[video] July 11th, morning.

[canis-blade.livejournal.com]

[The video on the PDA flickers once or twice. A hand blocking the screen moves away to reveal a corner of blue sky and an extremely tired face. The face in question belongs to a young woman with short black hair. Naoto looks beat up, worn, as if she had just come out of a fight.]

Is...this on?

[She blinks at the screen a couple of times, hesitating a little bit more before plunging on.]

I'm sorry, but I won't fight your battles. That's something the people in this city should do. I have to do something back home and...I have to get back. I have to save them.

[A pause. Her face is darkening now and her mouth is set into a hard line.]

Please. Return my katana to me. Now.

Comments

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Takes a good long drag on his cigarette, exhaling it slowly and calmly before he answers.]

Ya know, that's not quite the same as you needing him to tell you something. If he needed to tell you something then he'd be the one doing the searching, not the other way round.

[Video]

[canis-blade.livejournal.com]

[Whatever...But Naoto's shoulders slump a little all the same.]

He won't tell me. So I'll make him.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Still totally nonchalant. He looks at her like he thinks she's probably out of her tree, but he also can't be be bothered to trouble over it too much.]

Uh-huh. And what'd you do for an encore, call the rains by sheer force of will?

What do you need to ask him so urgently, anyway?

[Video]

[canis-blade.livejournal.com]

[Will ignore that first statement. And that look]

...I don't know. [because she really didn't] Something happened while I wasn't here...and I need to know what.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Hmm, maybe if he looks at you just so he can get a better look at that hole you must have in your head there, Naoto.]

You...don't know. [Sighs.]

I hate to be the one to break it to you, Blade-maid, but a fair few things probably happened while you weren't here. That doesn't make them any of your business.

[Video]

[canis-blade.livejournal.com]

[Badou has a point there, but Naoto's too busy feeling and getting upset.]

I'm not interested in any of those things. Just this one.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Pointing out the illogic of this more for his own entertainment than because he thinks he's going to really convince her.]

Right. This one. That you don't know what it is.

So you're gonna find him and make him tell you the thing you need to ask him so that he can tell you about the thing that you want to know about which happened here while you weren't.

Sure am glad we got that cleared up.

[Video]

[canis-blade.livejournal.com]

[She loves you, she really does, but no convoluted sentences for her today.]

Badou, as much as I appreciate your advice, I don't have time for this.

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Shrugs.]

Suit yourself. Not like you're ever real big on the getting out while the getting's good thing.

[Video]

[canis-blade.livejournal.com]

...What's that supposed to mean?

[Video]

[smokeeasy]

[Ever so innocently.]

I wouldn't know.

[And he thinks he'll leave you with that, Naoto. Go chase after Heine to your hearts content it'll be amusing to watch from the sidelines. He gives you a crooked smirk and shuts off the feed.]