[ She barely has time to let Yato know she's understood (or ask if he's alright, even) before the wolves are coming; she backs up with a soft gasp into her Persona, but Thanatos is on them in an instant, slicing through three of them with one clean sweep of his sword.
They also disappear in a dark cloud, and Elizabeth realizes (and is thankful) that they're just like the monsters from the convention. That's good, that's really good—she can pretend they're just game monsters come to life or something. They're not real, not really, they won't bleed, it's fine, it's fine...
...Little girls are future Elizabeth's problem, right now present Elizabeth has to handle wolves. ]
Thanatos, wipe them out!
[ The Persona roars in reply, grabbing her and backing off with a jerking motion; a moment later, a ball of energy pools at the tip of his sword, and he slams it down into a good chunk of them... and probably too close to Yato for anyone's comfort. He flickers a bit, Elizabeth slipping back onto the ground, but solidifies after a moment.
Megidola is powerful, but it takes a lot out of her, and she has to catch her breath; sorry, Yato. ]
[ Yato is intimately familiar with the workings of Megidola, so he hurries away from the blast zone to take refuge near Elizabeth. It feels pretty good, seeing that move take down so many opponents at once (and also it not being aimed directly at Yato). When it's done, Yato is surprised to see Thanatos flickering and Elizabeth suddenly tired. Almost as if she's powering him... Yato bends to see if she's okay. ]
Hey, Elizabeth--
[ Before he can get any further, the movement of the remaining wolves regrouping catches his eye. It looks like Elizabeth needs a breather, so it's time for him to pull his weight. He raises his sword, forcing his left arm to work for him, and calls out into the fog. ]
Hiiro! I know you're out there!
[ The wolves pounce again. Seeing that Elizabeth is winded, some of them aim for her -- but Yato will do his best to cut them down and count on Thanatos to catch anything that slips through the cracks.
Though he's wounded, Yato's bladework remains impeccable. If there's one proof that he's the god of war his memories claim him to be, it'll be this: his blast-bitten internet-bought katana, the hilt warped and handle wrapped in colorful tennis racket grip to cover the damage, is even deadlier in his hands than the day he received it. He dances with the wolves, his blade arcing and biting with as much art as brutality. When claws or fangs find him, they never go unpunished; he sends wolves poofing away in a steady march, hardly feeling his injuries.
In the middle of all this, Elizabeth may feel a sudden presence at her side. A little black-haired girl in a white robe and a crooked triangle headband will be crouched next to her, her chin resting on her cupped hands. She makes no move to harm Elizabeth, but she does stare intently at Elizabeth, seemingly curious.
[ Even if his movements begin to lag a little, Thanatos makes certain to keep Elizabeth safe—not that he has to do much, with Yato moving so brilliantly out there. She's honestly taken aback by how smooth his movements are, though she's certain he's going to regret covering for her when the adrenaline runs out.
She's so lost in watching him she doesn't notice the girl for a moment, but eventually Thanatos' attention shifts to the new presence, and so does hers; she hasn't attacked Elizabeth, so she's considered a non-threat for the moment, and he returns his focus to the wolves. Elizabeth doesn't; she stares at her for a moment (If you see a little girl in a white robe, get rid of her too!) and smiles thinly, leaning away with her book on her lap. Who is she? More like, who is she— ]
Elizabeth Velveteen, [ politely, because despite the poor situation her upbringing demands she at least extend some sort of manners. ] An acquaintance of Yato's. And you would be..?
[ ...hopefully not an enemy? Though, Yato wouldn't have asked her to get rid of her too if she wasn't dangerous, but... ]
[ Hiiro smiles at Elizabeth, but there's a hint of something else there too. Pity? Condescension?
"Poor, poor Elizabeth. Getting caught up in all this because of an acquaintance. A piece of advice for you," she says, her smile unchanging. "Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
From behind Hiiro, a large, long-eared fox ayakashi stalks out of the fog and looms over her. A single-eyed mask sits squarely on its forehead, and the eye seems to peer into Elizabeth as the fox gazes intently at her as it would its prey.
Yato finally notices Hiiro's presence. He slashes through a wolf before turning to rush over -- but he's noticed too late, because the fox is already lunging at Elizabeth, its fangs bared. ]
[ She'll stick her nose wherever she wants to, thank you, she's the Madame-Director-President of a detective agency, she's allowed to—
is a thought that would be crossing her mind if not for the fox lunging, and Elizabeth bites her lip so hard it bleeds when she lifts an arm for it to grab onto instead of, say, her neck. Much more preferable, even if she's going to regret this—even if she already is.
But she isn't regretting stepping in to help Yato, and Thanatos disappears when she slams shut her compendium and smacks the fox with it, adrenaline keeping her going. She'll summon him again soon, certainly, but her main concern is this awful thing, and it doesn't bleed, so she doesn't feel that bad about hurting it. ]
[ Yato would dwell more on Thanatos's vanishment if there weren't more important things at hand, like the thing trying to maul Elizabeth. Hiiro was troublesome and an annoyance when she was hounding Yato alone, but now she's crossed a line. He closes the distance to Elizabeth and channels his anger into his swing as he rends the fox's neck halfway through. It's enough to break it down to a cloud of particles in death, releasing Elizabeth from its jaws.
He rounds on Hiiro, his body taut. The wolves are depleted but for a few wounded remnants, leaving her the last real threat. ]
That's enough! Leave, now!
[ Hiiro's smile doesn't falter. Her head tilts a fraction, and for a moment Yato tenses, expecting another wave of ayakashi. Finally, she makes a sound like a giggle.
"Good night, Yato. We'll be waiting for you," she says pleasantly, and he knows whom she's referring to. Her eyes flicker over to Elizabeth, and the corner of her mouth seems to lift before she turns away and she and her wolves vanish into the fog. ]
[ Elizabeth stares after her for a moment; she isn't sure what Hiiro's words mean, and she isn't sure if there's a meaning in the smile, either. If there is, she can't sort it out—she's realizing she knows very, very little about Yato. His affairs and in general, actually.
But of course she does. She doesn't talk about her memory stuff, and she doesn't ask after anyone else's. Elizabeth gives a quick look around to make sure the wolves are gone, then adjusts her grip on her book so she can shakily stand up. It's held tightly against her, her hurt arm limp at her side because she isn't sure what to do with it right now.
Deep breaths. Don't cry. ]
I'm sorry, Yato. [ Step one: check. She's exhausted and she sounds it. ] Are you alright?
[ Step two: failed. She's tearing up because her arm hurts, dammit, and if she hadn't hesitated and decided a little girl wasn't a threat because she wasn't attacking her at that moment, then this probably wouldn't have happened—she would have hesitated anyway, given Hiiro is distinctly human-shaped and she isn't into hurting those, and she knows it. Which is doubly stupid, because she had one (1) job, and she couldn't go through with it—
A little sniffle, and she's ducking her head. Yato likes that she's unfazeable, right? She should keep that up. Keep a level-head and make sure everything is okay, and then she can go home and lose it in her room like a normal teenage girl. ]
[ Yato can't blame for Elizabeth for failing to target Hiiro when he was just as unable to raise a hand against her. Despite knowing about her transgressions, something in him finds it hard to confront the little girl who links so many of his memories together.
He remains stiff after Hiiro has disappeared. The town around them settles back into an uneasy silence... until there's the sound of Elizabeth shifting, followed by her apology. Yato finally turns to look at her. The tension in his expression melts into concern when he sees the wound on her arm, and he sheathes his sword to better help her. ]
I'll be okay. Just gotta...
[ He trails off. Is she... crying? He hears a sniffle, she's looking away, and -- yeah, she's crying. A moment of helplessness strikes him. Maybe her arm hurts that much??? He tilts sideways to try and get a look at her face. ]
Hey... Let's get our arms taken care of, okay? Can you still move yours?
[ She turns her face away when he tries to look at her, lips pressed tightly together in a thin line. Can she move hers... She lifts it and gives him a small wave, then curls her fingers once or twice to test them. It hurts a little to do that, and she's bleeding, obviously? But things seem to be in working order, at least.
Which is good. She can't let her grades suffer, or her piano practice, or her acting, or— ]
It'd seem I can. [ Her voice is thick, but steady. Look at her go, doing her absolute level best. Where's a fox when you need to pet one. ] And... yes, let's. I don't have anything... Rather, Thanatos doesn't have any healing spells, so I'm a little useless when it comes to taking care of injuries like this... My apologies.
[ And she doesn't have any other Personas, which is terribly useless given what she is (apparently) supposed to be... No, no, don't think about that. It's fine. ]
[ The clinics are all closed and Yato is instinctively averse to the ER, so personal first aid it is. Yato quits trying to peek at Elizabeth's face so that he can rear up and point a thumb at himself with his good arm. ]
Leave it to me! I'll patch us up!
[ Yato is overly enthusiastic about it, as if to chase Elizabeth's worries away. There are a number of things she could be upset about -- the fighting, the life or death situation, the blood -- but whatever it is that's getting to her, it happened because he got her involved with his trouble. It's his job to make her feel better. ]
I know a pit stop nearby. Let's go!
[ He starts off slowly to make sure she's keeping pace. It won't be a long walk... to the shrine of the Seven Gods of Fortune. ]
[ Yato's so multi-talented... Elizabeth'll nod and, as soon as he's turned away, rubs her cheeks of any tears before she starts off after him. She's never been to the shrine before—actually, that's not really that surprising, since she hasn't really been to a lot of places in the city despite living here for the better part of the year at this point—but she's never... been to a shrine in general before?
Really, if it weren't for things like weddings and funerals and all of that, she probably wouldn't have stepped into a church, either. A belief in a higher power doesn't come naturally to her, and even less so now with... Retrospec and all.
She's quiet as they walk though, and she'll stay quiet unless he wants to talk... but she'd sort of rather keep an ear out for that girl, or any of her little monsters, or anything like that. Her own ax-wielding fog monster doesn't bother her unless she's alone, thankfully. ]
[ You learn to do a lot for yourself when you live on the streets for a few years...
Sensing that Elizabeth isn't in the mood for conversation, Yato will chatter to fill the silence while they walk. About little first aid tips, troublesome wounds he's seen, crazy things he's seen people live through... It will probably become clear that he's lived a deeply delinquent lifestyle, or at least been surrounded by some very questionable characters. The anecdotes tumble out of him easily though, and he'll gladly keep up his monologue about wild injury life until they come upon the steps of the shrine.
The Seven Gods of Fortune typically each get their own shrines, but perhaps for space reasons, Recolle has packaged them all together. Yato leads the way up the looming stairway and under the red torii gate. There, the shrine sprawls in front of them. A number of aged, elaborate, Japanese-style buildings are spread across the wide worship grounds, their purposes not immediately obvious to the unfamiliar.
Luckily, Yato has been here before, so he heads straight for a small, roofed water basin near the top of the stairs. He rolls up the shredded sleeve of his injured arm, revealing the blood and blight blackening the wound. With a wooden ladle, he splashes water on his arm, and the blight recedes from his skin. The relief is immediate; Yato sighs and relaxes, a tension in his shoulders he didn't know was there leaking out of him. The cuts are still on his arm, but at least the pain is merely physical.
This isn't exactly the kind of water you'd want to clean a wound with though, so they'll have to do better for Elizabeth. He'll answer her questions about the blight if she has them, but either way he heads for another building on the grounds and promptly breaks the lock on the sliding door with a business-like kick. ]
[ Actually, Yato's chatter is a welcome distraction, and she files the little anecdotes away as soundly as she does lectures in class. Even if she'd like to split her attention, or just ignore it to stay alert, his easy-going manner tugs her along and she slowly finds herself smiling, the pain in her arm becoming less and less noticeable as she focuses elsewhere.
She pauses beneath the torii just briefly, gaze sweeping the shrines before she glances over her shoulder at all the stairs—she catches up to him briskly after, already thinking about coming here in the daytime. It's pretty at night, even with the night being so dangerous this month; it has to be even lovelier during the day, when there's no risk of being hunted. She follows him as he moves, though she's trying to think of how to bring up the whole... awful looking state his arm was in, and
well, she's forgetting that as soon as he breaks the lock, giving a small jump. Um. ]
Was that absolutely necessary, Yato?
[ Her voice is quiet but not small by any means, at the very least. She's gotten a little better with the walk and the distractions, and she shifts her book in her good arm idly. ]
[ He's pretty calm about walking in, though. He flips the lights on, revealing an administration-type interior -- or at least as administrative as shrine architecture can look: a long wooden counter for the shrine workers to sell charms and plaques over behind a wooden shuttered wall, a receptionist's desk, some extra rooms in the back, your typical office setting in an old-fashioned shell. ]
Close the door behind you. Should be safe in here... There's a restroom around the corner to the left if you wanna rinse your wound off.
[ Meanwhile, he heads into a backroom to root around for a first-aid kit. ]
[ She does as she's told and gives the interior a quick glance before she goes to wash her wound. It isn't as bad as she thought it'd be—it's not good, but her arm's still intact. Elizabeth traces it with her fingers under running water, not exactly sure if she needs stitches (maybe? canine bites usually do, right?), and pauses when she catches her reflection in the mirror.
She looks sort of awful. She washes her face, breathing in and out slowly, and comes back out—she ends up resting against that long wooden counter, flipping idly through her grimoire. She can't read any of it, except for Thanatos' and Kohryu's entries, but all the same, it's something to occupy herself with. Her wound's stopped its bleeding at least, between time and water and pressure, but she's still being gentle not to lean on it or lean it on anything.
When he returns, he's getting a small smile and a little wave with her good arm. Like she hasn't been terribly quiet this entire time and also did not sound like she was ten seconds from crying not long before that. ]
[ He won't hold anything against her for having a minor crisis in composure. As much as the inhabitants in the city are getting used to strange happenings, Yato hasn't forgotten that life-threatening situations are the exception rather than the rule. Even collected people like Elizabeth are allowed to have human reactions...
Yato pops back into the lobby with a first-aid kid pilfered from some drawer. He sets it open on the counter next to her. ]
Yep. Lemme see your arm.
[ He glances at her grimoire before pulling out some disinfectant, gauze, and all that good stuff. Whenever she's ready, he'll get to work on patching her up. In the meantime, he has none of her reservations about being nosy. ]
[ He might not care about a break in character, but she does—despite her easy-going nature, she has appearances to keep up. People have expectations and she has to rise above and beyond those, no matter what they might be...
She glances at her book when he asks about, rubbing a page with her finger. ]
A grimoire. [ ... ] It belonged to my other self so, naturally, it's mine as well. I received it not too long ago... It's quite handy, if a little heavy.
[ And not exactly ideal for fighting with, obviously, but it isn't like she fights: her Persona does. She flips it back to Thanatos' page and gives it a little wave with her fingers. ]
It allows me to summon Thanatos. [ A beat. She isn't actually sure how much Yato knows about Ryoji's circumstances, and she's not certain she wants to give everything about him away... Elizabeth frowns a moment, then settles for something that sounds like it should be the foreword of a movie: ] He's mine and mine alone, and any similarities to any other creatures that look like him are purely aesthetic.
[ That last bit answers a number of Yato's questions by virtue of its sheer pointiness. ]
So you know about the other Thanatos. I didn't think there were clones of him running around. The more you know...
[ But it explains why her Thanatos was so controlled. Ryoji could stand to be so polite in his own form of Thanatos. Yato motions for Elizabeth to surrender her injured arm and equips himself with a little bottle of spray disinfectant. Time for some red hot decontamination action. ]
First you're a Midas of blades, and now you're a summoner of death incarnate. You like to be a bucket full of surprises.
[ Elizabeth holds her injured one out to him, lips quirking up in a smile. This spray's either going to be really good or really bad, but it doesn't really matter—she's had worse scrapes before from practice.
...Okay, she has not had worse scrapes than this, but they've gotten pretty bad before. ]
I believe people would consider that a "charm point," Yato. [ She sort of misses her weapon ability, but summoning suits her a lot more, she's found. And then, not as teasing as it could be, given she's still subdued: ] Does it fan the flames of our engagement for you?
[ ...she is pretty sure he was like, not serious at all about the marrying thing during August, but she can't not poke fun about it. ]
[ isn't it wild that they suffered next to no injury after being trapped in a laboratory with a number of crazed beings, shot into space, and thrust into intergalactic battle with an angry alien in an enormous battleship
anyway
this is yato's face as he furiously tries to remember what the fuck she's talking about ]
[ This is why she likes you, Yato. His blank face isn't going unmissed, but it's going uncommented on, and Elizabeth places a hand (of her noninjured arm, obviously) on her chest. ]
My, what bold words. How surprising it is you were ever single with such charming lines under your belt!
[ ...This is stupid, but it's the stupid they need, clearly. ]
i'm glad all my first- and secondhand embarrassment wasn't for naught
Heh heh! My words most sincere fly not at first opportunity, but first necessity. The only surprise is mine, that none bolder sought to claim you first.
[ ... He spritzes the wound and presses some gauze onto it. Just spouting theatrical nonsense while treating an animal wound, no big deal?? ]
did you know: after sending that tag i immediately went to sleep
[ A smile. That is slightly pained, but trying not to be. Wounds sting???? ]
I've never been approached as far as dating goes, to my knowledge. It isn't a concern of mine in the slightest, but I do feel as though I'm not the type of girl anyone looks at and thinks they'd like to go out with. [ ...Romance isn't a big deal for her, so it really doesn't matter; this is just what she's felt. ] Of course, I've always moved around, and most of my interactions and relationships were rather surface-level as a result.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
yato
[ She barely has time to let Yato know she's understood (or ask if he's alright, even) before the wolves are coming; she backs up with a soft gasp into her Persona, but Thanatos is on them in an instant, slicing through three of them with one clean sweep of his sword.
They also disappear in a dark cloud, and Elizabeth realizes (and is thankful) that they're just like the monsters from the convention. That's good, that's really good—she can pretend they're just game monsters come to life or something. They're not real, not really, they won't bleed, it's fine, it's fine...
...Little girls are future Elizabeth's problem, right now present Elizabeth has to handle wolves. ]
Thanatos, wipe them out!
[ The Persona roars in reply, grabbing her and backing off with a jerking motion; a moment later, a ball of energy pools at the tip of his sword, and he slams it down into a good chunk of them... and probably too close to Yato for anyone's comfort. He flickers a bit, Elizabeth slipping back onto the ground, but solidifies after a moment.
Megidola is powerful, but it takes a lot out of her, and she has to catch her breath; sorry, Yato. ]
i think u will find that i suck way worse
Hey, Elizabeth--
[ Before he can get any further, the movement of the remaining wolves regrouping catches his eye. It looks like Elizabeth needs a breather, so it's time for him to pull his weight. He raises his sword, forcing his left arm to work for him, and calls out into the fog. ]
Hiiro! I know you're out there!
[ The wolves pounce again. Seeing that Elizabeth is winded, some of them aim for her -- but Yato will do his best to cut them down and count on Thanatos to catch anything that slips through the cracks.
Though he's wounded, Yato's bladework remains impeccable. If there's one proof that he's the god of war his memories claim him to be, it'll be this: his blast-bitten internet-bought katana, the hilt warped and handle wrapped in colorful tennis racket grip to cover the damage, is even deadlier in his hands than the day he received it. He dances with the wolves, his blade arcing and biting with as much art as brutality. When claws or fangs find him, they never go unpunished; he sends wolves poofing away in a steady march, hardly feeling his injuries.
In the middle of all this, Elizabeth may feel a sudden presence at her side. A little black-haired girl in a white robe and a crooked triangle headband will be crouched next to her, her chin resting on her cupped hands. She makes no move to harm Elizabeth, but she does stare intently at Elizabeth, seemingly curious.
"Who are you?" she asks. ]
we're just gonna suck together i guess
She's so lost in watching him she doesn't notice the girl for a moment, but eventually Thanatos' attention shifts to the new presence, and so does hers; she hasn't attacked Elizabeth, so she's considered a non-threat for the moment, and he returns his focus to the wolves. Elizabeth doesn't; she stares at her for a moment (If you see a little girl in a white robe, get rid of her too!) and smiles thinly, leaning away with her book on her lap. Who is she? More like, who is she— ]
Elizabeth Velveteen, [ politely, because despite the poor situation her upbringing demands she at least extend some sort of manners. ] An acquaintance of Yato's. And you would be..?
[ ...hopefully not an enemy? Though, Yato wouldn't have asked her to get rid of her too if she wasn't dangerous, but... ]
no subject
"Poor, poor Elizabeth. Getting caught up in all this because of an acquaintance. A piece of advice for you," she says, her smile unchanging. "Don't stick your nose where it doesn't belong."
From behind Hiiro, a large, long-eared fox ayakashi stalks out of the fog and looms over her. A single-eyed mask sits squarely on its forehead, and the eye seems to peer into Elizabeth as the fox gazes intently at her as it would its prey.
Yato finally notices Hiiro's presence. He slashes through a wolf before turning to rush over -- but he's noticed too late, because the fox is already lunging at Elizabeth, its fangs bared. ]
no subject
is a thought that would be crossing her mind if not for the fox lunging, and Elizabeth bites her lip so hard it bleeds when she lifts an arm for it to grab onto instead of, say, her neck. Much more preferable, even if she's going to regret this—even if she already is.
But she isn't regretting stepping in to help Yato, and Thanatos disappears when she slams shut her compendium and smacks the fox with it, adrenaline keeping her going. She'll summon him again soon, certainly, but her main concern is this awful thing, and it doesn't bleed, so she doesn't feel that bad about hurting it. ]
no subject
He rounds on Hiiro, his body taut. The wolves are depleted but for a few wounded remnants, leaving her the last real threat. ]
That's enough! Leave, now!
[ Hiiro's smile doesn't falter. Her head tilts a fraction, and for a moment Yato tenses, expecting another wave of ayakashi. Finally, she makes a sound like a giggle.
"Good night, Yato. We'll be waiting for you," she says pleasantly, and he knows whom she's referring to. Her eyes flicker over to Elizabeth, and the corner of her mouth seems to lift before she turns away and she and her wolves vanish into the fog. ]
no subject
But of course she does. She doesn't talk about her memory stuff, and she doesn't ask after anyone else's. Elizabeth gives a quick look around to make sure the wolves are gone, then adjusts her grip on her book so she can shakily stand up. It's held tightly against her, her hurt arm limp at her side because she isn't sure what to do with it right now.
Deep breaths. Don't cry. ]
I'm sorry, Yato. [ Step one: check. She's exhausted and she sounds it. ] Are you alright?
[ Step two: failed. She's tearing up because her arm hurts, dammit, and if she hadn't hesitated and decided a little girl wasn't a threat because she wasn't attacking her at that moment, then this probably wouldn't have happened—she would have hesitated anyway, given Hiiro is distinctly human-shaped and she isn't into hurting those, and she knows it. Which is doubly stupid, because she had one (1) job, and she couldn't go through with it—
A little sniffle, and she's ducking her head. Yato likes that she's unfazeable, right? She should keep that up. Keep a level-head and make sure everything is okay, and then she can go home and lose it in her room like a normal teenage girl. ]
no subject
He remains stiff after Hiiro has disappeared. The town around them settles back into an uneasy silence... until there's the sound of Elizabeth shifting, followed by her apology. Yato finally turns to look at her. The tension in his expression melts into concern when he sees the wound on her arm, and he sheathes his sword to better help her. ]
I'll be okay. Just gotta...
[ He trails off. Is she... crying? He hears a sniffle, she's looking away, and -- yeah, she's crying. A moment of helplessness strikes him. Maybe her arm hurts that much??? He tilts sideways to try and get a look at her face. ]
Hey... Let's get our arms taken care of, okay? Can you still move yours?
no subject
Which is good. She can't let her grades suffer, or her piano practice, or her acting, or— ]
It'd seem I can. [ Her voice is thick, but steady. Look at her go, doing her absolute level best. Where's a fox when you need to pet one. ] And... yes, let's. I don't have anything... Rather, Thanatos doesn't have any healing spells, so I'm a little useless when it comes to taking care of injuries like this... My apologies.
[ And she doesn't have any other Personas, which is terribly useless given what she is (apparently) supposed to be... No, no, don't think about that. It's fine. ]
no subject
Leave it to me! I'll patch us up!
[ Yato is overly enthusiastic about it, as if to chase Elizabeth's worries away. There are a number of things she could be upset about -- the fighting, the life or death situation, the blood -- but whatever it is that's getting to her, it happened because he got her involved with his trouble. It's his job to make her feel better. ]
I know a pit stop nearby. Let's go!
[ He starts off slowly to make sure she's keeping pace. It won't be a long walk... to the shrine of the Seven Gods of Fortune. ]
no subject
Really, if it weren't for things like weddings and funerals and all of that, she probably wouldn't have stepped into a church, either. A belief in a higher power doesn't come naturally to her, and even less so now with... Retrospec and all.
She's quiet as they walk though, and she'll stay quiet unless he wants to talk... but she'd sort of rather keep an ear out for that girl, or any of her little monsters, or anything like that. Her own ax-wielding fog monster doesn't bother her unless she's alone, thankfully. ]
no subject
Sensing that Elizabeth isn't in the mood for conversation, Yato will chatter to fill the silence while they walk. About little first aid tips, troublesome wounds he's seen, crazy things he's seen people live through... It will probably become clear that he's lived a deeply delinquent lifestyle, or at least been surrounded by some very questionable characters. The anecdotes tumble out of him easily though, and he'll gladly keep up his monologue about wild injury life until they come upon the steps of the shrine.
The Seven Gods of Fortune typically each get their own shrines, but perhaps for space reasons, Recolle has packaged them all together. Yato leads the way up the looming stairway and under the red torii gate. There, the shrine sprawls in front of them. A number of aged, elaborate, Japanese-style buildings are spread across the wide worship grounds, their purposes not immediately obvious to the unfamiliar.
Luckily, Yato has been here before, so he heads straight for a small, roofed water basin near the top of the stairs. He rolls up the shredded sleeve of his injured arm, revealing the blood and blight blackening the wound. With a wooden ladle, he splashes water on his arm, and the blight recedes from his skin. The relief is immediate; Yato sighs and relaxes, a tension in his shoulders he didn't know was there leaking out of him. The cuts are still on his arm, but at least the pain is merely physical.
This isn't exactly the kind of water you'd want to clean a wound with though, so they'll have to do better for Elizabeth. He'll answer her questions about the blight if she has them, but either way he heads for another building on the grounds and promptly breaks the lock on the sliding door with a business-like kick. ]
no subject
She pauses beneath the torii just briefly, gaze sweeping the shrines before she glances over her shoulder at all the stairs—she catches up to him briskly after, already thinking about coming here in the daytime. It's pretty at night, even with the night being so dangerous this month; it has to be even lovelier during the day, when there's no risk of being hunted. She follows him as he moves, though she's trying to think of how to bring up the whole... awful looking state his arm was in, and
well, she's forgetting that as soon as he breaks the lock, giving a small jump. Um. ]
Was that absolutely necessary, Yato?
[ Her voice is quiet but not small by any means, at the very least. She's gotten a little better with the walk and the distractions, and she shifts her book in her good arm idly. ]
no subject
[ He's pretty calm about walking in, though. He flips the lights on, revealing an administration-type interior -- or at least as administrative as shrine architecture can look: a long wooden counter for the shrine workers to sell charms and plaques over behind a wooden shuttered wall, a receptionist's desk, some extra rooms in the back, your typical office setting in an old-fashioned shell. ]
Close the door behind you. Should be safe in here... There's a restroom around the corner to the left if you wanna rinse your wound off.
[ Meanwhile, he heads into a backroom to root around for a first-aid kit. ]
no subject
She looks sort of awful. She washes her face, breathing in and out slowly, and comes back out—she ends up resting against that long wooden counter, flipping idly through her grimoire. She can't read any of it, except for Thanatos' and Kohryu's entries, but all the same, it's something to occupy herself with. Her wound's stopped its bleeding at least, between time and water and pressure, but she's still being gentle not to lean on it or lean it on anything.
When he returns, he's getting a small smile and a little wave with her good arm. Like she hasn't been terribly quiet this entire time and also did not sound like she was ten seconds from crying not long before that. ]
Did you find what you were looking for?
no subject
Yato pops back into the lobby with a first-aid kid pilfered from some drawer. He sets it open on the counter next to her. ]
Yep. Lemme see your arm.
[ He glances at her grimoire before pulling out some disinfectant, gauze, and all that good stuff. Whenever she's ready, he'll get to work on patching her up. In the meantime, he has none of her reservations about being nosy. ]
What's that book?
no subject
She glances at her book when he asks about, rubbing a page with her finger. ]
A grimoire. [ ... ] It belonged to my other self so, naturally, it's mine as well. I received it not too long ago... It's quite handy, if a little heavy.
[ And not exactly ideal for fighting with, obviously, but it isn't like she fights: her Persona does. She flips it back to Thanatos' page and gives it a little wave with her fingers. ]
It allows me to summon Thanatos. [ A beat. She isn't actually sure how much Yato knows about Ryoji's circumstances, and she's not certain she wants to give everything about him away... Elizabeth frowns a moment, then settles for something that sounds like it should be the foreword of a movie: ] He's mine and mine alone, and any similarities to any other creatures that look like him are purely aesthetic.
no subject
So you know about the other Thanatos. I didn't think there were clones of him running around. The more you know...
[ But it explains why her Thanatos was so controlled. Ryoji could stand to be so polite in his own form of Thanatos. Yato motions for Elizabeth to surrender her injured arm and equips himself with a little bottle of spray disinfectant. Time for some red hot decontamination action. ]
First you're a Midas of blades, and now you're a summoner of death incarnate. You like to be a bucket full of surprises.
no subject
...Okay, she has not had worse scrapes than this, but they've gotten pretty bad before. ]
I believe people would consider that a "charm point," Yato. [ She sort of misses her weapon ability, but summoning suits her a lot more, she's found. And then, not as teasing as it could be, given she's still subdued: ] Does it fan the flames of our engagement for you?
[ ...she is pretty sure he was like, not serious at all about the marrying thing during August, but she can't not poke fun about it. ]
1/3
anyway
this is yato's face as he furiously tries to remember what the fuck she's talking about ]
2/3
3/3
It's but one puff of wind into the wildfire, my dear Elizabeth. Summoning is a parlor trick before the spell you've already cast on my heart.
[ Yato gets really into Theater 101.
... He's pretty sure she knows he wasn't serious about the marrying thing during August, and he is a firm believer in playing along for fun(?). ]
boba i'm fucking wheezing and breaking my stupid tag freeze for you please be happy
My, what bold words. How surprising it is you were ever single with such charming lines under your belt!
[ ...This is stupid, but it's the stupid they need, clearly. ]
i'm glad all my first- and secondhand embarrassment wasn't for naught
[ ... He spritzes the wound and presses some gauze onto it. Just spouting theatrical nonsense while treating an animal wound, no big deal?? ]
did you know: after sending that tag i immediately went to sleep
[ A smile. That is slightly pained, but trying not to be. Wounds sting???? ]
I've never been approached as far as dating goes, to my knowledge. It isn't a concern of mine in the slightest, but I do feel as though I'm not the type of girl anyone looks at and thinks they'd like to go out with. [ ...Romance isn't a big deal for her, so it really doesn't matter; this is just what she's felt. ] Of course, I've always moved around, and most of my interactions and relationships were rather surface-level as a result.
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)
(no subject)