SlashInfinite

East meets West (SlashInfinite & POOHEAD189 1x1)

Mikasa scoffed at the blade, and at the sight of the half-breed. She remained silent as the two spoke, understanding most of it, though it was long since she had last spoken the language herself. She still held her own blade in her hand, firmly as so.

“But if this Shieldmaiden answers our questions for a bit, maybe we'll let her walk away." Mikasa frowned at the men, perhaps mostly fueled by her anger with Soka. His charge seeming so reckless, and not benefitting in any way, even if they had aimed to take the lives of the two. The woman stood silently and observed the two of them. Her gaze went from the half-breed to the crusader. She gave him an unloving glare for a few seconds. Finally she’d return her stare to the other man, observing his black hair and dark eyes.

Mikasa considered her possibilities; the two men exchanged a few words that she paid no attention to. Bluntly, she spoke up in her native language, addressing the Ronin. “You’re walking towards dangerous waters, Halfling.” She hissed at him. He simply returned the supposed warning with a raised eyebrow. “You do realize your position, woman?” he simply stated. Mikasa scoffed at him, lowering her sword slightly. It seemed to calm both of the men slightly. Carefully she scanned Meldarion, as she sheathed her blade. The man certainly noticed her suspicious gaze.

As her blade was put in its place, Mikasa brought up her hand with a swift movement. Her plated glove went for the blunt side of the sword aiming towards her. Caught only a little off-guard, Meldarion barely even thought of flinching, though it was enough for Mikasa to step out of his range, glaring at him. The man held out his other hand, as a ‘what now?’ to the woman. Mikasa sighed, shaking her head and quickly stepping down from her fighting stance. She folded her arms and silently awaited the questioning, as the crusader was the first to step towards her, supposedly not wanting to take any chances.

“Who are you?” the Halfling asked, looking towards the Swordmaiden, who didn’t consider returning it at all. “I am Mikasa, of the Swordmaiden’s Oak.” She said with a stiff voice. “Do not expect me to do your bidding simply because I’m outnumbered. I’ve more honour to my kingdom than that.” She muttered at the Ronin, who nodded in return. “Yes, you Swordmaidens seem to feel that way.”

“Ask, then.” Mikasa looked towards the Crusader, her Western being fairly well for a Heroshidan.

@POOHEAD189

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

Hannah stared strangely at Derek and Ace. She jumped a little, being fairly surprised by Ace’s actions – not that she did not understand them. Without further words, Ace grabbed Hannah’s hand and dragged her along. Once at the next floor, Hannah would instinctively pull her hand to herself, looking down towards Derek with a frown. She’d rub her hand slightly, not from the pull, but more from the shock. Standing dumbfounded, she’d look to Ace.

“That was… peculiar. I know Derek is usually off on things, but that was stranger than usual.” She’d scoff down towards Derek, who continued his rambling and was headed outside. Once outside, Hannah looked to Ace, sort of speechless. “I uh, don’t know what to say.” Hannah shrugged at him, grimacing at the situation.

Shaking her head, Hannah rubbed her forehead, sighing heavily. She’d begin climbing the stairs for the next floor, stopping and turning to Ace. “I seriously need a drink. Feel free to come along.” She didn’t exactly smile, but her tone was friendly. With quick steps the young woman stepped up to her door, finding out her keys and unlocking it. “I’ve got wine.” Hannah shouted out towards Ace, most likely still standing on the stairs. Leaving the door open, Hannah dropped off her bag on a sofa, directly heading for the kitchen to find a bottle of wine.

Her apartment was neatly decorated, everything kept in place. The rooms looked clean, organized and smelt freshly. She enjoyed keeping it neat, much to the nature of her person.
“It’s never too early to calm the nerves.” She’d nod firmly.

@RosebeltAngel

East meets West (SlashInfinite & POOHEAD189 1x1)

Mikasa blinked a few times as the arrow went off, one of the figures falling off his horse. The woman quickly charged into Soka, tackling him to the ground. In a wave of furiousness, Mikasa pinned him down, glaring angrily at him. The Swordmaiden sent her plated fist straight into the ground besides the soldier, cursing out at him in rage.

“What are you doing?! You’re going to have us both killed!” Mikasa kept him down, staring straight into the man’s eyes with her surprisingly raised voice. Soka scoffed in disappointment back at her. “I assumed you, of all people, would be eager for blood.” He hissed at her, thrusting his hip up towards her, and sending his force towards her, sweeping her around on the ground. Being tossed off, Mikasa quickly got up again, still furious as a bear protecting her cubs.

“You’re bringing the entire kingdom in danger! We were here to investigate, not trigger a war!” She shouted out, perhaps a little too loud again. Soka sighed, walking towards her, seeming to have calmed down as he placed a hand on her shoulder, looking into her eyes with a wicked smile. “You’re not seeing the possibilities here, my Lady.” He muttered, as she fired a knee straight for her stomach, pulling her towards him as he did so. Though she was in armor, the knee hit with a violent force, striking the unprepared woman and sending her to the ground. Soka quickly stormed off, leaving the girl lying on the ground, as she recovered from the knee.
All the air in her had been forced out of her as the impact had hit, causing the woman to struggle with her breath for a bit, before she finally managed to push herself up again. Her gaze flew towards the woods, seeing the silhouette of the Heroshidan warrior, charging towards the forest. Without another second of hesitation, Mikasa left the horses in their place and ran off towards the man. From what she could sense between the trees, Soka had come to a halt, turning around and looking towards her direction. The young Lady was furious. Her mind was an endless monsoon of emotion, filled by rage, fear and frustration. Soka’s actions send a clear signal to the Westerners, especially if the earlier skirmish had not been a sign of war. An attempted assassination was not going to be tolerated by the religious foes.

As Mikasa made her way towards the forest, Soka disappeared into the dark trees. The sound of clashing blades was heard from within, and Mikasa carefully approached, drawing her beloved blade and muttering to herself.
“This is a mistake.”

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

Hannah gave a few friendly nods as he spoke of his study and wish for work. She was fond of animals herself, so she wasn't going to make any complaints about possibly working at a shelter. Noble work, Hannah agreed to herself. She eyed him up and down, flashing a quick smile at the look of him covering himself as he spoke. He seemed so nervous, or perhaps just not used to speaking with strangers on stairs, not that she was either. Hannah listened carefully, having stopped on the stairs. She had folded her arms passively, rubbing her sleeves.

“A cat café?” Hannah couldn't help but break into a smile, easily picking up on the boy's panic attack. She chuckled lightly, letting her tongue wet her lips as she spoke back, attempting to calm him down. “I'm afraid I don't own a cat. Is that a necessity? I apologize, but I don't have a lot of knowledge on cat cafés.” Hannah giggled again, not being able to keep a smile away, not that she was making a fool of him, she simply had found the whole situation entertaining and quite unexpected. She turned around, beginning to walk up the stairs, looking down at Ace again, seemingly expecting him to follow.
Nonetheless, she stopped with a halt, almost bumping into a man, standing completely still on the stairs in front of her. He had red eyes, and stood stiff as a door. Hannah blinked at him, before recognizing him. It was a boy by the name of Derek, the local pothead living on the second floor. He seemingly hadn't picked up on them, before shaking his head violently at Hannah.

“They're coming, man.” He said, with his sluggish slow voice, waving his finger at the walls. Hannah sighed, with an unimpressed glance, shaking her head at him. Derek was waking up smoking, and went to bed smoking. Strange encounters like these weren't unusual. One never knew exactly what would happen when they bumped into Derek and his blonde dreadlocks.
“You really need to lay off on the smoking, Derek. It's getting out of hand.” Hannah waved her hand in front of herself, waving the smell away. He muttered something in return, walking past Hannah and down towards Ace.

“I swear man, it's for real. I saw them, man. You know it, right? You've heard them, man!” Derek blurted out, grabbing the hood of Ace, leaning uncomfortably close to the man. “They're mean, man…”

@RosebeltAngel

East meets West (SlashInfinite & POOHEAD189 1x1)

The night had been rather calm after the recent battle. Mikasa and Soka both sat upon their horses in silence, watching the former battlefield, with the lake of bodies lying stacked in an alarming fashion. Soka’s horse was led a few steps further, as the man leaned slightly forward, eyeing the dark valley.

“How could it go so wrong?” Mikasa muttered to herself, though Soka picked up on it and turned
around on his horse, facing her and sighning. The man couldn’t be a day above thirty, but his scared face and body spoke for itself. He was an experienced man, especially in war. He approached the Lady's steed and lowered his voice slightly as he spoke to her.
“They didn't send a lot of reinforcement towards the battle, they prioritized defending the fort. And most of the men there, they weren't expecting a battle There had been nothing in six years, and the day of the celebration was the least expected day for it to happen. I apologize if you found our troops disappointing, Lady Mikasa.” His voice stiffened at that, watching the noble woman's response. Mikasa was slightly caught off guard, but quickly shook her head, the brunette hair following along.
“No. I was simply surprised, that is all. I know our troops are most capable.” She grimaced, afraid that she might have offended the man. But she continued, before he was able to answer.
“I didn't recall mentioning my heritage.” She eyed him carefully, inspecting his gaze briefly met hers. Soka simply rolled a shoulder, turning around again. “There aren't many Shuenaii Swordmaidens. And I have seen your face before.” A breeze crossed their path, hissing slightly in its approach. Mikasa grabbed the reins with a firm grasp, an eyebrow raised in curiousity.

The two mountains surrounding the valley had been an eternal symbol, at least until this day. Supposedly defending Heroshida from any threats that should come to the nation. It was said, that in ancient time two titans guarded their sacred land for an eternity. They had according to the tale slain the mightiest of creatures in their time. Until a dragon, big as the sky and black as the bottom of the ocean, had attacked them, turning them both to stone in his attack. The Titans had banished the dragons with the last energy they had left. Forever, they stood defending the land, vowing to rise again if the dragon should return. Though as Mikasa admired their size, she dismissed it all as a children's tale. Her daydreaming was interrupted by Soka, waving her over. Hushing her, he pointed down towards the valley. Dark as it was, her eyes had attuned to the night. In the valley one could sense the sound and sight of … Something. A lone line of dust had risen in the trail of the creatures. “Do you speak Western, my Lady?” Soka calmly asked, seemingly being able to see more than she could. Mikasa nodded into the dark night, her heartbeat raising.. “I was taught, yes. Most of the other nobles who were young during the last war were.” A scoff was released from Soka, before he led his horse towards a small path down the mountain.

Carefully the two descended the mountain, attempting to stay as silent as they could. For foreigners the mountain paths were unforgiving and harsh. A wrong decision or a second of hesitatation could easily result in the demise of the rider and his beast. Sharp turns and no safety, they were even rarely used by the natives. Quickly they had moved down the mountain, and Mikasa could see the two figures in the valley more clearly. They were headed towards the Pass, and were most likely either terribly lost, or knew exactly where they were going.
“What do you intend on doing? Mikasa muttered out towards Soka, still following his horse as swiftly as she could. Soka quickly shifted his wieight back and forth, tapping his blade nonchalantly. “I intend to achieve the exact same thing as you, Your Grace.” Mikasa could almost sense the smirk on his face, just by the tone his words carried.
“I'm going to get answers.”

They dismounted their horses further down, hiding them behind the lower part of the mountain, by the gigantic stones. Soka drew out a bow, arming himself with a quiver. Mikasa scoffed at the eager man, instinctively checking her own blade in the scabbard. Most Swordmaidens carried the traditional curvy blade of the Samurai, though some had turned to the simply straight swords instead. Mikasa had been given the choice as she had made her oath to the sword, and had originally fought with a single-edged straight sword. As a gift from her father, she had been given a fancier katana, engraved with the words of the family. Eventually she had decided to carry both into combat, being able to change between them as she pleased. But she had only brought the katana, not having expected to fight at all.

Without any intention of awaiting for her opinion, Soka pulled out an arrow and tightened the string, firing off an arrow into the dark night, aiming for the two riders. It was almost as if time froze in the moment, Mikasa almost smelling the stench of the man craving revenge.

East meets West (SlashInfinite & POOHEAD189 1x1)

The horse trotted carefully towards the Dorochai Point, named plainly after the Dorochai Pass. The Point was a small fort, being the only thing between the western kingdoms and Heroshida. It was more of a symbolic defense, not having stationed more than 80 soldiers. That number was before the fighting, however. Mikasa didn't dare guess what the number had been reduced to, though she liked to think that for every Heroshidan that fell, two or three Crusaders met their end. The small gate, or giant door, was opened as soon as she approached. The courtyard was empty and messy, the stench of wounded soldiers filling the air, as she carefully dismounted her horse. With deep breaths she led her horse on, strapping it to a pole near the stables. The lack of horses worried her. Whatever had happened, nothing proved too good.

She stepped towards the stairs, the ground having gotten almost muddy at the latest dragging and running the fort had seen. Having climbed the wooden steps, she carefully opened the door to the infirmary, hearing plenty noise from within. The same feelings that she had felt during the last war had overcome her again, though she held her posture this time. The latest years had been a golden period for the kingdom. War was over, peace had come and with that, plenty of celebration. Mikasa glanced towards the peaceful night sky, observing the harmonious stars, dancing without any worries. Alas, that wasn't the kingdoms destiny. Not yet

The infirmary was filled, but to Mikasa’s temporary relief, there were a good portion of unharmed soldiers. As she scanned the room, she didn't like the number she saw. Surely all the soldiers weren't in here? One man noticed the newly arrived woman, and quickly made his way towards her with light steps. They bowed quickly to each other, Mikasa still grimacing at the sight and sounds of the defenders of the Pass. “What…?”” Was all she could manage, not sure where to start asking questions.
“Our patrol got slaughtered. When the rest of us arrived, we were already outnumbered. We took down plenty of them too, but at a cost.” The man spoke with a grizzly old voice, shaking his head at the sight as well. Mikasa took in a deep breath, nodding. “I'm Mikasa Shuenaii. The War council sent me. We need to know what happened. This couldn't have come out of the blue, right?” She looked up towards the man, who offered a simple shrug in return.
“I don't know what to tell you. We didn't see anything unusual, but suddenly they wandered into our territory and engaged. Something felt too odd about it. “ he replied, opening the door and gesturing her outside. Mikasa followed, folding her arms as she came outside again with her gaze returning to the man.

“Do you reckon I can find anything near the battle site? Any clues to how all of this could've happened?” Her words seemed hopeful, which briefly brought some hope to the soldier, though he once again shook his head. “Perhaps. Both sides retreated at the same time, so perhaps something could've been left behind. But I wouldn't recommend it, should they be planning a second wave this instant.” The man scratched his forehead, closing his eyes for a second or two. It didn't seem like the soldiers had gotten any sleep this night, tending to the wounded. Mikasa wet her lips with her tongue, nodding.

“Soka! Prepare two horses! You're going on a field trip.” The veteran soldier grunted at one of the other men, who quickly ran towards the horses indeed. Preparing one of the stationed mares, and the pinto Mikasa had brought along. She had managed to convince the Commander to let her and someone ride out towards the Pass. It was clear the woman needed answers, and that the soldier didn't argue with.

Quickly they left the Fort again, riding towards the Pass. Upon arrival to the two colossal mountains, the samurai by the name of Soka had led Mikasa along a mountain road, leading around the pass and overlooking the only entrance the crusaders had. Mikasa kept a steady hand on her sheathed sword, narrowing her eyes at the road leading into the Pass.

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

Hannah tried to follow his gaze as he spoke, nodding as he said his name. She carefully stepped along his way, the sound of the cars driving throughout the city increasing as the minutes passed. Still, she didn't quite know what to make of him, but he had been friendly so far. It was almost as if an irritating thorn had been pulled out of her finger as the door was opened, and silently she let out a sigh of relief for herself. She nodded towards him, as he held the door and spoke again. “Uhuh, I probably left the key for the front door on my kitchen table, or something. I have the one for my apartment, luckily. I don't usually lose my keys though.” A small lie never hurt anyone. Hannah did keep track of so many things, but keys were her absolute bane. She never could quite go a month without losing or almost loosing a key. A curse, she had told herself.

Sh discreetly eyed the Pokemon lanyard, flashing a small smirk, being reminded of the times she and her sister had played Pokemon on each vacation, a tradition that sadly died out when they grew older. Hannah's attention quickly returned to Ace, though. She nodded in agreement, as she carefully stepped inside, running a hand through her hazel hair as she looked up towards the stairs.
“Mhm, loosing house keys are the worst. Especially your parents.” Hannah attempted a quick and careful smile, before she continued. “Me and my sister were once locked outside for hours, because our parents were out of town, and my sister couldn't find the key.” Hannah shivered at the thought, before stepping up the stairs, awaintng Ace before she continued. The stairs were fairly new and renovated, and looked quite neatly. The inhabitants hadn't ruined them yet, though Hannah didn't have high expectations. Still, they looked nice while they were there.

“What do you do, Ace? Study, work, secret government agent?” She almost sighed at her own humor. As the door closed, a strange breeze ran through the building, causing even the Canadian a strange shiver. She grunted slightly at it, but simply dismissed it afterwards.

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

I usually do something like that, but I've just come to editing it less over the years, but don't worry! Take your time @RosebeltAngel

I won't post until a few hours, just sorta woke up in the middle of the night, but just read it ^^

East meets West (SlashInfinite & POOHEAD189 1x1)

Mikasa was still standing in her place. The men and women had begun discussing their next move, though their situation still remained a mystery. There were whispers of war in the room, whispers others simply dismissed. Mikasa looked between some of the higher ranked officers. Most of them still stood high and proud, even in the time of distress. The elderly woman retracted herself from the table and quickly approached Mikasa. Snapping out of her paralyzed stance, she greeted her with a formal nod. The woman offered a smile, waving her hand dismissively.
“You do not have to be so formal with me, Lady Mikasa. I still remember your first sparring session clear as day. You've grown quite a bit, on the good sides, mind.” Tushia offered a grin, which broke completely through the young Lady's defense. She had always been so fond of Tushia, both off and on the battlefield. She was a witty old woman, and a devastating warrior, even in her age.

The discussion went on, and both Mikasa and Tushia shared a few whispers between it all. Finally, the general spoke up again. “Right. I think we can conclude we know far too little. For all we know, this could've been a band of deserters, working as simple bandits. I propose a scout. Nothing too fancy, we don't want to provoke another attack.” He nodded, no one objecting. In fact, this caused a girl to speak up for the first time during the entire meeting. “I'll ride towards the Pass, General. I never was one for the celebrations, anyway.” Mikasa nodded firmly, her character standing strong, even whilst donned in her dress. The men looked towards her, pondering at the suggestion. General Hakatomi nodded slowly. “I understand your enthusiasm, Lady Mikasa. Truly, I do. Though we shouldn't make any decisions too quick.”. Mikasa nodded back at him, before speaking again. “I'll be able to arrive before the dawn hits. We will need all the time we can get, and I have made the journey many times before.” She insisted. The men nodded in unison, and Mikasa quickly took her leave.

The festives had truly kicked off, and Mikasa scanned the crowd for Naria. Finally catching the young girl, Mikasa couldn't help but smile. The maid had spoken so fondly of a very specific man, a servant of some other household, as far as Mikasa could recall. The two of them were dancing happily together, which was a bittersweet sight. “I pray this won't be the last time in years, you'll be able to smile.” Mikasa muttered to herself, before being on her way back to the Shuenaii household. Upon arrival, she quickly made to her room, jumping surprisingly quickly out of her clothes, and rushed to the family armory. She began equipping her armor, the cuirass, the shoulder pads, and the calf guard. The armor of the Swordmaidens were much equal to their male counterpart, the Heroshidan Samurai, though with minor adjustments. Most carried masks as well, to scare the enemy. But Mikasa simply had a protective helmet, donned with a fair sized horse tail on top. She couldn't help but smile, as she strapped her scabbard to her belt. That sword, had been through such a great many things.

Outside, the pinto horse awaited pateiantly. Mikasa strapped her helm to the saddle, and forced herself up on it. Another of the savants had assisted the Lady upon her arrival , looking at her with great concern. She simply smiled at him. “Will you explain the situation to Miss Hayashi? And please, keep the details of battle to a minimum.” The man nodded back, as Mikasa went on her way towards the Dorochai Pass.

The night had begin to engulf the land, but that hadn't stopped the young woman. So many thoughts raced through her head. Fear, sorrow, excitement, and a rush of adrenaline. After so many hours of riding, she finally could see the lights of the Point overlooking the Pass. The horse stopped by command, and Mikasa patted him carefully. “We'll be all right, don't you worry.”

Blessed (RosebeltAngel and SlashInfinite)

Hannah raised her hand and passively poked the door, still having her head on the wooden door. She simply hadn't thought of a better idea, than to simply wait for anyone to come. It could be hours, though. Most were probably still resting after partying last night, or watching some episode of some show they all were so in love with. Not saying Hannah didn't enjoy watching things, she just preferred to do it after homework, as always. Finally she retracted her head, sighing at the door again. She looked up at the building, wondering if perhaps she was able to climb to her window? Hannah shrugged to herself, placing her hands on her hips before raising an eyebrow. Swiftly, the woman turned around, meeting the gaze of the young man. She froze briefly, staring at him in silence. How long had he been there? Upon further inspection she recognized him, a man living on the floor beneath her. She never knew what to make of him, but admitted to herself that she was most likely the one looking most strange in this situation.

“Ahem.” She cleared her throat, stepping towards him with her hands folded in front of her. “I uhh… You live here too, right? 102? 101? I forgot my key… Just this once.” Hannah offered an embarrassed smile, but still didn't really know how to act around him. She could barely even recall his name, and discreetly did all she could to avoid seeming like she had forgotten. Indeed, she preferred to keep track of things. Pausing for a brief second, she narrowed her eyes at him. He was up early. Hannah was used to having to sneak out in the mornings, to avoid waking up anyone else in the building. Realizing her empty situation, she quickly continued.
“I'd appreciate it if you could open up? I don't know if you ever caught my name,, but it's Hannah. I live in 110.” She tried to offer another smile, carefully holding out her hand for a handshake, as she had stepped closer.

@RosebeltAngel