The Sane and The Insane [OPEN]

Ryouko Ashikano

{Morgan Drakos // ### words // notes}

A fair distance away the somewhat-known Wanderer Ryouko Ashikano stood, leaning against a wooden pole as she absently watched the events unfold between the Aven Guarde captain and his sibling. The hood of her jacket was pulled up over her head, obscuring her features from passerby but still allowing her to observe the situation on her own as she saw fit. This wasn't exactly an unusual thing for her to do. She had a tendency to watch the Aven Guarde strut around whenever she found herself in Velderoth, though she'd never gotten to see something quite as interesting as this proved to be.

Interesting... she thought to herself silently as the girl jumped off, though her slight smile was replaced with wonder as the girl rocketed back into view on the back of a dragon. Ryouko couldn't help but be in awe. She herself had always wanted for a dragon to ride on, but hadn't been able to find one that quite fit her tastes. As a result she was merely referred to as a Wanderer, despite how she could be considered a Free Rider. Though calling her such was ironic considering she had nothing but her own two feet. It took Ryouko a few moments to tear her gaze from the dragon to focus back on the situation at hand, and the captain, but she'd follow him more once he passed her. Even then it probably wouldn't be too interesting- they were probably heading back to their headquarters.

The situation at hand, however, had to do with the chain on her arm, and how in the bloody hell she was going to get to Tenebris.

Not like there's an easy way to get there from this place. Normally I'd go through Ignis, but I haven't any need to wander through Infernus right now...

True, she could head through Terra to buy supplies, but she was a little low on cash as of that current moment. Which was proving to be another issue altogether, and the blue-eyed girl sighed in frustration as she spared a glance back to the group of Aven Guarde and their captain.

Ryouko Ashikano

{Morgan Drakos // ### words // chase her, just find a reason and do it}

Maybe I could... no. No, that'd attract too much attention. As it is I'm surprised I've gone unnoticed, Ryouko thought to herself as she bit her bottom lip in thought. Her Cannon stood besides her, wrapped in thick cloth to obscure it from passerby. If anything they'd think it was a pillar or something, maybe a log... but with her luck it probably wouldn't. Her sword was strapped to her waist on one of her twin white belts, the lack of proper sheath allowing for the tip to pierce the ground by maybe a half centimeter as she sighed softly. She needed to figure something out, sitting out here in the open like this was starting to make her a bit antsy. She kept her eyes open, staring at the ground in front of her. One would think she was waiting, though for what would be anyone's guess. It wouldn't surprise her if one of those Aven Guarde members whispered her name as they passed.

After all, it's not every day that someone comes back from Tenebris alive. With a stack of Lupus pelts to boot. Thin lines criss-crossed her exposed midriff, faint scars from countless fights she'd been in on her travels, proudly displayed like badges of honor as she arched her back to stretch, her arms moving above her head as she cocked it to one side. Her neck popped once, spectacularly, with her back popping several times alongside her shoulders.

I would suggest that I just enjoy myself, but I don't exactly have the means to do that right now, she continued to ponder to herself what she could do to remedy the situation. She heard the captain of the guard speak, and she smiled softly.

Just what she'd expected. The Aven Guarde were returning to base. Something about that was funny to her, but she couldn't tell what. Perhaps it was the realization as to just how far her definition of normal was compared to theirs'. She picked herself up off the pole as her hands slowly moved back downwards, and she spared a moment to drop her hood back down from around her face as she picked up her cannon, slinging it onto her back without even a grunt- despite how much it probably weighed. She'd been carrying it around for so long she sometimes forgot it was even there.

That probably explained a few of her tricks when she was fighting Lupus, actually...

"Maybe I'll find myself a dragon today," she mumbled wistfully as she took a step forwards, sparing a glance right at the captain of the guard as she passed by him. He was nice to look at, at least. Though considering he was a captain, that probably also meant he had a heart of stone... or something even harder, like her cannon. She cracked walls with it every so often, though she had no idea how.

She approached the railing far more slowly then the girl with the dragon had, her gaze wandering over the islands in the distance, slowly plotting a course as to how she was to get to her next destination. She was still within easy earshot of the captain, but she didn't care to think about her words.

"This would be so much easier if I had a mount," she said to herself as she took a few steps back. At that point it'd be apparent as to what exactly she was about to do:

Jump.

She took off running, vaulting the railing without hesitation as her left arm made contact, acting as a support for her to ride herself off into the expanse below on. In the same motion the cloth surrounding her cannon fell off. As the darkish brown covering flapped away, her cannon shifted on her back and her right arm slid in easily down to just above her wrist before making a loud clicking noise.

She spiraled, the opening to her cannon beginning to glow a bright blue as she gathered force around herself. She closed her eyes as she waited, relishing in the feeling of the wind against her body before sharply opening them and adjusting her form. Her spinning stopped, and her right arm straightened out as she pivoted her body to be parallel with the ground above.

"Asu, Mana, Tiro, Kyo," she said, placing her left index finger against her lips with her middle finger right in front of it. Her cannon glowed blue in reaction to the words, ones that Ryouko herself had no clue how she knew in the first place. It seemed to be a set of four words that she had to speak as such in order for her cannon to work properly, but she had no clue in all hell why that was.

Nonetheless, for reasons she didn't know, the cannon flared to life, blue outlining her whole body as time itself almost seemed to slow around her.

One more word. Then it was home free.

"Hiro."

Her cannon let loose a blast of blue energy, vaulting her upwards with force so astounding she cleared several dozen feet above the island she had just jumped off. In fact, she even managed to grab the cloth she had lost as well. That'd save her a bit of money for sure. At the apex of her rising she spun, her form graceful and precise as changed her orientation.

Another moment passed, and she waited until she started falling again before letting loose another large burst, one that easily carried her to another island a few ways out. She hit the ground and rolled to her feet, her body devoid of any scratches or other wounds as she stood. She smiled to herself. It was a dangerous manuever, but she'd managed to finally pull it off.

Now if only she could do it during combat...

"No matter, I just have to pass through the border of Terra and that'll be it," she said, adjusting her gloves on her hands before looking back at the island she'd just vaulted herself from. If she wasn't mistaken the entire group of those Guarde people were at the railing just... staring at her.

She could even hear the children chanting her name. She sighed in exasperation. A few Lupus pelts and she was the most famous Free Rider in Veldora... brilliant. On the upside it meant people gave her more money. They were apparently willing to when a celebrity wandered into their shop with a bag of teeth and fur.

Though she couldn't be sure they appreciated the blood from whatever wound she acquired as a result of it.

Ryouko Ashikano

{Morgan Drakos // ### words // notes}

Ryouko looked back to meet the Aven Guarde Captain as he stared talking. Normally people didn't follow her like this, so she was rather intruiged... up until his words registered to her. Albeit, the fact she had jumped off right above the Shrine was interesting. She'd been wondering where exactly that was. Guess she had no reason to wonder now. As for what she was thinking...

"It's the quickest route to Tenebris, so I was taking it," she said simply, her eyes meeting his. There wasn't any anger or humor in her voice, rather then any of that it seemed she was dead serious. Completely. Utterly. Fucking. Serious.

Another click sounded and she gently placed her cannon's barrel to the ground, pulling her hand out of it and readjusting the glove she wore. Her eyes flickered back up to the captain, and she took his appearance in with full clarity. He was definitely high-ranking. That much could be told just from his stance, and the air of authority he held. Ironically, and probably most strange of all, was that she didn't seem at all fazed by it.

"Not like I'd let myself fall. I may not have a dragon or bird but I do have other means of getting around," she stated calmly as she glanced at her cannon. The pale black metal reflected the sun dully, and it hummed faintly with eldritch power. Whatever it was powered with was still active. She glanced back at the island and all the chanting people. More had joined the crowd, and a few of them waved at her.

She waved back hesitantly, and the crowd obviously grew more excited. Cries of "She waved at me!" could be heard even all the way over here, and Ryouko let loose another sigh as she let her shoulders slump only slightly. She hadn't forgotten the glare of the man in front of her. "So, are you going to take me in or something? Or is this just a standard "Don't do it again" that I've gotten from almost every military officer from here to Fractus?"
 
Ryouko shifted her weight slightly as she spoke, taut muscle moving beneath her skin to accommodate as she did so. It was obvious that she was in extremely good shape, and even someone like Morgan would have to admit that she had a fair bit of agility. The distance was something akin to one hundred feet or something. Ryouko couldn't accurate make a guess at that current moment.

She just stared at Morgan. One would think the gaze was a lazy one due to her stance, but she seemed as though she wasn't tuning him out in the slightest... yet.

Ryouko Ashikano

{Morgan Drakos // ### words // #bringitbitch}

"I'll assume you've had your head under a rock for the past two years then," Ryouko stated simply, her gaze transitioning back to the crowd of people as their shouts slowly died down. It seemed the novelty of her appearance was beginning to wear off for now. It'd only last maybe an hour, and the Wanderer could see many children's faces still gazing in her direction as they were led off to wherever it was they needed to be at this time of day. "Because I'm not just some ordinary Free Rider, as ironic as that term is with me. There's a reason everyone knows my name, and wants to know my story." Ryouko took a few steps closer to Morgan, just enough so that the sun caught once more on the silvery lines that crossed nearly every inch of her skin. One didn't have to look too hard to see most of them seemed to be from when a set of claws ripped through her flesh.

"I'll preface it with this: My name is Ryouko Ashikano. I'm nineteen years old, and by all means a Free Rider once you excuse my lack of mount," she gestured to herself as she spoke, and spared another moment to take a step closer to Morgan, almost to the point most men would feel uncomfortable. "I'm also the only person to go to Tenebris and come back out alive."

The statement hung in the air like a declaration of war. She was testing him, seeing how much he trusted the people of Veldora. Of course, she didn't quite care about that. She was merely interested on how much he knew, and if he was the type to believe the stories he was told.

"I'd prove it to you, should you decide your duties as a member of the Guarde could wait for that long," she spoke, her tone was calculating, precise. She meant every word she said, and the coldly serious glint in her eyes was yet more proof of that. She had to tilt her head upwards slightly to look him in th eye, but she'd stared down things far more fearsome then this man could ever hope to resemble.

The highest on that list being an entire pack of very, VERY pissed off Lupus.