Log 23 | Forever to keep one step ahead...

[neverbeamemory]

Characters: A: Sephiroth & Ganondorf [Closed], B: Sephiroth & Sheba [Closed], C: Sephiroth & YOU [Open]
Setting: 22nd July, Afternoon. A: Floor 75, B: Floor 81, C: Floor 38
Format: Action, can switch
Summary: Sephiroth offloads his latest acquisition onto Ganondorf for 'safe keeping', Encounters Sheba on the way back and then eventually settles in the Floor 38 Lounge to do some reading.
Warnings: None specific yet, usual Sephiroth violence-warning applies.

A: Floor 75 [Closed to Ganondorf]
[There isn't much time. He's already spent an entire night of sleeplessness pondering this fact.

A fool would think that they weren't already onto him. Between his network post which initiated the boycott nearly two weeks ago, his own shadow of a retrieval unit always watching and the cameras between the Infirmary and the Dormitories there is no way they don't know he's got it. Or at least, if there was any doubt, whomever looked on the network already today would know as well, courtesy of a certain loud mouthed girl - he should have cut her tongue out instead of outright killing her. Sephiroth is certain there are others within the Tower who will be looking for him as well, soon enough.

Even without Yukiko's little broadcast Sephiroth knows he can't hold onto this treasure. As precious and as crucial to him as it is, as it will prove to be; it needs to be put somewhere safe. Somewhere hidden, or at least as hidden within the Glamour as he, or rather someone he knows can possibly make it.

In order to gain as much distance as possible from the stairwell, and any other prying eyes, Sephiroth had taken to the air as soon as he stepped onto this floor. He waits hovering, one large black wing beating at the air intermittently as if it were really keeping him afloat, level to but not too near to the top-most platform of the Tower within the Tower. Both arms wrapped unrelentingly around that blasted container, wrapped in a bed sheet and with his jacket pulled around it as much as he can make it.]

B: Floor 81 [Closed to Sheba]
[Is he supposed to feel lighter now? He doesn't.

Who would have thought that he'd had to ask Ganondorf for help. It prickles at his pride like an unwelcome stitch that he doesn't have the means to conceal anything in the Tower, well as much as anything could be concealed here. Ifrits-hell such tactics are not his usual forte, but going down furiously defending that thing certainly wasn't an option. He'd be right back where he started with nothing to show for it - or worse.

Sephiroth presses the button to call the elevator but then wanders away from it more into the lounge area of this floor. As ever his gaze drawn to the window before he realized he was doing it. He blinks harshly and forces his gaze away. It's just a wall, there might well be something out there but it's probably not the beauteous cosmos that it appears to be. The ghost of broken hands cramps his knuckles momentarily and he takes the moment to crack them.

He shouldn't linger, he knows it won't be long before his supervisor catches up to him --he's been lucky enough to have learned how lose him on stairwells quite well. Sephiroth turns and strides back towards the doors to the elevator-]

C: Floor 38 [Open]
[Having retreated back up to his dormitory via the showers Sephiroth has resolved to grab a book and head for the less residential lounge. He seldom makes the effort to climb all the stairs from the 21st Floor but by that fact alone, it might earn him some privacy. To finally try to place the recognizable voice that he hears every time he reads through this poem book; the name always escaping him always and plummeting into a great black hole of a missing memory. There was a red head who had lived here once, with a similar tone to her voice but it wasn't quite a match.

Sephiroth's expression, as he lays back across one of the sofas reading is one of concentration - as if he were studying some complicated science, or trying to learn a new language just by reading the words. That retrieval unit lurks nearby, and every so often Sephiroth will force himself to look away from the book to make sure it hasn't switched into grab mode. It's paranoid and he hates it, but he's expecting it.]

Comments

[neverbeamemory]

[It was indeed very satisfying to look down on Tohko as her hand was pinned under his boot and as a result her whole frame beneath him. As it should be for any humans, in fact.

Though such confidence would be for when he's clearly enforced his superior status over her and for this reason he wouldn't give much more than a moments reprieve, to enjoy the moment some, before aiming a punch downwards to Tohko's head - the sword is gone again, for now.

Though the electricity was weaker in the next bolt, the wetness on the top of his head from the until then unnoticed light rain told him that another bolt like that would hurt a lot more. Sephiroth aims a quick succession of strikes to Tohko's head, grinding his boot into her hand more each time.

He needs to break her focus, and if he knocked her out in the process, well, she'd certainly have the headache to deal with when she came to.]

[tohko_amano]

[While Tohko would never think of Sephiroth as 'superior' over humans or anyone else, she did bite her lip and suppress her cry of pain as he punched head. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out right now.

While she was happy that the rain and lightning had managed to hit him, the next blows did manage to pull out a cry of pain. However, while they hurt, and while it would have been far too easy for her to actually slip into unconsciousness, she would have been failing Ryoji if she did so. She wasn't going to go down without a fight! Not like this.

So, trying to ignore the pain in her hand and head and the small headache that was starting, Tohko tried to roll away from Sephiroth's strikes. If she succeeded, another cloud and lightning bolt would come down on him.]

[neverbeamemory]

[Sephiroth remained with his boot firmly on top of Tohko's hand though he did relent in his strikes as she tried to roll away regardless - despite apparently how it twisted her wrist around. He watched her with his lightly smiling head tilted to one side a little.

He was enjoying the little cries of pain that he had started to draw from her and wasn't about to stop now. Sephiroth put all of his weight then, onto that hand; caring little if he crushed or even broke it in the process. Meanwhile he aimed a powerful, deep kick up into the rest of her body - not resisting to charge the attack with additional physical power this time.

He's not about to let her get her focus straight enough to call another bolt of lightning. Sephiroth would much prefer to hear more of those whimpering cries of pain from the girl who dared to think she could dictate what he could or could not do.]

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko had been hoping that her hand strength was great enough to pull away from Sephiroth's foot. It seemed that she had been very mistaken about that, so she tried to brace herself as best she could for the next round of blows.

While her hand was horribly crushed and in massive amounts of pain, she didn't want to cry out at it, so she bit her lip at that..but she did cry out at the kick that flew into her stomach. It didn't help that her stomach was a little empty, so the moment it was hit, she didn't just feel pain, her stomach reminded her that she had to fill it soon with a massive wave of pain.

But..even though she couldn't roll away, Tohko didn't want to be treated like a punching bag or lose this fight. She had started this with the intention of winning for Ryoji, and lying like a log wasn't going to help. So, Tohko aimed a weak kick at Sephiroth's legs and tried to sink her teeth as hard as he could into the hand that was pressing down onto her hand.

She would have to fight left-handed now, since her right hand was in terrible shape. But if she could get ahold of him or get him to back off, she could use the rest of her strength to just launch lightning bolt after lightning bolt at him.]

[neverbeamemory]

[Weak kick or no, Sephiroth had to shift his balance around Tohko to dodge her legs. He wasn't going to take the chance of any unlucky trip on his part. He felt an odd pressure around the side of his boot where Tohko sank her teeth into his boot; and took the initiative to kick with that foot into her face - but releasing her hand in the process.

As a result Sephiroth did back off, only to take two lightning bolts - one after the other to each shoulder. These were more forceful, direct hits and while they did not shock him as much as Tohko would have hoped, the force of them drives him to one knee while spots within his vision faded away. He forces himself back to his feet soon enough though and kicks at Tohko again.

If Tohko were back on her feet by this point then this powerful kick, once connected would be sure to send her flying backwards into the nearest wall or object close by.]

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko allowed herself to take the kick to the face as she let go of Sephiroth's boot. It hurt and made her dizzy..but it allowed her to roll to the side and start to stand up. She was probably bruised in five different places and pretty shaky from the beating..but Tohko was a stubborn book girl, and she wasn't going to allow herself to go down like this just yet.

She managed to get back up to her feet as the lightning struck Sephiroth, and she was preparing her head and body for another strike..but that was when Sephiroth recovered and kicked her, sending her flying back into the wall. Surprised and in even more pain, Tohko cried out, and leaned forward, clutching the spot that Sephiroth had kicked with her free hand..but she also gripped her fist and did her best to focus and fight off the pain.

Another storm cloud would form over Sephiroth, and if he didn't do something quickly, another lightning bolt would strike him.]

[neverbeamemory]

[He's much too used to this game by now and dodges to the side out from under the storm cloud.

A second later Sephiroth closes the distance between them, with a telekinetic push to his own muscles, with momentum towards Tohko - aiming an uppercut into the area she was shielding, hoping to smash her relentlessly into the wall with the same motion.]

[tohko_amano]

[The storm cloud would dissipate when Sephiroth dodged the lightning, and while Sephiroth would managed to punch her-an act that made her cry out again, which she hated to do, since she knew he only enjoyed it-she would attempt to fight through the pain and use the dagger in her free hand to stab him in the side. Attempt being the key word here.]

[neverbeamemory]

[At the sickening crunch of ribs followed by Tohko's cry out in pain Sephiroth smirks wider-

Only to have been too bold. By chance the dagger slides through his leather jacket on the one side and finds the smallest gap between the bottom of his harness, and the top of his pants. The sensation is sudden enough to draw an involuntary intake of breath. His fist still planted against Tohko in the end of the punch shakes for a second before he then grips her top with it while the other hand reaches back to force her hand - with or without the dagger - away from his body.

Steeled willpower pushes all concern about the wound back out of his immediate awareness as he lifts Tohko up against the wall. His eyes livid, boring into her skull]

How DARE you, you little brat...

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko still managed to hold onto her dagger as Sephiroth gripped her hand and lifted her against the wall. Her chest and head ached horribly, and her ribs more than smarted..but seeing Sephiroth's reaction, seeing him actually worried a little in comparison to how he was acting before was nice. She finally had gotten in a bit of a beating. She just had to keep it coming, just had to keep holding on.

Despite Sephiroth's glare, Tohko just gave him a weak smirk, similar to the one Peter Pan might make sometimes.]

And..how dare you..attack my friends.

[With that, she would try to kick him with both legs anywhere that she could. Down low, in the midsection or chest, it didn't matter. Wherever they could reach, she would try and kick.]

[neverbeamemory]

[Dagger removed, Sephiroth knows enough of these type of wounds to know it will well up with blood quickly. He also knows that he won't be able to stall too long before ensuring that at least the blood flow is stemmed quickly. Real or not, under Glamour his regeneration works just as well. A probing palm to the wound comes away covered in wet scarlet, though camouflaged like oil against black leather gloves.

He gripped the front of Tohko's shirt tighter as she then kicked to his mid-section. It didn't seem to do much more than irritate him as he grabbed at the hand she held her dagger in and banged her hand hard against the wall to get her to drop it.]

Sharp objects are dangerous [He near hissed at her, then taking her shirt in both hands and smacking her hard against the wall again. This time, he wouldn't stop until she wasn't moving anymore.]

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko was a very stubborn book girl. Even though she was a pretty normal and squishy human when you took away her lightning and any room for her to use her daggers, she still had that going for her, so while the pain in her wrist caused her to bite her lip, she just clenched on her dagger even tighter in response to it. She didn't let go of her weapon at all.

She was about to reply that if she didn't have some dangerous objects, she wouldn't be able to fight against monsters and defend her friends, but Sephiroth cut her off when he started smacking her hard against the wall repeatedly. Eventually, she would pass out..but, in the meantime, she kept trying to kick and stab at him wherever she could in an attempt to make him let go.]

[neverbeamemory]

[In the process, Tohko may have gotten lucky enough to get in one or two more slashes at Sephiroth's arms as smacks her again against the wall until she passes out. Though whether or not she managed to get purchase through the leather couldn't be seen.

Eventually, as consciousness would start to fade he drops Tohko unceremoniously against the wall - delivering a final, brutal kick to her ribs before touching experimentally again at the wound to his side. It had started to sting now, on account of his harness rubbing against it as he moved around, but now there wasn't any other threat to deal with he willed his cells to start rushing more to be healing towards it. He paused and took a shuddering breath to reset his nerve in the meantime.

Then he retrieves his book from the space where the couch had been before he moved it and heads for the stairwell, if with a little of a lurch to the injured side on the first few steps away from the wall.]

[tohko_amano]

[Tohko would actually cry out again as he kicked her ribs when Sephiroth dropped her before she actually passed out. Sadly, she had her usual nightmare of being called a goblin by people that threw stones at her and killed her, and would have up a few hours later, very sore, shaky, annoyed..and sad.

While she was lucky that she hadn't died, she hadn't been able to make up for the way that Sephiroth had treated Ryoji. Not at all, and that fact hurt her more than the bruises that covered some parts of her body from being kicked and hit so many times.

Carefully, she would get up, collect her other dagger, and stumble out of the room, looking for a good place to rest. Maybe next time she would win. For now, she had to rest.]