CRASH [color=pink]"Ah what the hell!"[/color] As Claribel reached for the door, it burst open, losing a few splinters as it banged into the wall, hanging loose. A charge of brown uniformed men came to a halt, the lead gawking at Claribel and the boy before they poured out, their momentum disrupted. Before she could get a word out, rifles were in hand, the lead man crying, "Who are you!? Why aren't you in Central for the speech!?" Eyes narrowing, he hissed, "You aren't a traitor or a rebel, are you?" [color=pink]"H-huh? Speech? I don't care about any speech!"[/color] "Don't just say it like that!" The green haired young boy at her side snarled. "Seems like it," the lead soldier sighed, before a round of rifles were raised, muzzles jabbing out at Claribel and the boy, who shot her hands up. "It's be wise of you to come quietly." Feeling the boy grab her leg, Claribel's shocked face became cocksure as she stated, [color=pink]"I'm not really good with 'quiet'."[/color] At that, he hand began to faintly glow white, pulsating. Suddenly, there was another round of cocked rifles, echoing from the side. Jumping, the soldiers swung their rifles, aiming them at empty air. "Wh-what?" Grabbing the boy by the collar, Claribel peeled out of there, the youngster crying out in shock as he was yanked along, unable to hear Claribel's light giggling. The lead solider growled as she ran, ordering, "Any still in the Back District are to be considered traitors to the rule of Supreme Chancellor Dario Capper, and are to be arrest on sight! Move out!" But as they did, a handful of other roads bustled with men, each with those same orders in their ears. --- As the grunts lay defeated, Fukubei couldn't help but note, that after everything Vice had been doing the past few days...no, longer? Yet here she was, continuing her work. The drive in that girl was something else. Not about to let himself get left completely in the dust, he looked to his men whom were in the process of escaping, looking back to see how he was doing. Fukubei cried, "The hell are you doing!? We've got a job here! If anyone leaves empty handed, I'm gonna...clip the tips your nails to the skin so they're really sensitive." Determination rising, the men cried, "Yes sir!" Though some were carting wounded, those still in decent shape were able to grab some of the supplies they'd been sent to retrieve, Fukubei hoisting up one whole crate with his good arm. As he escaped, he wanted to look over his shoulder one more time at Vice and her new accomplice, but if he failed, her efforts would have been in vain. He continued to thunder forwards into the Back District, hoping for the best. --- However, the Back District was now in chaos, with both soldiers and scummy types alike running every which way. The hapless homeless and wayward innocents were caught up as well, either being bowled over or outright arrested. [b]In one alley...[/b] A man with reddish brown hair, wearing a white vest with a pair of long thin knives at his hip, chugged a bottle of booze, wiping his lip, before saying, "Hey, Hansky, doesn't spilling blood get the blood flowing?" Kicking over a fallen soldier, a dirty blonde man with a white coat over a sleeveless shirt and shorts had his hands in his pockets, laughed, "You're a dummy, Dansky, who cares about that! We gotta find 'base'. You know where 'base' is?" Dansky tossed his bottle aside, letting it shatter and foam as he realized, "Oh, like tag!" Hansky nodded, "Oh yeah, tag! Keheh. I guess these chumps are 'it'." "I like this kind of tag better! Whenever I got tagged I always wanted to kill the ass who did it!" Dansky sneered. Hansky gasped, "Even me!?" Dansky blinked, before claiming, "Uh, no." As Hansky sighed in relief, Dansky cried, "Let's just get going bro!" Cackling, the two scoundrels made their way. --- [b]In another alley...[/b] "What's even going on!?" Stuck under Claribel's arm as she ran, the boy whined, but Claribel only seemed amused by something or other. Suddenly, she stopped, turning to run down a side path just as a few soldiers began to come from where she was going. The boy cried, "What's wrong with you!?" [color=pink]"It's too noisy! There's gotta be somewhere quiet though."[/color] Stopping, she glanced over at a warehouse with a broken roof, but there were a few men hoisting crates moving out. Shaking her head, Claribel said, [color=pink]"Nope"[/color] and continued to move along. After crossing a few more paths, the boy stated firmly, "You're weird." [color=pink]"You love it,"[/color] Claribel grinned. Bolting down one alleyway, she kept going, moving towards two shamblers. "Oh, what's this, Dansky?" "Looks like a girl, Hansky..." As the two stepped to intercept Claribel's path menacingly, she skidded to a stop. The boy moaned, "Now what?" "Think she knows where base is?" the white coat wearing Hansky wondered. Dansky replied, "We could ask nicely!" "Aw that never works." "Shush!" Turning to Claribel, Danksy asked, "You know where base is?" Claribel shrugged. "See, told ya!" Hansky said. Scratching his chin, Dansky began, "Hey, wait, what if this girl is trying to find base too?" "Huh, I didn't see no girl back there..." "Well, if she is, that means she's a rival! And we're supposed to use both our brains and brawns here, so, if we have less competition..." "It'll be even easier! That's what I'm talkin' about!" [color=pink]"Ugh, so annoying..."[/color] The boy gulped, "Hey, you aren't gonna fight them, are you!?" Without answering, Claribel placed him down, before shoving him a bit, scooting him along, letting him take some refuge behind a low wall. Reaching to her back, she grabbed her iron rod, holding it to her side, the tip getting close to the ground. Drawing his long, thin knives, Dansky shuffled forwards, laughing, "What're you gonna do with that stick of yours?" Gravel shifting at her feet, Claribel moved her footing before thrusting her weapon out. Dansky intercepted, blocking it with each of his knives, but was pushed back a step. As Claribel reset her position, Dansky growled, before moving forwards again. Once more, Claribel shifted her footing, thrusting her weapon out again. Dansky tried to sidestep it, but there was a clang of metal against metal, and once more he was pushed back. Hanksky laughed, "What're ya doing, idiot?" Gritting his teeth, Dansky twitched forwards, and Claribel shifted her feet once more, followed by the sound of her rod thrusting forwards through the air. Dansky raised his weapons, and there was a sound of metal against metal. "What're ya doing, idiot?" Hansky laughed, quieter this time. Dansky snarled, "I'm...huh?" Claribel finally shot her weapon forwards, jamming it past Dansky's weapons and into his chest. This time he flew backwards, rolling end over end before landing in a heap, coughing and hacking. Hanksy blinked, looking between Claribel and his fallen brother before muttering, "Th-that sounded like me..." [color=pink]"Heeheehee."[/color] Watch the hand behind her black, pulsing faint white light, the boy noted, "It's happening again..." Growling, Dansky charged again, stating, "She's doing something weird!" Stabbing both his knives out, Claribel stepped back, waving her rod, deflecting each stab. Arms wide, Dansky stabbed from both sides, so Claribel grabbed her rod with both hands, twirling it, each end smacking one of Dansky's wrists, blocking him once more. As he tried to recover, Claribel pulled back her rod, jabbing him in the stomach, making him squeal, hopping back. Teeth bared, Dansky snarled, "Stop messing with me!" Swapping the grip on his knife, he swung it downwards, aiming to stab her foot. Claribel moved out of the way, but her focus was now towards the ground. A movement from above made her look up, but it was too late: a gray brick smashed into her face, shattering, Claribel being knocked to the ground. As Dansky stood, grinning, Hansky flexed his fingers, before reaching to the wall of the run down building nearby, ripping off another brick and tossing it into the air, before catching it again. As the young boy looked on in horror, Hansky laughed, "Wanna off the brat too while we're at it?" Twirling his knife, Dansky shrugged, "Eh, why not?" The boy shuddered, looking to run away, but there was a shifting sound. He gasped, "Ah! You're alive!" Claribel stood, her usual carefree expression gone, replaced with a displeased glower, a cut on her forehead leaking blood over part of her face. Calmly, she walked over to Dansky, who gritted his teeth before aiming to stab her. Claribel's rod struck him across the face. Dansky crashed down into the pavement below, an indent visible on his face. Hansky gawked, before raising his arm, chucking yet another brick at her. With a swing of her arm, Claribel redirected it to the ground. Stalking forwards menacingly, Claribel began, [color=pink]"I could have done that any time, but I wanted to have a little fun first. To be honest though, you guys are so blatantly evil with your threats to that kid that it's just [i]boring[/i]."[/color] Hansky raised his arm to throw a brick, which was followed by the sound of one sailing threw the air. Then, there was a clatter as the brick in his hand hit the ground, Hanky looking between it and her in confusion. [color=pink]"And being boring is even [i]worse[/i]."[/color] Hansky quickly ripped two more bricks from the wall, raising them to block as Claribel brandished her rod. Stopping suddenly, Claribel turned as Dansky ran into her. While she'd hopped away a bit, he still collided, the two smashing through the already shattered window to the broken down building, the pair vanishing into the darkness. There was the sound of metal clanging against metal as Hansky watched nervously. Then, the sound of a punch, and a bit of scuffling, before Dansky cried, "Throw! Throw! Throw!" Using the sound as a guide, Hansky tossed a brick, hearing the thump against flesh. However, for the second one, he hesitated, until Dansky said once more, "Throw! Throw! Throw!" Grinning, Hansky grabbed another brick as he threw his second one. In a flurry of clay dust, Hansky gradually dismantled the wall, tossing each brick, the echoes of clay against clay and clay against flesh sounding like music to his ears. Finally, he calmed down, his fingers cut lightly and bleeding, most bricks within arm reach snatched up. As he caught his breath, he heard footsteps head to the nearby door. As Dansky came out, he grinned, "Showed that bitch what wa-" Dansky collapsed to the ground. As Hansky looked on in horror, he noticed that among his wounds was a good amount of gray dust and bits of brick. Twirling her rod casually, Claribel stepped out afterwords, giggling, [color=pink]"Overkill much?"[/color] Hansky's jaw reached for the ground, while his eyes bulged in horror, a strangled whimper squeaking out of his mouth. A bit frustrated, the boy demanded, "What are you!?" Claribel grinned, [color=pink]"Well, since it's over..."[/color] Raising her hand, it began to glow again as she explained, [color=pink]"I ate the Echo Echo Fruit, so I'm an Echo Human now. That means I'm made of Echoes! Just kidding~ [i]But[/i] I can control sounds now. Like just now when I made it sound like Dansky was telling Hanksy to throw, even though he was hitting Dansky. Oh, but Dansky kept yelling for him to stop, at least at first, but I can also 'move' sound, so I moved his screaming and crying away from the window and wall so Hansky wouldn't hear as long as he was making noise too, like with all the bricks. I can also do both at the same time, like earlier with the soldiers!"[/color] The boy stared, before claiming, "Weirdo." [color=pink]"You love it."[/color] Turning to the speechless Hansky, she declared, [color=pink]"You don't."[/color] As he let out a frightened squeal, Claribel charged. Hansky tried to run, feet getting tangled together, screams of fright escaping his mouth, but Claribel caught up easily, grabbing onto his collar. A couple dozen strikes of an iron rod later, Hansky was bruised and bleeding on the ground while Claribel and the kid continued on their way. The boy couldn't help but wonder, "But why didn't the brick hurt you that much? Did you block it with sound?" [color=pink]"I just have a hard head."[/color] "Is [i]that[/i] why you're so dense..." the boy muttered under his breath. Claribel's fist bopped him on the head, prompting him to cry, "Ow, what did I do!?" [color=pink]"Did I mention my hearing is hella good? Because it is, heeheehee."[/color] As the boy grumbled, Claribel began to jog, leading the way as they tried to find safety.