soraspace | Dancing with the divine. Or commiserating with it.

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Dancing with the divine. Or commiserating with it.

[It's a busy night at this popular nightclub in downtown Diamond City, and Bomberman's stuck in a corner, watching Kuro living it up on the dance floor while Megumi throws back a couple of drinks at the bar. He actually really hates places like this, but life's been shitty lately and his best buds convinced him that he might just need a change of pace.

And it is sort of...interesting, at least. The music's so damn loud that he can't hear himself think all the terrible thoughts in his head, which is nice. But it is starting to give him a headache.

Still, Kuro and Megumi have threatened to break out the embarrassing childhood stories and pictures to the rest of their task force if Bomberman doesn't at least try to talk to a girl tonight, so after surveying the crowd as best as he can in the low lighting, he wanders over to Grune, who looks like she's enjoying this sort of thing as much as he is -- which is to say, not very much. He tries his best to talk over the music without making it seem like he's yelling at her.]

So, uh...hey. Big crowd tonight, huh?

[Yep. This one's a smooth operator.

Grune will probably recognize him because he's, well, Bomberman, and everyone knows him in the city. But she might also pick up a streak of divine power within him, or evidence that he's had experiences with the cosmic in this universe before.]

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[Bomberman nods. He fortuitously manages to catch Kuro's eye from across the room, and he gestures at Grune before indicating that they're both going to be heading outside.

Kuro's eyes widen with surprise when he sees Grune, but he soon shakes off his surprise, giving Bomberman a smirk and a thumbs-up. Bomberman responds appropriately by flipping him off.

With that done, the young man begins to make a beeline for the nearest door, squeezing his way past clumps of clubgoers and making sure not to lose Grune.]

[She's entirely aware of what the two of them leaving together looks like--and it's hard to miss her companion's gesture at either a foe or, more likely, a friend--but she doesn't care in the slightest. Others may assume what they like.

The music is still audible once they're outside, but it is at a far more comfortable level, and she can't help her sigh at the change. Now, she even has the possibility of enjoying the music.

She glances over at her companion.]

Now that we may speak without shouting, I believe manners have at last become possible.

[She smiles briefly.]

I am Grune.

[And now to receive a piece of needless confirmation.]

Grune, huh? It's nice to meet you. I'm Bomberman. [Simper.] Though you probably know that already. If you're from around here, at least.

[Wow, Bomberman, that didn't sound egotistic at all! He really doesn't mean for it to come off as something impressive. It's just a fact of life for him in Sakihara, and in Diamond City in particular.]

So I had guessed, yes. [Even if she had only recently come to this world, avoiding knowledge of his identity would be impossible, even if she had wished to.]

It's a pleasure to meet you.

[Once again, she quirks an eyebrow at him.] Though I am surprised you are able to move about in public so freely.

[He laughs and shrugs again.]

I guess the public's just gotten bored with me. [Not that he's complaining.] Well, that and Jun has his...ways of dealing with things. [It benefits Jun at the moment for people to not pay as much attention to Bomberman. Otherwise Bomberman would certainly be in the spotlight again, as he was when he first started out with the title.] Did you come here with anyone?

[At his question, she actually looks mildly amused.]

I did not. Though my partner would have come had I requested it, he would have despised every moment. I did him the kindness of not asking.

Heh, good call. I don't really get why Kuro and Megumi do this on a regular basis...it seems so tiring. Not to mention hell on the eardrums. [He rubs at his temples.] But everyone has to unwind somehow, especially in a job like ours.

And to those of an extroverted nature, spending time with a great many others who are enjoying themselves is an ideal way to do so.

[She watches him.] What would you have done, had you the choice?

Me? Probably just gone home and slept for the whole night. [Assuming that he could actually fall asleep. He's been having a hard time of that lately.] Or maybe watched some TV, if anything interesting was on. And, uh, homework.

[The corner of her mouth lifts, just a little.]

I am beginning to understand why your friends thought it necessary to bring you here.

[He tries to give Grune a look of mock indignation, but it's more like him trying not to laugh.]

Hey! It's a perfectly respectable way to spend an evening! And it's responsible, too, because at least then I don't show up at school the next day with a hangover. [Subject change!] So what are you doing here, if you're not with anyone? I mean, you don't look like the clubbing type, either.

[She hesitates for just a moment before answering.]

...I suppose you could say I am keeping watch. I would prefer not to say anything further, however.

Keeping watch, huh? [Interesting. He leans back against the cool brick wall, considering her carefully.] You from the Base, or are you more of an independent agent? [All of the task forces from the Base, both student and professional, had been warned to stay on high alert given the rise in criminal activity these past few weeks. But if what the Elemental Knights have been saying is true, then there might not be anything typical law enforcement could do to really strike at the heart of the problem. It's just beyond the reach of most mortals...or at least mortals that haven't had an interesting history with the cosmic like Bomberman.]

I am independent. [Very much so.]

You do not seem particularly surprised.

With all the crime and general chaos that's been going on lately? I'm pretty much expecting to run into Base operatives and vigilantes every five feet or so. [He sighs.] This is the worst that the Diamond City metro's been in years. The rates in some of the suburbs are starting to reach into the lower end of the expected range for a place like Scarlet Shore. [He gazes out into the distance.] I know some places are starting to pull together neighborhood watch teams and such, but I'm still worried. [Civilians taking matters into their own hands could very well end in more casualties.]

I see.

[She had known of all of this, of course, but in a way it is heartening to know that Bomberman, at least, is seeing the same difficulties. To have someone of his caliber aware is a small victory for her against Schwartz.

She's silent for a moment. Then, quietly, she says:] You are right to be worried.

[.............]

You know something about all this, then.

...I do.

[Another pause.]

Have you heard reports of anything particularly unusual as of late?

Define "unusual."

[He's not trying to be a jerk about this. He's just trying to figure out what might be safe to share with Grune, and what might not -- particularly when it comes to otherworldly, supernatural things.]

A strange black mist, for example.

[It is the most frequent and obvious of signs.]

[Bomberman folds his arms, alert now more than ever. Looks like this night out on the town wasn't going to be a complete waste for him after all. Workaholic, him? Never.]

Some of the perps we've apprehended have claimed they saw something like that, yeah. We haven't been able to officially confirm that, though. ["Officially" being the key word. Because that sort of thing doesn't belong in official records.]

You would do well to pay attention to what they say.

[Whether she will be able to convince him, and he others in turn, remains to be seen. But she has little to lose and much to gain by attempting to make him an ally.]

Oh, we've been paying attention. We just haven't been able to make sense of it yet.

[The knights had a better idea of what was going on, of course, as attuned and sensitive as they were to things like these. But they still didn't know specifics -- it just didn't jibe with anything that they knew of from their history. And they weren't ready to wake the Angel yet.

It's then that Bomberman realizes exactly why Grune feels familiar.]

But anyone who's a little less mortal and a little more divine might know a lot more than we do.

[She doesn't so much as blink.]

There is no need to bring the gods into this matter. With careful study, it is understandable whether one is a mortal or a god.

[Unless he asks her outright and seems certain of his answer, she will not admit to her identity. Even to one with previous experiences with the divine.]

It's not a matter of trying to understand it -- it's a matter of finding out what it is in the first place. [He runs a hand through his hair with a frown.] And it just...well, talking off the record here, but it doesn't feel like it's something manmade, you know? Those aren't exactly the easiest things to figure out on your own.

[Man, didn't they just deal with something like this from Sigma half a year ago: chaotic, dark energies coinciding with a rise in crime and violence among the mortal population? But Sigma was dead, and his presence had always been more marked by sensation, rather than sight. Furthermore, Regulus had already confirmed that the black mist was not from his elemental wavelength, nor was it demonic in origin despite sharing a fair amount of similarities with that element. They'd already enlisted the help of Thrice-Born Akariel to research the Akashic Records for this, but if worse comes to worst, they'd have to awaken the Angel and risk having the universe returned to the Void, depending on what this black mist turns out to be.]

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