sunfloras | OPEN POST II

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.]

[Now that catches Hiro off guard. He feels his cheeks turning red in embarrassment before blurting out.]

Wha--?! W-Where did that even come from!?

[She's totally right, though. Even before these apocalyptic days, he had never even thought about seriously dating anyone. There were plenty of cute girls in JPs for sure, but surviving with everyone was his top priority right now!]

Ah. Hm. Well.

[She crosses her arms to mull over her own words and his reaction to it.]

... I guess I said that out loud because it seems weird that you'd let someone you don't know very well to hold onto you.

[Is it her lesser skill in Japanese that makes this come across as strange? Is it just her being a goddamn weirdo? YOU DECIDE!]

Am I some kind of weirdo magnet? Is this what my life has become now?

[He's openly mulling about this. How many strange people has he encountered these past few days?]

Okay, look. I said that as reassurance if you felt yourself slipping off of Byakko! Whatever's going on in that flighty head of yours... You're just overthinking things!

[He hasn't really answered her question, though.]

Oh... I see! My sister just tells me that sometimes I don't question other people enough so I thought I might just ask. Then again, Lien does tell me I overthink too...

[Ai, normal people don't ask things so casually like that.

In any case, she'll be wrapping her arms around his torso.]

Better safe than sorry! There's no seatbelts after all.

[There's almost an exasperated sigh from Hiro as he pats Byakko to start moving. Was she going to be another problem child that would give him headaches in the future?!]

So let me guess... You're the younger sister, aren't you?

[It's said in absolute deadpan. There's a solid line to his logic here!]

Just by a few minutes. How'd you guess?

[Dork.]

We're twins. So I guess if you see someone else who looks similar to me, it's a good chance it's her.

Twins, huh? Well, my deduction was simple!

[Puffing his chest with pride, Hiro lifts a finger up.]

The older sibling is always the more responsible one with common sense! And the younger sibling is the one who brings forth trouble like a storm! It's like the unwritten law of the universe for the older sibling to forever be a few steps ahead of the little one.

[It's a proud observation, but he doesn't realize how insensitive it sounds.]

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