[Ich liebe dich, mich reizt deine schöne Gestalt]

[flailingbento]

Characters: Kimihiro Watanuki, Low Key Lyesmith, Ichigo Kurosaki, WHOEVER'S GOT A HANKERING TO RESCUE THE DAMSEL
Content: Ring or no ring, Watanuki cannot just take a goddamn walk about town.
Setting: Garrettstown, shortly pre-snake!
Warnings: Abduction! Violence! Creepiness! GIANT FUCKING SNAKES! Basically everything that comes with Low Key's

Comments

[putmeinstitches]

Low Key had one goal right now: power. He'd already made his opening gambit with the dragon explosions. It had gone terribly; not only had it not given him nearly as much power as he'd wanted, but one explosion had gone off. That would tell Wednesday like a hundred-mile-wide red flag that Low Key had abandoned their plan. It was only a matter of time before the one-eyed bastard came looking for revenge. Before that happened, Low Key needed every advantage he could get.

That meant tracking down old, obscure leads. Like that boy who worked for the space-time witch, the one with the powerful blood. He'd talked with Kimihiro Watanuki over the journals once, tracked him to the Convoy, then tracked the Convoy to Garrettstown. From there....Low Key had intended to trust to his nose. Like any supernatural creature worth its salt, he would be able to smell Watanuki's blood a mile away.

Trouble was...he wasn't sensing anything. Frustrated, Low Key paced through the crowded market sector of Garrettstown, wondering if he'd have to

[flailingbento]

Ordinarily, Low Key's presence should have been as strong a beacon to Watanuki as his blood was to the god. But both of them had their ways of concealing their power, intentionally and otherwise; had Low Key not been staring at him, he would have walked on past with just a brief nod of greeting. As it was, it was hard to miss someone who had stopped dead to stare fixedly at one place that... seemed to be rather close to Watanuki.

He wondered for an uncomfortable moment if the red-headed man could be staring at him. He glanced around him, but no one nearby seemed to recognize him. Watanuki certainly didn't, but in this crowd, who could tell where he was looking?

In the awkward situation of wanting to be polite but not wanting to put the stranger on the spot if he should be seeking someone else, Watanuki gave the man a polite nod as the flow of the crowd carried him close enough to speak. "Excuse me," he said, "I don't mean to be rude, but-- can I help you find someone?"

[putmeinstitches]

That voice --! Yes, yes it was him. A lucky break at last.

Low Key was careful to disguise his own. He and Watanuki had spoken on the network, and...well, with all the posts busybodies like Lucy were making, he didn't want to take any chances.

Already, a plan to get Watanuki out of this crowded, public marketplace had formed in his mind. "Yes," he said, brow creased in well-meaning worry. "I'm looking for a man named Kimihiro Watanuki. There's a woman here who wants to see him."

[flailingbento]

Watanuki looked at the stranger, confused and incredulous. Who did he know in Garrettstown who would seek him out? Why would they be looking for him now? And what were the odds that this man, who he knew he had never seen before, should find him here in this teeming city?

There are no coincidences.

He couldn't ignore this. "I-- I'm Kimihiro Watanuki," he said. He remembered briefly Yuuko's voice-- There is power in a name, Kimihiro Watanuki-- but this man already knew his name. There was no point in concealing it. He stepped closer, out of the way of the moving crowd, worry and confusion on his face. "Who's looking for me?"

TL;DR FOR BEAT AND PENNY

[flight_15]

Ichigo had felt it the instant Watanuki's ring came off. His own ceased to work, and Even though there weren't any ghosts present, Ichigo didn't need any more proof than the surge of reiatsu in his soul, accompanied by a very familiar, very angry presence.

Shit. Something wasn't right. Ichigo didn't want to jump to the worst possible conclusion, but Watanuki knew better than to take his ring off. It hadn't happened before. Ichigo stood up, pausing only to grab his sword from its place leaning against the wall of his cabin, and wondered -- should he check Watanuki's cabin, or the kitchen? But if Watanuki was in trouble, he likely wouldn't be in any of those places. Ichigo's mind whirled as he fought down rising fear. Okay, okay, think. Where could he be?

But Ichigo didn't know!Then, it hit him

[penny_dancer]

It was nice to be back in Garrettstown after everything. Penelo hadn't been back since before she joined the Convoy, and it was a nice change. It was even nicer with Beat there, walking up and down the streets of her hometown with her.

Right now, though, she was sitting on a bench near one of the quieter markets in town, watching Beat show off on his airboard. It was always--

Wait. "Beat, isn't that the new pilot?" Penelo asked, pointing to the redhead who had suddenly appeared.

[curry_ramen]

"You mean Ichigo?" He had met the older man a long while back, with Rhyme... He remembered what Ichigo had said to him back then, and how he had fought against his advice.

"What the heck is he doing, nappin'?" He cocked his head, walking over and calling out to him. "Yo!"

[flight_15]

Ichigo hadn't even noticed the pair of them. He was oblivious to the world around him, concentrating completely on trying to pick out the one spirit ribbon that belonged to the person he was looking for.

It took him a few more moments to find it. As soon as he had it, his eyes opened again -- just in time to hear Beat's greeting. Oh hey, it was that guy -- Rhyme's brother with the funky name. Note? Measure? Something to do with music. It didn't matter right now.

"Sorry, no time to talk," he said. "I think something's happened to Watanuki."