[open] wow i hate thinking up titles so i'm not going to

[suddenlybees]

i. 9/28, castle/shrine
[ Man, he knew that portal was no good— he should've just drawn it himself instead of relying on his team members, and now he's got to go find them, wherever the hell they ended up. Kano had come to inside some battered old castle, but with nobody else around, he takes his time looking around, frowning when he realizes that being in this place somehow nullifies his powers; he isn't surprised, but it's still annoying, him having to roll down his sleeves to hide the cuts and bruises on his arms and hands, and flip the hood over his head because he is also one of those unreasonable people who wears hoodies when it's still hot out. There's a bearded dragon hanging around behind his neck, tail flopped over one shoulder and head poking out the other side.

The blue door to the Velvet Room is the main point of interest here, but he simply makes a note of it and moves along, steps slow and silent, head turning and eyes darting around at the slightest sound. Like this, he eventually makes his way to the shrine, climbing the steps two at a time.

Huh.

He is absolutely that person who sees a box full of shiny stones and tries to fish one out. He's going to stuff these into his infinite pockets if he can get away with it. This should be alright, right? In return, he pulls a couple of ketchup packets out of his pockets and drops it into the box. ]

ii. 9/28, town
[ He really does stand out in town, Kano realizes, seeing all the townspeople and being a little unnerved by the lack of diversity compared to his school back in France, or even Canada. But the nice thing is that they don't even give him a second glance as he walks through town with a baseball cap on with as much hair as he can stuffed under it, hood flipped up to cover the hat and provide more shadow to hide his face, and wearing sunglasses over bright red eyes he can't otherwise hide.

Still, having people's eyes on him is never a comfortable feeling no matter how brief, so he eventually takes refuge on top of one of the buildings in the shopping district, perched at the edge of the gently sloped roof as he surveys the street below and stares pointedly at the signs on the street and storefronts without actually reading them. Just staring. His phone is out, and every few seconds he idly taps the screen, looking around for people who look at least a little out of place like he is. ]

Hey! Hey, pssstt!

[ He waves you closer to the building from where he sits on the roof, legs crossed at the ankles and lightly swinging. The bearded dragon sitting in his lap lifts its head and blinks blearily down at you. Come here. ]

There's a desk mint in it for you if you help me out~ How 'bout it?

iii. 9/29-10/2; lockdown
[ He hasn't slept in days. Not since he got here, and especially not at night when those things come out and Kano's training is to avoid them, watching and learning as much as he can before taking action. The monsters— the Outland Mists— crawl their way inside some of the houses, but they never get up to the rooftops where Kano sits, so it's been a good place to keep watch and see what's going on.

From what he can tell, the Mists appear for one hour a night, when the world is overcome by the Blight and turns dark. The Mists originate from the lake, but there are Tamers who also go into the lake to supposedly eradicate the Mists. If that's the case, they're not doing a very good job, because night after night, the numbers don't decrease in the slightest.

But by watching, he's learned that the little charms the Tamers have contain runes that call their Familiars to them, and it really is a stroke of luck that Kano had founds one abandoned in that castle back there. He's not a Tamer, but he tried it out, holding the charm and focusing on it, but no being suddenly comes out to greet him. Instead of the light that emanates when people summon their Personas, the space around Kano becomes darker, shrouding him in shadow and the faintest hissing noise. Disappointing, but not surprising. Like that, he strolls off towards the lake to intercept the next person about to take the plunge, footsteps light and hard to catch, at odds with his voice, loud and cheery. ]

Heeeeeyy! Wait up, wait up~

[ It's a voice that immediately attracts the attention of every Shadow in the area, and it's a voice that speaks in English instead of Japanese because he assumes this is what most Tamers would speak. ]

I'm looking for the Herald! Do you know? Is it down there?

Comments

[overstrain]

[ Well, he's right. Maybe it's another thing to note is that he doesn't have to think about anything when he goes to kill all those Shadows by himself without worrying about hurting anyone else in the process. Just some cold, mindless killing.

...

It looks like Vassago's way of using Life Drain had upgraded, because he's sure devouring the Shadows instead of just biting them like a vampire like he did before. Delicious Shadows. :9

It only reminds Terry that he really wants to kill something right now-- ]

Aren't you working by yourself too? Since you're alone.

[suddenlybees]

[ lmfao control your bloodlust, Terry. ]

Nope, no way! I got a real good team, you know? They're all such good kids~ They're around somewhere!! Probably!

[ Anyways, yeah, he's working by himself and he's alone. But he's technically on a team? Yeah. ]

[overstrain]

[ ...

Terry looks at him, not sure how to say this, but he'll say it anyway after a moment of thought. ]

You got ditched, huh...?

[suddenlybees]

Wow! How blunt!!

[ It was his thoughts too, but hearing somebody confirm it... ]

But oh well, that's good for me, isn't it? Like I said, they can all take care of themselves, so all I gotta do it wait around and hope they come back. Lots of free time for myself~

[overstrain]

I can help find them for if you want. I'm gonna need your name though.

[ The long awaited question as Terry just kicks another Shadow into the lake that inches way too close. ]

[suddenlybees]

Nope, no deal! Bye~

[ He just turns around and leaves... ]

[overstrain]

[ Terry is quiet as Kano is leaving and blinks after several seconds. Was it that big of a deal of telling his name--

...

Oh.

His eyes are wide. ]

Wait, you're Kano...?

[suddenlybees]

[ The surprise that comes across Kano's face is brief and thankfully hidden with his back turned to Terry before he turns on his heel to face Terry. ]

Huh? What's that?

[ Maybe he heard wrong!!! He will give Terry the chance to say otherwise. ]

[overstrain]

[ By the time Kano turns around, Terry is already really close to him. ]

You're Kano!

[ It's his turn to be loud. ]

You're alive and--oh my god. You should go see Kido. I can tell you where she is--

[suddenlybees]

Ehh...

[ There's not enough time or space for Kano to get away, so the most he can do is lean back and prepare to make a break for it if needed. Too bad he's pretty slow on his feet, and lacks the distractions he can usually use to get out of situations like this. ]

What, do I have an arrest warrant out for me or something? A bounty?? Hey, how' bout you let me go, just this once?

[overstrain]

[ What did you say, Kano? Something about going somewhere? Yeah, let's go to the Black Cat house! He's going to attempt to pick him up over his head. ]

[suddenlybees]

[ The attempt is successful, because just like Minato, Kano makes no effort to keep from being picked up, and once he's in the air, he doesn't do much of anything to struggle out of Terry's grasp either. ]

Wow, are we really doing this?! Am I really being kidnapped?!!

[overstrain]

Yeah.

[ He's not gonna cover it up. Kano is here! Kano is alive! No gunshots!! Wow!! Terry starts walking over to his house now. ]

Not like you have anything better to do right now.

[suddenlybees]

My time's not worth anything, huh? Wow! Thanks!!

[ At least Terry's walking instead of going 80 mph. For now. ]

But hey, I can walk, you know? I won't run off! So how 'bout you let me down?

[overstrain]

[ I wanted to say you just jinxed yourself, but Terry is just Terry, so he tightly holds onto Kano while still lifting him over his own head and zooms over at full speed to the house because he can't wait to tell Kido!!

And now they're at the front door.

Also, no. He's not letting him go. ]

[suddenlybees]

[ asdflkjh Kano definitely would have run off the moment his feet touched the ground, so the outcome would have been the same either way. God, he hates it every time something zooms like that. ]

Ugh... Couldn't be more gentle with the ride, could you?? Hang on a bit, I gotta throw up on your head before we go inside.

[overstrain]

[ He keeps his hold on Kano but moves his head's direction away from himself.

Puke all you want, Kano........... He's still not going to let him go no matter what. ]

[suddenlybees]

Pft- Don't do that! I said, it's gotta be on your head before we go in~ Otherwise it's no good!

[ He needs to be gross on Terry specifically, or not at all. Kano's fine. ]

[overstrain]

[ Terry raises an eyebrow but then slings Kano over his shoulder while keeping his grip and holding him down with his arm over his back. He knows Kano wants to run off...

He gets his key out to unlock the door. ]

I wonder if she's still here...

[suddenlybees]

You gonna tell me who you're taking me to? Your boss?? C'mon, at least let me down so I look presentable...

[ Have some pity on him, Terry!! Nobody wants to meet somebody new while slung over somebody's shoulder like a sack of flour. ]

[overstrain]

I said I was taking you to see Kido. She saw you die, so it's a relief that you're not, well, dead.

[ He's still not letting go though. He unlocks the door and walks inside. The lights don't work, so he calls out for Kido.

...

Probably not here...? Hm. ]

[suddenlybees]

[ Not here... Probably out taking a walk, or watching the Shadows like she said she would because they won't be able to detect her. Or maybe she's just hiding, idk. The house would otherwise be quiet, if Kano doesn't just keep chattering along like this is commonplace for him. ]

He~h... Was it during that time? With the fey? Or with the snake? 'course I came back! It's surprisingly hard to die when people keep fighting to take you back!

[overstrain]

You got shot in the head with a gun.

[ That's how he remembers it anyway.

... Wait. ]

You got revived? Multiple times?

[suddenlybees]

Eh... What a mundane way to die... Who shot me in the head?

[ Not even with magic or dying in battle, but a gun. Cool. ]

[overstrain]

... I dunno.

[ Yeah, he doesn't know about that. All he knows is that he got shot in the head. ]

Either way, you came back from the dead or something?

[ Terry himself wouldn't test that out, but. You know. ]