first ➳

[undefines]

Characters: Nue Houjuu and OPEN
Setting: The dormitory floors; the cafeteria; Floor 6 (forest)
Format: Action preferred
Summary: Nue wakes up in the Tower, is annoyed by mysterious sounds, and doesn't care for the cafeteria food.
Warnings: Some goriness in the last prompt.
Notes: You might want to check this out before tagging in!


I. Dormitories
[Nue has a lot of questions about her situation when she comes to. There are the obvious, like where this place is and how she has been brought here, and then there are the more esoteric, like the number of youkai and the number of humans here alongside her. However, as she explores her new surroundings, her thoughts begin to come back to one particular question more and more often.]

[What is that noise?]

[Her pointed ears twitch and lie back like an animal's—not that most people should be able to see that, given the way she has covered herself with one of the few seeds she has access to. (Another thing to wonder about.) She even growls a little. It's seriously irritating, and it doesn't sound like anything she has ever heard before. Her wandering through the dormitory hallways quickly turns from an attempt to get her bearings to a quest to locate the source of that whining. Occasionally, she'll stop and scratch at a wall, as if to dig inside.]

II. Cafeteria
[Sometime later, Nue can be found in the cafeteria. She doesn't look significantly more pleased by the situation here than she did by the one upstairs, but for what is at least in part a different reason. Specifically, she's miffed by the options she has for food.]

[Seriously. As if suffering through the oatmeal wasn't bad enough, her reward is this flowery crap? What kind of self-respecting youkai would be pleased with this garbage?]

III. Floor 6
[Being unable to fly makes taking down a prey animal somewhat more difficult than it would otherwise be, but Nue makes do nonetheless. The loss of her powers and the aggressiveness of what should have been a timid doe catch her by surprise—and she has the bloody shoulder to prove it now—but it isn't hard to entangle the animal's legs with one of her flexible, blade-like wings while the other five slit its throat and rend its flesh. It doesn't take her long to leave it jerking against the ground in its final movements.]

[She doesn't feel like carrying her prize all the way back to "civilization," so when she settles down to eat, it's in the dirt. The scythe-like limbs at her back cut into her meal's still-warm body, and the blue spears opposite of them pry it apart for her. Blood drips down her chin as she gobbles down the meat raw. Unashamedly, she eats like an animal, because there's no one around to tell her she should do otherwise. She doesn't mind it.]

Comments

[undefines]

[Well, the creature doesn't come closer, but it doesn't back off, either. Instead, there's a long moment where it stays perfectly still, staring squarely at Wriggle still.]

[And that's when the laughter starts.]

Pfft—aha, ahahaha...!

[It's definitely not a sound that should come out of a forest animal. The voice is a young woman's.]

[wrigurun]

[As soon as she heard that laugh suddenly she wasn't so sure what she was dealing with. The creature in front of her started to become less and less defined]

Don't laugh at me!

[undefines]

What are you going to do about it? [She snickers again.]

[wrigurun]

[She just growls, in a situation like this there isn't much she can do]

I'll fight you! Not here but up there!

[She points up, although she didn't have any floor in particular in mind, just somewhere she could use her powers]

That way it's fair!

[undefines]

Oh? A small fry like you is going to fight something like me?

[That seems to amuse her, too, and this time Nue does get up, stalking closer.]

No matter where we fight, it isn't going to be "fair."

[wrigurun]

[It looks like Wriggle almost instinctively goes to step back but she catches herself in time and stays fixed to the spot]

Y-yeah, of course it's not! But at least you'll have less of a disadvantage!

[If her short stature weren't enough the slight crack in her voice makes her even less intimidating]

[undefines]

[Nue catches that almost slip, of course. She has learned very well how to pick up on signs of fear. That, combined with Wriggle's words and breaking voice, only serves to make Nue laugh again.]

You are so cute. [There are tears of genuine mirth in her eyes as she says this.] What's your name?

[Nue still isn't sure whether or not she wants to bat this child around a little. She'll figure it out as she goes, she supposes.]

[wrigurun]

[Wriggle puffs out her chest and tries to look as proud as possible]

My name is Wriggle Nightbug, leader of insectkind!

[undefines]

[Sliiiithers up... She doesn't touch Wriggle, but she comes close, unhurriedly circling her.]

Oh...? What a lofty title. But maybe that explains why you're so tiny?

[...Not that Nue is exactly large herself, but Wriggle can't see that.]

[wrigurun]

[If she could see any eyes she would have kept eye-contact, instead she took on a somewhat aggressive stance]

I'm bigger than the fairies at least!

[undefines]

That's not saying a lot.

[Nue condescendingly pats her head—with one of her wings, which then casually settles on her shoulder and around her throat, though not tightly enough to bear more than the slightest amount of pressure.]

[wrigurun]

[Wriggle jerks away from the touch but when she feels something brush against her throat she freezes up]

S-so what? Just because I'm small doesn't mean I'm weak!

[undefines]

[She hums out another amused, questioning sound, her wing tightening its grip by only the barest amount.]

And do you think a mere insect could defeat the legendary nue?

[wrigurun]

S-Sure I could!

[She's not making any sudden movements though]

A-and what's a nue?

[undefines]

[And in that moment, her tone changes entirely.]

Ugh, come on! You mean you don't know, either?

[Even other youkai...!]

[wrigurun]

[It's not so much other youkai, it's just Wriggle]

O-obviously you can't be that legendary if I've never heard of you!

[undefines]

[Now the wing does tighten—but not to actually hurt Wriggle, Nue seizing her and shaking her violently. And petulantly.]

You should respect your elders, you little...!

[wrigurun]

Nngh!

[Wriggle claws onto whatever was wrapped around her neck and starts kicking and struggling violently. Even if it wasn't meant to hurt, it certainly badly startled her]

[undefines]

[Whatever it is, it's oddly smooth and nearly waxy in texture. It doesn't give much under Wriggle's fingers.]

[In the height of maturity, Nue responds by shaking her harder.]

[wrigurun]

S-stop it!

[She just about manages the choke the words out. Wriggle wasn't sure what she was expecting, when she was around the creatures from the floor her powers suddenly vanished but she tore her hand away from her neck long enough to fire a cluster of yellow coloured bullets]

[undefines]

[Nue drops her, lurching backward at the blast of danmaku. She scowls, and her ears lie back like an animal's, wings lashing around her like tails trying to swat away an annoyingly persistent gnat.]

You...!

[And then she fires a rather dense spray of bullets in return.]

[wrigurun]

[Wriggle takes a large gasp of air as she backs off as well. There's barely any time to think as the barrage heads for her. Although she manages to dodge the first few bullets on instinct Wriggle quickly gets overwhelmed and braces herself as she gets struck to the floor. After a few moments she sits up and tries to manage the ache coursing through her veins]

That was unfair!

[undefines]

That's what you get for attacking something bigger and stronger than you are.

[Nue maintains her distance now, her posture sinking into something more like sulking.]

[wrigurun]

Well how was I supposed to know? You don't look like anything!

Besides, there's nothing honorable about picking on people weaker than you.

[undefines]

And there's nothing worthwhile about being honorable, so I guess we're even.