Umano Underground Slums

Hikari departed as she had a friend to meet up with somewhere. Thankfully the wait wouldn't be long before he could really start helping. With a bit of a smile on his face, if you could call it a smile, he raised one paw in response to her salute. Now he was left with Aoi who thankfully instead of touching him more simply had question after question for him.

"Well let's see here. First off you saw how I can appear human to most people. So while moving about town I saw some children playing it and asked them about it. They were kind enough to let me observe and told me where I could get cards of my own. From there I would watch whatever games I happened across and eventually played it some myself. It's quite amusing honestly. Especially the way you depict intelligent animal life and the gods like Amaterasu and all of them." he said chuckling a little bit.

"As for the other okuri inu I couldn't tell you. I left my mountain home as humans expanded into it and many others were hunted down as monsters. I don't know that there's another of my kind still out there." Okuri continued, a certain solemnity accompanying the answer. "And no I've never eaten a human. I've killed several before but always left them to the other creatures of the mountain to eat. You all were always too salty for my tastes and that problem's only ever gotten worse as you've developed and advanced if the things I hear in the news are anything to go off of."

"And what of you Aoi? I admit I'm curious how you saw through me. Hikari has her special eyes but you just seemed to be able to see through the illusion. What sort of person are you and how did you come about joining this fight?" he questioned as he shifted around to examine Aoi some more.

"Wait, you say you appear as a human and that's how you talked and watched kids, but where did you get the money?" Aoi asked the real questions of logic, which was ludicrous considering her own character. Her head tilted as she listened to the totally-not-but-obviously-is dog answer her questions with a pleasant demeanor, seeming to enjoy telling of his opinion on Vanguard's player base and designs. It was like watching one of her elders talk about their lives before becoming monks in China, or telling tales of expeditions and trials up mountains of spirit. Aoi found herself happy to hear him give long answers, just because it made her feel like she was a kid again.

Well, she did have the mentality of a five year old, but-

"T-The last of your kind...?" Hearing the okuri inu being hunted and him saying he was possibly the only survivor, shock was natural. Though, her sad feeling for Okuri was pulled away for a moment by him stating that he never ate a human. He killed them for critters and friends of the mountains, which was the cycle of life, just in generous form. She wasn't sure how she felt about the salt notion though.

"... Huh. I'unno how I saw through you. I'm the Chinese champion who got taught by monks and stuff back at home for vanguard and development of the mind. All that kinda boring stuff. There might be something else, but my memory's a bit fuzzy, haha." Aoi began scratching her cheek, laughing a bit nervously about the vagueness of her past. Hikari had her special eyes for sure, but Aoi's "imagination" wasn't enough to just blatantly see through this spirit's guise.

"I kind of got pulled into everything when I came to visit Japan... But I didn't want to run away and watch everyone die anymore after awhile."

"I've lived for hundreds and hundreds of years among humans. You've seen my accessory at work," he said as ends of his sash twirled around in the air some. "I've been able to get jobs like humans do and with many human lifetimes to save and the way your banks work I don't really worry about money anymore these days. Buying the cards was quite easy." he said in response to the question about how he obtained the cards. The sash quickly displayed a rather normal looking wallet which quickly vanished from sight like the decks had. How exactly they did that must have been perplexing.

Aoi's description of her life was fascinating if a little vague. Okuri had never left Japan so hearing she was from China was interesting to him. She mentioned her training. Perhaps that had something to do with how she had saw him.

"I'd hate to think Chinese monks have learned ways to see through my magic. It took me so long to come up with and I was so sure humans would never figure it out. I certainly understand the concept of a fuzzy memory though. Granted I've had centuries and multiple reincarnations to help forget things, I wasn't sure you lived long enough to experience that feeling." he said. These were things he'd probably known at some point but only being ten years into this current cycle of his life there was a lot he had lost. The joy of rediscovery was fun and despite the initial irritation of Aoi touching him Okuri felt he would like her quite a bit. Her reason for fighting was simple and almost childish but Okuri appreciated the purity of her drive. She simply wished to help others.

"I think I'll quite enjoy myself here. Now do please remember Aoi to not tell the others about what I am. I only show myself to those I can trust, the others will only see me as another human. You wouldn't want to confuse them." he said as he stood, he appeared to be ready to go somewhere though where even he wasn't entirely sure.

"We won, team! Let's celebrate like there's no tomorrow!" Shouted Carlos, entering the slums. After the fight with the now fallen Reaper, the young man was taken to the hospital again. But once he woke up, he ran towards the Resistance HQ to celebrate their first victory against a seemingly unstoppable force. Just a few hours of rest in a good bed and he was good as new.

On his right hand he carried a stereo playing the popular song "We Are The Champions", and on his left he had bags full of chips and soda bottles. He was ready to start a party or whatever his definition of a party was. However, Carlos paused the music to meet with the other members of the Resistance.

"So..." He looked around. "What did I miss? Nothing, I hope" Carlos placed the bags and the stereo on the floor. "Huh, I see some familiar faces around here".

"What's it like being old?" Aoi asked abruptly about him living for hundreds and hundreds of years. He was a geezer! Like one of her masters back at home! Aoi feels the trip to Japan was worthwhile. Meeting Fubuki, Carlos, finding an Aqua Force Master: Haruka, seeing her pen pal Bashiro and his brother, and finally, joining arms with Yukino and this kind, guardian-like spirit. She wanted to believe he was a guardian, anyway... even if he said he killed humans before. He was quite amazing, being a dog that could get jobs and manage money! Aoi can't even do either of those yet! The China girl was surprised at the sight of the wallet. How did his sash make things appear and vanish like it just did?

"I don't think the geezers back at home learned how to see through yokai magic, so don't worry!" Aoi stated in response to his concern over the masters discovering his form. "I won't tell anyone if..."

Oh no.

"Lemme pet you when people who don't know aren't watching!"

Oh noooooooo.

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"Hey, man!" Jessie greeted Carlos entering the slums, dancing a little with several others in the area listening to him play "We are the Champions". "Nothing much happening yet, we're all having a good time right now just knowing we killed one of those things."

"Oh, hey Jessie!" The young man waved at Jessie. "I know, right? Those monsters were... Quite difficult to deal with. But in the end, everything ended well".

"Huh... Chips?" He offered. "Do you know where's or fearless commander? Or the others who fought against that octopus? I kinda have a request".

Aoi randomly interjected the question of what it was like to be old which admittedly caught Okuri off guard. He'd been alive for a long time yet this particular iteration of him was quite young.

"Now listen here I'm not o-" he started but decided it wasn't worth getting into the debate with her. More importantly there was her response to being asked to not tell anyone about his true identity. She seemed to be wanting to strike a deal. Not unusual but then Okuri had an idea what this deal was going to be. He didn't want her to say it but out it came regardless. Petting privileges in exchange for her silence on the matter.

This was quite the dilemma. Having her talk might not be that bad. Given how excitable she always was perhaps other people wouldn't believe her. And showing himself to everyone didn't have many outright negatives to it. Except that as more people knew the chance of that knowledge spreading increased and then how would he ever continue a peaceful life among humans after this was over. Keeping her silent would be ideal but did it have to be petting? It was so demeaning to be treated like some common pet. Aoi was a nice childish girl but that didn't make it any more pleasant. Given their initial meeting she was likely to pet him anyway even if she went ahead and told people. Best to embrace the inevitable and learn to live with it.

"... Alright... you have a deal Aoi." he said with a bit of a defeated sigh. More people were coming into the base and while meeting more of the group would be good for him he felt like getting out of the slums for a little bit. "Don't suppose you know anywhere relaxing nearby I could wait for Hikari's return would you Aoi?" he questioned.

"They're strong, but we're gonna get every one of 'em that comes next!" Jessie shouted proudly and excitedly, pounding his chest to emphasize his bravery, then he calmed down to see the chips. "Oh, sure, I'll take some. I don't know where boss lady is though. I lost track of Aoi and my bro is probably getting drunk, like he shouldn't be."

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Aoi giggled a bit mischievously at his reaction of being called old, which is exactly how either elders respond, or people who act older than they look respond. The little prodigy waited in silence, bouncing a bit with glee over the possibility of petting some mystical cardfighting companion. She always wanted a pet, maybe, probably. He was cute and fluffy, so she now wanted one if she didn't before. And, much to her joy, he agreed to the deal. "Yaaay!" was shouted childishly. Despite this, she refrained from starting the petting again for now, knowing it probably irritated him. Later, however...

"I don't really know Umano well. Bashy might know some relaxing spots... that are probably all bars. There's Rijuku Park if you wanna get outta the slums for a bit, and it isn't too far... I think. There's also Tokyo Tower and an Aquarium!"

Aoi was clearly happy with her little victory. Okuri couldn't help but think he'd something about situations like this being illegal in human society but it was too late to worry about that now. Aoi mentioned some places he could stop by which sounded nice enough. At the very least he was hoping for a nice breeze.

"Thank you Aoi, I'll be seeing you around. If you have need of me just shout my name in the direction of the wind. Usually gets my attention wherever I'm at." he said. A little mischievous on his end as it wasn't entirely true at least at greater distances. He smiled at the thought of Aoi yelling his name a few times looking for hugs or pets. Shaking himself a bit he went on his way, his tails brushing the girl again as he passed by her. To all but Aoi the man in white simply walked out of the slums quietly as he'd come.

Sakuya walked through the rather dull streets of Umano. She hadn't come here many times at all, maybe two or three times in her life at max, so she had to constantly consult a map on her phone to find the address of the Resistance HQ, but she eventually found her way. Stepping up to the entrance of the base, she knocked on the door, patiently waiting for a response.

"Welcome!" Jessie and a couple of soldiers happily greeted the arriving Sakuya. Several of them drunk, and the kid was drinking with them. Of course, he was still just a teenager, so he was given orange soda instead of actual alcohol, as usual. They had all been sitting outside, so their collective voices would grab attention for the door. "This is the Resistance! We're here to saaaaaave the world! How can we help you?" The boy gleefully stated, "I'm Jessie, by the way."

Aoi was contemplating randomly shouting Okuri's name into the wind just to bug him, but Bashiro found her and got her mind elsewhere.

Sakuya gave a warm smile and a polite bow to the man who had just greeted her. The thick smell of alcohol bothered her a bit, but she hid her distaste well, staying face the entire time. "Ah, thank you, Jessie. My name is Sakuya, and I'm here to see if I might be able to join the Resistance, perhaps? I was told your leader Yukino Espoir might be here. Is she in right now?"

"We can definitely use some more hands in blowing up those reaper guys! But boss lady isn't here at the moment..." Jessie stating, ready to welcome her into the army with open arms, but didn't have the level of approval to accept her while Yukino was gone. While he was a bit sad his rank was equal to the average grunt, he still tried to stay chipper for this conversation.

"Hey, Jessie, I got some shit on that list done. These aren't too bad except the ones that are literally impossible." Bashiro approached, calling to his little brother. Aoi waved as she came with him.

"Oh", Aoi perked up at the sight of Sakuya. "Hey, it's you again! From the ice cream place! You're a champion!"

"Who is this?" Bashiro asked.

Sakuya's face lit up at the sight of her rival champion and most recent friend. "Oh, Aoi! It's good to see you again!" Going up to the girl, she gave her brightest smile, waving hello. "Are you part of the Resistance? Wow... Aoi, you're a very impressive young lady, a national champion, and helping to make the world a better place! That's just so... incredible!" Sakuya gushed- maybe a bit more than deserved- over how amazing her friend was, showering Aoi with praise.

"Wait a minute, Aoi is here!?" Carlos thought. "Jessie, that's perfect. I'll go look for her. I think she can help me" He said, leaving the chips and the stereo with the teenager. "Handle this stereo with care, please. I've come to love this wonderful machine". After looking around for a few minutes, he found just drunk soldiers and a lot of celebration. The young man was tempted to join them, but he knew that if he did that he would forget what he came to do.

Walking back to where Jessie was, he noticed that he was now with his brother, Aoi and someone he didn't knew. "Oh, there she is. Wow, she moves a lot..." He thought, approaching them. "Hey! Bashiro! Aoi! Hi there!". He then introduced himself to the stranger. "And hello there. I don't remember meeting you before so... I'm Carlos, nice to meet you".

"This is Sakuya! The Korean Vanguard Champion!" Aoi introduced her professional colleague, but Bashiro honestly didn't care that much about her reputation. Getting a hold of his chin and stroking it, the thug sized up the pretty blonde in front of him - the hair color of his perfect wife. After so long, his inner sleazebag kicked back in. ... While she was nice and slender, she was also... small. A bit like Aoi, but also smaller than Aoi after confirming with a quick glance at the two. The man sighed and put on a smile to try and cover up what anyone could guess he was doing.

Jessie was already annoyed.

"Are you joining the Resistance too?! We can both be incredible! Two young maidens that are national champions that save the world... Ahaha, we'll breathe a new revolution for the generation of us youngfolk!" Aoi declared and suggested, pupils twinkling like stars. The new generation was... rather hyper.

Jessie was about to fiddle with the stereo Carlos left behind before noticing he came back after awhile of searching for the others. He showed the bag of chips and shook it, sounding that there was still some left for his friend. Aoi turned toward Carlos.

"Carlos! Carlos! Heeeey!"

Sakuya giggled at Aoi's words. Some of Aoi's outgoing attitude was clearly already rubbing off. "You're absolutely right, that does sound wonderful. And I'd love to join. It's just, um..."

Sakuya turned her attention to the other man who had come with Aoi. He looked... A bit unclean, and didn't have the best look in his eye. In fact, Sakuya felt like she was being looked at a little too closely. The gaze made her a bit nervous, but she kept her smile going anyway. Wouldn't do to shy away when these kind people were willing to accept her into the group. "...I should probably speak to Yukino Espoir before I do anything else. Do you know if she'll be away long? It's alright if she is, I can wait here for her."

"Boss lady probably met up with her friend then went back home to- Oh." Bashiro was going to answer Sakuya and introduce himself, however, cut himself off at the sight of Hikari returning to headquarters. She held a number of Reality Bangles in hand of varying sizes, and had a stoic expression. One the thug honestly hated, as all he wished was for the snow queen to lighten up some more. The victory over Kraken made her less notably depressed, but still...

"Yes, I'm Yukino Espoir - I'd prefer Hikari." The commander spoke, stopping to speak with the group.

"Chips, boss lady?" Jessie offered. Yukino simply shook her head, and Jessie shrugged.

Okuri made his way back to the slums still a little down about how he'd chosen to handle his encounter with Seifer. As he made his way further in he noticed some increased activity among the people. Quick inquiries told him Hikari had returned to base which would explain the surge of energy. Seeing one's leader often had that effect on people.

He noticed Hikari a ways off over by Aoi and some of the other's he'd seen before as well as another girl he hadn't seen before which was interesting. As he approached he made sure to maintain his focus on his illusion. Aoi and Hikari would no longer see it but he had to be sure not to slip up from freaking out about nearly being seen by Seifer. He approached the group with a soft hello and took a sitting position, mostly hoping Aoi wouldn't simply jump all over him like she had promised.

Sakuya turned to the commander-queen and gave a much lower bow than usual, to ensure extra politeness. "It's a pleasure to finally meet with you, Hikari Espoir." Raising herself from the bow, she offered her hand to the lady for a shake, her warm smile ever-present on her face. "I would like to formally join the Resistance, for whatever little I might be able to do, if you'll allow it."

"Aoi, good to see you. I need to ask you a favor, if you're okay with that" He stated his request. "Can you- Oh, hey Hikari!" However, he stopped once he saw the commander of the Resistance returning to the slums. "Here it is our fearless leader! And now that I think about it, you could help me too!" He then proceeded to ask her the same favor he was going to ask the young chinese champion.

"I was thinking if you could- Oh hello there" And again, he stopped as he saw a long haired man walk towards them. "I'm sure we haven't met before, so nice to meet you. I'm Carlos". He was being very sociable that day. Maybe it was because of the good vibes in the environment brought by the celebrations.

Aoi was actually about to jump on Okuri but remembered he's in disguise and held still. Hikari's tired eyes gazed upon the group with a sense of business instead of friendliness at the moment. "First, Okuri, I have Reality Bangles of varying sizes I'm giving you to see what fits", Yukino stated, being sure to hand it to the illusion of the man instead of crouching or reaching down to give it to the spirit. "Second, I need to know more about you before you're allowed to join the Resistance. Thirdly, Carlos, what is it you need assistance with?"

Bashiro and Jessie blinked, almost entirely sure this is exactly how she ran herself ragged.

"Watcha need, Carlos?" Aoi asked.

Yukino's phone began ringing, and noticed it was from Seifer. However much she wanted to speak with her younger brother, business of massively improving their army came before her own feelings. ... That is to say, the desire to ensure they can brutally maim the reapers came before any pleasant emotion. She texted: "I'll call you back." quickly.

Sakuya retracted her hand, nodding. "Ah, yes, of course... That does make sense. Um, well, I'm the Korean Vanguard Champion, but that aside, there isn't much of a resume I can give you. At the very least, I hope I could help the Resistance in some way, because I truly want to make this world a better place, for everyone. There's so much evil in the world in recent times... If I could help against even just a tiny bit of it, that would be wonderful." Sakuya laid out her reasoning as plainly as she could for Yukino, being sure to speak clearly and only when she knew she had Yukino's full attention, realizing she must be extensively busy with everything going on.

"That's a pretty good resume, if you ask me" Commented Carlos about Sakuya's explanation. "I mean, I'm not even a good Vanguard player and they let me in. I think they liked my great personality or something like that".

"And talking about that..." He continued. "I need to ask you two something. Please don't laugh. This is something I've been thinking since the first Reaper attack" He remarked. "Could any of you... Help me, huh, you know... Practice Vanguard a little more? Oh, forget it! I would like if any of you could help me train, being the game the only way to fight the Reapers".

"I'm being really serious. Look, I just don't think I'm strong enough to really be of help in these fights and I don't want to cause trouble later if I can do something about it right now. I'm asking you this, in front of these witnesses, because, well, you are a Vanguard Champion and you are the leader of maybe the only group of people that can fight these monsters. You two are obviously strong, and you're the only people that comes to mind" The young man said, feeling a little embarrassed.

"So... If any of you could help me I'd really appreciate i- Wait a second, your name is Yukino?" Realized Carlos too late.

Okuri quietly acknowledged Carlos' greeting and gave him his name. His attention turned soon to Hikari who was handing him some of the reality bangles for him to try. She was a smart one as she motioned to hand it to the hand of the illusion of himself. His sash moved to take them from her and the image of the man appeared to take them by hand. He wasn't entirely sure how he was going to go about wearing it to be honest. He tried about one of his front legs but they didn't stay up well. Though Aoi had joked about making a collar none of them were large enough for that. Eventually he came up with a solution, perhaps a little awkward. One of the smaller ones fit snugly around his tails so with the sash's help he was able to get it on and around the base of his central tail close to his hind quarters. The illusion merely had it about a wrist, complicated stuff that was. He moved some to ensure sitting would remain comfortable like that, and satisfied that it was handed the remainder of the bangles back to Hikari.

"Thank you for going to that trouble for me, here are the others. Can't wait to start reading your mind." he joked not that Hikari particularly seemed in the mood for it. He felt like he needed to talk with her a bit about Seifer but it would have to wait for another time. He didn't feel particularly different but he supposed the real test was yet to come when another one of the monsters came. Knowing he'd actually be able to help had him feeling better. He sat down over by Aoi who, the touching aside, he felt more comfortable around having revealed himself to her as Carlos began asking for help in learning more about the game Vanguard. A wise course of action, one he considered taking himself. But he decided to wait to see what would come of Carlos' request instead.