sunfloras | OPEN POST II

[Ai's expression is crestfallen when he explains the violence that was behind some of the fights she had witnessed with the monstrous creatures. So that's what it was...]

That's... Wow. If I hadn't seen the demons with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed you at first. I've mostly stayed out of sight and out of mind when I saw that happening.

[The idealist in her wished she could do something but the realist cultivated by Lien told her to survive. She's not a hero. She was foreigner alone in a country without any family she could find to speak of.]

If I have the app then that means I can do the same thing, correct? Although, I haven't actually tried it yet.

Yup! You gotta be careful, though. Demons don't just kneel down to anyone. You gotta have some backbone or they won't listen to you. I guess it comes down to if you've got a strong spirit that divides you from staying alive or becoming demon chow.

[He's not sure how it worked exactly. But Hiro felt like the stronger he became, then he ended up with stronger demon summons. It was a lot easier to imagine it all like a RPG game in his head.]

Some people treat their demons like their tools or weapons, but I like to treat 'em as my friends. So far, it hasn't gotten me killed!

[He says as if none of this was a big deal for him at all. He did used to be play a game called "Evil Beater" back in the day. Some of the stuff that he dealt with in the game almost reminded him of what they were going through now.]

[The girl purses her lips and her brow wrinkles as she looks at the app on her phone, reluctant to give it a chance at all.]

I dunno... Even if I have it, I'm not sure if I'm the type who can handle this sort of power.

[She doesn't feel particularly brave nor has it ever been a trait she associated herself with.]

You must be pretty good at handling them by the sound of it.

Weeeell... I am a pretty tough guy! I just treat them like how I'd treat anyone else!

[Perhaps it was that open mindedness was why he has survived up to this point. He looks somewhat cocky, though. After surviving through plenty of battles and helping people, he couldn't help the ego.]

But if you don't feel confident in using it, then don't. The power of demons isn't something to take very lightly.

[He understood that much. Fighting in a battlefield wasn't all fun and games either. He's seen plenty of JPs workers get mauled out there by demons. The last thing that he wanted was to have a tragic fate like that.]

Well...

[She trails off still looking uncertain. As it is now, Ai Thao is all by herself for the most part. Hiro Kageyama seemed like a friendly boy, but they've just met too. She can't just cling on to the first person who showed her kindness.

(But on the other hand, she doesn't want to be alone, it's too much, it's too scary, she can't...)]

... I could try it out. If it helps me find my sister then it's probably the boost I need.

Hmm... The bonds of siblings, huh? Man, I wish I had a big bro who'd worry about me.

[He's a little envious. As an only child with neglectful parents, Hiro never really had a solid family life. But this wasn't about him, he was more focused about her.]

But I think that's all you need. There's plenty of flying demons who could search the city for your sister if you end up summoning one.

[And he'll be walking up to her and putting a supportive hand on her shoulder. The least he could do was help her find her sister... Hiro never really needed a reason to help someone. He just did whatever he wanted since it felt good.]

And if anything goes wrong, you got me in your corner. I've got a mean right hook, y'know. And my demons are pretty tough customers too.

[The hand on her shoulder makes jump a bit, but she settles down seeing as it was a friendly gesture.]

... Thank you. You didn't need to help me, but you did. I'm really grateful for that.

Anyways, it's not like I have a lot of options. Do you think I should just try it out now?

Uh, let's see...

[He'll take a moment to look around them. The coast seemed to be clear from any demons or demon tamers that could've misinterpreted the situation.]

Now's a good time. Demons and demon tamers don't usually run at amok at night.

[Alright, it's now or never! Ai's finger hovers over the app and she presses the screen and...]

...

...

BEEP

... Eh?

[There's a giant ERROR sign flashing across her phone.]

... I don't think it's supposed to do that.

Huh?

[Don't mind Hiro as he takes the phone from her hand and presses it himself.

ERROR ERROR ERROR.]

Huh?! That's not what was supposed to happen! Heeey! HEEEEY! YOU STUPID SUMMONING APP! A CUTE GIRL NEEDS YOUR HELP AND YOU'RE GONNA TURN HER DOWN!? WHAT KIND OF HALF-BAKED PROGRAM ARE YOU?!

[Whoa, loud voice! Ai jumps once again, the very image of a startled rabbit. She tries to just lightly make a suggestion:]

M-Maybe it takes a few seconds to load? And the signals aren't exactly the best condition right now.

[She leaves her finger pressed against the screen for almost a full minute. But something's up yet again and she reads the message that pops up.]

"Error. Please update through the app store."

Wow. I didn't know supernatural apps had the same technical issues too!

This definitely didn't happen with me. What a buzzkill.

[He was getting excited to show Ai the ways of being a demon tamer. He would have his own little disciple! After a disappointed sigh, he figured that maybe they should try again later.]

Well, I guess we can try again some other time. But for now... Do you want me to show you how it's really done?

[Then why me? That's what she wanted to ask. Having the app display an error message to her made her feel inadequate when it seemed like almost everyone else was capable of summoning demons to protect themselves. In short, it was a bummer.

But that deflating of self-esteem would have to wait. Ai holds back from sighing and nods to Hiro, pocketing her phone.]

Please do. I'd like to know how to do this safely when the time comes. Whenever that is, I guess.

Stay back, Ai!

[Whipping out his trusty phone, Hiro will strike a dramatic pose as he does a chant. It wasn't necessary, but he was always the type to ham it up for fun.]

I summon thee from the depth of the abyss! Shatter the ground with your triumphant roar and tear through your enemies with a bolt of lightning! Byakko, come forth!!

[Despite all of that, he simply presses the app button and there will be a big flash of blue light. As the light dissipates, there will be a large white tiger sitting in place with a low growl.]

[She takes a step back and has to cover her face when the blue flash of light shines from his phone. It's one thing to hear about the demons and learn they're from the app, but this...]

It worked... Wow, it's real!

[What else was she supposed to say. She takes a step towards the white tiger instinctively (because it is a big cat why not), but stops herself.]

Er. Is it safe or...?

Yeah, it's totally safe! Byakko won't a fly unless it's a huge demonic one trying to hurt me.

[Hiro steps forward and speaks softly to his furry friend.]

C'mon boy. Raise your paw for her. It's like when we do one of our secret handshakes.

[There's a pause from Byakko before he lets out a softer growl and awkwardly lifts his paw up for Ai.]

[Ai lights up when Byakko raises his paw...

And she walks forward, reaches out...

HIGH-FIVE!!]

See? Not all demons are bad. I think Byakko's always been a friendly dude unless you provoke him.

[That was Hiro's theory and he was sticking to that. He's not sure what the demon world is like wherever they came from... But that was neither here nor there.]

Once you become a demon tamer too, you'll see that they've got all kinds of personalities. A lot of 'em even talk, but er... I'd rather hold a conversation that doesn't lead down to "I'll eat you!"

Seems like that's proof enough. This demon seems really strong in comparison to the others I've seen too.

[She puts her hands on her hips and tilts her head knowingly at Hiro.]

You're a really lucky guy aren't you Hiro?

Huh? What do you mean by that?

[You can literally see the question marks popping around his head.]

Well, you're still alive and you have a powerful demon on your side. That's what I call lucky!

[She pulls her hood back over her head. It's a chilly night after all.]

I think I should go back to my hotel now. I'm a little lucky myself! I have a place to stay for the time being since so many of us got stranded. I'll try the demon summoning tomorrow morning instead so I can get the search for my sister started for real!

I guess that's one way of putting it...

[He really had to give credit for the others helping him out. After all, he couldn't had survived this far without depending on his friends. His eyebrows rise a little at her sudden boost in optimism. Maybe she was the type who bounced back quickly after stumbling a bit.

Huh. She was looking really spooked a few moments ago. At least I was able to give her a push in the right direction.]

You sure that you'll be okay out there? It's still dangerous for a girl to be wandering around the streets at night, so I can give you a free ride on Byakko if you want.

[(In truth, she's just trying to avoid talking about herself because she's so limited and because in truth she just feels hopelessly helpless and it just the worst...)

Ai brightens up even more when Hiro extends the offer.]

Really? I'll take you up on that then! It's not every day one gets to ride a demon tiger!

You heard her, boy. The Ziodyne Express is open for business.

[There's a bit of a delayed response from the demon as he ponders on his Master's weird taste in names. But Byakko leans down proper as Hiro climbs on his back. From there, Hiro will offer his hand to Ai to help her climb on.]

Oh yeah! If you get scared or uncomfortable, then you can hold onto me. I won't tell a soul. 𝅘𝅥𝅮

[He might tease her about it later, though. There was never a dull moment to mess with people.]

Ah. You don't mind?

[She accepts his hand and pulls herself up to climb onto Byakko's back. She's quiet for a second before asking...]

... So that means you don't have a girlfriend, huh?

[Despite how innocuous and innocent it's stated, it's also terribly blunt.]

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