Encounterlogs
Finns Odd Encounter Sr Sam 250117
In a strange mix of casual flirtation and high-stakes intervention, Finn and Ritsuka find themselves woven into an ominous scenario at a popular local bar. Their casual encounter quickly escalates when a visibly distressed young man, hardly eighteen and exuding an aura of desperation, catches their attention. The insignia of The Sapphire Martyrs, a known terror group bent on world destruction through dark rituals, falls from his bag, signaling his affiliation and intentions. Ritsuka's sharp eyes and Finn's keen intuition force them to confront the young man, whose trembling demeanor and cryptic words about a sacrifice paint a grim picture. Their probing reveals a planned self-sacrifice aimed at hastening the apocalypse, compelling Finn and Ritsuka into action.
The situation intensifies as the young man attempts a feeble escape, only to be caught by Ritsuka's swift and menacing intervention. The presence of The Sapphire Martyrs' goons outside, swiftly neutralized by Ritsuka's assertive commands and the timely appearance of her associates, allows them to secure the young man and the dangerous artifacts he carried. Their interrogation, paired with the discovery of a ritual dagger and instructions in the young man's bag, unravels his misguided belief in his sacrificial destiny. Finn's empathy and Ritsuka's menacing facade work in tandem to persuade him to abandon his fatal mission. Ensuring his safety, they contemplate the broader implications of their encounter; they've thwarted a potential catastrophe, yet the day's events leave them pondering the murky depths of desperation that lead individuals down such dark paths. The narrative closes on their contemplative victory, with the young man's fate in safer hands and the duo reflecting on the complex interplay of heroism, terror, and redemption in their vigil against the shadows.
(Finn's odd encounter(SRSam):SRSam)
[Thu Jan 16 2025]
At the bar
This well lit area is home to a long, polished bar that stretches from
west to east along the centermost portion of the northern wall. A number of
refrigerators and shelves within have been filled with various drinks and
town memorabilia for display, but the large head of a black bear mounted
higher on the wall attracts more attention. Food for the bar is prepared on
a cast iron cooking surface behind the bar, but well within sight of
patrons. It's so large that several different meals can all be cooked at
the same time.
Starting to the side of the Lodge's entrance to the north, several booths
follow the old hardwood walls and wrap around the pool tables to the east.
Their sequence is only interrupted there by the exit to the courtyard in the
distance.
A small HD flatscreen television hangs in the southwestern corner, open to
sight for all of those at the bar.
It is afternoon, about 33F(0C) degrees, and there are a few dark grey stormclouds in the sky.
(The party comes across a seemingly abandoned house in the woods on the outskirts of Haven. As they investigate, they discover it's being used as a secret meeting place for members of The Sapphire Martyrs. In their exploration, they stumble upon a ritual in progress – a self-sacrifice designed to empower a spell that will expedite the destruction of Earth. The ritual is being led by a serene, yet chilling figure who sees beauty in the sacrifice being made. The party must decide whether to intervene directly or find another way to disrupt the ritual, while dealing with the inherent danger of confronting members of The Sapphire Martyrs.)
Finn and Ritsuka are sitting at a table at the lodge chatting!
Ritsuka does give Finn a second look over. "I do can see that you are a little bit injured, but that should go away just fine in a couple of hours. Should not need further treatment." There is a brief pause, efore she does add "I do a little bit of work at the clinic, but I am not employed there. Paid by them. But if I am free, I can help."
Finn grins a little at the woman, a slight wolfish look to his expression "Oh I'm sure it would heal up just fine, but wouldn't you like to come play doctor?" He asks the girl, very clearly hitting on her at this point "I could use a cute little thing like you to sit by my side and make sure everything is okay"
It is a cold afternoon, and as Ritsuka and Finn are sitting at the counter, another figure catches the eye. A guy, hardly eightteen, in a shabby leather coat. He is drinking, directly from an open bottle of vodka. He looks at a book in front of him, nodding slowly to himself. He seems a little too tipsy for comfort, though he is shaking head to toe. Something about him is strange, like he doesn't really want to be there.
At his feet is a small duffel bag, and when he sifts, he accidentally kicks it. Out rolls a knife, with a perhaps familiar sigil: A fractured, tear-shaped blue sapphire. He widens his eyes, and quickly starts packing his stuff, seemingly no less agitated than he was before.
Ritsuka makes to stretch out, which really does give to show her delicious figure, though it is in that moment that her golden augmented eyes over the genetic gray, glimpse over the dagger that's fallen from a duffle bag. Her eyes draw back to Finn, and she does lean in a little closer. Her smell is a vivid one, and the smile is a little mischievous and comes in a sparkle in her eyes, too. "Say, Finn-san. Are you-" The words are more quiet. "Aware?" The question is asked, and then she already withdraws and glances to the figure that doesn't seem to belong.
Ritsuka licks over her lips suddenly.
Finn frowns as his incredibly smooth operating is interrupted by the entrance of a man looking far too down on his luck for someone his age. He double takes over to Ritsuka as she asks him if he's aware and nods "Yup." He says, lowering his voice a little as he tries to not make it so obvious they were both looking over at the man. "That guy looks like trouble ..." He whispers under his breath "You know what that sapphire is? It reminds me of something I don't like."
The lad hurriedly packs his bags, and, trembling still, clearly afraid, the man makes to leave, looking a little paler than before, perhaps he is sickly? In any case, he is tapping at his phone, eventually going for speaking into it, perhaps sending a voice message. "R-r-ready for pickup, please hurry..."
He glances behind him, narrowing his eyes just a touch as he looks between Finn and Ritsuka. It seems like he is looking to make a rather quick escape!
"Just another bunch of terrorists." Ritsuka quietly answers to Finn before she rises to her feet, and slinks on over towards the frightened young lad. It is likely in that moment where the predator shows in Ritsuka's eyes, and the far too sweet sugar laced over her words. "I don't think that you will be leaving today, mister. Not without... giving me all the answers that I would like." It is subtle, but there is the briefest reflection of a short-blade that places from her side and disappears to another. No such attack, a brief show of a concealed weapon, and being particularly quick with it.
Finn frowns, recognizing that kind of body language "... That guy is headed off to do something stupid." Finn mumbles under his breath just loud enough for Ritsuka to hear him. He gets to his feet as Ritsuka gets to hers and makes his way over to the man, standing the opposite side to him Ritsuka was and placing a heavy hand down onto the man's shoulder. "Hey now, let's take a deep breath here" He says, directed to the clearly nervous youth "Why don't you take a walk with me and my associate here and see if we can sort things out in a way no one gets upset about, huh?" ... Finn wasn't being overtly intimidating, but the size of the man, combined with the confident hand on his shoulder might imply more than his otherwise friendly tone of voice didn't.
Ritsuka cannot actually draw it, it is the lodge. But the man gets to see the hilt briefly.
Ritsuka might not be able to draw any weapons but Finn has two massive guns out and proud already
Trembling heavily, the man reaches for... an empty holster at his side. He scowls, his eyes darting from side to side as he reaches a hand up, balls a fist.... and then just stands there. Clearly, this man is unawares of the location he is at, or the magics that prevent any overt violence inside.
His face frowning, the man hugs his duffel bag close, and just looks between Ritsuka and Finn in abject terror. "Listen... You don't know what you are doing.... If I don't..." He whines out fearfully, biting his lip as he looks at the pair before him. Somehow, he is sagging, as if the entire conversation is costing him a lot of energy, somehow. "Please, I must."
Finn gives him a quick glance up and down, trying to figure out if he was looking at a junky desperate for a hit, or something else
Ritsuka shakes her head to the boy, and then tilts her head to the left. "You could not escape me if you wanted. I do not need my blade or my armor on me to handle you." Of course, the symbol of her own affiliation lies on the necklace that she is wearing, but this place is still far too public. "Hand me the bag, who is picking you up? Tell me quickly, I do not have all day."
Finn raises up a hand in not quite a flinch, but definitely something intended to defend himself as the man moves for him. Finn grins as the hand is stopped mid air. "Easy now lad, I'm your friend here if you talk to me." He tells the man, glancing him up and down "You look like you're in pretty desperate straights my guy." He observes "I know you're about to something, and I know it's probably something stupid so why don't you tell me what it is and see if I can help you out of this mess" He explains to the man, glancing over at Ritsuka with a smirk "And trust me, you don't want my colleague to be the one handling this if you can avoid it." He tells her, putting on an act that the two of them were more professional than they were. Or, at least, that he was.
"Look, you don't understand!" He looks, wide-eyed at Finn, now, clearly having picked the man to try and convince, seeing how Ritsuka seems to know more.
"Look, man, the world's in danger... I... I gotta..." He steps forward, trying to grab Finn by the collar, but somehow, he just stands there, the next moment, relaxed arms in dire contrast with his panicky state. "The world's ending, man, look, if we wait too much..." He lets out a sigh.
"The world's gonna die, better me than everything, right?" He looks between Ritsuka and Finn. "Just let me through, all right?" His voice is glum, like someone who has resigned to likely not making the dawn.
Finn flicks his eyes over to Ritsuka for a second before leaning down to whisper something into her ear
Finn(Whoops)
Ritsuka raises a brow and just has to laugh - and unfortunately for the kid, she picks up her phone and sends a text off; She has her people. Someone is doing a 'pick-up' for the kid. Then her golden eyes look dangerously at the boy again. "Nah, it really isn't. The Martyrs like to say that, and they like to use naive kids to run around and throw bombs arounds." Her tone is more quiet, unfortunately those closest may still hear her. "You are lucky you met me. Cooperate and I'll give you a way out. I can't harm you here, but if you are aware, then you know there is no escape now. Not from a monster, and you know what I'll do to you once I have you." There, she cannot help but to glee at the boy now.
Finn glances over to Ritsuka as if even he isn't sure if he should be here with that thing before he looks back to the kid "Listen, kid ..." He says, holding up his hand to show it was empty and no threat before he places it on the handle of the bag "My friend here is gunna take this bag, and you and I are gunna go for a walk. If people are after you, there's some places in town you can go to keep yourself safe, I can walk you there if you need it" He tells the boy, starting to gently move the bag from his hands if the boy were to allow him. "World might be ending, but we got good people working on making sure it doesn't, people smarter than me, people smarter than you." He tells him in a low tone "You got a long life ahead of you, even if the world does end, you still got some good years left. You're too young to be going out like this."
Like a cat backed into a corner, the lad just stands there, his nostrils flaring as the pair good cop bad cop him. He just shakes his eyes, his pupils widening. "No! You're lying!" He pauses.
"Besides, I'm dead either way..."
Outside, the sounds of a scuffle, and surprised shouts in english, while a male, asian sounding voice barks commands. Then silence.
The lad, meanwhile, swallows hard. "Uh..." He lets go of the bag, immediately raising both hands behind his head. "Okay, okay... That seems... uh... convincing, all right?"
Ritsuka smiles widely when she glances down to her phone, and she makes a far too easy, and innocent shrug when her eyes turn to Finn. "Would you like to search through that bag?" But that lightness starts to fade when she turns back to the kid. Far more serious, but calmer noted "Why would you be dead either way? Now that you aren't a danger and your groupies aren't there to be a risk for anyone... Or maybe I just let my comrade!" Oh that word is worded more dramatically, but also the accent showing out more. "Handle everything with you now." That is, she smiles and turns away.
Finn takes a step back, putting his hand in front of Ritsuka as she moves away "Hey, we'll link up after this and I'll let you know what happens with the kid" He tells her, handing her a scrap of paper with a number written on it ... Ritsuka would get the sense the kid wasn't the only reason she was getting that number
Finn looks back to the kid and gives him a pat on the back as it looks like he'd finally relented "See? Turns out you didn't want to die tonight after all ..." He says, opening up the bag and taking a curious look inside ...
Ritsuka does look down to her phone, typing something, but also entering what is on the piece of paper. "Not leaving yet, but the immediate threat is handled and I feel myself too impulsive to talk to the boy, and his fear is delicious, I want to make him more scared more than I want to listen to what he has to say."
"Look man..."
"I was told that they needed a sacrifice, and well, if I didn't do it, they would find me." He pauses a few moments. "Take the bag, I don't care, just let me go, all right?"
He starts to make for the exit, trying to make an irish exit here.
The bag, meanwhile, contains a dull, ritual dagger, though it somehow stays within that bag. A notepad is inside, though, containing detailed instructions for what looks like part of some magic mumbo jumbo that Finn likely does not understand much of. The lad gives a glance, then just tries to bolt the last steps out of the door, and dash off, maybe, just maybe making it past the goons waiting outside.
Finn says "Hey, I can take you somewhere safe "
Finn doesn't move to stop him, he's not about to tackle someone he doesn't know in Haven unless he has a very good reason for it, so he simply gives the kid the offer and lets him make his own decisions as he crouches down to poke around inside of the bag, frowning as he looks down at it.
Unfortunately for the kid, Ritsuka is quick, and though she looks entirely undeserving of it, she is incredibly strong - and that leads to her making to grab for the guy. They weren't really done with him, he still has many more questions to answer, after all. "I do not remember allowing you to go yet." Of course there is the part on violence being difficult, so Ritsuka really does not aim to go for a knockout, or anything too violent, but simply to keep him here with herself and Finn. Be it tackling down or simply putting him into a grapple - she is good at that, after all.
Making it one step outside of the building, the lad then has a much, much faster, stronger, and frankly, quite surprising japanese woman on top of him. He is easily subdued, just in time for several goons outside to perk up, a nice bundle of Martyr looking cultists tied at their feet.
The lad, by now, definately needs a new set of pants, as he just lets out a scared whimper, both at Ritsuka's sudden ability for violence now they are outside, and for seeing those who he fears.
Finn, meanwhile, is left with the strange ritual book, the bag, and the dagger.
Finn zips up the bag and slings it over his shoulder. He saunters his way on out of the lodge as he places a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder this time "I figured it out, let's go." He tells her, figuring the best thing he could do right now was try and get this monster off of him. "We can walk and talk, send the kid off back to his mother and I'll fill you in." He tells her, reasonably confident he'd cracked the case with what he'd seen inside the bag.
Ritsuka makes a small nod to Finn, and in what definitely sounds Japanese to anyone that has watched Anime, she does tell to the goons around "Let the scouts know to find out more about the boy. I'll get a syringe to alter his memories later. See if we can actually return him to his old life. If he's being threatened, we can relocate them with the Crown or hand them to the Order." She make to smack the boy on the back of his head, now that they are outside. Secrecy must still be preserved, the martyrs here can at least be handed to the Sheriffs later. Or perhaps they'll just be dragged beyond the forest and removed from being a permanent threat. Who knows?
All the same, just before joining Finn, she hurries to her car and retrieves a camouflagued backpack from it that contains her equipment.
Left way or right, the lad gets 'sorted'. His former allies, similarly, are disappeared, and Finn and Ritsuka are left with a duffel bag, some arcane scribbles, and a dagger. Regardless, the world is a little safer, a lad has been successfully saved, and tonight, something terrible has been prevented.
That is, unless the plans the lad had really would have helped the world. Who knows? Either way, another afternoon of staunch labor for Finn and Ritsuka.
Finn squints his eyes as he watches the group of Yakuza looking men carrying him off "Make sure that guy gets home to see his mother, alright?" He asks her before nodding to each of her goons in turn, a silent thanks for the help they'd given. He gestures with her head down the street for them to 'walk and talk' like he said. "How much do you know about dark arts mumbo jumbo?" He asks, holding up the notebook that had the dark instructs scribbled onto them
Ritsuka tilts her head a little bit to Finn "I know the basics. Blood magic and necromancy fall under it, and it makes my divine blood boil." She does give one other look back before she tells Finn "He will, but we got to find out if it is safe for him. His mother might be involved, so the scouts will be looking into their lives first. Boy will have to get a syringe to not remember Yokai."
Finn cracks a smirk at her mention of Yokai "Yokai? What're you talking about? You look strong as hell, no one is suspecting foul play after that" He teases her, laying a large, muscular arm over the girl's shoulders as they walk. By the sounds of it he was given a ritual where he was gunna either kill himself, or find an innocent to kill instead. "He says, turning the notebook over in his hand, clearly understanding none of it" He was being pressured into it by cultists, we stepped in and saved his life." He sums up the situation to the best of his knowledge."
Ritsuka really does not look strong at all, rather fragile. One her form really does not deserve to be as strong as she is, but she does not pursue on that, and instead mentions on the book. "Can't sacrifice someone else, not here locally, sanctuary would prevent it." She does not nudge away when the arm is laid around her. "Martyrs look to destroy thee world, I am not sure if I would call them cultists. They tend to be suicide terrorists. And everyone sane gets to clean up after them."
Finn had been very much teasing her about the 'looking strong' thing, the girl was a waif. He nods his head as she concludes the boy couldn't have been sacrificing anyone other than himself "Well, that's that mystery solved." He says with a pleased tone "Sounds like we saved a life" He says before glancing down at the woman under his arm, clearly dangerous "Though, do things like that tickle your monster soul, Ritsuka?" He asks the girl
The situation intensifies as the young man attempts a feeble escape, only to be caught by Ritsuka's swift and menacing intervention. The presence of The Sapphire Martyrs' goons outside, swiftly neutralized by Ritsuka's assertive commands and the timely appearance of her associates, allows them to secure the young man and the dangerous artifacts he carried. Their interrogation, paired with the discovery of a ritual dagger and instructions in the young man's bag, unravels his misguided belief in his sacrificial destiny. Finn's empathy and Ritsuka's menacing facade work in tandem to persuade him to abandon his fatal mission. Ensuring his safety, they contemplate the broader implications of their encounter; they've thwarted a potential catastrophe, yet the day's events leave them pondering the murky depths of desperation that lead individuals down such dark paths. The narrative closes on their contemplative victory, with the young man's fate in safer hands and the duo reflecting on the complex interplay of heroism, terror, and redemption in their vigil against the shadows.
(Finn's odd encounter(SRSam):SRSam)
[Thu Jan 16 2025]
At the bar
This well lit area is home to a long, polished bar that stretches from
west to east along the centermost portion of the northern wall. A number of
refrigerators and shelves within have been filled with various drinks and
town memorabilia for display, but the large head of a black bear mounted
higher on the wall attracts more attention. Food for the bar is prepared on
a cast iron cooking surface behind the bar, but well within sight of
patrons. It's so large that several different meals can all be cooked at
the same time.
Starting to the side of the Lodge's entrance to the north, several booths
follow the old hardwood walls and wrap around the pool tables to the east.
Their sequence is only interrupted there by the exit to the courtyard in the
distance.
A small HD flatscreen television hangs in the southwestern corner, open to
sight for all of those at the bar.
It is afternoon, about 33F(0C) degrees, and there are a few dark grey stormclouds in the sky.
(The party comes across a seemingly abandoned house in the woods on the outskirts of Haven. As they investigate, they discover it's being used as a secret meeting place for members of The Sapphire Martyrs. In their exploration, they stumble upon a ritual in progress – a self-sacrifice designed to empower a spell that will expedite the destruction of Earth. The ritual is being led by a serene, yet chilling figure who sees beauty in the sacrifice being made. The party must decide whether to intervene directly or find another way to disrupt the ritual, while dealing with the inherent danger of confronting members of The Sapphire Martyrs.)
Finn and Ritsuka are sitting at a table at the lodge chatting!
Ritsuka does give Finn a second look over. "I do can see that you are a little bit injured, but that should go away just fine in a couple of hours. Should not need further treatment." There is a brief pause, efore she does add "I do a little bit of work at the clinic, but I am not employed there. Paid by them. But if I am free, I can help."
Finn grins a little at the woman, a slight wolfish look to his expression "Oh I'm sure it would heal up just fine, but wouldn't you like to come play doctor?" He asks the girl, very clearly hitting on her at this point "I could use a cute little thing like you to sit by my side and make sure everything is okay"
It is a cold afternoon, and as Ritsuka and Finn are sitting at the counter, another figure catches the eye. A guy, hardly eightteen, in a shabby leather coat. He is drinking, directly from an open bottle of vodka. He looks at a book in front of him, nodding slowly to himself. He seems a little too tipsy for comfort, though he is shaking head to toe. Something about him is strange, like he doesn't really want to be there.
At his feet is a small duffel bag, and when he sifts, he accidentally kicks it. Out rolls a knife, with a perhaps familiar sigil: A fractured, tear-shaped blue sapphire. He widens his eyes, and quickly starts packing his stuff, seemingly no less agitated than he was before.
Ritsuka makes to stretch out, which really does give to show her delicious figure, though it is in that moment that her golden augmented eyes over the genetic gray, glimpse over the dagger that's fallen from a duffle bag. Her eyes draw back to Finn, and she does lean in a little closer. Her smell is a vivid one, and the smile is a little mischievous and comes in a sparkle in her eyes, too. "Say, Finn-san. Are you-" The words are more quiet. "Aware?" The question is asked, and then she already withdraws and glances to the figure that doesn't seem to belong.
Ritsuka licks over her lips suddenly.
Finn frowns as his incredibly smooth operating is interrupted by the entrance of a man looking far too down on his luck for someone his age. He double takes over to Ritsuka as she asks him if he's aware and nods "Yup." He says, lowering his voice a little as he tries to not make it so obvious they were both looking over at the man. "That guy looks like trouble ..." He whispers under his breath "You know what that sapphire is? It reminds me of something I don't like."
The lad hurriedly packs his bags, and, trembling still, clearly afraid, the man makes to leave, looking a little paler than before, perhaps he is sickly? In any case, he is tapping at his phone, eventually going for speaking into it, perhaps sending a voice message. "R-r-ready for pickup, please hurry..."
He glances behind him, narrowing his eyes just a touch as he looks between Finn and Ritsuka. It seems like he is looking to make a rather quick escape!
"Just another bunch of terrorists." Ritsuka quietly answers to Finn before she rises to her feet, and slinks on over towards the frightened young lad. It is likely in that moment where the predator shows in Ritsuka's eyes, and the far too sweet sugar laced over her words. "I don't think that you will be leaving today, mister. Not without... giving me all the answers that I would like." It is subtle, but there is the briefest reflection of a short-blade that places from her side and disappears to another. No such attack, a brief show of a concealed weapon, and being particularly quick with it.
Finn frowns, recognizing that kind of body language "... That guy is headed off to do something stupid." Finn mumbles under his breath just loud enough for Ritsuka to hear him. He gets to his feet as Ritsuka gets to hers and makes his way over to the man, standing the opposite side to him Ritsuka was and placing a heavy hand down onto the man's shoulder. "Hey now, let's take a deep breath here" He says, directed to the clearly nervous youth "Why don't you take a walk with me and my associate here and see if we can sort things out in a way no one gets upset about, huh?" ... Finn wasn't being overtly intimidating, but the size of the man, combined with the confident hand on his shoulder might imply more than his otherwise friendly tone of voice didn't.
Ritsuka cannot actually draw it, it is the lodge. But the man gets to see the hilt briefly.
Ritsuka might not be able to draw any weapons but Finn has two massive guns out and proud already
Trembling heavily, the man reaches for... an empty holster at his side. He scowls, his eyes darting from side to side as he reaches a hand up, balls a fist.... and then just stands there. Clearly, this man is unawares of the location he is at, or the magics that prevent any overt violence inside.
His face frowning, the man hugs his duffel bag close, and just looks between Ritsuka and Finn in abject terror. "Listen... You don't know what you are doing.... If I don't..." He whines out fearfully, biting his lip as he looks at the pair before him. Somehow, he is sagging, as if the entire conversation is costing him a lot of energy, somehow. "Please, I must."
Finn gives him a quick glance up and down, trying to figure out if he was looking at a junky desperate for a hit, or something else
Ritsuka shakes her head to the boy, and then tilts her head to the left. "You could not escape me if you wanted. I do not need my blade or my armor on me to handle you." Of course, the symbol of her own affiliation lies on the necklace that she is wearing, but this place is still far too public. "Hand me the bag, who is picking you up? Tell me quickly, I do not have all day."
Finn raises up a hand in not quite a flinch, but definitely something intended to defend himself as the man moves for him. Finn grins as the hand is stopped mid air. "Easy now lad, I'm your friend here if you talk to me." He tells the man, glancing him up and down "You look like you're in pretty desperate straights my guy." He observes "I know you're about to something, and I know it's probably something stupid so why don't you tell me what it is and see if I can help you out of this mess" He explains to the man, glancing over at Ritsuka with a smirk "And trust me, you don't want my colleague to be the one handling this if you can avoid it." He tells her, putting on an act that the two of them were more professional than they were. Or, at least, that he was.
"Look, you don't understand!" He looks, wide-eyed at Finn, now, clearly having picked the man to try and convince, seeing how Ritsuka seems to know more.
"Look, man, the world's in danger... I... I gotta..." He steps forward, trying to grab Finn by the collar, but somehow, he just stands there, the next moment, relaxed arms in dire contrast with his panicky state. "The world's ending, man, look, if we wait too much..." He lets out a sigh.
"The world's gonna die, better me than everything, right?" He looks between Ritsuka and Finn. "Just let me through, all right?" His voice is glum, like someone who has resigned to likely not making the dawn.
Finn flicks his eyes over to Ritsuka for a second before leaning down to whisper something into her ear
Finn(Whoops)
Ritsuka raises a brow and just has to laugh - and unfortunately for the kid, she picks up her phone and sends a text off; She has her people. Someone is doing a 'pick-up' for the kid. Then her golden eyes look dangerously at the boy again. "Nah, it really isn't. The Martyrs like to say that, and they like to use naive kids to run around and throw bombs arounds." Her tone is more quiet, unfortunately those closest may still hear her. "You are lucky you met me. Cooperate and I'll give you a way out. I can't harm you here, but if you are aware, then you know there is no escape now. Not from a monster, and you know what I'll do to you once I have you." There, she cannot help but to glee at the boy now.
Finn glances over to Ritsuka as if even he isn't sure if he should be here with that thing before he looks back to the kid "Listen, kid ..." He says, holding up his hand to show it was empty and no threat before he places it on the handle of the bag "My friend here is gunna take this bag, and you and I are gunna go for a walk. If people are after you, there's some places in town you can go to keep yourself safe, I can walk you there if you need it" He tells the boy, starting to gently move the bag from his hands if the boy were to allow him. "World might be ending, but we got good people working on making sure it doesn't, people smarter than me, people smarter than you." He tells him in a low tone "You got a long life ahead of you, even if the world does end, you still got some good years left. You're too young to be going out like this."
Like a cat backed into a corner, the lad just stands there, his nostrils flaring as the pair good cop bad cop him. He just shakes his eyes, his pupils widening. "No! You're lying!" He pauses.
"Besides, I'm dead either way..."
Outside, the sounds of a scuffle, and surprised shouts in english, while a male, asian sounding voice barks commands. Then silence.
The lad, meanwhile, swallows hard. "Uh..." He lets go of the bag, immediately raising both hands behind his head. "Okay, okay... That seems... uh... convincing, all right?"
Ritsuka smiles widely when she glances down to her phone, and she makes a far too easy, and innocent shrug when her eyes turn to Finn. "Would you like to search through that bag?" But that lightness starts to fade when she turns back to the kid. Far more serious, but calmer noted "Why would you be dead either way? Now that you aren't a danger and your groupies aren't there to be a risk for anyone... Or maybe I just let my comrade!" Oh that word is worded more dramatically, but also the accent showing out more. "Handle everything with you now." That is, she smiles and turns away.
Finn takes a step back, putting his hand in front of Ritsuka as she moves away "Hey, we'll link up after this and I'll let you know what happens with the kid" He tells her, handing her a scrap of paper with a number written on it ... Ritsuka would get the sense the kid wasn't the only reason she was getting that number
Finn looks back to the kid and gives him a pat on the back as it looks like he'd finally relented "See? Turns out you didn't want to die tonight after all ..." He says, opening up the bag and taking a curious look inside ...
Ritsuka does look down to her phone, typing something, but also entering what is on the piece of paper. "Not leaving yet, but the immediate threat is handled and I feel myself too impulsive to talk to the boy, and his fear is delicious, I want to make him more scared more than I want to listen to what he has to say."
"Look man..."
"I was told that they needed a sacrifice, and well, if I didn't do it, they would find me." He pauses a few moments. "Take the bag, I don't care, just let me go, all right?"
He starts to make for the exit, trying to make an irish exit here.
The bag, meanwhile, contains a dull, ritual dagger, though it somehow stays within that bag. A notepad is inside, though, containing detailed instructions for what looks like part of some magic mumbo jumbo that Finn likely does not understand much of. The lad gives a glance, then just tries to bolt the last steps out of the door, and dash off, maybe, just maybe making it past the goons waiting outside.
Finn says "Hey, I can take you somewhere safe "
Finn doesn't move to stop him, he's not about to tackle someone he doesn't know in Haven unless he has a very good reason for it, so he simply gives the kid the offer and lets him make his own decisions as he crouches down to poke around inside of the bag, frowning as he looks down at it.
Unfortunately for the kid, Ritsuka is quick, and though she looks entirely undeserving of it, she is incredibly strong - and that leads to her making to grab for the guy. They weren't really done with him, he still has many more questions to answer, after all. "I do not remember allowing you to go yet." Of course there is the part on violence being difficult, so Ritsuka really does not aim to go for a knockout, or anything too violent, but simply to keep him here with herself and Finn. Be it tackling down or simply putting him into a grapple - she is good at that, after all.
Making it one step outside of the building, the lad then has a much, much faster, stronger, and frankly, quite surprising japanese woman on top of him. He is easily subdued, just in time for several goons outside to perk up, a nice bundle of Martyr looking cultists tied at their feet.
The lad, by now, definately needs a new set of pants, as he just lets out a scared whimper, both at Ritsuka's sudden ability for violence now they are outside, and for seeing those who he fears.
Finn, meanwhile, is left with the strange ritual book, the bag, and the dagger.
Finn zips up the bag and slings it over his shoulder. He saunters his way on out of the lodge as he places a hand on Ritsuka's shoulder this time "I figured it out, let's go." He tells her, figuring the best thing he could do right now was try and get this monster off of him. "We can walk and talk, send the kid off back to his mother and I'll fill you in." He tells her, reasonably confident he'd cracked the case with what he'd seen inside the bag.
Ritsuka makes a small nod to Finn, and in what definitely sounds Japanese to anyone that has watched Anime, she does tell to the goons around "Let the scouts know to find out more about the boy. I'll get a syringe to alter his memories later. See if we can actually return him to his old life. If he's being threatened, we can relocate them with the Crown or hand them to the Order." She make to smack the boy on the back of his head, now that they are outside. Secrecy must still be preserved, the martyrs here can at least be handed to the Sheriffs later. Or perhaps they'll just be dragged beyond the forest and removed from being a permanent threat. Who knows?
All the same, just before joining Finn, she hurries to her car and retrieves a camouflagued backpack from it that contains her equipment.
Left way or right, the lad gets 'sorted'. His former allies, similarly, are disappeared, and Finn and Ritsuka are left with a duffel bag, some arcane scribbles, and a dagger. Regardless, the world is a little safer, a lad has been successfully saved, and tonight, something terrible has been prevented.
That is, unless the plans the lad had really would have helped the world. Who knows? Either way, another afternoon of staunch labor for Finn and Ritsuka.
Finn squints his eyes as he watches the group of Yakuza looking men carrying him off "Make sure that guy gets home to see his mother, alright?" He asks her before nodding to each of her goons in turn, a silent thanks for the help they'd given. He gestures with her head down the street for them to 'walk and talk' like he said. "How much do you know about dark arts mumbo jumbo?" He asks, holding up the notebook that had the dark instructs scribbled onto them
Ritsuka tilts her head a little bit to Finn "I know the basics. Blood magic and necromancy fall under it, and it makes my divine blood boil." She does give one other look back before she tells Finn "He will, but we got to find out if it is safe for him. His mother might be involved, so the scouts will be looking into their lives first. Boy will have to get a syringe to not remember Yokai."
Finn cracks a smirk at her mention of Yokai "Yokai? What're you talking about? You look strong as hell, no one is suspecting foul play after that" He teases her, laying a large, muscular arm over the girl's shoulders as they walk. By the sounds of it he was given a ritual where he was gunna either kill himself, or find an innocent to kill instead. "He says, turning the notebook over in his hand, clearly understanding none of it" He was being pressured into it by cultists, we stepped in and saved his life." He sums up the situation to the best of his knowledge."
Ritsuka really does not look strong at all, rather fragile. One her form really does not deserve to be as strong as she is, but she does not pursue on that, and instead mentions on the book. "Can't sacrifice someone else, not here locally, sanctuary would prevent it." She does not nudge away when the arm is laid around her. "Martyrs look to destroy thee world, I am not sure if I would call them cultists. They tend to be suicide terrorists. And everyone sane gets to clean up after them."
Finn had been very much teasing her about the 'looking strong' thing, the girl was a waif. He nods his head as she concludes the boy couldn't have been sacrificing anyone other than himself "Well, that's that mystery solved." He says with a pleased tone "Sounds like we saved a life" He says before glancing down at the woman under his arm, clearly dangerous "Though, do things like that tickle your monster soul, Ritsuka?" He asks the girl