Unexplainable Occurances (Private)

[Anonymous]

A pair of yellow eyes watch the citizens of Connlaoth go about their daily lives from point of view of the rooftops. It's rather busy on the streets of Reajh as it is the marketplace. The area seems to be bursting with activity. Merchants calling out to the passerbyers, trying to show off their goods, kids playing through the streets, losing each other in the crowds, pickpokets endulging themselves with unsuspecting inhabitant's gold, couples enjoying themselves with the shopping and the sights. Couples... the one thing that catches the ninjaesque Mordecai's eyes. That's the one thing he has been focusing on the most on such a busy day.
This ex-assassin stands on the very edge of the rooftop with his arms crossed. His black scarf, which is wrapped around half of his face, remains idle as not even an inch of himself moves. His dark attire makes him stand out in broad daylight, but who looks up in a busy marketplace? The dark figure on the rooftop watches as a man presents a piece of jewelry to what one would guess to be his lady. From Kuro's view, it appears to be a necklace. The woman's reaction was a bit odd to the Mordecai. She pretty much lunged at the man to simply hug him. With that movement, Kuro couldn't help but to find himself thinking about the only Female Mordecai in Connlaoth, Beatrid. Why though? What are these feelings inside of him. This is entirely new to him. Something unexplainable, but remarkably possible with the dark man. Not really expressing any thoughts or movements, Kuro continues to watch the streets in an attempt to learn the unknown.

[Anonymous]

A woman's scream is suddenly heard a ways down the street. Kuro's attention is jerked in that direction to see a woman running away from a man. The Dark Mordecai instantly pulls out a throwing knife and waits for the man to do something drastic. He watches as the man catches up with the woman and tackles her to the ground. The ninja of a Mordecai rushes to the corner ledge of the building's rooftop to get a better standing. He raises his hand, ready to toss the knife at the man, only to lower it again. Is the woman laughing? Her arms reach up to wrap around the man's neck and pulls his face into her. They press each other's lips together in a deep embrace. False alarm. Just another couple, enjoying the day. Kuro drops the knife before himself and slowly backs away from the ledge.
'I need to bathe.' Kuro thinks to himself as he turns away from the marketplace and bounds to the next rooftop. From there, he makes his way towards the forest. Unlike any other Mordecai or soldier of Connlaoth, Kuro prefers the natural approach to keeping clean. Preferable away from civilization. He seeks a stream, in the far reaches of the forest, where no one is likely to find him. Away from the world.

(There ya go, Rhi! :P)

[Rhindeer]

[ooc: Yes, I know, Beatrid is in two threads at once. XD But this scene takes place a bit after the "Hittin' the town, Mordecai style" thread...whenever that thread finishes. XD]

If Beatrid was remotely religious or superstitious, she would have probably been convinced that some deity was out to get her today, for whatever reason. She didn't know, maybe it was some...magic-user evil God or something that she'd pissed off after arresting one too many mages. Bastard. Anyway, her first day off in a while, and she was being driven out of her fucking mind. By...just...people being people. Couldn't people for just, like, one day be <I>sane? God, why hadn't she locked her bedroom door today? If she had just remembered that one little detail, if she'd just remembered to lock her door, right now she would have probably still been lounging lazily in bed, maybe even finishing off that novel she'd started a few weeks ago. Really, she loved her line of work and she didn't ask for much...just a day or two off every now and then and some free time to herself. That was it. But she was human and she needed some selfish "me" time every now and then, too, to keep her own sanity in check.

Granted, if she had locked her door she probably wouldn't have met Hek until way later, which meant they wouldn't have gotten to have a random water war in the bathroom and she wouldn't have gotten to hear him play the violin. Granted, she had also ended up getting felt up (she still maintained that he did that on purpose) and Hek had ended up flashing her, but, whatever. Not to mention there was still that rumor...Beatrid could feel the muscles between her shoulder blades tightening and her jaw clenching, and she rolled her shoulders to keep them from cramping up. She was going to kill Yones. She didn't know exactly what kind of rumor he had started, but she was going to skin him alive. At least, in her dreams, and that was pretty satisfying. Killing your teammates was generally frowned upon, after all.

Right now, however, she was at her limit, so after dealing with those other people, she'd shoved some money in Hek's hand, pointed him in the direction of a shop, and marched off to take a breather and cool down after telling him that she'd check back with him in a few and he could take his time. Civilians. Why couldn't they behave? Especially on her day off! Just watch, tomorrow when she's on duty the day will pass without even the slightest fuss...it never failed.

Heading off for the forest, she headed down a random path. Really, she didn't care which way she went, as long as it was deep enough into the woods to be somewhere nice and quiet, save for the chirp of birds and rustle of wind through leaves, somewhere away from the drone of people. That always helped. It calmed her down, relaxed her, and she definitely needed that. She'd been pretty sleep deprived the last couple of days, and that generally made her far less than pleasant. Her patience was already threadbare, and coupled with a lack of proper rest...well, that could make her quite scary when she finally snapped. Though, perhaps she wasn't all that scary anymore, given the people she worked around were probably pretty used to Beatrid Bitchiness by now. Feh.

She didn't know how long she'd been walking, but the longer she walked, the calmer she grew, the drone of humanity fading away, replaced by birdsong and the faint trickle of water in the distance. Stretching her arms over her head and resting her hands on the back of her head, she yawned a little and headed toward the stream. Maybe she could fina a nice flat boulder by the stream to lay on and just...catch a quick cat nap or something. It would take Hek a while to shop around, right? Sure. And this place was the perfect spot for catching a few minutes of undisturbed shut-eye. Secluded. No one around. Heh, some women might even be nervous to come to such a spot alone. Wimps. Besides, Beatrid had a pistol tucked safely away at her belt. Really, she wasn't worried.

If nothing else, she was kind of thirsty anyway. She hadn't had anything to drink for a while.

Lowering her hands, she tossed her long, brown braid back over her shoulder and continued onward, until soon the sound of water was loud in her ears, the damp scent of earth and water a wonderful change to the stink of the streets. With a relieved smile, she picked up her pace and--

Stumbled upon not only the stream, but a very naked man.

And not just any man.

A naked KURO, of all the bloody men in the world! Bathing in the stream. The stream! Oh God, she would never drink from that stream again.

For a moment, all Beatrid could do was stare, blue eyes wide, mouth hanging open, back straight. Kuro. Naked. Two men in one day. Ahaha. First Hek, who she rather liked, and now...him. And then, promptly, she seemed to come to herself.

"KURO! What the HELL are you DOING?!" she demanded, her voice coming out more screechy and strained than she'd intended. Hell, she sounded almost offended. "What the fuck! Why...are...why can't you bathe in a bathtub like normal people?!" Indeed, her face at this point was quite red, the flush creeping up from her neck.

Of all people. Why, God. Just...why.

[Anonymous]

Kuro's attention snapped as even his face turn a dim shade of red. Luckily, his scar riddled back was to Beatrid. Not to mention the stream is up to his waist. Not just his back is covered in scars, but his entire body. His arms, legs, chest, and even his face have scars from sword slashes to gun shots. Surprising to think he is even still alive, simply judging by his scars. He remained silent just long enough for the flush color in his face to dissapate. He then looks up to the leaves above him. Who knew that Beatrid, of all people, would stumble across him?
"Can you feel it? How peaceful it is here? I certainly can." Kuro begins in an akwardly soft voice and not his usual emotionless voice.
"I lived most of my life in the wilderness, away from everything. I was always being hunted, so I find it safer out here. I've grown used to being in a secluded area, away from any form of civilization. Never to exist." Kuro would sound almost confusing, but is not. Everything makes sense, but there are still gaps. What is he truely talking about?

[Rhindeer]

Yes, it was a good thing Kuro was relatively covered, and that she'd only stumbled upon his backside. But still! It wasn't like she wanted to see his bare ass!--even though the water obscurred everything below the waste, but the possibility was still there, and that's what counted. Damn. Only her. Of all the things possible in this strange world, it sometimes felt like only she had this kind of terrible, ironic luck because this was so utterly random, finding her "arch annoyance" naked in the woods. If she didn't know any better, she would have guessed he was psychic and had planned this!

It was then that Beatrid realized she was still gawking, even enraged as she was, and with a grunt, she promptly spun around on her heel so quickly that if anyone had been standing next to her they would have gotten smacked with her braid. Why was she still even here? Shock, of course, that was a given. She was shocked and awed by just how terrible this day could get...God and Goddesses, what was next? Yones proposing to her? That was it. She was leaving. She'd go and check up on Hek, help him back to the palace, then it was off to her room where she would lock her door good and tight and even baracade it with her nightstand to be good and safe. Then she'd pick up her book, kick off her boots, crawl into bed, curl up beneath the covers, and read until her eyeballs fell out. She would also keep her pistol tucked beneath her pillow--just in case. And she would not come out of her room. No matter what. She would skip dinner and everything. Because she ws convinced that, today, for whatever reason, it just was not safe outside her room.

It would pass, though. Please, say it would pass.

With that wonderful fantasy in mind, Beatrid was on the verge of storming off--but not running, because she was not intimidated nor embarrassed like some ninny! Nope!--but stopped abruptly when Kuro spoke up softly.

And she could feel her shoulders hunching defensively. What. The. Hell.

Spinning around abruptly, Beatrid fixed Kuro's back with her most malevolent glare, blue eyes narrowed and lip curling. "It was peaceful," she said, folding her arms over her chest. What the hell was he talking about? That had to be the most random answer--augh! Blasted man. He always did like to talk in riddles, or say things completely unrelated and random, and...screw it. There was no talking to him, she didn't even want to talk to him. She was out of here.

Snorting, she began to turn away from him again. "Feh. Well, it's a wonder you're still alive. From the looks of things, you're not very good at that whole dodging thing. In fact, I know you're not." That was said with another glare his way, a reference to what Beatrid still felt was his own stupidity. Honestly. Taking a bullet in the chest for her when she would have only been shot in the arm! He could have been killed! She could handle a little arm pain, but honestly, she didn't want anyone killing themselves over her (no matter how much she might dislike them), especially in an attempt to save her from an injury that wasn't nearly as bad as the one they took trying to save her! She didn't need saving, and she didn't need that kind of burden on her head. No wonder he was so scarred. He was foolhardy and didn't think!

Beatrid was too aggravated to notice the change in his voice. But it didn't matter. She was out of there.

Shaking her head, she heaved an irritated sigh. Damn. Just being around him pissed her off. "Whatever...enjoy your bath," she muttered, and took a step away from him.

[Anonymous]

"I am Kuro Kiraa, Lead Assassin of the Kiraa Clan. I was born and raised into the clan to be full fledged killer, never to care about my own life." Kuro speaks up as Beatrid begins to storm off. This may have grabbed her attention, or it may have not. He continues, nonetheless,
"I have faced death times of many. Never has death accepted me, a lifeless shell without a care. These are things no one outside my Clan have ever heard. Why I speak of my past now is beyons even me." With his explaination, Kuro turns only the upper half of his body enough that he could face Beatrid. For the first time without his scarf, aside from the scars, Kuro looks upon a fellow Mordecai with a face that only he recalls. He simply gazes upon her with his yellow eyes to await a reaction or to simply watch her off.

[Rhindeer]

That, indeed, did stop Beatrid in her tracks and grab her attention, though maybe not for the reasons Kuro was going for. Stopping, she turned, very slowly, until she was once again facing him--and she couldn't help but give a slight start when she noticed he was now looking back at her. He'd twisted around a little, but his back was still pretty much to her. Thank Gods he was apparently modest.

And...whoa. Scarfless? Indeed, this would be the first time she'd seen his face, come to think of it; she'd always sort of figured he wore the thing because he was disfigured. As it turned out, well, that certainly wasn't the case...though she didn't have much time to muse that over, because what he'd said came first and foremost in her mind, and it confused and irritated the hell out of her.

"Um...okay...?" Beatrid began, blinking slowly. To say the least, that little spiel had pretty much gone right over her head with a resounding whoosh, and now all she could do was stare at him, meeting his oddly yellow eyes, with one eyebrow raised and her brow crinkled. "Er...why the hell are you telling me this, again?" she asked, and even tilted her head to the side slightly--an action which, on anyone else, might have looked like something a confused puppy would do, but Beatrid could hardly be called cuddly. Riiight. Kuro had said some pretty bizarre things in her time knowing him, but this probably took the cake for being obscure and downright nonsensical. Was that supposed to make sense? Had she even asked him? No, she didn't think she had. Lifeless shell? Clan? Death? Blah blah blah...wait...oh holy shit, had that been his life story? It probably had been.

Peachy.

Releasing a loud sigh, Beatrid rolled her eyes skyward. "Kuro...would it really kill you to speak Common for once?" she finally asked blandly, the question more rhetorical than anything.

[Anonymous]

Kuro couldn't help but smirk when Beatrid said for him to speak in common. With this action he turns back to looking back up at the leaves above.
"Forgive me. It is in my nature to speak in riddles. That is the way of the Assassin. It's probably best for me to grow out of it, considering that I am no longer one. I've turned my back on that life and my family as well. Do you have living family?" Kuro asks so suddenly as he turns back to face Beatrid again. It's deffinately not like him to ask questions either. He was always full of answers, but never any questions. If the phrase "Kuro has changed" has yet to hit Beatrid in the face, it most likely will now.

[Rhindeer]

...Wha?

Beatrid was still staring skyward--or, rather, leaf-ward--as though invoking the divine intervention of some deity when Kuro spoke up again. And his phrasing had noticeably changed. She abruptly stopped her close study of the different leaf-shapes above her and snapped her attention back over to Kuro, blinking rapidly. Wait...what? He'd...was...was that Kuro talking right now? Because if it is...well. Huh. She could actually understand him for once because he really was speaking Common, now. And he was still alive. Guess that answered her rhetorical question well enough.

"Uh. Yeah. Sure, thanks. Because that riddle thing? Was really lame," Beatrid told him bluntly, running a hand distractedly through her bangs. Huh, surprise surprise, he'd actually listened to her for a change. Which was really weird, and perhaps even more confusing than him being his old, aggravating self. Another person might have jumped for joy and congratulated him for finally speaking his first few coherant sentences, like a parent would congratulate a small child saying their first words. Beatrid, on the other hand, suddenly found herself wanting to punch him in the face and demand why the bastard couldn't have just done that before and saved everyone a whole lot of grief and headaches and confusion and face palming. God! Did men always have to be so damned difficult in their efforts to come across as mysterious and enigmatic? Personally, that had always just pissed her off.

However, Kuro was spared a fist in the face (not that, with him naked and all, she would have gotten close enough to him to execute that move) when the sudden question left his mouth, the question so random and unexpected that it took her off guard. She blinked, the anger leaving her face. Then again, any sort of expression had left her face as she fixed him with a blank stare. Then she shook her head and eyed him warily. "Yeah, I do, why?" she asked curtly.

Her whole family was pretty much alive, except her grandparents, who had died when she was younger. She had uncles and aunts, cousins, a mother and a father. She hadn't been born an only child--she'd had an older sister--but her sister was the only immediate family she knew of who's life had been cut short in an accident. Other than that, though, her childhood had been as normal as anyone's.

[Anonymous]

"That is good. You are fortunate then. You see, I am not so fortunate. I hardly knew my parents. As for my siblings, I was pretty much their parent. That was until I suddenly upped and left them without a word. I don't even know if they are still alive today." Kuro explains his family. Where was he going with this?
"I'm sorry if I may have caused you any greif. It's much like me to place my job before anything else. I pretty much ignore my surroundings as well as my co-workers when I want to get the job done. That sort of attitude is natural for me because that is the way I was raised." The naked, scar-riddled ex-assassin notes on the side.

[Rhindeer]

...Oookay, then. Something seemed to have been lost in translation, it seemed, or she and Kuro were just on completely different wavelengths at the moment. Beatrid was going for a combination of the two because, uh, this was just sort of weird and awkward more than infuriating now. She'd walked in on him, and he'd suddenly spouted off his life story? Who the hell did that? Beatrid raised a hand to her face and massaged her temples. Right. She had just been about to leave. She should probably just turn around and keep on walking like she'd originally planned, but for some reason she remained rooted to the spot. The ridiculousness of the situation, she found, was currently holding her as a captive audience, morbid curiosity taking over. That, and it did feel kind of good to vent. Seeing as how Kuro tended to be on her list of top ten most hated, and seeing as how he kept talking to her, he was an easy target.

"...Kuro, why do you think I care?" she asked suddenly, a small smile spreading over her lips as she looked back to him and lowered her hand to her hip. "Seriously. Why the fuck are you telling me this? I mean, uh...am I supposed to care or something? Sorry, but I'm a little lost, because I sure don't remember even asking."

Beatrid waved off the apology with a dismissive movement of her hand and a soft laugh. "No need to apologize or explain, Kuro. I kind of like being ignored by you."

Whoa. That came out sounding kind of weird and masochistic. Not how she intended it, but it still made her cross her eyes and blink. "Whatever. I sure as hell wasn't upset when you ignored me. Do you seriously think that? No, you drive me insane when you're around me. Which seems to be always," she added, still smiling emptily.

Then, with a brief shrug, she suddenly turned her back to him again. "Would you put some damned clothes on or something?"

[Anonymous]

"It doesn't matter to me whether or not you care. I've been doing some thinking and I felt that I needed to let something out to free myself a little. You just happen to be the first person to come along. In fact, I wasn't even expecting company in such a secluded area." Kuro replies to Beatrid's blatant rant. He then slightly tilts his head when Beatrid note how he drives her insane with his presence.
"Do you have a reasonable explaination for why you dislike me so when I have never even acknowledged your presence?" Kuro throws in his question, simply ignoring her last question for the time being, until he recieves an answer of some kind. Kuro surely is on a roll with his What the Hell?! list.

[Rhindeer]

Oh, really. Beatrid couldn't help but snort at that, glancing back over her shoulder at Kuro and smiling wryly. Was he serious? For someone who claimed to have been an assassin, he was certainly lacking in common sense. "Let me get this straight...you would have told any Schmoe or Joe what you just told me? Whoever stumbled upon you first? Fucking amazing. See, for some reason, spouting off to some random person that you're an ex-assassin--it's stupid. Uh...regardless of whether you're bullshitting that or not, maybe you missed the memo, but...it's really not something you just let out."

Turning a little more, she raised an eyebrow. "Even I know that. Because it's fucking stupid, Kuro. Pulling shit like that is what gets you killed. You don't even know me. I don't know you. And here you are, bathing, naked, weaponless--unless you keep your weapons somewhere even I don't wanna know about--and telling everyone within earshot what sounds to be some pretty serious stuff. Are you following me? Even I know that you can't always see the enemy." Hell, Mordecai were as good as trained assassins if need be. Might as well be. They dealt with mages, they were sent where normal soldiers couldn't go, and mages were as dangerous as it got. And Beatrid sure as hell didn't go around yapping about being a Mordecai unless she was among other Mordecai and Dragoons in an area she knew was good and confidential, because she knew that if she leaked any information she might as well just go shoot herself. Out in the woods? Certainly not confidential. Sometimes even the trees had ears, and she sure as hell wasn't going to risk it.

If ordinary soldiers had enemies, what kinds of enemies would an "ex-assassin" of some sort of "clan" have? Probably a lot. And it was highly unlikely that his enemies would just sort of forget about him. People held grudges. She knew that good and well, heh. Of course, that was just if Kuro wasn't bullshitting all this. She hoped he was, because if not, he was an idiot.

Turning around fully to face him and crossing her arms over her chest, Beatrid continued smiling amusedly at Kuro, head tilted slightly to the side as she regarded him coolly. "It's not like you don't stand out, either. Really, Kuro. I would imagine someone trying to blend in would wear, you know...ordinary clothes. Hopping on rooftops and wearing all black and flashy scarves? Not blending in. So, I guess this answers your last question. I've hardly talked to you. I don't know you. But yeah, Kuro. I despise you. Why? Fuck, you're so clueless. And that's why. That's exactly it. You don't work as a team. You try and play hero, instead, and you don't listen. You don't fucking think. About anything--you prove that everyday. And then you get hurt and I have to drag your sorry ass back to the infirmary after you screw up because you know so much. I'm sick of you patronizing me. I'm a soldier, too, you know. I'm a big girl. I don't need saving; I know what I'm doing."

Fixing her eyes on his back, she stood straight and waited. Ah, damn. That felt good to finally get out. And look, she'd remained callously calm through it all! No yelling, just talking. Because she could talk when she felt like it, though it didn't necessarilly mean she was being any nicer. Because she sure as hell wasn't trying to be nice. She didn't do that whole "sugarcoating" thing. When she said something she meant it, whether it was something positive or negative--that's just how she was, blunt and painfully honest. She meant every word. "Now would you put your fucking clothes on?" she asked at length.

[Anonymous]

Kuro couldn't help but smile slightly when Beatrid continued her rant. He turned back looking at the leaves before he decided to explain himself.
"Heh. You don't even understand a thing. I wasn't about to spout off about myself to just about anyone. For some reason, I felt comfortable around you. For reasons I can't even explain. As for what I do in the open; I do those things for a reason. Like I said before, Death refuses to accept me. I'm not someone that enjoys my own existance. I'd be doing the world a favor by ridding it of myself. I have nothing to live for anyway. You and everyone else trying to save me is a lost effort. I need no saving." After his bit of intresting information, Kuro turns back to look at Beatrid one last time.
"Have you ever noticed how when I go out of my way to save someone by putting myself in danger, it has only been you?" After his question, the ninjaesque man leaps up into the leaves above to disappear into the branches. Not even two minutes later, he drops down beside Beatrid, fully clothed and fully armed.

[Rhindeer]

She didn't understand a thing? Well, true. It was downright impossible to understand something that didn't make any sense to begin with! Like...why the hell would he feel comfortable around someone who'd been a bitch toward him from the start? Really, they'd rubbed each other the wrong way right from the beginning or, at least, he'd rubbed her the wrong way and she'd had no problems letting it be known that she'd wanted nothing to do with him. Bringing a hand to her temples yet again--the man was going to give her a migraine yet--for a few moments she didn't know what to say. Not for a lack of words, but just for a lack of not knowing where to even begin. Death wouldn't accept him? Well, hmm...she supposed she could start there.

"Try ducking underwater and taking a few good, deep breaths. I think that'll solve your problem," she told Kuro levelly with a smile. "I mean, seriously, if you hate it so damn much, do everyone a favor and do something about it." Saving? What was he talking about? She couldn't remember ever trying to save him, unless it was after he was bleeding to death, in which case she'd just dumped him off at the infirmary. It was her duty as a fellow soldier, after all. She decided to let that one slide, just because she didn't even know what he was talking about.

However, she couldn't let his other comment slide. The amusement slid from her face and her eyes widened slightly, brows arching. But before she could open her mouth to say a thing, he'd suddenly leaped up into the branches above, and...augh! Beatrid shut her eyes, though it was already too late, then sighed and opened them again. He could have warned her before he did that! Though, thank Gods he'd been quick, so she hadn't seen much...but still, it was the principal of it! Shaking her head, Beatrid turned on her heel, ready to leave. Whatever. Yeah, she'd noticed--now that she thought about it--but what the hell was he getting at with that? Oh well. If he was going to vanish, she wasn't going to beg him to stay. Yeah, she was curious now, but not that curious. Wasn't like she couldn't live without knowing the answer.

But she had only taken all of five steps before he suddenly landed next to her, and her first impulse was to swing around and punch him before she realized he was now fully clothed. Good. Really, it was a pretty natural reaction when she was surprised, heh. But she quickly lowered her fist back down to her side--which was also conveniently where her pistol was located, imagine that!--shot him a side glance, and continued walking. "Why?" was all she said, looking straight ahead at the path in front of them. She wasn't scowling anymore, or smirking, or even smiling. Once again, her face was entirely, oddly blank.

[Anonymous]

As Kuro stood next to Beatrid, he faced the opposite direction. As she was facing the path, he was facing the stream. He ignored her comment about him drowning himself. It's against any nature of humanity to kill oneself without a reason. He only means to die, doing something productive. If only Beatrid could grasp that logic. Her single worded question caught his attention, but only his eyes turned to her. Before anything could be said, he quickly turns around enough to face the same path as she. In almost an instant, he immediately pulls out his katana and swings it in front of her face. It's would almost look like he was swatting flies away from her face, but one wouldn't think flies would make a clank sound when struck with a sword. If Beatrid were observant, she would notice the throwing dagger, stuck into the ground by her feet. One that seems much like one Kuro would use.
"I never thought of you as the type with a heart, Kuro." A voice calls out from the trees above. Not a moment after, a figure drops from the trees before the two. Almost a resmblence of Kuro, only very much different. He wears black garb with white cloth chest wraps, as well as white cloth arm and ankle wraps. His face is masked in the same fashion as Kuro, only with a red scarf instead of black. He almost seems like he's wearing a cape to the ground, starting from his waist.
"Reikoku Kumori... It's been five years. I thought you fools would have given up on me by now." Kuro greets that deadly stranger.

[Rhindeer]

He wasn't following her. Beatrid couldn't hear him following, and he hadn't answered her question, but despite this she didn't look back and she didn't repeat it. She simply continued on her way, more than ready to get out of that forest. It was probably time to check up on Hek, anyway; she'd kind of lost track of time, so she should probably go and make sure he didn't get lost or run out of money, because both could be bad. Besides, she was more than ready to leave, though oddly enough she wasn't feeling as utterly angry. It felt good to finally be able to tear into Kuro, even if he was so damned unresponsive that it almost took all the fun out of i--

Shink! A sharp, familiar blade was mere inches from her face, and Beatrid gave a start and took a step backwards, her hand instantly at her belt, slipping the pistol from its holster and cocking the loaded gun in a quick, practiced movement. Her first instinct was to turn it on Kuro in anger and demand just what the hell he thought he was trying to pull, the bastard. But, indeed, while she hadn't seen the throwing dagger spiraling toward her--her focus had been on the ground in front of her feet--a second later the significance of the sound truly registered in her brain; no sword made a sound like that on its own, and that sound, coupled with a flash of silver and soft thud at her feet was all she needed to know that something had been thrown at her. Which Kuro's sword had warded off.

...Damn him! She hadn't even seen the dagger coming, and from where his blade was placed, it would have struck her in the face. Likely, it would have killed her, and the realization suddenly pissed her off. It wasn't like the other times where he'd done something stupid, like getting himself shot through the chest so she wouldn't get hit in the arm, or gotten himself injured protecting her from something she could easily avoid on her own. Nope. This attack was apparently truly aimed for her, and it wasn't something she could have dodged, nor something that would have only left a scar. Because, well, she hadn't even seen it. Her damned fault, really--she should have been more aware of her surroundings. Argh...

Which meant that, for once, she couldn't be angry at him for this. Goddammit...

Perhaps those weren't the best thoughts to be thinking at the moment, but for the split second after the knife dropped to the ground, those were the things that were going through her oddly calm head. Then a voice was speaking from the trees, the situation finally sank in, the adrenaline began to pump, and Beatrid hissed an angry breath and sidestepped out of the way of Kuro's sword, raising her pistol and aiming it in the voice's direction. Kuro would get his grudging thanks later but she sure as hell wasn't going to stop in the middle of everything just so she could say "thank you". Especially not when it became apparent that whoever was speaking, and whoever had just tried to kill her, knew Kuro. A man similar to Kuro, in fact, who shortly dropped from the trees above, who she was quick to fix the barrel of her pistol on. A man who, judging by Kuro's words...oh dear Gods.

Beatrid couldn't help but groan loudly as it all sank in, and if she didn't currently have both hands on her gun, she would have smacked her forehead. "Kuro, you dumbass! What the fuck did I tell you?!" she snarled back at him, though she didn't take her eyes or aim off the stranger. What did she tell him like not even five minutes ago?! Yeah. That's right. Something about not blabbing about such confidential stuff out in the open because, duh, if you have enemies who knows where they'll pop up! This right here was absolute proof of that!

Argh. Whatever. Now this new guy was probably going to try to kill them, so, it would probably be best to focus on him and not Kuro right now, right? Right. Back to business. She'd chew him out later. Rolling her eyes, she stared blandly over at the new guy. This seriously wasn't her day. "I don't know who the fuck you are, Reiwhateveryournameis, and I don't really care whatever kind of stupid grudge you have against each other, but...lemme guess. You want revenge on Kuro for whatever reason, blah blah blah?" she ventured with a small smile, still aiming at his torso.

It was so predictable.

Whatever. She wasn't afraid of pumping him full of lead. If anything, it would feel great. She felt like shooting stuff right now.

[Anonymous]

Reikoku began to laugh after hearing Beatrid's form of him own monologue. Just like what Kuro said prior to his arrival, she doesn't understand a thing. Kuro ignores the bitching that is sent his way. He knows the slightest bit of distraction could result in a loss.
"Revenge? Why would I need that when Kuro's only reason for my dislike is his existance? I'm only here to illiminate the competition. The Kiraa Clan was highest power as far as assassins in this godforsaken world, which killed business for the Kumori Clan. I thought, if I got rid of the Kiraa Clan, then my Clan will reign supreme." Reikoku spouts out even more nonsense than what Kuro could muster. Kuro gripped his katana tighter as he glared at Rei with greater anger.
"Get out of here, Beatrid. This is not your fight." Kuro notes, calmly without facing away from his nemesis.
"You better not have touched my siblings or hell would not be enough to calm your afterlife torture." Kuro states harshly with much though on his mind.
"There you go again with that heart bullshit. Those twerps are fine. Chimei is taking good care of them." Rei snaps at Kuro with a twisted smile hidden behind his scarf. If Kuro's hilt wasn't made of metal, it would have snapped by now with the constant pressure he's putting on it.

[Rhindeer]

Beatrid also couldn't help but laugh a little, a soft chuckle in her throat. She wasn't scared or threatened at all...if anything, she was amused, if probably inappropriately so. What was with these clan people? She shook her head and continued to stare levelly at the new guy, smirking a little. "Uh...isn't it still kinda like revenge if you're taking someone out for stealing business...?" Beatrid ventured calmly, blinking. Really, that was the definition of revenge, wasn't it? It was doing something nasty to someone because they were perceived to have wronged you in some way. That's what this was, it seemed. Elimination, revenge, same difference, basically. Bah, semantics. Such annoying things.

"Ever think that maybe this 'Kiraa Clan' was the 'highest power' because you guys just blow at your 'job'? Maybe you guys should just practice more..." Beatrid rolled her eyes.

Ah, whatever. This was stupid, and Beatrid could feel her finger tightening on the trigger, eager to fire and shut the guy up. She held her fire, though, and didn't even look back at Kuro when he told her to leave. Psha. So like him. If she was in any other mood she might have shrugged her shoulders apathetically and done just that--left him to his business, because if he wanted to play tough guy and fight some stupid rivalry battle, hey, it was all his. But she was feeling stubborn and violent and she was so tired of him patronizing her. He always did that. Acted like she couldn't fight worth a damn even though she'd been trained, been in this line of duty for years, and knew good and well what she was doing. She knew how to fight, and she knew how to fight well, and yet, just because she had bumps on her chest and a space between her legs he treated her like some damsel.

If not for that annoyance always in her head whenever she dealt with Kuro, she would have easily just waved and gone on her way. But no. This was no mission, he was not her commander, and she had a chip on her shoulder and was good and well going to show the bastard that she could handle herself. Thus, she simply ignored Kuro completely, not even twitching. She simply held her aim steady, ready to fire at a moment's notice.

"Are you done gabbing yet?" she asked after a moment. She didn't know what the hell they were talking about of even why. She just wanted to draw some blood, damnit. Aside from that, she could really care less. Stupid business battles. Everyone always wanted to rule the world as supreme overlord. Or whatever the hell the guy was. Supreme assassin? Heh. Well, she supposed they got the "ass" part right.

[Anonymous]

It was a showdown of assassins. Nothing to break their eyes away from each other, not even the bitchy comments from Beatrid. That is, untill she spoke up after Kuro had asked her to leave. She had no idea how much danger she was in. Kuro did. That is why he loses his concentration for a brief moment.
"Get the hell out of here, Beatrid!!" Kuro yells out for the first time in front of a fellow Mordecai. That brief moment was enough to lay danger on those in the area. Reikoku is no longer standing where he was, instead, he's thrusting a dagger into Kuro's side while standing directly behind him. Kuro's eyes widen substantially as he is entirely caught off guard. With very little time to react, Reikoku sends a kick in Beatrid's direction, mainly to knock her gun away. He does this while only holding onto the dagger in Kuro's side to pain the Mordecai more.
Rule #1: Never turn away from an assassin...