Yay, Ginsha! Not often someone says that.

[cubone_i_guess]

Several things ran through Ginsha's head.

Firstly, he was quickly running out of cards.

Secondly, he had almost forgotten how much he hated ranged attacks.

Lastly, having hair in your face while you're trying to fight off rather colourful and very persistent enemies is very distracting.

Any number of strange creatures had been following him for a day and a half now, all over some snowy mountain in Ba'al knows where. At first it was just little black ones that jerked around and sometimes moved flat against the ground like shadows. They had died quickly enough, and their sharp claws were easy enough to avoid. Then they seemed to grow larger, more sleek and certainly more dangerous. That's when the blood magic first came in.

From cards and a cut on the outside of his wrist, Ginsha summoned magic suitable to fight with. Arrows that seemed to be made of white mist were summoned from one symbol and some of the blood. From another came shrieks so loud that the creatures could be finished with a knife. It seemed as if there were as many tricks up the man's sleeve as there were cards, in as many different forms as there were patterns written on them.

"Ba'al's blessing, not you again," he snarled under his breath. Blood smeared on his forehead as he wiped long black hair out of his eyes so as to glare at the green thing floating around overhead. What had happened to his hair tie? "I'm out of ranged glyphs, and running short on shields. I'd rather fight another horseman than you bastards."

Still, out came another small slip of thick paper. It was about the size of a playing card, covered in complex symbols and shapes, and turned into a lance when it touched the blood of the cut.

"Can't I just sleep? You all have been chasing me for over a solid day."

Comments

[xface]

A flash of blue rushed from cover, swinging a massive claymore that seemed like it should be far too heavy to wield. It cleaved two of the things in half in a single swing. The next one ripped another to shreds, and so did the next after that.
When all the beings were gone, golden eyes gazed at Ginsha curiously from either side of a large x-shaped scar.

"What are you?"

Not 'who are you' or 'are you alright'. That would be beneath him. This person was barely worth notice - if he hadn't been holding his own against a horde of Neoshadows, that is. That had the second-in-command of Organization XIII intrigued.

They're so great at first impressions

[cubone_i_guess]

Well, there was that.

The weapon disappeared with the last floaty bastard. A moment after, Ginsha wiped another card across the blood on his wrist. This one he threw to the ground, where it summoned a wall of fire around its summoner.

"Not yet out of tricks, if what you are is another fight," he answered with no hint of surprise at anything. Not at the question, the massive weapon, or the man's appearance at all. Honestly, the first two weren't so surprising, and it seemed wise not to seemed shocked at the last.

Still, Ginsha didn't relax, or put away his apparently magic cards.

Aren't they just?

[xface]

Really.

Interesting.

"I came here to kill Heartless. You are of no concern to me." His actions belied his words as he stalked closer, standing just outside the circle of flames. The Luna Diviner loomed over at the mage.

[cubone_i_guess]

"You say, as you come closer."

With a practiced gesture, Ginsha pulled a knife, cut another small notch on his arm, and flicked blood from the blade into the fire. The flames danced higher in response.

[xface]

"It's not every day that something like you can stand up to Neoshadows," Saix said, taking note of the way the flames flared higher when the blood hit it. "I wonder what made it possible. Could it be that you're different from the common trash that wanders this place?"

[cubone_i_guess]

"You seem to know a lot about 'something's like me, for having asked what I am." Neoshadows. Was that what the black monsters were called? That would make sense, for when they went flat. "You know, you'd likely be quite the people-person. If not for the weapon and thinly veiled insults, of course."

Ginsha shuffled through his (significantly thinner than ideal) 'deck' in what would be a casual way, looking for particular ones and putting them on top. However, what they were and the way he kept looking up to watch Siax ruined that impression.

Meanwhile, the circle slowly spread outwards, creeping closer like a challenge to stand your ground and just see what happens.

[xface]

"You're one to talk, with your flames and barely veiled threats." The Nobody did, indeed, stand his ground; he ignored the flames entirely as he smirked at the shorter man's discomfort. "It looks like you're running out of tricks, so if you're going to attack me, you'd better make it good."

[cubone_i_guess]

"I carry a shield that just happens to burn, is that such a crime?" Ginsha feigned a hurt tone. "While I have no inclination to fight you, and you no reason to fight me, my 'tricks' flow in my veins. That isn't a threat, it's a truth. The same could be said for fire burning outwards." Even despite the words, the ring stopped growing before it could pose a threat to Siax.

Ginsha gave a small sigh, and stopped looking through his cards. "It would be at least just as well for both of us if we agreed to be assholes to the other without brandishing weapons, you know."

[xface]

Saix held his arms wide, as though to say, Do you see a gigantic fucking sword right now? He couldn't help but smirk at the directness of the other. It was refreshing to speak to someone, however inferior, that didn't dissemble and was at least somewhat intelligent. He wasn't on Demyx's level, at least.

Ginsha's got a lot of pockets and such, jsyk

[cubone_i_guess]

"I'm not an idiot." Obviously, Ginsha had caught on to the whole summoning-150-pounds-of-sword-out-of-nowhere thing.

He slipped the cards into a pocket and removed, of all things, a metal spoon and a jar with a wide lid from a pouch strapped to his leg. With all of the casual air shuffling through paper weapons lacked, Ginsha ate a spoonful of the thick, brown syrup inside.

Molasses.

"You'll have to excuse me. They've been hounding me for a while now, and I haven't had much of a chance to eat. Hardly a meal, of course, but so it goes."

True. Saix has hammerspace, though. He can fit his whole sword in there. ... Claymorespace?

[xface]

Saix chuckled and crossed his arms, his golden eyes shimmering as he leveled a piercing gaze at Ginsha. "Perhaps you aren't, at that. If you'd be willing to lower that barrier of yours, I can offer you a real meal. If not, it wouldn't be the first time I had to walk through fire to get what I wanted." Vexen would want to see this one. Maybe it would even be enough to convince the mad scientist to fix the experiment; that girl had streaked through the halls upon release and humiliated the large Nobody by tripping over her own feet and sprawling at his.

Ginsha has blood magic storage, which is slightly more effort than he can spare rn

[cubone_i_guess]

"Ah, you'll have to talk faster than that." Another spoonful. "I'm afraid you don't mean feeding me is what you want in for." Blood trickled down his arm in no great hurry, and Ginsha seemed less than inclined to fix that. He held the spoon in his mouth to flick more blood into the fire again, this time straight from his arm and hand. Heat shimmered above the flame ring.

These two, though

[xface]

"Of course not. I was hoping, though, that you'd be desperate enough to accept it without question. You don't exactly look well cared for," the blue haired warrior said, still smirking disdainfully. "No, there's someone I want you to meet. It would be better for both of us if you went willingly. I don't have to deal with the annoyance of getting a new cloak and you get food out of the bargain."

Yuuuup

[cubone_i_guess]

"You're reaching pretty far with your insults now, and still not being too convincing." Ginsha screwed the lid back on the jar, and replaced it and the spoon. "Food is something I have plenty of, believe it or not. However, it involves me diverting attention away from you to get it. But I can stoop to petty jibes too. For instance, I could say something along the lines of 'you'd save a good deal of face if you didn't replace that cloak'. But we're both above that, aren't we?"

[xface]

"Yes, of course," Saix said as his smirk became a frown again. "That's why I won't continue on to say something like, 'If you're too arrogant and infantile to accept a deal that benefits you, you're not worth taking to my friend.'" He had to hide the shiver that ran up his spine at being forced into calling Vexen his 'friend.' "I won't say, either, that I could just kill you where you stand for getting in my way, though I wouldn't lose any sleep over either action."

[cubone_i_guess]

Surprisingly, Ginsha laughed at that, though it was hard to say exactly what 'that' was. Likely most, if not all, of what Siax had said.

"'Friend'? That, I have to see." He could see a losing battle. He hadn't slept in two days, hardly eaten in just as long, and really was running out of 'tricks'. However, Ginsha was exactly the kind of petty asshole who would try to save face.

He waved a hand, and the flames sank until they guttered out.

[xface]

Saix didn't care, as long as his bargaining chip came willingly. "You'll like him, I'm sure," he lied, smiling unsettlingly. He turned and opened a Dark Corridor before looking to see if the other was coming. "Well?"

Ginsha is 9 kinds of unamused

[cubone_i_guess]

"You really do plan on lying and insulting my intelligence at every opportunity, don't you? At least you're consistent." While he talked, Ginsha looked at the BLACK THORNY THING and back at Saix with such a 'really?' look. "Make no mistake: my regret will cost you dearly."

Still, he followed.

Saix thinks Ginsha is annoying but funny as fuck

[xface]

"Oh, don't worry. If you're intelligent enough to follow me through, it's harmless. If not, any harm you come to is on your own head." Such apprehension at a simple Dark Corridor. Oh, please, this was just too good. He shot an extra challenging smirk back at Ginsha as a motivator.

Ginsha thinks Saix is annoying but funny as fuck

[cubone_i_guess]

"I wasn't speaking of just that. Are we going on our way or not?"

Beware the Vexen

[xface]

Meanwhile, somewhere in the Castle That Never Was, Vexen's science senses were tingling. He immediately ran toward the cause, knocking over a stand of vials. Whatever, he would clean it up later.

Too late now

[cubone_i_guess]

White. Large. Beyond that, windows and couches that honestly looked very tempting. His limbs felt like lead, one arm was caked in dried blood, and his long hair was still not tied up again. That last part was driving him crazy. But Ginsha couldn't afford to rest now, at least not before he knew what was going on, or couldn't hold himself up anymore. Whichever came first.

While he looked around, he pulled out another glass bottle, round and corked this time. From it, he ate a pinch of what looked like blue leaves, but didn't chew or swallow it. It was likely he'd be up for a while yet, and the plant would help with that. Shame that it'd stain his mouth blue for hours, though.

Ginsha stayed silent and still. Apparently, he was content to observe for a moment before asking questions.

[xface]

Saix was about to say something, but he didn't have more than a second or two before Vexen came hurtling in and accidentally clotheslined himself on Saix's broad gesture.

The blonde sat up, rubbing the back of his head and coughing before staring up at Ginsha. "You brought a present for me, VII? Oh, you shouldn't have!" His eyes sparkled with a mad sort of glee as he stood.

[cubone_i_guess]

Aaaaand then there's that. How many times had he thought that today already? Best not to make the final tally just yet.

Ginsha stared right back down, expressionless. "Word travels fast here. I hope it fares better in its, ah, trips."

He offered a hand. This must be that 'friend', and Ginsha guessed actually making a good first impression wouldn't hurt. It might even be worth it. He couldn't count on 'VII's motives, that much was clear.

[xface]

Vexen took the offered hand, though not to help himself stand. He examined it curiously, looking at the lacerations to the wrist and the caked blood. "Fascinating... Where did you find this specimen, VII?"

"None of your concern. Will it suffice as motivation to fix the malfunctioning experiment?" Saix flipped his azure hair casually as he spoke, irritated by the way it was hanging.

"What? Experi-... Oh, yes. I'll get to that sooner or later."

Immediately, Saix facepalmed.