4/10/2003

01:49 AM

Logfile from Sebastian.

 

Grand Street

With double side parking snarling up both sides of the road, traffic in this area is sluggish at best, both street and sidewalk choked with people during the day. Evening is quieter, with most of the businesses closing by eight in the evening, the local restaurants open much later into the night. Here, the most prominent stores are the fresh food markets with vegetables, fruits, and seafood out on the wooden trestles out in front. Though tourists come through here as well, it is quite noticable that most of the people here are chinese, with residences and more specialized tastes to the stores.

Obvious exits:

Bowery St. (SE)   Mulberry St. (SW)   Jasmine Tea Shop   Vietnamese Noodles   Tzai Market

 

Yamayake walks up from Mulberry Street.

 

Evening time. While not exactly as bustling and full of activity as during the light of the day, there isn't quite so much action in this area of town, despite the restaurants here and there that might still be serving at this hour. Walking through the pooling light of one such restaurant, Sebastian hesitates, his hands dug deep into the pockets of his long coat. As he exhales, the uncharacteristic bite to to the air creates a bit of steam. Just out for an evening stroll, or something.

 

Yamayake

Sandy blondish-brown hair just the short side of medium length fairly evenly rests around a face that still holds quite a bit of boyish charm, but also a certain maturity as well. Small laugh lines at the corner of his eyes give away his tendency to smile, while the beginnings of crow's feet around his eyes betray his other tendency of obsessive worry. Dark brown eyes give away a caring nature, and usually display a fair level of intelligence - when he isn't being panicky or impulsive. His build tends towards height rather than muscle, as befitting a track athlete or basketball player. He practically exudes a sense of good guy, and seems to have little to no problem with having people feel comfortable around him.

Comfort appears to be a main function of his wardrobe, with a seemingly endless supply of comfortably worn flannel shirts and old sweaters and sweatshirts. Old khakis and jeans comprise most of the lower half clothing, topping off workman's boots nearly the same brown as his hair that give him another inch of height. None of it appears that well cared for, but all of it seems much used and much appreciated. The occasional suit of workout sweats is also around somewhere, left from his days of basketball coaching.

Yamayake appears to be 24 years, 11 months, and 13 days old.

He is awake and looks alert.

 

Keisuke seems not to mind the cold, as his jacket is slung over his shoulder with a light-hearted casual manner. He's not whistling as he walks, but he doesn't seem down in the dumps either, as if nothing is bothering him. His jacket can't hide the loose white linen shirt left untucked at the waist nor the deep black slacks and shined shoes on his feet, but the hand not holding the jacket is stuck in his pocket. He nods at Seb as he goes past, much like he nods at most of the people he passes this late at night - no one's out really, and he's planning on going straight home from work.

 

At the sound of the footsteps, Sebastian is turning his head to follow the progress of the other man as he approaches. His nearly feline gaze watches the man for a moment, before drifting away to consider what could possibly be an abandoned building across the way with an almost technical eye. The moment Keisuke's form eclipses the oni's view of the building, he is enquiring, "You wouldn't happen to have the time, would you?"

 

The voice startles him for a moment; you just don't really expect someone to talk to you when you're just going home. But Keisuke's still a nice guy, so he nods and pulls his hand out of his pocket, pushing up the sleeve to peer at his watch. "Just about midnight - kind of late. Are you going home?" He doesn't quite look like the type who'd /leave/ home at midnight to go to clubs or something.

 

Sebastian nods his head in appreciation, the curtain of his uncharacteristic unbound hair slipping over his shoulders at the movement. "Ah, is that all? I'd have thought it would be later. The weather must be driving people within this evening." A slight pause, and then he continues, lifting his chin in indication at the building across the way. "Doesn't look like much, does it? I'm considering buying it."

 

"People don't really expect snow this time of year. Makes me want to build a bonfire or something." Never mind that he could light it himself. Keisuke turns to look at the building, hand back in his pocket, and studies it for a moment. "No, it doesn't," he replies, "but it has potential. Most things do." Keis isn't an eternal optimist, but he generally looks on the bright side. "What would you do with it?" He glances back at Seb, a couple steps beyond him but paused in his walking now.

 

"Get rid of it. And then put something new there. You know... there is a great deal to be said of destruction," Sebastian eases softly, his South African accent playing over the words. "From out of the rubble, something else can be created." He momentarily licks his lips, and then flickers a sidling glance at Keisuke, "A fire would be a very welcome thing about now, yes."

 

"There's no fireplace anywhere around here though, and I don't have one at home, so I guess I can't have one." Keisuke responds to that statement first because the first part kind of weirds him out. Is this guy one of those 'kill the world so it can be reborn' deals? (Not oni.) A rich one? "I think that'd be a terrible waste of a building, though," he finally manages to say. "One of the largest challenges is working with what's already in front of you and making it better. Maybe you should just fix up what's already there."

 

Sebastian is purring softly, yes, purring, "Ohhhhh, now where is the fun in that, my good man. As voyeuristic as the human race is, you see the planned destruction of a landmark building to make way for a new upon the five o'clock news. The mention of the renovation of another hardly makes its way to the fluff pieces." The man sighs softly, and then adds with soft amusement, "I'm sure that the bums on the next alley over have a barrel filled with burning refuse. Although I'm not sure that'll attract you."

 

All right, now Keisuke's starting to wonder if this guy's on drugs. "Are you okay?" His basic humanitarian nature takes over, mentally checking to see if he has any Advil in his pockets or something. "You're not sick, are you? I can try to help you if you are, but I'm not much of a doctor." Or any of a doctor, other than Band-Aids. "I can get you some water, or tea if you wish." Something's gotta be open in this vicinity even at this time of night.

 

Sebastian flickers almost an annoyed glance back at Keisuke, "I'm sorry, what?" And then comes the faint chuckle, "No, I'm not sick. Nor do I need any help, but I appreciate the offer nonetheless." His lips draw into a tight grin, quite unreadable as to what emotion, if any, it is showing. He glances up and down the street for a moment, and then looks to the man with a wry smile.

 

Okay, so he's not sick, but now his choices are down to depressed, drugie, or drugged. Gee, what a nice set of choices. "Well... if you're sure. It's still out there if you want to use it." Apparently the cold is getting to him now, because Keisuke pulls the jacket off his shoulder and easily pulls it on. He can't read the smile, but it does earn the other man a kind of puzzled look. "Something else wrong?"

 

Well, suppose it depends completely upon the definition of sick that you are talking about here. Or the form and use of the word 'drugs'. Sebastian smiles faintly, flickering an almost benevolent smile at Keisuke, "Thank you for the offer, sir." He looks thoughtful for a moment, "You clearly aren't from around here. Most passers-by on the street don't inquire to deeply into the welfare of another."

 

Keisuke shrugs; showing concern is really nothing out of the ordinary to him. "When someone I'm talking to says somthing or acts in a way that makes me wonder what's going on, I have to ask. But no, I'm not from around here. Although where I'm from I was still an exception." Tokyo's a bigger city than New York, after all. "It's just something I do, so you don't have to be thankful - guess I just don't like seeing people in trouble and not being able to help." Humanitarianism has its high points as well as its lows - it makes people think good things about you if you don't push it too far.

 

Sebastian hesitates, watching the man for a moment before speaking once more, "How altruistic. And noble. Surely a rare breed, as you say." The oni draws back a step, moving away from the dim light spilling from the windows the closing restaurant. "And I am in no way trouble, good sir. Simply enjoying an evening's air, admiring the view, and considering how best to make do with the rest of the time."

 

Keisuke shrugs again, this time folding his arms over his chest - no walking means all the heat the original length left behind. "It might sound stupid, or naive, but I usually find it's not." Apparently he doesn't mind what other people think of this particular habit of his - he does it anyway. He glances around. "There's not much of a view," he states frankly. "Everything in this city's too tall to be able to see anywhere." Like Tokyo was any better? No, but there were more parks and a much better subway system.

 

Sebastian jerks his chin in the direction of the abandoned building, "That was the view I was speaking of, young man." Although he isn't all that much younger than Seb. "The foundation is rotting, and the rest is sliding off of it," he idly notes as well. The man takes a long breath, and then flickers a glance to Keisuke, "Depends on the view, and where your perspective is. That's why the more expensive places to see that view are up higher."

 

"If it's that bad, maybe it should be replaced." Keisuke is definitely getting the feeling that there's subtext to this conversation, but he doesn't really want to know what that subtext is or if it even concerns him - or, more likely, he doesn't want his guess confirmed. "And if the more expensive places are higher up, then I should be paying a fortune." Fifteenth floor. With gun-shooting neighbors. Ouch. "But I'm not, at least according to my research."

 

"As I said, depends on the view as well," Sebastian wryly remarks. His head tilts to the side as he watches the building front for a moment, calculation inherent in his eyes. "You must be in a dump then. Sounds marvelous." Sarcasm tickles lightly through his voice.

 

"It has electricity, running water, a phone line, and electrical sockets. I'm fine with it." Really it isn't so bad - you can fix the place up the way you want it. The landlords don't seem to care. Keisuke notes the sarcasm, but again just shrugs it off. "What're you thinking about? You're staring at the building again." And when he does that, Keis now knows to expect something slightly off.

 

Sebastian is either under the assumption that the man is a mortal, or really doesn't care at this point. Probably both. And the evening time can be quite fun. He turns his head just the slightest at Keisuke, his voice barely above a whisper, "Usually I do this to blow off some steam, but for some reason this evening I'm in the mood to play on a whim. Must be the company." That last is drawled with great deliberation. Another lick to his lips, "Don't mind me. Leave if you will." A chuckle, and hands clasp together before him, in the next moment a very distinctive blue-black slow slips from between his fingers.

 

Keisuke would ask what the play comment meant - but then Seb's hands start glowing, and that renders all speech mute except for exclamations. He distinctly says something in Japanese, definitely a version of "What the hell?!", eyes widening at the blue-black light, taking a step back but finding it impossible to go farther because... well, this just isn't something you see every day. "What the..." Another oni, or a tortured seishi?

 

Sebastian doesn't spare the man another moment's thought. For all Seb could care, he can run off screeching at the top of his lungs. Hands pull away from one another, fingers almost seemingly clawing towards the other as he draws them apart, and vibrant white swirl of energy shimmers between his hands. Seeing as he isn't exuding much power at the moment, only a little wind is kicked up at the powers produced, causing his hair of draw off his shoulders and to his back, the blue-black shimmer eerily glimmering. A soft smile, and then he releases the blast towards the building, right on a path towards a rather mundane looking corner.

 

Keisuke jumps back again as Seb's hands pull apart and the energy swirl grows, really wishing there was somewhere nice and protected to hide, but there's not - and his powers aren't really helpful in these situations either. And then it's jump back another step as the blast goes flying and impacting on the corner - Keisuke's not jumping in front of that to save a building - and it's time to stare at the long haired man.

 

But of course the blast does its job, impacting against the foundation of the building with a hit that was clearly surgical in extension, because there really isn't much in the way of debris flashing about. Sebastian allows his hands to drop to his sides, the glow fading. "Wait for it..." he drawls softly, and then the building seems to shudder, and there is a rending crack somewhere at roof-top level. It might only be a pair of stories, but then it starts to crumble in on itself. *FWOOM* The foundation dust rises, wafting over them, and Sebastian actually takes a long breath from it. "Oh, that felt good." Now it is time for some serious time on his knees in the temple before a certain statue of a pig. He flickers a glance to Keisuke, "You're still here? I wouldn't remain long if I were you. Someone will take notice."

 

A repeated coughing is clearly Keisuke's reaction to the dust; it coated the inside of his mouth as he gasped in surprise and is now being seriously annoying. But Keisuke's energy is being spent trying to ask Sebastian questions. "What-" Cough, cough. "What was that-" cough "-for?" Eventually he gets enough dust out so he can speak relatively normally. "Why'd you just go and destroy that bu*cough* building? It wasn't even condemned!" The logic in the action just amazes him, if there's any to be found.

 

Sebastian blinks over at the man with something akin to amazement of his own. "And still he stands there. Unimpressed by the theatrics but wanting to know why I'd do such a thing?" Usually it is the theatrics that get the dumbfounded looks first, not a question of /why/. His eyes narrow at the man for a long moment, content to let the dust cloud conceal him from any other prying eyes for the time being. "Who are you?"

 

"I'm no one important, but that's not important either." No, he's just someone who knows what's going on, that's all. Yeah right. The question of why usually is first in Keisuke's mind anyway - either that or 'How can we stop it?' "You just destroyed a /building/!" Why isn't he running? This just isn't good. "It wasn't yours! You glowed! You shot chi!" He can recognize a chi blast when he sees one. And he isn't betting on tortured seishi with this guy, either. "Why did you /do/ that?"

 

Sebastian quirks his head to the side, frowning over at the man with something of confusion. "No, but it will be in a week or so, and I'll turn it into a quaint little community park instead of the crack house or sleep over den for the local homeless," idly notes, still studying the man with a calculating stare. There is a fair chance that he managed to get a couple of vagrants in the blast. "What do you know of chi, mortal man?"

 

"I'm from Asia, we know a lot about chi over there." Buddhism and all. Keisuke carefully doesn't say his name, country of origin, or make any reaction to the 'mortal man' comment. "Chi, ki, life force - that was it if I ever saw it." And he has, but not like that. "Chi used to destroy." Only other two people he knows with that - Tamahome and Nakago. And this guy... actually could be Nakago, if looks aren't necessarily handed down in rebirth. But wasn't his chi blue?

 

 

4/11/2003

02:01 AM

Logfile from Sebastian.

 

Exactly right. Blue, but with the oni black cast to it. Wouldn't be the first time Seb has been likened to Nakie-dearest either, in looks or otherwise. There sure must be something with those tall, imposing blondes. Sebastian's eyes flicker up though at the sound of far-off sirens, and his lips draw into a fine line. He shoots Kiesuke another smirk and draws a step forward suddenly. He draws right on up to the other man, moving as if he is going to hug him almost. Or, at least that is how it looks. One hand reaches forward as if to curl his fingers in his shirt, the other slips around his back to rip a line through the air. "How about we talk about this elsewhere? Shall we?" And without further ado, Seb moves as if to shove Kies, while still holding him, through a portal.

 

You step into the portal, sensing an odd disorientation for a moment.

The sense of distortion continues, with a sense that your forward rush of motion is much greater than your initial step into the portal...

Dark Temple

Dark passages lead in from all directions, centering upon the inner sanctum of the shadowed temple. There is no earthly way that this structure is located under New York City, for beyond the pillared archways are windows to a nightmarish landscape that holds no semblance to the surface world. The tiles on the floor depict the seven elements of the oni in seemingly random patterns that spiral towards the center of the room. At each cardinal point, a statue of obsidian stone rears with regal yet terrible splendor while gazing down at the tiered diases in the very center of the room.

What really gives proof to the fact that this is a different plane of existence however is the open sky over the center of the temple, letting the starlight illuminate. The sky looks strange though, the patterns of the constellations are reversed, mirrors of the real world. Oddly enough, the sun never rises and it never rains in here either.

Yamayake is here.

Obvious exits:

Portal

There is an open portal to Grand Street.

The distortion ceases abruptly as you step out of the portal.

You have closed the portal.

 

Keisuke is taken by surprise, yet again, still off his balance from the imploding building, by Sebastian's abrupt proximity and tries to jump back, but finds himself snagged by the shirt; before he can react to the question, he's shoved through the portal. The shove, disorientation, and movement take its toll at the other side, as

Keisuke basically stumbles backwards out of the air rip, spinning to get his balance and wrenching his shirt free of Seb's fingers but nearly falling to the floor with the action. As it is, his hands hit the ground before he can get the balance back. "Kami-sama..." He shakes his head, getting rid of the distortion, carefully standing up again and hoping this is all a bad dream... and opening his eyes to find it isn't. Keisuke might be reasonably smart, but no one ever said he had self-preservation instincts in high gear. But then again, he didn't expect this... this /place/. Nor a portal. Or a man who likes to collapse buildings... All he can do is stare. "Kami-sama... Tasukete..." You gotta save your own hide here.

 

Sebastian's fingers loose his grip upon the man, which causes something of a smirk. Hand vaguely waves behind him, closing the portal back onto the street. Sure, Keis wouldn't be able to go back through it unless he was in contact with Seb, but it is still awfully messy to just leave portals littering the city. Normally, the man would be moving over to the statue of a certain boar and prostrating himself before it, but this situation is a little bit different. "So, tell me again how you knew what I was doing was gathering chi?" His voice is a low drone, almost negligent.

 

Track finally proves its worth; it takes little effort for Keisuke to stand again from what is basically a runner's starting croutch. Why is he getting the feeling that he /really/ doesn't want to be here - and yet in some way does? As if something inside him wants to stay here? "I /didn't/ know you were gathering chi, I knew what it was when you released it." There is a distinction. "What is this place? How did you do /that/?" Although the last question's kind of already been explained, he asks anyway; it covers up the rushing chaos in his head as he tries to sort things out.

 

"This is a Yin temple and I did that because I am an onisenshi," Sebastian answers with complete honesty. "This place makes it far more easier for me to talk to you, and without the police bothering us. Sure, I suppose I could have treated you to a trip to the Caribbean, but this is just as easy. Maybe next time." He sighs softly, "As a suggestion, not a threat, please don't try to start down any of the passageways, we haven't had a chance to completely clean them out of the nasties that reside in them. Sorry for the accomodations."

 

"Nasties? Yin temple?" Oh Suzaku no wonder. No /wonder/ something wants to stay here. Well screw that thing, he wants out! But he does take Seb's advice - no use getting eaten by anything. Keisuke does, however, take a couple steps back from the older man. No use pushing his luck. "Who are you? Aside from a Yin?" Sure, Seb hasn't flipped out yet - but Keisuke doesn't trust that for a moment.

 

Sebastian is nowhere close to being 'flipped out'. No, he simply stands there, looking almost bored with the situation. "I'd offer you something to eat, but I don't think we've got anything stocked down here." Unlike the warehouse. Full of treats for oni, and cadavers. Reese and her pass-times. "Now, young man... I've already answered a few of your questions for my one. You should start answering some of mine, such as who /you/ are, or how you are so familiar with chi. Being from /Asia/ isn't an excuse at all. I'm from Africa, and does that qualify me for knowing everything there is to know about Swahili?"

 

"Being raised with religions that have chi - or ki - as a main part of them helps, and I had religion courses in college." Keisuke may be keeping his voice from showing it, but his head's still swimming with things. A lot of things. "And I have a monk for a friend." It /is/ the truth. "And I'm not giving you my name until you give me yours." Keisuke, are you /trying/ to get the man to do stuff to you?

 

"Which name do you want? My onisenshi name or my real one? And why is it so important to you?" Sebastian's head tilts to the side just the slightest as he seems to consider the other, "But to /see/ it and recognize it? Instead of thinking it is some pretty light show meant to dazzle and amaze? Hrm... are you really just some slightly more informed mortal? Or something else?" But that is all he muses on for the moment before taking a step away, and moving towards the statue of Homasubi.

 

"Well I'd like to know who kidnapped me." Keisuke sounds a bit defensive, not surprisingly. "And light couldn't destroy like that. It wasn't focused into a laser or anything like that." Keisuke steps out of Sebastian's way even further, watching him move towards the statue of the pig. "I've known more than most mortals for years. It's not hard to, considering the circumstances." Which are coming back to bite him in the ass now. Oi.

 

Sebastian gives the statue a glance, and there is a sparkle to his eye, a glimmer of the religious fervor manifesting for a moment before he is turning to look at Keisuke again, "So you can try to tell he police. I'd love to hear you explain this to them. Especially as one foreign national accusing another. I'm Sebastian Davis, also known as Ichijin. Who are you?"

 

"No, I'm /not/ going to tell the police. No one would believe me. Or care more likely than not." No one in the police department, anyway. "It's a big city with a much higher crime rate than home." Keisuke moves back again, unknowingly in the direction of the raven statue. It just seems the safest way to him. And against his better judgement, he answers the question. "My name is Keisuke." The no last name is a test - he wants to see if Lexie's spread the word on who he is yet.

 

Alas, if Seb knew the last name, he'd probably get an idea on who this one is, but with only a first, the man simply looks onto Keisuke with vague disinterest. "Well, Keisuke. What do you think of your surroundings? Comfortable here? Or would you rather I toss you right on back out. I've got this wonderful portal point right in the middle of the bear exhibit at the zoo." The Suzaku were treated to that one once upon a time. "But until then, I'm curious, tell me more about your study in religion and chi. And what brings you to this city?"

 

Well, at least Lexie kept silent. And as the zoo probably doesn't want roasted bear for dinner anytime soon, Keisuke just doesn't reply to the offer of a portal - he wouldn't trust Seb to put him back anywhere 'normal'. "It's kind of barren." He really doesn't want to, but he'll use his powers if he has to - he's been taking stock of what there is for him to work with down here and isn't finding very much. "I'm a language major from college, religion was one of my side courses. Most of what I know comes from the monk I know." Blatant lie, but he's saving his skin. "He taught me and my friend about it and showed a little." Keisuke backs up another step, bringing him closer to the raven statue again. Anything to get away from Seb. "I came here to find my sister." Truth - with all relevant facts edited out.

 

"I come down here quite often. Probably more than any of the others. I find it relaxing." And if you lived in Seb's household, you'd be finding a quiet sanctuary too. "You have a very useful monk there. Must have been convenient." Sebastian seems to sigh, flickering an almost annoyed glance back to Keisuke. "Now what am I supposed to do with you?"

 

"He's not dumb, that's for sure." And he's one of the few people that know all the truth. Keisuke stops moving, crossing his arms in a somewhat self-protective gesture. "And I don't find it relaxing at all." Though the internal war probably isn't helping - his powers seem to love this place, he himself hates it. The lack of sun probably has something to do with it as well. He just wants out of there. "You could either take me back someplace safe or tell me the way out of here," Keisuke suggests, pretty sure Seb won't do either.

 

Sebastian drums his fingers upon the pedestal of the pig's statue, clearly in contemplation. "Hrm. I wonder if I should bring Aubrey down here. She might be able to purge all of this from your memories. Possibly. If not..." He sighs heavily. "I'm not one to kill needlessly, but if there is nothing else to be done..." The man's lips turn into another annoyed smirk.

 

"Oh shit," Keisuke curses under his breath. Neither option sounds good to him. Although the memory thing isn't that bad, he still wants to know who to be on the lookout for - he'd forget Seb if that happened. So there's only one thing to do - even though he hates doing it. He quickly uncrosses his arms and holds up a hand in front of his face, only his pointer finger extended up, staring at the tip of his finger. Since the effect won't be large, it's only a moment before a candlewick-like light pops up on the end of the finger - a fire that draws the eyes of who the maker wants it to. Keisuke slowly brings down his hand, saying something under his breath to cement the spell, and the small light remains hovering in the air. Hopefully it worked. "<Can you hear me? Nod if you can.>" He knows he's not going to get much time with this and he has to be quick, but he has to make sure it took first.

 

Sebastian is still pondering where next to go with this, considering Aubrey might be the best course of action. With that thought still on his mind, it is a flicker later that he notes the flame, seeing as it is about the only bright spot in the entire cavern to garner his attention. Wait. And then it happens. Not of his own volition, he nods his head forward a fraction, but already a frown is forming upon the man's brows.

 

Oh shit... Maybe this guy is stronger than he thought, it shouldn't be wearing off /this/ fast, though he's not sure as he's never actually had a real subject for this. Keisuke knows he's only got a few minutes. "Quickly, tell me or show me how to get out of here so I /won't/ die on the way out." He's on the balls of his feet and ready to run.

Oni and seishi tend to have a wee bit more in the means of willpower than most mortals, but Sebastian's is fairly average when compared with all of the other's. "Take the tunnel on the left," he replies at the telling, and continues. "But if I catch you before you leave, you will die." Just telling him the truth, and still under the spell.

 

Keisuke hasn't had exposure to subjects other than normal humans - and then only twice. "I don't doubt that at all. Stay there until the spell is gone." He should have three minutes or so. And he's off and running, pretty quickly, heading for the tunnel on the left as fast as his feet can carry him.

 

Sebastian's eyes are already narrowing, but he is looking after Keis as the man scampers off. Ohhhhh, this is going to be one /really/ unhappy oni when he manages to get his mind back. Might just have to go out and take another building down for some anger management.

 

Needless to say, Keisuke isn't stickin' around for his reaction. He hightails it as fast as possible down the tunnel, keeping both ears open for the 'nasties' the other oni mentioned earlier, both eyes on the "road" in front of him, and nearly collapses in relief as he nears the portal. One oni, running from his own crowd. And through it he goes. Bye bye, hope to never see you later.