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[takeastrohl]

[TEXT] [AUDIO] [VIDEO] [ACTION]

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TEXT | un: pink.cloud | 2/7, Night

[nterwebz]

[ She doesn't consider texting him until she's sure she's level again. With Strohl in particular, that comes later that night. It's another sleepless one, but the familiar stability she senses about the area surrounding the cottages is something of a balm on her mind and heart, one she's pretty sure she's going to need for this.

Yesterday, Kazuya had said something about Strohl trying to fight him, too. She thinks it's something about which she needs to be aware in more detail at the very least. She's sure he and Will mean well, but... well, she's not in the wrong to be concerned.

She's sure of that. ]

hey strohl
you got a sec?

[ She looks at the screen for all of two seconds, then -- ]

if you dont make a bunch

[takeastrohl]

[You'd think he'd be used to Nao's texting style by now, being able to infer what she usually means with her strange form of shorthand. Some things still confuse him, however. Case in point:]

You need a bunch of sec?

[nterwebz]

seconds
time

strohl cmon
keep up

[takeastrohl]

I see your shorthand is as confusing as ever. (⌣̀_⌣́)

But yes, I do have some time. What do you wish to talk about?

[nterwebz]

u and kazuya

[takeastrohl]

Ah.

What did he tell you?

[nterwebz]

enuff 4 me 2 b here asking u about it

out with it

[takeastrohl]

It was not the cleanest of first meetings, admittedly. We conversed much, and disagreed much.

There are reasons why I cannot abide by his treatment of demons - for his sake moreso than the ones he rules over - and that's where talks of a duel came to fruition.

[nterwebz]

a duel
y??

[takeastrohl]

[...]

There are some points you could get across by fighting someone.

That, and I want to understand him.

[nterwebz]

and u think u can defeat the demon king of bel
am i missin sumthin?

[takeastrohl]

Our entire group aims to win the elections such that a worthy king may claim the throne, and so we can find the means to change the world. Would we be truly capable of such a feat if we are felled by a demon king?

[nterwebz]

OMG YES U IDIOT
theres a huge diffrence between defeatin a Dmon king
winnin an election an improvin teh world!!

i shouldn even hafta SAY this!!

y did he agree?
DID HE AGREE???
dont lie to me

[takeastrohl]

Not to me. Our enemy is someone far worse than Kazuya, after all.

[Congrats, Louis. You're officially worse than a demon king.]

He did, in the form of a deal. I win, and he'll listen to me. He wins, and he can take control of my will.

[Oh, he's so ready to hear the ensuing explosion after typing that.]

[nterwebz]

tell me you're joking, please

[takeastrohl]

I'm afraid this is no joking matter.

[nterwebz]

do u even hear urself?

getting ur point across and understandin kazuya
tats worth ur soul and mission 2 change ur world?

did u even stop 2 think about ur friends?
about how hurt theyd b if u were hurt or lost ur soul to tat man??
if u were forced 2 go wit him when he leaves tis place if he does
bc u thougt he was worth ur soul and teh ppl u care about???

[takeastrohl]

Yes, it is. There's no worth in my life if it is not used in the service of others, and if I can use it as a bargaining chip then I will. I would not be worthy of my name otherwise.

I already told him that he's not allowed to hurt my friends. That's a good enough clause. I doubt he can find the means to leave this place with me anyhow.

text -> ACTION

[nterwebz]

[ Oho, that -- and she drops her head, turning it slightly to the side and exhaling a soft "heh" -- that? That really pisses her off.

It'll be a couple of minutes before Strohl receives his reply. It's about how long it'd take Nao to walk over to the brothers' cottage actually, but the reply doesn't come via the phone. It comes in the form of Nao seemingly glitching through the wall, green and black code fading in and out as she steps forward and toward Strohl. She's not running. She's walking.

He's got maybe five seconds to register before she's on him. ]

action!!!

[takeastrohl]

[He thought that it would have been the end of that, his reasoning finally read and understood, only for him to look up the oracle and what on earth is that.

That's Nao, alright. But the glitching is all unfamiliar to him. That alone is enough to make his skin stand on end, much like how someone encounters something unfamiliar for the first time.

He doesn't want to put his fists up, not when Nao is a friend, but he doesn't keep his guard down. Just in case it's not an imposter.]

That's you, right? You never showed that trick during our training sessions.

[nterwebz]

[ If it makes him feel any better, Nao isn't radiating killing intent, but there is most certainly not a smile on her face, idle or otherwise. She steps until she's close enough to reach out and grasp his shoulders. There is a brief second where she meets his gaze. Then, she starts shaking him wildly, violently. ]

YOU AREN'T READY FOR IT LIKE YOU AREN'T READY TO EVEN TALK TO A DEMON LET ALONE DUEL A DEMON KING, YOU SELFISH, [ shake ] STUPID [ shakeshake ] MAN!

[ shakeSHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKESHAKE --

The rest of the cottage won't hear a thing. Nao walked close enough to the brothers' cottage to properly target and inflict a psychosomatic illusion on Strohl. It's two-way of course. She wanted to feel herself shaking him like the tool he is. See, she thinks about her friends unlike the idiot that's incited her to violently shake him out of anger and frustration and worry and -- and -- ]

[takeastrohl]

["It'll only happen once I have my powers back!" Is what he would have said - as if that would make things any better - if not for the fact that she's suddenly shaking him like a maraca.

It's such an absurd reaction that he doesn't even know what to say, being helplessly swept away by the shaking instead. He really tries to make his point across, and you can hear him try to say a thing or two, but it's really hard to talk when your voice ends up vibrating alongside your body.]

[nterwebz]

[ She hears him trying to speak. She keeps shaking him, until the majority of the force of her emotion softens enough and she pauses, hands still gripping his shoulders. ]

WHAT?

[takeastrohl]

[Oh, finally. He takes a moment to restore his inertia - gods, the room is still spinning after all that.]

I said, the duel would only commence once I have my powers back. I'm not a fool.

[nterwebz]

YOU--!!

[ The shaking resumes, her emotions surging again. She's going to be exhausted by the time she gets back to the cottage and she hasn't physically raised a finger. ]

THAT DOESN'T MAKE THINGS ANY BETTER, STROHL!!!