The Librarium Private Dock

Noel descended from the ship that was bringing her to Kagutsuchi. She wasn't exactly eager to get down, as she didn't like the Port: it was just too noisy and crowded. At least people wouldn't even try to talk to her, since she was on a mission and all. Hopefully my mission is simple: I only have to get to Kagutsuchi's NOL Headquarters, find the Major, and everything will be fine...

Still worried regardless of her own reassuring thoughts, Noel ran out of the Port, hoping she could find Jin really quickly so everything could get back to normal.

-----------(To the NOL Headquarters)------------>

Arriving later than she would`ve hoped for, Mai walked off the plank and onto solid ground, her airship departing soon after she was dropped off, as if it was avoiding the city completely.
She took a deep breath, then looked around- there was no panic in the peoples eyes, so the worst assumptions why there hadn´t been any kind of communication coming from Kagutsuchi´s branch in nearly three days were wrong.
A gaze upward also confirmed that it was still standing, though an odd, purple light could be seen for the briefest moment..

What... was that? Its feeling odd.. as if i`ve seen this before somewhere..

Straightening her thoughts and her uniform, she shrugged it off and proceeded, she´d have to investigate the branch if she was ever going to find out what was going on there.

---------(From Outside the NOL Branch)----------------->

Noel arrived at the Port running as fast as she could. Major... Where are you and what could you be doing in the upper section of the town..? Due to the little population walking through the Port, she had to walk, instead, but noone in the port looked like Jin.

She was about to leave, but out of an arriving ship came a figure she knew very well from her Academy days. M-Mai? But what can she be doing here..? She found herself dumbstruck for a little while, looking vaguely in Mai's direction...

Looking about for clues, like wounded soldiers or disturbed ones, she instead came across one that looked rather clueless and stumped. One that made her heart skip a beat, because she hadn`t seen that girl in at least two years.
"N-Noel?!" She babbled out, blinking twice, but the mirage won´t go away- instead, the taller girl ran towards her and nearly pummeled her to the ground, hugging her tightly.
"Noel! It is you! Where have you been all this time?!" Mai exclaimed, on the verge of tears, as she pushed the smaller girl face unconciously into her enormous bust.

Noel had barely realized Mai was actually here, and Mai had already ran into her. She had this habit of being a bit overly affective, and Noel was barely able to move while in the strong hug of her Academy friend. She agitated her arms so that her friend could let her go before responding: "Sorry for disappearing just like that... I was offered a job under Major Kisaragi, and you know, it's the kind of offer I couldn't refuse..."
Noel fixed her beret on her head, as it was about to fall as she had leaned her head down. "But I am on a mission to find him back so... I should probably head to the few areas I have left to search him in..."
In her mind, she couldn't spend time with Mai just now, because of her mission, which took priority over it. But at the same time, she wanted to stay a little longer with Mai. "Maybe we could see each other when I'm finished..?"

Major Kisaragi went missing? She heard about that, though thought it was just another top secret coverup mission he was partaking in, vanishing for the sake of surprise attacks.. but if it was, then his personal secretary wouldn´t be looking for him in the hell-hole of nowhere. And that he went here, of all places, was interesting too- the hero of the Ikaruga wars deserting his post and going here of all places. A thought came up in her head, that maybe Ragna wasn´t the culprit they were looking for, but she discarded that as nonsense. Certainly he would be capable of silencing an entire branch, but he´d have no reason to.
"I´m not here for the heck of it, either. No one has heard anything from the Kagutsuchi branch in 52 hours, Noel... officials are starting to worry Ragna the Blooedge passed through here. Though from this perspective, i can still see the branch in one piece..."
No communication, Kisaragi was missing and was probably on the lose in this town... she was beginning to not-like any of this.
"...I`m gonna head for the Branch, Noel, to get some answers from the people responsible. Maybe Major Kisaragi is there too?

Noel had listened to Mai. Her pointing out that the Kagutsuchi's NOL branch was completely empty even though the building looked well, and saying she was going to the branch wiped the doubt out of her mind: Jin had to be at the Cathedral. "I'll be going with you, Mai. There's little chance the Major is in Area 3 anyway. You're following me?"
Waiting for her friend to decide, Noel would start running as soon as Mai decided she'd go too.

----------------(Exit to the NOL Branch)------------------->

A smile crept up in her face, nostaliga remind her of the old days when they were together and looking for the Azure Grimiore. Nevertheless, this was a thousand times more serious, and a slipup could get them both killed. Nodding once, she followed the.... rather attractive behind of Noel, silently reminding herself to look for suspects rather than for Noel`s butt, a light blush coming up on her.
Why were those skirts so damn short anyway?!
"Yeah, i`m right behind you, Noel." She finally answered, exhaling a sigh.

-----following Noel

---------------------(From the central park)--------------------------->
She had been walking without thinking for a while now. She was just feeling like dying now. Her goal in life was nothing but a delusion, and the fact that she sacrificed a life where she had everything she wanted for naught was just her idiocy biting her in the butt for her trouble.
The dock was empty. She sat there for a moment, looking at the night sky. There was nothing more than a dark blue. In a way, it was as empty as her mind right now. She didn't even feel a thing when her body arched forward, and she just fell off the edge.
As she was falling, she finally reached the quintessence of her recent state: Nothing reached her. She stopped moving towards the future. She would know nothing more...
Finally, the true end came as the girl hit the ground, a good distance lower. Her body, now lifeless, kept falling until nobody would see it.
-----------------(RIP)----|

|--------(or not, back from the grave)------------------->
One hour after someone could've seen the body drop from the docks, the girl who just jumped off was climbing back up the docks. She had come out of that with heavy injuries, that were still visible despite the healing the ring around her neck gave her.
She breathed weakly, and walked in an odd way, hunched forward. All the people who brought her down there... They all will go down there, in due time.
As the girl walked her way out of there, she took her tool of judgement in her hand, and headed away from the dock, in a direction she knew all too well...
--------------(to the town)----------------------------->

---------------------(From The Wings of Justice Arrive!)--------------------------->
Akimoto just needed to give her report to her captain, after that she could go shopping and rest. She just remembered she would also need to start on the paper work for Jubei. Her wings where spread out, allowing her to fly towards the center of the NOL docks. After a moment she spotted her captain at the center of the docks and allowed herself to slowly glide down to this position.

After a few moments, Akimoto landed and gave her reports, tell her about Tsubaki orders on how to deal with Jin and Noel. She kept the encounter with Jubei out of her report. Once her report was done she also request several papers in order to get a license for Arsmagus. Soon a few moments pass by and all her work was done. She saluted her captain before turning around and taking a good look at the docks.

(From Kokonoe's Private Laboratory)~~~~~~~~~~~>

As the crackling of the spacial rip opened up, from its dark zone it would drop both Bang Shishigami and the legendary silver knight unto the region of the docks. The area would prove quite fine for searching for Terumi in any sign. As the sightless gaze of Hakumen had a clear glance around the docks, he'd looked towards the direction of one of the few visible people about this section from the distance briefly before looking to the Man of Honor before he'd spoken. "I know not your plans, Bang Shishigami, but being here would not serve you well. As the Librarium takes offense to their own not here: while such things do no matter to me, as my mission involves the hunting of a fiend. I would caution you only." in that one light it was the only thing that he'd be concerned with doing now, he would leave Bang to his devices, as he knew the man had likely recovered enough to easily act on his own.

Though Hakumen did sense someone here, he was unwilling to care to respond to their presence, what his focus was simple: hunting clues for the snake that hid within the Librarium's protective bindings.

"...I understand." Bang nodded at what Hakumen had said, which was odd considering that the manly ninja would love nothing more than to get involved in the action "I would gladly stand by you in battle, but there are those I must protect back in Ronin-Gai."

What he had said was truth; he had left his home unattended for too long, and he really needed to go back.

Understanding the words of the man, the Silver Knight would give him a light nod. "Then go, Bang Shishigami, protect that which is important to you. Our paths will likely cross again." at the very least, it would be a truth, he would come across Bang likely in his travels and they would likely walk the same righteous path.

Flapping her wings, Akimoto started to soar into the sky but after only a few flaps she spotted someone she thought she would never see, especially not today.  It was Hakumen, one of the legendary six heroes.   Akimoto wondered what was going on?  Were the six heroes all showing up to the city for a reunion?  She slowly started to glide down, circling the leader of the six heroes.  She had no idea on how to approach him or what to say but she couldn't ignore him either.  Maybe she could start off by talking about Jubei, as she had only meet him a few hours ago.

Finally allowing her own feet to touch the ground, Akimoto landed behind Hakumen, within speaking distance but still giving him much personal room and not presenting herself as a threat, then again who would dare to attack the great and powerful Hakumen.  “Hakumen of the Six Heroes, I am Akimoto Amon, Warrant Officer of the NOL Air-force.  Are you by any chance looking for Jubei?” ask Akimoto in a polite but confident voice.  It was then she notice there was another man near Hakumem as well who didn't belong here.  “Hakumen, is he your companion?” ask Akimoto knowing full well that Hakumen and this stranger were trespassing on private property but she was willing to let it slide.  After all he did save the world from the black beast.

As he turned the sightless gaze upon this strange avian, he'd realized that she was not only a beastkin, but a Librarium officer as well. She was speaking to him with respect? And such a rare thing granted the Library were one of those who opposed his words of caution over 100 years ago. But again, the times had changed. "Yes, I am Hakumen. So Officer Akimoto, you've seen Jubei have you?" he hadn't expected that old heroic cat to be anywhere near here, but it made it clear to him that his reasons for being here were likely similar to his own. Terumi was making his moves and he imagined that the old feline knew as well as he did.

"I presently have no business with him and yes, this man is my companion." if anything to do the honorable man of justice one last favor, it would be to avoid issue with the Library. As he knew Bang would be one for going and pretty soon at that. He'd be moving on in that same fact, once done with this conversation.

So it was mere chance that Hakumen and Jubei were both at the same place in the same day, that or something big was going on.  She wondered if she should ask about it but if something was going on, Jubei would have probably told her unless he didn't know.  Now she was conflicted if she should ask him or not.  After a moment she work up the courage to ask Hakumen.  “Hakumen, if both you and Jubei are here, something big must be going on.  Is there anything I should know or perhaps you can't tell me.  In that case is there something I should do?” ask Akimoto in a bit of a worried voice as she then took a deep breathe and started to calm herself down.  

She started to think about her training and the techniques she had learned to deal with fear, panic and stress.  As she began to calm down she then remembered that they were still on the NOL private docks and that Hakumen and his friend were technically trespassing.  “If I dare may ask, do you have any business at the NOL docks.  I mean no offense but the NOL might not take to kindly to you being here, not that you can't handle yourself but I rather not see my fellow soldiers get hurt or worse.” said Akimoto as she as she grabbed one of her arms and made a sorrowful face.  She hoped that Hakumen didn't take any offense to what she said.  The last thing she wanted to do was get Hakumen angry but she also wanted to avoid any unnecessary conflict.

"And I am Bang Shishigami, Warrior of Love and Justice!" The Ikarugan Ninja boisterously declared like usual "But you need not worry about my presence, for I was just about to depart for Ronin-Gai."

With a nod to both Hakumen and Akimoto, the manly ninja turned on his heel and began leaping through the terrain "We shall meet again, Sir Hakumen! May justice always empower your blade!"

Within seconds, he had taken his leave.

(Exit, Bang Shishigami! HO!)

This avian officer was being particularly full of questions, though the polite tone was one of the things that kept him from snapping coldly at her. She had revered him and apparently the Grimalkin for their tour of duty as one of the proclaimed 'Six Heroes', well between that and some concern with justice itself. Still, she hadn't a reason to be concerned with his purposes and he would make no true distinction about his presence here. He could sense nothing from docks, there was no trail as he presumed there might be from Terumi. 'He must already be here...' it was most likely true as he had been detained just long enough that the fiend had already landed and come to work his sinister features upon Kagutsuchi.

"Warrant officer Akimoto, the Grimalkin and I each have our own business here, despite its coincidence, it is merely that. Since you asked me with such distinctive concern I leave you with this knowledge: your position within your organization is tenuous, shadows leak from the seams of the group you follow. Keep your eyes sharp or it may swallow you whole as well." words of wisdom while he turned to go, apparently his target was not here, it was time to move on. "And your fellow officers are safe, for my business is not here. Bring forth the true justice Officer, with your own two hands." he could sense something of a spirit within her that reminded him only partway of Bang Shishigami. Did she seek true justice? Then she would find her own path readily, as that was what it took time and again.

(Exuent)~~~~~~~~~~~>

The warrant officer listened carefully to Hakumen words as she let go of her arm and allowed them to relax in a natural position. She knew that her position in the NOL wasn't an easy one but she and her family had work hard for it and she was now climbing the ranks and making a name for herself. Was there something going on in the NOL or maybe Hakumen was talking about Ragna. Either way, she should prepare for the worse just in case.

Akimoto let out a sigh of relief as the leader of the six heroes informed her that her fellow soldiers were safe. The beastkin then notice Hakumen leaving as he told her to bring forth true justice with her own two hands. Was he telling her to leave the NOL or perhaps not blindly follow the NOL? Taking a moment to think about, Akimoto remembered what her true goals were. She was going to change the NOL from the inside out. As Hakumen started to leave sight, Akimoto spread her wings and flew into the sky were she followed him from above. She had a lot of free time now that she was off the clock.

(Exit)------->