Another night of Hunting [Open to Four]

It wasn't every night some losers poked around the Sushi bar Tsurinai Naito had become interested in. They seemed to avoid the nights he were working to harass the customers and the bar owner for any spare cash they had. Even though the police station was located in the center of Nadashiki, they never made it out there on time to apprehend these want to be gangsters that used their power to take advantage of others. Now Tsurinai Naito was not against this. He despised the weak, and he did not particularly care when the strong took advantage of them. However, it was his duty to lead those weaker than himself, and make them find true strength. It was the duty of all those blessed with strength to lead the rest who were so pitiful, they could not fend for themselves. So even though he despised those who were so much weaker than himself, he found himself inclined to seek out this small gang who had been harassing the sushi bar, and would deal with them entirely. He was interested if they were truly strong, or just weakling gathering in numbers to take advantage of others. The best way to determine this was to face them himself, and thus the silver haired Tsurinai decided to pay the sushi bar a visit when he wasn't needed for work. He wore his Kizuna Academy uniform, as he made his way to Nadashiki right when school ended, and would head directly towards his destination without any distraction. Along the way he was sure to listen to any rumours that may be of interest to him. Some people spoke of the disappearances, some others spoke of Satoshi Anya's mysterious return and how she had been missing for about a week. Naito knew all too well about this. After all, he was the one to bring her back from Limbo with the assistance of Barbados Cole before she succumb to death. That made him remember that he would need to pay her a visit at the hospital soon to learn more information about that night the other woman disappeared. After all, Satoshi Anya was targeted for a reason, and he wanted to know what that reason was. Did she potentially see too much?

Arriving at the front of the sushi stand, Tsurinai Naito would look left and right. It was rather quiet this night in Nadashiki. He had forgotten alot of people cleared out when the sun went down thanks to the gang activity. Such filth was allowed to do as they pleased here, it was quite nauseating. Regardless, Naito entered the sushi bar to hear fellow students speaking amongst themselves about the recent attacks the bar had been receiving. "I heard they were members of that gang that attacked the school a few months ago. If that's the case, then wow. How are they still allowed to walk the streets. They should get locked up with that loser Kogami!" The young women continued to whisper amongst themselves as the Tsurinai made his way to the main counter and crossed his arms over his chest. Narrowing his eyes at the owner, he'd crack those pale lips and begin to speak with a calm tone. "Alright, I'll be staying in the back until they arrive. I only have one demand. If there is an altercation, do not get in my way. I've been dying to have some time to let loose. Also I must request you turn off any cameras aswell. I can't promise this will not get violent, and blood will not be shed. I've been known to have little patience with those who are the scum of this Earth." The man would nod and allow access to the back room for the Tsurinai. Once entering the back room, he was out of sight from the regular customers and his own staff. He'd extend and hand and summon his scabbard and blade in a firm grip. Tsurinai Naito was not looking for blood this night, but he was ready to deal plenty of blunt damage. Perhaps he would not need to even draw his blade. Walking to some cabling, he'd begin to unplug a few of them, removing power to the cameras that were in the shop. They were rather cheap, seeing how Nadashiki wasn't really known for its money, so this was the only process that needed to be done. And like right on cue, the silver haired young man began to hear an altercation occurring outside the staff room. His eyes narrowed as he began his confident stride towards the exit of the staff room and back into the main area.

"Look here, Old Man. How many times do we have to come around here till you get the message? Empty your register and give me the goods or this time I'll take more than your money." There were four teenagers standing infront of the register. The one speaking stood towards the back as the other members of the gang would lean over the counter and start pulling and shoving the owner, no matter how much the man begged for them to stop. The people in the bar were quiet and didn't say much, as they stayed in their seats and watched with their mouths shut. Better him than them, correct? "Alright, if you're going to continue being a pain in my ass, I guess we'll take your money and a finger. Yo, hand me that knife!" The Leader shoved one of his members to grab one of the stainless steel knives used to cut the sushi from over the counter and took it into his hands. The teenanger gave a low laugh as he slashed into the air with the knife and then examined it with his eyes. "Damn, you must be making some bank here to have enough money to get something like this. This shit is pretty wicked." The members began to laugh as they grabbed the shop owner and pulled him over the counter by force. They'd hold him in place while the leader took a step forward and took the knife in hand. Pinning the innocent man's harm down on the counter, he'd begin to place the knife towards his middle finger. "Stay still, or I might take more than one. Hahah!" No matter how much the man struggled, they seemed quite serious on taking a finger this time around.

"I've seen enough." A familiar voice would speak out in a calm tone as a figure made his way from behind the counter. "This is the power I've heard about? This form of strength is pitiful. The one who speaks the orders stays behind his pawns like a coward. You're weaker than the people you harass. The complete opposite of strong. Thus, I can not sit aside and watch you do as you please. Especially when you're here on my grounds." The silver haired Tsurinai would hold his scabbard in his left hand as he remained poised and refined. The members of the gang looked at him for a few seconds before giving out a laugh and releasing the older man. "Then I'll take your fin-" Naito cut off the gang members little reciprocation. "Irrelevant. I have no more words to share with those who are below that of even trash. Begone." With those final words, the Iaido veteran would grasp the hilt of his blade with his right hand while raising the scabbard with his left. The blade he was using was that of a soulbound weapon, meaning it did damage to the soul itself. Even though it appeared to be a regular weapon, it was not, and he knew if he used it with restraint he could take them all down without killing them. Though, he had no problem getting rid of this trash for good. Granting them death would be doing them a favor. Deciding against it, the modern samurai would walk next to a chair a young woman was sitting at. He'd tap his foot against the leg of the chair signalling her to stand. She popped to her feet and moved aside. In that moment, the Tsurinai took his foot beneath the seat of the chair and kicked it forward, sending the chair towards the group who were all standing together. As they fumbled to move to the side, he took this opportunity to move in towards their "King". The man who held the knife in his hands and was instigating the most in the situation. With momentum on his side, and a single draw of his sword, Naito sliced straight through the man's body with one movement. The gangster froze in place as a pain filled groan escaped his mouth. Soon his eyes would roll to the back of his head as he fall forward and onto the ground like that of a dead body. A pool of vomit and blood came from the man's mouth as he laid there unconscious. The Tsurinai swung his blade before sheathing it back within his scabbard and turning towards the remaining gang members who had believed he had just killed their leader. "Wh-What the fuck is wrong with you?"

Naito looked towards the remaining members with his head tilted to the side, yet still with his indifferent expression. "Hm, is this so bad? After all, you were going to take someone's finger just a few moments ago. Now there is something wrong with me? Pitiful." It went without saying the same would happen to the remaining gang members that had been threatening the small bar until they were all curled on the ground covered in their own vomit, and unconscious. Once this was complete, Naito closed his eyes and tossed his scabbard towards the back room. Once leaving the sight of the others in the bar, it'd vanish in a flash of azure light. The Tsurinai walked over to the "leader" of the group and would lean down to pick up the knife he had. "This is my favorite knife. My compliments to the craftsman." Naito spoke in his usual blunt tone as the store owner held the phone in his hand to call the cops. The remaining people in the sushi bar were quiet, maybe because they didn't know what to say. It wasn't every day you saw people get chopped down with a blade infront of your eyes. Regardless, the second year student would look at the owner with narrow eyes. "Are they dead?" The man asked with a shaky face. "If they were, I'd ask you to slice them into pieces and serve them to the customers." The young man was obviously joking, though his sense of humor was sick and the customers all almost felt like vomiting from it. "But no, they still live.. barely. They aren't worth the time to kill." The Sushi Bar fell silent at this moment, as the silver haired student had a stare off with the places owner. Not out of animosity, but perhaps because they were finally starting to understand each other. Of course Naito didn't care to understand the place's owner, but the older man wanted to understand him more. Simply because he wanted to know why the Tsurinai was so critical about life. But now he found himself in his debt.

It was some time after school ended, and Hibiki, much to his amazement, found himself sitting in the Sushi Bar, even though he wasn't particularly interested in food. Well, he himself wasn't. This unusual visit was the result of his classmates taking advantage of his apparent friendliness and persuading him to go buy them food. It was one of the downsides of his seemingly outgoing facet. People tended to glue themselves to him as if he was a lifesaver or something along those lines. They very much could have gone and bought what they needed by themselves, but apparently they came to the conclusion that it was easier to convince Hibiki do do it for them. Afterall, he wasn't the one to refuse, even if he didn't like the idea and there were some people who were at least smart enough to realize that he's very likely to say yes to any request. Hibiki was aware that he was being used, but he went along with it, not really fiding it worth of his time to argue with them. He had a feeling it would be no use. Changing peoples's opinions wasn't easy and he wouldn't bother unless it was someone he cared about at least in some way. If he got closer to them by pretending to be ignorant, then so be it.

All of this didn't stop him from taking his sweet time though. If he already had to make a trip to the Bar, he was going to get something of worth from that. And so, he took sime time to hang around before getting the stuff he needed. If they were so lazy, they could wait for a while too. And apparently they were going to wait for longer than he initially expected. It's not often that one gets to sit through a live drama show. If it could even be called that. Hibiki was in the middle of lounging in one of the seats, absently thinking about various stuff, which by the way was completely unrelated to sushi and the task at hand. He was dragged from his bubble by a group of teens, who came and started harrasing the Sushi Bar owner. It was sad how low people went these days. He watched the ongoing incident out of the corner of his eyes, wondering if he should step in. This kind of thing wasn't right at all. Yet, he was slightly hesitant. He didn't know just how strong the teens were, and he himself wasn't extremely skilled in fighting. Of course, he could pull his weight if needed, but this was a bit too risky as of now. Thankfully, he was spared of his decision as another guy entered the picture. From what Hibiki could tell, he was in his teens too, and surprisingly wore their school uniform. Though, he didn't remember ever seeing him in school. Perhaps he was in a different year? Who knew. More important was the fact that he had a sword and proceeded to singlehandedly beat up the teen gang. Man, he almost felt sorry for them, with the way they went out without a chance to fight back. Hibiki knew that he should probably have been more surprised as to why did the silver haired teen own such a dangerous weapon, as everyone else around him was practically stoned, but for some reason it didn't bother him as much. Guess he just had a way too accepting outlook on life. While weapons usually weren used by teens and definitely not in a Sushi Bar, it didn't mean such a thing wasn't a possibility.


Hibiki was relieved when it was said that the guys weren't really dead. As bad as their actions were, it would be sad if they died like this. He really felt a little weird sitting between people who sported pale faces, most likely in the reaction to the silver haired teen's talk. Yes, that attempt at a joke was pretty sick, but to each their own. After what he did, Hibiki didn't find it very surprising. He fiddled with the tie on his school uniform a bit and sighed. ''You all should probably loosen up a bit, it won't do any good if someone throws up now.'' he stated to no one in particular, slightly disturbed that he was apparently the only one, or at least the only one that he could see, that wasn't too weirded out by the happenings. Okay, it was a bit weird and all, but there were worse things that could have happened. The normal customers weren't attacked, so it wasn't as if it was a disaster or something. He doubted that his statement would change anything, so he just simply leaned on his hand and watched the interaction with the 'heroic' teen and the owner of the Bar. That sight was definitely less unseemly than the sickly faces of other customers.

The eerie silence seemed to finally break when someone spoke aloud, other than the Tsurinai himself. The silver haired young man would turn towards the source of the voice, and it'd lead his silver hues towards a lone individual that seemed to stand out amongst his peers. Naito would narrow his eyes as he examined this young man. He couldn't particularly tell an age, but he obviously suspected the young man was also a student at his school. The second year student placed a hand on his side while letting the other hang freely, as he finally decided to address this unfamiliar face. "I can't tell if you're extremely bold or extremely ignorant. But seeing how you're not fazed by any of this, I must say I'm surprised. Do you see things such as this everyday in your common life?" Naito lifted a gloved hand and pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb in some thought. Why he was standing here questioning this individual while there were bodies around him was quite strange. But he had written them out of his mind as irrelevant already, so it was basically like they weren't even there anymore. Atleast to him. They warranted enough of his attention, and now the warrant was cease.

Regardless, Naito gave a stern stare towards this young man, not breaking eye contact once. It was almost as if he were looking right through the individual, while testing his mettle. Why the Tsurinai was giving him such a death glare was unknown, but Naito could tell alot about a person with how they reacted to certain events. This was how he read others, and with this young man's response, he'd learn alot about him. Atleast he'd try too.

Naturally, Hibiki was a little startled when the silver haired teen turned round and spoke towards him. Yes, maybe it wasn't the smartest thing in the world to speak up when eveyrone was quiet and he would be clearly heard, but he didn't think that anyone would take an interest in him, much less the one who created this whole 'mess'. Hibiki didn't think that he was intriguing in the least, but he wasn't going to argue with the apparent logic. What happened, happened. It wasn't as if he had the choice to take his words back even if he wanted to. Besides, this might be a good opportunity to get to know why this whole 'action movie lookalike' occured. And since the teen was apparently from his school too, there was a possible plus of making a new friend. Maybe. His words weren't particularly friendly though, nor was his expression, so he couldn't be sure as of yet.

''I wouldn't say I see such things very often, but it wasn't particularly hard to assume that there is no real need to be scared or anything. So why should I?'' Hibiki wasn't very pleased with the way the teen was practically drillng holes in him with his stare, and it was kind of uncomfortable. He would meet his stare evenly though, not backing down, as it was obvious that giving in wasn't a good idea. Someone definitely wasn't a lovey-dovey person. But if the teen wanted a challenge, Hibiki would be willing to give him just that, if only to see the outcome. And he seriously doubted that backing down would be anything impressive in the others' eyes. ''Was the first sentence supposed to be a compliment?'' he asked afterwards, with a slightly raised eyebrow, trying to lighten the mood a bit. There was a pretty tense air in the Bar already.

"Hmph... Is that so?" The silver haired young man would continue to glare holes through Hibiki's own, as his gaze would not waver. So this one wasn't scared? Impressive, though Naito still held a low opinion of him. That look of his seemed to show that he didn't have much mileage in life. Probably never had to get his hands dirty himself, taking the thought even further. "Let me ask you this. Would you have done the same thing if you were in my shoes, and had the power too? Or would you have hid and a corner like a coward while watching this man being harassed?" The Tsurinai's question was rather blunt as he kept his arms folded across his chest. "Do not misunderstand me, this is a rare occurrence. Usually I would not raise a hand to protect the weak. Infact those who cower and can not defend themselves sicken me. They are the problem with our society today. Like a cancer, the weak continue to flourish while the strong suffer simply because we must pick up their slack. However..." The silver hues of the young man would flash down towards one of the gang members. "They are not the definition of strong. In truth, they are even weaker than those they prey on, and as such I had them removed. It'd be an understatement to call them an eye sore. Do you agree?" Once again he was testing what sort of person this young man was.

When he mentioned if the first comment was a compliment, the Tsurinai closed his eyes and tilted his head slighter forward. "I'll leave that up to speculation." Not a straight forward answer at all. Though with Naito's history of compliments, which was zero, it was most likely an insult hidden behind fancy words. He was truly curious on this strange young man's answer to the previous questions, however. Most people these day were so content with the status quo that they simply let things occur, even if they did not agree with it. They made pitiful excuses and spoke useless drivel, but never made any real actions to seek change. In short, humanity was becoming stagnant, and such a thing made the Tsurinai's stomach twist. It was vomit inducing. When did humanity become so content with the status quo? Why did they not want to raise the bar even higher? Such things needed to be forcefully changed if humanity as a whole was to evolve and become a true absolute species. Doing away with gang violence would not help the ultimate goal, but the Tsurinai would be lying if he said he did not take enjoyment in causing agony to those weaker than himself that he saw as trash and worthless. Perhaps he was heartless, but he was one who demanded things. Even if it caused him to step on others who were just getting in the way of his progress.

Now, this totally topped even the drama scene. While Hibiki wasn't expecting any niceties, the actual response he got was a lot more extreme than he would have expected. He seriously gave him a literal speech as an answer, and it was a big one for sure. Hibiki had to give him one for an impression though. It was quite outstanding for a teen in school years to have such a way with words. It was the complete opposite of what Hibiki dealt with most of the time. That didn't mean he wasn't going to give it a whirl. Thankfully, he pretty much understood what the silver haired young man meant. Giving an answer to the questions he posed would be a more tedious task, however. Hibiki couldn't deny that there was some truth in those words, there really was, but just because it seemed so, didn't mean it was the ultimate truth. All in all, it was an interesting take on humans, and Hibiki found himself being quite curious about it.

''You know what? In that case, perhaps I would. Useless violence is useless, but if it's needed then so be it.'' Yes, he disliked hurting people, but in such a case, there wasn't much of a choice. If nothing was done, someone was still bound to get hurt. And if it had to happen, at least let it be those who were doing the wrong thing. It still sucked, but it wasn't as if he could change that at the moment. ''It's certainly an interesting view of humanity, that I'll admit. I do understand what you mean and you just may be right. Do I agree? Depends. I'd prefer to see more before jumping to conclusions.'' he was going to play a wager, as he wasn't certain of the outcome. He'd decide whether he agrees or not later, after he learns a bit more on the subject, and gets a better picture of this...whatever it was.

''You say you did this because the weak drag the strong down, do I have this right? Sounds logical in this particular case, hands down, but just what determines who is strong and who is weak?'' he asked casually, quite interested in hearing the theory behind it. Maybe it would help him pin this down. Although the teen was doing his own type of 'pinning down'. The glaring was starting to get a little bothersome, but Hibiki just kept returning the gaze, while slightly tapping his fingers against the surface nearest to his hand. Hm, someone really needed to relax.

"Useless violence you say?" The silver haired Tsurinai would narrow his hues as he spoke the words. "All violence has a reason and/or motive behind it. The real question is: Was it worth it and was the reason valid? Most people, those being the ones causing the violence, will always believe their version of violence is not useless. For example, these fools-" Naito directed the attention to the trash, also known as gang members, that laid sprawled across the floor. "-believe harassing the weak is not useless. They believe it gives them credibility amongst their peers. Yet for someone like me, that is useless and pathetic. The only violence worth any sort of effort should have the end result of permanent change. But that breaches into another conversation altogether." The second year student tilted his head slightly forward as if in thought about something. Continuing to listen to this newcomer, Naito remained rather quiet. "So you're the type to sit back and watch before performing a solid action? That hesitation is what's wrong with society today. The first humans were able to evolve because they took the plunge without knowing what was on the other side. Those who wait are robbing themselves of advancement, and it's truly pitiful." Though he spoke with a calm tone, his words were rather harsh and cynical about his fellow man. In retrospective, Naito was just realistic to the society he lived in. When the young man continued on to ask what determined who was strong and weak, the imperious Tsurinai would cross his arms over his chest. "To be strong is to endure and survive. The strong do not succumb to the norms of society. They overcome the status quo and look to adapt and evolve to any and all situations. Those who are weak cling to society's current morals and will die rather than change their ways. They believe the status quo is the way of life, and if they are too weak they look to cling to the strong to try and make it in life. They are trash, and they are truly holding humanity back from evolving any further. It'd be much easier if the weak coward in a corner and licked their wounds. There is no place for them in this world." Naito shot the young man a glare as if testing him. "Do you agree?"

Unbelievable. That was the closest word Hibiki could use to classify all this. Of course, he indeed did ask for an explanation, but this was breaching into the slight extreme already. Was it really neccessary to pull such a speech? Okay, it did good at enlightening Hibiki further but it was a little staggering still. Now was one of the rare times that he was really glad that he had a good memory. He was sure he would have forgotten half of what was said if he hadn't. There was a lot of info to process and very little time to do it. Hibiki doubted that the teen would enjoy if he simply stared back, while taking excess amounts of time to comprehend what was said. And it was painfully obvious that practicallly the whole rest of the customers weren't following the unusual debate. He could see them staring at the conversing duo with quite the wide range of different degrees of confused expressions. The ones sitting nearby were even giving him the weirdo looks. A good long walk outside in the fresh air was definitely due after he was finished here.

''I know that violence has a reason when it happens. I didn't exactly mean that all violence is useless. That was more like a figure of speech, if you know what I mean. It's just that it's not always the best way out.'' he tried to elaborate on his previous choice of words. It was a while since he had the honor to have such a complicated discussion. He definitely needed to dust off his skills in this category. ''I don't always sit back and watch as you put it. That, indeed would get me nowhere. Yet, sometimes if it doesn't require immediate action, I don't think it'll hurt to get some background on the situation first. Of course, you're right that humans should try to act on their own at least more often. It would be for the better.'' Hibiki was starting to feel like a scientist pulling out theories out of his ass. He had no idea what exactly did the teen want to hear from him. Of course, he could just say that he does agree, but that would seem quite shallow, and perhaps even suspicious as to why was he so compliant. Oh, the complex ways of conversation. How lovely they were.

Now, the definiton of strong and weak the teen laid out had sounded a little harsh. In basic terms, it wasn't but if he were to consider today's society and the way humans were nowadays, there wouldn't be many people that could fit in the 'strong' group. Many had began to rely on others, as it was the easier way out. People mostly leaned towards the mindset that if there was someone who could support you, then why do it yourself. It was sad, yes, but with the scarce numbers of those that could be classified as strong, it would be hard to work it out. Even if the small amount of strong people could pull through and push forward, the weak would still stagger behind and thus humanity as a whole would not really improve.

''Hmm, I suppose I could agree with that. But if we were to define humans that way, there would be very little of those who are truly strong. With the massive amounts of the weak, the strong alone won't be able to change the world. In that sense, humanity in itself would still achieve nothing. It is something to consider though, if the setback could be avoided.'' he said calmly, with a small shrug. He could have tried to think of a solution for that, but he decided to wait and see what does the other teen think of that particular thing. He had plenty of time on his hands, so why not?...Speak of the devil. Just as he thought that, his phone started ringing. Whoever was calling, had just chosen the worst time ever. ''Er, excuse me for a moment.'' he quipped, holding a finger up and  flipping his phone open with his other hand, giving a small sigh, as he realised that it was one of the classmates that had originally asked him to go and buy them food. Looks like he was there for a longer time than he had thought. He answered the call with an indifferent expression, trying not to show in his voice that it did disturb him quite a bit.

''Yes?''
''No, I'm not done yet.''
''Sorry, but I got held up.''
''I don't know. I'll probably still be for a while.''
''You know you could have gone yourselves?''
''I never said I'll be quick.''
''Well, sorry again, but there are more pressing matters I need to attend to now. You can either wait, or just do it yourselves, I don't mind either.''
''If you say so.''
''Yes, yes, see you then.''

He heaved another sigh as he put his phone back in his pocket, turning his gaze back to the silver haired teen. ''Sorry for the irrelevant interruption, I guess. My lazy classmates are being impatient.'' he said flatly, still slighty irritated at the pointless interruption.

Tsurinai Naito was quite aware of his surroundings, and the people who were observing the conversation about humanity as a whole. Even with so many  eyes glaring down towards him, his resolve remained strong as he looked towards the young man with narrowed hues. In all honesty, Naito was simply testing the waters with the strange young man. Though he stood out, simply because he spoke up before anyone else, the Tsurinai still envisioned him as just another civilian that really didn't look towards the future. Most humans were subject to living their lives for the here and now. Especially in today's society where the economy was shaky at best, they remained hopeful when they did not glance towards their coming future. This fellow student of his may have claimed he understood or even agreed, but in reality the Tsurinai completely doubted such a thing. He had not had his eyes opened to the truth of this failing society, and he could tell from just looking into his eyes. Naito could not remember the last time he was hopeful. He could not grasp the concept of "hoping" for change and not grasping it with your own will. Once again, he was a man of certainties and not one of possibilities. It was naive to believe the world could ever change without drastic measures put into place, and those ambitious enough to use those drastic measures in the first place. Luckily with the sudden appearance of Limbo, and the properties it held that could forcefully change the world, Naito already knew what he would have to do. Humans were immature, but with the use of that strange world, he could forcefully change them all into a mature race. It was necessary for their future. Alot of fools would stand against such a bold statement, and he understood that. After all, forcing change has never been an easy law to pass. Unlike his forefathers who had failed the nation's growth, the Tsurinai had powers they could never understand. Perhaps this was why it was his duty to lead the dregs of society into bigger and better things. those who were too weak to survive change would crack and die. That was not his problem, nor did he wish to find a solution for such an occurrence either. Was this heartless? Perhaps, but heartless decisions were needed for any actions to have any real meaning behind them. Those left would understand that the ends justified the means. If they did not? Well, would any truly care? "I may be wasting my time having a conversation about this with someone who has no knowledge of Ueitawa's current situation." The Tsurinai thought his to himself. "Those who live comfortable lives have no reason to wish for any real change, and thus they fight against change no matter how good it is for the species in whole. It's truly despicable, but it's all fact." The young man closed his eyes as he continued his thoughts, even while the young man spoke out towards him about what he had said before.

When the boy in blue explained that sometimes it was better to analyze the situation, the silver haired young man would give a thin smile. "Heh, is that so? Well, I'd have to agree with you. Though it may seem like a contradiction, I was simply testing to see if you were speaking out just to agree with me, or if you truly had your own opinions." The younger male tilted his head forward and gave his counterpart a stern gaze. "Just like in a game of chess, the King must send in the pawns first to test the waters. Though he understands the pawns will most likely be killed, he takes this into account when analyzing the correct course of action. In situations such as these I wholeheartedly agree that standing back and analyzing is the best course of method. I believe we'd call this acceptable losses?" The teenager's pale lips would keep its thin smile that seemed quite condescending as he spoke with no care towards the "pawns" being lost in this occurrence. Continuing onward, the Tsurinai would give a nod towards his counterpart's comment about there being a small number of truly strong and competent people in this world. "You are correct. There are few strong willed people in this day and age, and it is quite pitiful. It seems that many people need to have an incentive to become more able. It is the duty of the strong to lead the weak, and with our current society's standards, it does nothing but waste true potential. What this world truly needs is an hierarchy. A system where the strong are on top and the weak grovel below. Those who are weak would need to show some competence to move up the ladder of society, thus forcing them to adapt and evolve to survive. Those who would fail would die. That simple." Naito spoke with a calm voice as he narrowed his silver hues and gazed towards his counterpart. "I believe we'd call this survival of the fittest. With only those competent enough to stay alive and climb the ladder of the Hierarchy, humanity will be forced to evolve and becoming ultimately stronger as a race. The one who is the strongest will sit above it all, and even they would need to continue to grow in strength or their position could be taken from them by someone else. Such a system would force humans to continue to grow, and stagnation would cease to exist." When his phone suddenly rang, the silver haired teen would close his eyes and tilt his head slightly back.

He listened to the conversation partially and it did indeed sound as if what he had said was going on right in that conversation. He had a right mind to mention this to the young man, but instead he did not. He'd simply await a sort of response before continuing onward.

Good. Hibiki apllauded himself mentally for being right that simply agreeing wasn't the right way to proceed. Besides if he did that, he would be blatantly lying. As much as he did understand the teen's view, he wasn't sure that he agreed 100%. While it was an intriguing notion, he'd have to consider it thoroughly first. Making a decision when having something suddenly and rudely thrust in your face wasn't the easiest thing to do. If he just jumped in and went for it, he might as well regret it later. Then again, waiting too long could possibly prove to be wrong too. It was quite the dilemma. Hm, he'd probably make a clearer decision after this whole conversation comes to an end, whatever will it be.

''Really? Well, isn't that a smart approach?'' Hibiki laughed shortly, ''Makes me wonder. What would have happened if I did try to simply agree with you, hm?'' he asked that in a slightly amused tone, and more or less in a rhetorical way, but he was sincerely interested as to what his 'fate' would have been had he really done that. In a way, he hoped the teen would answer, as it would be a good thing to know. Hibiki wasn't going to press it if he didn't though. It wasn't that important, as it wasn't relevant anymore, yet it would be nice to know what would a misstep on his part warrant.

''Pawns, huh? Certainly an interesting way to call people, if I might say. Quite harsh to those in question too. At least I suppose many would find being reffered to as simply pawns very offensive.'' he said, before taking a few seconds to formulate the rest of his response. ''I can't say that I like the idea of people getting killed, but if it will help the situation and humanity itself, then it could be acceptable. If they're sent to die for no reason, I'd call that a waste. Mostly. If I understand right, you are talking about those who are weak, yes? In that retrospect, it can be questionable. By dying, the numbers of 'weaklings' would reduce, which could be seen as a good thing. Yet, there might be people who do have some potential to get strong in the future. Without being aware of it, of course. If they die before realizing it, then, too bad....'' at that point, Hibiki halted suddenly, as it occured to him that he might be talking too much. Gah, he was kind of surprised that he took such na unusual interest in this discussion. Maybe it was because it was extraordinary. Perhaps he was starting to be fed up with people who talked of the same things over and over again, and a different look on the subject was...inspiring? He didn't know how to put it, really. ''Or, whatever. I don't think polemizing on it so much is of any help. So, moving on, I guess.'' he huffed after a moment, scratching the back of his head a little awkwardly.

''Good to know I'm at least correct about something.'' he said, smiling thinly himself, but his smile was definitely warmer than that of the other young man. ''A hierarchy, you say? Amply put. Hm, I'm not an expert in history and all, but weren't humans somewhat like that long time ago? You know, before they evolved into the kind of society there is today? Makes me think how would it play out in today's world. Survival of the fittest, for some reason makes me think of animals, but that's not relevant. If the point of this all is that the strongest would lead, then it is a plausible concept. The option of working on themselves to surpass others and becoming a lead instead, might be able to push some of the less inclined humans forward. That actually makes sense. The only thing that puts me off a little is, that while it is a good thing to continue improving your abilities to stay on top, it can be tiring in the long run. Do humans really have the capability to hold out that much and not crumble under the weight of such burden? That's the question I suppose.'' Whoa, Hibiki didn't even know that he could pull of such a speech before. Not that he ever had the chance to. He was actually starting to enjoy this conversation, as much as twisted it was. It was a good thing to broaden one's views too, so a plus as well. It was actually thrilling to meet a person, whom he could hold a more intelligent conversation with. Most of those he had previously acquainted himself with spoke mostly of everyday life, like school, their hobbies or simply complained about how this and that was unfair. Headache inducing in most times, really. He was pretty used to it already, as it was the stereotype, but it didn't mean he couldn't wish for a change. All in all, he hoped he could get along with the young man. Well, at least well enough. He wasn't completely confident they would agree on their views and a gut feeling told him that the other wouldn't be the one for a compromise. Yet, he still hoped they could be friends in future.

As the teen didn't comment on the phone call, Hibiki let that slide. He had no need to bring that up, unless the other would take an interest. Really, his classmates were the last thing on his mind as of now.

"Pawns is an interesting way of putting it, but isn't that quite "evil", Naito-san?" The androgynous Attendant in blue appeared almost out of nowhere, as s/he walked onto the scene from the far wall of the bar. Chance's purpose of coming wasn't a social call, s/he was actually here to tell Naito-san of the recent updates of Limbo he had paid her to keep up with. People looked towards him/her like s/he was a magician, which was fair enough to say since she did sorta appear out of nowhere. The only one who would be able to see the Velvet Doorway would be the silver haired one, so the rest would most likely be perplexed. Chance did not wish to get in the way of the two's conversation, so she would take a seat on the bar counter and watch while letting her legs hang freely. "Oh my. I must have come at an interesting time. Is this what you humans would call "The stuff dreams are made of"? I am quite intrigued. This may come as a bold offer, but may I offer my input?" The Attendant gave a child like smile towards Naito-san before doing the same towards the boy he was speaking with. Raising a hand to her lips, Chance would close her eyes and give a soft hum. "Naito-san and me had a conversation like this before. He believes forcing humanity to change is correct, but is it really? What makes humans so special is the limitless possibilities and potential they all hold. Everyone is so diverse, that it makes each person unique in their own way. Yes, some may be weaker than others, but is that so bad? Someone like me, who is rather ignorant to humanity's more complex side, can not possibly fathom the reason for change." Chance was getting more accustomed to voicing his/her reasons. Much more than before where all s/he did was follow along without a mind of her own. And though she did not see eye to eye with Naito-san's world he craved, s/he made a decision to fight by his side till the end. Maybe because he had treated her like another human being, and not just a puppet to be used for their own use in the Velvet Room, which was surprisingly coming from someone who was so hooked on human superiority.

Ruo found herself in Nadashiki once more. It was quite astounding how she could see herself in the same area more than once. But then again, if anyone were to bring up her living quarters, then her reasoning would essentially have no backing to it. If anything, she probably should come to the same areas multiple times, in order to get used to them on her end, as well as learning the environment and what lies within.  She would find herself roaming the area at a later time in the evening. Though, unlike before, there were plenty of new people around. They seemed to speak in a language that was like human language, but clearly…..broken for lack of a better word? Once more, some of them would gesture to her. She did not want to think that way, but they were clearly pointing at her, saying suggestive things. She was able to ignore them, though she suspected if she were a different person than herself, it would not be as easy.

She would catch a sushi bar that looked fairly interesting. Not being able to eat was perhaps going to end up a fault for her in this case, but it was not like she couldn’t just walk in. She would lower her hood, revealing her blue eyes, and black hair walking in, though, she would walk in to find a particularly gruesome site. Several males were sprawled across the floor, the ground around them sticky with what she identified as vomit and blood. She did not need to be human to know that this was not how humans normally acted. Something had happened to them. Though externally, her face gave little surprise to the scene, not that she wasn’t, just finding it very difficult to express something facially. She would however walk to them slowly bending down to look at them. However, she would be stopped by an older man, who she believed to be the owner, as he was starting to finally clean it up. She would turn over to notice a thin, gray-haired man, speaking in a rather decisive and sure to a man who she had recently met. Another person showed up, quite abruptly at that, who despite Ruo’s machinery, could not determine the sex of that person. So in Ruo’s mind, they would be an “it”. The “it” even mentioned that they were ignorant to it all, which to Ruo, was a bit akin to revealing your weakness. She was not expressive, but she did worry and fear constantly. But openly admitting that? It probably knew one of them, calling the grey-haired man “Naito”. Once the gray-haired man had finished, the man she had met decided to speak. She did not know the conversation beforehand, but he mentioned a hierarchy, and the possibility of humans becoming tired in achieving that goal, for what end? The world? A society? She had never taken any thought to philosophical beliefs, only to her own survival. But one thing he mentioned did catch her attention.

“Are humans not able to go through strenuous trials?” Ruo had suddenly intervened. She did not know the man’s name; the one she had spoken to, so it was her best bet to jump in to the conversation. “What I mean to say is…” she paused for a bit, feeling a bit nervous inside whether their attention went to her or not. “…surely all humans could go through with it if we see humans that already have done so. Hierarchy or not, that does not mean humans are not capable of some amazing things,” she would reason. Her argument may have been a tad naive on her part, but humans did have powerful qualities, and could achieve feats of intelligence, power, and utility; her existence being proof of that. Granted she was defective, she still worked, and she knew others like her that were not defective existed, which could only attest to her claim.

"Hmph, isn't this one quite strange?" The silver haired Tsurinai thought to himself as he closed his eyes and listened to the young man's question. What would he have done if he did agree with him on that? Well Naito wasn't warranted to answer that. "He seems to be enjoying himself during this conversation. I can only suspect his peers don't look towards humanity in such a way, neither do they discuss humanity's flaws out in the open either. Must be a shame for potential to be wasted by the young every day. Hmm, but I suppose that'd make me sound like an older man, wouldn't it?" The young Tsurinai would snap back to the point of the matter as he tilted his head back and gave a slight frown. Though you could hardly call it a frown, as his face usually looked that way, regardless of his current emotion. "Answering that question is rather pointless. I'll allow your imagination to answer it for you." In other words, he wasn't going to humour is guest with an answer here. It was not relevant enough to the conversation. When the conversation continued onward to the discussion of pawns, the silver hued young man would shift his gaze towards a foreign presence that appeared from the wall. That flash of azure light would never go unnoticed to his eyes. It meant one of those velvet room attendants were nearby. The only one he had any real connection with was the young woman, or man, by the name of Chance. Their last encounter was strange, as the attendant had used him to test his, or her, own mettle, but it seemed like s/he was back to work. When she called his methods evil, he tapped his finger upon his bicep while keeping his arms folded across his chest. "Is anything truly evil? I'd see that as a matter of opinion. Even those who are marked as truly evil in history, such as Hitler, was seen as a hero amongst his own kind. Of course I am no Hitler. I don't differentiate by the color of one's own skin or their heritage." Naito's attention switched back towards Hibiki as the commoner inserted his own opinion on the subject. "We're all pawns in this society. The government is simply using the majority of us. No matter where in the world, you can rest assure that your government will milk you for all you're worth until death. And even after then. We late our nations fall into the hands of the corrupt, though I suppose that wasn't our fault. This was before our time, after all. It doesn't mean we can not change things. Personally I am not one to be a pawn of this failing society." He spoke harshly, but realistically. After all, the corrupt were in power and they would not hand over such power to the more competent so easily. "When incompetence is giving a ruling position, the people will suffer. Atleast that is my philosophy on the subject." Once again, the Tsurinai was being realistic. There have been countless times in history where that philosophy has been proved as true.

He continued to listen as the male went on about people dying before their potential is realized. Naito did not even flinch at the remark, because he was well aware of that. If they were too hesitant to realize their own potential, then it ultimately was their fault they failed to survive. The silver haired teen gave a slight smirk towards the individual speaking. "Seems to me like you're accepting those losses already. Perhaps I'm not the most cynical in this room, am I?" Naito shot a glare towards Chance. "Do you see now, Attendant Chance? Not everyone is so naive into thinking humanity can properly prosper on the path it's on at this current time. Your dreams of humanity are nothing but the ramblings of an ill informed child, Chance. But do not fret, I'll show you the truths you seek so much." The teenager unfolded his arms and place his left hand on his side while letting the other hang freely. His vision shifted back towards the only human in the room that seemed to have individuality other than himself. He brought up a solid point about humanity possibly not being able to keep up such a strenuous life within that of the Hierarchy. However, humans have proved their worth time and time again throughout their struggles. This was just another to add to the bucket list. "Humans are rather resilient. If they were not, we wouldn't be on this god forsaken planet any more. Infact, because us humans, this planet is slowly dying. We are an ambitious pack when we crave self preservation; and in the hierarchy every day will be a fight to survive. Humanity will manage like always. Infact, we will grow as a race altogether. This is fact." Naito gave a thin smile as he closed his eyes. "I am surprised we're seeing eye to eye on this subject. Tell me, what is your name?" The fact the Tsurinai had asked for the young man's name meant he had caught not only his attention, but his interest aswell. Usually Naito didn't care for names from people he did not plan to use or converse with in the future. There was much promise in this young man. Even more promise than he had seen in those that he currently kept as company when making various forays into the supernatural world of Limbo. It may have been imperative to take him under his wing as an asset, or in Limbo's case a tool, for the upcoming battles. The only problem was getting him the power to battle the Shadows on equal terms. He'd need a Persona for that, and the Tsurinai wasn't entirely sure how to force someone to awaken that inner power as of yet. Of course he could throw him into Limbo by force, but that was unbecoming of him.

The silver haired teen would think to himself as another voice joined in on the conversation. He did not look towards this second person that added their two cents into the fairs of the two males who were previously there. Instead, Naito lifted a hand and pinched his chin between his index finger and thumb while deep in thought. Perhaps he could ask Chance to arrange something so that this counterpart could awaken to the power of persona himself. With another body on the battlefield, success in the mission would raise another ten percent. And with his views lining up with Naito's own, this only meant there would be no complaints once the silver haired teen made his pledge to rewrite the world using Limbo's own mysterious powers. Looking towards Chance, he'd begin to finally speak. "Attendant, why did you come here? Did you need me for something? It's a rare occasion to see you appear before me outside of that room unless I'm showing you around." It was if his thoughts of the subject were shifting away, as his attention fell upon Chance solely in that small moment. Atleast it gave the young man and the new woman a chance to speak amongst themselves, even though it was rather rude of him. His eyes narrowed at Chance, attempting to read the Attendant's mind only through a glance. Was this social meeting because someone else had gone missing in Limbo? Was she, or he, here to bring home off onto a mission? Or was it none Shadow related for once? His curiosity was truly shaken.

''The things I get myself into...'' Hibiki had the feeling that he should make a mental point for himself not to jump in too deep very often. There was a lot going on already, and he doubted the pressure was going to lessen anytime soon. His initial question didn't get answered, but from what he's seen already, he should have expected something along the lines of what he actually got. And it was fine with him for the time being. Even though he was curious, he was willing forsake it. Besides he had this feeling that he wouldn't have liked the answer had he gotten one.


And as if fate wanted to make sure he didn't dwell on such useless nonsense, they got a newcomer. Although it was a strange one, indeed. Really. No matter how hard Hibiki squinted, he couldn't tell just where did this person come from. That alone was very weird. It was as if they materialized from thin air, which wasn't a feat that humans were capable of. And second, as funny as that might sound, he was a bit confused about their gender. Was that a man or a woman? Even when they spoke up, he didn't arrive at a conclusion. Putting all this together, it would seem that the person wasn't really....human? But was that even possible? Such thing were usualy portrayed only in comics, cartoons, anime and similiar entertainment devices. One thing was for sure, something WAS going on here, and apparently he was the one on the short end of the stick, because s/he seemed to know the silver haired teen he was conversing with. Hibiki wasn't very happy about that, alas there wasn't much he could do about it at the moment.


He continued to listen to his original convesration partner, at least until it seemed that the newcomer adressed him. He gave a nod to the silver haired one, acknowledging that he heard what he said, then turned his gaze onto the mysterious person. ''I wouldn't argue with the fact that all humans have the potential and possibilies. They indeed do. From what I've heard so far, I think the point is that most humans are too lazy to actually make use of it. What good does it do to have limitless possibilites if practically no one puts them to use, right? As you say, every human is unique and thus, every individual has the chance to prove themselves worthy. There's always something one can do. I'd say that if we looked at it with insight, all humans could be considered equal. Even if one is not good at one thing, he can shine in something different. The actual difference comes down from the simple fact that there are humans who have become too content with what they have and no longer push forward to be the best they can be, I think.'' Hibiki was trying to explain it in his own words, and he ended up making the speech longer than he intended. Ugh, at this rate, he could only hope he wouldn't lose his voice from all the talking. He just said how he understood it. Maybe s/he didn't got it differently from the time s/he had the talk with the teen. Afterall he was using quite the advanced vocabulary. It wasn't easy to actually understand the base point. Even he himself had struggled with it at certain parts.

Hm, but he hoped that the person, which seemed to go by Attendant Chance, wasn't going to be too down from it. As even the other teen asserted his not so lovey-dovey opinion afterwards. The situation was starting to get way too complex. Oh, well. ''Cynical, huh? Never thought of myself that way. But, who knows?'' He didn't know how should he feel about that remark. What he had said might have sounded that way, but he was just making conlusions, that was all. Then again, he still did say it. Hmm, what a mess. ''Well, yes, you have a valid point. Humans can be extremely innovative when it comes down to it.'' he mused aloud, having to admit that he hadn't really thought of that particular angle. ''It does make sense, does it not? And I'm pretty open with things, I guess.'' he noted with a small smile playing on his lips. Afterall, he could always back down later if it became too intense. As of now, he was content in checking this out. It sounded really interesting per se. ''The name's Hibiki. Nakahara Hibiki. Care to tell me yours too?'' he added afterwards. While he heard Chance calling him Naito-san before, Hibiki still liked direct introductions better. It just felt nicer.


After that was said and done, the other turned and seemingly diverted his attention to Chance. Hibiki didn't mind. At least it gave him some time to catch his breath. Not literally, of course. Yet, he hadn't actually had the chance to do that. As another voice had entered the scene, and no one had  said anything, it looked like it was left to him. And that girl looked strinkingly familiar...Where had he..''Possibly so. It's just that humans aren't robots or anything. They can get tired if pressed too much.'' He answered simply, his mind a little preoccupied, figuring out where he knew her from. ''...'' Ah, that was it. ''Aren't you the one I met in Iwaigodai?'' he asked just to make sure. He remembered their conversation and all very well, but it felt appropriate to ask, in case she didn't.

"Well.." Chance looked towards the boy who addressed him/her and tilted her head. "What makes humans so special is the fact they are not all equal. There are "diamonds" in the rough, yes? But I suppose I can not really contribute much to this conversation. Humanity has always been something I've peered at out from outside the window." The round eyed Attendant place his/her hand upon her chest and moved her golden eyes towards Naito-san who had addressed him/her directly. The slender Attendant would walk over to her guest so they could have alittle privacy, and s/he would lean in and begin to whisper something in his ear. "It appears someone else has been taken into Limbo, Naito-san. A number of people, actually. I'm sure William has already sent you the message but I wanted to meet with you directly. Also it seems Anya-san has recovered from her endeavor and she is currently in the hospital. It'd be alot of help if you could speak to her about what happened that night when you get the chance. I over heard my older sibling mention Limbo spreading even into our Velvet World. I fear even our safety may be in jeopardy. I must apologize for putting such information on you and so suddenly, but I felt it must be done." The attendant made sure to cover her lips from the others and speak in an inaudible tone that even the silver one would have trouble understanding. The Attendant knew speaking out loud about matters normal humans did not know about would be an issue for her guest, and so took this into consideration when speaking.