01 - The Rudest Awakening

[birdinthehand]

A - Joji Yuki's Place - Closed

There was pursuit. An almost endless chase after a man in colorful clothes. That was the most important thing, to keep that man in his sights. He couldn't let him slip away, couldn't, but he felt a pulling, felt something dragging him back, away, into-

Moments after the red medal halves were fused together, the newly whole Core Medal began to clatter wildly on the workbench. There was life in this thing, along with some sort of unnatural magnetism. Loose bits of the same material that had forced the medal back together were being drawn in from the edges of the work bench, and other things resting on shelves and in drawers were rattling around and eager to get in on the excitement, too. As more and more pieces clung to the core, a shape began to take form... and then with a flash of red light, the entire mess solidified into an inhuman, red-armored hand and forearm. It twitched, its fingers curled, and then it let out a ragged, human-sounding gasp.

"...what the heck?!"

B - Generally Out and About in Venture City, Early Evening - Open

Ankh might not have been able to remember much, but he knew things. He knew what he was, knew what he ought to be able to do, and knew that he was missing entirely too much of himself. He wouldn't find any of it just hovering around inside that damned scientist's workshop. He'd have to go and find it himself.

Which is why there is a disembodied armored hand and forearm floating around, looking about as curious as a hand can manage to be. He's peering over shoulders to read newspapers, rifling around in unattended bags, and sizing up passers-by for their potential usefulness. If they haven't got some sort of strong desire, well... maybe he can smack them upside the head, latch onto their arm, and siphon some knowledge out of their head. His English skills aren't what they really should be, given that he's now in the United States. If he can't complete himself with more Cell Medals, then he can fill up on knowledge instead. He'll take anything. He'll take it all.

Comments

[hinavelous]

She frowned a little, uncertain. Man with the ugly clothes...? A moment later, she laughed quietly.

"Do you mean Eiji?"

[birdinthehand]

Yes, yes, that sounded right. He bobbed in the air as though nodding, suddenly eager. "Yes! Eiji. Where's Eiji?!" Of all the things that he knew were important, he was the most important of all. The one that he could remember with the most clarity and certainty, at least.

[hinavelous]

Okay, so that didn't really make it clear whether he remembered Eiji or not. She frowned a little. This was absolutely bizarre.

"I'm not sure," she said honestly. "He went off traveling after..." Well she couldn't really say after you died, now could she? "...after he left Japan. I'm not sure where he is. I could try his phone, though--" She dug into her purse, then, extracting a slim teal flip-phone. "He may not have service, wherever he is, but it can't hurt to try."

[birdinthehand]

The phone, yes, that's what those things were for, calling people... how convenient. "Yes! Call him! Call him right now!" With how loudly insistent Ankh is being about the whole thing, it might seem that he remembered something. He flits around and hangs over Hina's shoulder to watch her dial. And to get up in her personal space.

[hinavelous]

She has absolutely no qualms with him being in her space. It's sort of an odd change from how standoffish he'd always been, even when she was reasonably sure he considered her a friend but was too prideful to admit it, but she certainly didn't mind (something about it was almost cute). She glanced at him over her shoulder, briefly, and smiled.

"His phone isn't normal, so it might not work at all," she explained, finding Eiji in her contacts and clicking on his name. She then brought the phone to her ear and glanced at Ankh, tipping it away slightly and waving him closer so he could listen, too.

[birdinthehand]

If he were feeling more like himself, there might have been a crack about Eiji himself being 'not normal'. "Tch." But there's just a dismissive, impatient sound. This had to work. He scooted in even closer, actually resting his wrist on Hina's shoulder, straining to hear. Greeed senses weren't the best.

So, Hina->Ankh->Eiji?

[candothismuch]

[Eiji had been searching around an area of the city when he felt his phone vibrate. Digging into the folds of his shirt, he pulled it out and looked at the flat screen to see who it was that was calling him.

Hina.

He pressed the answer button and held the device up to his ear.]

Hina?

Sounds good to me!

[hinavelous]

[The phone rang a few times, and then clicked and Eiji's voice came over the speaker. Which was approximately the last thing Hina was actually expecting to happen. She blinked, silent for a moment.]

--Eiji! [Moving away from Ankh for a moment, she brought the phone back to her ear.]

I wasn't expecting you to actually be able to answer your phone, this is great! Um. Where... are you, right now? Can you talk for a minute?

[birdinthehand]

[That was a voice coming from the device, wasn't it? Eiji, then? It was distorted and not very clear... could he really be sure? Hina might try to move away, but he'll float right on after her.]

Oi! Tell him to get over here!

[Ankh does not believe in wasting time.]

[candothismuch]

[Eiji had been about to answer when that painfully familiar voice came in through the speaker. He almost dropped his phone in surprise but managed to not let it fall to ground and shatter to pieces.]

Hina... who is with you?

[hinavelous]

[She flinched at Ankh's shouting and turned to hiss him quiet, a finger to her lips, spinning away again and cupping her hand around the mouthpiece of her phone.]

See, that's the funny part. It's-- Ankh, but he's an arm again. And I don't think he remembers us. He remembered your clothes, and he seems to remember Shingo, sort of, but...

[She's quiet for a moment and looked over her shoulder at him.]

...Eiji, didn't he...?

[birdinthehand]

[She was hushing him? She was hushing him?! ....okay. Fine. He'd hush. For now. For a bit.]

Tch!

[And with that disgusted sound, he pivots himself about and hovers near Hina's shoulder sulkily.]

[candothismuch]

[Hina's unfinished question made him fall silent. Yes, Ankh had died, he had been there, he had seen it happen.

And now he gets a call from Hina telling him Ankh was back coincidentally after he lost the broken Core Medal.]

He did...

...

You said he doesn't remember us?

[hinavelous]

[Waving a hand at his sulking, Hina mentally promised to buy him an ice candy later. Even if he was the one being rude, he'd clearly wanted to listen to the conversation and now she wasn't letting him. She frowned and shifted her weight, pressing her phone to her ear a little harder.]

He only remembered you as-- [She laughed softly.] "The man in the ugly clothes". I don't think your clothes are ugly, but given Ankh's fashion, I figured you were who he meant. He didn't know your name until I said it.

[birdinthehand]

[The sulking continues, though Ankh is still listening in on Hina's half of the conversation. He doesn't like this. She's not getting this done quickly enough.]

If he comes here faster, maybe I'll remember more.

[Hint, hint. Go on, you two. Hurry up.]

[candothismuch]

["Ugly clothes." That does sound like something Ankh would've said and it makes him smile a little. But onto the more pressing matters.]

Hina, where did you find him?

[He doesn't know that she's in the same city as him.]

[hinavelous]

[Sorry Ankh, she's swatting a hand at you dismissively.]

Ankh he could be in Africa or something, telling him that wouldn't help anything.

[Silly impatient bird. She frowns and tilts her head to the side at Eiji's question.]

In a park in the city I'm in right now. I took an internship in the United States for fashion, I have no idea what would put him here, also...

[birdinthehand]

He'd better NOT be in Africa!

[If he is angry enough about this, reality itself will bend and give him what he wants. Yes. Not getting what he wants right now is absolutely unacceptable.]

[candothismuch]

["United States." Eiji can feel his heartbeat speed up a little. What if...?]

Where in the United States are you?

[hinavelous]

[She gently ignores Ankh's shouting.]

It's called Venture City. You should visit sometime, it's sort of right up your alley.

[birdinthehand]

[Ankh will choose to interpret that lack of answer as her quietly taking his anger seriously. He'll also try to float in a little bit closer to try and hear what's Eiji's actually saying.]

[candothismuch]

Hina, I'm in Venture City right now actually.

[Small world, right?]

[hinavelous]

[There's a shout of surprise that quickly becomes a quiet squeal of delight.]

Gosh, really? We're in Venture Park, where are you?

[She puts her hand over the phone and beams at Ankh.]

He's here in the city, Ankh!

[birdinthehand]

What?!

[That exclamation almost sounds happy. He floats upwards, does a complete circuit around Hina's head, and then gestures wildly about.]

Where?! Where in the city!?

[Because they are going there right now.]

[candothismuch]

I'm in downtown. You said you're both in the park, right?

[Though while he's saying this he's already moving towards that direction.]

I'll meet you both there.