Tricks of Nature
Jul. 9th, 2024 12:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
madimpossibledreamerMain Points:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/SMT Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha (Casts Shadows)
Summary:Raidou explained the circumstances of the investigation to Giles On his patrol, Raidou happens to find Giles and brings him up to speed.
Word Count: 1208
Rating: Teen
It is an extremely good thing that he hadn’t happened to lose the Mystic Eye in the transition. Raidou hadn’t dared count on it, but it turned out that as usual the relic of the Yatagarasu was even more useful than he had hoped. The mirror shows which of the demons running rampant around the town happen to have been previously human, so he knows which to hold back against.
While he’s at it, it’s also nice just to get some fresh air. Not that he doesn’t love Nix and Encantado dearly; Nix had been the first demon he’d gotten and that had been through negotiation, not confinement, and had been nothing but supportive, while Encantado was mischievous and a handful but occasionally extremely insightful and had even taught him to dance one evening. Still, both can be intense in their own ways, and he’s grateful that his last demon is much more straightforward. He’d even had...something humanoid under what might have been a black hat melt out of the shadows and hand him a gun and some ammo before melting back into the shadows with a chilling laugh, though he mostly only remembers the burning eyes. It’s nice to have a pistol in hand again, some sort of ranged deterrent, though he’s trying to be sparing with the ammunition considering he has no idea where or if he’ll be able to obtain more. Most of these demons don’t seem to be carrying around any on their person, which makes things considerably harder.
Fire works well against the vampires, it appears, and he feels good about having cleared out that graveyard, though that could maybe just be the endorphins. He’d at least waited until they attacked first, because even if they did happen to be real demons, that doesn’t make them evil. Necessarily. It’s the ‘preying on people’ bit that’s the problem, not their existence in general.
“It has been an honor serving you. You have earned my loyalty forever and through the ages,” Žiburinis intones as he uses one of his medicines to heal the demon. Maximum loyalty, nice. He’d had a feeling he was getting close. He pockets the ruby he’s handed, and then there’s another yell. There’s been a lot of them tonight, but it sounds kind of familiar, somehow…
“Is that Mr. Giles?” The skeleton’s bones creak a little as he turns his head to the side, listening, and—yeah, he would be the kind of guy to shout ‘oh dear’, wouldn’t he.
It’ll be a little odd, meeting the agent of the Yatagarasu stationed in Sunnydale, when it’s highly unlikely he’ll remember that, or Raidou, or putting him up in the little bookstore in town. He looks forward to it anyway. From what Willow had said, he still serves roughly the same role, so he might have some idea of what’s going on.
It’s simplicity itself to rescue him from the humanoid bats and scarecrows and a weirdo with a knife and a white mask, even if the Mystic Eye suggests they’re all human. A little well-placed fire, and they go running. Of course, then Giles comes after Žiburinis with a sword Raidou slightly envies.
“Hey, wait, he’s a friendly!” It takes the man a moment. At least the demon’s weak to wind, not physical attacks.
“I—Xander? That’s a demon, isn’t it?” Seriously, it’s hard to imagine this world, given that devil summoning, while not well-known, isn’t entirely uncommon, either, among those who know of the various dangers that lurk in the world.
“And you are a human, yet I do not judge you by the company you keep,” Žiburinis rumbles, looming, but after a moment Giles sheathes his sword again.
“What is going on?” he asks, eyes sharp, and, hmm. He may seem unassuming, but he should have known better than to think the Yatagarasu would take any but the best as an agent, no matter how extensive or useful his collection of books. He knows how to wield a sword, too.
“I only know any of this because Willow told me, but apparently everyone’s turning into their costumes.” Giles falls into step next to him.
“Does this include you?” he asks, probably having already figured out the answer himself, simply seeking confirmation.
“From what I remember, my birth name is Xander Harris, yes, but I earned the title of Raidou Kuzunoha the XVIII, Devil Summoner.” Perhaps he should mention the Yatagarasu, but it’s probably not relevant…
“Raidou, you say? And did one of your predecessors protect the Capitol of Japan from a being known as Oumagatsu?” Giles’ tone is casual and not at all fitting for the question. Raidou’s heart leaps into his throat, and he feels on the verge of tears.
“Otherwise known as the Soulless God, yes. How—” Does he—does the Kuzunoha line actually exist in this world?
Giles actually pats him on the shoulder, awkwardly. “Several aspects of the story do not tally with the history we know—for example, the year Taisho 20 did not exist. However, the story did come to this world somehow, therefore…”
“Therefore it came from another world, through some sort of connection,” Xander realizes, pulling the cap down and glancing aside to hide his wide grin.
“I don’t suppose Willow mentioned any recent acquisitions that could have contained a spell?” the bookstore owner—no, wait, is he even one, here—asks, and, again, he’s fishing, looking for one specific answer that, without some idea of how to play along, Xander can’t possibly provide.
“She didn’t, but we can go ask her. She’ll be safe enough in Castle Buffy,” Raidou answers quickly, turning that over in his mind. But, hmm, he can actually voice those thoughts out loud. Giles may no longer be his mentor, but if it helps in the investigation, then it doesn’t hurt to do so. “The effect is widespread, so it’s unlikely to be bespelled trinkets. It’s possible it’s some kind of animal, or small demon—one of my predecessors ran into luck locusts.” And then—another clue. Gouto would be proud. “It’s definitely not my shoes. I had to have Žiburinis make sure they were big enough to run in, so I doubt I got them recently.”
Giles splutters. “Žiburinis? A Lithuanian forest spirit?”
“My reputation precedes me.” The demon sounds pleased.
He pulls himself together easily enough, though. “I hate prolonging this any further, but it’s not as if we can piece this together without information. If you would.”
Raidou shrugs, enjoying the way it makes the mini-cape flutter. “It’s not like we don’t kinda have things under control; I’m one of the fighters the Duchess sent out to patrol the streets—hey Steve.”
“Captain Rogers.” Giles sounds a little awestruck, even for a Brit.
Captain America, for his part, salutes back, smiling. “Raidou. Escorting another civilian to HQ? I don't have much of a report. I’ll reassign Xena to cover your route.”
“If you would,” he responds, grinning back, because yeah this is pretty cool and he’s not going to lie about that, like, at all. Even Žiburinis enjoys the fact that Steve Rogers salutes him, too.
Giles waits until they are far enough away before he mutters, “Good lord,” under his breath.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer/SMT Devil Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha (Casts Shadows)
Summary:
Word Count: 1208
Rating: Teen
It is an extremely good thing that he hadn’t happened to lose the Mystic Eye in the transition. Raidou hadn’t dared count on it, but it turned out that as usual the relic of the Yatagarasu was even more useful than he had hoped. The mirror shows which of the demons running rampant around the town happen to have been previously human, so he knows which to hold back against.
While he’s at it, it’s also nice just to get some fresh air. Not that he doesn’t love Nix and Encantado dearly; Nix had been the first demon he’d gotten and that had been through negotiation, not confinement, and had been nothing but supportive, while Encantado was mischievous and a handful but occasionally extremely insightful and had even taught him to dance one evening. Still, both can be intense in their own ways, and he’s grateful that his last demon is much more straightforward. He’d even had...something humanoid under what might have been a black hat melt out of the shadows and hand him a gun and some ammo before melting back into the shadows with a chilling laugh, though he mostly only remembers the burning eyes. It’s nice to have a pistol in hand again, some sort of ranged deterrent, though he’s trying to be sparing with the ammunition considering he has no idea where or if he’ll be able to obtain more. Most of these demons don’t seem to be carrying around any on their person, which makes things considerably harder.
Fire works well against the vampires, it appears, and he feels good about having cleared out that graveyard, though that could maybe just be the endorphins. He’d at least waited until they attacked first, because even if they did happen to be real demons, that doesn’t make them evil. Necessarily. It’s the ‘preying on people’ bit that’s the problem, not their existence in general.
“It has been an honor serving you. You have earned my loyalty forever and through the ages,” Žiburinis intones as he uses one of his medicines to heal the demon. Maximum loyalty, nice. He’d had a feeling he was getting close. He pockets the ruby he’s handed, and then there’s another yell. There’s been a lot of them tonight, but it sounds kind of familiar, somehow…
“Is that Mr. Giles?” The skeleton’s bones creak a little as he turns his head to the side, listening, and—yeah, he would be the kind of guy to shout ‘oh dear’, wouldn’t he.
It’ll be a little odd, meeting the agent of the Yatagarasu stationed in Sunnydale, when it’s highly unlikely he’ll remember that, or Raidou, or putting him up in the little bookstore in town. He looks forward to it anyway. From what Willow had said, he still serves roughly the same role, so he might have some idea of what’s going on.
It’s simplicity itself to rescue him from the humanoid bats and scarecrows and a weirdo with a knife and a white mask, even if the Mystic Eye suggests they’re all human. A little well-placed fire, and they go running. Of course, then Giles comes after Žiburinis with a sword Raidou slightly envies.
“Hey, wait, he’s a friendly!” It takes the man a moment. At least the demon’s weak to wind, not physical attacks.
“I—Xander? That’s a demon, isn’t it?” Seriously, it’s hard to imagine this world, given that devil summoning, while not well-known, isn’t entirely uncommon, either, among those who know of the various dangers that lurk in the world.
“And you are a human, yet I do not judge you by the company you keep,” Žiburinis rumbles, looming, but after a moment Giles sheathes his sword again.
“What is going on?” he asks, eyes sharp, and, hmm. He may seem unassuming, but he should have known better than to think the Yatagarasu would take any but the best as an agent, no matter how extensive or useful his collection of books. He knows how to wield a sword, too.
“I only know any of this because Willow told me, but apparently everyone’s turning into their costumes.” Giles falls into step next to him.
“Does this include you?” he asks, probably having already figured out the answer himself, simply seeking confirmation.
“From what I remember, my birth name is Xander Harris, yes, but I earned the title of Raidou Kuzunoha the XVIII, Devil Summoner.” Perhaps he should mention the Yatagarasu, but it’s probably not relevant…
“Raidou, you say? And did one of your predecessors protect the Capitol of Japan from a being known as Oumagatsu?” Giles’ tone is casual and not at all fitting for the question. Raidou’s heart leaps into his throat, and he feels on the verge of tears.
“Otherwise known as the Soulless God, yes. How—” Does he—does the Kuzunoha line actually exist in this world?
Giles actually pats him on the shoulder, awkwardly. “Several aspects of the story do not tally with the history we know—for example, the year Taisho 20 did not exist. However, the story did come to this world somehow, therefore…”
“Therefore it came from another world, through some sort of connection,” Xander realizes, pulling the cap down and glancing aside to hide his wide grin.
“I don’t suppose Willow mentioned any recent acquisitions that could have contained a spell?” the bookstore owner—no, wait, is he even one, here—asks, and, again, he’s fishing, looking for one specific answer that, without some idea of how to play along, Xander can’t possibly provide.
“She didn’t, but we can go ask her. She’ll be safe enough in Castle Buffy,” Raidou answers quickly, turning that over in his mind. But, hmm, he can actually voice those thoughts out loud. Giles may no longer be his mentor, but if it helps in the investigation, then it doesn’t hurt to do so. “The effect is widespread, so it’s unlikely to be bespelled trinkets. It’s possible it’s some kind of animal, or small demon—one of my predecessors ran into luck locusts.” And then—another clue. Gouto would be proud. “It’s definitely not my shoes. I had to have Žiburinis make sure they were big enough to run in, so I doubt I got them recently.”
Giles splutters. “Žiburinis? A Lithuanian forest spirit?”
“My reputation precedes me.” The demon sounds pleased.
He pulls himself together easily enough, though. “I hate prolonging this any further, but it’s not as if we can piece this together without information. If you would.”
Raidou shrugs, enjoying the way it makes the mini-cape flutter. “It’s not like we don’t kinda have things under control; I’m one of the fighters the Duchess sent out to patrol the streets—hey Steve.”
“Captain Rogers.” Giles sounds a little awestruck, even for a Brit.
Captain America, for his part, salutes back, smiling. “Raidou. Escorting another civilian to HQ? I don't have much of a report. I’ll reassign Xena to cover your route.”
“If you would,” he responds, grinning back, because yeah this is pretty cool and he’s not going to lie about that, like, at all. Even Žiburinis enjoys the fact that Steve Rogers salutes him, too.
Giles waits until they are far enough away before he mutters, “Good lord,” under his breath.
