Scene #8630: Work For An Axe VII

Owner	Pose
Zero Kiryu	On A Ferry Again... It is some small while after the group decided to pursue a two-pronged strategy. The first element of that strategy is simply to get to one of the two locations of interest and scout things out. From there it should be a simple matter of catching a ferry across the baltic and moving simultaneously. The reason, of course, that they are going by ferry at all is because this is a world with low population and these cities in particular are on the very edge of civilization. There is no warp gate, yet, because why would there be? The Concord will be correcting that shortly. It's a long enough journey that private cabins have been rented, with their own central common room. Zero Kiryu is here, reading a book about plants-- specifically flowers. This isn't actually his, he's borrowing it from Yuuki. Not that there's that much distinction between their belongings half the time. Maria Kurenai is hovering around the peripheries, looking out a window over the sea. She went from being grudgingly okay to observably sour a little while after this leg of the trip began. Gudrun is in her room, and is miserable because her condition is shifty at best. A blonde-haired man obviously familiar with Yuuki and Zero has joined them and seems to be attending to her problems, evidently trying to address them with pharmaceuticals of some kind. Finn Kato is present, having come along to Agnafit to check in with the mainland Hunter's Association and re-joined you on your way out. Janna is sprawled across a loveseat eating from what appears to be an entire bucket of hushpuppies. Although some are relaxed, the overall atmosphere is tense. Not much is likely to happen between 'here' and 'there' with Nokken deceased, but a question lingers unasked on the air: What's going to happen when we get there? It's a good time to talk to people, and ask questions.
Raziel	Raziel was simply existing right now, he had his own problems on top of making sure his friend and allies' own world were settled for their own goals. It's not that he doesn't want to be here, but that his own problems were weighing on his heart. The nervousness that would be meeting the man who had knowledge and perhaps even control over his destiny. Was he the monster he was made out to be? Every story has some grain of truth to it, right? Maybe he wasn't quite the monster that they depicted him as, but he couldn't be all that good as a vampire. Well, one from his own world... but considering the brutality of the Sarafan, which until the other day he was proud to have been one... He opened his door and decided to walk, he couldn't stand to be cooped up with his thoughts any longer. It was about this time he came across Maria. "I see I am not the only one who wants fresh air, otherwise being locked up with one's own thoughts destroy their sanity," he says, similarly sour look, but not at her. "...If you want to talk about them, I'll share in my own," he offers, hearing that it is often better to get things off one's chest.
Timespace Riders	Sougo is also in the common room for the moment, reading a book of his own. This one is apparently about the Haitian Revolution of a given Earth--likely not this Earth, considering its wildly divergent history. He's sat across from Zero, and his nose is mostly in the book but for the occasional thoughtful pause and glance-around. In truth, reading like this, at this moment, is mainly something to take his mind off of the tension. There is also the lingering thought of-- "Zero?" says Sougo, closing the book and slipping a bookmark in, after realizing that he'd read the same sentence three or four times now. "Would it be okay if we talked for a bit? It's, um... about Nokken." Woz is assuredly nearby, if not immediately present. It's likely that he's still in his room, or else disappeared to some obscure corner of the ferry.
Kukuru	There's too much tension in the air today. It's understandable considering the circumstances, but it's not the sort of thing Kukuru likes to see when there's something she can do about it. Gentle words alone won't be enough to get everyone into a better mood, so what's a lady to do in such circumstances? Food. Food is sometimes the answer! The ocean just so happens to be right there, and Kukuru's confident she can put together something good to take everyone's minds off the stresses of fighting Nokken. It's also a good opportunity for her to relax a little, too, since her legs still ache from getting shot so many times, and swimming means using relatively less of her legs. ... Wait. Can vampires swim? Can anyone else here? Realizing the folly of her plan, she looks over at Zero, Finn, Janna, Sougo, Yuuki if present, and Raziel and Maria if also present while clapping her hands together. "Saaay. Does anyone want to eat something fresh? I could get us something tasty from the water, or we could even go in together if anyone wants some fresh air!" She suggests while rubbing her legs absentmindedly, her nanites still working a little harder than usual to soothe what pain remains from those shots. Even if the physical injuries aren't there, it's still hard to forget.
Yuuki Kuran	As if answering Kukuru's twisted up anxieties directly, Yuuki appears out from beside Kukuru while emitting the whisper-quiet beat of butterfly wings gathering. Pretty much only Kukuru can hear it, but it's a good cue for her line: "Don't worry, Kukuru. People have all sorts of stories about us, but we're not all terrible swimmers." Yuuki confides cheerfully, patting a bicep as she pumps a fist, stepping around. Dressed in a white bolero sweater over a black dress and red leggings, the Director adds an eager nod to. "If you want to grab something out of the water to cook up fresh, wouldn't that be fun? As long as you don't get water all over the poor boat's interior." Smiling while Sougo finds Zero, Yuuki turns her red-brown eyes to Raziel, brooding among the common area. "If you and Maria aren't happy about something, you know, you're among friends. People who do understand. So, don't feel like you have to hold all of it in. Try to explain it, explore it with us?" MEANWHILE... At Sougo and Woz's shared cabin-room, another Yuuki appears in the darker and bulb-lit hall of the vessel in a soft patter of animal feet, appearing from a flickering shadow to knock on the door. "Woz?" Second Yuuki asks, patiently. "Are you there?"
Zero Kiryu	Maria Kurenai glances at Raziel, and then glances away again before being prompted by Yuuki as well. She shrugs, "I was thinking of killing the Professor once we get there." This is in mild defiance of the primer that Zero gave previously, without some extra thinking applied to it. It was only relatively recently that the actual planner behind the attack was identified, after all, so she hasn't had the opportunity to have the visceral reaction to the Professor like she had towards Gudrun. Her murderous intent towards Gudrun has faded, but a new target can flare it up again just fine. That's probably something that will have to be defused separately, unless nobody cares to preserve the enemy. Zero Kiryu places an empty paper packet of some kind in his book to keep his place without in some way damaging or destroying it and sets it aside. He makes a vaguely affirmative noise towards Sougo, which is adjacent to but not quite talking. The impression that he communicates in this way fairly often is strong, though. He is simply, very often, not the most verbal person even when he's communicating important things. At any rate, simply putting away his book like that is a clear enough signal that he understands and is willing to engage. //Can vampires swim?// As much as anyone can swim, says the Tutorial Zero Kiryu in the back of Kukuru's mind. We're not undead. The vulnerabilities common to other worlds are, when they occur, rare allergies. Running water is not among them at all. //or we could even go in together...// "The temperature is miserable in there right now," Maria warns, gently. "But I wouldn't say no to seafood."
Raziel	Raziel turns to look at Yuuki, as she offers them the equivalent of a penny for their thoughts (or in this case brooding.) Raziel seems to indicate he'd wait until after Maria comes out with hers. His thoughts seem to be because it's more relevant to the situation than his own. Not that he won't share them, eventually. When Maria comes forward, he pauses... The plan was to hit her last right? When all of her allies are gone. Then it hits him, the idea that she would go on her own while they hit her last ally... and he frowns at that. "I can't tell you what to do, Ms. Kurenai. I know that in your shoes I'd have marched towards the Professor without a second thought. Rather if that is a good idea or not. It wouldn't have taken me much effort to do so, and..." he shrugs. "But I think, she is far too dangerous..." at least for handling on her own. "If you want to assure your vengeance, and not become a tool for her to use against us..." he says, thoughtfully, "Then I would follow the plan... and I think we can change it slightly so that we take her in alive. So that you can have your chance." Maybe. He's not sure if that would be what she needs to overcome this. Woz joined with Kain, ensuring he would think twice about taking his revenge, but... would he have done so anyway? He listened to those words... was there something more to it? Was it he who changed, and... if so how could he help this woman get to that point..?
Yuuki Kuran	"The Professor may not be one we have the choice of killing. But," First Yuuki concludes, in the cabin besides Kukuru, "Maria, the Professor has harmed many. I'm willing to give you the life, if we decide to do it -- but I'd like a reason beyond your revenge for you to commit to it. If we are to revenge ourselves, and continue revenging ourselves, forever, we won't change. We'll just become still and lethal to be around." A soft smile takes Yuuki's lips, distant, fond towards her old friend and having a hard time telling her no, so instead she offloads the justification to the requestor: "So if you know why, and are doing it for our world, then of course I'll grant you that. But I'd like you to tell me."
Timespace Riders	"I'm fine, thanks, Kukuru," says Sougo, before returning his attention to Zero. With the book resting in his lap, Sougo intuits the affirmative noise and takes a moment to collect his thoughts, his gentle smile slightly dimmed for the nature of the conversation. "I knew going into that fight that there was nothing we'd be able to do, to change his mind." His index drags gently across the cover of the book. "Thanks to Woz's book, I knew that pretty far in advance, in fact. And so, I had to accept that..." Sougo's smile looks more strained, as his hands find their way to the spine of the book and squeeze it anxiously. "That he'd spent so long thinking how he did, living how he did, that he'd never even understand the world we were trying to make, much less go along with it." "I had to accept that he'd bleed away the last few days of his life fighting us. So... I did. But I don't like it. Accepting it didn't make it hurt less, and I'm... wondering if you have any, I don't know... advice, or even just any thoughts about it."
Yuuki Kuran	Yuuki's smile turns a little, considering Raziel longer, left hand crossing chest to cup right elbow and right hand up to touch hand to chin thoughtfully. "But you wouldn't be able to march right towards her. We haven't, have we? March straight towards our true foes and rip out their throats? We aren't dealing with a problem that lashing force can smash through. We have..." A bit of an ache causes the standing Yuuki to roll her sweatered shoulders, almost-a-shrug but corrective of posture and stretching at the same time. "So much time between incident and reprisal, so much that it's like we'll never get it at all, and it's a poison that festers in you, isn't it? Like an infection," A wince. "If you're familiar, Raziel. Born a bit stronger than those kinds of wounds, perhaps. I was, but then wasn't. So I'm familiar, thankfully, with having to nurse wounds longer than I got to act on them. It's a whole different way of living, really." Her head nods, hanging in the bobs, but returns upright and looking at the knight. "If we capture her, we'll have the choice. But will we still have our anger by then? Should we?"
Kukuru	> 'Don't worry, Kukuru. People have all sorts of stories about us, but we're not all terrible swimmers.' > 'We're not undead. The vulnerabilities common to other worlds are, when they occur, rare allergies. Running water is not among them at all.' Kukuru hears Yuuki and Zero, and she looks back and over briefly before giggling in relief and patting the former's shoulder softly. "That's good! The ones back home said they were really bad at it before, but then..." She nods towards the latter's follow up on the same thought even though she hears him in her head rather than over where she can see him with that book, apparently not even thinking twice about either of them catching onto that concern of hers. "Yeah... They're great ice skaters, though! We tried learning from them once, but..." She trails off, then laughs again as memories from a pleasant time come flooding right back about her home. Kukuru even looks like she's daydreaming for a moment before remembering what she asked about in the first place: Food! Yuuki and Maria both seem to be on board with the idea, although she does need to consider the seawater obstacle in all this. "I'll be careful~ I just need to... Um. Where could I put them...?" Glancing around slowly, Kukuru realizes that the common room probably isn't the best place for that, and showing up in whatever kitchen she can find on this ferry might not be appreciated by the locals or maintaining whatever calm there still is on this ferry. As she mulls this over, she also looks over at Maria, eventually returning to her usual vacant-yet-confident smile. "Is it? Ah, it should be okay. As long as it's not freezing or super hot, right?" She asks in that not-really-a-question sort of way. She's clearly not dressed for diving into the sea, either, wearing her usual frilly outfit that most certainly won't hold up well being exposed to the sea, but hearing talk of the Professor does get mind on more relevant topics. "I think... Hmm. Do you think killing the Professor'll make you feel better?" She asks Maria while moving to drape herself over the loveseat, rotating once until she's lying backwards over it. "Or... Do you wanna do it because it has to be you?" Another pause, and then she strokes her chin before closing her eyes. "Have you ever killed anyone before, Ma-ri-a?"
Raziel	Raziel turns his head to look at Yuuki as she addresses him. His burning flame-like eyes give her his full attention. He isn't sure about her question... He takes a breath, considering his own opinion on it. It was true there was such a long time between his death and resurrection. Even now, time has passed. Even now, things have cooled. Is it wrong of him to want vengeance for his death? For his betrayal? "I don't think it's wrong, to have the feelings, Ms. Kuran. That I still feel this way is normal, I think. For me... it was both betrayal of the highest order and then death. Death I want to avenge myself of.." But... it wasn't like that for Maria. It was personal, her father was obviously important to her. She loved him a lot, obviously, but... there is something else you have to consider in that. For Raziel, he's the only wronged party... "I suppose, Maria, the question you should be asking isn't... is revenge is right, but rather if your father would want this. Not only for himself but for you. If he did not..." he says turning towards her. "Then let me handle it for you. I am a knight, and knight's live to serve... so in this, I will be a knight in your service to act as you ask."
Zero Kiryu	"She's not dangerous to me the way she is to any of the Dhampyr," Maria explains to Raziel, simply. She doesn't elaborate, but since the Professor's method of turning people into zombies relies on synthetic pureblood venom, it isn't going to work on somebody who is already a vampire. "And the power that I was 'bribed' with is sufficient to get me through the rest. There is no risk factor." Zero glances in her direction, but says nothing. //I'd like a reason beyond...// "I don't want a reason beyond revenge," she states, simply. "And if that's the case, you're not willing to give me the life to begin with. You can't say, 'I'll give you what you want for any reason but the one you want it for.' and still be taken as sincere, you know. It's just another way of saying no." Meanwhile, Zero's attention is drawn back to Sougo. He thinks for a moment, then says, "There are two kinds of Dhampyr. Some are very vampire-like in lifespan and ability, while others are almost human. There has always been friction between these two groups. And, regardless of that friction, the life of both still comes down to 'trying to become the strongest killer'..." "To begin with, to leave that life requires being strong enough to tell the Association to leave you alone. And even if you want to, there's no real denying the negative effects of proactively predatory vampirism on society..." "But things are changing. Although Cross Academy segregates the students for safety reasons, it's still the case that even compared to Yuuki and I's generation, more and more humans are associating with vampires knowingly. And, mostly, people choose people rather than anything else. Nokken died the way he wanted to, and his hold on the reality that we have to live in is now limited to his students. But they didn't believe in it enough to fight us. Things are changing..." "And they'll be fine," he concludes. "The boat is moving, too, you know... though I suppose you took the same powers I did," Maria asides to Kukuru. She doesn't look all that bothered, despite her rebuke of Yuuki just now. "And the water is... it won't be comfortable, we're very far north and only moving farther north. The warmest waters are behind us." //Do you think killing the Professor'll make you feel better?// "I'm not interested in talking about the positive ambiguities of mercy towards the Professor, or the follies of revenge, or the reasons any one of you wants to tell me 'don't do it', or 'don't do it yourself'. It's not your father who is dead and your reasons don't matter nearly as much as the fact that whatever they are, the situation has flowed completely around my priorities as if they don't matter, no matter what your reasons for it are," she says. Further questions are ignored. Maria's buttons have been pushed too much on this topic; she's not going to respond meaningfully for a while.
Yuuki Kuran	Raziel, first, speaks to Yuuki of revenge. Maria, second, speaks to her of it. The former almost compels Yuuki to speak, drawing a breath and about to respond. The rebuke of the second stifles that, though she has the poise to remain still but for blinking. She 'knew it was coming', in a way. She doesn't have to enjoy receiving criticism to receive it without complaint. And, Maria is clearly hurt. There's countless ways for her to act out, escalate. A rolling moment of them rising up in her fades by just waiting it out. She counts. MEANWHILE: A second Yuuki taps her foot outside of an empty cabin door. She, unlike her mirrored self, doesn't have to be as poised, and goes on to stamp her feet and fume, wandering from the doorway to find something at one of the bars or concessionaries to sugar up her mood. BACK IN FRAME: The pensive-quiet Yuuki with the rest of the gang doesn't sigh, but she does have to correct Kukuru: "We're predators, Kukuru. In the literal sense. Even I've... killed people. I'm asking everyone to consider it for reasons greater than just feeling. It's likely that the Professor will have to be-" Yuuki pauses, but even her hesitation isn't some balk, but a conscious trying-to-choose-a-better word and failing. "-killed. Stopped, from doing what they do. I want, so badly, for us to move past our base desires and live in a kinder world. Just because it doesn't make our guts revolt doesn't mean it's not painful and disgusting for others." ... Then, she sighs, exhales, releases the spine tension and hangs. "But it's too selfish of me to ask that of you, Maria, when it's supplication by extra steps. I'm not allowing you what you want, when I'm the one who gets to choose either way." Yuuki nods. "Okay. You win, Maria. Among us, then, when we take the Professor, you won't have to tell me your reason. If you still want to, by then, it's yours."
Raziel	Raziel shakes his head and goes back to reclining on his part of the edge of the boat, looking out over the water. He doesn't have the words or the ideas to tell Maria simply 'no'. It is her right, as next of kin, and in his mind, this is right even if he /feels/ it isn't. The problem with feelings versus the culture you were born into, versus the reality you are now in. Yuuki gives on this, and he closes his eyes and crosses his arms. There isn't anything else to say about it, but he does address Kukuru. "It is rarer to find someone in Nosgoth in my time that hasn't killed anyone for survival than has. Nothing to say of revenge... but it does make me wish if such a better world can be made for my home, as it is here and in other places." That isn't his current issue, or where his mind is. Somehow, somewhere, he knows that people here could make this happen for Nosgoth. He just doesn't know if he belongs in that world. If any of the vampires (specifically from Nosgoth) do. Or if he should honestly ask to be anyone's sword, even if he did offer it just now.
Kukuru	> 'Accepting it didn't make it hurt less, and I'm... wondering if you have any, I don't know... advice, or even just any thoughts about it.' "You were protecting your family. There's nothing to feel bad about when it comes to that." Kukuru chimes in reassurance to Sougo, even if she wasn't the one being addressed there. "A lot more people could've gotten hurt if you weren't there, you know? You did great, and it's... A good sign that you're not a mean person, if you can still think about that kind of thing." > 'I suppose, Maria, the question you should be asking isn't... is revenge is right, but rather if your father would want this.' "Does that matter?" Kukuru hums softly as she taps her chin, still dangling from the back of the seat before sliding further down onto it and looking like she's sitting on the back with the actual seat as her backrest. "If someone hurt my parents or any of you, then of course I'd wanna hurt whoever did it back. Dad would want it, too." Another pause. "... But mom always said to be careful with killing them and leaving... Something behind?" She murmurs, sounding confused for a moment before shrugging. > 'And the water is... it won't be comfortable, we're very far north and only moving farther north. The warmest waters are behind us.' "Really? Oh, maybe that's why the air's gotten so much cooler..." Some of the wind seems to have been taken out of Kukuru's sails, although it's not completely clear if it's because of hearing that or because she's already starting to settle into the loveseat. It /is/ rather comfortable lounging around like this, though. > 'I'm not interested in talking about the positive ambiguities of mercy towards the Professor . . . no matter what your reasons for it are,' > 'If we capture her, we'll have the choice. But will we still have our anger by then? Should we?' 'I'm asking everyone to consider it for reasons greater than just feeling.' "I'm only angry at her for putting you and Zero through all this." Kukuru affirms with a little huff, then relaxes again to the point that she just falls right off the loveseat. "But I don't mind Maria doing it, if we don't need the Professor for anything else after we stop her. I mean... It'd be nice if we could convince her to do better instead, but... She's hurt a lot of people, too." Looking conflicted again, she gets back up from the floor, then slides over to where Yuuki is to hug an arm gently from the side, angling her head on her shoulder just so that she can still kind of keep eye contact without stabbing her accidentally. "I just don't want whatever happens after we stop the Professor causing you or anyone else problems, okay? That goes for you, too, Maria. If killing her is gonna cause you problems later... Do you have a plan for those?"
Timespace Riders	"I think so, too," says Sougo to Zero with a nod. "I don't have any doubts about the fact that things are changing. Really... even the baby steps we've made so far have been encouraging. It's just... sad, to me, that some people are gonna get left behind because they won't change." He pauses, then taps the book in his lap. "People like Nokken aren't the only ones who get left behind," he says. "There are also going to be people who won't want to change because..." Sougo pauses, searching once more for words. "Because they think they have something to lose." "It's like someone is holding food just an inch shy of where they can grab it, and they've been doing it all day. But when someone like Yuuki comes around, takes the food and actually gives it out, they're upset because they didn't get the whole plate, like they thought they were promised--even though they were never going to get any to begin with."
Zero Kiryu	A twist of vine at Second Yuuki's wrist grows up her sleeve, looping around her shoulders in a motion that's certainly familiar by now. She does plenty of work where Zero isn't technically present, but is still certainly there, and can convey support in this way without really disturbing the situation. He might've had to learn to do it in a way that didn't cause its own brand of bizarre behavior, though. It really wouldn't do if the Director's weird jewelry tickled her or made her jump in an awkward moment, after all. Maria, for her part, continues sulking. She turns her head a little in what is probably acknowledgment of Yuuki's reply, but she's still huffy enough that she doesn't feel like verbalizing at the moment. Finn Kato is currently stealing some of Janna's fried dough balls from her. She seems flatly annoyed, but in the way somebody is towards a predictably irritating uncle. "It's always possible for things to improve," Zero advises Raziel. "But you do need a minimum number of people who want that to happen." When Kukuru addresses Maria again, she leaves the cabin entirely to -- evidently -- go roam the ferry. "Some people are dragged rather than left behind. Most, I think. Certainly, I am a person who was dragged along to a better place, and I had better reasons than most of them do. Overall, the direction of the world is always 'forward'. But you would know that better than I would," Zero says to Sougo, probably referring to Woz's book. "But I don't know... how to make any of that 'feel better'," he admits. "I was always the person somebody needed to feel better from dealing with." "That girl's family," Finn says to Raziel, still chewing on a piece of fried dough, "they're not the type to want to do things by proxy if they can avoid it. It's why her father would be that sort of ambassador at all. The purebloods of their lineage were especially known for a sort of mania, as well." "The last of them that we know of, who died recently," he continues, "was raised in a cage, turned one of her blood offerings into a chevalier, and ran off with him."
Timespace Riders	Elsewhere, a second Yuuki stamps her feet. The cabin is not so empty as it might have seemed--its occupant is simply good at being quiet, when he wishes to be. "I see my Demon King is not alone in being so affected by the past few days," says the retainer, after the door quietly opens. Stepping out into the hallway proper, Woz turns his gaze down, the same direction the Director had a moment ago. With a sweep of an open palm in that very same direction, he invites, "A drink, perhaps?"
Raziel	"That is the problem..." Raziel says to Zero, "I do not know if that many people even /exist/ in Nosgoth still. There is no clear path to this... and after seeing Nosgoth's past I am wondering if it was possible at all. Between the Sarafan, the Vampires, the Circle.." he sighs, "Even going far beyond history, the Ancient ones and their Demonic adversaries..." "It feels like every faction has always and will always fight for dominance, and in the process, everyone loses. You can't even completely blame it on one person... all Moebius and the Old one did was work on threads already there." When Finn speaks up, he nods. "I understand. So ones who would rather be knights, than be knighted for.." he says, with an understanding look. "It seems he was very much into this dream of the Dir- of Yuuki's. Though the ideas weighing on him become too much to keep bottled up, "I am nervous as to the truths we will find. I mean, that of my homeland. They depict Janos, a person who is somehow tied with my 'fate', as some monstrous person who did terrible things... but we also know that the Sarafan exterminated the vampires of my world with such brutal efficiency and hate.." The real thought is there, in his head, that he used to be one of them. He can not remember those days, the memories long since lost to him due to his being dead at the time... "Stories do have a grain of truth in them. I am worried we'll meet yet another fanatic, someone who willfully flung those around him into oblivion... and if he'll attempt to do so to me," he says, sighing. "The more I see of Nosgoth, the more I despair."
Timespace Riders	"Yeah," says Sougo. "I do. Even without Woz's book, you'd be surprised how well history prepares you for the future." The sticking point is, as Zero had mentioned, 'feeling better.' It's good to know that one's labors will eventually bear fruit, but that doesn't balm aching muscles or render the tools lighter. It's that thought which draws a frown to Sougo's face. "Maybe it just doesn't," he says. "Maybe the only thing that makes it feel 'better' is the passage of time. Maybe, years from now, I'll still regret the people we left behind--and it just won't hurt as much, because of what we built for the people who came with us. And... I don't know." He shrugs his shoulders gently. "Maybe that's for the best--that it's not easy to just wave that feeling away. Part of me feels like we'd be... lesser, somehow, if we could." "If it's any consolation, Zero, I think... whatever work you did on yourself, however far you were dragged, it was worth it, to be speaking to the you that's here right now."
Kukuru	It looks like Yuuki's gotten through to Maria! Sadly, she also leaves the common room, leaving Kukuru to her thoughts again as she straightens back up in place. "I hope she can clear her head and figure out how she wants to... Go from here." She murmurs with a light sigh, looking off after Maria for a few more moments before clapping her hands together again as she remembers what she was planning on earlier. "... Right! So. I'll worry about where to put the stuff later. The more important part is getting something tasty for everyone first. And if that doesn't work..." She pauses again, then looks over at Yuuki, Zero, and Raziel. "Can blood taste better depending on what we eat?" A beat, and then she peers at her hand thoughtfully. "I wonder what I taste like..." She can always find out later. For now, she turns to everyone else in the common room while a black-purple cloud appears besides her. "This'll go right to the water. Last ca-all for a swim party~" Kukuru offers shortly before stepping right in and finally realizing just how cold this part of the ocean is. With any luck, though, she'll at least find something new and interesting for everyone to eat. Hopefully, there's no endangered species around here.
Raziel	"I don't drink blood, remember?" Raziel reminds Kukuru again. "I don't eat in the traditional sense."
Zero Kiryu	"If the world needs more comprehensive fixing, that, too is possible," Zero says to Raziel. He's witnessed the result of one too many attempts at this, but there's no real reason to bring that up. "But we will have to see how things land when you are finished unraveling what is already plaguing it." Finn shakes his head. "More like... aggravatingly independent peerage. I'm sure you know what I mean, everywhere has somebody like that. At any rate, it grates on us how we're not able to handle certain things, so it can be difficult for a healthy master-servant relationship to occur, or a lord-knight one for that matter." "It sounds to me like you need to imagine a world that doesn't bring you despair, and reel back in from there. Find the smallest step you can take to make it that world instead." "For some people, you eventually see enough to understand why they did what they did, and grasp that going out the way you want to has some kind of merit. For others, it will always remain incomprehensible and painful. Becoming a vampire... smoothed a lot of that out for me," he admits, a little uneasily. It's not necessarily a good thing to be more comfortable with violent deaths, even if it makes things less emotionally tumultuous. Zero regards Sougo very seriously for a moment, with regards to himself. He nods, slowly, and says, "It was mostly... other people. But in some ways, it's something that I just stumbled and got pulled into." He seems a bit uncomfortable. Probably, he won't be able to fully articulate this right now. //Can blood taste better depending on what we eat?// "No," Zero rises, grabbing the book that he borrowed from Yuuki. Looks like he might be getting ready to retreat somewhere. "The quality of your blood is relative to the person. To me, it's not possible to taste as good as or better than Yuuki. I don't hate anyone here, so none of you smell bad, and you wouldn't taste bad, either. He turns, beginning towards his shared cabin with Yuuki. There, he pauses at the door. "One last time, disregarding the situation with Maria for the purposes of evaluating your thoughts: What do you think should be done with the Professor?"
Yuuki Kuran	Maria... It is hard to get someone out of a mood once they fall into it. What matters is how you act, towards it, about it. Yuuki could do anything, but made a conscious decision to listen to the strongly expressed needs of her friend, and did her best to nod and try to understand and give to those needs. That it's painful, sometimes, doesn't matter. The same as energy spent to squeeze heart-muscles. Even if it was painful, the heart had to keep beating. Yuuki's thoughtful armcross drops to a mere cross, and the Director goes to find a seat. "Thank you, Kukuru, but I think I'll pass on the cold swim. I don't need to cool off." She answers with a resolved tone. After a moment, she adds: "Cotton candy? Something air-puffed and sweet." To Kukuru's thought on taste. Zero explains better than anyone else the real bar to be met, and she doesn't venture what's 'best to her' in turn. It should be obvious. MEANWHILE. . . Second Yuuki slides into a bar to be far more showingly gumpy, her vine-jewelry reflecting faux-candles at the sleepy boat bar she had found. The smell of old tobacco clung to wood and metal and lacquer, and ashtrays rested gently-dusted with old burnings. It is Woz, and not a tender, that offers her a drink, down the hall from the sleeping room. There is nobody else around, above decks or at other stations. "Are you offering me your wrist, King's retainer, or a glass?" Second Yuuki asks with the lightest hook of amusement. It doesn't cut the grumpy divot in her brow. "Of course I'm worried. Affected. We're at the stage of having to budge those that won't be budged by less than harm and force." Her eyes close. "I hate this part." Despite overwhelming force available.
Raziel	'If the world needs more comprehensive fixing, that, too is possible,' Raziel reflects on this, with the Concord such things are possible. Or at the very least the people there could be saved. Maybe Nosgoth is too far gone for this generation, but maybe for future ones? It's... depressing to know that despite everything and anything he does, the long term solution may just be... wait. Let it heal naturally, wait for things to return on their own. 'I'm sure you know what I mean, everywhere has somebody like that.' "Ah... yes, I do indeed understand what you mean now. Yes... one of my brothers was like that, but sadly he was far too strong to ever be punished for such transgressions... thankfully, he was more loyal than most... well, until I was killed," Still... he understands. 'Find the smallest step you can take to make it that world instead.' "That is what I am doing, despite my dark musings," Raziel admits. "It is just hard to get these thoughts out of my head, but I suppose getting them out into the open is better than brooding on them. Thank you. Both of you," he says to both Zero and Finn. His smile is still weak, but it's genuine. As for Maria... "I think she should be given the final decision. I can't take it from her. I understand the reasons others may agree... but denying someone something this important may cause them to..." he pauses, "Resent things as they become."
Timespace Riders	"For me, there is no disregarding Maria. If I were in her position, if I had lost someone like she had, I wouldn't want people asking that kind of question--even if the intentions were good. She deserves the chance to at least let the Professor know that she hurt her." He frowns, crossing one leg over the other. "But even if I didn't feel that way, I'd have to ask: what do you mean, 'done with?" asks Sougo. "It's a king I want to be, not a judge. I can't forgive her or try her on behalf of the people she's hurt. What I want is for her to not sabotage the world we're trying to make," he says, uncrossing his legs and standing up from his seat. "Whether that's because she comes to see things our way, or because we've taken away her ability to destroy, doesn't matter to me. But, I'm going to get some fresh air--I'll see you later, Zero." With that, he makes to leave the ferry's commons room. The corner of Woz's lips turn up in a wry smile. "I offer you whichever of the two you need in this moment, Director. For my own part, it is the latter, and you may take the former as easily at the bar as any other part of the ferry." He strides quietly down the hall, until the aforementioned bar is in sight, and steps behind the bar, perusing the spirits available. "So, too, does my Demon King," he says, retrieving a bottle of dark whiskey, one of darker vermouth, and a little phial of bitters. A little of one, slightly less of the other, a dash of the third, and a -crack- of a little icecube into a mixing glass, stirred with a fancy little spoon that turns with the motion of the spirits. "I do not need his passion for history to observe that no nation which existed, much less been born, without the use of force, against someone, at some time." The mixture is strained into a coupe glass. "What will you have, Director?"
Kukuru	With Zero's and Yuuki's answers about blood taste giving Kukuru far more information than she could have expected (and also getting her a little giggly because of course she would be at being called sweet), she has one less thing to worry about! "Great! I'll make sure to eat plenty so you never have to worry about going hungry, then." She declares her offer firmly, then disappears into her teleportation cloud! Just as the cloud fades, though, Kukuru realizes she's almost missed something! Another inky cloud appears in the floor next to where she had gone through the floor, and her head sticks up out of it. She turns around a few times before finding Zero at the door, bobbing up and down slowly like she's floating in water or something. It certainly explains why her head looks drenched, and why she's shivering a little. "I think... Mmn. You already know I'm always gonna go with what you all think is right, and if thatmeans letting Maria get her revenge, that's fine. If it was just up to me without you or Yuuki or someone deciding, though?" She purses her lips, dipping her head back into the cloud/ocean/somewhere briefly to make some kind of thoughtful burbling noise before looking up again. "Theeen... I'd just do it myself if Maria doesn't. The Professor's caused a loooot of problems for all of you, you know?" She frowns after a moment, rubbing the back of her head and shivering again once she remembers how cold her hand is already. "But if she promised to change and be better... That'd be fine, too, right?"
Yuuki Kuran	One Yuuki, on a couch, sighs. "I'm annoyed at myself for having to be reminded that my friend is mad for reasons that when I had them, acted worse for longer. I shouldn't have questioned her, but my reflex is to question everyone, every time, on that impulse to end a life. The alternative is worse, but it hurt someone I care about." The Director leans an arm over to steal one of Janna's hushpuppies and nibble on a corner. "It's worth more that she doesn't resent it, yes. Raziel, you're right about that. Resentment is a forever-poison, that has to be given long-term care. It's easier to bear a little heartache now and remind myself of that." A second Yuuki, at a bar, sits upon a stool and leans on the smoky bartop as Woz slides in to mix drinks. She watches the retainer, red eyes gazing almost-sleepily at the performance, allowing herself to be amusedly entranced by the play-acting of Woz. It was his style, of course, and he was offering indulgences. Of course, Yuuki Kuran was a terrbly emotional idiot, so theatre was her speed. Straining the iced mix into glass, Yuuki follows the descent of liquid with her eyes, emits a hmm-ing sigh, and reaches for the stem with thumb and forefinger. "Well you went through the trouble of going behind the bar and making me a real drink while I was deciding, and gave me a show too, so now I'm feeling like the mixed one you iced..." Her eyes travel up, her own curled-smirk performative and not at the same time. "But rrright up until you poured it, that wrist of yours was iced and shaken too. I was tempted. But your king favors that spot too, doesn't he? And I'm not so greedy as to take seconds when you've gone through all this effort." The Yuuki at the bar leans into the smoky bartop, hands around drink she lingers over, and scents but does not sip. "The world isn't handed to me neatly in a glass, Woz. So I'm learning precisely when to lunge for the wrist. Force is... quite addictive, and easy to get used to. And you can get used to a lot."
Timespace Riders	"As you wish--but know that my king is as generous in what he favors as what he shares," the retainer coyly smiles. He slides the Manhattan gently towards Yuuki, and makes a second for himself. He takes a sip of his own, then nods. "Indeed," he says. The book is, for the moment, gone--and whatever sleight of hand squirreled it away produces a Miridewatch for her inspection. "This was a gift from the Strongest," he says. The Loki watch. Its square face displays the icy, horned visage of an armored wise man. "It represents the desire to seize. My Demon King has its counterpart, the desire to crush." "The more they are used, the more the temptation -to- use them grows. We have each used them several times, now," he says, his lips pursed. "Each time has seemed more 'correct' than the last. My Demon King feared that we would lose ourselves," he says. "But if that has happened, it has not been the calamity that he feared." "Perhaps we have been judicious in their use," he says. Lips pursed, "Or perhaps their influence has blinded us to their misuse. It is difficult to speculate on the damage of a storm, when standing in its eye." He takes another sip, swirling his glass thoughtfully as he turns the watch over. "...I wished, early in our tenure here, that he would learn to be more forceful, and he has. But I have also learned from him. Thus, there is some insight that I may share--I hope it will be of some use, or at least some solace, to you." "Addictive though it might be, force is not universally the same across every possible user. It is a tool, to be used not for the world one has, but the world one wants. My Demon King and I believe in the world that you want, Director."
Zero Kiryu	"Sometimes... a world IS too sick, Raziel. But I don't think yours has to be," Zero reassures him, a little distantly. Finn smiles, and resumes stealing hushpuppies from Janna, who has too many of them to be counting anyway. //If I were in her position, if I had lost someone like she had, I wouldn't want people asking that kind of question--even if the intentions were good.// "Maria is a part of the calculus of this situation, and I am accounting for her. It doesn't change that I wanted an answer with that element of the calculus excluded to ascertain dispositions." "What I mean by 'done with'... regardless of all other factors, the Professor can't be allowed to continue doing what she is freely. There must be a 'penalty', but the form that penalty takes is different. Were she a vampire, she would be killed for creating Level Es, so I'm comfortable simply killing her. But there are other solutions..." He inclines his head towards Sougo, in a parting gesture. //But... That'd be fine, too, right?// "It would require enforcement. But that is something we are able to provide, so perhaps. Perhaps it would be fine too," he says to Kukuru, pushing his cabin door open and then disappearing inside. A plant that has wound itself up wrist and along shoulders listens quietly. Occasionally, it moves; it is not quite hands, but the supportive weight is similar. The cabin door shuts. Zero moves a little ways in, deposits Yuuki's book on a shelf, and fetches a glass from above the mini bar. He raises a finger to his mouth and pierces it with his lower fang, hovering it over the glass. Drip, drip, drip... //The world isn't handed to me neatly in a glass...// Behind one closed door (for one Yuuki) and several hallways and their own doors (for the other Yuuki), Zero leans against a counter and only MOSTLY silently teases Yuuki.
Yuuki Kuran	"Your king - and you, Woz - have greater powers than you started. You collected up the lessons of a lot of other people, and gathered up the power of followers, like a king would." Yuuki answers, tilting head back and drinking for a second. A half toast that dispels her smirk, Yuuki enjoys her drink as it's given to her and does not regret her choie. "Zi-Oh, the Demon King, through great battles, became Zi-Oh Two, present and future. And now, even though he can still rely on his original power, and while it might be enough, barely, to beat up all his foes," Yuuki places her drink down to pantomime back the release motion of the double black-and-gold buckle with both hands. "Isn't Two easier? Addictive, but..." Her hands release their pose, and fall to her sides, to lift her drink. In one frame, as she looks down, Woz sees dark brown-reds, and then she's back up with her drink in hand with glowing cardinals. "... I agree, Woz. It's not the same kind of addictive. It's addictive to be a little bit stronger, a little bit healthier. It's not evil to gain something. You have to put it to good purpose. Now, someone's teasing me, so..." The Second Yuuki toasts Woz in passing without drinking, and heads back down the cabin line from the hallway bar, a bit eager after a few steps to pursue her unironic desire. If he was, of course, going to put it in a glass for a gag, then she would, of course, come running.