jigokulogs | closed ໒꒱ july catch-all

[ The guy didn't look familiar... and while he didn't make a habit of memorizing the faces of the Enma's goons, he still got the impression this guy was a newbie. Which made his hassling of him all the weirder... ]

Give up what? I haven't done anything.

Don't play dumb with me. Just because I'm a new officer doesn't mean that you can write me off as useless.

( At this point, Shealtiel is so determined to be of some sort of worth, to do something right for once. He needs as much stardust as he can get his hands on for that purpose. So, without waiting any longer, a blue circle forms over his chest like a summoning spell, and his hand grips onto the end of a spear. He pulls it out in an instant, twirling it into a proper hold in his right hand.

And there, after making sure this part of the street is clear enough to manage swinging only at his target, he does just that, aiming to spear through his leg. You know, a warning stab! Or something like that. )

Your stardust is now property of the Department of the Enma!

[ With a snap of Lio's fingers, those 'sparkles' appeared once more, though this time a lot less mistakeable in what they truly were; a spiral of neon-colored flames formed from his hand, coiling tight, forming the shape of a blade within that moment.

Swung down, it clashed with the spear as if somehow solid, sending out more sparks, directing the thrust away from himself. ]

So you're a newbie and an idiot...

( The thrust is redirected, but Shealtiel doesn't stop even when he sees the flames. They're strange, different from anything he's seen, and until he can verify if it's really stardust or not, he can't stop. This is important.

He spins and swipes next, the sharpened sides of the blade of his spear angling towards Lio. He expects that it will be parried all the same, but he's collecting information on his movements, trying to push forward. )

How are you doing that? You're sure you're not embedding stardust into your attacks?

You have a pretty single-minded imagination, don't you?

[ As predicted, Lio used the makeshift sword to parry, once more, with a flourish, spinning the blade and casting out several rings of flame, sending them forward. ]

Unfortunately, I don't owe any explanations to over-zealous cops.

It's not my job to be imaginative. If you're not going to help, then...

( The flames are new, but not unlike something he'd expect a demon to wield. He moves to dodge to the side, narrowly ducking out of the way of the rings of flame. His spear spins again to land in another ideal grip, and he charges.

He's not aiming to kill, but to disarm or stop— all while trying to make sure the same doesn't happen to him. It's been taught to him time and time again, how to handle himself in fights, and even if he's never fully been able to apply it, he seems capable enough. Unfortunately, so does Lio...

He's not sure where this is going to go, and there's more anger behind his next slash. )

[ The anger powered those thrusts, but it also made them just telegraphed enough that Lio showed little trouble deflecting them, each one, sending up more bright sparks as he did so. He had to admit, the guy wasn't a total pushover, but Lio could definitely see the gap between them... ]

Attacking someone like this with no evidence is exactly why people hate cops, you know!

I don't know anything about that.

( The sparks are interesting. More and more...? Stardust? How could that be? Enhancing his attacks, maybe? It didn't seem to line up with what he knew about the substance, and that combined with the criticism is working to make him doubt his own approach.

But he's not sure if he should trust that doubt, and the fear inside of him spawning from past issues makes him press forward, trying to trip Lio up even just once. Or maybe... see if he has a pack? Pockets? Something to be holding dust? )

But you're not exactly explaining yourself, either!

I don't need to explain myself. You've got it wrong, and anything else is none of your business!

[ This time, on the next parry, he notices that the other guy put his weight forward. He grabs the shaft of it, jerking Shealtiel towards him with as much might as he can put into the motion, aiming to go in for a headbutt.

... a very Galo-like tactic, if he thought about it too long, but that would just annoy him more. ]

Ugh, what the—

( The movement is just unexpected enough that it works. Their heads slam together, and Shealtiel stumbles backwards a step, spinning his spear back in a sweep of his arm to go more defensive. His free hand rests at his head as he squints, irritation spiking. )

Who just goes at someone with their head?!

( Playing dirty like that... That was something he might have come up with himself, honestly, if the tables were turned. But god, it's hard to remember that even humans could hurt him in a place like this. Blade or not... He's going to have a headache later.

But this time, instead of rushing forward to continue, Shealtiel pauses, trying to analyze the stranger. He's wrong? Then what is it? He's really not going to explain?

But he can't exactly find any words to defend himself, either. Desperation calls for actions that aren't always just or fair. He's like a wild animal, and he's still trying to think of the shortest path to the end result he wants, all other factors aside. Maybe if he just waits and watches for a moment... )

You left yourself open. Don't blame me for taking advantage when you attacked me first.

[ Lio, for the most part, felt like his point was maid. Slowly, he raised both hands, and the sword itself just transformed into light embers, sparkling away into nothing. Both hands empty, but his stance suggested he wasn't surrendering, but rather just putting punctuation on what he'd said before.

He definitely looked like if Sheatiel attacked again, he'd get a beating for it. ]

Are you ready to start thinking clearly now, or are you still so gungho you're gonna just attack an officer of the Shuten Clan without thinking of the consequences...

( Shuten Clan... Right. Things can be made difficult by something like that. Shealtiel frowns a little further, but he's smart enough to let go of his spear. Rather than falling to the ground like normally, it disappears in a sprinkling of rainbow-colored shimmers. )

...If you don't have any, then I apologize. Things have been tense for all of us, haven't they?

( An excuse, he knows, and not one that justifies it... But he's also irritated at himself. Too much so to not make up reasons for why it all happened. )

Whatever you were using... It looks a lot like stardust. But it must be some kind of ability, then?

It's my flame. I'm a Burnish.

[ Which he realizes has largely meant nothing to most people. He supposes he has to explain. ]

I'm a human born with symbiosis with this flame. The flame and I are of one will.

Burnish... I've never heard of something like that before.

( And now he looks genuinely curious, but he also feels like it's a little tasteless to throw tons of questions at the guy he just attacked on the streets. )

So it's fire, not just sparkles enhancing moves. ( Woops. ) I... see...

You're looking a bit sheepish.

[ Lio snapped his fingers, summing up a tuft of those very same flames and letting them dance around him briefly before a gesture of his hand cut through them, dissipating once more into the air, leaving Shealtiel with not more than a wall of heat hitting his face. ]

Good. Look before you leap, or the next guy you meet will put you in a shallow grave.

( It's irritating. Infuriating, even. But even the fire that burns in his chest over this isn't enough to make him snap. He knows better. He did something wrong, he made a mistake. And now he's going to try to focus on how to get better rather than beating himself up about it, but that's hard...

He needs to find a better way of locating his sources. A better way of checking... Maybe he could ask some of the higher ups.

The fire did make him flinch, but even that just causes Shealtiel to grit his teeth and bear it. He doesn't run, he doesn't cower more than a flinch, and his arms are back down just as quickly as they'd been raise to shield himself. )

...I'll keep that in mind, whether you meant for me to or not.

My name is Shealtiel. ( A pause, and he looks away, half turning to leave. ) I won't let it happen again.

Shealtiel...

[ Something about that name sounded unusual... But he didn't dwell on it, instead measuring the way the other man had reacted to the flames, to the heat. He felt a little bad, being so rough with him (even if it could have been worse), but some lessons had to come the hard way or they didn't stick. ]

Lio Fotia.

( It feels ironic every time he says his own name. Ever since Raphael had mentioned so...

He looks back to make sure he properly acknowledges the name given in turn, which he's actually surprised comes. )

...Thanks, Lio.

( Then, he takes his leave. He needs to re-research his original source and get back to that stardust hunt, this time a little differently. Maybe next time he meets this man, it can be different. )

closed ໒꒱ july catch-all

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