It had been a while since Miyuki had reminded him of how strong she was, something he didn't dislike. What he did dislike was entering the passenger side of the Jimny near face first as Miyuki again took charge of the situation. His body still ached from the battle they had recently, and he spent most of his time reorienting himself upward as everyone assumed their battle positions.
“Mr. Caxton, are you okay?” a pair of glowing orange eyes asked him from under his shirt, now hiding from the demons surrounding them.
“Banging, love.”
He barely had time to buckle in before they surged forth, and began charging towards the wiry horror that threatened them in the safehouse before. Above a growing cloud of smoke rose Avnas in his true form, his jaw opening wide to roar his cacophonous discontent.
The demons on the roof flew into action, descending on the vehicle as it charged their master.
Percival gripped the edge of the roll cage, looking back at their pursuers as holy energies cracked over his head. The feeling of divine energy made his head buzz, and made it difficult to focus. The flyers would be on them the second they cleared Avnas. So he went rustling through his bag again.
Avnas, loomed over their path, and spread himself wide. As Miyuki charged forward, the volleys struck him and he returned a gout of flame that cut wide in front of the Jimny. The group plowed through the line, but the demon prince latched himself to the rollcage. Tremors shot him point blank, and he loosed his grip, and he howled in anger. On cue, his minion flew by and drove their pikes forward to lance the car before it could get out of the square.
“Jakku.”
Percival had pulled out a globe-shaped vial of clear liquid, which the fire sprite began to warm. It turned black, and began to hiss.
“Zippo, quickly.”
The frost sprite emerged to rapidly chill the phial, turning the liquid a bright purple. It began to shake violently, and he quickly lobbed it over behind the agile vehicle. The demon’s lances just touched the roll-cage before a sharp whine was hurt and the phial erupted into a gravitational distortion, ripping apart three of the demons and throwing off the others.
All seemed well as they drove off, until Avnas billowed over his minions on the power of two large, leathery wings.
“YOU WILL NOT ESCAPE ME ARIEL. YOU WILL NEVER BE SAFE, UNTIL THEY DAY YOU DIE.”
[Aside] One Last Journey
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Ariel scoffed at Avnas' threat, bracing her small frame against the rollbar even more as the Jimny jostled its way down the road. "Like that's much of a threat to someone like me!" she retorted, both of her arms moving in front of her as she conjured up a rather large magic circle, before holding them up and forward, palms pointed toward the fire demon as a rather potent holy magic spell began to charge up, the girl's eyes beginning to glow a shimmering gold as she summoned forth a vast amount of holy energy. "Sister Angeline, could you please cover me while I finish the incantation?" she asked, before starting to chant in Hebrew, more circles and more power concentrating in front of her.
"You got it!" Tremos responded, sending more holy water infused bullets at the hellish prince. a particularly large bump caused the Jimny to jostle, and the Exorcist was forced to drop one of her pistols to the floor in order to grab the young ward and keep her from flying overboard. "Just try not to take too long!" she shouted, taking a few more potshots and trying to catch Miyuki's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Oi, could you try not to throw us out of here? We're a bit occupied if you hadn't noticed!"
The Japanese woman copped back "I'd like to see you drive any smoother on these busted roads!" Before she was forced to swerve to avoid a car that had been abandoned in the middle of the road. "Any idea why there's nobody else around?" the Ice queen asked, having noticed that the lack of any people, or really any other life aside from themselves and the demons seemed to extend past that building complex, and further into the city proper. Not that she was necessarily upset- there were less things to get in their way, but at the same time she worried that something had happened to them.
"If I had to guess, the local authorities noticed something going on and shunted all the Nonmags into a safe dimension, but they're usually not this quick. Unless someone tipped them off." Tremos gritted her teeth, as either of those scenarios had less than pleasant implications, and she didn't even want to get into the really bad scenarios. Before she could think much more on it, however, she had realized that the glow from behind the SUV had gotten to the point where it was quite blinding, though her sunglasses helped a bit, she still had trouble seeing beyond the rollcage.
"Get ready, It's about to get a lot bumpier!" Ariel's voice shouted, almost seeming excited. Suddenly crossing her arms, the magic circles that she had conjured, and the balls of energy within, turned into enormous lances of holy energy, shooting off from the back of the Jimny and directly at Avnas, with enough force to push the car quite a bit faster down the road, giving Miyuki a run for her money as she tried to contain an increasingly unstable vehicle. "TAKE THAT!" Ariel shouted, as the last of the lights dissipated.
"You got it!" Tremos responded, sending more holy water infused bullets at the hellish prince. a particularly large bump caused the Jimny to jostle, and the Exorcist was forced to drop one of her pistols to the floor in order to grab the young ward and keep her from flying overboard. "Just try not to take too long!" she shouted, taking a few more potshots and trying to catch Miyuki's eyes in the rearview mirror. "Oi, could you try not to throw us out of here? We're a bit occupied if you hadn't noticed!"
The Japanese woman copped back "I'd like to see you drive any smoother on these busted roads!" Before she was forced to swerve to avoid a car that had been abandoned in the middle of the road. "Any idea why there's nobody else around?" the Ice queen asked, having noticed that the lack of any people, or really any other life aside from themselves and the demons seemed to extend past that building complex, and further into the city proper. Not that she was necessarily upset- there were less things to get in their way, but at the same time she worried that something had happened to them.
"If I had to guess, the local authorities noticed something going on and shunted all the Nonmags into a safe dimension, but they're usually not this quick. Unless someone tipped them off." Tremos gritted her teeth, as either of those scenarios had less than pleasant implications, and she didn't even want to get into the really bad scenarios. Before she could think much more on it, however, she had realized that the glow from behind the SUV had gotten to the point where it was quite blinding, though her sunglasses helped a bit, she still had trouble seeing beyond the rollcage.
"Get ready, It's about to get a lot bumpier!" Ariel's voice shouted, almost seeming excited. Suddenly crossing her arms, the magic circles that she had conjured, and the balls of energy within, turned into enormous lances of holy energy, shooting off from the back of the Jimny and directly at Avnas, with enough force to push the car quite a bit faster down the road, giving Miyuki a run for her money as she tried to contain an increasingly unstable vehicle. "TAKE THAT!" Ariel shouted, as the last of the lights dissipated.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Percival struggled to keep himself from rocking from his passenger seat as the fight carried on through the streets. After bumping his head for the fourth time, he slammed his shoes into the floorboards. Fishing out his phone, he began to try and plot a course back to their original point. It took him a couple of tries to actually get a destination down, but he managed to get a point marked down at the border post they had passed through earlier.
"RIGHT!" the Alchemist called, waggling the phone at another empty street, "It goes out to the town!"
Avnas loomed over them again, his tremendous, hellish form coming down to rip the back-end of the vehicle apart. He made one more powerful buffet of his wings, before the beam struck him.
The blast was not quite so large to consume his whole form, but when he was struck, the aura and enormity of his presence shrunk. Ariel's influence not only hurt the demon, but weakened the presence of demonic and hellish energies. The prince went careening into a set of stalls, much reduced, a smoking hulk not unlike a plane shot out of the sky.
As the Jimny tore down the streets, the sounds of combat faded into a loud parade of curses after the retreating car and its crew.
"RIGHT!" the Alchemist called, waggling the phone at another empty street, "It goes out to the town!"
Avnas loomed over them again, his tremendous, hellish form coming down to rip the back-end of the vehicle apart. He made one more powerful buffet of his wings, before the beam struck him.
The blast was not quite so large to consume his whole form, but when he was struck, the aura and enormity of his presence shrunk. Ariel's influence not only hurt the demon, but weakened the presence of demonic and hellish energies. The prince went careening into a set of stalls, much reduced, a smoking hulk not unlike a plane shot out of the sky.
As the Jimny tore down the streets, the sounds of combat faded into a loud parade of curses after the retreating car and its crew.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
With a short, exhausted chuckle, Ariel collapsed down into the back seat, having spent a bit more mana than her body was yet able to handle. Sister Tremos did her best to keep the young girl from bashing her head, and buckled the heavily breathing girl into her seat to keep her from flying away. The Exorcist checked back to see if Avnas was anywhere near, but it seemed they had lost the demon. "I think we're clear for now, but do not slow down yet!" She called to Miyuki, whom took the opportunity to follow Percival's directions, and swerved the SUV down the next right hand turn, nearly throwing the rather rough holy woman out of the car "Oi, I'm not buckled down yet!" she complained, settling in and fastening her own seatbelt.
Miyuki would continue to follow the directions her Fiancé called out, swiftly bringing the small tan vehicle closer to their exit point. However, once they came close, they would notice it wouldn't be so easy to get out as it had been to get in. Despite there not being as many vehicles around as earlier, they would notice that the checkpoint had now had extra barricades erected around it. to boot, they would notice the first signs of life aside from the demons they had fought, since they had exited the buildings prior to the chase. It was the border guards, of course, and they didn't seem to take too kindly to the vehicle barreling down toward their position, with guns (and were those a few magical foci?) raised and pointed at them, and a lot of shouting that none of the occupants could make sense of. Miyuki pulled a small glass vial out of one of the pouches strapped to her outfit, and handed it to Percy.
"On my mark, I need you to launch that thing so it lands roughly 100 meters in front of us, and then pour about a pool's worth of mana into it immediately afterward, got it?"
Miyuki would continue to follow the directions her Fiancé called out, swiftly bringing the small tan vehicle closer to their exit point. However, once they came close, they would notice it wouldn't be so easy to get out as it had been to get in. Despite there not being as many vehicles around as earlier, they would notice that the checkpoint had now had extra barricades erected around it. to boot, they would notice the first signs of life aside from the demons they had fought, since they had exited the buildings prior to the chase. It was the border guards, of course, and they didn't seem to take too kindly to the vehicle barreling down toward their position, with guns (and were those a few magical foci?) raised and pointed at them, and a lot of shouting that none of the occupants could make sense of. Miyuki pulled a small glass vial out of one of the pouches strapped to her outfit, and handed it to Percy.
"On my mark, I need you to launch that thing so it lands roughly 100 meters in front of us, and then pour about a pool's worth of mana into it immediately afterward, got it?"
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
"Launch this tiny vial a hundred meters? Ahead a moving vehicle?" Percival answered his fiance with the utmost incredulity, taking the vial into his hand, “Miyu, that’s…”
There were times when people questioned what exactly was the glue that held together Miyuki and Percival’s relationship. Miyuki had an almost fae-like beauty and was stronger and more fierce than most people alive. Percival was a charming, passable man with a withered physique and unparalleled intellect. They were very different in many ways and a world apart in their origins.
People who knew them from high-school figured their relationship was doomed from the start. Those that worked for the Occultus figured their separate careers would spell the end for them. The faculty at Safeholme couldn’t comprehend the story of how Percival, of all people, banked everything at the end of his journey in Heaven on Miyuki never giving up on him.
Few could understand it, of what exactly bound the two together. They both knew as much as anyone else that their love was a gamble at the start. Yet, they held on, and the more they held on the more they found that’s all they wanted to do. There were things deeper than what people could see that bound them together: a propensity for the extreme; a fearless, sometimes stupid sense of determination; a taste for dark humor; and…
…unshakable faith in each other.
“DOABLE! Give me a one, two, mark so I know when to throw this. Zippo, get here. Freeze this on one, I throw it on two!”
“Yessir!” Zippo slipped out of the comfort of Miyuki’s headscarf and readied himself.
Percival put the vial between his teeth and pulled out another vial of clearish liquid, similar to the one he threw before. He braced himself in the passenger and set Miyuki’s vial between one set of fingers, and his own vial in another set of fingers. At her call, he’d throw them both out the side, and, with Zippos help, cause the clearish vial to explode instead of implode. The force would be gravimetric, repel the vial and send it flying roughly forward, but far enough, by Percival’s estimates.
Once the vial hit the ground, he’d call down his scepter, Dominion and try to ballpark the amount of energy Miyuki needed into the spot.
There were times when people questioned what exactly was the glue that held together Miyuki and Percival’s relationship. Miyuki had an almost fae-like beauty and was stronger and more fierce than most people alive. Percival was a charming, passable man with a withered physique and unparalleled intellect. They were very different in many ways and a world apart in their origins.
People who knew them from high-school figured their relationship was doomed from the start. Those that worked for the Occultus figured their separate careers would spell the end for them. The faculty at Safeholme couldn’t comprehend the story of how Percival, of all people, banked everything at the end of his journey in Heaven on Miyuki never giving up on him.
Few could understand it, of what exactly bound the two together. They both knew as much as anyone else that their love was a gamble at the start. Yet, they held on, and the more they held on the more they found that’s all they wanted to do. There were things deeper than what people could see that bound them together: a propensity for the extreme; a fearless, sometimes stupid sense of determination; a taste for dark humor; and…
…unshakable faith in each other.
“DOABLE! Give me a one, two, mark so I know when to throw this. Zippo, get here. Freeze this on one, I throw it on two!”
“Yessir!” Zippo slipped out of the comfort of Miyuki’s headscarf and readied himself.
Percival put the vial between his teeth and pulled out another vial of clearish liquid, similar to the one he threw before. He braced himself in the passenger and set Miyuki’s vial between one set of fingers, and his own vial in another set of fingers. At her call, he’d throw them both out the side, and, with Zippos help, cause the clearish vial to explode instead of implode. The force would be gravimetric, repel the vial and send it flying roughly forward, but far enough, by Percival’s estimates.
Once the vial hit the ground, he’d call down his scepter, Dominion and try to ballpark the amount of energy Miyuki needed into the spot.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
As the little Jimny's engine screamed, tires roaring along the ground, the tiny vial made its impact, and Percival's influx of energy caused its contents to glow to life- it was an instant spell circle, and the amount of energy the Welshman put into it made it grow rather larger than it normally would, large enough to work on a car in fact. The car approached closer, very quickly overtaking the distance between the launch site and landing point, as Miyuki sucked in a breath, and then shouted in latin:
"AD CAELUM!"
One moment, the Jimny was on the ground, then its tires touched the spell circle, and the next, it was hurtling through the air, now itself around a hundred meters off the ground. Miyuki unbuckled her seatbelt, and stood up over the rollbar, aiming her hand toward the ground some distance beyond the border checkpoint, and concentrated, shooting a massive amount of snow and ice onto the ground in a roughly ramp shaped pile, sloping down away from them. "This is gonna be pretty bumpy!" she shouted, pushing herself down into the driver's seat again, and buckling the seatbelt before holding tight onto the steering wheel.
Sister Tremos was entirely taken aback by the whole thing; she'd been around magic her entire life, fought demons and the like, and seen vehicles modified to hover and travel down ley line where the Mana was thick, but they were miles away from any Leylines, and these two just launched a car several hundred meters. She glanced at Ariel, wondering just who this now semi-conscious problem child was, but decided to hold an arm out to brace her as they came down toward Miyuki's impromptu landing pad.
As promised, the landing was rough, and it heavily jostled the occupants, nearly throwing them from their seats. Somehow, the airbags didn't go off, whether it was magic, modifications, or the snow pile was enough to keep them from exploding, there was no real way to tell. Regardless, the much-abused Jimny soldiered on, and once the vehicle stopped rocking Miyuki patted the dashboard, apologizing profusely to the SUV that had taken her through many of her prior adventures. "This time, I Promise, you're coming home with me, okay?" she told it as she shifted gears and hammered on the accelerator.
"Is Everyone okay?" she asked, almost as an afterthought. Ariel Weakly gave a thumbs up, and Angeline scowled through the rear view mirror at the driver, trying her best to hide how impressed she was about the spectacular car jump.
"AD CAELUM!"
One moment, the Jimny was on the ground, then its tires touched the spell circle, and the next, it was hurtling through the air, now itself around a hundred meters off the ground. Miyuki unbuckled her seatbelt, and stood up over the rollbar, aiming her hand toward the ground some distance beyond the border checkpoint, and concentrated, shooting a massive amount of snow and ice onto the ground in a roughly ramp shaped pile, sloping down away from them. "This is gonna be pretty bumpy!" she shouted, pushing herself down into the driver's seat again, and buckling the seatbelt before holding tight onto the steering wheel.
Sister Tremos was entirely taken aback by the whole thing; she'd been around magic her entire life, fought demons and the like, and seen vehicles modified to hover and travel down ley line where the Mana was thick, but they were miles away from any Leylines, and these two just launched a car several hundred meters. She glanced at Ariel, wondering just who this now semi-conscious problem child was, but decided to hold an arm out to brace her as they came down toward Miyuki's impromptu landing pad.
As promised, the landing was rough, and it heavily jostled the occupants, nearly throwing them from their seats. Somehow, the airbags didn't go off, whether it was magic, modifications, or the snow pile was enough to keep them from exploding, there was no real way to tell. Regardless, the much-abused Jimny soldiered on, and once the vehicle stopped rocking Miyuki patted the dashboard, apologizing profusely to the SUV that had taken her through many of her prior adventures. "This time, I Promise, you're coming home with me, okay?" she told it as she shifted gears and hammered on the accelerator.
"Is Everyone okay?" she asked, almost as an afterthought. Ariel Weakly gave a thumbs up, and Angeline scowled through the rear view mirror at the driver, trying her best to hide how impressed she was about the spectacular car jump.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Jakku’s eyes were bursting with molten tears from her position on the passenger bar. “Uhm! Uhm! Mr. Caxton’s– He’s – He’s dea– !”
“Maybe not dead,” Zippo cut Jakku off sharply, also gripping tightly to the passenger bar. He was calmer, but also teetering into panic.
The Alchemist had not been fully buckled in when they had struck the ground, his one arm insufficient to multi-task the belt. When they hit the ramp, his head had struck the roll-cage and knocked him out cold. There was a trail of blood forming from the contact point just below the brim of his beret. Jakku fired into the man’s shirt, her little legs flailing. Then, finding purchase, she pulled herself and a vial of red liquid out.
“Zippo!” Jakku held the vial over the Alchemist’s head.
“Jakku!” Zippo tugged off Percy’s beret and Jakku kicked the cork off, spilling the potion onto Mr. Caxton’s head. The head-wound hissed, but moreover, the Alchemist snapped awake.
“BWUGHGABBBLE,” Percival sputtered, still getting drenched by potion. He swiped at the hissing healing potion, and eventually waved the weepy Jakku off, “Thank you, love, quite enough there. Miyuki! That was absolutely bangin’!”
Forgetting about the passengers in the back, he pushed himself across the center console and kissed his fiance on the cheek. “You’ve inspired me, I think I might try and make a type of vial launcher or some type of projectile or fluid launcher that can throw these sorts of things. That was terribly handy.”
“Maybe not dead,” Zippo cut Jakku off sharply, also gripping tightly to the passenger bar. He was calmer, but also teetering into panic.
The Alchemist had not been fully buckled in when they had struck the ground, his one arm insufficient to multi-task the belt. When they hit the ramp, his head had struck the roll-cage and knocked him out cold. There was a trail of blood forming from the contact point just below the brim of his beret. Jakku fired into the man’s shirt, her little legs flailing. Then, finding purchase, she pulled herself and a vial of red liquid out.
“Zippo!” Jakku held the vial over the Alchemist’s head.
“Jakku!” Zippo tugged off Percy’s beret and Jakku kicked the cork off, spilling the potion onto Mr. Caxton’s head. The head-wound hissed, but moreover, the Alchemist snapped awake.
“BWUGHGABBBLE,” Percival sputtered, still getting drenched by potion. He swiped at the hissing healing potion, and eventually waved the weepy Jakku off, “Thank you, love, quite enough there. Miyuki! That was absolutely bangin’!”
Forgetting about the passengers in the back, he pushed himself across the center console and kissed his fiance on the cheek. “You’ve inspired me, I think I might try and make a type of vial launcher or some type of projectile or fluid launcher that can throw these sorts of things. That was terribly handy.”
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Miyuki's eyes went wide as she watched Zippo and Jakku perform a slapstick version of first aid upon her fiancé, and she blinked a few times as she continued driving, trying not to get too distracted. thankfully, the enormous and incongruous pile of snow in the desert had blocked off the border checkpoint, preventing those there from being able to chase them, and Miyuki swiftly maneuvered the dusty tan vehicle off into the desert, knowing that they had another three hour drive ahead of them, and that the fancy choreography and heavy footwork of a high speed chase had done a number on their fuel reserves, she squinted at the gauge and guessed that they had enough to make it back to the portal stone, but would probably have to bring a gas can in to get the Suzuki off of the Safeholme grounds.
"Try not to beat him up too much," Miyuki warned the two small fae, ignoring completely the fact that it was partially her fault that Percival had hit his head in the first place. She pulled the scarf off from her neck and head, and handed it to Percy "Here, clean yourself up and try not to worry about the scarf. it was cheap and I can get another."
In the back seats, Ariel seemed to have caught her breath and had now sat up straighter in her seat, but was still looking a bit worse for wear, while Tremos had managed to procure a cigarette but didn't seem to have a lighter, looking at the two small sprites hovering around Percy, she tried to get the fire sprite's attention. "Hey, mind giving me a light, little one?' she asked, wiggling the cigarette.
"Try not to beat him up too much," Miyuki warned the two small fae, ignoring completely the fact that it was partially her fault that Percival had hit his head in the first place. She pulled the scarf off from her neck and head, and handed it to Percy "Here, clean yourself up and try not to worry about the scarf. it was cheap and I can get another."
In the back seats, Ariel seemed to have caught her breath and had now sat up straighter in her seat, but was still looking a bit worse for wear, while Tremos had managed to procure a cigarette but didn't seem to have a lighter, looking at the two small sprites hovering around Percy, she tried to get the fire sprite's attention. "Hey, mind giving me a light, little one?' she asked, wiggling the cigarette.
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Jakku was fluttering around Percival, watching him as he sopped up the blood from his head wound. After all, the interior of the Jimny was more expensive than a cheap scarf. Certain he would be fine, the fire sprite left the Alchemist to Zippo, and went to the back-seat, bouncing from surface to surface so she wouldn't get caught by a sudden bump. Her big, orange eyes stared up at the priestly woman and her request.
It was then that Tremnos and, perhaps Ariel, were able to enjoy a rare occurrence, they could make out the pupils under the orange glow of Jakku’s eyes, and see them widen. The cigarette had all of her focus, and she plucked it from the nun’s hand, holding it in her hands. With a spit of a fire she lit one end, and those wide pupils suddenly constricted tightly when smoke arose. With a playful giggle, she began to light more and more of the cigarette, sending the smallest amount of smoke over the back.
Then, she threw it out the window, and Jakku blinked out of her trance.
“Mr. Caxton! I did the good thing! I only lit it twice!” giggled the mischievous sprite as she buried herself into her shirt. Percival turned in his seat, having double wrapped the scarf around his head like a pleasant bandana.
“Smoking’s bad for you, Angeline,” asserted Percival, his one arm gripping the head rest as he looked into the backseat.
“That’s right!” said the pair of glowing eyes in his shirt, “I’m allowed to light cigarettes and cigars as long as I throw them away when I do!”
The Alchemist, still rather haggard from the combat, looked over at Ariel, and spoke more gently, “How are you doing, Cherub?”
It was then that Tremnos and, perhaps Ariel, were able to enjoy a rare occurrence, they could make out the pupils under the orange glow of Jakku’s eyes, and see them widen. The cigarette had all of her focus, and she plucked it from the nun’s hand, holding it in her hands. With a spit of a fire she lit one end, and those wide pupils suddenly constricted tightly when smoke arose. With a playful giggle, she began to light more and more of the cigarette, sending the smallest amount of smoke over the back.
Then, she threw it out the window, and Jakku blinked out of her trance.
“Mr. Caxton! I did the good thing! I only lit it twice!” giggled the mischievous sprite as she buried herself into her shirt. Percival turned in his seat, having double wrapped the scarf around his head like a pleasant bandana.
“Smoking’s bad for you, Angeline,” asserted Percival, his one arm gripping the head rest as he looked into the backseat.
“That’s right!” said the pair of glowing eyes in his shirt, “I’m allowed to light cigarettes and cigars as long as I throw them away when I do!”
The Alchemist, still rather haggard from the combat, looked over at Ariel, and spoke more gently, “How are you doing, Cherub?”
Re: [Aside] One Last Journey
Sister Tremos watched in disbelief as Jakku took the cigarette, and with a bit to much joy, completely ruined it before tossing it out the side of the car. breathing out an immense sigh of annoyance (mixed with quite a bit of relief that the confrontation with Avnas seemed to be behind them for now) and sunk as low into the seat as she comfortably could. Shaking her head, the nun went for another cigarette before thinking better of it, grumbling at the Welshman's comment but too tired at this point to make a snarky reply, with the adrenaline starting to wear off.
Percy would note that the formerly energetic little girl looked to be quite exhausted, almost groggy at the moment, but she was awake, and beamed a weary smile at the man. "I'm hanging in there," she replied, holding a thumb up to confirm before relaxing back into her seat as well. She let the exhaustion take over, head slowly drooping forward as she fell asleep, leaving her long curly black hair to bounce and blow about obscuring her snoozing face from those around while the Jimny trundled along.
"I know it wasn't part of the contract," Tremos spoke up, hitching herself back up in the seat so she could lean forward and talk to the other two adults better. "But would you guys mind terribly taking me with you guys to wherever you're going? I can just get a plane back to Rome so it's not a big deal, but I'd rather not stay here and wait around for that jerk to recover, plus I need time to send a report so we can figure out what to do about it."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Miyuki responded, "Since you're in the car already, and I believe Percy and I should have enough power to port all four of us and the car without too much issue."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," the exorcist responded, leaning back as well. "Now, I might just take after the little lady and rest a bit myself. Wake me when we get there, yeah?" Angeline closed her eyes as well, leaning against one of the padded passenger rollbars and making herself comfortable for the haul ahead.
"Well, that went a bit differently than I expected..." Miyuki blurted out to Percy, chuckling. "I don't think I expected any of it, at least not the way it happened. but then again, my jobs rarely ever go as expected, which is probably why they keep giving them to me. But, I think I've had enough of these overseas trips for a while. With you back, and as well as you've been, it's probably time for me to settle back into Osaka, maybe actually take up Ruarc on that permanent faculty position at Safeholme..."
*****
The rest of the trip passed with Miyuki and Percival in conversation, sometimes serious, sometimes flirtatious, only being interrupted a few times by confused sprites, or a facetiously gagging exorcist whom had awoken to overhear some particularly gushing comments by Bredon, until fatigue had taken over all of them and the last bits of the journey passed in silence aside from the roar of the Jimny's engine and the soft swishing of the tires through dirt and sand. Once safely back in Japan, Evangeline said her goodbyes and walked off to the nearest convenience store to try and buy a lighter before heading to the airport, and Miyuki carried a still sleeping Ariel to the guild hall, rented the girl a room in the guild wing and collected her fee, before walking Percy home, the pair leaning on one another as they went.
Percy would note that the formerly energetic little girl looked to be quite exhausted, almost groggy at the moment, but she was awake, and beamed a weary smile at the man. "I'm hanging in there," she replied, holding a thumb up to confirm before relaxing back into her seat as well. She let the exhaustion take over, head slowly drooping forward as she fell asleep, leaving her long curly black hair to bounce and blow about obscuring her snoozing face from those around while the Jimny trundled along.
"I know it wasn't part of the contract," Tremos spoke up, hitching herself back up in the seat so she could lean forward and talk to the other two adults better. "But would you guys mind terribly taking me with you guys to wherever you're going? I can just get a plane back to Rome so it's not a big deal, but I'd rather not stay here and wait around for that jerk to recover, plus I need time to send a report so we can figure out what to do about it."
"That shouldn't be a problem," Miyuki responded, "Since you're in the car already, and I believe Percy and I should have enough power to port all four of us and the car without too much issue."
"Thanks, I appreciate it," the exorcist responded, leaning back as well. "Now, I might just take after the little lady and rest a bit myself. Wake me when we get there, yeah?" Angeline closed her eyes as well, leaning against one of the padded passenger rollbars and making herself comfortable for the haul ahead.
"Well, that went a bit differently than I expected..." Miyuki blurted out to Percy, chuckling. "I don't think I expected any of it, at least not the way it happened. but then again, my jobs rarely ever go as expected, which is probably why they keep giving them to me. But, I think I've had enough of these overseas trips for a while. With you back, and as well as you've been, it's probably time for me to settle back into Osaka, maybe actually take up Ruarc on that permanent faculty position at Safeholme..."
*****
The rest of the trip passed with Miyuki and Percival in conversation, sometimes serious, sometimes flirtatious, only being interrupted a few times by confused sprites, or a facetiously gagging exorcist whom had awoken to overhear some particularly gushing comments by Bredon, until fatigue had taken over all of them and the last bits of the journey passed in silence aside from the roar of the Jimny's engine and the soft swishing of the tires through dirt and sand. Once safely back in Japan, Evangeline said her goodbyes and walked off to the nearest convenience store to try and buy a lighter before heading to the airport, and Miyuki carried a still sleeping Ariel to the guild hall, rented the girl a room in the guild wing and collected her fee, before walking Percy home, the pair leaning on one another as they went.