Swimming {Open}

[Raziel Och]

It was hard not to be bothered by her unabashed staring, and Raziel found himself chewing his bottom lip to stop from spouting things that were less than kind. The last thing he wanted to do was open his mouth and hurl words he’d only regret later. He supposed her inquisitiveness about his heterochromia wasn’t completely unfounded, what with the way the eye disorder happened to be relatively rare. But Raziel much preferred their talk of acupuncture, and how unmanly bird watching was in comparison because he didn’t like the way her eyes seem to bore right through him, as if she could easily find all his secrets and lay them bare. The blond almost shuddered as he focused instead on the way the gravel and sand felt between his toes.

“Of course they’re real,” he snapped suddenly, minor agitation getting the better of him. He reeled his petty anger in, traces of guilt wreaking havoc on his conscience. Raziel held no desire for insulting Tomoko with his foolish ire, let alone snapping at the girl for her innocent questions. With a sigh, he shot Tomoko something of an apologetic look.

“No, they aren’t contacts.” He readjusted himself so he sat with his legs crossed and facing Tomoko. “I would need prescription contacts anyway, I can't see without my glasses... not that I have ever seriously consider getting coloured contacts.” He commented with a shrug. The faint chirping of chickadees in the background made him pause for a moment as he listened to them. A faint blush dusted his cheeks when he returned his attention to the girl before him.

“Heterochromia—these different coloured eyes—run in the family.” Raziel added, pointing to his face before resting his hands on his knees. His father had it, and so did his great-grandmother and grandfather. It was more or less an Och trait, if one wanted to think of it that way.

Raziel said little about the way she seemed to move every five minutes or so; chalked it up to nothing more than pent-up energy or a nervous, jittery disposition. (His money was on the former rather than the latter, however.)

The sun bore down upon them with all of the unfettered intensity mid-afternoon was known to bring. It tickled his shoulders, and he knew he was going to regret forgoing the sunblock by the time he got home. The river to the left of them was looking more and more appealing with every passing minute, and every so often his eyes would dart to it's welcoming waters.

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

It wasn't unusual for Tomoko's curiousity to be annoying. She felt silly for asking - of course they weren't contacts. He was wearing glasses. How dumb could she get? Raziel sounded peeved, and so Tomoko lasped into silence. She hooked her left arm under her knees, and extended her right hand to scratch at the rock. She methodically broke off peices of dirt with her fingernails, watching as they fell into the water with a soft sloop. She wondered vaguely where the dirt would go, as it was washed along the river.

Curiosity inevitably bubbled up. Where did the river lead to? The potential adventure was too good to resist, and Tomoko slid off the rock eagerly. She landed in the river wtih a splash, ignoring the sudden coldness that seeped into her shoes. She swung her hands at her sides, deliberating. She knew nothing about this guy, but he wasn't unpleasant company. Not yet, at any rate. Tomoko would be glad to have at least one friend who didn't regularly harass her, like a certain someone she was not going to think about. He made her angry just thinking about him! But Raziel seemed nice enough.

"Well, I'm going to follow the river. You can come, if you wanna," she said. After a moment, a lazy grin lit up her face. "You can tell me all about your Heterochromia," she added. She wasn't sure if she wanted him to join her or not. She could see the pros and cons of both sides, but she did worry that there might be more ghosts. She wasn't sure she could explain away another attack of Ophelia, literal or not. She wasn't sure he was convinced, and she probably couldn't pretend to be an actress for long. She had been in a school play once, but she had had one line in one scene and she hadn't been any good at that.

So, she fixed Raziel with an expectant look, trying not to seem too impatient. The water felt good against the heat of the day, and Tomoko wanted to splash around and jump and go crazy. But not when Raziel was here. The exorcist found herself feeling extremely self-concious, carefully scanning her words so she didn't give herself away. She now was feeling that maybe it'd be best if he didn't want to come. The suspicious feelings she had might be right. What if he was a serial killer?

But serial killers don't do acupuncture, she chided herself.

Actually...

Tomoko shifted her weight in the water. Acupuncture would be perfect for a serial killer. He would know all the blood flow stuff and pressure points. It would also explain his cagey attitude about being questioned. He could probably kill me with a Spock neck grab, Tomoko thought. She could feel her breathing speed up, and was feeling a little faint. Calm down! He's not a serial killer! I need to prove it before I freak out! So she steeled herself, and made a mental note to ask him more questions.

[Raziel Och]

Raziel did have half a mind to let her know that contacts didn’t always have to be prescription, that he could have worn coloured ones beneath his glasses. But that was too late to mention by the time it occurred to him, so he swallowed it down and shifted in the uncomfortable silence that had formed between them. He mentally kicked himself for snapping at her in the first place, guilt coming to him full circle. Raziel was never a fan of his angry outbursts (who was, really?), hated the way he let petty irritation get the better of him like that.

He pressed his fingers into the loamy bank of the river, dirt squishing between the cracks. It was oddly warm to the touch, and sickly damp. His toes were given similar treatment, his sandals somewhere behind the both of them, off in the field that ran beside the river. From the corner of his eyes he could see their pale colour sticking out against the emerald green of the grass.

Raziel cleared his throat then, watching Tomoko scratch at the surface of the boulder she sat on. She stared at the river with an intense focus he honestly didn’t think was possible—coming from her, at any rate. The girl seemed so curious about every little thing, about the why’s and how to’s, that he assumed her attention had to have been divided every which way. First impressions were unreliable and notoriously fickle, and it wasn’t like he had any place to judge. A splash sounded off in front of him, though he didn’t bother to see what the source was.

Yet before he knew it, her voice dragged Raziel out of his thoughts, and his head snapped up in her direction. He nodded, dumbly in recognition as he noticed how she stood back in the river. Tomoko had an expectant look on her face, and he got the impression he must’ve been dawdling for much too long in his own thoughts. A part of him worried she grew impatient.

“If we follow it far enough, we’ll reach the ocean.” He commented, rising to his feed. “I’ll go get my sandals.” Thankfully, Raziel hadn’t tossed them too far off into the field and it took him moments to grab them again. Though he wasn’t going to bother wearing them, no. His mind was made up about wading knee deep in the river, following Tomoko’s example. Besides, the bottom of his feet was covered in dirt.

”Well, truthfully, I’ve already told you what there is to know about heterochromia. It’s not as special as it seems.” Raziel laughed his awkward laugh as he sloshed into the river, making his way towards Tomoko in his tacky, duck-adorned shorts. ”Why don’t you tell me more about this play you’re part of? How long have you been acting?” He asked. Though he wasn’t much of a thespian himself, nor did he go to a lot of plays, he was genuinely curious. Tomoko’s participation in the Shakespearean play had grabbed his attention.

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

"They...play. Yes." Tomoko swallowed. "Um! Well, it's...Shakespeare in the Park," she said. That was probably safe. "Just a bunch of people doing stuff. You know," Tomoko added vaguely. She was no good at lying, and tried to change the subject.

"So. Um. It's nice out," she said, defaulting to the weather as they sloshed along. He was so much taller than her - it was a mite intimidating. She found herself standing very straight and tall to make up for the height discrepancy, arms clasped behind her back.

She suddenly had the perfect idea. It was so simple, she didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before.

"Hey, Raziel," she said conversationally. "Do you believe in ghosts?" She paused. "While we're on the subject of Hamlet, anyways. How would you feel if your father popped up and said, 'avenge me!'?" Tomoko looked thoughtful. Her father would never come to her (he didn't know of her abilities), and in any case he'd haunt his safety deposit box. But her uncle...he would kill for power. Thinking about him sent a chill up Tomoko's spine, and she shivered. She would have no issues trying to kill her uncle. He was horrible. "I don't know what I'd do," she said, answering her own question. "I, uh. I'd be freaked to see my dad as a ghost." It was true - not the ghost bit, but the fact that her dad was dead. She didn't have the best relationship with him, but it wasn't horrible. She'd be sad if he died, especially because he gave really good birthday presents. He didn't pick them out. His girlfriend did. Nuance.

In any case, talking about ghosts would be a perfect disguise for her real ghost-sighting ability. She could see it now - she would just sound knowledgeable about either death or the supernatural, both fine. It was ok to know about these things, just not to be them, and in any case knowing ghost stories (in Tomo's case, real life) was popular at parties. Thomoko chewed this over as she waited for Raziel to respond.

[Raziel Och]

Perhaps the topic of her being part of a play was something Raziel had no right to ask about. Perhaps she deemed it too personal for someone she barely even knew, for she was tight-lipped about it. So Raziel said nothing more about her part in Hamlet, and instead agreed with her comment about the weather—her topic change of choice.

Anahita was always commenting about his posture, about how uptight he came across as. His bearing had the threat of being too… self-important, almost too full of himself. Once or twice, he noticed the way Tomoko was compensating for their height difference. Raziel did his best to be more relaxed, to not be so, as his mother put it, uptight. He dropped his hands and held them loosely, sandals looped on his fingers once more. When Tomoko said his name, he glanced down.

Nothing could have prepared him for her question. He didn’t see it coming. Her question made him feel as if he was struck by thunder, like she somehow managed to get inside his head and divine the truth—that he lied about the “day off”, his mother’s store. All of a sudden, he wanted to be anywhere but there, he wanted to be anywhere but knee deep in the river being quizzed about his opinion on the paranormal. It was much too close to home, and Raziel was never a good liar. He wasn’t sure how long he could keep the charade up, the half-fabrication that he really was some dutiful son who helped his mother out at her herbal store. Telling her he was actually a member of Heaven’s Gate was not a thought he relished.

“Yes, Tomoko.” He said, disjointedly. “I believe ghosts, among other things, are very real.” Truth be told, he believed in both ghosts and creatures. He pitied the former, and loathed the latter with all of his being. Raziel was blinded by his hatred, unfortunately painted all creatures with the same blood-stained brush because of it. As if every single one of them was the lycan that tore his family apart.

He would have laughed at her inquiry if it wasn’t so true. “If my father popped up and asked me to avenge him, I would say yes if it meant he could rest in peace.” He shrugged, watching the way the branches swayed in the light breeze. Honestly, Raziel would give anything in the world to see his father one last time, to just remember what he looked like. “Mind you, I don’t enjoy the notion of him bursting out of his grave anytime soon, ghost or no. It's probably safe to say that the both of us would be freaked out.”

The current topic of conversation was making him feel uneasy, uncomfortable, as old memories were dredged up. Clearing his throat, he said, “So tell me, do you believe in ghosts, then?”

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Tomoko felt a pang. There was no way of knowing that Raziel's father was dead, but she still felt horrible for bringing it up. She looked down, watching the water swirl around her feet. "I'm sorry," she said, and meant it. "I...I didn't..." She paused. She hadn't meant to bring bad memories to the surface, and from the look on Raziel's face it had certainly been unhappy. She cleared her throat and changed the subject quickly, before she wondered if she had met his father or not. She didn't want to think about that possibility.

"Ghosts exist," she answered simply, with utter conviction. She had been pleasantly surprised to hear that Raziel also believed in ghosts. It was a subject she knew quite a lot about, and therefore was glad that he would at least be interested enough to listen. "My grandmother says that you take your issues with you when you die. Because you take yourself with you, you know?" She warmed to her subject, now musing to herself (although she was still talking to Raziel). "You don't lose those attachments you have when you're alive. That's why you see buildings and homes and lockets haunted. Humans don't like to let go of things that are important to them," she added. "Anyways, the undead and ghosts fascinate me." She grinned. "Easier to deal with some of the stupid meat-bags you see walking around."

She took long, military strides in the water, trying her best to walk in a lazy manner that didn't involve her getting washed down the river. "Boy, the current is strong," she said with surprise. "Was it always like this?"

[Raziel Och]

Like she could read minds and find out his father was dead. Why, Raziel felt bad she was apologizing to begin with for something she simply had no knowledge of. He didn’t know what to do about her discomfort, or if there really was anything he could do. The man was never good with comforting other people, let alone letting them know they didn’t need to apologize for matters they weren’t part of. Idly, he wondered if he should have said his father was dead in the first place, as if a death would somehow link him to his ties with Heaven’s Gate. Such fears were swallowed down, for the time being.

”Don’t worry about it.” He shrugged. “You couldn’t have known, right?”. Raziel offered his best reassuring smile. It was all in the past now. None of them had any more control over it then, than they did now. He did not object to her change of conversation, though. In fact, he welcomed it. A weight was lifted off his shoulders, and a sense of obligation had left him. For one reason or another, he felt oddly duty-bound.

Tomoko’s conviction when she spoke of the otherworldly did not strike him as strange as it might have someone else. And how would it? He hunted creatures by night, and feigned normalcy by day. He was far from a disbeliever. There was only so much he could share—something he needed to keep on reminding himself. Raziel couldn’t help but chuckle as she spoke so passionately about it.

”I have to agree with your grandmother about that. It only makes sense, once you really think about it. Humans are greedy and tenacious by nature, so of course we’d drag whatever we’re attached to with us.” He commented, nodding minutely. The ice-cold water of the river rushed against their legs with a fervent energy. It seeped through his garish shorts and made him shiver, though he paid its faster current no heed. By then it had reached his thighs, and made the fabric of his board shorts cling to his skin. ”Those ‘stupid meat-bags’ make some of the best human Slinkys, don’t forget.” He laughed.

Raziel hadn’t noticed the way Tomoko had to compensate for the river’s rushing water until she brought it up. Stopping suddenly, he addressed her claim. If he wasn’t careful, if he so much as slipped, he’d be washed under. ”Well, no." He shook his head, mentally chiding himself for his daft decision and started moving again. ”Not when we started, at any rate... perhaps it would be safer if we walked beside it.” The thought of either of them getting swept away was not a pleasant one.

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Tomoko nodded, and carefully jumped/walked/floated slowly over to the bank. It was easier to clamber up the bank than to walk any futher, and Tomoko was glad that her walking companion had suggested moving out of the current. Although the water had just reached Raziel's thighs, it had hit her square at her waist and it was much more difficult to struggle against. Tomoko was glad she had worn her swimsuit underneath, or else she would have been for a very damp, uncomfortable day.

She didn't wait for Raziel, taking a few quick steps forward and standing on her tiptoes to see further. "Is there a blockage? Because..." She frowned, her brow furrowing in thought. "I could have sworn that it was flowing the opposite way earlier." She rubbed her arms to get rid of the goosebumps. "Am I going crazy?" She asked, her almond eyes as wide as dinner plates. Tomoko looked up at Raz, visibly uncomfortable. If the blockage was due to a ghost, she wouldn't be able to do anything about it. Not like she would usually - if it didn't bother her, it usually didn't matter. It was how Tomoko lived her life, and the system worked out quite well for her.

...If it was something else, though...well, Tomoko could do nothing against that. Her family was no stranger to the supernatural (although death and what came after was more their forte), and the fact that she would be powerless against something off in the distance was a very unattractive idea. Subtly and quickly, Tomoko tried to sense what was ahead, and was relieved to sense nothing. Nothing ghostly, at least. No coldness from a poltergeist, no obvious pressure from a regular ghost. Whatever was blocking the river (if the river was even blocked in the first place) was very much not undead. Tomoko shrugged off her apprehension and continued walking, now very curious to see what was going on.

[Raziel Och]

((Hopefully this is okay and not too godmody or whatever. ;v;
If it is, please do tell me and I'll adjust accordingly.

But uh, as a sidenote, do feel free to do whatever to Raziel and the creature. ))

The water, with its newfound frenzied energy, was hard to wade through. Given how it lapped at Tomoko’s waist, he could only fathom how hard it was for her to reach the bank, though she hardly needed any help. Thankfully, she was a particularly self-reliant girl, he was beginning to notice. Moments later, Raziel splashed out of the water, horrendous duck-shorts and all.

Tomoko stood upon her tiptoes, inspecting the river down stream. He followed her gaze, brow furrowed as he tried to find what she found so thoroughly displeasing. Being the impercipient fellow he was, Raziel hadn’t taken stock of the river and its usual course of direction. At least, not until Tomoko pointed it out to him. Goosebumps prickled his skin as dread filled him.

”If you’re going crazy, then I’m just as nuts as you are.” He commented dryly, chewing his bottom lip as he inspected the river before them. It was odd, it was more than troubling. The river’s odd change of course was not something some little boulder could do, and the realization made his heart plummet. Raziel had half a mind to think some river creature was afoot, but he had left his staff at home, effectively making him as defenseless as Tomoko was. And fighting some irate creature with his bare hands (in front of his companion, no less) was not an option he entertained for overlong.

They needed to turn back. Now.

From the corner of his eye, he caught the movement of red and white stripes. Tomoko started walking ahead, and alarm ate away at him. The way she so casually shrugged off her apprehension made Raziel narrow his eyes.

”Hey! Tomoko—I really think maybe we should turn around. Like, now.” He stayed put, willed her to follow suit. ”Please.” Naiads, bunyips, bluatschinks, njuggles, peludas… they were all a very real, very frightening possibility if they didn’t decide to call—they were not alone. Water moved in a way that it shouldn’t have, as if something unseen was moving in the river with an unmatched speed.

Towards Tomoko.

”Watch out!” Raziel shoved her out of the way, the both of them skidding on the bank. ”We’re not alone.” He said, scrabbling to his feet. His sandals were now lost to the river’s tide, though he cared very little at that moment. Whatever sped around in the river stomped onto the bank, and he put himself in front of Tomoko.

Blood rushed in Raziel’s ears, his heart beat furiously. Of course a creature just had to inhabit the river. And of course it had to make it's self invisible, as if it wanted to make his life harder. Well, whatever it was, he wasn't going to let it near Tomoko. It was his duty to protect all humans from the wretched touch of creatures.

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Tomoko hit the ground and rolled as Raziel pushed her out of the way.

Shit!!

She knew it. She knew it, she knew it. Her instincts had been right - this guy could see the supernatural. This was bad news. Tomoko had tried to keep her exorcism abilities on the DL - Isamu was supernatural, she was certain, so he didn't count. That other kid at the bookstore looked like he could keep a secret, so she was fine there too. All in all, two people in 18 years wasn't bad.

But Tomoko was furiously thinking.

All afternoon, she had been trying to remember why Raziel's name had sounded familiar. Her blood was running cold. The threat of the supernatural in the river was less of a worry. She didn't get up from the ground.

She had heard his name months ago, while her father was on a business call with her uncle. Tomoko was willing to bet that Raziel didn't work for the businessman half of the family. Trembling, Tomoko got up and, without looking back, ran. She ran as fast as she could, up the bank, into the woods, feeling trees whip at her face as she tried to get as far away as she could.

He's gotta be Heaven's Gate. I gave him my name. If he goes back to my uncle and tells him anything, we're dead. We're all dead!! The secret the Hashimoto women had tried to keep for years - if Tomoko ruined it, put her family in danger...she wouldn't be able to live with herself. Her uncle, Hiroto Otani, had already detested her mother when he thought she was a plain human. The shrine connection was a huge chink in the armor. It wouldn't take much to put two and two together. Shrines and exorcists went together like ice cream and cones.

Tomoko was a good minute away in whatever direction when she realized that she had taken off on Raziel, leaving him with the lake monster. "Whatever. He can take care of himself," she said out loud.

She began walking again, but kept looking over her shoulder guiltily.

[Raziel Och]

Without his quarterstaff, Raziel might as well have started spinning his arms around wildly for all the good it did to try and fight whatever inhabited the river. The creature gave up attempting to harm Tomoko—much to his relief—and realized Raziel as the bigger threat. Raziel was more than glad to learn of Tomoko’s absence. All he could see of it was its footprints it left in the bank. Suddenly, it came at him hard and fast, slamming into his body with surprising force.

He went soaring backwards and met with an outcropping of rocks, all of the wind knocked out of his lungs. Stars formed in his vision. Claws scrabbled at his chest, screeches filing his ears as it did so. The thing, which still cloaked itself, was not terribly big in size, but its nails—they burned into his skin and left the wounds hurting more than they should have. He tried to fend it off with his hands feebly, and only managed to get the thing off of him by sheer luck alone.

His chest heaved as his breath came to him in ragged gasps. He threw anxious glances all around him as he anticipated the creature’s next move, next attack. Small stabs of fear made his skin crawl, and he was sure the creature loved seeing him squirm so. He cursed the thing, and its troublesome invisibility.
Much like it would have a tree, the creature crawled up his back. It was scaly, wiry in its build and he had half a mind to think its appearance would have been deceiving should it drop its invisibility. Which he was sure it had no intentions of doing. A tiny, clawed hand raked at his face then, making a move for his glasses. Raziel arched his neck backwards, trying to get his face away from the creature’s infernal little hands as best as he could. He was not fast enough, though he supposed it really wouldn’t have made much of a difference anyway. With a disheartening crunch, he could hear his glasses smash against a boulder.

The world became a green and brown and grey blob as they continued to fight in the grime, and the notion that this creature was nudging Raziel towards the river occurred to him. Being drowned was not a pleasant thought, but the thing had a way of maneuvering around him that all but made whatever physical strength Raziel had useless. For all intents and purposes, it had him stumbling around like some clumsy giant with no sense of balance. It ran between his feet, nipped his bare ankles and clawed at his calves.

It was playing with its food. And Raziel was its main course.

Every time he made a grab for the creature, his hands were rewarded with nothing but fists full of air. Then for a tantalizing spell, Raziel could feel its leathery hide brush against his fingertips. All he needed was to wrap his hands around its tiny, tiny neck…

And then he found himself falling backwards as it hit his knees with its body.

Water rushed all around him as he found himself being swept away by the river, the scaled monster’s hands firmly around his neck. Or, at least as much of his neck as it’s small hands could fit. The man was left gasping for air (a futile thing to do, considering where he was), and he knew it wouldn’t be long before it got what it wished for. Raziel twisted himself around, tried to pry the hands off of his throat. He tore at its fingers until, finally, they released him. The blond flung himself towards the surface, where he came up for air with pathetic gulps. The river rushed wildly in his ears, and he couldn’t see anything. Nothing but white, rushing water, and globs of grey, angry river. He was afraid, so afraid, that the thing would come back for him, would grab his ankles and drag him back under.

It was funny, to think that someone like Raziel would be fearful, considering what he pretended to be. When a thick slab of brown entered his blurry vision, he threw his hand out and grabbed it. It was a godsend, being so low and close to ground. Coughing and sputtering, he dragged himself back onto the bank and fell to his hands and knees. Raziel couldn’t get enough air. His chest and lungs were on fire, and blood stained his tank top a murky crimson. Groaning, he flopped to his back, closing his eyes.

The afternoon went from decent, to horrendous in the span of a short hour. Yet, what was truly important was Tomoko’ safety, even if he did fail at his duty. The creature was still out there, but he needed his staff before he could really do anything about it. He was so tired. The thought of moving drained him of what little energy he did have left.

Rest was an awfully seductive temptation.

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Gripping a huge branch in her hands, Tomoko edged out onto the bank once more. Her concience had been feeling incredibly guilty the entire time she had been hiding in the woods. Heaven's Gate or not, he hadn't called her out on anything yet, and -

"Oh shit," Tomoko said out loud, running over to where Raziel laid. She crouched down. "Oh my god oh my god oh my god." He was dead! Tomoko sat down all the way, lefgs crossed with the branch across her lap, unsure what to do. The only dead bodies Tomoko had dealt with were incorporeal. She had never seen a real dead body before.

Wait. Squinting, Tomoko got a closer look. No, not dead. He was breathing. A wave of relief washed over the exorcist along with the strange feeling that maybe that was the wrong feeling to have in this situation. Did she want him dead? Probably not. She sidled closer, assessing the damange. Her detective brain kicked into gear.

The guy looked like hell. He was bloodied and bruised in several places, the wounds looking like they had come from fingernails. They didn't look fatal, but the thin cuts looked red and inflamed. Raziel's glasses were gone. The dark-haired girl tightened her grip on the branch. She hadn't actually seen the creature, but the fact that it hadn't followed her and had focused on Raziel meant it probably couldn't go far. If she could get him away from the river, they would probably be fine. Of course, that was if she was right and if she could even carry him anywhere. Raziel was huge, and soaked head to toe.

Carefully setting the branch down, Tomoko gently slid her arms under Raziel's forearms, grabbing a hold of his biceps and pulling. He slid a little ways, and Tomoko re-adjusted her hold, straining and feeling her arms burn. She collapsed not five feet away from the bank, gasping with effort. Well, it was something. She stood up. "Don't move," she said, hoping he could hear her, knowing the demand was silly anyways. It wasn't like he was making a huge effort to move. Tomoko didn't even know if Raziel was still concious. The exorcist knew nothing about first aid, except "Don't get hurt in the first place."

Walking back toward the bank, Tomoko grabbed a hold of her branch again. It was strange, feeling so useless. If it had been a spirit, Tomoko would have been on that. When Raziel was out, she could have banished it, or talked to it at least, bargained for safety. But things made out of flesh and blood, that walked and left footprints, that left marks on skin...Tomoko was just as useless as anyone in the situation, except for the fun ability to see her death as it came at her with claws and fangs. The weight of the huge piece of dead wood was comforting.

He had fought off the creature. He could have ran, saved his own skin (Tomoko felt even worse as she realized how selfish she had been). But he didn't. He had stayed. There were several ghosts here, probably because the river monster was bad company. They stayed out of view, shapeless forms flickering in the trees beyond the other bank of the river. Ah. The river monster had claimed victims before.

Tomoko's eyes ran over the river. She had no idea what she was doing, but she was slightly gratified to know that, if she died, she could haunt Isamu and bother him for the rest of eternity. Of course, not dying would be very nice too.

[Raziel Och]

A voice flitted in and out his head, insistent and exasperated. It wanted him to move, but Raziel had neither the energy nor the desire too. He hoped the voice was used to disappointment, for his limbs felt as if they were filled with lead and his head trapped between a vice. Though he supposed he did have to move, if he valued his life. That river creature—it was bound to come back for him, or renew its search for Tomoko. Groaning, Raziel stirred. He couldn’t risk letting the creature catch either of them unawares. Why, it was bad enough he got his ass handed to him by something roughly the size of a beaver.

It took effort on his part, but he managed to sit up. The blond didn’t know how long he was out for, didn’t really have anything to judge time by. The cold rush of water no longer lapped at his heels. He had been moved.

With a jerk, he scrambled to his feet, regretting the sudden movement. His head pounded behind his eyes, and his chest burned. For tiny little scratches, they gave him a lot of bother. Given the fact that a figure stood off by the river’s edge, Raziel knew he was not alone. Hands clenching and unclenching, he took a few tentative steps towards them and their indistinguishable frame. A curtain of dark hair cascaded down from their head, so his first assumption was someone female, of slightly above-average height.

“Who—who are you?” He did his best to mask up whatever trepidation may have seeped into his voice. Raziel stood tall, tried to appear intimidating. For those who didn’t know him, they wouldn’t be able to tell he had the worst eyesight imaginable without his glasses. Regardless, he squared his chest and made fists. Raziel didn’t know if whoever stood at the edge of the river was friend or foe. And he wasn’t going to take his chances.

[Tomoko Hashimoto]

Turning around to face Raziel, Tomoko frowned. "You hit your head a lot harder than I thought," she muttered. Did he lose his memory? Judging by the way Raziel was squinting, though, it was probably more due to the fact that he was myopic.

This wasn't so much of a loss. If he coudn't see, that meant that Tomoko could use her exorcism powers without too much fear of being caught. She would just have to speak low. In any case, even if those didn't work, she wouldn't have to explain why she could see the supernatural. Silver lining.

Louder and in a deeper voice, Tomoko said, "It's fine. Stay low. Don't move." Tomoko's basic knowledge of first aid included band-aids and Neosporin, so she didn't say much more and hoped he would listen. The last thing she needed was some big, mostly blind guy running around and banging into trees.

Her plan was simple:

1) Disguise her voice so that Raziel couldn't put the name "Tomoko" to a person who could see the supernatural, just in case he could hear her or still get the general gist of the situation.

2) Find some way to get the two of them out of the situation.

3) Something else that will help in some way.

4) TBA

The plan was, obviously, genius. Honestly, it was hardly a plan. Tomoko was smart, but she had issues with planning ahead, most notably that she didn't actually ever plan ahead at all. It was a major failing.

Turning back to the river once more, Tomoko readjusted her grip on the branch, holding it like a baseball bat. She creature hadn't come back, but Tomoko was loathe to turn her back in case it burst out of the river. Too often in movies did it appear quiet - the plucky comic relief would turn around, "I guess it's gone - AUUUGHHHHHHH!" And then they would be eaten while the rest of the cast looked on in horror.

Tomoko slowly began backing up, eyes never leaving the river. Voice husky, she called out, "We're leaving now. Bye. We won't bother you anymore, so don't worry about it, bye! See you!"

She scuttled over to where Raziel stood (taking care not to get too close - she didn't know how nearsighted he was), still facing the river. "Your friend is safe," she said, spech still disguised. "Let's go."

Don't ask questions, don't ask questions, she pleaded silently in her mind.

[Raziel Och]

Being a naturally suspicious person, Raziel wasn’t too keen on following some random girl just because she told him to. He squinted, as if that would suddenly cure his horrendous astigmatism and eyesight. The girl at the river’s edge was vaguely familiar in the sense that he may have seem her once before, but forgot the face. Not that he could see her face, no; it was just some pale, homogeneous smear to him. Her voice was unusually husky, like she had a head cold she couldn’t quite get over. Or that she needed to cough, and very badly. Raziel found it hard to listen to at times. Idly, he wondered if she was a smoker. Albeit, a terribly young one.

The girl in question turned back to the river, wielding the branch high. She spoke to the rushing currents then, as if someone was there to listen. Raziel cocked his head and shifted his weight to his foot, regarding her curiously.

“Who are you talking to, exactly?” Unless, of course, there was someone else with them beside this dark-haired girl and her giant stick. “As far as I know, it’s just us.” That river creature seemed to prefer getting its victims alone, and a part of him was wont to believe it was still recuperating from attacking him. And what with the way the girl was brandishing that fallen branch, Raziel was sure it didn’t harbor any desires to be smashed across the face with it.

“Hold on a second, missy.” He said, not moving an inch. Folding his arms across his chest, he fixed Tomoko with a dour expression. “You have another thing coming if you think I’m going to be following you anywhere. Just who the hell are you, anyway?”

There were a thousand other questions he wanted to ask her, but his head pounded far too much for him to make sense of them all.

“You could at least give me a name or something.” Pinching the bride of his nose, Raziel closed his eyes, taking a breath. Lord knows how he was going to explain this afternoon to his mother, or how he all but blatantly told some stranger he was part of Heaven's Gate. Curse that stupid river and it's dumb monster.