It Begins and Ends With A Breath [Invite]

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi watched as David infused his ki into Kyrie to miraculous effect. He watched as her Qi realigned and her injuries closed, releasing his "bandages" as the bones mended. It was truly a marvelous technique, one Levi had the advantage of studying in the required detail, though he doubted he had the necessary control at his current level. David's Qi dwindled as he spoke to Levi who nodded in understanding, "Of course, hop on." Levi extended a platform of light and waited for both of them to hop on, taking off and heading towards his home once they did.

When they arrived at Levi's abode, he movwed the platform through the door and landed them on the stage of his dueling piano bar, by the door behind the pianos, extending a shoulder and an arm to David if he needed it. Either way, he would open the door to reveal a small stair case that led to a second level that seemed much like the first floor of a small house. The floor was a wooden tile that despite a bit creaky, was in fairly good condition. Three rooms lined the north wall: two bedrooms and a bathroom after which the wall cut back slightly to make the living area seem bigger. The living area had a black suede couch and a coffee table, as well as a small dining table that had a bowl of fresh fruit in the middle, it was a humble abode, but it suited Levi. Levi would gesture to each room, "A soft bed in each bedroom, a working bathroom and a living room, make yourselves at home."

Levi gave David any assistance he needed getting to a bed before he gfrabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and plopped down on his couch, letting out a long sigh of relief after their stressful ordeal.

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kyrie's attention drifted from David, only to be pulled back with his words. Disoriented, she blinked slowly, lips parting as though she was about to say something. ...something she didn't even know. She only vaguely saw David purse his lips and exhale with a whistle. Any jumbled thought she may have had fled as the pain she was already in shot to an excruciating level. Her body probably would have contorted further than having her spine arched had it not gone rigid as David's qi forced its way into her body. She inhaled with a gasp of agony, unable to help the reaction even though the pain lasted but a moment.

Bereft of any and all thought, simply feeling, Kyrie felt a wave of warmth sink into her previously freezing body, as though someone just wrapped her in a blanket fresh from the dryer. Her shudders that continued despite the seizing of her muscles ebbed. A strange type of awareness crawled over her, as that wasn't the only thing she felt. In addition to her skin and flesh drying and tightening back up as the stab wound and her frayed and flayed flesh scabbed over, she could sense - actually sense - the movement of his qi within her body. It was strange to feel; part of him was actually inside her. She didn't get much time to dwell on the feeling as the heat gathered near the break in her arm - though the rest of her body remained warm - growing almost white-hot before her arm snapped back into place, eliciting a pained sound in the back of her throat--not a scream, as her throat seemed to be too raw to manage. She felt like she was going to be sick; her stomach rolled and twisted in threat. The heat seemed to increase as the small splintered, fractured pieces of bone were fit like a jigsaw and sealed back into place.

And when David released his qi, he wasn't the only one to collapse to the ground. Kyrie's legs gave out and she crumpled, still feeling dazed and lost and confused. Swaying, even sitting, she turned her eyes to David, then up at Levi. What was she doing on the ground..? Why was she no longer in pai--oh. Her mind hasn't fully cleared, nor her body completely recovered from the shock. But she managed to push herself back up to her feet, feeling rather unsteady as thoughts and knowledge began to click back into place. She teetered briefly, then found her equilibrium to stand, stable. She still felt...less than stellar, and stupidly sore. Not to mention that her mind wasn't quite back, yet--she was still working on recovering from the physical shock of blood loss and broken (and now recently healed) limbs.

The blonde did have the clarity of mind to press her lips together, much like she had once before.

Her gaze shifted to Levi with a slight tilt of her head. And though she shifted towards David, she didn't extend a hand. With Delilah, he'd wanted their help; maybe it was a sign, then, like him not asking, now, was? Here, he stood on his own, though he looked worse than that.

...she thought.

She was displeased, even as she was thankful--would be thankful, once she caught up. Right now, she was more concerned with the Elder's protection after his repetitive actions.

Kiyr was smart enough to keep her lips sealed, not even to speak the one word that was burning her tongue. Just like in Crow Territory, even weakened, she was there. Unless David reached out, she would only remain by his side as he got on the platform of light. She blinked up at them a moment, pivotted, and strode back to the old man to relieve him of his knife.

If he was smart, there would be no markings even on that.

If not, good for them.

Either way, she wasn't about to leave a weapon for anyone else to pick up.

She didn't have to use it, for herself. It could just as easily arm any other Core member. She returned, slid herself on, and crouched without a word. She kept her watchful silence even as they flew, and upon landing. By the time they touched down, the blonde was more or less...on the level, once again. Still somewhat weak from blood loss and dehydration, but nevertheless she was able to function.

...and she also noted the dry, sticky mess that was on her face.

She let Levi lead the way, allowing David to do what he willed, whether it was help or not help. If Levi hadn't shut the door, she would extend her shadow to send a solid piece into the back of the door on this level, and then move up the stairs with a look of quiet longing to the pianos. Her eyes flicked around the second floor, both as curious and watchful as ever.

She looked towards Levi, and David, still observing her silent vigil even as safe behind closed doors as they were. Her throat was dry, and she was thirsty, but there was no sense in getting something to drink right now. She had a mind to ask Levi, regardless of his offer to make themselves at home, about...cleaning up. She probably looked like roadkill, not even worth a cat dragging her in. But more of her focus was still on being close to hand, and what David would need before he passed out. Food, water.

[David B.]

Dqvid would step aboard Levi's craft, sway a bit but stand tall until they reached their destination. As Levi began explaining the place, it would seem to David that th man was speaking from quite far away. He would nod and smile, giving a mumbling "thank you" before heading into a spare bedroom.

There he would collapse on the bed and pass out instantly, without further words to be said.

OOC: David is out for the next several posts. If you guys wanna continue, great, i'll interject David back into it at a later time.

All Davids Stats return to normal following his awakening.

[Kyrie Blaze]

The petite woman blinked from the door as David went and promptly passed out. A frown touched her lips and she trailed after, sweeping her shirt over the knife to clean the last of the blood away - her shirt was a mess as it was, so a little more blood wouldn't hurt it - and set it on the end table with a murmur. Not that she expected he would be aware of it. His legs were - rather unceremoniously - shoved up further onto the bed before she turned and partially closed the door on her way out.

Once out of the room, she stood, feeling somewhat bewildered and uncomfortable. It wasn't like she was just going to plop down when she had both dry and still somewhat damp blood all over herself. Nor would she go pawing around looking for things she needed; it wasn't her place. Though Levi had invited them to make themselves comfortable, it felt incredibly rude for her to just...do what she wanted. Raised too well, too polite, to just search for a towel and toss herself into the shower (or grab a cloth and utilize the sink)--but regardless she would be cleaning the blood, after. It wasn't Levi's mess and she would be loathe to leave it for him after cleaning herself off.

She padded across the floor, pausing once she was close enough.

"...Levi..? If I may, where do you keep your towels and washcloths..? I would appreciate being able to clean this blood off, if you do not terribly mind."

She was tired, but managed a slight, if weary, smile.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi shut the door to the room David had passed out in after Kyrie walked out, wanting to give him plenty of time to rest. As Kyrie made her inquiry, Levi smiled and opened the door to the bathroom, "Of course, in the small cabinet on the wall, across from the toilet. As I said, make yourself at home." A not-so-innocent thought crossed Levi's mind momentarily as he turned away quickly to extinguish the thought and made his way towards the couch, grabbing an apple from the table on the way. He plopped down onto the couch as his muscles began to feel as if he had been on his feet all day. "What a day...." He hadn't exerted himself much physically, but his adrenaline had been pumping hard for a while before finding out Kyrie was going to be okay. Before he knew it, his mind drifted of to sleep, his head sinking into the couch cushion.

[Kyrie Blaze]

With a murmur of gratitude Kiyr shut herself in the bathroom...and flipped the lock after several long moments. Not that a locked door would deter anyone, but it was just one of those mental securities she needed right now. While she wanted to just toss herself under a steady stream of water...it wouldn't do much good. She stripped, peeling her tattered shirt and vest off, figuring she would have to mend the latter at the very least.

The sink was filled partway and Kiyr got to the business of actually cleaning her clothes, first.

It would give them a chance to...start drying while she cleaned up, after. The water was stained red, then pink as she refilled the sink to rinse some of the soap she used, out. The fabric was wrung out, tightly wadded as she seemed to strain to rip the mass in half. To no avail or purpose, of course. That done, she stuck a cautious hand under the flow of water and brought it to her lips for a sip; her stomach recoiled and she settled for swishing the water through her mouth to ease the parched sensation before spitting it down the drain. Her stomach needed a little more time to settle.

With her clothing in a better state than she was, she finished stripping and cranked the shower on, flipping the pants and shirt over one edge of the shower, and flicking a towel over the other. And then she stepped into the gloriously hot water, and let it rain down on her. She stared at her feet for several minutes, watching the rivulets of water course down her skin. It quickly became a vivid red, but soon lightened to pink as the worst of the blood was washed away. By the time it started to turn pink, Kiyr had started to scrub her skin. Hot water and soap were little pieces of heaven, and certainly helped to level her out after her ordeal. She didn't feel remorse for killing him; he'd killed other girls, but moreover, he'd threatened her family.

It seemed to be too soon for her tastes, but Kiyr shut the shower off after the blood was cleansed from her body and hair, leaving most of the wet strands plastered against her back. She reached up to wring the moisture from her hair and then pulled the towel in with her, passing it gently over her scabbed skin. Once dried, she wrapped it around herself and broke out some of the cleaning supplies she had spotted.

It was odd to scrub a shower and sink down wrapped in a towel, but, it certainly didn't take her long, either. While she didn't necessarily like the smell of bleach, it was familiar and screamed 'clean' to her. Everything was tucked back in its place. Blue eyes veered to the clothes that were still wet. She made a face, but it was better to be in wet and clean clothes than bloody ones. She managed to remove a little more of the cold damp by using her towel, but soon she was dressed again. The towel she kept around her shoulders for an added layer of warmth as she stole towards the main area, the wood almost hardly making a sound as Kiyr felt her way along. She nearly said something as she came back into view, but, upon seeing Levi sleeping, simply closed her lips and retrieved a cup of water and an apple.

Kyrie may have been weary and exhausted, but she wasn't about to fall asleep.

No, she would let both Levi and David rest and keep a watchful eye on them both. She chose a spot that she could easily observe both from and then gently, quietly opened the door to David's bed. Retreating just as quietly as she came, the petite blonde lowered herself to sit on the floor, leaning back against the wall with a weary exhale. She drew her knees to her chest and tugged the towel a little further over her shoulders. Kyrie set the glass by her side and drew out a small paring knife from her shadow to begin cutting the skin from the apple in a long spiral.

And quietly munch on one end once it was long enough, and until she reached the end. The fruit would go a long way to helping her blood level out; and she was content to watch and listen as she ate the rest of the apple.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi had merely dozed off and the sound of Kyries shower had certainly added a heavenly white noise to his home that made the short nap that much better. As she came out, the small creak of the door released him from his slumber as his eyes shot towards Kyrie reactively. He was not used to guests and his sense of awareness had yet to relax, but his expression remained relaxed and he watched Kyrie peek in on David before sitting down with an apple. Levi leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees, turning the apple he had forgotten about in his hands.

He let out another small sigh of relief as he continued to stare into the crimson fruit, "So what do you think?" Levi was obviously talking about the ordeal and the fact that it helped (some people) to talk about events like that after having a chance to reflect.

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kiyr's blue eyes slowly lifted to Levi at his sigh and inquiry. She mulled over it for a few moments, nibbling at a slice she just finished coring.

"...I think that if you both had not shown up, I would be unconscious and well on my way to dieing - or dead - from shock and blood loss alone. So, thank you...and how did you and David get there..?" There was a pause as the blonde carefully stretched one leg out before bringing it back in to her chest. And then the other. Her would-be assassin wouldn't have needed to land a fatal blow. Her body would have gone into complete shock--as it was the sudden reversal of her injuries courtesy of David hasn't stopped the effect, but had temporarily worsened it. But she was alive and whole and for that she was grateful. Her brow furrowed very slightly. "You said the qi was identical..? I would say you should keep note of the ones exactly the same. If you pin-point identical ones, one will be ours and the other will likely be an assassin."

Now that she had a clear head, her 'track the same signs' mumble was explained clearly. Kyrie wasn't sure how much detail she wanted to go into on the actual event itself, so she didn't speak of it for now. Besides, it was probably better just to go through it as few times as possible, so perhaps once David awakened...

The petite woman closed her eyes for a moment, gently drawing her knife through the apple again. The seeds she would keep. Perhaps at some point she would attempt a small orchard on the ground level, as she didn't think it would be wise to plant trees on her rooftop groves.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi listened as he bit into the shiny red apple, his appetite returning somewhat. Barker was certainly sending worthy assassins if they could come that close to killing their targets. Even more remarkable was that their targets were the stronger individuals of the gang, a bold, but apparently feasible move. He swallowed a bite of fruit as he slowly shook his head, "David flew us there after I found you. We had been dealing with a spy of our own, though he had a this list..." Levi walked over and handed Kyrie the list, sitting down next to her and taking a second bite of his apple. "You were his prime target....and then those others.....we should see if they're okay soon...."

easier said than done....

Levi knew the day would certainly come that he would have to increase his sensor duties, though he had no idea what that would entail. What if some people had already been "replaced?" What if hundreds of "copies" already existed? Levi let out a sigh as he probed the surrounding area with his senses, nothing....for now.... Levi rested the back of his head against the wall, "Sorting out the pairs and scanning the entire area that thoroughly will take time....I just hope we caught this early enough....."

[Kyrie Blaze]

Kiyr's eyes slowly lifted as Levi got up, filling her in on what and how. She was tired enough that she barely flinched when he sat next to her. The crunch of apple, the sound of it, helped to soothe her still-frayed nerves, so perhaps she needed to be close to those that meant so much to her. She studied the names listed, and noted her own circled in red.

"...'his' or 'theirs', Levi..? And, yes, that would be a good idea."

She managed a tiny sigh, and waited with all her regular patience, closing her eyes. Not to sleep, but just to rest. Like before, though this time it was her that was exhausted, not Delilah. Her eyes opened and turned to regard the Japanese man sitting next to her.

"...as do I. Anything as of yet..?"

The knife bit into the apple that was beginning to brown along the outside from where she peeled the skin away. The core was cut methodically, the seeds that dropped out tucked into her palm against the hilt of her shadow blade.

[Levi Kayamei]

OCC: TOTALLY spaced this.....my bad guys.

IC:
Levi looked at Kyrie, "Theirs...though searching for the spy we encountered might not be a bad idea either."

Levi's brow furrowed as he closed his eyes and focused his senses, letting out a sigh and increasing the detail he could detect. They all seemed to be there, though he continued to search in case there were duplicates. He also searched for the one he and David had fought just in case he was still lurking around. Levi said nothing as he concentrated.

OC: Letting David determine what I detect.

[David B.]

David: He snorted, rolling onto his side in his sleep.

Alex: he detects the man they lost- over one hundred forty miles southeast of their position. Two other lights are nearby. One is a little dimmer than the man they fought, the other was shining out like a Beacon. Their power levels, approximating, were between 1500 a d 2200 for the first guy, and 5770 and 6450 for the second.

[Kyrie Blaze]

The blonde stayed quiet. Her eyes were soon hidden from the world as she allowed her lashes to feather against her cheeks. She waited patiently, saying nothing. The only sound she emitted aside from those of her breaths was the sound of her coring the final piece of apple, and then biting into it. Kyrie felt herself drift away, and forcibly opened her eyes. She couldn't afford fall asleep right now.

[Levi Kayamei]

Levi's concerns about his friends lifted slightly as he sensed each of them, at least the ones on the list. However the concern was the stronger signatures. The strongest Qi was easily Elder level, the other he would be able to deal with if he had to. His stomach tighted as he opened his eyes and looked at the blonde.

"Our friends are fine, however there are several Qis I'm unfamiliar with, two of which are pretty strong, one in particular....." Levi shivered from the strength of this particular Qi as he paused, "Is easily elder dragon level."

[David B.]

Someone would be knocking at Levi's door.