[Day 9 - Late Night] Space In Between (Closed)

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

Yuria frowned at the question, perhaps knowing far too well that it wasn't enough. She supposed that being cryptic was doing more hurt than good at this point. "Yes...It's been after me for some time. It would have likely come after you too if it knew that you existed. Now, it has a good idea and you're in danger too. I've been spending the last few years running, from place to place, as someone else one day and another the next. I couldn't let it catch up to me or you to me."

[Usagi Rei]

"Why did you... no." Rei took a deep breath, shaking his head. He'd been going to ask why she married him, but he was afraid of the answer.

He gave her a sidelong glance, pale eyes concerned, before looking away again. "Yuria." He said. "I told you about my training. I may be an attaché now, but I'm still a Witchfinder. Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped. We..." Another thought that he couldn't finish. Would she have stayed with him, without this thing pursuing her?

Rei sighed. "I'll still help, of course. Tell me everything you know about it, and I can look into it. Maybe stop it." He glanced at her again, his expression still strange.

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

"It's..." It was far more complicated than just being chased by a scary apparition and needing to be on the run, while constantly changing her identity for two years. Yes, it was more complicated than that. "I couldn't just involve you Rei. It was better for you. Probably still better now..."

She took a moment to collect herself and she gulped a breath before answering. "...It's a sort of shadow monster. Like the ninja of legend."

[Usagi Rei]

Slowly, Rei shook his head. "I don't think it was better for me." He said, somewhat woodenly. "And, well, I'm in it now, right?"

Seeing her pause, Rei winced in concern. "Once we're on the street, take my jacket, cover up the blood. We'll take a cab. Pretend to be a married couple coming home late." Black humor helped, actually.

"A ninja?" Rei's tone was skeptical, but his frown was thoughtful. Scorpion were always firm that ninja didn't exist, so it was a natural reflex. "Anything else you can tell me? I'm going to look into this. You know how stubborn I can be about this sort of thing." He offered her the tiniest of smiles. It was all too easy to fall back into familiar patterns with her, no matter how strange the situation, apparently.

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

Yuria probably should have found a sense of comfort in Rei not being in the same mess that she was in, however that merely seemed to fill her with more uncertainty. There was a certain dread she did her best to not think about at the moment.

"Okay..." She murmured at the instructions, seemingly failing to see the humour in it at all. Her attention seemed divided and she still had no courage to look at Rei directly as they walked out of the alleyway. "I only know it's a ninja, it seems to fade into shadows, and it can shapeshift. It just consumes...anyone."

[Usagi Rei]

Rei looked at her a moment, then sighed, nodding. "Okay. It's a start. Now let's get you somewhere patched up and safe." He used to know how to make her feel better... didn't he?

With his free hand, he pulled a communicator from his pocket. "I'll call a cab. This time of night, there should be plenty."

Maybe it was up to him to make the first step. Rei offered her a little smile. "Airi's doing well, by the way."

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

"Yes..." she nodded quietly to the comfort of safety. While she wasn't exactly sure how true it might be, regardless of how much Rei would think that to be the case, she was tired enough to believe him.

There was a beat when she brought up their spine drake for a moment and she nodded quietly at that. "Yes, that's good," she seemingly said as an automatic response, although it seems to ring hollow in her tone.

[Usagi Rei]

That chilled him. On some level, he realized he'd been thinking that she had to go, but some of what they'd felt was real. That she seemed so indifferent to Airi caught him off guard. He covered his hurt confusion by placing a quick call for a cab.

During which time, Rei considered other possibilities, like that she might not have her memory. Or she might not be who she seemed.

Hanging up, Rei nodded slowly. "She's talking now." He said. Technically true, at least for a few minutes. But also a test, and he wasn't sure whether he'd rather she passed or failed.

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

Yuria's gaze seemed to look a bit lost as there was a stare at the ground as she seemed to find the answers within herself to what he was talking about. It was like she was dropped into an exam without doing any of the reading and her life depended on it. She would hesitate in her answer before carefully speaking. "...Sorry, Rei. I...forgot about our daughter. Please, it's been a long two years."

[Usagi Rei]

Rei swallowed, nodding, doing his best to ignore the chill that coursed through him. "I see." He said. He took a deep breath, steeling himself.

Then he turned, stepping away from her. His hand came up to catch her elbow, to support her if she needed it, to try to stop her if she didn't.

"Airi is our pet spine-drake, not our daughter." Rei said, his tone firm. His eyes studied her features, so familiar yet so not, searching for signs of deception. "I'm going to need you to explain how you could forget that."

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

Yuria blinked when Rei stepped away from her, suddenly losing that support. She could still stand on her own but perhaps wasn't too prepared for the switch. His wife looked like she was at a loss for words, wondering how she got that wrong herself and perhaps looked a bit lost. "...oh, I didn't know we had a spine-drake. I'm sorry. I don't know how I didn't know that. It's been a while...I can't remember who my parents were or much of what I did before I married you..."

She opened her mouth, not knowing what else to say on the matter and seemed to only default to a hollow apology. "I'm sorry."

[Usagi Rei]

Rei stared at her a moment. Then he closed his eyes, letting out a low sigh. "Oh, Yuria..." He said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have... I'm sorry." Was it a temporary thing? Blood loss? Shock? Or was it something deeper? Darker? Only time would tell.

As gently as he could, he eased her arm back around his shoulder, once more supporting her with the arm around the waist. "It's okay. We'll get you help soon. Just stay with me."

Holding her up as they waited, he glanced at her, trying to smile. "You remember... us?"

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

It took her a moment before the recollection of the past brought a smile to her face and she seemed to smile earnestly perhaps for the first time they've found themselves together again. "...of course, I do, Rei. How could I forget something like that? The nights you spent over at the lounge just to catch me, all that time we've spent there long after they were shimmering down for the night until morning, and of course, all those wild escapades we had...We've had something good together."

She blinked and glanced off as that warmth was only temporary. "...I'm sorry I left without telling you."

[Usagi Rei]

Now it was Rei who couldn't meet her eyes, although his smile remained steady. "That's right. We really did." He glanced quickly away, brushing a hand across his own eyes, capturing the moisture that he suddenly found there. "It was wonderful."

A few deep breaths, and he looked back at her, managing to smile again. "It's okay. I... forgive you." Rei managed. In truth, he wasn't sure he did, not entirely. But he also found that he couldn't blame her, not now, not like this. Some weird state in-between... but it was better than it had been in a while, some of the ache of betrayal gone. Traded for a new heartache.

"Yuria..." Rei began hesitantly. "Do you know why you can't remember? Did something happen? Is it something to do with that thing?"

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

Yurai widened her eyes at the question and looked like she was almost about to panic at the question before she brought herself back and mustered some control. She gave a shake of her head. "...Yes, it might have something to do with that. I can't be too sure. Please, Rei, I don't want to talk about this."

She blinked a few times as she clutched her wound, telling herself to stay awake. "...not now..."

[Usagi Rei]

"Okay. It's okay." Rei said, his tone reassuring. "Here, let's have a seat." He looked around for a bench, or steps, something for the two of them to rest on while they waited.

Once seated, Rei turned to her. "Let me get a quick look at that." He said. "I'm no doctor, but we need to know how bad it is. Maybe my friend needs to meet us..."

[Boogiepop]

Usagi Yuria

Yuria was more than happy to take a seat and conserve her strength. She did look a bit pale from the blood loss, admittedly. Her gaze looked at him, a bit unsure, almost more comfortable putting pressure on the wound. After a moment, she did nod and her hand relaxed to allow him to take a look. She winced as she moved her article of clothing for him to see. "Mrrrmpph..."

Her coat and dress were both bloodied. Even if they were in fine condition, it was beyond ruined. It seemed she really picked a bad night to wear white. There was a nasty gash on her side, looking like she was cut by a sword of some sort in a quick inspection. She definitely needs medical attention fast to stop the bleeding and disinfect the wound. However, there was something worth noticing...

(Please roll Investigation(Notice)/Perception. I know it's past day flip and using GM powers to allow it.)

[Usagi Rei]

Rei winced. "We need to get that taken care of soon. Let me call my friend, let her know what's up. She can get everything ready.

He frowned as he studied the wound more closely...

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D9LN BOOGIE PERMISSION, Investigate/Perception on Yuria's wound, 1k0 Witchfinder | 7k3 ⇒ 23 (TN: ?)

[Boogiepop]

There was something peculiar about the wound, or about her skin. In the shade made her dresscoat, hiding away the light brought by the surrounding district, Rei could see some sort of subtle purplish patterning emerging from the wound and to her skin. It seems to show more or less, depending on where the light seems to reach with it disappearing completely in the light.


Usagi Yuria

"Yes, that's good..." she murmured before giving a pained nod of her head.

[Usagi Rei]

Frowning darkly, Rei helped close her jacket up again. "That doesn't look good. I'm going to call my friend." Yes, he definitely wanted her to be seen by a Kuni.

Taking his communicator out again, Rei sent a quick message to Koyuki before returning his attention to Yuria. He looked at her a few moments, then smiled gently. For perhaps a year, he'd felt that her leaving so suddenly had tainted what they'd had somehow. Now that didn't seem to matter so much.

"Do you remember the song that you sang the first night we met?" Rei hummed a few notes. His voice was rusty, but still pretty good. "It's okay if you don't. I'm just wondering."

His smile grew warmer. "You know, I had an early embassy meeting the next morning, but you went on at midnight, and I wanted to see you at the end of your set. I think I got home just in time to shower and change clothes."