grotto_logs | 01 ✝ Checkmate

Who: Maron Kusakabe and OPEN
When: Spring 6
Where: The woods outside of town
What: Maron ran into some unhappy wood wolves
Rating: PG

What had started as a pleasant walk through the woods and another opportunity to find the way to return home had now become something more dangerous. Maron ran through the woods, pushing branches aside and getting whipped by the leaves as they lashed at the girl trying to escape.

“Why are they chasing me? I thought they were supposed to be friendly?”

Maron spoke to herself as she continued her run. She was fast but the pack of Wood Wolves behind her was faster and they were gaining ground. She considered that if she could transform into Jeanne she could use her ‘rebound ball’ to escape from the animals and hide in one of the nearby trees, but she hadn’t been able to transform into her alternate self since she arrived.
Alright! It was just down to her then! She might not have magical powers but she was still:
Strong and serious...
Matchless and marvelous...
Energetic and fearless!

Maron stopped running and turned back to the pack surprising all of them as she leapt into the air and through a series of gymnastic flips ended up behind them. As the wood wolves skidded to a stop and tried to recover their previous advantage Maron took off running again. At least now she was heading in the direction back toward the village. She just had to find some way to give these creatures the slip...

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Zed...sighed. The tone of her voice, the way she stepped back, it all hurt. But it was nothing he wasn't used to, and better than he was expecting. Maybe it was only because she didn't actually have anything to attack him with that he wasn't, but...well, in for a gella...

Her reaction made him falter, briefly. But, taking a breath, Zed managed to draw himself up proudly. The dramatic pose he struck had a little less of his usual theatrics behind it, and a lot more sincerity.

"Yes, I am a demon! But I renounced my wicked ways, and joined with five humans to save the world. I am trying to be a good guy, now! And I will not let what I am limit what I can do, whether that is saving a life, or growing tomatoes! And I understand if you are afraid, and do not want to talk to me anymore! Good guys understand that sort of thing!"

If nothing else, it felt good to say. He might have messed up royally, but it felt good to say. Being good was hard, but it felt like it was getting easier every day.

Being away from Doom Bringer probably had a bit to do with that, of course.

She wasn't afraid. Not one bit... at least not for herself. She was concerned about the people here and what he might do to them. Would it be a repeat of her home with his trying to corrupt people's souls? She couldn't transform, how could she stop him if he tried?

But, what he said was so very different than she was expecting. It could have been a lie. Demons were always lying about things, her angel friend had warned her about that.

"Why would a demon try to save the world?"

It was a bit accusatory but when you have had the kinds of experiences she has had with demons it does make you question why they would try to help anyone.

"There are demons on my world who try to corrupt people's souls. You really would never try to do that?"

"Because..."

Zed frowns, and bows his head as he tries to put words to it. For a few seconds, all he manages are a few false starts before going back to thinking on his answer. In the end, though, he can't come up with a better explanation than he did back then. So, that's the one he gives.

"...life isn't so bad. Why should I try to bring about 'more death' when 'life' is so much better?" He darts a glance up at Maron, to try and gauge her reaction to this.

Filgaia had, up until recently, been a barren, dying place. But it had still been alive and turning, and he'd been charmed by it when he'd finally had the chance to see a bit of the world for himself. Real and true life, not the parody of it that he and the other Demons were.

And when Maron mentions "corrupting souls", it's her turn to get an odd look. He might already be in up to his neck, but Zed chooses his next words very, very carefully.

"I do not know much about 'corrupting' souls. Or even about souls at all. Of all of us...Alzahad knew the most about that sort of thing. And I wonder if he might still be alive. Even if I was as smart as he was, though, I would never do something like that to anyone."

He'd been in awe of Alzahad's abilities at the start. Really, he still was. But Zed could understand that Alzahad's victims probably hadn't shared the same appreciation, even when he'd warped them into something unrecognizable. He knew now that Alzahad was evil, even if he was family.

It all could still have been a lie, even if he seemed very sincere, it could be a lie. Maron had been told the full story of demons and how very tricky they were when she was recruited. She had been terribly surprised to meet the little angle Fin and even more surprised to find out that she as the reincarnation of Joan of Arc had to transform into a magical thief to save people's lives and protect God. The stories Fin had told her of demons and how evil they could be, had by this time been backed up by personal experience with them. She had seen gentle fathers turn into heartless monsters who hit their children, a shy nice boy turn into a wolf, and even been tempted into giving up herself by their cruel words. Everything he had just said could have been a lie, just another trick into getting close to her!

"You had better be telling the truth. I won't allow you to hurt anyone here!"

Even if she had no powers and couldn't at this moment seal a demon... There had to be a way to stop him if he was actually evil! She would definitely be keeping an eye on him, that much she could do.

((ooc: ...man, now I've really gotta check out this series.))

"...I will give back your handkerchief later."

After he finds a way to clean the blood off of it. Or maybe he'll just ask Anette to give it back. "...thank you for helping me."

He's a good guy, now. Maybe he's not the best at it, but he's trying, and that's more than any of the other demons bothered to do. He resolves to remind himself of this fact as many times as it takes. If nothing else, Zed is good at supporting himself in the face of opposition.

He understands, even if it hurts.

At least now Zed knows how good he is at passing for human, here. So, at the least, this conversation never has to happen again.

The demon turns his back, and even takes a few steps away in a completely random direction, before pausing as another thought strikes. He doesn't look back at her, though.

"But...I will not allow myself to die here. No matter what you say or think. There is someone very important waiting for me back home."

And if it's a choice between everyone else in existence, and Aura, the rest of the world can burn.

[OOC: I definitely recommend it! Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne is a cute magical girl series with a bit of a twist. ]

She wasn't sure what she thought. This whole situation of being taken from home dropped off here and set in among people from different worlds was pretty far out of her comfort zone. She only really knew what had been true on her world. But he said something then that stood out to her. Even as he walked away she had to respond.

"I never said I wanted you to die."

It was true. Demons were a menace on her world, always causing people trouble but she was a kind-hearted girl. If there was a way to make demons turn good she would support it in any way she could.

"I just don't want you to hurt anyone. If you are serious about what you said..." IF, "Then I hope you are able to get back to that person."

Even a demon didn't deserve to be alone. Maybe... he was secretly lonely too.

((ooc: I do love cute magical girl series' with twists! Sailor Moon and Puella Magi are favorites of mine.))

"Thank you. And I hope you get to see whoever is waiting for you again, too."

Maron definitely had someone waiting for her back home. Hell, probably more than one person. It was just an asusmption Zed made, but one he felt confident in.

Maron wasn't a bad person. Neither was he, but she seemed to be better at it.

"You should go back to town, now. It would really be rather silly, to run away from those wolves and get caught by them all over again. I, for one, do not want our valiant efforts to go to waste!"

Zed drew himself up again, proud of himself for pulling it together and changing the subject, under the circumstances. And then, because he had rather deliberately not included himself in this piece of advice, and figured that Maron probably noticed:

"I am...going to return another way. It will distract them, and maybe force them to divide their numbers in pursuit of both of us."

Some one waiting for her...
She did have friends who would be worried. Maybe even parents, no she tried not to think about that. Thinking of them was too painful.

Instead she gave Zed a quick nod. Maybe that was for the best. With both of them going in different directions it would be difficult for the wolves to keep up or even settle in on one target.

"Be careful on the way back."

"Only if you will be careful as well."

But, he knew she would be. And from what little he knew of the forest so far, they weren't far from town.

They were a little bit further from the beach, but that was his real destination in any case.

Tired, with a lot to think about, and willing to think about it so as to ignore the pain in his leg, Zed set off into the woods.

01 ✝ Checkmate

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