Night 60: East Wing, Hall A [Second Floor]

[melodists]

[From here.]The comment Mikado had posed caught Tear entirely off her guard; however, she still took the time to examine her surroundings before moving to address it. Her light moved across the floor, the doors, and the ceiling, checking for incongruity, and then turned back to the other. "A soldier?" she echoed. Her memory spoke of an announcement

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[ofthemotions]

He followed her quickly, feeling a bit out of place in the setting at hand. He was being ordered by a girl no more than a few years older than him, who was a soldier of... Whatever she had said, and seemed more competent than he could ever hope to be. It was a little daunting. But, he really couldn't think about that right now. He needed to focus on at least succeeding.

So the boy nodded, seemingly open. "Major Harrington, I think," he replied, sounding out the awkward English syllables. "He was looking for information on the people who...." All of that was obvious; the military had been outright about wanting their traitors found. "Uh, my... uh, friend was talking to him." Because how else would he refer to Izaya, really. Mikado frowned a bit. "...He was doing some weird tricks with fire. I couldn't figure it out."

[melodists]

Her memory was spot on. The night Aguilar had taken to seeking out the cracks in his brigade, and it seemed Major Harrington had been placed in charge of the search. And Mikado had met the man and had found he could apparently perform "tricks" with fire. Needless to say, Tear's first thought went to fonic artes.

"What do you mean tricks with fire?" she asked. The Melodist continued moving down the hallway, conscious of the doors and openings. One of the doors on their right would lead them to the general storage.

[ofthemotions]

He gave a perfunctorily look around the hallway before answering. It was quiet up here. It had been louder two nights ago. It was really sorta... creepy like this, with just the tap of their feet against the flooring. He swallowed a bit, tightening his grip on his flashlight. "Um, well."

How to describe it. "He seemed to make fire appear from his hands. It shot up nearly to the ceiling at one point. I mean, it had to be a trick, but I really thought...." Really hoped to think, more like. He let out a small laugh, looking at her sheepishly. "Seemed more like magic than anything else. Guess he was really good."

[melodists]

The response brought Tear to a full stop, her countenance settling into a tight form. Mikado held an edge of doubt in his voice in regards to Harrington's ability, which Tear supposed was understandable. She did not, however, believe cheap machinations were the source of what the young man had witnessed. Fire to the ceiling sounded closer to a weapon than a simple trick, and given what this world was capable of, it wasn't wise to think in terms of simplicity.

Therefore, Tear glanced back to the other instead of progressing. Her eyes remained questioning, though an observant individual might have caught the unwavering glint beneath the blue. "I see," came the answer. "This is a rather odd question, but would you mind going over what he did with his hands?"

[ofthemotions]

...She was serious suddenly. More than she had been before. Mikado stopped short, trying to gauge what Tear wanted as he watched her warily. At least... At least, in this mentality, he could believe she knew what she was doing. That was something at least to keep for later. But for now.... His eyes flickered down in thought. "Um, let's see. He...."

Had intimidated Mikado a bit. And the man had noticed. And so he had started doing something.... "He took out a handkerchief and covered his hand. Then said something... I can't remember what he said, and then the fire burst upward. The second time...." Mikado frowned, bringing a hand to his chin. "The second time he just snapped his fingers."

An odd reaction, though. "Why do you want to know so badly?"

[melodists]

Two varying methods to deliver fire illustrated two possible concepts: (1) the methods used were, in fact, not the true process to obtain fire. (2) Their presence was to conceal how Major Harrington really pulled them off. She couldn't even begin to guess at the man's motives for showing Mikado his ability/weapon/trick, but how he had done so rang as complex as she had expected

[melodists]

[From here]

The corridor was the same as before, although Tear took an additional moment to scan for dangers. It wouldn't do if they were ambushed; it was worth the extra time to take precautions. She could utilize speed in her actual journey to the chapel.

Speaking of which... "Mikado, what are your plans for the rest of the night?" she asked.

[ofthemotions]

He watched her treat his minuscule wound half-mesmerized. At least he could confirm this much--she knew what she was doing. He wasn't willing to risk a larger injury to see how far her knowledge went, but she was capable of this, and to a comfortable degree. He tried to focus on this instead of the girl's hands on him, and her proximity. He hadn't noticed as much before, but close up....

Thankfully, she completed the task quickly, and Mikado exhaled in relief, giving a half-nervous, half-genuine smile. "Thank you." And followed her into the hall. "Me? Um, nothing really. Do you need any help? I'm not really that useful, but I want to do something to pay you back...."

And he wasn't willing to part ways with her at the moment. He still had things he needed to check.

[to here]