for these kinds of situations! There's protocol to it... Kaori keeps her hand oddly behind her back, though Gabriel can't see why... at least, for a moment. Her hand seems to be grasping something, like the handle of a club, or something...? It's hard to tell from the vantagepoint... Instincts screaming, however, she finds herself on edge... something doesn't seem right. At all.
'Patience is not merely a virtue,' Gabriel remembered, 'But it is a commandment. There are creatures smarter than Wels, and they are far more subtle... do not attack them head-on, for God has no mercy for the foolish.' While he usually despised the Ethos and their teachings, that one seemed more applicable than ever at this present moment... he waits, trying to keep his breathing focused... waiting, sweat beading on his brow.... waiting...
Twitch... twitch... twitch... She hates to do this-- it's against her training, and everything she's learned, but... "Come on out! Show yourself!" Kaori half-orders, her guard up and keeping well-and-good ready. Her boot grinds steadily into the dirt, her eyes shifting, and her grip on the object behind her back growing tighter. Her hands... they're getting warmer, too. Not a good sign...
A tiny sharp breath-- did she see him? Best not to take that risk... she's beginning to destabilize and get nervous, which was a good sign-- not that Gabriel wasn't nervous. He was more nervous than he'd been in several years, to be sure... however, deep in the folds of his mind, he kept reciting mantras and prayers over and over again, his hand steely on her, concealed in the half-shadow of the Cathedral and the foliage.. sweating... waiting... heart pounding...
However... she quickly recollects herself, jaw tightening. The object behind her back? It whips out in a blur, a line of blue-tinted silver gashing a row of the shrubbery. Not where Gabriel's hiding, perchance, but she's fairly close. It's an odd weapon, her kodachi... the handle and sheath are made in a hilt-less method, very compact. The blade, also, is straight. Instincts again dictate that she leap backward, taking a more defensive sort of stance-- need to keep ready for anything, after all. "Show yourself!"
A miniscule gasp and a clenching of teeth, and Gabriel decides that it may well be time to confront her-- and, hopefully, come out of it alive. Gathering all of his courage, he tucks his body into a tight ball and rolls to the side, unfurling his body once he has a clear line-of-sight--- his revolver quickly pointed at her head. "Your method was sloppy today, miss Schivenhein... I could've killed you 30 seconds ago...." His gaze is clear and his resolve is strong... though beads of sweat streaming down the sides of his face may convey otherwise.
Is she daring to crack a grin? It's to cover her own nervousness and self-namecalling for not picking up on him sooner-- and don't mind the sweat trailing down the side of her face. It's not the first time she had looked down the barrel of a gun, but it's also an experience she doesn't like much. Kaori rubs her thumb across the choker worn around her slim throat, head cocking a bit as if to get 'more comfortable'. "... You could've, sure... but obviously, you failed to do so." The kodachi hidden behind her back again, it seems more obvious she's placing it in-sheath again from the mild scrape of metal blade-on-metal scabbard, though her fists clench up a bit and she seems to be a little more on her guard. "... I told you both, you're not allowed in. Do you wish to fight me on this?" the Gear pilot asks, her own voice attempting to prove her mettle.
"No." Gabriel says simply, standing... and slowly, he lowers the gun. "No, I don't want to fight you... but you also have no right to dictate what I can and cannot do in my own cathedral." His face remains fairly strong and his voice conveys the truth; Gabriel did NOT want to start a war, he only wanted to get back to Margie's-- the Holy Mother's-- side.
Kaori seems to blow an inward sigh, her hands slowly lowering to her sides. "I stated this to you already-- we are not allowed within for the duration of their confrence. Not you only, nor your blonde friend, but I as well. I would rather be by my ambassador's side..." Her fingers almost delicately hook under her lengthy braid, flicking it with minimal care over one shoulder. "... however, I am not permitted. It would add an air of tension more than what we have now, if there were fighters of any sort-- your gun, or my own weapons..." Nevermind, Yui's likely the strongest person ever to wield a sword in the last hundred years... and yet, she is still Shevat's ambassador to these peace talks.
"And knowing that my leader, both spiritually and politically, is in there with someone from a foreign land, undefended, and just "trusting" your good word that we know nothing about ISN'T tense?" Gabriel sighs himself, holstering his revolver. "You have little to fear, for you know we are peaceful... but I'm afraid we don't have that luxury with you."
Her gloved hands raise, fingers spreading with a loud sigh. Shifting her weight uncomfortably, Kaori walks forward step by step... "Look. Honestly. Ours is a xenophobic nation at times like this-- given... I know you... from somewhere... but... it's moot." Her gestures seem to be sincere, her movements non-threatening. "I was given specific orders. I'm not allowed to go in, nor is any sort of guard that the Holy Mother bring with her." Her head cocks to one side, looking the building over with some odd regard in her eye, "... and considering that gun pointed at me a moment ago, you certainly disrupted your peaceful reputation."
Gabriel lowers his head just a few degrees-- that ruffles his feathers far more than he'd ever allow to be shown, but he allows himself that slight look; "I will do whatever is needed to protect the Holy Mother and the Church... Nisan IS peaceful, and I pray every day that someday I will be able to set down my guns and never pick them up again... but as long as someone threatens Nisan, I will be on-guard..." He peers at her gloves, "And I pray you won't have to remove those, either."
Indeed, the pilot listens carefully to each word... but, the gloves... her eyes drift closed that moment, and the looming woman's fingers twitch a bit. Not quite agitation, but... something. Her cheery facade...? All but extinct, at this juncture. "... And I'll do whatever is nessicary to protect our ambassador. However, if you wish to violate their meeting... then you /will/ have to go through me." While the expression written on her face is serious and resolved, the look in her eyes speaks a different story-- (I don't want to do it... But... I will...) Slowly clenching, her posture shifts a bit, her left shoulder more turned in-profile to the priest. Passive-defensive? In a sense, she needs to see how far he's willing to go... to find out the truth, anyway.
"... Then why can't we just go in TOGETHER? One guard apiece is more than fair and equitable. I'm surprized that the Holy Mother didn't ask the least of provisions in that respect." He sighs, his face finally softening; almost the opposite of his "opponent's" reaction. "I... I really don't wish to fight you... and I DO believe that we know each-other. If I am right, then we both know that the other does not want to fight. Why can't we simply go in together, weapons-down, to assure the safety of those we swear allegience to?"
Sighing, her fists remain heavy at her sides, and her head shakes in a strict manner. It's good-- yes... they both wish not to fight. Heel grinding slightly into the ground as her gaze lowers again, Kaori utters a sort of sigh she often wouldn't. "... I can't... because of my orders." the Shevvite states again. "Besides... we're both... here... if anything /were/ to happen, we would be on it in an instant... right?" Her head jerks hard to one side again, her brown eyes narrowing tightly and almost boring a hole clear through Gabriel. "Where's your friend?" she asks, tone defensive.
"Bart?" Gabriel enquires, choosing the familiar name in this sense-- ANYTHING to make him seem harmless, "He probably got lost somewhere... He's from the desert, after all, and I lived and breathed this building for several years." Not a TOTAL lie-- Bart either did get lost, or he found another way in. Both are totally feasable.
But how much could she trust his word on this...? Sighing again, the Shevvite folds her arms and tilts her gaze forward. "... I'll have to go find him, now, too..." she mutters, turning her back toward Gabriel as she enters thought. Either a trusting gesture, or a foolish mistake, this is... Fingers toying with the coin-like pendant around her neck, Kaori looks for a way to choose her words carefully-- "... Perhaps we should go find him." Not 'I'... /we/.
"... A sound suggestion... and perhaps we could then discuss what we both know to be true." He says nothing more, but his voice carries that hidden tone of "you know what I mean".
Turning back around to face Gabriel, Kaori offers a solid nod attempts a slight grin. "And maybe then, we can tie him down somewhere, and find somewhere better to talk about this." she says, slowly making way toward the priest... not toward him, as much as to head past him...
It's moments like this that fill eternities, and Gabriel takes a step back-- "to allow her room"-- and watches her closely, sure to keep the side with his firearm away from her as she passes...
However... she makes no movement for the gun. Another sign of faith? A brief pause in her step, Kaori looks over her shoulder at the priest and nods her head toward the other corner of the building, "C'mon, he can't be too far away. I'd have hell to pay if he got in, eh?" Resuming her paced walk, her hands dip comfortably into her coat's pockets, not looking back again...
Gabriel follows a few steps behind, keeping a respectful distance... He looks at her from behind, and sizing her up not only as an opponent but also as a human being, he decides that the best way about this would be to dive right in... "... There's something special about your hands; I am right there, ne?"
From her build...? Unarmed, definately some sort of kickboxer, or perhaps a grappler? Her kodachi makes a world of difference, however. Hands twitching in her coat pockets again, the woman sighs rather loudly, shoulders rising and sagging as if in emphasis. "... I wouldn't call it special... I'd rather call it a curse."
"All things to all people." He puts his hands behind his back, slowly moving to walk beside her. "But I'm willing to bet that it's an Ether problem..."
Sore subject, it looks like. Walking alongside the woman would give one a clear view of her face in profile, and one can see... well, it's a /very/ sore subject, for Kaori. "... ... Yeah." Plucking one hand out of her coat pocket, she lays her hand, palm-down, squarely on Gabriel's head. Rather disturbingly, her grip is hot-- and it's certainly not natural for that. "Been like this since... hell, fourteen, fifteen."
Gabriel blinks once or twice before a coherent thought can be found... rather than getting defensive, he struggles to be understanding, "Oh? I... see... Do you.. have any idea as to what caused it?"
Her hand lifting from Gabriel's head, Kaori shrugs. "Dunno. Born with it, I guess. Could never get a hang of it. Took some meds for awhile... only started acting up again a few months back." She eyes the metallic strips across the back, and the small circular one just below her first knuckle. Inset, the smaller circle resembles a push-button lock of sorts, with a near-glowing green diode within. "Green means on, yellow means warning, and red is disabled. Keeps the flames in, but my hands still get hot pretty fast. Especially when stressed."
Gabriel smirks, "I'll keep that in mind... And was I right? You're a nation in the sky, but you're also not Solaris... which means that I've not heard much of you."
Sighing, Kaori gives him a look-- not the look of, 'need you ask', but... 'please don't bring it up in front of anyone else'. Especially around here... if Aveh were to catch wind, Gebler would be all over the area like flies on feces'...
"I'm sorry... I just want to get to the bottom of this. I already feel you can tell me the truth... I mean.." Gabriel bites his lower lip, no longer looking at her, "...You've met BOTH of me, so..."
Kaori lets out a sort of halfhearted grunt. "... If I told you, then it would only further complicate the matter at hand. Your Captain friend certainly would try to talk Mother Margurite out of the meeting, and we would be back at square one."
"But that would also mean that Bart might well have REASON to object-- and why on Earth would he object to a peaceful meeting between two peaceful nations, hm?"
Kaori shakes her head. "I'm not allowed to say. Under other circumstances... yes, I would tell you everything, but... I just can't. I'm sorry."
Gabriel says, "You realize that doesn't exactly fill me with confidence... You're giving me painfully little to trust you on. With the powers that you have, latent though they may be, I can only assume that your ambassador is likewise gifted... that doesn't bode well for the Holy Mother."
Kaori sighs... "It's not ... that it's latent... it's more that I just ... can't control it."
Gabriel says, "Oh? I beg to differ."
Jerking to a halt, Kaori's eyes narrow and her jaw clenches. Both hands pull out of her pockets, temper seeming to flare a bit higher as she grips her wrist almost threateningly... "Do you /WANT/ to test that theory?" she asks, nearly hissing as she does so.
Gabriel says, "Hey, I'm not provoking you! Far from it! I just think that if your superiors are acting in unsafe or illogical ways, it's your job to make sure that they're doing the right thing.... are you so sure that they're doing that?"
Settling-- and sighing, Kaori shakes her head and rubs her temples. "Sorry. I just... get snippy talking about this." Suddenly crouching down, arms wrapping around her knees, the pilot holds her gaze on the dirt and grass... "... it's just that, well,... we tried everything we could. When it first happened, I actually made it channel through one foot, too, but..." It didn't scar her for life, like her hands, and forearms. "... But it's never gone out of control while I'm still wearin' the gloves. And I guess... wherever it was... I don't have to worry about it." Nodding her head a bit, a small quirking smile forms on her lips-- an almost unnatural movement, for her, lest it be for diplomatic reasons. "... I kind of liked it that way."
Gabriel nods, sitting beside her. "And lately, you've been close to losing control alot?"
Kaori rolls her shoulders in a shrug, one arm dropping a bit to lightly rap at the ground. "Yeah, I guess. Been kind of stressful lately, you know? I, amidst a few others... we've had a hell of a time getting this meeting prepared, and executed... I'm hoping things inside haven't gone awry for any reason-- I assure you, that's not our intent..." Our intent is getting control of Fort Jasper, you see. "Just ... I get stressed a lot lately. It sucks. I turned 25 a few months ago... I shouldn't have to keep acting like an angsty teenager." Just goes to show you what kind of childhood /she/ had...
Gabriel only nods-- so she was his senior! By only a few years, true, but still a shock. "Transitions are stressful for everyone, and I'm sure that this didn't help any.... Do you have anyone back home you can talk to about your stress?"
Indeed. Her adolsecent years sucked, too. "I wish. Not much to do, back home." Kaori says, shrugging her shoulders again, in a sort of depressing way. Indeed, the most some had to do was... well, binge drink, work on Gears, and sleep. And sometimes, in that order, too.