Kamisori Yūrei's Apartment, 249 3rd st, Apt. 4

This is a small, cozy apartment, the kind that would be used for one, maybe two people, with only the bare necessities of life and the like, a kitchenette, a dining room, a living area, and two bedrooms. The whole building was wheelchair accessible, luckily, and the nurse lived there with Rei to take care of her and make sure she gets food.

The apartment was on the ground floor, directly ahead from where you enter the building. Apartment 4. Rei's nurse pushes her into the apartment, letting her guest come in behind her, and pushes her over to the living area at her direction, stepping away to make them some food, if the guest would like some.

"I'm sorry for the change of location, but... The park was starting to get to me... strange, that rarely happens anymore. I must be... nevermind.

Quote :

"I'm sorry for the change of location, but... The park was starting to get to me... strange, that rarely happens anymore. I must be... nevermind.

Muika shook her head, "No it's fine. I don't mind."

She didn't mind a change in location as she had nothing more to do today anyway now that she'd finished her daily chores around her home and returned the books she'd borrowed.

She nods, looking over at the television, despite it not being on.

"Would you mind if I asked you to tell me about yourself? I would be more than willing to answer any questions you might have of me, as well, of course. It's your choice, but... I am interested in you."

"About me?" Muika repeated, "Well, um...I live on my own and I'm nineteen."

That probably wasn't exactly what Rei meant when she'd asked, but there wasn't much Muika could honestly say. She'd forgotten the name of the city she was born in, it certainly wasn't this one and in all honesty she didn't even know how far away she was from it.

She laughs. That's a new one. Her laugh doesn't seem normal, it didn't have the normal mirth or ease that people have in their laughter in it... it sounded like the laugh of someone who hasn't laughed in a long time. "Hehe... I see. Not what I meant, but it's something. I'm only sixteen, and I live here with the Nurse... I have since... well, for a long time. Since my parents died."

"Ah." She responded, "I lost my parents when I was young too."

That part of her life mattered little to her. She didn't mind sharing that as she didn't really find it all that important. She'd only spent a few years with her father, and during that time he was distant, depressed, she'd never had any real connection with him. As for her mother, she couldn't even recall the woman's face, as she'd died before she'd even had the chance to know her.

They certainly were on a depressing topic though, and Muika hoped what she'd added in hadn't just killed any chance of a more pleasant conversation. It was just all she could think of to really say.

She nods, continuing to look at the television, not having anything better to look at. "I see... We seem to have quite a lot in common, don't we? You wouldn't happen to be a version of me from an alternate timeline, would you?" This was a... very awkward joke. Very, very awkward. Especially since she says it completely deadpan, so the only way to know that it was a joke would be to know ahead of time that it was a joke... or just assume it from the ridiculous nature of the question.

She didn't know about alternate timelines, but she was beginning to realize Rei was right about them having a lot in common.

"This place is nice." Rei's home was much roomier than the small cabin Muika called home. This place had a kitchenette, a dining room, and plenty of other rooms she lacked. She was accustomed to her place though despite it's small limited size. She was grateful she even had it to live in in the first place.

The girl nods, staring off into space, now. "It's well enough. There's a bed, and food, and the like. It's all I need, really." other than my freedom... "I get by. Thank you for the compliment on it, I suppose."

"I mean it, really." She said, giving a small smile; the first of the day for her, to Rei.

She often wondered, once everything was over with, if she'd ever move directly into the city and get a place like this, once she could afford it anyway. While her living space was rather cramped in comparison she liked it. The nights were peaceful and in the city she knew you wouldn't be able to hear the same sounds of the night as you could in the forest.

It was a decision she was torn on, and probably would be for awhile.

Then again, she didn't even know if things between her and...him would even end to where she could live normally. For all she knew she could die or even worse, lose to him and have the current freedom she finally gained after twelve years of confinement snatched away from her.

She closes her eyes, letting out a slow breath. "mm... I did not believe that you were lying to me. I merely pointed out that to me, this is... this is what I require. I cannot move on my own, so there must be infrastructure for multiple people to live here and the like... In any case, is there something on your mind? Your expression is showing signs of... tension, stress?"

"Ah, I didn't mean it like that..." She started, but stopped when was reminded of Rei's most recent concern. "Oh, um no. I'm fine, really."

It wasn't something she could trouble the girl with. To tell would be to involve, having Iyuki involved was already one too many people. She didn't want anyone to be put in harms way because of her.

"So, what's living in the city like?" She asked, changing the topic of conversation. "I live outside the city and just make frequent trips every so often."

She chuckles a little, looking up at the ceiling.

"The city? I wouldn't know. This is a suburb, at best. Not a city, as far as I'm concerned. A city is a large, noisy, annoying place, full of buildings that reach up into the sky. This... This is more peaceful, though not nearly so much as the countryside."

She pauses, trembling a little. "Tell me... Can you keep a secret?"

"A secret?" She took notice of Rei's slight trembling, "I suppose I can."

Who would she tell a secret too anyway, not that she would. If someone trusted her to keep something to herself then she would, she wasn't one to gossip or talk in the first place. Plus, she had her own secrets, big ones to, and when she had her own to hide it was wrong to go blathering someone else's.

At the thought of secrets, the fingers of her left hand curled inward; the chain and gem suddenly feeling as if it weighed more than usual, although she was aware that extra heaviness was just in her head.

She smiles a bit, nodding.

"In that case, would you push me into my room? It's the one right behind you." Part of her was screaming at her to shut up, to say nevermind, to just tell her she was joking, or just make up some lazy secret, a crush like some of the idiotic strumpets at school. But she pushes it to the side, much as she's tempted. "It should be unlocked."

"Sure." She said, moving the sketchbook she was holding under her arm and walking over to Rei before doing as asked. Following the girl's given simple, given directions she brought her to her room and just as she'd said, it was unlocked. Once inside she shut the door behind them and moved to face Rei again.

She chuckles a bit dryly as they're shut in her room, working together the last scraps of willpower she needed to actually do this in front of someone, letting Muika turn to her before closing her eyes. There's a sound of shifting metal, and suddenly a black collar wraps around her neck from the sword case on her back. That was how it started. Plates shoot out of it, crawling over her shoulders, down her waist and to the base of what remains of her body, encasing everything but her hair and most of her face uncovered, a portion of the metal sliding across the eye that had been taken during that attack as well. It extends further still, then, plates forming arms, legs, until she could feel her body again, a shaky breath escaping her. Her fingers twitch slowly, and then she stands, the sword case shifting so that it lies across her back. She smiles, looking at her. "Feels good to do this again... This would be my secret."

She was definitely caught by surprise, she hadn't expected this out of Rei. She had...abilities...and unknown to Rei that just added to their list of things they had in common.

Unconsciously, Muika's right hand went to lightly grasp her left wrist.

"You..." She began, eyes widened slightly.

Were those with these abilities beyond normal humans drawn to one another? First Iyuki and Yamato...now she'd met Rei. Were these meetings more than just mere coincidences?

"...too..." She finally finished, though she hand't realized she'd said anything to start with. If anything, she thought she'd been saying it to herself, not knowing she'd actually muttered the words aloud.

Muika's words don't go unheard. In fact, in her current form, she heard them quite easily. She blinks, slowly, head tilting. "Me too? I suppose that means that you have an ability like this as well? I'm surprised... I had assumed that I was a unique case." She frowns a bit, glancing over her form. "It's that bangle on your wrist, I would guess, from your holding it just now, and its general opulence compared to the rest of your outfit. Tell me, were your parents killed by a monster as well?"

Muika side-eyed the room momentarily, if only to avoid eye contact for a second before speaking.

"My mother...was probably killed by one." She replied, "As for my father he committed suicide when I was six."

She probably didn't need to confirm Rei's speculation about her own power's source, she'd been right on mark with it and seemed sure. Muika glanced down at it, her right hand releasing her wrist for an easier view of the dangling gemstone.

She hated it, but what could she do? She couldn't throw it away, it was her only means of protecting herself.

She smiles a bit, fidgeting slightly. "Hmm... I suppose I have unsettled you, Muika. Your heart rate has increased, your eyes dilated, and you're sweating... I can go back if you'd prefer, but... I like being able to walk, so when I am in private like this, I often remain such... I have given the nurse standing orders to never walk in when I am in here without knocking, so we should have a warning, at least. Now... I'd like to ask again... What's on your mind? You've been thinking of something since we started talking, I think..."

Muika shook her head, "No, no you're fine."

If she were a good liar, she would have just told Rei she's uncomfortable talking about her parents -- but that wasn't true, and Muika was a terrible liar. Rei would probably be able to tell in a heartbeat.

The only reason she'd been a little unnerved when she'd spoken of them earlier was due to the remaining surprise of seeing Rei's secret.

"It's...I don't want to involve people." She'd already involved Iyuki, and if they hadn't met under the circumstances they had she wouldn't have told him anything. She didn't want others involved. They'd just get hurt...

He would hurt them, she had no doubt in her mind he'd use them to get to her.

She frowns a little, eyes narrowing for a few moments. Over the next few minutes, she thinks, she contemplates, she tries to figure out just what she should answer, just what she should say to explain herself to the woman. She could say any of several things, and any one of them might be the right thing to say, but... which one? Which one should she say? That was the trouble with verbal communication, wasn't it? So hard to decide which of the things you should say.

"I understand. I won't make you tell me anything about it. But I promise you..." She looks into her eyes, a strange... fierceness... in her eyes, replacing the tacit boredom she'd had in them since she'd met her. "If it is anything dangerous, anything to do with those creatures, or anything that I can help with... I will help you, in any way that I can. I swear it."

Once again, Muika shook her head. "It has nothing to do with them...It's..." She stopped, averted her gaze as her expression seemed to harden slightly. "It's just personal things."

Those monsters she could deal with, they weren't a problem at all in comparison to the demons she was trying to conquer. In the end this was her fight, her battle to face alone.

Unconsciously, the fingers of her left hand lightly stroked the scaring on her palm her nails had caused in the past. He was her's to kill and he was dangerous, she wasn't going to allow anyone to get hurt because she'd involved them. Even if they did have abilities to fight with, they would still be in danger.

She nods, arms moving to cross in front of her chest, frowning a little. "Alright. I'll respect your decision, then, though my offer still stands. If you ever need my help, then I'll gladly give it. There's not much that I have to do, recently." She smiles a bit, turning to a window, approaching it. "Sometimes, I like to just go out, and run. It makes me feel free, in a way that I've not felt otherwise in a long time."