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Post by Raizen on Jul 24, 2017 17:23:52 GMT -5
"A bit of hard work doesn't intimidate me young Hana," he replied to her as he picked up an entire stack of boxes, carefully attempting to balance them in his arms.
He set the one stack right beside the doorway, out of the way so no one would trip on them. He then went back for another stack and as he lifted them up he turned to her.
"Where would you like me to be putting these? I don't want to put them anywhere that will be an inconvenience or just simply in your way."
He stared at her awaiting a response as he held the stack of boxes effortlessly.
"Speaking of finishing this, I cannot believe that Tomo wouldn't be capable of completing this just as rapidly or even more so."
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 24, 2017 18:09:31 GMT -5
Before Hana had a chance to say much of anything, one of the boxes in the back moved by itself - or, seemingly did. Out from behind it stepped a rather lanky guy, eyes bright green and hair a vibrant silver. He gives a toothy grin, revealing sharp canines. "That's because Tomo keeps himself on a short leash..." The guy explained casually, as if he hadn't just appeared out of nowhere.
He walked over to Hana and smiled at her, a genuine one, and not the predatory one he appeared with. "My name is Masashi. I'm one of Tomo's Settlers, he called on the way back to work for me to help move these boxes out of the room... I would let Hana explain why I was called, but I like talking about myself, sooo..." He grinned playfully.
"I can move through shadows, as long as a room as shadows, I can enter it. Thankfully there are some good shadows within this room and also in the room I'll be moving boxes to, so it'll be easy. I'll have to make several trips cause, uh... I'm not very strong, but whatever. Sneaky has always been my way to go." He shrugged. "Care to help move these boxes closer to the back where the shadows are?"
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Post by Raizen on Jul 24, 2017 18:21:33 GMT -5
Raizen turned at the sound of the boxes rustling by themselves and prepared for something to jump out at them. He was still accustomed to the Demon Realm where behind every turn another potential threat waited to pounce. When the newcomer introduced himself and Hana didn't act that nervous or threatened around him only then did Raizen relax a little. He gave Masashi a nod as he began moving all of the stacks of boxes towards the back of the apartment.
"Will that suit your purposes better Masashi?" he questioned, still slightly wary around the new non-human.
Shadow walking was a dangerous ability for a demon to have. Not only would it make it easier to assassinate any potential victims and threats but it would also induce even more fear than the average demon would muster from a mortal or anyone else for that matter because the ability user could literally disappear into shadow and appear anywhere that there was shade. Even his bloodline didn't have this ability very often throughout the genealogy and unfortunately for him he was not one of the generations to have mastered it.
Stepping forward towards the demon, Raizen made eye contact and extended his hand to the demon for a proper greeting.
"My name is Raizen...incase Tomo didn't tell you that already of course. Are you skilled enough with your ability yet Masashi to carry a passenger along with you and the inanimate objects? I could travel with you and help you move the boxes since I can move a whole stack as opposed to one at a time as you're stating would be your ability."
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Hana
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Post by Hana on Jul 24, 2017 18:51:41 GMT -5
"I would hope he could since he's the one who gets called whenever one of the demons gets themselves into a sticky situation that we have cover up." Hana answered before Masashi could. Points to her for stealing his thunder as payback for his sneakiness.
"I'll work on freshening up the room while you two move boxes. We should be in done in no time and then, a reward of takeout for dinner!" Hana clapped her hands together, allowing a small, giddy squeal out at the thought of tasty food not cooked by her.
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 24, 2017 20:46:54 GMT -5
Masashi gave the elder demon another toothy grin, this one almost goofy, though his eyes glinted with recognition of the demon king's name. He took the man's hand and shook it respectfully, giving a little bow to him before straightening up. "Of course I can. It's a favorite to do to Hana when she's least expecting it. For a halfling, she isn't too bad, but don't let her convince you to watch Disney movies..." He gave Hana a look before turning to the shadows.
"I'll let you carry boxes cause I should be hands free if I'm moving us both through. Don't mind me," He added afterward, keeping his hand on Raizen's bare elbow once he's lifted several boxes. "Just keep walking into the shadows, straight ahead. Shadow-walking is a little much for some people."
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Post by Raizen on Jul 24, 2017 20:56:22 GMT -5
"I shall take your advice into consideration Masashi. No Disney movies. I guess it will make more sense when I discover what a movie is," he stated with a chuckle as he picked up a stack of the boxes and followed Masashi into the shadows.
Keeping his bearing to the best of his ability he wouldn't turn his head just so he could ensure that he was heading in the right direction. He didn't want to get turned around since it was nothing but pitch black at the moment. When Masashi latched onto his elbow he tensed momentarily and relaxed when he realized it was Masashi.
"Masashi, when you shadow walk, is it just you and any of your passengers in this shadow realm or is there other living things in this realm?"
Feeling he didn't have to try so hard to keep his bearings now that Masashi was guiding him through he began to turn his head in different directions to look around. Even with his night vision from being a demon it didn't let him see that far in the pitch black. It was as if the darkness was the densest fog he had ever seen.
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 24, 2017 21:12:03 GMT -5
Masashi tilted his head up to look at the king, somehow just now realizing that the king was much taller than him. He chuckled a little as the other looked around curiously, questioning about his ability. It was obvious even before this that the king hadn't come into contact with shadow walkers.
"It's usually just me and my passenger... but there are living things present in this realm. They don't come around unless you're presenting yourself as a threat, and even then it has to be a threat to them..." He laughed softly, "And that's hard to do, these shadow creatures are tougher than any demon I've come across."
Without warning, suddenly they're surrounded by light as they step into a room in the safehouse. "Honestly, sire, there's no need to look for the shadow creatures - only very few show themselves and that's probably a fluke most days. I ignore them, they ignore me. Also, we're here!" He throws his hands up and spins a little, acting much like a child in a candy store.
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Post by Raizen on Jul 25, 2017 18:56:00 GMT -5
Raizen relaxed upon their arrival in the safe house. He set the boxes down on the floor and rejoined Masashi.
"It's not that I was worried Masashi. The questioning came more so out of curiosity than anything else. If they are no threat to us then I shall leave them be. But now my curiosity is piqued even further about these creatures. Have you had to battle one before in your travels? Let's head back and grab some more boxes. I would prefer to finish this as quickly as possible. It has been a long day and we can talk along the way."
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 25, 2017 19:48:18 GMT -5
"But of course, I couldn't let you off with just that little bit of information," Masashi laughed, offering for Raizen to hold onto his bare shoulder this time. "It's hard to explain to non-shadow walkers, but I'll do my best. Hana was curious about it as well - Tomo never was, but then... Tomo could've been a shadow walker at some point himself, who knows? Guy doesn't talk about himself much..." Masashi hummed a little, shrugging the shoulder Raizen had a hold to.
He cleared his throat as they stepped back into the shadows, "Anyways... I've had to battle one creature, yes. I never saw the shape it took, I don't think they have shapes, but I know it was strong. It was just before I came to the human realm, I'd been running from some lowlife demons who wanted to steal something or another - damned if I can remember now - and I was in full demon form when I slid through the shadows. I think I scared the entity that time and it came upon me, dark tendrils wrapping around my throat and arms, lifting me off the ground and shaking me like I was some kind of ragdoll or something..." He shook his head, sighing a little.
"Not my best moment. The tendrils were darker than the darkness, I'm not sure how that was possible, but whatever - and just before I was about to lose consciousness, I managed to find my way through to a lit area. I could tell the entity didn't like that and, for a while, I couldn't shadow walk without being attacked by the creature, like it was letting loose all its anger out on me. I have some nasty scars from it... but, eventually, it either calmed down or I wandered far enough away from it that it just doesn't care anymore. I'm more on the thought of it just not caring anymore - it's been about 200 years after all." He nodded, finishing his story as they come through into Hana's storage room.
"HONEY, WE'RE HOME!" Masashi shouted as soon as he spotted Hana.
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Post by Raizen on Jul 25, 2017 19:58:07 GMT -5
Raizen smirked at Masashi's antics as they arrived back at Hana's apartment. Their location was verified when he could hear through the closed door of the apartment the girl that was yelling at her bandmates.
"I think it's adorable that you have pet names for each other. What is Hana's for you Masashi?"
Raizen chuckled as Hana glared at him.
"We've come for more boxes. W ant to get this finished as quickly as possible so you can show me these video game things that you spoke of earlier with Tomo."
With that he grabbed another stack of boxes and returned to Masashi's side and they began the brief walk to the safe house through the shadow realm again.
"Tendrils darker than the darkness that surrounds them. I wonder if they all share that trait or if the one you spoke of was unique and they have unique appearances and abilities. Would be interesting to figure out. Until then I suppose these shadow realm demons will remain equivalent to the boogey man."
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 25, 2017 20:21:13 GMT -5
"Most of my nicknames from Hana and Tomozaki aren't nice. Asshole, or stupid, is Tomo's favorite. Hana just calls me varying levels of creep, or sneak. Don't let her get pissed, she'll let loose a bunch of words I'm not sure you're ready to learn yet," Masashi laughed, guiding them through to the safehouse.
He helped rearrange some boxes so they would stack better, leaving more floor to maneuver on that way. "Honestly, I think it's a whole new kind of realm, one that not many people explore. Shadow walkers are pretty rare, as far as I know anyhow, and there's not much information on the abilities. Most of my knowledge is trial and error, so even I may be wrong." He sighed a little, rubbing his hands down his face. "Whatever kind of creatures they are, I hope they never spill out into the human or demon realm - I think it would spell horror either way."
"I think one more trip will do us good if I can grab some of the loose stuff in a bag..." He nodded his head, grinning back to Raizen. "Ready?" He offered his shoulder.
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Post by Raizen on Jul 25, 2017 20:33:34 GMT -5
Raizen listened to him and chuckled as Masashi explained to him about the comradery between the three of them and then about his abilities.
"Let's hope Masashi. Hana doesn't know that I'm royalty and I'd like to keep it that way but even if the worst should happen I'm severely limited in this mortal realm. I cannot access my full power at the moment. I could still be considered formidable but as for my potency it's dwindled a bit. Hopefully that sad fact will help me to fit in a little bit more easily while I am here."
He grabbed onto Masashi's shoulder and they walked back. Raizen grabbed the remainder of the boxes and stacked them to be ready to carry and then assisted Masashi in gathering the loose items into a bag for him to carry. Before departing he picked up the final stack and followed Masashi closely, not wanting to get lost or get left behind in the shadow realm.
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 25, 2017 20:43:32 GMT -5
Masashi kept quiet while back in Hana's apartment, but as soon as they've headed back to the safehouse, he decided to break the silence. "Well, you're strong, sire, even here I can feel that you could grind bones into dust with a simple flick of a finger joint, hell, probably just your little toe. I don't see any demons having the balls to come after you here, or cause a scene. We Settlers are good at keeping peace here and weeding out the bad demons..."
He dropped the bag of random junk by one of the stacks of boxes and sighed. "And your secret is safe with me. I won't let anyone know you're the king... as far as I'm concerned, you're not the king here, you're just a demon like the rest of us. Just let us Settlers know if someone's acting weird or causing trouble - we have a way of making those demons disappear."
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Post by Raizen on Jul 25, 2017 20:52:11 GMT -5
Raizen's expression softened at Masashi's words.
"I guess I am a little bit out of my jurisdiction am I not? Part of me misses the Generals that I grew up with that help me maintain order but the other part of me is just excited for this new adventure and wants to explore. It's like I've got a new identity where no one knows that's I am royalty so I can make genuine connections instead of just relationships through fear mongering."
Patting Masashi on the shoulder he gave the shadow walker a smirk.
"Besides we both know that as rare as you shadow walkers are you might as well be teleporting all over the place when it comes to a fight. Hard to catch unless one can predict your next move accurately and that would require time and a great deal of close observation. What I'm trying to say friend is that what you may lack in raw brute force, you make up for with tactical advantage, speed, and stealth."
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 25, 2017 21:05:23 GMT -5
"Well, your majesty, you're in for a real treat in human realm... these mortals are never boring," He laughed at his own words, recalling some very humorous moments with the humans. "And, have I got some stories to tell you. Hana won't be happy about some of them though since they involve her, but not all of them are so maybe I'll live past this year."
Masashi's grin widened further at the king's compliments, quite pleased with his honesty. "Well, Hana doesn't call me a creepy sneak for no reason. It's funny as hell to scare her, just so you know. She hasn't figured out what powers she has, so she can only kick my ass so much..." He snickered behind a hand. "Come on, let's go let Miss Hana know we're done and you can finally claim the room as your own."
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Post by Raizen on Jul 26, 2017 3:55:26 GMT -5
Chuckling at Masashi's antics, Raizen nodded at his suggestion and rested his hand on Masashi's shoulder as they began the journey back to Hana's through the shadow realm. Upon their return Raizen was greeted by Hana spraying some odorous spray throughout the room.
"We're back and we're finished. Everything has been moved from the room. Masashi and his skills are a very good thing to have around."
Raizen released Masashi's shoulder and stepped into the room, looking around to see the space that was going to be his.
"This place will do very nicely. Thank you again for letting me stay here Hana. And thanks for helping to move everything Masashi."
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Hana
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Post by Hana on Jul 26, 2017 20:54:29 GMT -5
"Don't say that too much to him or his head'll grow huuuuge." Hana said to him, side-eyeing Masashi for a moment before leaning in towards Raizen and dropping her voice to a whisper, "He's an okay potato most of the time. Just gotta give him a hard time to keep him in check." She leaned back with a grin and nodded to Raizen's words.
"It's really not a problem, Raizen. Don't worry about it." She patted his arm a bit before walking off to spray some more of the air freshener around the room. "I already finished cleaning up your room, this was just the final touch. And takeout should be here sometime in the next couple of minutes so make yourselves at home--" She was interrupted by the sound of the doorbell ringing and she quickly made her way to the door to answer it for the delivery guy, taking his burden of several bags and paying him before closing the door again. "Speak of the devil--" Hana laughed and walked back over, setting down all of the bags in front of them. "I got a little of everything and a lot of it because I wasn't sure if you had a big appetite or not so... bon appetit!"
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Post by Raizen on Jul 27, 2017 21:37:17 GMT -5
Raizen smiled as he looked around at his new room until the doorbell rang. He walked out to join Hana at the door to ensure she was safe. He watched as she exchanged words and some type of currency with the male at the door for a bag that smelled delicious. He stepped back and followed her back to the living room where she had set everything down on the coffee table. He looked over everything and then between the two of them.
"You two may go first since I don't know what everything is. At least you can grab what you know you like first before I just start to randomly shovel things down my throat to see what I like best."
When she stated that she had gotten a little of everything she hadn't exaggerated. There was a small smorgasbord for three on her coffee table at the moment with a variety of dishes for them to sample.
"Perhaps you do understand since you deal with demon kind a great deal but compared to food in the demon world I'll take pretty much anything so any food is a generous offer. Anything beats cooking your slain enemies."
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 27, 2017 22:33:52 GMT -5
Masashi only rolls his eyes at Hana's teasing, whispering 'amateur' under his breath before he steps out of the bedroom to watch her grab lunch. He grins another toothy grin and plops down beside the coffee table. "Thanks, Hana - I didn't expect to stay for lunch, but I won't turn down free food." He rubbed his hands together before pausing, glancing up at Raizen.
"I think you should get a little of everything honestly. No time like the present to get introduced to the food these humans make. You seem like a meat kind of demon, so let's set aside some of the dishes with meat and you can have some of each. We'll all just have some of everything. I'm not a picky eater," He laughed, carefully opening the bags and then the containers. The apartment filled with the smell of cooked meat, vegetables, and spices.
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Post by Raizen on Jul 28, 2017 7:49:11 GMT -5
Raizen smirks at their back-and-forth antics teasing each other until Masashi speaks. Sitting down on the couch he looks over everything.
"This has been very generous. With Masashi around I was expecting at least some contestation for whatever his favorite dish is. I appreciate the kind gesture however."
When they opened the take out containers and the smells of the food filled the room it was all Raizen could do not to let the drool filling his mouth leak out onto Hana's floor. Looking for a utensils he found a white fork on the table and picked it up.
"This is a great deal lighter than the forks I used last. It cannot be made of actual silver obviously. Its material is another mortal creation I presume?"
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Hana
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Post by Hana on Jul 28, 2017 18:33:38 GMT -5
Hana carefully opened each of the containers, snickering at the looks on the other two's faces. She imagined they felt about as ravenous as they looked at that moment. Once done, she handed them plates and motioned for them dig in.
"It's plastic. Very light and it's used in a lot of things but the "silverware" is great for takeout. You can put it in the recycle bin rather than washing it." She explained, picking up a fork for herself.
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Post by Raizen on Jul 28, 2017 19:52:34 GMT -5
"Another reason to do away with slavery. No dish washing required. You mortals think of everything it seems." Raizen replied to her explanation as he picked up a piece of everything and tried each, ensuring to savor the flavor of each. "Mmm this is all delicious. A guy could get used to eating like this. No gathering materials and building a fire and waiting for the meat to cook. It comes to your door within minutes already prepared."
He continued to share the food with them, not wanting to overstep or be rude. After all he was not the one who had paid for the meal and since Hana was nice enough to not require rent money from him when she knew he was broke he would do his best to be on his best behavior around her. Also he would have to do his best to avoid doing anything that could reveal his identity as ruler of the demon world. After the three of them had finished off all of the food, mostly him and Masashi, Raizen stood and offered to assist Hana in cleaning up the mess.
"Where does your garbage go? What is the waste system like now?"
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Post by Jiyoon Maxwell on Jul 28, 2017 20:04:32 GMT -5
"Don't they?" Masashi laughed, leaning against the couch and rubbing his full stomach. He heaved a deep sigh and stood as well, gathering the plate and silverware he used. "It's rather simple - Hana recycles, so she'll have to go over everything with that, but depending on the material is where stuff goes. Plastic in one, paper in another, and so on. Hana's one of the only humans I know personally who does this, but I deal with it..." He grinned at Hana, quickly moving to Raizen's other side, putting him in between himself and Hana.
There was a knock on the door while they were talking and then it opened, revealing Tomo in his uniform still, but looking more relaxed than earlier. "I see things are going well. Masashi you didn't cause trouble, did you? Did he?" He directed the question at Hana.
"Hey! I'm not that much of a troublemaker, Tomozaki," Masashi makes a face. Tomo just gives him a look.
"Says the one that's been in the back of my cruiser more times than I can count..." Tomo muttered, though it was teasing in his own way.
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Hana
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Post by Hana on Jul 28, 2017 20:20:40 GMT -5
"He wasn't so bad. Didn't try to scare me once though I don't put it past him to have thought about it." Hana answers with a small smirk, She gathered up their trash, making sure to show Raizen how to separate the different recyclables and then showing him the bins in the kitchen. "That's all there is to cleaning up after takeout really."
"The best person to ask about how he behaved is Raizen since they were carting boxes back and forth together. I stayed here and cleaned up." She looked at the aformentioned, "He didn't try to freak you out with his shadow walking did he?"
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Post by Raizen on Jul 28, 2017 20:39:13 GMT -5
Raizen looked between the three of them realizing that they were all making inside jokes because the three of them had worked together for so long. It almost made him miss his generals who were the only demons that he would let speak to him as almost equals. When he heard his name he tuned back into the conversation and saw that Tomo looked towards him expectantly.
"Masashi was of great assistance and was open to questions the entire time. I did ask him a few inquiries about his ability but not out of fear so much as curiosity. I haven't met many with his abilities...well really none actually. Even my father did not possess the skill."
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