[h2][center]Geralt of Rivia & [color=BFBFBF]Zenkichi Hasegawa[/color][/center][/h2]
[center]Midgar- Sector 7 SOU Headquarters[/center]
[center]Lvl 12 Geralt (124/110) -> Lvl 12 (126/110) [/center]
[center]Lvl 5 Zenkichi - (55/50) +2 collab XP -> Lvl 5 (57/50)[/center]
[center]Word Count: 954 words[/center]

As the Seekers piled into the helicopter, Geralt made sure to find a spot where he wouldn't be too much in the way. This thing looked a bit more magical than the cargobob they'd been using before, but as long as it flew and got them back safely, it hardly mattered. The inevitable and bombastic destruction of Jena Apotheosis heralded the Alpha turning on the Seekers and giving chase. The massive airship followed doggedly, around and over the skyscrapers that Goldlewis took their chopper between, keeping them in its spotlights. It took flying through a massive block of skyscrapers with their own massive holes in them to finally shake their pursuer. 

From there, it was much smoother to get to the SOU headquarters in Sector 7, and the Seekers piled in, tired and worn from the day's adventure. Geralt turned in immediately while Zenkichi went to speak with Akane. 

In his room, the Witcher doffed his armor, piling it off to the side before heading to the showers, washing off the sweat and grime from the day. After heading back to his room, he sighed and sat down, entering his typical meditative stance. This had been...frustrating, in many ways. He lost control of himself a few times, between what happened to Peach, and the fight against the chimeras, he couldn't be taking risks like that. Not with other people's lives. It wasn't that he wasn't used to fighting with others, but between the Orphan's Spirit and the losses they'd taken, it wasn't as easy to just deal with it. Tora was gone as well, though that was to restore Poppi rather than anything else, but Peach was transformed and taken. 

He sighed. Using the Orphan's Hateful Flesh certainly made it easier to accidentally catch his allies with a hit, but against chimeras there really was no other option. Pulling it at the start of the fight rather than ineffectually flailing with a sword certainly helped, but he wasn't used to the wide, sweeping attacks that weapon favored just yet. When he got more experience with it, he'd likely be better at avoiding friendly fire. Thoughts ordered, Geralt took a deep breath and stood, stretching slowly. It was time to sleep.

Zenkichi, after his talks with Roland and Sandalphon, retired to his own room to look himself over a little closer, examining the change to his looks brought on by the Spirit he'd fused with. It wasn't terrible, though he might have to find another suit later. Pulling out his phone, he sighed as he remembered the deal he and Karin had made with Roquefort. While he wasn't 100% certain he trusted the guy, it was worth a shot. Pulling up his e-mails, he punched in Roquefort's address that he'd grabbed from the business card he'd tossed to Karin, and starting writing.

[i]Mr. Roquefort,

This is Zenkichi Hasegawa, one of the men you spoke with earlier today. I was reaching out to inquire about the wire transfer we'd discussed. The routing number for my bank account is 639264848257493. Thank you for being willing to reach an equitable solution to our problem. I wish you and Vandelay Industries a better tomorrow.[/i]

[color=BFBFBF]"Eh, good enough..."[/color] he muttered, sending the e-mail and putting his phone away for bed. Tomorrow marked their assault on Arahabaki. Whatever rest he could get would be needed.

[hr]

Geralt entered the meeting room, seeing Sandalphon's new attire, and paused for a moment. "Nope." He blankly muttered and moved to the muffins, grabbing a packet of honey and smothering his chosen breakfast item with the sugary substance. "Mmm. Damn, that's good..." he sighed blissfully as he bit into the muffin, honey sticking in his beard. 

Zenkichi came in right about that time, looking around the room with his mug of coffee in and taking a swig. [color=BFBFBF]"Mornin'.[/color] He drably greeted, taking a seat as the group gathered. After a little bit of waiting, Luka Travers and the other Psychic Kids appeared. He was glad they were okay. Once the group was all together, Sandalphon had some bad news to deliver: those life-sucking drones that attacked in the Valley of Ruin had come back and wreaked havoc. They were, also, decidedly not simple machines, but a blend of magic and technology into a horrifying blend of murderbot. [color=BFBFBF]"Well that's horrifying..."[/color] He breathed out, much more awake now. He remembered what those things did when they showed up in the Valley of Ruin. This was bad.

Worse still was the news that the Machines were now launching a full-scale attack on Midgar, [i]coincidentally[/i] the day after the Seekers had completely dismantled the two organizations that stood ready to do battle against that very specific threat. "Chimeras, Others and Machines. All in two days? Can't be a coincidence." Geralt uttered darkly. 

The revelations of the Organization member were met with disbelief by some, indifference by others as they were already going to kill the Guardian, and disdain by Roxas, who had his own history with the Organization. However, neither Geralt nor Zenkichi stuck around, both having been fairly indifferent to the announcement and more than ready to get on with it. Coincidentally, this meant that Zenkichi didn't get to hear her claiming that one of his worried was, in fact, true. 

As they all arrived inside Arahabaki, Zenkichi let out a low whistle. [color=BFBFBF]"Damn, this place is nice. Wonder how much it cost to build? Must use up a lot of energy, too. Place is like its own town."[/color] The alarm burst their collective bubble pretty quickly, though, and the Seekers were off to the races. Or, more precisely, the teleporter that would bring them, presumably, further inside. 

It was time.