Crystals and steel.(Joint training NDE Closed)

[Deleted]

(Closed training for Marcus and Christoph for CTP)

SPOILER: Click to show

{play me}

There was an odd silence that seemed to fill the house. There wasn't the sound of yelling, no maids running around in a hurry to clean up a mess, not even the sound of his mother humming a bittersweet tune while she waltzed through the house trying to find something to occupy her time. The silence was rather off putting. Christoph didn't understand why he was here, why was he in his father's study and why was there blood on his clothing. The last thing he remembered was needing a book out of the study and his father finding him in there. A sense of fear overtook him as he saw his father's hand go up to strike him, after that everything went black. It was an odd sensation, there was something off about his home today, yet he couldn't understand what was going on. Even when his family took vacations the house was never this silent.

Placing one hand on the floor to lift himself off he felt something sticky on the ground and then a sharp pain in the center of the palm of his hand, the rug that he was sitting on was dark, but he could guess what had been spilled. He assumed that it was the bottle of scotch his father kept in his study, this wouldn't be good. Whenever he got home he knew that he would be in for it again. The pain from the glass being in his hand wasn't so bad, still he carefully got up off of the floor and pulled the shard out from his palm tossing it in the trash. His hand covered in blood from the cut, it seemed like a bit much, but then again he was always prone to bleed a bit more. Without making a word he left his fathers study so that he could wrap his hand and change out of his dirty clothing.

Inside of his own bathroom he removed his shirt and looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn't shocked when he saw himself. A fresh black eye left on his right eye, his nose looked like it was broken a bit and had dried blood trailing from his nostrils down his face. At the very least he had an answer as to why there was blood on his clothing before, it was his own, his father more than likely broke his nose and gave him the black eye before knocking him out and leaving him in the study with a concussion. The marks on his face fit someone like him, they fit the freak that he was. An outcast that had no right in being alive, an abomination that brings shame to his family. Yes to him it was fitting that he had such a dark black eye on his face. Slowly he took two of his fingers to touch under his eye at the edge of the bruise. As they touched he felt a sharp stinging pain rise from the bruise. The pain was proof that he was still alive, even though he knew deep in his mind he shouldn't be.

Stripping the rest of his clothing he stepped into the shower and let the warm water wash away the blood and warm him up a bit. Closing his eyes he tried to remember what happened last night. Even though this wasn't the first time he had been beaten by his father it was the first time he had blacked out and forgotten the night. His memory had never failed him before so as he looked back into his memories his mind slowly started to form the scene leading up to that moment. At first it was just a glimmer, slowly playing out what seemed to be a normal day for him. Spending the time he had painting in his room from memory. There wasn't anything odd about that, besides the subject he was painting. It had been a hollow, the same one that attacked him when he met Iwa. For some odd reason he had felt the compulsion to paint it out.

As his mind continued to walk backwards through his memories he started to see other things happen. The most noticeable was the fact that his normally silent cellphone had buzzed, it was a text message. He was shocked to see that that someone had messaged him. It wasn't as if he knew many people and even less had his number, after all who would want to speak to a freak like him. Still he felt a bit happy that someone had messaged him. As remembered opening the phone something else flashed into his mind. It was brief, but it startled him. There had been a figure, standing in front of a fire, with a purple dagger laughing. It was more than enough to shock him out of his memories and back into the real world. The water had started to turn cold by this time so he simply stepped out and dried himself off to get dressed with a change of clothing from his room.

As he opened the door to his room he saw that the painting he had done of the hollow had a large gash down the center of it and part of it had been burnt. Lowering his eyes to the floor he simply just walked to his closet to look for something to wear, not that he really had a big selection to pick from. Besides the one or two odd things his mother sometimes bought him there wasn't much that he could call clothing. He grabbed a long white sleeve shirt and a pair of blue jeans. Now with clothing on he looked back over at the damaged painting. It really stood out in his room given that it was barren. Besides a small bed the only things in his room were more canvases that had been used for other paintings. All stacked up against the walls. On the floor next to his easel was his cellphone, which then reminded him that he didn't know who had messaged him.

Picking up the cellphone he opened it and saw it was a message from Kazura, his employer. Christoph had joined Kazura's company because he had learned that he wasn't alone in the world with the kind of skills he had. There were other people that shared the talent he did, it made him feel like he wasn't alone. To just know that there are other people that have something in common with him it made him feel somewhat normal, even though he knew that he really wasn't a normal human, no not him. Not the albino child with skin so fair it seemed to belong a princess from a fairytale. With hair so white it resembled snow and with eyes so red that they could belong to a vampire. No he was far from normal he was a freak and he knew it. So learning that someone actually wanted him made him feel as if his life had some value so he joined, even after getting beaten up by a hollow.

Reading the actual message he learned that he was suppose to report to someone called Marcus for training. He sighed, he knew that it was a hopeless cause to try to train someone like him. He didn't even have a power like the others did. All he could do is gain a black suit and fight somewhat with it. Still he wasn't going to argue if Kazura wanted him to train he would. He just hopped that this person called Marcus wouldn't be too upset with him. Christoph looked around his room for his fullbring item, his mask. Something that he had gotten before a party, an item that allowed him to actually go out into the world without worry of being persecuted, but it didn't seem to be anywhere in his room. Upon this realization his eyes widen and he started to become filled with dread. Where was it? Where was his precious mask, he never went anywhere without it and now it was missing.

His breathing became shallow and rapid as he started to panic. "N-n-n-n-no this t-t-t-t-this c-c-c-can't b-b-b-be. M-m-m-m-my mask w-w-w-where i-i-i-is it.” His stutter became even worse as he continued to freak out over his missing mask. His eyes continued to dart back and forth across his empty room to see if he had just missed it by accident. When he finally gave into the reality that it wasn't there he ran out of his room and back into his father's study. He hoped that it was there and that his father hadn't taken it from him in a fit of rage and fury. When he opened the doors of the study he saw it there laying on the table. He quickly reached over and grabbed it wrapping his fingers around it and hugging it closely to his chest. His breathing started to slow as he calmed down a bit, now knowing that he had his mask safely in his arms.

Placing it on his face he walked out of his house and towards the building that was UE headquarters. Making sure to avoid sunlight as he moved, he didn't want to get burnt getting to his training mission. His skin being so fair made it very easy for him to get sunburns so he had to avoid it as much as possible. Meaning places like the beach weren't for him at all. Christoph took the back way into the UE skyscraper, the one meant for spiritually aware people like him. He knew which office belonged to Marcus thanks to the text message so once he arrived at the door he knocked on the door before entering. “H-h-hello there M-m-m-marcus I'm Khonsu. I'll b-b-b-be training w-w-w-with you today.” Even with his mask on his stutter was bad still he hoped that everything would go alright.

SPOILER: Click to show

Strength - [50] Points

Speed - [165] Points

Spiritual Pressure - [290]=[363] Points

Reiatsu Strength - [290]=[363] Points

Light Aura - [70] Points

Dark Aura - [30] Points

Instinct - [50]=[37]Points

Senses [50]=[37] Points

Energy sensory - [0]=[0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

[Memory] [2]


[Strength of Will] [1]


[Analyzing] [2]


[Street fighting] [2]


[Pain Tolerance] [2]


[Utility: Artistic Prowess*] [2]

Each person knows a bit about art and everyone can draw a stick figure with a pen and paper, however this skill is something that people have that allows them to create works of art that are stunning. Each rank in this greatly improves a person's ability to create works of art. A normal person would have a one in this skill being able to make modest works of art nothing too special. A two in this skill is equal to a person who had been painting or drawing honing their skills for at least five years. The art they can create could be in a museum. A person at rank three could easily be grouped with some of the greatest painters and artists of all time. Almost any work of art they make is a masterpiece. They're masters in the medium of art they choose to work in and can easily use other mediums with amazing skills. A rank four in this is almost impossible a person with this kind of skill can use almost anything as a medium to create art and still have it called a masterpiece. Using traditional mediums they can recreate almost anything in perfect detail in almost no time. However to even get a rank four in this someone would need to have amazing memory(rank three in memory)

[Marcus Cole]

At four in the morning, most people were comfortably tucked away under their sheets, enjoying as many hours of sleep as possible before having to rise the next morning. Hardly anyone roamed the streets at the time. Ninety-nine percent of Karakura was at home, where they belonged. However, ninety-nine percent isn’t everyone. There was a small piece of Karakura that never slept and spent the nights doing who knows what with who knows who. T handful of people swim in the dark corners of the Japanese city, but who said there was anything wrong with the dark?

SPOILER: Click to show

{Play This}

The Uzaki Enterprise building was especially empty at the time, for all of the employees had been dismissed hours ago and weren’t due back for work the next morning until hours later. However, there was one man active in the building. He couldn’t be found in any of the offices in the floor above. In fact, he was currently underground, a couple of hundred meters below the lobby. If one were to seek him out, they would have to take the restricted elevator to the lowest floor. A dark, long hallway dimly lit by a thin line of florescent light would lead him fifty feet, where a door to his right seemed to wait for him. If he opened it a crack, he would see the silhouette of a figure facing a wide metal cylinder twice his height. Both appeared to face each other in an endless faceoff until, suddenly—

SPOILER: Click to show

{Now Play This One}

A metal rod suddenly shot out of one of the small holes in the cylinder right at Marcus’s head. His neck suddenly jerked to the side, narrowly dodging the rod that would’ve pierced through his skull. However, before Marcus could do much else, another rod emerged, targeting his right shoulder. He pivoted backward off his left foot, allowing him to dodge the attack. Another rod right beside the first now appeared, heading right toward his head. Marcus’s only option was to fall backward, saving his skull and letting the rod barely graze his nose as he fell.

He could hear that voice… “Monsieur Marcus iz strong…

As Marcus’s upper body fell backward, his legs came shooting upward with ridiculous speed and strength. They shattered both of the steel rods aiming for Marcus’s head with one maneuver and carried Marcus’ back up to a standing position with their momentum. The second he touched back on the ground with remarkable grace and balance, his left palm shot across his body to destroy the second rod that had targeted him. He had disabled three of the rods, but there was so much more for him to do before he defeated his artificial foe.

That giggle rang in his ears. “When can we meetz again, Monseiur?

A rode came out from the side, inches from where his ribs were. However, the metal cylinder began to spin at suddenly high speed, intending to smash the rod into his ribcage. Marcus directed his body into a cartwheel directed away from the rod, letting it narrowly pass parallel to his ribcage. However, in Marcus’s vulnerable state, another rod emerged from the bottom of the cylinder to target his collarbone. He was forced to put all his weight on his left hand and spin his body, letting the rod graze by. That attack was close, but he wouldn’t let it hit.

Not while he could still hear that voice… “I love you Marcus.”

With his left hand, he pushed off the concrete ground, sending his body up a few feet in the air. While flying, he adjusted his position so that his feet now pointed the ground, letting his heel slam down in a powerful stomp to destroy the rod that targeted his collar bone. Another rod emerged, going after his abdomen. However, a quick knee disposed of it with ease while his elbow slammed down on the rod that initiated his cartwheel. The programming in the rod must have anticipated Marcus’s position, for it suddenly sent three rods simultaneously to deal with him. One rod came over his shoulder and descended downward, intending to bring him to a knee. Another shot out toward his left ankle. The third was exactly like the spinning one that targeted his ribs on the left.

This was the computer’s attempt at a checkmate, but Marcus couldn’t go down. He had to be strong. Especially after he told her... I will always protect you, no matter what the situation is.

The Fullbringer’s right arm shot upward and intercepted the rod targeting his right shoulder, preventing it from descending. He used it as an anchor to pull his body upward like one of those impossible acts circus acrobats do, to carry themselves up with nothing but their core muscles. In doing so, the rod aiming for his left ankle hit empty air, as did the rod targeting his ribs. Using the rod he held onto, Marcus once again pushed himself several feet into the air, where he completed three full front-flips before descending. The flips helped him build moment and his body was still spinning as he fell. All he had to do was stick out his right leg and drive his heel into the steel training device, stomping the metal to the ground, causing a small tremor that undoubtedly shoot the foundations of the building, and finishing the job.

The Fullbringer’s breaths were heavy. He had suffered a bruise on his right heel after that little stunt he pulled. He wiped away the beads of sweat that formed on his forehead. Only three seconds of action. That’s how long that training session took. Three seconds. Using his cell phone and Uzaki Enterprise communicator, he sent a message to the technician unit. The training device in Room -932 lasted three seconds. Please continue to upgrade the model’s speed and implement a more effective combat simulation program. Notify me again when it requires testing.

Stop the Music

Marcus dried the sweat off his face with a towel he left in the bench by the corner of the room. It was now time to start his real training, the one he engaged in ever morning and evening between work. It’s what he kept himself busy with when he wasn’t servicing Kazura, and it distracted him from how much he missed Harle. But they both had to work for now, so Marcus was going to make sure he focused himself on his work and pushed away all distractions. He wouldn’t be of any use to Kazura if his mind wasn’t where it should be.

And, as if on cue, Marcus’s phone buzzed with a text message from his employer and idol, Kazura Uzaki. There’s somebody I’d like you to train and mentor. He’s very timid, but I need someone who understands him, like you, to get him out of his shell. I know you’ll do a fine job. Report back to me when the training session is complete. He is due to arrive at your office tomorrow afternoon at four.

The Fullbringer read the text again, then a third time, followed by a fourth. He just didn’t understand. Did Kazura really expect him to personally connect with someone else, a feat he has forever been unable to accomplish with anyone other than Harle? It would be a challenge. Maybe Kazura was wrong by assigning the task to someone like Marcus, but maybe he was right and this is just what he needed to tailor Marcus into a future leader for the organization. This task was necessary, and because Kazura was the one who made the request, Marcus knew that he couldn’t fail. He was going to turn this man into an asset for the company.


Uzaki Enterprise. Floor 42. Office number 42-08. 4pm


Marcus had been watching the clock for the past hour. His hand quivered nervously as the seconds ticked by. However, other than the anxious expression on his face, he looked rather professional. He wore a plain black suit, traditional white dress shirt, and had a solid blue tie that complimented his ice-blue eyes. He was dressed like a head financial advisor, and that’s what he did. The man finished his assignment of financial reports and budget distributions for the afternoon, so all that was left to do from three to four was stare at the clock and wait.

And then there was a knock. The timid man coughed awkwardly to clear his throat before verbally answering the door. “E-enter.” A young man in a strange masquerade mask walked into the office, and Marcus wasn’t quite sure what to make of him. His appearance was definitely peculiar. “H-h-hello there M-m-m-marcus I'm Khonsu. I'll b-b-b-be training w-w-w-with you today.” Marcus gestured toward the cushioned chair on the opposite end of his desk. “It is a p-pleasure to meet y-you. Please t-take a s-seat, Khonsu.”

Now, this was the tricky part. Where was Marcus to begin? He had outlined a general plan for them, but at the moment, all of it flew out the window. He completely forgot what he had prepared to do. He had to speak off the cuff. “Uh, er- Khonsu, d-do you mind if I a-ask you a c-couple of questions to l-learn more a-about you?” Yes, that was perfect! Marcus would be less of the focus then, and he wouldn’t be as nervous. That was the plan he needed.

Marcus now spoke with a tad more confidence then before, though he was still self-conscious and timid. The stutter was just temporarily absent. “Firstly, I would like to ask you why you where that mask? Does it have important value to you?” Marcus would give Khonsu time to answer and respond as he wished before proceeding to the second question. “Why did you join Uzaki Enterprise? We have a wide range of employees, each with his or her own reasons for joining the organization. Why did you choose to work with us?” After giving Khonsu more time, Marcus would toss a third question his way. “Finally, what do you offer to the organization? All of our members and employees contribute in various ways? How can you help our cause?”

Marcus let out a subtle sigh of relief. Maybe this interview thing wasn’t so bad. After all, he was able to temporarily relieve himself of his nervous stutter. Marcus just might be able to do this more often if Kazura requested it. But wait, the training was just getting started. Marcus just realized that he was required to spend the rest of the day with the stranger. They might have to – God forbid – talk to each other for that long, and Marcus couldn’t turn the entire affair into a long interview. This might just be more trouble than he anticipated.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Stats, Skills, and Items}

Strength - [400] (600) Points

Speed - [350] (700) Points

Spiritual Pressure - [350] (210) Points

Reiatsu Strength - [50] (25) Points

Light Aura - [60] Points

Dark Aura - [40] Points

Instinct - [150] (225) Points

Senses - [100] (75) Points

Energy sensory - [0] Points

Healing Expertise - [0] Points

Total SP: [1400] Points

Abilities

• [Martial Arts: Escrima] {3}
  
  
• [Weapons: Throwing Weapons] {1}
  
  
• [Battle Analysis] {3}
  
  
• [Pain Tolerance] {1}
  
  
• [Special Skill: Movement] {1}
  
  
• [Stealth] {3}
  
  
• [Acrobatics] {3}
  
  

Items:

15 Kunai

Kunai Canon

Suit MK I

Escrima Sticks/Staff

[Deleted]

Christoph slowly entered the office taking his time to open the door after hearing Marcus telling him to come in. He was nervous he had never met with anyone inside of the spiritual department besides Iwa and Kazura. So he had no idea what to expect, still at a first glance the man looked like he was a nice person. Christoph's eyes wandered around the room briefly memorizing what he saw and where it was as he sat down on the chair that Marcus told him to sit down on. Everything seemed like it would be pleasant until he heard Marcus stutter, the man who was to train him was stuttering before him.

Behind his mask Christoph's half smile faded away as it turned into a frown with slow tears forming in the corners of his eyes. He wasn't at all shocked that even his mentor would mock him, he was use to it. It was only natural that someone like him would mock an abomination like him. He was born to be everyone's punching bag. He knew that even if he had powers it didn't make him any better or less of a freak, if anything it made him more of one. He didn't hate himself for being like this, he knew that it was his only reason for being alive, to be a freak that others could mock and make fun of so that they could feel better about themselves.

Even though he knew all of that it didn't help the fact that being mocked still hurt, worst of all he was being mocked by someone who was suppose to help him. A small tear rolled down his face before hitting the inside of the chin of his mask. Marcus would never know that because of his stutter he had created a rift between the two of them, one that would take time to heal, sadly Christoph didn't have a clue that Marcus had a natural stutter like him, the man before him seemed so confident and in control of everything. Compared to this man Christoph saw himself as a joke, as to why Marcus would still want to train him or even want to know more about him was a mystery to him. Still he just simply nodded after Marcus spoke about wanting to know more and asking questions.

Listening to how clearly Marcus was speaking now further cemented the idea that the stuttering before had been him making fun of the way he spoke. Still the question he asked was something that he expected. He wanted to know why the fullbringer wore the mask and what it meant to him. That wasn't exactly an easy answer for him to give. The mask it's self gave him the freedom to actually speak to others that he didn't know. It gave him the courage to face people without worry of being mocked and ridiculed for who he was, but he didn't know why. It felt safe just to being able to wear it and hide from those that gazed at him. That's why he wore it, but it wouldn't be easy to just say that out loud, no not to someone who just mocked him for having a stutter.

As for the second part of the question, the mask did have some importance to him. It was a gift from his mother, she gave it to him before a masquerade party, one which he was finally able to interact with people and even get his first kiss. So yes it was important to him in that sense, but it was also his fullbring item. With it he was able to cover his entire body with his own power and fight, well fight as best as he could given how weak he is. He was silent for a while as he nervously thought about what to say to Marcus. It took him over a minute before he was finally able to say something back to Marcus. He was sure that the man was mad at him for taking so long to answer such a simple question so his stutter was even worse. “I-I-I-I-I w-w-w-w-w-wear m-m-m-m-my mas-s-s-s-sk b-b-b-b-b-b-b-bec-c-c-cause I l-l-l-l-like it a-a-a-a-a-and i-i-i-i-i-it w-w-w-was a g-g-g-gift.”

He lowered his head and turned away unable to face Marcus anymore. His stuttering had gotten so bad that a normal answer that would of taken only three seconds to say had dragged out to over a minute long. He hated himself he was making a fool of himself in front of a mentor and there wasn't anything that he could do about it. He knew that this man would hate him for the way he was acting. Then after a moment he heard the man ask him another question, this one was a bit less personal, but all the same hard to answer right off of the bat.

Even though he understood the question that Marcus had asked him, he wasn't exactly sure how to answer this one. Why had he joined UE? It just seemed like the other day he actually was all alone in this world and then out of the blue he knew that he was a UE member that was valued. It still felt like he was in a dream state, one that he would wake up from at any moment. Being here really was like being in a dream, somewhere where at the very least he had something in common with someone else, not to be judged by his looks, but by his own skill, well at first that was the idea he had of UE, however after meeting Marcus he started to think that maybe he was a bit wrong about that. Marcus seemed to be mocking him with the stutter vanishing from his speech, Christoph had no idea that Marcus was just as nervous as him, but that was something that might come up.

Taking a deep breath he tried to calm himself however he averted his eyes from Marcus ashamed to look at the man in the face. “I-I-I-I-I wanted t-t-t-t-t-to fit i-i-i-i-i-in...... K-K-K-K-Kazura s-s-s-s-said I-I-I-I could f-f-f-f-fit in here.” Really that was the best answer he could give to Marcus at the moment, sadly he knew that it wasn't a sufficient answer about his real motives. UE looked to be someplace that he could call a home with a family, but now.... he wasn't too sure, maybe it was only Marcus that was like that, maybe the others would welcome him with open arms like Kazura did.

“Finally, what do you offer to the organization? All of our members and employees contribute in various ways? How can you help our cause?”

Christoph lifted his head as he heard those words, his eyes filled with fear. He really had no idea as to what he could offer them. He himself was worthless, a failure as a human. He can't really fight, so being a guard wouldn't suit him. He knows that he is even worse with interacting with others so he couldn't be trusted to deal with office politics or even be a liaison for the company for other people. He had no skill making anything, so he couldn't create things for them to use. No the only thing he could really offer is his talent at painting, but he didn't see how that could help them at all. Sure he could replicate things that he had seen in his paintings, but that wouldn't really help anyone.

“I-I-I-I-I don't k-k-k-k-k-know. I-I-I-I'm n-n-n-n-not g-g-g-g-good at a-a-a-any thing.” This was his own personal truth. Sadly he didn't know what else to tell Marcus. He could feel the disapproval at what he had told the man. This had been a mistake, he knew that he shouldn't of done this. Joining UE was a mistake, maybe if he just slipped away from this meeting he could just disappear as if he was never here. After all no one in this company would care if a freak like him vanished into thin air, he was just disposable. Just another cog in the machine that could easily be replaced by someone else more worthy. Christoph wanted to get up and move away, but he wasn't sure as to why his body wouldn't just walk away, for some reason it just stayed in the seat waiting for Marcus to say more.

[Marcus Cole]

Khonsu just sat their after Marcus asked the first question. It took a few seconds of silence before he stuttered out an uncertain response. “I-I-I-I-I w-w-w-w-w-wear m-m-m-m-my mas-s-s-s-sk b-b-b-b-b-b-b-bec-c-c-cause I l-l-l-l-like it a-a-a-a-a-and i-i-i-i-i-it w-w-w-was a g-g-g-gift.” A minute had passed before Khonsu had finally gotten his complete answer out, and it answered many questions in Marcus’s mind. The first was that his mask may just be his Fullbring, and, with training, he may be able to help Khonsu awaken it.

The second was that Khonsu, much like Marcus, suffered from social anxiety and an pitifully low self-esteem. The only difference was that Marcus, unlike Khonsu, had Harle. Harle was Marcus’s “pick me up.” He had been depressed and alone for most of the later portion of his life. However, Khonsu didn’t appear to have that same support. He had probably spent his life thinking that he was beneath others, though the source of such a mindset could be a variety of things. The tragedy that took the lives of Marcus’s family broke him. But what broke Khonsu?

And, more importantly, how could Marcus put Khonsu back together? Marcus himself wasn’t completely whole yet, but he felt a few of his shattered pieces crawling back toward each other. He was getting there. He was making progress. And he’d help Khonsu do the same. It wasn’t going to be easy, but nothing came easy for the Fullbringer, one of the mightiest warriors of Uzaki Enterprise. Their mysterious Black Shadow.

As the questions progressed, Marcus started sympathizing with Khonsu even more. “I-I-I-I-I wanted t-t-t-t-t-to fit i-i-i-i-i-in...... K-K-K-K-Kazura s-s-s-s-said I-I-I-I could f-f-f-f-fit in here.” Kazura told Marcus the exact same thing. He found Marcus when the young man was physically destroyed and near death. He had taken Marcus to a hospital so he could recover, and as the man healed, Kazura told him of a place where he could fit in and do good. Marcus and Khonsu joined Uzaki Enterprise for the exact same reason.

But the final question seemed to hit Khonsu the hardest. “I-I-I-I-I wanted t-t-t-t-t-to fit i-i-i-i-i-in...... K-K-K-K-Kazura s-s-s-s-said I-I-I-I could f-f-f-f-fit in here.” “I-I-I-I-I wanted t-t-t-t-t-to fit i-i-i-i-i-in...... K-K-K-K-Kazura s-s-s-s-said I-I-I-I could f-f-f-f-fit in here.” Marcus simply shook his head. Khonsu reminded him a lot of himself, and if their was any validity in their comparison, then Khonsu wouldn’t just admit his uselessness. Marcus fought and trained hard to be useful and important to Kazura. Khonsu had to have that same determination in him somewhere, and Marcus had to bring it out. He was no longer scared to work with Khonsu, but he was still a bit nervous.

“L-listen, Khonsu… I was like y-you. I d-didn’t b-belong anywhere, b-but K-kazura found m-me one day… and… he told me a-about this place. H-he said that I-I could make a d-difference here and help h-him. Kazura’s the b-best man I kn-know, s-so if y-you really w-want to fit in like m-me, you’ll have to t-try…” Marcus rose from his seat, rounding his desk so he could walk toward the door of his office. “I-if you w-want to fit in and h-help Kazura, follow me… p-please.” The ‘please’ as added as an awkward tag, but Marcus was just trying to be friendlier maybe? He was bad at this people thing.

If Khonsu chose to join him, Marcus would take him to a side elevator that was labeled RESTRICTED. He would swipe his Identification Card to open the elevator, and as soon as the door shut, he started to loosen his tie and remove it from around his neck while unbuttoning the upper-most button of his dress shirt. He pressed a button at the bottom labeled ‘U-6.’ As soon as he did, a wide laser scanned the elevator.

“Access granted, Marcus Cole. Access not granted, unauthorized personnel.” Marcus was quick to stammer in a response. “No, err- he’s a g-guest…” Only Kazura’s spiritually aware employees, the ones who’ve shown dedication and commitment, where permitted access to the deep underground levels of the building. For the time being, Khonsu would have to use Marcus’s clearance. “Access granted, Marcus Cole and guest." The elevator quickly began its rapid descent, though Marcus and Khonsu would barely feel the drop. It only took a couple of seconds before they reached their destination.

The elevator opened up to an expansive room that ran about half a mile from the wall where the elevator was situated. The ceiling was one hundred feet above the ground. It was completely coated in white tiles. On the each side of the elevator was a door, one which led to a locker room and the other which was full of Uzaki Enterprise’s spiritual equipment and technology. Marcus had his battle suit weapons waiting in his locker in the locker room. However, he had to make a stop first.

“T-this is a-a lot to t-take in at f-first, s-so… I-I can a-answer any q-questions…” Marcus would do his best to respond to whatever Khonsu may ask as he directed Khonsu to the first door to their left. It opened up to a much smaller room that went about 100 feet in each direction. The walls were lined up with various gear from crossbows to gauntlets. However, Marcus was after one thing. “Y-you look l-like a medium… or large m-maybe?” He gestured to two Uzaki Enterprise Mark 1 Battle Suits hanging on a nearby wall. Khonsu was free to grab the suit of the appropriate size.

After Khonsu picked which suit to take, Marcus would lead him back out the door and toward the door on the other side of the elevator, which opened up to the lockeroom. “Y-you can change into that b-battle s-suit in h-here…” Marcus rapidly went into his locker, grabbed his battle suit and weapons, and went into a distant corner of the small lockeroom where rows of lockers would separate him and Khonsu. He was free to change in private without any eyes on him, and Marcus would wait extra long to make sure Khonsu had ample time to change before he reemerged.

“Th-the battle suit isn’t y-yours yet. W-we have one o-or t-two of e-everything down here… If y-you l-like it, you c-can buy one with your p-paycheck.” Khonsu might note that while Marcus’s battle suit was almost identical to his, the senior employee of Uzaki Enterprise had a midnight blue streak along his chest in the shape of a wide ‘V.’ It was a detail unique to Marcus’s suit alone.

Marcus led Khonsu out to the main room until they were about fifty feet from the elevator. At that point, he would stop and turn to face the newbie. “S-so, Khonsu… H-how much o-of y-your p-powers h-have y-you disc-covered yet? I-I h-have some e-experience with spiritually a-aware people. Some c-can detect p-people’s energy really well or h-hear and s-see really well. S-some h-have really powerful reaitsu, or energy. A-and some are phy-physically strong and fast, l-like me. Wh-what h-have you l-learned about your p-powers?”

[Amagai Kuchiki]

250 CTP for both.