Weep little lion man

[doctor_dragoon]

Characters: Okumura Yukio and ANYONE
When: Meh, why not today.
Where: A little ways off from the apartment building
Rating: PG, probably?
Summary: Yukio's been having a hard time, and he's looking for some alone time. You're not going to let him get away with that, are you?



It had been days since he'd confirmed the disappearance of Fujimoto Shiro. More than a week, actually. Probably more. It was difficult to keep track of the days in Nesreca, where each twenty-four hour perioud was composed just of eating (when Rin reminded him), sleeping (when he was very, very lucky), and constantly foraging for supplies that rarely appeared. But he had to do something to keep himself busy.

It had been easier at home, the loss of his father. He had his job teaching to distract him, his missions, the pain less acute with all the distractions their world provided... but all he had here was Rin and the constant reminder that they were, once again, on their own.

He'd settled himself a ways from the apartment building, loading one of his gun with practiced, almost automatic motions. There would be no danger of ricochet. Not here, not now.

Gunfire rang out shortly after, the loud cracks permeating the air at even intervals as smears of white powder from his specially prepared blanks peppered the nearby concrete wall. It was theraputic, and he was long overdue for some proper target practice.

Comments

[pencilpremonition]

Becca was out wandering, bundled up in the sweater she'd been given. Still, she didn't want to be out for long since she didn't have as many layers to keep herself warm as she would have liked. She could have stayed home with the fire, but she was used to wandering, and she needed something to do. She jumped a little when she heard gunfire, but it was rhythmic, not erratic. Someone was practising. She followed the sound, and found Yukio there. She waited for him to need to reload, otherwise the sound would drown out her trying to greet him. When he did, she finally spoke up.

"Hey."

[doctor_dragoon]

Yukio blinked up at Becca, halfway through loading a new clip when he realized just who it was calling out to him. He hadn't expected any company (though he really should have, in hindsight. Gunfire was pretty effective for drawing attention, after all), but he did a very good job of keeping the conflict off of his face, instead fixing his normal smile in place.

"Hello, Becca-san. Are you alright?"

[pencilpremonition]

"I'm all right," she answered quietly. "Bored, mostly. There's nothing to do here and everything's boring..." She sighed, feeling lost more than anything. She didn't have a little brother to devote herself to here, so she felt confused, not sure what to do with herself without a purpose. "How about you? What'd that wall do to you?" she teased half-heartedly.

[doctor_dragoon]

He chuckled lightly and smacked the clip into his gun, letting the weapon drop to his side as he addressed the girl.

"I haven't had the opportunity for target practice since I arrived. I thought it was about time to do something about that."

It wasn't a lie. He certainly didn't want to get rusty, especially not in this place.

[pencilpremonition]

"That's cool," she said, smiling gently. "Guns are cool. I bet even I could use one if I had to," she mused, not realising just how difficult it really was.

"I'd ask to try, but you probably can't spare the ammo. Can I watch you?"

[doctor_dragoon]

"I wouldn't waste my ammunition here. They're special blanks made just for target practice." He reached into a pocket and pulled out a small capsule, pinching one end and letting white powder drift to the ground.

"It would still sting pretty badly, though. You've never handled a gun before?"

[pencilpremonition]

"No, it's not something just anybody does where I'm from, especially not kids," she explained. "It's amazing that you're good with them," she said, blushing slightly as she complimented him.

[doctor_dragoon]

"It's fairly unusual where I come from as well. Illegal in Japan for the most part, actually."

Except for the military and police, which one would assume the Order counted as. He was sure there were all sorts of allowances made for the Order to operate properly beneath the government... if it was beneath any government at all. Yukio supposed not, not with the Vatican acting as their go-to for all official matters. The inner workings of the True Cross Order weren't something he could hope to be privy to at his current rank.

He smiled, appropriately humble. "I've been practicing with them since I was very young. I've had a lot of time to become "good with them"."

[pencilpremonition]

"It's still amazing. Most people don't have the discipline for that kind of practice. ...If you're using practice bullets, can I try? Just for a little bit," she asked, curious about what it felt like to fire one.

[beanstalk]

It was the gunfire that drew Kanda out. It had steadily gotten quieter and quieter over the last few months, and to be honest? It was starting to scare him a little. It didn't bother him before, since when he first got here it was just as quiet as it was now. But after seeing the place get a little livelier, seeing people from home more than once, people he knew that remembered him more than once.

It was obvious by know it was eating at him, he was sure. He couldn't do anything about it but put up a façade and hope for the best, which...really wasn't his strong suit. That was more Lavi's area, and even the crash course wasn't helping, since he still worried Alma no matter what he did.

Funny how things were always easier at home, but never here. That's how life here goes, he guesses. Being here does nothing but test one's sanity, it seems. It was the case with Lenalee, anyway. But one group of Exorcists had the glue to it for a long time, and without it it's done nothing but crumble away and fall apart until there were...only a handful left. While he doesn't even really know Yukio, he can...ironically empathize, not because of the losing the father thing (no clue what that's like), but...

Well, being in a similar state of mine helps, doesn't it?

Kanda leans against a tree silently whenever he spots Yukio, arms crossed over his chest and just settled for watching.

[doctor_dragoon]

Yukio had pulled out his second weapon by the time Kanda arrived, calmly firing shot after shot at the concrete wall in front of him. There was no target drawn, but one had to imagine he had one in mind, seeing the close groupings of white powder. The boy was obviously a professional.

He noticed Kanda when he stopped to reload, sliding out a magazine so he could slip in a new one, and he pushed his current mindframe aside so he could offer the other a small smile.

"Hello, Kanda-san."

[beanstalk]

Kanda just watched, watched as Yukio shot at his imaginary target, watched as he moved to switch out the clips. When he was greeted, Kanda simply gave a nod first before speaking.

"Hey. Can I guess you're imagining a certain little girl on the other side?"

[doctor_dragoon]

"You certainly could." Yukio replaced a clips, slamming it into the gun just a bit harder than necessary as if to confirm that fact further.

Libitina was at fault for their situation, for taking his father again, and for all his experience and education, there was nothing Yukio could do about this particular "ghost". Hell, he couldn't even get a bead on her, let alone attempt to settle things.

"She makes for a very good target."

[beanstalk]

Kanda couldn't help but snort at that. It probably wouldn't be too hard to figure out that Kanda wasn't really himself, even if someone didn't know him that well. The population has never been very big, it wouldn't be hard to miss that kind of observation.

"She certainly does, doesn't she." Slicing up the little ghosty girl sounded like a good idea. It beat taking it out on dead trees.

[doctor_dragoon]

He had seen enough of Kanda on the network to know that even this simple conversation was outside of the man's normal comfort zone. He just didn't seem the social type.

"It's a shame she won't provide us with a proper chance."

[beanstalk]

Yeeeeah, no way was he social at all. At least not by choice like this. But at least there's...just a little less quiet this way?

"There'd be a line if she did, I'm sure."

[doctor_dragoon]

He leveled his weapon at the wall again, frowning down the line of the sight.

"... I wonder if she really is a ghost."

[azrthmtrnznthos.livejournal.com]

Gunfire was unusual, which caught Raven's attention as she was exploring still. Even more interesting, when she stretched out her empathic senses--was the very faintest and carefully 'blank' feeling that was in the same direction. So, heading in that direction--Raven was and was not surprised to find Okumura-san. Staying well out of range, while making noise to let her presence be known.

Quiet, not intruding overtly, but waiting and ready to listen or simply keep silent company if that's what was wanted.

[doctor_dragoon]

Yukio glanced sideways at Raven, acknowledging her with a small nod before going back to his target practice. He had both of his weapons out now, taking alternating shots at two different spots on the wall. The routine was far simpler than his usual, but Nesreca didn't exactly offer much in the way of shooting ranges.

He finished out his clips fairly quickly, turning to face Raven as he replaced them with new ones in smooth, practiced motions.

"Hello, Raven-san."

[azrthmtrnznthos.livejournal.com]

He really didn't need to add the 'san', as she wasn't used to it--she wasn't used to formality of any kind really, but then...she didn't get out much. Her expression under the cowl was hard to read, but she nodded in return, "Okumura-san." offered in greeting too. Offering silent company, and gently stretching out empathic senses passively. Seeking anything that might help.

"...want me to provide you some targets?" She could guess, given his familiarity and ease with his weapons, that he'd need to practice something more difficult eventually. Easy enough to provide small dark-energy targets for him to aim for.

[doctor_dragoon]

Yukio knew that many of the people here preferred less formal speech, but the habit was hard to break, he was so accustomed to his own way of speaking.

"You could do that?" he asked curiously, pushing aside his lingering ache to focus on the apparent opportunity before him. He'd seen some of her ability before, of course, but he hadn't thought to translate those dark spots of energy into something so ordinary as target practice.

[azrthmtrnznthos.livejournal.com]

Ignore that she seems to be snarling in the icon.

Raven nodded, taking a deep breath. Quiet words, a mantra that he may or may not have heard before, murmured as her eyes glowed slightly. Small dark energy-discs the size of a normal target floated into the air, waiting. Offering to let him practice, as she could manipulate them as needed.

[doctor_dragoon]

A smile worked its way over his face again, and Yukio nodded his thanks before raising his weapons again and letting his false rounds fly. This would be far more effective practice than simply shooting his frustrations into a wall.

[azrthmtrnznthos.livejournal.com]

Progress, and that smile was more...genuine than the others he'd been giving, considering she was sure now something was bothering him. Given how her own emotions could be, and how withdrawn she had to be to control them, she wasn't going to push. It was part of why she was making herself available as silent company. Trying to help him relax a bit, be productive.

At least he didn't seem unstable, from what she could read.

Instead she continued to let her dark-energy form targets. Eyes glowing gently, as she varied the size, the positions. Moving them, manipulating them to let him practice more; something she'd done occasionally for Robin or Starfire, during training sessions back home.

[doctor_dragoon]

It became obvious very quickly that the exorcist was wasted on the simple practice he'd been engaged in before. Every round struck a target, the shots clean, quick, and seemingly effortless. He would never say so himself, but Yukio was very, very good.

It was... helpful. To see that there was support available without having to take advantage of it. Yukio had been coping with things (with everything) on his own for a very long time. He didn't want help, had convince himself that he didn't need it... but that didn't mean that the silent gesture wasn't appreciated.