[Monday, October 13th. 11 PM] [Having just concluded a brief conversation with Christian, Mizuki finds herself resuming her patrol through Central Park. It's fairly quiet in this part of the park; even though the city, and the park, are a lot safer than they were in the bad old days, real New Yorkers know better than to go wandering around the more secluded areas at night.] [And so she floats along the treetops on the cool autumn night, talking advantage of the quiet moment to think about things. Possibly with the active participation of the other voice inside her. What things? Well, maybe we're about to find out!] [Mini Start] * Mizuki floats, murmuring, A beat, then, She is silent a few long moments, looking over the park, then, * Mizuki is silent, then, A beat, then, She fishes out the EW contact device and activates it. [Mizuki activate her comm card, and after a moment an image of Sister Admin's translucent form appears on a little screen. "What's up, Mizuki?"] * Mizuki replies, "Is Eternal Warrior available?" ["He's dealing with a moderate-level disturbance up in the South Bronx right now. I can patch you through if it's urgent, or leave a signal to contact you if it's not."] * Mizuki shakes her head and says, "He has my direct number... when he is done with his disturbance, he should call." ["Right. I'll send the signal to him then. I'll get some eyes on the situation, let you know if it seems like it's gonna take a while."] * Mizuki shakes her head. "It is of no concern. He will let me know." And then she hangs up before getting in a protracted conversation. After a moment she says, as she continues patrol. [A few minutes pass, and then Mizuki's cell phone rings. The caller ID says it's Eternal Warrior. Or maybe it says it's Sigurd?] (EW.) * Mizuki floats to a stop, using the hero-side phone to answer, "This is Mizuki." [Okay, it says it's Eternal Warrior. Excuse me for being a sentamentalist.] [It sure is EW. "Honored priestess. It is always a pleasure."] * Mizuki smiles slightly. "As with you. Are you free? I was hoping that I could spend a few of your free moments in your company." ["I could hardly refuse such a request. I should have this encounter concluded momentarily... one moment, please." He trails off, and you can hear him yelling annoyedly as he holds the phone away from his mouth. "Will you *please* stop throwing mailboxes at me?! The first dozen had nary an effect, what madness posesses you to continue your assau-" A loud THUNK sound. "This is getting absu-" A louder crash. "A dumpster? Fiend, my patience is at an end!"] [And then there were sounds of a rather thorough whupping.] (Fiend, my patienc) (EDIT okay, take that () out.) * Mizuki lets out a soft sigh, looking up at the sky, then she murmurs, "Yes, I suppose that's true." [After a few moments, you hear EW shout, again with the phone away from his ear. "Now stay down! FOR ODIN!" He gets back on the line. "My apologies, honored priestess. The encounter has been concluded."] * Mizuki chuckles and replies, with a light teasing tone, "You could have waited until it was concluded to call." [He replies, sounding a bit embarassed. "Yes, well... I had thought it all but over, but my adversary was more persistant than I'd imagined." He pauses. "And I had thought him out of mailboxes within range."] * Mizuki aahs quietly, and then says, "Well, if you are still available... perhaps you could come to Central Park? There is a egyptian obelisk here I would like to sit upon for a few moments, and would not mind the company." ["I can be there in fifteen minutes."] * Mizuki nods and replies, "You know where it is, I hope?" ["Of course. Such treasures are not to be ignored."] * Mizuki nods slightly and says, "I shall see you in those fifteen minutes, then." [He chuckles lightly. "Set a watch if you wish. The Eternal Warrior is never late." And the call ends.] * Mizuki hangs up herself and floats her way over to the obelisk, before sitting on one of the slopes, feet placed flat against it, a-la sitting on a hill. She murmurs, [And so Mizuki sits atop the obelisk, drinking in the sights that such a vantage point in the heart of New York offers. Ten minutes go by, and there's no sign of EW.] * Mizuki has her staff across her knees at the moment, leaning forward on them as she looks down. She murmurs, [A couple more minutes go by with no sign of him. But there is that strange, interrmitten rumble coming from the north, causing the obselisk to vibrate slightly every ten seconds or so...] * Mizuki squints as she feels that, peering in that direction a moment, before sighing and getting off her feet, heading towrads the possible disturbance. [Mizuki starts to float off of the tower when she suddenly gets a view of something off in the distance... a large figure, rising up into the air, propelled forward in an arc, only to fall back down to earth and repeat. And as it comes closer, with the clear sky out tonight, she's pretty sure the figure's wearing armor...] * Mizuki peers at it, murmuring, "That cannot..." [Indeed it is. As it gets closer, Mizuki realizes that the form is that of the Eternal Warrior, covering enormous ground with each powerful leap. After a few more jumps, he lands in the clearing around the obelisk and starts running for it with the speed and power of a runaway train.] * Mizuki floats back atop it, slightly startled at his super jumping before she settles down and brushes her hair back, calming herself. [As he nears the obelisk, EW tenses his legs and leaps again, flying almost straight up into the air. Mizuki watches as he rises up the side of the obelisk, and reaches the apex of his jump... right at the top, as he gently steps onto the slope to the left of Mizuki, a big grin on his face, not breathing hard but with a light coat of sweat on his brow. "Fourteen minutes, fifty-seven seconds, honored priestess."] * Mizuki swallows, then asks softly, "Sigurd... not much for subtlty, it seems?" ["It has never been among my talents, no." He lays back on the face of the obelisk, a few feet from Mizuki. "A lovely view from up here."] * Mizuki smiles slightly and looks him over, replying, "Ah, yes..." then glancing away and adding, "Very." * Mizuki then looks out over the park and lets out a soft sigh. [He falls silent for a moment, taking slow, deep breaths. "I believe this is the first break I've had in thirty-six hours. My thanks for the invitation."] * Mizuki laughs softly and replies, "Everyone needs a break." She looks up at the sky a moment, then, "Sigurd... what would you do were you to know my real name? My... real face?" [He takes a moment to consider that, and looks over at Mizuki. "I know what you ask, but I cannot agree with the construction of the question you pose. That you exist with a host makes you no less real." He grins. "That said, given the opportunity to meet her, I would greet her as I would any other commrade, and hope that I have not made too bad an impression upon her."] * Mizuki chuckles and replies, "I am... more worried about who else would learn. If you would find yourself wanting to interact with her. There are dangers there." A moment, then, "Talk of masks earlier... they bring such thoughts to mind." [Sigurd 'aah's. "I have little capacity for subtlety, but I have worked hard to train myself in the art of discretion. Should your host wish to interact with me, there are places where I am known and welcome and have earned the respect of privacy."] * Mizuki is silent a moment, then a smirk comes on her lips and says, "Isn't that more a You and Mizuki thing?" [He barks out a laugh. "Not what I meant, but point well taken." The chuckle dies down. "I was referring more to places like the tea house that was host to our previous outing."] * Mizuki looks a bit embarassed and replies, "Yes, we know." A moment, then she says, quietly, "I think we must. At least for a moment." * Mizuki then looks directly to him. "Look towards me, please." [EW sits up, turns towards Mizuki, and nods.] * Mizuki rests her staff in her left hand as the glow dulls and she looks over at him, her face shifting. Still asian, but with darker eyes and lighter skin. Shorter hair, cut to frame her face simply. Wearing a black t-shirt and black jeans. Glasses too. The big thing, though, is the lack of any _right_ arm. Black and white sneakers now instead of the socked feet she had before. [EW bows his head slightly. "Sigurd, son of Valdemar, at your service."] * Mizuki also looks older, maybe twice Mizuki's age. She murmurs in a low voice, with the barest hint of british accent, "There ya go." * Mizuki swallows and then looks out over the park. "Always a bit of a pisser to do that. Call me Abby if you have to. That's neutral enough." ["I am honored that both of you place enough trust in me to reveal yourself in this way.... Abby." He pauses. "The staff, then, is the focus of connection?"] * Mizuki waves her staff hand in the air. "Enough. It's more complex than that, but I don't really get too much time to dwell, and she knows all the good stuff." Suffice it to say, I keep a damn firm grip. [He nods. "Understandable. Your joining was recent, then?"] * Mizuki laughs faintly, "Hell no. It's been... years." * Mizuki looks over at him. "Guess that's recent to _you_." ["There are times when perspective regarding such things is... difficult, I admit."] * Mizuki snorts and says, "Yeah, well, s'your job to keep perspective." She grips the staff tighter. "So, you like her, huh?" [Sigurd raises an eyebrow, then breaks out in a small grin. "You share my talents for subtlety. I appreciate that." He closes his eyes, and leans back a bit before looking back at Abby. "In short, yes. At length..."] * Mizuki smirks and replies, "Comes with the job. Ain't got time to waste," before letting him continue. ["Several centuries into my life, I realized that I had been a damned fool for a very, very long time. I resolved to be... cautious in such matters, in part because of my immortality, and the inevitable difficulties that brings."] ["I do not express interest lightly, because I believe such matters are not to be taken lightly."] * Mizuki mms, then nods slightly. "Guess you have learned a few things." ["I am, thankfully, not the fool I once was. A different kind of fool now, perhaps."] * Mizuki smirks, then says, "I'm not gonna argue there." * Mizuki then looks aside. "You're not really my type. But kami knows Mizuki likes 'em strong and respectful." [He nods, a bit of a goofy grin flashing across his face momentarily. "I feel obliged to ensure that you are, at the very least, not uncomfortable with such a prospect, as it is obvious that your spirit and hers are intertwined."] * Mizuki shrugs. "That's part of why I wanted to do this." She looks over at him. "As long as you're not stupid about it, I'm fine. It's not like you're bad looking." Don't need shit getting in the way. Like I said. Don't have time. ["Agreed."] * Mizuki looks over at him. "So there you go. Now you know how eachother feels, and most of the weird is gone." She runs a hand back through her hair and chuckles. "Funny. Always felt closer to the night, but it's her that gets to walk it. Fly it." [Sigurd grins. "I cannot fly, but if you wished sometime, I can manage a reasonable approximation."] * Mizuki smirks faintly, saying, "Need one of those private rooms, maybe?" Then she shakes her head. "No. No, I don't really want to fly. It's just weird. I'm a night-owl that's never really awake at night." She grips the staff tighter a moment, then, "Well, it's been fun, but she'd better get back." [He bows his head again. "Godspeed."] * Mizuki grips the staff tighter as she glows, and Mizuki's form reasserts itself before too long. She looks highly embarassed as she looks over at EW and says, "Ah... well, you two seemed to get along well." ["She and I have a similar fondness for directness, which made things much easier." He then sits back up and turns to Mizuki, smiling warmly. "You have no cause for embarassment before me, honored priestess."] * Mizuki smiles weakly. "That she does." After a moment, she then leans over and slowly plants a close-mouthed kiss on EW's lips. [EW's eyes bolt open at that, and he gently leans into the kiss.] * Mizuki leans back from the short kiss and says, quietly, "Sometimes, her experience is valuable too." [Sigurd takes a moment to recover his wits, and nods slowly. "Indeed."] * Mizuki then looks back forward out and half-smiles, before saying quietly, "Some say war is the worst time for romance. Some say it is the best. Only lovers would know for sure." [Sigurd keeps his gaze on Mizuki. "As one who has fought many wars... if your heart is strong, you feelings true, and your spirit unyielding, no war can stand in the way."] * Mizuki looks over at him, then looks down slightly and says softly, "Only time." * Mizuki then half-smiles as she looks back at him. "You cannot be lucky enough to be uninterrupted forever." [He nods slowly, leaning back against the obelisk and looking up. "Another lesson I've learned... when one knows not when your time will be interrupted, one treasures every uninterrupted moment all the more."] * Mizuki nods slightly and replies, "Of course." A moment, then she replies, "I learned that with sleep years ago. But it's good for moments too." [Sigurd strokes his beard lightly, then turns his head to Mizuki. "Though I said this before, and I know that you heard it, I must say it again, to you... you have caught my attention, honored priestess. A fondness grows that I have no wish to ignore."] * Mizuki looks down a moment, then she looks back at him and says quietly, "In honesty, I found myself struck by someone who spoke to both my past and my future in you, Sigurd. I would not ask you to ignore the feelings that come upon you." [Sigurd smiles, and reaches out a hand and arm towards Mizuki.] * Mizuki reaches her free right hand over to grasp his hand and smile slightly. [Sigurd closes his hand over Mizuki's, nearly engulfing it, and allows low rumble of contentment from deep in his chest to escape.] * Mizuki smiles a little and looks down at the park, before she chuckles softly to herself. ["Hmm?"] * Mizuki glances to him, then says quietly, "She is amused at your noise. Apparently you're a large cat." [He chuckles. "I am content, and could think of no better words."] * Mizuki nods slightly and looks back out, smiling faintly. "Good." [Mini End]