Knife To Meet You | CLOSED

    Fend closed her eyes, letting the wind blow through her cloak. With dusk coming, the once scorching breeze was starting to become pleasantly brisk. The sound of dragonflies buzzing by, the smooth cascade of the waterfalls, the perfectly chilly wind that occasionally blew by, and lots of fluffy, excitable dogs to keep her company... This was the life. Nothing could ruin this moment.

    Well, a sudden earthquake could. Fend jolted, but managed to keep herself steady as the massive samoyed lying on her lap did little but grumble at the sound of Liari landing in front of Fend. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully this dog was a heavy sleeper.

    There was the issue of this rude... child? The Majin looked young, but the power Fend sensed from her was nowhere near as little as Liari herself was. The intruder thrust a finger right in Fend's face, yelling and proclaiming the peaceful dog-walker to be a "bad guy." "wat." Fend blinked. Even with her mask hiding her expression, there was nothing but complete and total bewilderment in her eyes.

    And still, the Majin yelled right in Fend's face. She wanted... Palibur? Fend tucked the sword closer to herself. First things first, though, there was the issue of Liari's lack of volume control. "SHHHHHHH!" Fend reached her own arm out, aiming to shush the screeching child.

    'He's sleeping. If you yell like that, you'll wake him up.' In Liari's mind, the masked vigilante's voice would echo telepathically. Fend gestured with her head to the dog lying across her lap, who was now laying on his back, tongue lolling out and tail wagging peacefully in a restful slumber. Fend tried to push Liari's hand away before moving to set her other palm on the dog's head to give the contented canine a pat.

    'Anyways... Is this a robbery??' She narrowed her eyes, sliding Palibur back into its sheath. Who was this deliquent child, proclaiming Fend to be some bad person while mugging her? She breathed a deep, frustrated sigh, running her free hand down her mask. If it weren't for the relaxing act of petting the dog on her lap, she'd probably be a lot more outwardly frustrated right now.

    'Look, kid. I'm kinda busy. The shelter here's countin' on me to give all these fellas a nice day out in the park. I'm really not in the mood for whatever this is supposed to be.' Fend turned to look behind her at the dogs in the park. Most of them had scattered, warily eyeing the scary blue lady threatening their two-legged friend... Though the one Fend had thrown a stick too didn't seem to notice, still parading around with the branch.

    'Palibur is mine. I have no idea who you are or why you think I'm some bad person- I've done nothing but my best to help people. Do me, yourself, this town, and all these pups a favor and walk away.'

Ki Masquerade and Ki Suppression are still in effect.
Fend uses Planetary Telepathy to communicate with Liari! All telepathy is in bold italics!

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Total Word Count: 430

    'What the ffffffff....' Suddenly, there was another voice. Fend's surprised comment trailed off when she reminded herself that she was speaking to a child. 'fffffudge?' No, she could not even think of the swear words in the presence of both a kid and many friendly dogs.

    'Uh... howdy, other person?' Fend greeted the strange second person in Liari's head. Just what was this kid, and who was this other entity? The second masculine voice apologized for Liari's behavior, despite the Majin's increasingly more desperate and blunt attempts to rob the masked Shinjin blind. 'Ah, erm, it's alright? Let's just... not fight and talk this out. I'm not fighting anyone in the middle of a populated village where civilians and good dogs could be harmed, alright?' She gestured to the many buildings dotting the outskirts of the park, and all of the people going about their day. If Liari meant well like Kuzam claimed, the risk of hurting innocent people would stop her from doing anything hasty.

    Fend put a hand to her chin, listening intently to the two to try and grasp what the hell was happening and why they needed Palibur. According to the voice in Liari's head, someone had told them that Fend was some vile villain, and they could use Palibur to separate them back into two people. '...Whoah.' Fend took a slow, deep breath in. 'That's... that's rough. Like, dang.' The implication that someone out there had just manipulated a desperate, grieving child into pursuing a "dangerous villain" to solve her problems was bad enough, but the fact that whoever sent Liari on this headhunt was a dirty liar made Fend's blood boil.

    ...Telling that to this poor kid, though, wasn't going to be easy. Fend stared intently at the Majin for a few moments. The truth would likely break her heart, but she couldn't let whoever lied to her get away with it. '...I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but whoever told you that was lying through their teeth.'

    'Here, look.' Reaching to her side, Fend unsheathed Palibur and held it in front of Liari for the Majin to examine. Up close, it was easy to see the many chips and fractures on the weathered blade. 'See all of the cracks in it?' She turned it around in the light. Even a part of its handle seemed to be plain missing. 'It's broken. I can draw out a part of its power when I'm desperate or when its in the presence of a great evil, but that's it- just a tiny, tiny part.'

    Fend breathed a deep sigh. 'Palibur lost the majority of its power a really, really, really long time ago facing off against some sort of evil entity. At least, that's what's known of its legend or whatever says...' She scratched her head before continuing. 'I don't know if the ability to split you two apart is something it can do because again, information about its abilities has been lost to time because of how old it is.' She stopped for a moment, giving a moment to let her words sink in. The person Liari trusted, the person that sent her here had no feasible way of knowing that Palibur was capable of what they claimed.

    '...Who told you about all of this?' There was a grim, yet determined spark to Fend's voice as she tightened her grip on Palibur. Though she'd only just met the Majin, a stubborn, righteous flame had been lit in Fend's heart. Oh, when she got her hands on whoever this manipulative bastard was...

    'Regardless... It sounds to me like you're a good person too.' Though the truth was ugly, Fend didn't have the heart to just leave the poor kid without a speck of hope. She refused to sit by and do nothing when someone was in need. 'You're just... confused and hurt. And that's alright. You made a mistake, but you're doing your darndest to fix it, and that's pretty cool of you. I've been doing working tirelessly to solve Palibur's mysteries and restore it to its true power one day... Even if this ol' sword doesn't wind up being a miracle cure to your condition, I can see what I can do to help you if you are okay with that?' After being lied to by that mysterious manipulator, Fend couldn't be sure if Liari was in a trusting mood, but she had to try. Her words were genuine, and unlike Kamae, she was giving Liari a choice instead of an ultimatum.

    '...Oh, uh, if you want, you can pet this lil' guy too- it's quite relaxing. He is a soft, squishy bean.' Fend managed to careful scoot to the side without disturbing the dog in her lap to give Liari room to sit beside her. How could one be upset in the presence of a fluffy, pettable dog, after all?

Ki Masquerade and Ki Suppression, and Telepathy are still in effect.

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Total Word Count: 1,249 (+819)

    Fend breathed a deep sigh of relief when Liari relented, choosing to believe Fend's explanation over the lies this mysterious third party had told her. Still, though, proving her own innocence meant stomping the hope that Palibur could help her right now into the ground. Fend's expression softened with sympathy beneath her mask. She couldn't just sit by and do nothing to help.

    First, though, she had to figure out just what sicko had sent Liari out to mug her. The moment the Majin spoke the devil's name, rage flashed through Fend's eyes. 'That bastard...' Fend's thoughts came out as a hiss. 'Ugh. Yeah, I know that guy. Apparently he has beef with whoever wielded Palibur before me cause they stopped him from being evil on their home, or something, so now he wants to screw with me as revenge or whatever since I'm Pal's wielder now.' She explained, taking in a deep breath to keep her composure.

    'Look, it ain't on you for believing him. It sounds like you were really looking for some help, and I absolutely don't blame 'ya for listening to him. It's on him for being sick and twisted enough to think taking advantage of your desire to help your buddy for his own benefit was a good idea.' Fend was going to give him a good punch to the face next time she crossed paths with him for Liari. If nothing else, Kamae had a very punchable face.

    When Fend offered her own aid, though, the tired Majin politely declined. Fend's posture slumped- what else had she expected? The Majin had been lied to by a stranger so recently, it was understandable that she wasn't ready to listen to another so soon. '...Alright. I won't force ya, but if you ever need me for anythin' later I'll be happy to help. Whether it be using any of my abilities to help your friend or just sparrin' to blow off some steam.' Fend admitted defeat, but decided to keep the olive branch extended.

    Fend's gaze wandered alongside her thoughts. She really didn't feel good about just sitting by while this poor kid was left completely crushed on lost on what to do now. '...Is there anyone out there you do trust to help you? A close friend or a family member or somethin'?' The masked Shinjin looked back up to Liari. If there was nothing Fend could personally do to help yet, perhaps nudging Liari to someone who could was the best thing she could do for now.

Ki Masquerade and Ki Suppression, and Telepathy are still in effect.

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Total Word Count: 1,672 (+423)

    Fend was happy to see that, even if for a moment, her words seemed to ease the heavy burden on Liari's shoulders. The poor Majin seemed to be in a dark place right now, and that yearning wish to just be able to do more still churned around in Fend's soul. Even if her only weapon was her words, she was still going to do everything she can to help Liari.

    'Hmmmm, I wouldn't say that.' Fend responded when the Majin claimed to be alone. 'You got your buddy in your brain, don't you?' She tapped her own head for reference. Fend didn't know who the second voice that had helped dissuade Liari from acting rash. 'Even if you're still working on the whole, uh, separating him into a different person or whatever thing, I heard the guy and he's there. By definition, that means you aren't alone. Ain't that right, guy in your head I don't know the name of?' Her words turned to address Kuzam's presence inside Liari's mind, hoping to cue the other Majin into offering some words of encouragement as well.

    'There's your mom, too. If she doesn't know about this I imagine she'd be surprised at first, but it sounds like you care a lot about her and she cares a lot about you. If that is true, then she can and will help.' Fend knew that if one of her friends were dealing with something like this, she'd drop everything to help them in a heartbeat. And to think of what any responsible parent would do if their own child was suffering like this...? '...You're fortunate to have a good mother in your life, y'know. Not all of us can say we have one of those.' A faint, yet present somberness creeped its way into Fend's voice. She would have given anything to have been born a mortal. What would it be like, to live in a family like that?

    'Anyways!' Chipperness returned to her voice in a flash as she straightened her posture, putting her hands on her hips with a proud glint in her golden eyes. 'If transportation is what's stoppin' you and your mum from reuniting by chance, then lucky for you, you're talking to someone who can teleport folks across the galaxy in an instant! No inconvenient long space travel here.' She pointed to herself, puffing out her chest a bit. Teleportation was the one singular Shinjin-based skill Fend was good at, and by golly she was going to be proud of it.

    'Oh, right.' They were getting ahead of themselves, weren't they? All this talking, and yet she hadn't introduced herself! 'My name's Fend, by the way. Whomst is you and your brain buddy?'

Ki Masquerade and Ki Suppression, and Telepathy are still in effect.

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Total Word Count: 2,127 (+455)

    "..." Fend's hopes had been popped and deflated like a balloon. She was thankful for her mask- the wood and cloth hid the expression of shock and revulsion beneath it as Liari described her friend, this person in her head who she was so desperate to help just moments ago, as essentially nothing more than an extra limb given sentience. Even though Kuzam didn't have a face at the moment, Fend was pretty sure his expression would be similar to hers right about now.

    Liari's mother was apparently no help, either. Apparently her mom was busy with "something big," but that wasn't specific enough to quell Fend's concern. Any sane parent would drop everything to help their kid through something as terrible as what Liari was going through. Either this mother of hers was cruelly inattentive and absent, or blissfully unaware. Fend wasn't sure which she'd prefer, but she knew that if she ever met this mother of hers, the woman would be in for an earful about how she should go help her kid right this second. 

    Despite Liari's sorrow stomping on Fend's own spirits, though, Fend's fire wasn't fully extinguished. As Liari got up to leave, the Majin would he halted by Fend's hand being placed on her shoulder. "I was serious about what I said earlier, Liari." She proclaimed with a fire in her eyes, still clinging to hope. She hated feeling this helpless, being unable to do anything to ease Liari's suffering... But that didn't mean she wouldn't get her chance later. "If you find there's anything I can do to help later, anything at all, let me know and I will do it in a heartbeat. Anytime, anyplace." If Liari could track her mother across the cosmos, she'd be able to contact Fend if the need arose. Fend took in a deep inhale to compose herself, managing a smile. "...You're a good person, alright?"

    She released her grip from Liari's shoulder, giving the Majin a quick wave before turning away. "Safe travels."

    Fend sat back down and turned back to the dogs frolicking around. A labrador had  climbed up beside her and nudged its face under her hand, as if sensing the Shinjin's distress. It was hard to be too sad when there were two dogs nestled on her lap now. She had two new missions to add her agenda now; to find a way to help Liari, and to give her mother the biggest earful of her life if they ever met.

Thread Exit!

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Total Word Count: 2,545 (+418)