Kana jolted as a response came from within the cabin. She knew that tone of voice very well. There was somebody in there, all right; somebody panicking. Or somebody very much in pain. She knocked on the door again more urgently, keeping her tone friendly, but quickening her speech maybe more than she should have. She didn’t know, she didn’t have too much experience with this kind of thing. “[color=7ea7d8]Name’s Kanako. This is Kira. We’re trying to figure out how to get this dealt with. Next to us is probably the safest place on this boat right now.[/color]”
    
    There was a moment of hesitation from the other side of the door, before a response finally came, “[color=ffe5b3]I… I don’t… are you… who was that out there l-looking for Adepts? A-are you…?[/color]”
    
    Kana shot a glance at Kira. It felt off to her to give away someone else’s Adept status, especially when they could so easily be leveraged against people. But on the other hand, she [i]was[/i] a performer who used her Septimal powers on stage…still. Better not.
    
    “[color=7ea7d8]An Adept? Yeah. Might look a little freaky, but I don’t bite. Or kick.[/color]”
    
    “I bite and kick, but that costs extra,” Kira chimed in, a deep, throaty laugh following after the remark. “Ahhh, nah, just kiddin’. Seriously, though, you tellin’ me you don’t recognize Hiko no Kira’s voice? What kinda’ rock you been livin’ under? Ahhahaha!”
    
    Well, she wasn’t [i]that[/i] famous- yet- but she was well known enough that she could at least pretend she was full enough of herself to say a line like that. Hopefully the person on the other side of the door wouldn’t think she was being sincere, but even if she did, it’d be worth it if she either recognized her stage name or enjoyed her attempts at levity and calmed down enough to get through a full sentence without stuttering.
    
    [i]Click[/i]

    Her sleeve slid off her hand as she grasped the handle, unlocking the door. The door opened a crack, her eye peeking through, over her shoulder. Kana breathed out a silent sigh of relief. That had gone much smoother than she’d thought. She’d been ready to kick the bolt off and [i]drag[/i] the girl out—the better to keep her safe, because who knew how many invaders were still roaming around—but she had a feeling that wouldn’t have gone over well. Then, with an apprehensive breath, she took hold of the door, the handle far underneath where it would be for a normal person.

    “[color=7ea7d8]Don’t freak out. I won’t hurt you.[/color]” And then she swung the door open and ducked slightly so the mysterious girl could see her beneath the doorframe, legs [i]tink[/i]ing on the floor. 

    Slowly, the shorter girl stood, giving a slight nod. “[color=ffe5b3]So, you are an Adept. Let’s get out of here,[/color]” her voice softly droned, still sounding quite withdrawn.
    
    [color=7ea7d8][i]Once again, better than expected.[/i][/color] Kana had anticipated screaming, shaking, some kind of panic response from how the voice had sounded behind the door. But now that she was in plain view, nothing like that at all, more deadpan than anything else. Convenient, if mildly confusing and concerning. She gave a sharp, birdlike nod, standing back up to her full height and moving aside so the girl could pass her blades. If she was that concerned about people being Adepts, she was probably one too. And though she was loath to pry, they needed every advantage they could get. “[color=7ea7d8]Didn’t catch your name.[/color]” A pause. “[color=7ea7d8]Or your Septima.[/color]”
    
    “[color=ffe5b3]Didn’t throw it,[/color]” came the terse response, as Noriko turned her attention down the hall, “[color=ffe5b3]And you don’t want to see it. What’s that noise?[/color]”
    
    “Engine running, I think…shouldn’t be that loud, though,” Kira remarked, looking in the same direction as Noriko. She turned her attention back to Kana to look for her input. “Think someone left a door open on their way down to it?” 
    
    A sense of foreboding filled Kana as she thought it over. If they were just taking control of the boat, then why would they need to interact directly with the engine…? She didn’t know what exactly they were doing, but whatever it was, it couldn’t be good. “[color=7ea7d8]Seems like it. So let’s go find that door.[/color]”
    
    Noriko shrank into herself once again, falling in line behind Kana and Kira. Her face seemed more pensive than ever, all scrunched up and downturned. Her arms went stiff at the thought of meeting up with whoever was rounding people up. The thought of the confrontation made her blood run cold.

    Kana, on the other hand, had her eyes narrowed and her already fast pace steadily accelerating. She clenched her fists repeatedly to stay focused, and her face under the mask was twisted in a soundless snarl. Enough innocent people had been injured and terrified already. Whatever they were doing to the engine could not be allowed.

    No more knockouts tonight.