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What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu]

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#1Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Wed May 08, 2019 8:39 am

Akira Shimada

I find it hard to say
the things I want to say the most
Find a little bit of steady
as I get close

Having developed a recent fondness for wine, the Shimada wanted to amp up the fancy by pairing it with the right cheeses. The fresh couple had stolen some time for themselves to allow for her to indulge in this small luxury. Like most things the Shimada did, she was rather thorough about her research. She wanted someone who was as passionate about cheese as Tsuru was about justice. What she uncovered was slightly harrowing though. Apparently there was a small eclectic shop, run by a couple that boasted of the most exotic cheeses. Despite its small interiors, it was fairly popular in Orchidia. Unfortunately, rumor had it, that the couple had split up.

The man upped and left and it allegedly drove the woman to madness. As someone who liked to get to the bottom of things, Akira didn't want to give up on things so easily. Refusing to settle for anything but the best, the Shimada decided to pay a visit to the woman herself, alongside Tsuru of course. Marlee was infamous for her seemingly crazy claims and she lived above the shop that had been shut down, so not too difficult to locate. Akira noticed the dismal state of the shop as they took the stairs to the woman's apartment. 'Who's there?' a very paranoid voice responded to their knock. When they managed to assuage her fears by claiming that they were here to help, she finally let them in and made her tall claim.

'Not entirely unfeasible.'

250/2000



What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Signature6
#2Hatsuharu 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Wed May 08, 2019 8:41 am

Hatsuharu
Find a balance
In the middle of the chaos
Send me low, send me high
Send me never demigod


Haru always knew Akira could be stubborn; but god damn, he had no idea how much. This time, it was cheese. Particularly, cheese from the Marlee’s. He had heard of this famous little shop as well, but honestly, he never really could appreciate food to the finer level that many could do, which included Akira. To him, there were only three grades to food: trash, edible, and delicious. The way Akira spoke of this couple, she made it sound like their cheese transcended that gradation, but he doubted that.

Nevertheless, she had had some trouble acquiring this ‘legendary’ cheese and was now obsessed with finding out what had forced the couple to shut their shop down. As disinterested as he was in the situation, he wasn’t going to say no to spending time with Akira.

So, there they were, in front of the Marlee’s shop-house. They climbed the winding stairs to reach the first floor and waited after a knock. The woman inside responded without opening the door. It was obvious that she was under distress. It took a few minutes for them to convince her that they were Knights and they wanted to help.

When she finally let them in and explained her situation, Haru was suddenly interested. Not in cheese; but in finding her husband. He was surprised that people hadn’t taken her seriously for over a month. Sure, it could very well be that the man had just chosen to leave her and run away. That was not an uncommon occurrence. But, it was still their duty to investigate and confirm that so that this woman could move on.

Haru doubted that the man entered the manor but never left. That sounded extremely unlikely, but he chose not to mention it in front of Marlee and confuse her further. However, when the two of them left the building and he was certain the cheese lady couldn’t hear him, he expressed it to Akira. “While not entirely unfeasible, it is very unlikely… unless…” he didn’t want to complete the sentence. He sincerely hoped their silly cheese-chase adventure didn’t turn into a murder investigation.

355/2000




#3Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:07 pm

Akira Shimada

I remember walking
in the cold of November
Hoping that I make it
to the end of December

When the left the frazzled woman's house, Akira shared her partner's sentiments. While the story could seem far-fetched to some, it definitely wasn't implausible in the magical world that they lived in. She'd witnessed too much to be surprised by the events narrated to her. 'Why do I feel like some Page started a rumour that she is crazy, because he didn't want to investigate?' she asked, with a bitter sigh. It was not rare for such comments to be issued by her, even when she had officially been working in the organisation, but she wondered if they stung Tsuru more, now that he believed she'd left him amidst the allegedly incapable. She didn't dwell on the possible impact of her words, instead she focused on designing the investigation.

With her hands on her hips, she absently surveyed the streets. 'Makes most sense to start at the mansion.' she declared after a very short moment of deliberation. The woman had explained where the mansion was located. They could've made time to ask around about the inhabitant too, maybe it would've served to make their jobs easier. She led the way to the mansion, sauntering towards it and basking in the comfortable silence that extended between the two Knights. When they reached their destination, she narrowed her eyes and scanned the estate. She blew a low whistle and then chuckled softly. 'You do see the problem, right?' she said, finding amusement in the small hindrance. As grandiose as the marbled exteriors were, there was a gate to the grounds, but no door to the interiors.

514/2000



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#4Hatsuharu 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:08 pm

Hatsuharu
Twenty-seven years and
The end of my mind
But holding to the thought
Of another time

Haru simply frowned at the accusation against the Knight who was originally assigned to the case. She was part of the organization and rose to the top of it. Of course she knew all the dirty details. He couldn’t refute it. It was likely that the one who was supposed to investigate didn’t think it worthy enough and spun a tale to bury the case. Depending on how this thing turns out, he would have to track that Page or Apprentice to have a talk.

For now, however, his focus was on reaching the mansion and finding when the man was last spotted there. The two were still a few meters away from the gates of the mansion when the issue became apparent. It was a large estate, with patches of mowed grass and pebbled paths spanning most of it. Moss-ridden broken statues were placed on some of these grass patches, with no particular order. The mansion stood at the centre, with the widest path leading from the heavy iron gates to where the mansion’s main door was supposed to be—only, there was no door. Just a flat marble wall.

Haru looked up. There was an outdoor balcony on the first floor and he could see the top end of a large window beyond it. He smirked and shook his head when Akira asked if he saw the problem. “What problem?” he countered with a wink, before changing into a raven and flying towards the balcony.

602/2000



#5Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:09 pm

Akira Shimada

But looking to the ways
at the ones before me
Looking for the path
of the young and lonely

She didn't have any trouble with any retorts. They'd risen together, he knew that there was a generous helping of facts supporting her claim, ruthless as it may sound. This would not be the first time the two of them were cleaning up after incompetent Rune Knights. Yet, in her heart she remained loyal to her crew, simply because, perhaps naively, she was convinced that change for the better could only happen from within. Fate had allowed her to conform to standards that suited the Knights more than her past self. Maybe, in time she could use these seemingly convenient changes to gain enough influence... For the moment she had a cheesemaker to find.

She followed his gaze to the balcony and noticed the large french window behind the ornate marble railing. His wink made her snort playfully. 'Well, someone didn't do a very thoro-' her words were interrupted as he transformed and flew. She sighed and shook her head. It was not like she didn't have any tricks up her sleeve. The Shimada resorted to using her magic to knock herself into the air, grateful that her orb protected her from the damage. She grunted softly and landed on her haunches, prying the door open just a crack for the two of them, she was petite and in his bird form at least, he didn't need much room either.

744/2000



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#6Hatsuharu 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:12 pm

Hatsuharu
I don't want to hear
About what to do
I don’t want to do it
Just to do it for you


He perched atop the rounded corner of the balcony’s parapet, waiting to see how Akira managed to get past the gate and up onto the first floor. Invisible explosions seemed to be her answer to every problem these days. She wasn’t victim to her own spells’ damage thanks to that golden orb. He chuckled.

Haru flew in the moment Akira pried the door open, and to his surprise, the door immediately shut behind them. It wasn’t just the door. He heard multiple shutter sounds and the windows went black as well, blocking even the light from outside. For a moment, the entire area went pitch black. Haru thought it was best he transformed back and used his sabre to light their way—minimal as it was, it was better than nothing.

However, before he could cancel his spell himself, he was forced to turn back into his human form. It was someone else’s doing. Just as he landed on his human feet, the lanterns on the wall lit up. A sea-green flame bloomed in each lantern, lighting the room dimly, but well enough. He now began to believe someone could end up trapped in here.

“Looks like our guy might be here after all,” he admitted, looking around for a gap in the lighting, where he figured a door leading out of this large hall would be. He spotted one. Before he could point it out, he noticed something walk into the hall through the door and approach them. It was a duck, waddling as fast as it could. Haru squinted with scepticism. “It’s a duck? Watch out. It could be a spell,” he warned.

877/2000



#7Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:23 pm

Akira Shimada

Hello, let me tell you
what it's like to be a zero
Let me show you
what it's like to always feel

She rolled her eyes at her partner as he chuckled. The manor seemed fairly ordinary through the glass that decorated the french doors, albeit very luxurious. There was something despicable about the way in which the interiors boasted the lavish and opulent collections. Anything that defined such a sharp contrast between the rich and poor, the fortunate and the others, often evoked nausea in the usually austere Shimada. But in her line of duty, she witnessed such realities frequently, rarely did it mean something good.

Within an instant of them both being inside, they were swallowed in darkness and all the illusions faded to reveal a dungeon-esque environment. The loss of light was too brief for her pupils to have widened and hurt when the sea coloured flames erupted from the torches that lined the walls. It still wasn't as bright as it was outside, so her eyes did have to accommodate at least a little bit.  'Still like this better than what it was.' she stated, it wasn't a lie she preferred the dank and dangerous over the palatial and fancy. A desperate sounding quack begged her attention, as a duck raced towards them with a kind of desperation she'd only seen animals display when they were running away from people.

Tsuru's warning alarmed her, but she held back from attacking the creature, simply because if the duck or whatever it was, had the intent was to harm, hopefully her orb would sustain the damage and bring the truth to light. The white bird stopped by her feet and then swivelled its head so its orange beak bobbed towards the hallway that led deeper into the mansion.

1024/2000



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#8Hatsuharu 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:27 pm

Hatsuharu
Like I’m empty and
There's nothing really real
I'm looking for a way out
Hello, Let me tell you
What it's like to be a zero

Haru let out a short snort of a laugh when he heard Akira mention how she preferred this ominous green-lit desolate hall over the well-lit, furnished appearance it boasted moments ago. The element of darkness in her magic had vanished, but its impact had not. Or, perhaps, like she always mentioned, her affinity to the darkness never had anything to do with her magic. He was starting to believe her more and more on that.

Akira waited to see what the duck did. He was ready to strike if it made any sudden movements. But all the little creature did was stand in front of them and urge them to follow it. It’s quacking was incessant and it kept pointing its flat yellow beak towards the door it came through. “I think it wants to follow us,” he stated, sure that Akira too had come to the same conclusion.

The swordsman was still sceptical. All of this could well be an elaborate trap and they might end up facing the same fate as the cheese-maker—whatever it was. But so far, their only lead was this duck. And there definitely was something going on inside the mansion. The closure of all the exits and nullification of all illusions was testament to that.

Haru took a tentative step forward in the direction of the door. Seeing him follow, the duck began waddling back, leading them. A faint light shone through the half-open door. It had the same sea-green tint as the lanterns did. Haru stood at the edge of the opening and peeked slowly to see what was beyond. It was nothing but a hallway. The duck waddled on, fearlessly. “It’s clear,” he whispered to Akira before stepping into the hallway.

1167/2000



#9Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:35 pm

Akira Shimada
Let me show you
what it's like to never feel
Like I'm good enough
for anything that's real
I'm looking for a way out

She shrugged when he snorted at her comment, he'd seen her grow into who she was today, ever since she began working for the Knights, surely he had accepted her comfort around darkness, just as she'd come to realize that he preferred more luminous environments. 'In my defense, it isnt' the darkness that I prefer over the light, just the... bareness over all that gaudy decoration.' she muttered even though they were far past the point where she needed to defend her preferences.

The poor duck inspired empathy in the young Joyan girl, something about the way it waddled around seemed helpless and flustered. It puffed out its chest and flapped its wings for good measure, trying to highlight the urgency of the situation no doubt. The Shimada had paused to observe it for enough time, to rule out the possibility of this too-- like the mansion-- being a trap. There was no way to know for certain, but there was an overwhelming sense of foul-play being involved.

She nodded at Tsuru's deduction, especially since it was indeed in line with hers and the two started towards the door that led to another hallway. Tsuru indulged the more elaborate Rune Knight practices to ensure the hallway was clear. 'If it wasn't your amulet would've told you otherwise.' she said, letting the teasing trill linger as she deliberately flattened herself between him and the threshold and followed the duck deeper. She assumed that he must've sensed something odd about the duck too, for it wasn't usual for him to claim that something may be an attack. 'I'm assuming you sense something magical within the duck too?' she asked, just to confirm.

1304/2000



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#10Hatsuharu 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:37 pm

Hatsuharu
I find it hard to tell you
How I want to run away
I understand it always makes you
Feel a certain way


The swordsman felt kind of stupid when Akira reminded him of the amulet he wore. He still hadn’t gotten used to it entirely and sometimes forgets the additional sense it provided. She was right in pointing out that he would have sensed it if there was someone present in the hallway. Her follow up question made him scratch his head like an idiot. “No, I was just cautious,” he admitted. But now that she mentioned it, he did find the duck to be in possession of too much mana for an animal. Now, that was suspicious.

“But… Yes, the duck does have a strange mana about it,” he added, kneeling to look at it closely. The duck looked back, like a real person. It peered into his eyes for a moment and then began to quack while flapping its wings erratically. It was almost as if the being was not used to its wings, which was a silly notion equivalent to saying he wasn’t used to his arm. He kept that curious thought to himself out of fear that he would make a further fool of himself in front of Akira.

Lost in thought, he had been ignoring the duck and it whacked his nose with its wing. “What the-” he retorted with a frown. The bird didn’t bother to react to his anger. It simply began waddling urgently deeper into the hallway. “Why you little,” he hissed, as he began chasing the little thing, trying to catch it and teach the disrespectful bird a lesson.

1423/2000



#11Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:38 pm

Akira Shimada
I find a balance
in the middle of the chaos
Send me up, send me down,
send me never demigod

She remained leaning against the wall opposite to him when she realized that he hadn't quite gotten accustomed to her gift. She chuckled as her words forced him to recognize his new abilities. The Shimada had opted to pause, so that he could employ the abilities of the amulet and scan the area better. Given that most things they had encountered had been surprising, having a bit of a heads-up would certainly help matters. Instead of fathoming her seemingly obvious, yet completely silent, mental cue, he chose to get into a bit of of a fist-wing fight with the duck and chased it deeper in. Heaving a sigh, she followed, fingers idly trailing the damp walls. The bird paid little attention to the aggression with which it was approached and just seemed glad that he'd baited the two into swifter action.

Finally, the bird stopped in front of a metal door and pecked at it incessantly. She held Tsuru shoulder back, gingerly to prevent him from pouncing on to the duck. She then noticed that there was a flap on the door. The Shimada pried it open and noticed a very haggard man, but one that resembled the cheesemaker Marlee's partner and husband. The odd part was, that the man was squatting on the floor and flapping his folded arms in some sort of a grotesque chicken dance. The assumption became fairly obvious and she realized that she too had a tool she could employ. She stepped away wordlessly, giving Tsuru a chance to witness the man and held onto her wand, directing her telepathic thoughts towards first the man -- only to be assaulted by a series of quacks -- and then the bird, to finally fathom what was happening. Swiftly, she relayed her findings, mentally, to her Knight partner too.

1604/2000



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#12Hatsuharu 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:39 pm

Hatsuharu
I remember walkin’ in the
Heat of the summer
Wide-eyed one with a
Mind full of wonder


The damn little bird was much faster than he anticipated. He didn’t give up the chase, however. That was until he felt another presence up ahead. They were running up to a metal door; something akin to that used in the Rune Knights’ prison cell. The duck stood in front of it and began to bang its beak against it repeatedly. Haru had lost interest in the bird and was more concerned about who was locked inside behind that door. He was about to try and open the door. Just then, he felt Akira’s hand and he stepped aside, letting her walk ahead. “There’s someone inside,” he whispered softly, warning her. She was smart; definitely smarter than him. Instead of trying to open the door, she peeked through the flap on the door. With her head blocking the hole, he couldn’t see who it was inside. He didn’t need to; she told him. She did that telepathy thing again. He still wasn’t entirely used to it. And every time she did this, it also reminded him of what else she could do with that wand. That thought always made him wonder if she had ever attempted to read his mind… or worse, attempted and succeeded.

It was not a discussion to be had when they were sneaking into an unknown lunatic’s mansion. Right now, they needed to focus on reversing this crazy experiment. He looked down at the duck apologetically, now knowing that there was an actual person in there. “Sorry man. Don’t worry. We’ll fix this,” he promised, kneeling next to the bird.

Perhaps he should have let Akira continue to lead, because what he did next was definitely a mistake. Standing up, he yanked the metal door’s handle, trying to open it. The door didn’t budge. However, immediately after he tried that, the green flames on the lanterns turned a bright red and was followed by an infernal oscillating scream… like an intruder alarm. It took him a second to realize it was exactly that.

1760/2000



#13Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:40 pm

Akira Shimada
27 years and I’ve got
Nothing to show
Falling from the doves
to the dark of the crow

From the way that Tsuru addressed the duck, she had confirmation that the transmission of her thoughts had been successful. The plan she was hatching, involved them finding a place to hide and wait for the perpetrator to show their face. Tsuru would probably have a heads up on this mad being and the moment he was in range, Akira could simply control his mind and force him to reverse whatever abomination he'd performed on these poor beings.

When Tsuru decided to attempt yanking open the heavy metal door, she held her head in her hand. Considering the advanced enchantments around the house and the techniques required to employ mechanics that could switch bodies between a man and duck, surely the new Captain-Commander would not make the mistake of underestimating this guy? He should've known they were dealing with someone with a certain... flair. Naturally, the door wasn't just going to open.

She couldn't complain though, raising an alarm this way, would probably save them time and lead the criminal straight to the waiting duo. The hiding and waiting was just her preferred methods of conducting operations. He was still capable of giving her a heads up in time, so that she could complete her plan. Using her wand yet again, she relayed it to him to prevent any accidental surprises and detours on his part.

1830/2000



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#14Hatsuharu 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:40 pm

Hatsuharu

Let me tell you 'bout it
Well, let me tell you 'bout it
Maybe you're the same as me


Haru stood there scratching his head like an idiot. He knew he messed up. The red flames on the lanterns dimmed until they were nothing but a small speck of a bright dot on the walls. They offered no illumination. But that didn’t stop Haru from realizing someone was now heading towards them. Haru felt the presence clearly and noticed that the being was going after the duck. With a swift step, he positioned himself between the duck and the incoming threat. He wasn’t sure if it was a person or a spell. It seemed a little too slow for a spell; so, he presumed it was a person and attempted to slam them against the wall.

Bingo. It was a man. He seemed surprised to have been stopped so easily. Haru could have knocked him out, but he refrained from doing so. “I got him pinned,” he said out loud. He held him against the wall with one hand and reached for his sabre with the other. He activated the blade to illuminate the area around him so that Akira can see the two of them and cast her spell on the right target. The man looked crazed; his jaw chattered as he struggled against Haru’s hold. “My experiment. You fools…” he began and went on to utter a jumble of jargon that made no sense to Haru.

If Akira forced the man to reverse the curse with her wand, he would not do it immediately. Haru would witness the man struggle and scream, trying hard not to follow her command. However, eventually he would give in and do as told. Despite the success, this was something that he had never seen before and would make him curious as to what allowed him to resist it even for a moment. After reversing the curse, the crazy scientist would faint without Haru doing anything. The duck quacked and ran away after realizing it was back in its body. This meant the man inside should be normal. Haru waited for Akira to open the door this time.

2106/2000
-Exit-



#15Akira Shimada 

What the Duck? [Quest: Hatsuharu] Empty Sat May 11, 2019 3:41 pm

Akira Shimada
Let me tell you 'bout it,
well let me tell you 'bout it
They say the truth
will set you free

The Shimada was wary of casting her spell with multiple, vulnerable, prospective victims within her sight. This was why, she wanted Tsuru to merely relay to her the moment that he sensed another being and use the mental channel she'd opened between them, to guide her towards him so she could use her weapon unhindered. However, the Knight couldn't resist pinning the target down, much like he'd pinned the assassin who was sent after them.

The piercing sense of deja vu forced her to take a moment to gather her wits. Even the memory of that night caused her blood to seethe again. She didn't want to act out of violent intent, the last thing she wanted was for Tsuru to reach the conclusion that she left bodies everywhere she went. He'd been surprisingly accepting so far, she didn't want to push her luck.

She merely sighed and angled herself in a manner that she was facing the man in the lab coat, so that she could surely direct the wand at just him. It was unpleasant to watch him struggle against her command, she hadn't witnessed such will power before. She winced, watching as he finally caved and did her bidding, following which he passed out.

She stepped over his slumped body to relinquish a host of keys from his pocket to unlock the metal door. As she released the man inside, he relayed passionate gratitude. When Akira jokingly expressed interest in his cheese, he promised to give her a sample of all their special wheels...

2087/2000
~Exit~



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