Yoshino visibly jumped in place when Retsu walked into the restroom, casting wild eyes on the other girl. She had locked the door, right? Right? Or had she been so desperate to hide her lack of control that she had forgot even that detail? Without a word, Yoshino snatched the handkerchief and used it to dry her glasses. Slowly her panic began to lower anew and she could finally manage out real words.
"Yes...Yes I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about Retsu," she said, though her eyes did not meet the other girl's directly. "It's fine; what's done is done. Has everyone else left the area? That's all that matters at this point...really Retsu, I'm fine. It wasn't the blood it was just....I said I'm fine...."
Retsu shook her head, a meaningless gesture since Yoshino wasn't looking at her. "Everyone is leaving now, but... You're not alright. I know it was quite shocking... It wasn't easy my first time either." Retsu was of course assuming that Yoshino had never been close to a brawl before. Retsu didn't fight as much as her brother did either, but that didn't mean she didn't know about it. Unlike him, Retsu does her best to keep her hands cleaned, but that doesn't mean she's never made fights happen.
"First, let's get out of here. We can talk about what happened somewhere more... Comfortable." The bathroom was not the most appropriate place to have a serious talk.
"I said I was fine!" Yoshino said sharply in an angry outburst. No sooner did the words come out of her mouth did she stop herself, shaky hands rising to adjust her glasses. Retsu had a point, as always. Whatever the case may be, they couldn't talk here; so the Student President allowed the other girl to lead her away.
"I'm sorry I snapped at you," she murmured, just as the cops began to show up finally. By then the two girls were already some miles away from the pizza joint. At some point Yoshino began to unconsciously lead the way, her feet carrying her to her dorm room on campus. Only when she reached for the door knob did she stop and look at Retsu, wondering why she was still here.
"You don't have to look after me Retsu. I can handle myself," Yoshino said wearily. It was more for the fact that it wasn't in their contract for Retsu to get involved in Yoshino's personal matters and the Student President didn't want to think about paying Retsu for her services at the moment.
Crossing her arms, Retsu looked to the side, deep in thought. Professionally, Retsu should respect Yoshino's desire to handle these things herself. If she didn't want her help, then Retsu could leave. But on a more personal level... Retsu couldn't leave this girl alone. "... So you say, Tsugumi-san. Forgive me however, because I'm still concerned about you. Off the books, I feel responsible for what happened. Not with Asahi being an idiot, but for you nearly getting hurt."
Retsu didn't look at Yoshino when she said this. She wasn't sure why she felt this way. The reason she felt so annoyed at Asahi wasn't for getting into fights, but for endangering Yoshino. Perhaps it was because Retsu needed Yoshino for Deep Ground was why she was so protective. At least that's how Retsu justified it. Her words... Didn't exactly match up. "I want to make sure you have someone to talk to, about what happened. And perhaps explain to Yuuno what happened. You may not be hurt physically, but I'm more concerned about... About how you're feeling." This was kinda awkward.
Yoshino looked at Retsu incredulously. Why did Retsu, no, Dark Wraith care about her? More importantly, why was she letting her into her dorm, as if this somehow felt right? Closing the door behind her, Yoshino turned on some lights and sat on her couch, releasing a sigh. She played with her glasses again, still not meeting Retsu's gaze; at this point, both girls were acting quite strange.
"Yes, I suppose it makes sense for you to be concerned. I am your employer...yes, it makes sense. How I'm feeling? I'm feeling scared, cornered...but it'll pass. It always does. I'll make sure to send Yuuno a message tomorrow morning...why do you even care about what I'm telling you right now? You don't seem the sentimental type."
Retsu took a seat in Yoshino's dorm, making sure to take off her shoes so she didn't leave marks on her floor. Once seated Retsu could only look at her hands, thinking about what she was doing. Yoshino raised a few good points: Why did Retsu care? If anything letting Yoshino mentally break down would allow a smoother transition of power from herself to Dark Wraith. But perhaps that was because what Dark Wraith wants isn't exactly what Retsu wants.
"... Perhaps. But I'm not completely heartless. Pragmatically speaking, I need to make sure you're in the proper state of mind if I want to be able to rely on you and Moon Rider. But on a more personal note? I... Feel... Concerned." Those words were hard for Retsu to push out, as if she wasn't saying what she wanted to say. Giving a brief pause to let her words sink in and for Retsu to figure out what she was trying to say, she continued.
"If there is a problem, I want to be able to solve it. I dislike the idea that someone who is... Important... Is in distress, and I can't do anything about it. It's not something I will just ignore. And I know too well how sentimentality can affect one's ability. We're not machines, Tsugumi-san. We have feelings and emotions too, and to make sure we're at our best, we have to take care of them." Despite her talk of emotions, Retsu's voice seemed rather monotonous. It was as if she wasn't familiar with what she was talking about either. Or rather, she doesn't talk about it enough.
"You...You're concerned about me?" Yoshino questioned, for once looking up at the other girl. Of course Retsu's tone of voice said otherwise but the Student President could imagine how it must have felt for the other girl to admit such a thing. So she didn't push it forward, once more looking down.
"Even so, I can tell that you're trying and that your heart is in the right place. I never did thank you for saving me, did I?" Yoshino continued, trying to manage a smile. "I probably would have ended up with more wounds if it wasn't for you Retsu..."
Retsu smiled at Yoshino's compliment. Not to ruffle her own feathers, but she was glad that Yoshino recognized her efforts. Looking out the window, it was getting dark. There was still a bit of sun left on the horizon, but if Retsu had to guess in about ten to twenty minutes, it'd be night time. "I wouldn't think of it like that. I'm sure someone would have stepped in to help you. I was just the first one to do so."
But Retsu didn't come here to talk about herself. Glancing at Yoshino, Retsu tried to get a read on her person. Try to understand how Yoshino was doing. "But what about you? You seemed rather shaken up at the fight. He... Didn't do anything to you, did he?" Retsu was pretty sure she got him before he could have done anything, but she can't be entirely sure. It all happened rather fast.
When Retsu glanced at her, Yoshino instinctively turned away, a tell-tale sign of her failure and weakness. Gripping her hands on her lap, she frowned as Retsu got right to the core of the issue. She couldn't very well keep this secret for long and if Retsu really wanted to help her...
"I have...scopophobia," she said bluntly, letting the implications of that word sink in. "It means I...have an unnatural fear of being stared at. More specifically, when people look me in the eye. When that boy attacked me, I didn't much care for how strong he was. But then he looked at me and...and then I just froze up and...I d-didn't know what to do," Yoshino said, her voice slightly cracking. Her heart began to beat faster at that recent memory, the edges of another panic attack threatening to overcome her.
Almost immediately Retsu turned her eyes away, though she couldn't help nbut sneak glances at Yoshino. It must be quite awkward for Yoshino to suffer from such a phobia, more so since she's the student counsel president. Either her phobia isn't that bad, or she's much stronger then she first appears. Retsu assumes the latter. But it would explain why she was so shaken up when that boy attacked her. This wasn't really something Retsu knew how to handle; she was more used to physical injuries, with subsequent psychological issues from being hit. Stuff like Yoshino's phobia was beyond her ability, and it made Retsu a bit angry knowing how useless she was at the subject.
"Oh. I'm.... That's bad to hear. It must be hard for you, what with being the student president and all. Is there anything I can do to help?"
"Does it look like you can do anything?" Yoshino responded with more bitterness than she had intended. "S...Sorry. I shouldn't keep snapping at you. My phobia is the whole reason why I even wear these stupid glasses," she hissed, half-tempted to rip them off and chuck them across the room. "And it's all her fault. She...She did this to me and I...I can't...it's just too much Retsu."
The strong front Yoshino had been putting up for all this time was finally cracking more and more, her own insecurities slipping out. She wrapped her arms around herself, her heartbeat increasing more and more. It was her fault. She was the one who broke off, who decided they were little more than acquaintances. And for what? For something that was beyond Yoshino's control?
Keeping her cool, Retsu didn't feel angry at Yoshino snapping at her. She understood she was frustrated and that Retsu was going to need to weather through the storm. There wasn't much she could do until she learned more however. So at the risk of causing a lot of pain and suffering, Retsu moved seats to be next to Yoshino. "Tell me about it, Yoshino-san. I... I'm here to help you. Even if all I can do is shoulder your burden with you."
Yoshino found herself nodding without much struggle, barely catching the fact that Retsu had used her first name. She took a few long moments to catch her breath, building up her defensive wall once more and keeping calm. Retsu probably wouldn't appreciate her whining.
"Kuroke Chiyo. My...half-sister. We used to be quite fond of each other. We used to...do things with one another. And we used to care about each other quite alot. This was before we had even realized we were blood related. By as it turned out, my father used to be married to her mother and...while I saw it as an opportunity to get closer, Ch-...Kuroke-san blamed me for stealing her father."
Now this was something that Retsu knew well. Granted she never had such feelings her her half-brother, but... In a way, she did feel that Asahi's birth stole any importance Retsu could have had with her own father. If Asahi wasn't born, if her father wasn't such a womanizer, maybe Retsu would have grown up to be like this. So in a way Retsu could understand Chiyo's anger, but at the same time, it was unreasonable. They were just kids. What could they really do?
"I... I understand. Sort of like be and Asahi... It'd certainly explain the way she treated me, when I fought her in Deep Ground. But what exactly did she do?"
"What do you think she did?"
The answer didn't need to be said, read clearly through Yoshino's expression. She stared right at Retsu before looking away in fear and shame. The implications of such still made her uncomfortable but even someone like Retsu could put the pieces together.
"She didn't do it herself. She hates to get her hands dirty you know. She...got some random guys together. They followed me to my dorm, made me go a different way and...in the alleyway, I just saw her. Staring right back at me and...she didn't even care...god I'm so weak," Yoshino whispered, trembling all over as the memories began to resurface.
"I couldn't say anything. As Student President how could I? I had to keep going for Moon Rider and myself. And Chiyo knew that..."
Retsu stayed solemnly quiet. She could imagine what might have happened, and it hurt her to think there was nothing she could do about it... Right now. For a long while, Retsu couldn't say anything. She didn't know what she could say to Yoshino to help. All Retsu knew was that she would have sought vengeance in some way. Make Chiyo disappear. But Yoshino wasn't like Retsu, and her solution... May not help. Maybe.
"I'm sorry. That's horrible. And... It's not your fault. You aren't weak Yoshino. You were just alone. Chiyo... She knew that no one would have come to your aid. And you've been taking on this burden all by yourself for so long. That's why... People like you and me, I want to help. So that way we aren't alone, and have to face these challenges ourselves anymore." Retsu couldn't believe what she was saying. She sounded like some sort of shonen protagonist going on about the power of friendship. It was stupid, but Retsu wasn't going to admit it was also something she wanted. She has minions of her own, but none who she could call her friends or equals.
Yoshino was silent, listening to Retsu's words intently. For someone that had kept this a secret for so long with no one else to rely on, it felt good to finally admit it. She may have disagreed about her being strong-if she was truly strong, she would have conquered her phobia by now-but at least it felt refreshing to rely on someone else for once.
"Thank you Retsu. I'm not even sure why I'm telling you all this," Yoshino said, blinking and realizing how she must look with red and wet eyes. "If...If you want...I mean, if you would like...you can stay here for the night. I don't usually do much on school nights seeing as I live here by myself..."
Suddenly, Retsu hand out her handkerchief to Yoshino (A different one since Yoshino gave back her first one). As for Yoshino's offer, Retsu hesitated. She was still in her fancy dress, and as comfortable as it was, if she was going to sleep over she'd need to get her pajamas, a change of clothes, at her uniform as well. But Retsu wanted to stay. "Sure. yeah, that'll be fine. Though... I need to get a change of clothes and stuff, and I do have a few things I need to do for Moon Rider, you now." Retsu felt a bit nervous getting this close to Yoshino. She was willing to listen to her problems, but she wasn't sure what was going to happen if she actually stayed in her dorm. Surely it'd be nothing. They were both girls after all.
Yoshino accepted the new handkerchief gratefully, removing her glasses and drying her eyes with them. She nodded to Retsu's requests, saying, "I have some spare uniforms and pajamas if you don't feel like going back out. It's supposed to be cold tonight."
Whatever underlying subtext there was supposed to be in them staying together for the night, Yoshino was unaware of it. Bit by bit the weak shell that had confided in Retsu just moments before was being rebuilt into the image of the stoic Student President. As far as she saw it, Retsu was simply here to conduct business between her and Moon Rider.
"Wearing Yoshino's clothes... What have you done, Retsu?"
Sighing, Retsu supposed that she would accept. It's not as if they were sharing underwear or anything like that. And Retsu's outfit wasn't very well insulated against the cold. Putting those dirty thoughts aside, Retsu figured that now was a good time to wash up. She felt her stomach finish it's business with her pizza, so Retsu requested to use the bathroom first.
Smiling, Yoshino directed Retsu over to the bathroom while heading to her own bedroom and fetching some spare pajamas the other girl could fit in. However, upon walking into her room, she soon realized that....well, she only had one bed to share. The shadow of a blush on her cheeks, she adjusted her glasses before finding some black pants and a purple t-shirt.
Granted it was near-identical to her own pajamas since Yoshino really didn't spend much. Since Chiyo had left her life, she had thrown the other girl's things away or rid herself of them through other means. Frowning in anger at the reminder of her own sob story, Yoshino walked back to the living room.
"I'll leave your clothes outside," she called out to Retsu, stopping by and placing the pajamas outside the bathroom.
"Thank you!" Retsu shouted from the toilet. Once she was comfortably relieved Retsu turned and looked at the bath. She was tempted to get the bath ready and take the first dip, but that seemed... Rude. But surely they both needed to path. So after washing her hands and changing into Yoshino's pajamas, she started the bath. She wasn't sure how Yoshino liked it, so she used hot water and waited until the water filled about 60% of the tub. Once she was finished Retsu went out of the bathroom looking for Yoshino. "The bath is ready. Would you like to go in first?"
"Er huh? But Retsu, I don't need...." Yoshino said, voice trailing off. Then again Retsu had gone through the trouble of preparing her bath and she couldn't well just deny that act of kindness. Still, she did think Retsu was trying too much to prove something here and she opened her mouth to assure the other girl that she didn't need to. But no words came out and she merely nodded, removing her party dress. In no time she was bare, slipping into the bath as a gentle sigh escaped from how warm it felt.
After Yoshino left to take a bath, Retsu helped herself to a cup of water. Getting a tall glass, she filled it to nearly the brim and drained it just as fast, cleaned the cup, and put it away. Then Retsu went and saw at Yoshino's couch feeling a bit tired. She had eaten quite a full meal, punched out a random thug, and ran all the way to the dorms. So of course she was feeling a bit pooped. However she still needed to attend to development in Deep Ground. Last she checked, many Ebon Strykers have gone out to hunt the Corpse Collector, but so far they've had no luck.
As Retsu was checking her messages, she looked down at the pajamas that Yoshino gave her. These were... Yoshino's clothing. Clean... Right? Lifting the shirt up to her nose, Retsu took a sniff before looking around, making sure that Yoshino didn't see her. "...What am I doing?"
"Retsu I'm back-....what were you doing?"
Time must have flew by because soon enough Yoshino was back from her bath. Simple pants and a black t-shirt served as her pajamas, a towel still drying her long hair. She blinked as her gaze moved from first Retsu, to her pajamas, and then to Retsu again. The Student President had only caught a glimpse of what she thought was Retsu sniffing her clothes but....surely that couldn't be the case.
"They're fine, I just had a runny nose is all. Tends to happen when I'm cold."
Retsu said flawlessly, using her quick thinking and deadpan delivery in order to conceal her lie. Fortunately Retsu had smelled Yoshino's shirt instead of say, the pants, so it may seem somewhat believable. Avoiding the subject further Retsu stood up and headed to the bathroom. "If you're done, mind if I take a bath next? I know I already changed and all, but I'd like to freshen up a bit before I log into Deep Ground, you know?"
"Uh, sure? I mean that's up to you...anyway, the bath is free. While you're doing that, I'll set up the bedding arrangements. Sorry about this, but I only have one so...maybe you could sleep in with me to keep me warm, you know~?"
Yoshino grinned at the other girl mischiveously before chuckling with, "Relax, I'm just kidding. Anyway, I'll get the futon out so you can sleep in something more comfortable tonight. The couch can only be soft for so long. Unless you want to sleep in my bed and I sleep on the futon?"
Caught off guard, Retsu's face was as red as her hair. Did Yoshino really just suggest... That they sleep together? Surely she only met in a platonic way, perhaps, but they would still be in the same bed, under the same sheets, sharing each others body heat. Retsu had plenty of boys make crude remarks for sex and she always ignored them like the pest they are, but for Yoshino do to the same... Was she really just joking or was it a true proposal?
Even after Yoshino admitted to the joke, she was going to bring a futon out for her instead. It made more sense, but Retsu's mind was a bit scrambled from Yoshino's initial statement. "I... Will... GotakemybathrightnowI'llbeoutsoonyoucanhavethebedthankyou!" And like that Retsu went from standing in front of Yoshino and inside her bathroom, leaning against the door. Why was she feeling so... Silly? "It's just Yoshino. She's my boss... No, my partn- No! Ally! She's my ally. Nothing more. Nothing less..." Retsu said quietly to herself.
Trying to move on from the awkwardness Retsu began to strip out of the pajamas given to her, folding them neatly on the bathroom counter. She was tempted to take another sniff, but now that she thought of it there was already an aroma here. She turned and looked at the tub and noticed that it was still full. "Yoshino's... Bath water..." Gulping, Retsu walked over to the tub. The water was still warm, and Yoshino's scent wafted from the steam. It was a pleasant yet bitter smell. Like fond memories of better days gone past. Retsu put her toe into the water, shaking at the warmth, but soon submerged her whole body, trying to resist the intial pain of her fairly chilly body going into the warm bath.Several minutes passed before a soft knock was on the door. A moment or two passed and Yoshino slowly walked into the bathroom, a fresh set of towels in her arm.
"Oh you're still bathing! Sorry Retsu," Yoshino said with surprise, wondering what Retsu was doing for the last hour or so....an hour? Had it really been that long? So much for a few minutes. Even so, it was still early in the night and tomorrow was a Saturday so getting up for school wouldn't be an issue.
"I just remembered that you needed some fresh towels so I brought you some," Yoshino said, completely ignoring the fact that Retsu was stark naked and in her bath using her water. However she soon caught herself staring at the other girl, a look of amazement on her face before saying, "Retsu you...you really are strong aren't you? I wasn't aware that you had so many muscles...I suppose it makes sense with the line of work you do."
Retsu nearly jumped. "I thought I locked the door!?" Retsu also didn't realized that she dozed off in the bath. She started to get up and reached for a towel which she didn't have. She thought she could take one out from the closet, but evidently Yoshino just came in with the only towels available. Not only that but when Retsu moved to grab the nonexistent towel, she exposed her body to Yoshino, who commented on her musculature.
"I, uh.... It's nothing.... Can I have a towel please?" Retsu said quietly as she lowered her body into the bath, trying to hide her features from Yoshino. While Retsu did have a fairly toned set of muscles on her arms and hands, she didn't like exposing them. They felt... Too obvious to her. As unrealistic as it was, she actually wanted to keep a fairly waifish figure, but also keeping her strength as well. Not to mention that when Retsu did expose herself to Yoshino for a short duration, she also showed the student president her... Mature chest. While not quite as ridiculous as some anime depictions, Retsu still had a set of breast that would attract many boys if she ever bothered showing off those assets instead of keeping them fairly well hidden.
Yoshino blinked in confusion before smiling gently at the other girl. The Student President wasn't as cold as people made her out to be and like Retsu had said earlier, she was much more complex than that. Nodding, she handed a warm towel over to the red-headed girl before moving away and out of the bathroom.
"You know there's nothing to be ashamed of Retsu. We're both girls here so it's fine. I...sort of like your body. I mean, you can take that as you will, but I mean it sort of reminds of of my client and how strong she is. I could never be as strong physically," Yoshino admitted with a nervous laugh, speaking her own weaknesses. "Anyway, the futon is almost ready so feel free to come out when you want to."
Retsu could only grunt in agreement as she waited for Yoshino to leave the bathroom. Once she was out and the door was closed she whispered to herself. "... Stupid sexy Yoshino..."
Eventually Retsu was out of the bath and dressed. Her hair still needed drying but everything else about her was washed up. Retsu headed to the living room to find the Futon, but noticed that there was nothing there. Yoshino wasn't there either. So Retsu went to Yoshino's room, wondering if maybe she needed help.
Retsu would find Yoshino lying on her floor, as if she had been lying there for quite some time. The futon looked like it was half-made, having somehow ended up on top of the Student President who was currently half-dazed at the moment.
"Tsugumi-san?" Retsu had guessed from the student president's current position that she must have bumped her head while preparing the futon. Which seemed... Oddly stupid of Yoshino. Retsu stiffed a giggle and instead of poking fun at the girl, she simply helped set up the futon for herself, leaving Yoshino on the floor. Now it was Retsu's turn to act cooler then Yoshino. Sitting on Yoshino's bed Retsu waited for Yoshino to wake up so she could snidely poke fun at how she was knocked out by falling futons.
"Hmm...wha..?"
Blinking, Yoshino got up on shaky legs and looked around...only to see Retsu sitting on her bed with a smug smirk. She then looked over to the now set up futon and frowned, adjusting her glasses firmly onto her face.
"And what's that look for Retsu?" Yoshino asked with more than a little suspicion.
"You got knocked out by the futon." Retsu chuckled at Yoshino as she laid back on her bed. It was quite comfortable, for some reason more so than Retsu's own. Then again she's just using the standard issue mattress given to all the students. Most likely Yoshino has a special one or something. "Anyways... I need to head to Deep Ground. If possible, do you think you could ask Moon Rider to come on? There are matters I must discuss with her about the current state of affairs."
"I was? I don't remember...." Yoshino said with a faded voice, rubbing the back of her head. Honestly she didn't remember but she couldn't really remember what did happen otherwise. Regardless, maybe it was just a random brain fart. Weird. Her attention drawn away from that briefly, she frowned to the mention of her client.
"Must you do it right now? I mean...I suppose I can bother her if she's not too busy. Even Moon Rider has to have a life outside of DGO," Yoshino pointed out, shuffling out of the room and towards the small hallway.
"As soon as possible really. And you're the only person whom I can contact Moon Rider directly. She doesn't exactly pick up my E-mails." That wasn't entirely true: She never sent Moon Rider an E-mail before. But regardless she seemed more elusive then Retsu was. Of course... There was also the sneaking suspicion that Yoshino herself was Moon Rider. That possibility was never out of the question since day one. Retsu was half hoping that perhaps she could verify the truth here and now. But that was a secondary objective: Retsu really did have some important business to handle in Deep Ground, with or without Moon Rider. Hopefully Yoshino didn't want to spend all night talking, because Retsu had work to do.
Yoshino adjusted her glasses, not sure how things would play out. She did not want to reveal her specific relationship with the Black King quite yet so she made sure to lock herself in the guest room; such were the perks of being Student President. A few minutes later and Moon Rider was contacted, waiting for Dark Wraith on her throne in Ebony Stryker territory.
Retsu waited for Yoshino to come back, but she never did. Perhaps Retsu managed to fluster her? Or perhaps... She was Moon Rider, and didn't want Retsu near her while she was vulnerable. An understandable tactics. "Alright. Enough playing school girl. Let's get down to business." Helping herself to Yoshino's comfortable bed, Retsu laid back and logged into Deep Ground.
Welcome, Dark Wraith
Now as Dark Wraith, she was back in the Black City. She was near the location where Moon Rider had given her speech to the Ebon Strykers, and in Dark Wraith's mailbox was a message from various Sweepers and Erasers. Most of it were just status updates on the development of the Black City. The walls have been refurbished and defensive turrents have been made. This time if any big dissolution monster decides to attack, they'd find it much harder to break in and rampage the city. However many buildings still needed to be repaired, and there were small conflicts of interest regarding ownership and construction. Some people wanted to create a bar, others an arena, some wanted a facility to help treat the wounded and others wanted a trade hub. Bureaucratic nonsense.
Dark Wraith could consult with them later. Right now her mind was on other things. Corpse Collector for one, and how exactly Moon Rider plans to elevate someone to level 9 if they capture her. That's what had been annoying Dark Wraith the most. So she headed off to the Ebon Stryker's throne room, where she's most likely going to find Moon Rider.
Before long, Moon Rider heard the soft thuds of boots along the ground, the presence of Dark Wraith reaching her. She nodded at her Deputy, beckoning her to stand before her while the massive doors closed behind them. With them sealed, the King's domain was inaccessible from other Players, insuring they had privacy.
"Now then Dark Wraith. What was it that mattered so much you had to bother my spokesperson? If it's about the promise of bringing someone to the level of a King, I've already figured some things out. There are quite a few rare items in Deep Ground...for the right price."
"That was one of my concerns, but I also have information regarding the Corpse Collector and things she's stolen. She did not merely rob the other guilds of their wealth. But quite a few things, from what my sources tell me, are their vital secret weapons." Dark Wraith sent Moon Rider a list of some of the items that Corpse Collector allegedly stole. Such things include the Ivory Mask's Mega Mecha, Fanged Rangers Floating Fortress, and other alliterative super weapons that should be impossible to simple steal, but are nonetheless missing or inaccessible.
"It's only rumors and speculation, but if we were to obtain these weapons under our control... It'll put us at a greater advantage over the other guilds, despite out numbers and relative infancy." Of course, taking these things for themselves would also declare war on the other guilds. Returning them may foster a sort of peaceful alliance, assuming that the other guilds would appreciate it. Dark Wraith wanted to hear what Moon Rider intended to do about it.
"I see," Moon Rider side with a sigh. It figures that they would be dealing with no ordinary Hacker, though this, the Black King knew for quite some time. Still, concern was made to hear that one Hacker had been enough to steal all of the Guild's super weapons. However, a grin soon formed on Moon Rider's visage and she crossed her legs, resting her cheek on her knuckles.
"Even so, this Corpse Collector does not have the treasure of the Black Guild. Of that I can verify for myself. For now we focus our matters on dealing with Corpse Collector. When the time comes, we will decide what to do with the other super weapons. Depending on the outcome, we will arrange alliances in exchange for their powers returned back."
Crossing her arms behind her back, Dark Wraith had very little else to question. That being said, there was still the matter of the Corpse Collector herself. "What how would you like us to deal with the Corpse Collector? Rumor has it that she's amassing her own army against ours, using the outlaws we've driven from the Black City. While I have no doubts that we have the might to crush them in a straight forward confrontation, I'm certain that she's more than likely going to use her numbers to harass and commit gorilla warfare on us. And ultimately, her goal is to kill you. Perhaps we can take advantage of that." Dark Wraith said, her face looking down to hide a smile on her face.
"Take advantage of the target on my head? It sounds a lot like you cleaning up the mess Dark Wraith," Moon Rider said evenly. Regardless of her feelings of the other Player, she would just have to trust her. The Sweeper had not failed her before and so she doubted a betrayal would come soon. But even so, both girls knew that taking down the Black King would be a challenge, even with Dark Wraith's skills as a Sweeper.
"On the other hand, it's probably best to send a single strike force against Corpse Collector. Cut the snake's head off, and the snake can no longer move."
Dark Wraith shook her head, but then pondered the thought. "It'll take quite a few of the Sweepers to even find the Corpse Collector. And surely you are aware that she's a hacker of considerable skill. Even if we were to send our more experienced players against her, without the help of an Eraser they're nothing more then fodder. And if the Corpse Collector sees that we have her matched, it won't be hard for her to escape using the same skills she'd be using to win. A single strike force could work..."
That's when Dark Wraith looked up at Moon Rider, giving her a mischievous expression. "As long as you lead them. Cocky and cowardly as she may be, the Corpse Collector will pull out all the stops to end you, both as a symbolic victory as well as a personal one, which I'm sure she has. This way we can gauge what her capabilities are, as well as keep her trapped instead of picking off our people one-by-one. It's a simple plan, but we can elaborate more on our tactics as we need to." Dark Wraith spoke as if this was the plan all along, and that Moon Rider was just going to go along with it. It's not as if she was wrong per say; regardless if Moon Rider does take to the field or not, many Ebon Strykers and Sweepers alike will be targeted by the Corpse Collector's minions, as well as the outlaw herself. This way the Ebon Strykers and minimize casualties by forcing Corpse Collector to play the big guns, because anything less won't be enough against Moon Rider. Least of all with Dark Wraith at her back.
"You know I can't help but feel you really do want to betray me," Moon Rider commented with amusement. "But your logic does make sense. I suppose I can lend my blade to our newly formed Ebony Strykers. After all, what is a King who cannot defend their Kingdom?"
Dark Wraith said nothing, simply smiling and nodding. She did not verbally deny nor agree that she was going to betray Moon Rider, nor to her thoughts about actively fighting on the front. On one hand, it certainly will give everyone a slightly better impression of Moon Rider knowing that she isn't simply making all the other members of her guild do her dirty work. An active monarch makes for a healthy kingdom after all. But Dark Wraith was more glad that Moon Rider had listened to her idea.
"As enigmatic as always. Honestly, you're starting to sound a lot like me-"
A gun shot echoed across the King's hall, the whizz of a bullet making impact with the shattering of metal. What was perhaps more surprising was that the attack came from Moon Rider, who had drew her gun and fired in the fraction of an instant. Truly her reaction time in the game was to be marveled at but there was no time to gawk too long. An intruder had found their way into this chamber.
Looking at it closely, Moon Rider could deduce that it was an NPC. A figure shrouded in cloth with a hood concealing its face...NPCs weren't supposed to have the capability to access restricted areas placed up by Players. So why was this one here and not moving?
Retsu had her staff out and pointed towards the person Moon Rider shot at, only to see an NPC. That wasn't right. Dark Wraith immediately scanned the NPC's for bugs and viruses, knowing that there's no way it could have just glitched here on it's own. Surely this was a ploy by an enemy stand hacker. "Looks like we have company." Unlike in the real world, this time Dark Wraith was going to fight. She summoned a Miasma to cut off the NPC's escape route, and got her Dark Hand ready to drain the NPC's health should it prove hostile, and just for good measure, she removed the usual restrictions that prevent players from wantonly killing NPC's within cities.
The NPC, whatever it was, did not respond to the threats aimed its way. Nor did it bother to move out of the way of Dark Wraith's Miasma, letting the green mist surround its only escape path. Moon Rider tensed, something incredibly familiar about this particular NPC. But in no time it was already on the move, making the Black King widen her eyes at how fast it was. No...No NPC could move like that. Not unless it was a Player...Moon Rider was too caught in shock to react, the figure headed straight for her.
Whatever this NPC was, it shouldn't be here. But two can play at that game. Normally Dark Wraith's Necromancy requires freshly killed enemies in order for her to raise corpses, but she skipped that process and spawned freshly slaughtered Dissolutions herself, obviously breaking a few rules. Two level five elite bosses, a Dead Angel and a Night Champion. Dark Wraith ordered them to stand between Moon Rider and the rogue NPC. When the NPC got close, the Dead Angel unleashed one of it's abilities, causing shadowy tentacles from it's body to shoot out at the NPC, binding it to place.
The Night Champion pointed at the NPC, his red blade glowing brighter as suddenly everyone else but the Night Champion vanished from the NPC's sight. Of course everyone was still there, but the Night Champion's ability forced a duel between himself and his opponent, allowing them to target no one else. They couldn't even preceive anyone but the Night Champion, which should allow everyone else to take down the NPC... Though Dark Wraith could never be too careful.
"Moon Rider, look alive! It's likely an assassin sent by Corpse Collector!" As Dark Wraith said that, she began to set up safeguards and looking into the NPC in question, trying to discern it's true identity. Even if it was just a tool being used by someone else, they couldn't escape Dark Wraith's senses. She will find out just who sent this NPC to them.
The Black King snapped back, eyes narrowed and focused again as the enemy was rooted in place. At once she twirled her beam blade, igniting the purple crescent of energy, a low hum resonating the air. But despite all of Dark Wraith's efforts, it seemed the mysterious NPC was unfazed by it all. Slowly, it began to walk forward...defying all logic as it slipped right through the dark tendrils, like a ghost in the system.
What was even more stunning was the fact that the figure was heading straight for Dark Wraith now. It could target other Players? The dual feature wasn't in place? No way. There was no way there could be an NPC as elusive as this. Perhaps it was a hostile fault in the system?
Snarling, Dark Wraith had her two undead thralls fall back to protect Moon Rider. "Of course. How foolish of me to think that I should fight you in-game." Though Dark Wraith continued to look as though she was going to fight as herself, in truth Dark Wraith reverted back to Retsu and was going to simply delete this NPC from the system. She marked the NPC for deletion, disabled it from further interaction to the DG system, and even sent a (somewhat misleading) bug report of a "Misplaced NPC".
She was treating it as if it was nothing more than a minor inconvenience, but in truth Dark Wraith was rather fearful. It was one thing if they were to face off against the Corpse Collector; defeating her was just a matter of finding the Player and using the Cherry Hunter system to sabotage her connection to Deep Ground, then killing her character to remove her from the system once and for all. And all of that could be done in-game. But this NPC was unaffected by the game itself, which mean it wasn't part of the game. It was an outside force that was never suppose to be here in the first place. Or perhaps it was a program of the game...but one so encoded and deeply ingrained into DGO's system that it was nigh-impossible to deal with it using conventional means. Whatever the case, it became quite evident that this NPC was something best left to handle when they were better prepared.
Dark Wraith's efforts did not go wasted however. Even as the figure remained walking, its cloak became scattered and tarnished, dissolving into nothingness; a sign that the deletion was slowly working. Despite this, it had made it far enough to stand directly in front of Moon Rider, having simply passed through the Player-controlled Dissolutions.
And when its cloak was finally torn away, Moon Rider tensed in place, body rigid in confusion and horror. The figure underneath the hood was none other than an image of herself, the Black King's expression frozen in a soundless scream before that too dissolved into naught more but bones and pixels. Then it was gone, the NPC having left no trace. Eyes still staring at where it once stood, Moon Rider deactivated her blade before sitting in her throne once again. Silent.
The NPC vanished, doing no harm, but leaving many questions. Who sent it? Why did it have Moon Rider's face? What was it's purpose? And most importantly, was it aware that Dark Wraith was capable of cheating the system? This was more important to Dark Wraith since for all she knew, that NPC may not even be completely wiped. She couldn't verify it from here; she'd need to go check the data caches themselves. She had a unique marker on the NPC, so once she finds it she can make extra sure that it was gone, and trace it back to anyone else who had interacted with it, both externally and internally.
But first Dark Wraith turned towards Moon Rider, who seemed... Lost. Walking up to the guild leader Dark Wraith stood before her. "Moon Rider, are you alright?"
Moon Rider had her head down and held between her hands. It was good that the other Player could not see her because the Black King's eyes were wide, her teeth gritted to the point where she feared they might even crack. Body rigid and still, images that only she could see flickered across her mind and...out. She had to get out of there.
"Moon Rider..." As Dark Wraith tried to talk to her, a couple of Sweepers entered the room. They were just casually coming in, not having an idea what just happened. Dark Wraith knew Moon Rider needed to think about what just happened, but she couldn't do that in front of everyone else. "Moon Rider, let's go somewhere more private. We need to talk about this."
"Yes...Yes, let's do that," Moon Rider said, voice constrained and body still rigid. She reached into her pocket and produced a simple transport crystal. Standing up next to Dark Wraith, the Black King said nothing more as she crushed the common item, sending them away in a twenty mile radius to whatever random location.
Familiar with the device used, Dark Wraith calmly waited as she and Moon Rider were transported somewhere within the area. When they arrived, Dark Wraith recognized the area as the Crystal Grotto Used to be one of the dead drop locations for the Sweepers, but then it started attracting too many players for that to be effective. Though nowadays no one goes here since no one could really appriciate the majestic beauty of the place. Not to mention the dissolution that everyone liked to fight here migrated to other places.
Regardless this was a good place to sit and chat privately. It was off the beaten path and there was little of interest here. So if anyone else decides to show up, Dark Wraith knows what their intentions are. Also, Dark Wraith's two Dead Thralls also showed up, albiet it looked like they had to travel here on foot. "Go stand near the entrance. Alert me if anyone comes near." Once her Dead Thralls did as they were told, Dark Wraith looked over towards Moon Rider. She produced a themeatically appropiate and comfortable mushroom chair for the two of them to sit on.
"What's wrong, Moon Rider? What did that NPC show you?"
"What did it show me? Don't tell me you couldn't see it," Moon Rider said immediatly, eyes still wide and wild. Her hands clenched in place, dropping her head down and staring at her boots. Retsu may have seen the face of the Black King, but Moon Rider had seen....
"It's...nothing. I thought I just saw someone from IRL. Though I'm not sure how that's even possible," Moon Rider replied, still hunched over.
Dark Wraith didn't get to see it, honestly. It was still cloaked when she deleted it. She told Moon Rider this much. "All I saw was it's shape covered by a cloak. But someone in real life? Who was it? Perhaps if we knew who you saw, we could figure out who sent the NPC."
"It was someone that I want to see dead," Moon Rider said flatly, tone suddenly icy. It was doubtful Moon Rider's player would say something outside the game. But in Deep Ground, things changed and people changed. Here, one was able to back up their claims with power, if only for a little.
Dark Wraith sighed. this emotional vulnerability of Moon Rider's was going to be her downfall. Ironic for Retsu to think perhaps, but as Dark Wraith she's much more unfeeling. Rising to her feet Dark Wraith looked towards the exit, turning her back on Moon Rider. "You know what I'm capable of, Moon Rider. If you want it enough, just give me a name, and I'll make sure that person will never bother you again." If Moon Rider knew anything about the Sweeper's infamey, it's for their violent real-life actions. All of it was, of course, rumor and speculation. After all it's not as if anyone actually has gone out and claimed to attack someone in real life on behalf of the Sweepers. But the truth was that it did happen, using selective induviduals, attacking at precise moments with brutal efficency for what is suppose to just be a couple of highschoolers. The Sweepers take a refuge in audacity.
"As callous as ever Dark Wraith," the Black King replied before sighing herself. "Forget about it. What they did can't be reversed and it's not worth the effort of hunting them down in the real world. I apologize for losing my stature back there. It really was nothing."
Well it certainly sounded like it, the Black King's voice returning back to some tone of normalcy. That being the case, it was perhaps best to call it a night. No doubt Dark Wraith would like some real sleep in the real world.
Dark Wraith wasn't convinced. Moon Rider was hiding something. Hiding a weakness that Dark Wraith couldn't cover. Obviously whatever happened between her and that NPC was personal, but if it was personal enough to affect her this badly.... Then all the more reason for Dark Wraith to look into it. Moon Rider can keep her face in Deep Ground. Retsu Goroshi was not so passive in the real world.
"So be it. It's been a long and eventful night... I think after dealing with a few disenters, I'll head to bed. Tell Tsugumi-san that I'll be occupying her bed for a bit longer." Dark Wraith walked out of the cave, flanked by her two elite guards. She needed to address some complaints about some skirmishes between the Ivory Masks and Ebon Strykers, do some inventory on the Stryker's war machines, and count up the recent bounties for the Sweepers. Work work work. "Take me back to the city. First I'll need to speak with my Erasers."
"Yes...alright then. I suppose I should be leaving now. There's no use in dealing with my personal problems here. I'll leave you to it then," Moon Rider said, already beginning the process of logging out. "Oh. And if you really are going to use my bed tonight, at least be sure to replace the sheets when you're done," the Black King said suddenly with a glare before her image faded away.
Dark Wraith did her business in Deep Ground, and soon logged out. Now she was Retsu Goroshi, and still laying in Yoshino's bed. She hasn't come back yet, perhaps because she felt uncomfortable sleeping in the same room as Retsu. Or more likely, given what Moon Rider said right before Dark Wraith left, Yoshino was indeed Moon Rider. Why she would bother keeping it a secret from Retsu, she wasn't entirely certain. Yoshino had her reasons, surely. Likely because she doesn't trust Retsu, which is fair enough. Retsu herself was keeping secrets from Yoshino as well.
Turning over in the bed Retsu looked down and smelled the sheets. Not only was she wearing Yoshino's clothing, but she was laying in her bed as well. The scent was... Oddly soothing. "I should really get out..." Retsu got out of Yoshino's bed, but looked through her closet for a new set of bedsheets. Surely Yoshino didn't want to sleep in the same bed as Retsu, so with some careful but precise speed, Retsu replaced Yoshino's bed and pillow sheets, folding her old sheets into a neat pile.It was quite late now and Retsu had enough shannigans for one day. Regardless if Yoshino would actually come and join her, Retsu's body and mind was more exhausted then it let on., and so when she laid down in the futon, she quickly fell asleep.
