nysalogs | ( semi-open) catch-all for event happenings;

[ to put it lightly, this situation was bad. though he knew he wasn't guilty of what he had been accused of, he also knew that didn't mean a thing in this situation. a disaster had occurred, and people were panicking.

right now, moreso than the truth, people simply needed someone to blame. and unfortunately, one of those people happened to be him. ]

This is ridiculous.

[ when the explosion had occurred, archer had decided to go to the market district in order to try to help. he hadn't predicted the transmission that would follow, or what it would mean for him. immediately upon hearing it, he decided to make himself scarce, trying to make his way from the site of the explosion as quickly as possible.

being caught out here definitely couldn't go well for him, regardless of who he encountered. ]

[ when the transmission goes out, the names she recognizes on there frustrate her to no end. because she can't really say that any of them would strike her as the time to be involved in a terrorist incident. not all of them are good people necessarily, but... she doesn't get that vibe out of them. that they would intentionally hurt people for, what, nothing? for some sick bullshit?

whatever the case is though, she's trying to find them. or at least the ones she recognizes as a means of prioritizing. there's a reward on them and she wants it, but... she's conflicted. could she really sell them out for cash? maybe if she make them listen to reason instead...

she's trailing around the noble district, where people have fled to in a search of safety from the contamination that the market district has now undergone. this may be the best place to start. it's already dark, the morning of the attack now gone. she's been asking around for any signs, lies that she's part of the royal guard to those who wouldn't know better, and starts getting leads that a stark white haired man with tan skin has been seen around. archer, most likely. he's a prickly guy unfortunately. she hopes she doesn't have a hard time with him. ]

[ though normally he may have been better at going unnoticed, he was unfortunately caught by surprise this time. by the time he'd seen the transmission and understood its implications, people had already spotted him. and, like it or not, no place in the city was truly safe for him now - retreating back to his house would be too obvious, and seeking refugee at his place of work likely wouldn't go well for him.

the most he can do is stick to darker, less traveled roads and areas. of course, it's only natural that others might have the same idea. ]

Ermes.

[ he recognizes her from a distance, even before she's upon him. and... from her countenance, he can already tell this isn't for a friendly meeting. ]

I hope you aren't planning anything foolish.

[ her body stops and swivels toward where she thinks the voice comes from in a shock. did he get the jump on her and not the other way around? crap, that's no good. she was hoping for the element of surprise on this one, especially when she doesn't know what archer can do. back when the pods were all dropping down to this planet, he was among the first to arrive even before her. that makes him powerful. ]

Hey. [ she starts, taking in a breath and composing herself. ] Having a good night, man? I saw your posters - they did a good job with your hair.

Posters already? They really aren't wasting any time.

[ in some ways, that just makes this all the more suspicious. but no, given the level of the disaster, it's not too unusual that they would have put everything possible into catching the names "fugitives."

all the same, he continues to watch ermes's body language, studying for anything her words might not convey. and... while there's definite reason for her to be apprehensive around a known fugitive, there's more to it than just that. ]

I don't know what you're thinking, but just give up on this foolishness and leave.

I was thinking about turning you in and getting ten thousand in silver. No offense, you and I are cool, but money's money.

[ she's been working dirt jobs in hunting to get by, saving where she can, but on the all it hasn't been a lot. ten thousand for even one person would be really huge. ]

This isn't ten thousand you're equipped to collect. If you're that hard pressed for money, I suggest looking for one of the others.

[ not that he expects any of them to be less of a challenge... but with a wave of his hand, a sword appears out of thin air with a cackle of energy. it's more of an intimidation tactic than an actual challenge, but he weighs the blade in his hand all the same. ]

I'm not the same as I was back when we first landed. [ granted, even then, he'd been able to catch ermes's pod with... some difficulty. ]

[ creating swords out of thin air - that's a pretty fucking metal power, in a couple different ways. but just like he shows off his power, she shows off hers: a blast of purple light shines through and Kiss appears behind her. ]

If I'm not equipped, make it easy for me. Come with me to Ashti and hand yourself over. What you do after I get the silver doesn't mean shit to me - bust out, break some jaws. I'm not a hero looking for justice Archer.

So you want me to cooperate with you just for the money? And if I accept this idea... I assume part of that reward goes to me?

[ he's a bit wary of the Stand, but it's not like he was entirely unaware of it... or of Ermes's abilities. he doesn't truly know how good she is in a fight, but he at least understands she isn't someone to be taken lightly. perhaps that speaks to her own inexperience - she may have a chance, however slight, if she hadn't revealed her cards earlier. ]

--Sure! [ that, actually, was not part of her thinking at all. and ermes can admit to herself that she would have never consider it. money is everything in tough times. she wouldn't even give a cent to one of her best friends behind bars, so giving anything to archer was unthought of. ] If that's what it takes, I can split some with you.

That almost makes for a tempting offer.

[ almost. he lets that hang, shrugging his shoulders a bit for effect. ] If the situation wasn't as dire as it is now, perhaps I would have taken you up on it. But things being what they are, money isn't likely to be too useful to me. [ do merchants even sell things to wanted fugitives?? ]

So I suppose we'll need to do this the hard way.

[ her face stills, looking a little downcast, but then she smirks slightly. ]

I always do shit the hard way. Why couldn't you make it easy for me?

[ with that said, she takes a dagger out from her back pocket and spins it in her hand. he's a tough bastard, so getting stabbed some won't hurt right? and he is bringing out those swords, so fair is fair. ]

Come on, Archer. Show me how many swords you got!

[ and with that said, Kiss smacks a sticker onto the blade, pulls out the duplicate and launches a throw at Archer. and another, and another, and another - continuously replicating the same dagger and throwing each one faster than the next. ]

Unfortunately, making things easy for you makes things a little harder for me than I'm willing. I've already had a somewhat rough day.

[ which is... putting it lightly. though his tone remains playful, his eyes are anything but. especially as he watches her draw a weapon. ]

Interesting.

[ he knew how her ability worked in theory, but seeing it in practice is another thing entirely. though her ability is similar to his on the surface, he can tell what is actually happening is quite different - copying, rather than projecting. a subtle difference that perhaps only someone truly well versed in this art would understand. ]

The answer to that question is simple: enough. [ but rather than mimicking her technique, he simply begins deflecting her daggers out of the air, swinging his own blades to intercept them with increasing speed and ferocity. there's no need to do more... yet.

well, aside from the two blades that appear in the air above him suddenly, hurtling straight at ermes from a higher trajectory. ]

[ the intercepting clash is more than successful. even without what she suspects is some kind of magical power attached to those blades, her daggers are just that. plain and ordinary. if her opponent wasn't archer, she might stand a better chance. right now they're just in a stalemate.

however in her concentration, she doesn't see the blades that come from above, dodging the wave of dagger vs blade below it. Kiss, however, does - it grabs ermes by the jacket and thrusts both of them backwards to avoid the blades, which strike into the ground. but in doing this, ermes loses her unlimited dagger works and now has to dodge into a nearby alleyway to avoid the blades that weren't deflected earlier. ]

You damn cheat! [ she yells from behind the walls of safety, leaning against it with a fist clenched. ] You know, a real fucking Archer doesn't USE swords! Or did they not teach you that at your damn archery school?!

[ while his attack misses, it still essentially achieves his goal - the most difficult part of gauging ermes's abilities is that spectral guardian haunting her. in a way, it's almost like a Servant, simply with less autonomy: though it's clearly capable of acting on its own to defend its master as well. ]

Unfortunately, I was a drop out. I never graduated archery school.

[ despite ermes taking cover, archer remains confidently out in the open. he could just retreat now: his goal isn't actually defeating her. but at the same time, there's a possibility she might attack once his back is exposed. ]

Is that enough for you, or do you still want to continue? Even a substantial amount of money isn't worth your life.

[ she grits and yells: ] You've never been poor then, huh Archer!

[ ermes has done plenty of crazy shit for money. anyone who ever says "money can't buy you happiness" sure has never fucking needed the money they had. if archer is right about anything, it's that he seriously doesn't seem to have any quarrels about killing her. you think you know a guy!

she breathes in tight, trying to come up with a plan, and her eyes go to the blades that archer flung at her from above. they're still on the ground where she had dodged them before. that could be the break she needs. ]

Listen Archer, I'll give you one more chance to go quietly. Otherwise, I'll get serious as hell!

No, admittedly, I haven't.

[ though he's never cared much about money either way... living in poverty would be fine with him, as long as he believed he was doing what's right. not that he'd ever admit to such a cheesy line of thought. ]

I believe I've made my own position clear. [ he simply gestures towards her, still rather condescending in his own self confidence. ] Let's see what your "hell" looks like.

You got it!

[ and ermes rushes out from her hiding spot, running as fast her legs can carry her, and grabs one of the blades spiked into the ground. ]

Eat this, asshat!

[ and she repeats her actions from before - rapidly duplicating the sword and having Kiss fling it out toward archer with superhuman strength giving it the needed boost to carry through the air. only now instead of feeble daggers, it's his own swords coming back at him. ]

I see. So that's your trick?

[ admittedly, it hadn't been too hard to follow her line of thought. since she had told him her power before, it stood to reason she could recreate his own blades. fakes of fakes... if the situation wasn't dire, perhaps he'd even find that funny. ]

You're talented, I'll grant you that. But there's only so far you can go just copying someone else.

[ the irony of him saying that is... not lost on him. but his own blades are fragile; a fact he knows quite well. when projecting swords simply to use them as projectiles, there's no sense in enhancing their structural integrity. so simply projecting a shield in front of him - one she might recognize from before, when the pods fell - is enough to absorb the brunt of the blades.

they all simply shatter upon contact. though flashier than her own daggers, and certainly more destructive, archer's swords were never really built to last. ]

I can't afford to play around like this forever, unfortunately. [ though experiencing her power in action had been interesting, he doesn't really have mana to waste; he can already feel a drain on him. so as soon as the barrage of swords is over, he bursts into action, closing the gap between them by charging in from the side.

thankfully he's not out to kill her, so for now hopefully a swift kick to the side will be enough to dissuade her from continuing. ]

[ even with the shield ermes doesn't lose her cool, continuing to go. but it's in a split moment that she falters, her arm tiring, that the gap is closed and the kick slams into her.

it sends her straight into a wall, slammed on her side, a cracked shout of pain accompanying it. she breathes in deep, shaking, and looks over to him while still slumped against the old brick of a building as old as this city. ]

What the hell... what are you?

[ she thought he was just a human. someone who was strong, but that could be beaten. she's never faced anyone quite as tough as archer and she's more confounded than angry. ]

Not human, if that's what you mean.

[ not anymore, anyway. he can tell her will to fight is fading, so he at least begins to backup a bit. she may have come after him, but he has no desire to take this any further than it needs to. as long as she's willing to let him go, that'll be that.

he can't really afford to risk a barrage of knives in the back. ]

Though normally, you should figure that out before picking a fight you can't win.

[ to her credit, she tries. her hand is planted to the wall and she attempts to get back up on her feet, even as one of her legs is quite making a full stand. but even a second of her hand leaving the wall gets her falling over again. ]

...Get out of here. Before I change my mind.

[ she wouldn't win. but she would try, and possibly end up even worse. that's how she's always been, raging into a fight even when the odds are so heavily against her. ]

[ he has to resist the temptation to make some pithy remark... and oh, there's so much temptation. but he also recognizes that unnecessarily antagonizing ermes could just lead to a round two, and he doesn't want that.

so instead he just nods... and disappears into thin air.

because he can do, and could have just done that at any point. a fact he's pretty sure won't be completely lost on her. ]

( semi-open) catch-all for event happenings;

ermes;

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