Reality's Harsh [Non-Canon]

[Chewy Rabbits]

~~Nemo's bedroom~~

"Haha! I got you, D!" Nemo exclaimed as he peeked up from the right side of his bed with NERF gun in hand. Being far too tall to really have anywhere to hide within the small bedroom space, D plucked the darts off his horns and tossed them back to Nemo as he took a seat on the bed. "Yup, you sure got me, pal. Now how's about we just kick back and watch some cartoons?"

"I want to watch anime!" Nemo exclaimed as he reloaded the NERF gun and climbed atop his bed and straddled D's chest. Holding the barrel of the gun point-blank at the demon's forehead, Nemo smirked. He had his friend hook line and sinker. "Let's put on Paradise Kiss!"

D didn't seem all that perturbed by the sudden gun in his face or the determination within Nemo's words. Holding his hands up as if to signify his surrender, he nodded his head. "Oh yeah, totally! We'll watch Paradise Kiss just so you can listen to that one song you like in the ending credits-NOT!" Before Nemo could react, the tail had wrapped around his waist and pinned his arms at his side. As the gun fell onto D's chest, the demon gently placed it on Nemo's nightstand before holding the child above his head.

"So, what's it gonna be Nemo? Am I gonna hold you up there until you get nauseous or can we put on some Spongebob?"

Nemo pouted before shaking his head fervently from side to side. "Never! I, The Kid, will never surrender to the likes of you, D!" Emboldened by his response, Nemo futilely struggled against D's tail as the demon sighed wistfully and rose to his feet as he rolled off the bed with Nemo still hanging in the air behind him.

"Never, huh? Well, never can be a long time Kid!"

Jumping straight out the open window, Nemo let out a scream! What was going through D's head! This was crazy! But the demon knew exactly what he was doing. With more than enough room for his wings to fully expand, D caught some wind and soared up into the sky as Nemo was whipped around while still being held within his tail! This had to be the most fun ride ever!

Soaring over the streets above, the cars and people may as well have been ants to the two of them. But D wasn't doing this for thrills. He was doing it to tire out Nemo so he could watch whatever he damn well pleased! But Nemo's raucous laughter behind him made it sound like he wasn't going to sleep anytime soon! Flying as he reasonably could, D whipped Nemo upwards and uncoiled his tail from around him. Feeling the only curtain of safety escape him, Nemo's eyes went wide as he started to soar back down.

"D.......!!!!!"

Hearing his friend's frightened and shocked pleas, D flew back down with gusto. Easily flying under Nemo, he grabbed the boy in his arms as Nemo clutched to his chest. Noting how tightly Nemo was clutching to him, D frowned. Perhaps that last one had gone a bit too far. Running one hand through Nemo's hair, D spoke to him in a soft, comforting tone.

"Hey? Nemo, you feeling okay bud?"

"I'm...I'm feeling..."

"DEAD!"

"AHH!"

As Nemo snapped his head upwards and stared at D with that intense gaze, the demon's arms came loose around Nemo's waist. Though the boy was far too caught up in his laughter to even notice it. That was until he felt himself falling and glancing down he could see the ground getting closer and closer.

"D-"

"I got ya, you little pain in the ass.." D growled as his tail snapped around Nemo's ankle and held the boy aloft. That had been enough fun for now. He had almost dropped the boy due to his antics and he had thoroughly lost. Nemo didn't seem tired by any means of the word! Which meant that they were watching anime after all.

Landing inside Nemo's bedroom but keeping the window open in case he had to make a quick escape, D sighed as he steeped his talons over the footrest of Nemo's bed. Nemo placed the DVD within the player and curled up under the covers as he could barely restrain his giggles.

"Can't we watch Yu Yu Hakusho or something..." D started before Nemo put a finger up to his lips to shush him! The first episode was going to begin! It was then that the two spent the rest of the night together watching Paradise Kiss. Or by 'rest of the night' until Nemo fell asleep. Rolling off the bed and onto his feet, D glanced down at the sleeping child. How was it that in a nation of 127.3 million, a young ten year old boy was the one that D and other demons felt the most comfortable with?

"Heh, good night kid.."

As D was about to make his way off, he paused as he saw a flash out of the corner of his eye. What was that?! A phone or something?! D bared his fangs and his tail stood up on end as he glanced over.

"Tch, I don't know what the hell the kid sees in this junk.."

D grumbled as he ejected the DVD but clumsily dropped the DVD to the floor. As it turns out, big claws didn't make menial tasks like putting DVDs back in cases easy. Reaching down to pick up the DVD, D's tail reached back to grab the remote and turn the DVD player off.

However, he may have wanted to keep it on for what greeted him wasn't a pleasant sight. Having forgotten to change the channel during one of his occasional channel swaps, Nemo had ended up one of the news stations and similar to the 'flash' he had seen in that episode of Paradise Kiss, D would have seen them here as well. Only they'd be flashes of cadavers that The Axe Murderer of Shinjuku had left in his wake.

"..."

This was absolutely grotesque! D had heard of some of the more revolting acts humanity had a part in. But it pained him to know somebody as kindhearted as Nemo and yet there was someone as cold and brutal as this serial killer who was still on the loose. It angered him in fact! Gripping onto the TV, D chucked it out the window and watched as it smashed upon hitting the ground below. Once he had a moment to calm down, he would have known how bad of an idea that'd been. But he flew out the window and the windows slammed shut behind him.

When Nemo awoke that following morning, it was going to be quite the thing to explain.

~~~

"What happened to your TV, Nemo!?"

"Um...Um...I was sleepwalking."

"...And that provoked you into throwing your TV out?!"

"I was sleepwalking and listening to Rise Against the Machine?"

"NEMO!"

~~~

~Undisclosed apartment~

"Man, I'm exhausted.." Said the killer with a bloodied axe in hand and a bunch of assorted children corpses around his person. Reaching into his pocket and unwrapping a chocolate bar, the killer took a hefty bite out of it as he slung the axe over his shoulder. Needed to keep his strength up after all. Because as it turned out? Murder really took it out of ya!

But this wasn't just any serial killer. This was Ichi the Axe Murderer of Shinjuku. Knowing full well that the police wanted him behind bars and the public wanted him dead due to him targeting children specifically, Ichi wasn't in any hurry. Where was the excitment in things if you couldn't take it slow? Eventually changing shirts to a far less blood-soaked one, Ichi wandered off from the area as casually as he could.

With his axe tucked away in a duffle bag he had hoisted over his shoulder, Ichi glanced around. What to do, what to do-Aha! Noticing a car driving down the street, Ichi stepped forward as he held a hand out.

"Care to offer a friendly stranger a ride, m'am?"

@Gummi Bunnies




​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

♪ Corner of the street ♪
♪ Of the beautiful made squares ♪

The honking of cars and the bustling city crowds resonated around a girl who waited outside the skyscraper towering above. For some reason, the girl felt worried that she would be left alone for too long, even when she knew that the person she was waiting for would be exiting outside to meet with her not too long from now. It was just an anxious thought, and she hoped it would subside.

This girl is named Penelope Dormi.

Hailing from the Dormi family, they were known to be a high public figure to the business world, with her parents being invested into their own business chains. Because of that, she is never in the minds of her parents, but had the company of her two older siblings, Blake and Rinato.

Both of them are now moving onto the next step in their lives, continuing towards college and soon enough the real world with their set future in mind. Being two years younger than the elder siblings, Penelope knew that they would still think of her and themselves, as they had hand-in-hand on taking care of each other when their parents didn't... which was majority of the time.

♪ And I wish ♪
♪ I could paint it ♪

"Oh... Nel! I thought... er, Blake would be with you, and stuff."

Pulled out of her thoughts from her older sister's voice, Penelope looked over to see Rinato just stepping out of the building. Seeing that she was assuming that their brother would be present, Penelope only laughed it off.

"Erm... I don't know to be honest. I haven't seen him since this morning, but hey, he is the older one out of us, so there's that."

Something about Penelope's words worried Rinato, falling into silence as she stepped over next to her younger sister.

"Anyways, Rin, what are you up to now? I mean... I know mom and dad are always busy... and I guess the same is going on with Blake... but I was hoping you'll be free to walk home with me..."

Wanting to break the awkward silence, Penelope brought up an offer, hoping that Rinato would take it. However, something about her words made this even more noticeable that it was disturbing to hear, but she soon smiled towards her.

"R-Right! I can at least walk you home, Nel! Being grown up and stuff, I do have my work to do as well. But don't worry, me and Blake aren't going anyways like mom and dad any time soon!"

Walking down the sidewalk with each other, Penelope couldn't help but feel worried for Rinato and Blake considering that they were working now.

"Well, either way, be careful Rin. Especially late at night. I've been hearing all sorts of things going on, relating to this mysterious Black Raven and Lapis Lazuli. It's scary to think that people like that are even around... hurting others... Even if they say they're doing it for a purpose, it's only scaring the people around them... doing more bad than good..."

Mumbling on with this thought, Penelope twiddled her fingertips together as she trailed behind Rinato, who had gone terribly silent again. Maybe the topic was too much for the older sister, but she soon then answered back with one comment.

"... if only it were that easy to make it stop."

There was no other conversation was they continued to walk their way home, the rest of this day was uneventful.

*~*~*~*~*

2 weeks later

♪ Why would I care ♪
♪ I will never be alone ♪

"Jeez... how come Rin's got to take that trip out of town? I mean, Blake's okay to have around, but he's rarely here... I swear if he's getting himself busy with other girls!"

Penelope groaned as she sat at the kitchen table of their house. While it was not a large mansion as you would expect of a prestigious family, it was a vastly roomy home on the offside. Tapping her fingers in a rhythm, she was waiting for the door to be opened up by her older brother. It was already a quarter past 10 at night already, and while she felt annoyance at this, the younger sister felt quite worried. She hoped that he didn't get himself into trouble.

And soon enough, a doorbell was rung. Maybe Blake didn't have his keys?

"Coming!"

Bolting through the hallway to get to the front door, Penelope unlocked the door to see that it wasn't Blake present, but his girlfriend, Eliza Xena.

"Eliza? Er... Blake's not home, so maybe you can sti-"

Without giving Penelope the chance to talk, the gray-haired girl covered her mouth with her palm.

"... may... m-may I speak with you in private?"

Surprised by these words, Penelope only stood there and nodded, allowing Eliza to step fully into the house, closing the front door behind her as well as locking it. The next thing that happened, Eliza almost fell over, if it wasn't for the fact that Penelope caught her mid-fall.

"Hey! Get a hold of yourself, it's like you've been on the move for aw-"

This time, Eliza didn't cut her off, but more of the fact that Penelope stopped herself to see that there were terrible bruises all over Eliza's arms and legs. That was enough to signal Penelope to try and assist Eliza over to the living room so she could rest at the couch.

"Blake... I wish you were... here now..."

Reaching the couch, Penelope got her to lie down on the couch, but something about that comment got her to say something in addition.

"Don't worry Eliza, Blake's going to be here soon. I hope so."

Reassuring the girl with these words, Penelope was then confused to see that Eliza had begun to cry to the extent that made you think that someone like Eliza would never cry this much before.

"Whoa! Calm down Eliza! What seriously happened to you, though? You're all roughed up... did something that I said made you... start to cry?"

Not hanging out with Eliza much whenever Blake had her around, Penelope wasn't sure what else to say to support her, growing distressed at Eliza's sudden tears. Eliza gave a slow nod to answer Penelope's distress, but soon spoke despite her sudden stream of tears.

"... Blake... he's not... coming back..."

Further confused with these words, Penelope raised the volume in her voice, demanding to know more on what Eliza knew.

"What do you mean he's not coming back?! Just tell me Eliza! I can take it!"

Half-lying to herself, Penelope only wanted to know, because it was going to kill her in the inside if she never figured it out. However, Eliza thought opposite, that it would be better of that Penelope never knew, but it was too late to try and hide it from her at this point.

"He's dead... Blake's dead... That heartless killer... Lapis Lazuli... she killed him!"

♪ I mean ♪
♪ I'm trying to say ♪

"... what?"

Everything began to fall apart around her. Just to think that she was waiting for Blake to return home, Penelope was horrified to think that this had happened, that her older brother was gone from the world. Just from the shock of this piece of news, Penelope couldn't help but feel the need to cry as well.

"I saw it myself... I... I managed to get away, because Blake... he told me... with his eyes to run... run for my life... and I did... I tried to block off his screams... I tried to ignore the fact that it went silent for the time I ran... I tried to keep on going as far as I could... despite tripping a few times..."

Eliza spoke with a pained tone, but her face had gone serious as well. This was gone unnoticed by Penelope, whose tears were blocking out her vision. Just as tears were spilled, the rain pounded relentlessly outside, and for the rest of the night.

*~*~*~*~*

♪ I'm still waiting for that time. ♪

A few years had passed from the death of Blake Dormi, and only recently was it said that Rinato Dormi had been presumed dead after her mysterious disappearance within Tokyo. Penelope wasn't the same as before, to know that she had no one else to go to with her two siblings gone from her life and that her parents were pressing her to make something out of herself... being the only child now.

It had only been a week since Penelope had flew into Japan, driving down one of the streets to find her new college dormitories. If she were to make a future for herself, it would be in the medical field... and with that, she could contribute with making things better. Fixing the wrongs of people that had hurt others, making people be relieved of the pain... that was what Penelope had set out to do.

"A new beginning... live out a happy life like my older siblings set out for me... be free of my parents' oppression and neglect... a blank slate..."

With tired eyes, Penelope looked at the street ahead of her, taking a mental note that she had a few more turns through this urban area to get to her college dormitory building. However, she took notice that there was someone hoping to catch a ride, prompting her to slowly put on her brakes of her rental car.

"Uh... sure! I mean, if we're going to the same place in the city, that is."

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

With tired eyes, Penelope looked at the street ahead of her, taking a mental note that she had a few more turns through this urban area to get to her college dormitory building. However, she took notice that there was someone hoping to catch a ride, prompting her to slowly put on her brakes of her rental car.

"Uh... sure! I mean, if we're going to the same place in the city, that is."

...Huh! That'd been a lot easier than he'd been expecting it to be. He was hoping he'd have to bust this chick's window open and force her to drive him around. But he supposed that the genial and friendly stranger facade could probably get him further and quicker to where he needed to go. Which was the most important place around obviously!

7-11!

What? Serial killers needed to get snacks too!

"Heheh, yeah I guess you could say that. My car's in the shop and don't got the dough for a rental. So figure I'd bum a ride off the next generous soul who'd drive past. Most folks took one look at me and kept on going! Couldn't blame them though! Gotta get places and can't afford to waste gas dropping off some stranger at his destination. But then you show up and are more than willing to lend a helping hand! This city could use more people like you!" Ichi exclaimed as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly while flashing Penelope a friendly enough smile.

Of course while the smile was genuine, the intent behind it certainly wasn't. Ichi's M.O. usually revolved hacking up/murdering children but he made exceptions here and there. Usually when parents got in the way or he was caught on his way from a kill-zone. But something about this woman's apparent naivety enticed him. What he wouldn't give to wrap his hands around her neck until her flesh went cold in his hands...

But, he had to focus! He wouldn't be getting a slushie and chips if he spent his time fantasizing after all! Holding up the duffel bag which was filled with his axe and an assortment of other murder implements, namely household tools and the like, Ichi started to walk around to the back of Penelope's car. "You don't mind if I pop the trunk open do you? Got some books I'm carrying around and didn't want try stuffing this bad boy with me in the passenger seat! You won't even know they're here!" Provided Penelope gave her consent, Ichi leered as he dumped the tools in the trunk and slammed it shut.

"Thanks! Just really needed to drop that dead weight.."

Making his way over the passenger side, he'd open it up and clipped his seatbelt on as he folded his arms behind his head. "Name's Ichi by the way. Don't think I've seen you around here before, you new to Tokyo?" Figure small talk would help past the time and help to suppress the urge he had to reach over and snap Penelope's neck with his bare hands. "As for where I need to go? If you're heading down this way, there should be a 7-11 nearby. You can just drop me off there."

Meanwhile, a certain demon was making his rounds around the city. He usually tried not to venture out this early since it was easier for people to possibly spot him this way. But as long as he clung to the shadows, things seemed to work out pretty well. Though Astaroth or 'D' as he was referred to by Nemo, might have mixed opinions on humanity as a whole, what had him unnerved as a whole was the fact that there was a serial killer roaming loose in this city and so close to where Nemo lived. The very thought of this bastard getting his hands on that little ray of sunshine made Astaroth's blood boil.

On a less serious note, Astaroth also idly wondered how he'd pay Nemo back for the whole destroying his TV in a fit of rage and everything. It wasn't exactly going to be the easiest thing to do since he couldn't just show up at the door with a wad of bills and explain that he'd been in their child's room late at night. That wouldn't end well for anybody involved. But the poor kid was probably getting a lecture and getting his rear chewed out.

"I'll figure something out, Nemo. But for now, I got bigger fish to fry."

That fish of course being Ichi the notorious Axe Murderer of Shinjuku. It wasn't in demon's nature to get mixed up in the affairs of humanity, especially when there were massive risks of negative feedback possibly getting traced back to them like all of Ichi's kills being retroactively pinned on them for one reasons or another. In fact, Astaroth's fellows probably would have reprimanded him for this way of thinking. But what was he supposed to do? Wait for the police to find him? How many children would have to die in the meantime? What if one of those children was...?

No! That was an idea Astaroth refused to humor. He'd never let harm come to Nemo. Least of all from a maniac like that. But what could he honestly do? It might end up raising too many questions if he just found Ichi and beat him to within an inch of his life. Sure, there'd be plenty of people who'd want to do that, but not many of them could do it. So it'd likely raise a few eyebrows if Ichi ended up in a ditch somewhere broken and bloodied with his axe snapped in twain and claw marks over his chest. That and he couldn't just hand him over to the police. They'd probably call in the military or something after him! That wouldn't even be taking into account the lashing he'd get from his fellow demons.

Speaking of the serial killer however, Astaroth glanced down briefly from his perch and almost fell right off it at the sight he saw. Digging his talons into his perch, Astaroth's muscles bulged and his tail stood up on end like a scorpion's stinger ready to strike. There he was, skulking around in broad daylight and that girl has the audacity to offer him a ride?! Was she his partner in crime? Would she try to hurt Nemo?

"Over my dead body."

But as much as he would have loved nothing more than to get to the bottom of this, it'd be far too noticeable if he started flapping through the air. The major reason of course being how tall he was and how much noise his wing flaps made, he'd be spotted in no time. From there everything would go down the shitter as people took photos of him and showed their friends and family. Which is where Astaroth's handy ability came into play. Being able to fuse with the shadows on just about everything, Astaroth leaped down from his perch and landed in a nearby alleyway.

Peeking around the corner and seeing the car drive off, energy began to radiate from Astaroth's person as he dug his claws into the brick of the wall. Nobody collaborating with a child murderer was going to get away from this unscathed on his watch. He'd just have to get her alone and get whatever information she knew about Ichi from her! Then? He'd have to go from there.

Becoming one with the shadow on the wall, Astaroth started to move after Penelope's car...

"I'll keep you safe, Nemo. I promise."

@Gummi Bunnies



​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"Yeah, go ahead and use the trunk if you need to."

Penelope gave him the A-okay to put whatever he had in there, and as he did that, she felt a tinge of satisfaction come from being told that she was kind compared to many others. In a world that revolved on bad news left and right, she felt like she was one of the few that tried to make things better, and to be told that she was doing exactly that, it made her feel good inside.

Once he was in the passenger seat and all buckled up, Penelope began to drive again, feeling that this good deed could go places.

"Oh hey, I believe that's right on my route to where I need to go, what a coincidence!"

Laughing a bit at that thought, Penelope took in mind on how they would take the same route to where they needed to go, since that 7-11 he requested to be dropped off at was right on the way to her college dormitories! As she took the next left to continue the drive, she figured she would talk a bit to pass the time, since a silent drive wasn't really that desirable.

"Yes, I guess you can say I'm new here in Tokyo, just got here by plane not too long ago for my medical studies. I'm Penelope, nice to meet you Ichi!"

Glancing over to him for a moment, Penelope flashed a friendly smile along with her self-introduction, before returning her attention to the street. By adjusting her line of sight, she felt her necklace shift a bit, prompting her to look at it for a moment and see that her crystal gem necklace was still here. Even if it looked like a plain blue gem attached to a necklace chain, it pulled out some memories that Penelope didn't want to remember right about now.

"Hey Nel... you can have my special necklace while I'm gone to do important stuff in Japan... keep it with you until I come back, right?"

"... until... you came... back... Rin."

Mumbling within the stress of remembering her last talk with her older sister before her disappearance, Penelope had suddenly lost her cheeriness that she showed, as if the inner trauma had sucked the life out of her. Consumed by her painful flashbacks, Penelope was oblivious to the fact that she was driving right into a busy intersection and ignoring the red light. It was only the intense honking of the cars that snapped her out of her traumatic episode.

"Huh?... oh god!"

Panicking once she realized that she might cause a whole pile up, Penelope slammed her foot onto the brake pedal, her car screeching out until coming into an abrupt stop... narrowly avoiding a terrible car accident as other vehicles continued with their general commute.

"...s-sorry about that. I didn't know what I was... doing, but thankfully we avoided getting into an accident..."

She didn't realize it at first, but she felt like trembling all over, to think that if the car accident happened... she might have been able to see her older siblings again. However, that wasn't what she truly wanted, because she didn't want to die. Getting herself together, Penelope gripped her hands tightly on the stirring wheel to prevent her hands from shaking too much, and beginning to drive again once the light was green.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"Huh?... oh god!"

Panicking once she realized that she might cause a whole pile up, Penelope slammed her foot onto the brake pedal, her car screeching out until coming into an abrupt stop... narrowly avoiding a terrible car accident as other vehicles continued with their general commute.

"...s-sorry about that. I didn't know what I was... doing, but thankfully we avoided getting into an accident..."

She didn't realize it at first, but she felt like trembling all over, to think that if the car accident happened... she might have been able to see her older siblings again. However, that wasn't what she truly wanted, because she didn't want to die. Getting herself together, Penelope gripped her hands tightly on the stirring wheel to prevent her hands from shaking too much, and beginning to drive again once the light was green.

"Medical studies, huh? That's interesting. The human body's a fascinating thing. Made up of 70% water or something right? Yet when you look inside, it won't be water that you'll be looking at." Trying to insert a little bit of black humor into th mix while also getting out his urges in another manner, Ichi sighed. He hoped this ride wouldn't take long! He had places to be, snacks to consume, people's lives to ruin and to end in the most horrible ways imaginable! He couldn't do that if he was caught up in traffic! "Never been too big on schooling myself. It never really clicked. I was always more of a do it yourself and learn it by yourself kinda guy. That mentality's gotten me far in life let me tell you!"

Of course when he said 'far in life' he meant on the evening news with images of his gruesome murders. Heh, yup that was the life. As Ichi glanced around the street, he decided maybe a nap was in order. Sure there was the risk that the girl could have dropped him off at a police station if he was asleep. But where was the fun in worrying about hypothetical scenarios? Things would work out just as they were meant to. But as Ichi tried to close his eyes, he noticed that the car had just blown past a red light...

"Hey, uh...Penelope whatever...I think you needed to stop like..Five minutes ago."

What the heck was going on with her!? They were going to get smashed by a car if she wasn't careful! "Use the fucking brakes!!"

As the car finally came to a dead stop, Ichi let out a sigh of relief. That was a close one! Ichi wasn't afraid of dying or anything but getting squashed in between a ton of steel going at high speeds didn't sound like the best way for Ichi the Axe Murderer of Shinjuku to go. As they started moving once again, Ichi ran a hand through his hair while the other hand tapped impatiently on the dashboard.

"Hey, uh maybe I'm overstepping my boundaries here but whatever. What the heck happened back there?? You zoned the hell out something fierce and we almost got side-winded. I don't know about you but I'd like at least one bag of sour cream and onion chips and a slushie before I go to the pearly gates."

So considerate the serial killer was.

Having been watching the proceedings from his shadow form along the walls, Astaroth narrowed his eyes. Whatever had just happened there was something to take note of for sure. Had it been an attempt to take down Ichi with her? No, she didn't seem like she'd have a reason to do so given that Ichi hadn't threatened her upon them meeting. But maybe there was more to this girl than she let on. Either way, he'd need a closer look. As his shadow form began to move along the ground, he'd grip onto the underside of Penelope's car.

It obviously wasn't very comfortable being under a car as it was in motion. The smell of gasoline was high and almost made Astaroth want to pass out. But this car contained a monster worse than any demon. One who had no qualms about murdering children Nemo's age.

"I'm not letting go until I get answers.."

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"... it's... complicated. I don't know how else to explain it... I just... blanked out..."

Despite it happening now, Penelope was quite familiar with people asking her on why she does this... because ever since those events had happened to her, she had been blanking out constantly, having traumatic flashbacks whenever she was exposed into something that reminded her of her long gone siblings. Most would think that someone like her shouldn't be pursuing a career like becoming a doctor, where she would most likely blank out and ruin her work. That is why she is going for that alone, however, to prove everyone else wrong. It was just that the trauma was so strong at times, and with little to no support from her parents and the rest of her remaining relatives, Penelope is to carry the burden of making something out of herself alone.

"Just... forget that happened. It's not that important anyways. Alright?"

In normal situations, a person that had problems with how they feel would talk it out with someone, vent it out. Penelope chose to pent it up inside of her, not reveal it to others. She wanted to prevail on her goal of conquering her faults, all by herself, and that was all she intended to do. She didn't feel the need to share some context to her patterns of spacing out, not like a stranger like Ichi would want to know something about the person he just met today.

Passing by one more block, the car came to a stop in the nearest 7-11 parking lot.

"Well... we're here now. This is where you wanted to be dropped off..."

Judging from the recent rush of traumatic memories, Penelope wasn't really able to smile it off, because even if she did, the smile wouldn't be entirely genuine... and she didn't want to be that person that faked their way through. As they were at the parking lot, she went silent after stating that they were here, taking a moment to look over at her crystal necklace.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"Well... we're here now. This is where you wanted to be dropped off..."

Judging from the recent rush of traumatic memories, Penelope wasn't really able to smile it off, because even if she did, the smile wouldn't be entirely genuine... and she didn't want to be that person that faked their way through. As they were at the parking lot, she went silent after stating that they were here, taking a moment to look over at her crystal necklace.

"Oh, I getcha, I getcha. Missing a few steps in the stairway? Lost a few screws? It happens to the best of people, and ain't nothing to be ashamed of! Course, you could be totally sane and blank out like a rickety ass television set and plummet straight into traffic! But I think it's more interesting when it's the latter."

Flashing Penelope a grin, Ichi leaned back and propped his boots upon the dashboard as he nodded his head. "Hey, you don't gotta be ashamed of it or whatever! Everyone has their own baggage! What's fun about the whole thing is figuring out the root cause of said baggage. What? Someone you love break up with you over the phone while you were driving? Or is that too vanilla? Oooh! Did someone you love pass on? That really messes with the mind.." Ichi would have continued to ramble on and had they not reached their destination. Slipping his boots off the dashboard, Ichi opened the door and looked over his shoulder.

"Sorry about your problems, really I am. Maybe you'll get them sorted out..? Who knows. But thanks for the ride."

Putting in more menace that was probably warranted, Ichi snickered as he slammed the door shut behind him. All that's left was to grab his duffle bag and he'd be off. All the while the serial killer was completely unaware of the demon lingering under Penelope's car that had half a mind to drag him under and tear him limb from limb to make sure he'd never harm another child again. But he couldn't outright murder this girl even if she had helped Ichi. So she'd still be free to take a photo of him and things would quickly spiral out of control.

He couldn't even stop him if he went and attacked whoever owned this 7-11, the cameras would catch it and he'd up shit creek without a paddle. Not to mention that he'd probably seem even more terrifying than Ichi. He felt so useless!

But even if he couldn't kill Ichi, he could at least terrify him. Turning into his shadow form, wind ebbed out from Astaroth's shadowy visage as the car rocked slightly. As he opened up the trunk, Ichi frowned. "Hey, do you mind knocking it off? It'd be a real crying shame if-" The trunk's door slammed shut and landed right on Ichi's forearm. Not enough to fracture it but certainly enough to hurt like a bitch.

"Ow! Cocksucker! Hey! You think this is funny?!' Ichi yelled out only to pause as he and Penelope would have heard a deep and menacing voice coming from under her car. "No, I think it's hilarious." With that Astaroth took his normal form once again and his tail lashed out with the 'stinger' end of it sticking Ichi through his leg. Dragging him down to the ground, Astaroth recoiled his tail and dragged Ichi under the car. Quickly cupping a hand over his mouth, Astaroth spoke low enough so that only Ichi could hear him.

"I know who you are, boy. You're the one that the TVs are blaring 24/7. You're the one who harmed all those children! The one who took their lives before they even had a chance! You're nothing but an animal. An animal I'd like nothing more than to put down. But for now, that day will have to wait. Now, you're going to hobble off to that 7'-11 and hopefully get yourself arrested. Though even that won't save you from me."

With that, Astaroth withdrew his tail and retook his former shadow form. Better to use this form in case Penelope had heard all that. As he was shoved out from under the car, Ichi used his other hand to grip onto the bag of tools and slung it over his shoulder. He wasn't quite sure if he'd been hallucinating again or if that'd been a real deal demon. He had heard about their kind before. They crossed over to our world through a child's wish or something like that. Then they'd seek out the child who had summoned them and who knew what went on from there, maybe they gobbled the little fucker up.

Even for someone as insane as Ichi, he knew that trying to sell 'demons' to the chick who had her own issues would have been a no-go. Which is why Ichi attempted to play it off as cool as possible as he limped off towards the 7-11. Best to get a drink while he still could.

Astaroth had plans for Penelope...

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"...yeah... I guess so."

Mindlessly waving Ichi off, Penelope took some time to gaze at her crystal necklace. The last reminder of her older sister in her possession, the only thing that she had after those terrible events years ago. Penelope wanted to tell herself countless times that there's a chance that Rinato was still out there. But like everyone else, Penelope knew it had been too long since her disappearance, that she should stop trying to convince herself that Rinato would be alive to this day.

Because of such thoughts, Penelope was unaware of what was happening with Ichi. Her mind had purposely shut off all other things, letting her live out her memories again and again. Even with such delusions, she knew that living in the past wasn't going to help, but it felt relieving to touch upon it every now and then.

Looking up to see Ichi walking into the store, the college student couldn't help but realize that he was limping. When did he get hurt on his leg? Before Penelope could ask out of concern, she knew he was out of range for her to ask.

"That's weird... I can't dwell on that too much, though, I have to get settled for college soon."

Tilting her head out of curiosity, Penelope pulled out of the parking lot, proceeding to drive in the direction of her college dormitory. With a relatively stable mind now, it was completely unnoticed by Penelope that a certain someone had tailed her. In a short ten minute commute, the car would stop in the designated parking lot for the college Penelope would be attending, and due to the time of day, there wasn't much of a crowd present here.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"That's weird... I can't dwell on that too much, though, I have to get settled for college soon."

Tilting her head out of curiosity, Penelope pulled out of the parking lot, proceeding to drive in the direction of her college dormitory. With a relatively stable mind now, it was completely unnoticed by Penelope that a certain someone had tailed her. In a short ten minute commute, the car would stop in the designated parking lot for the college Penelope would be attending, and due to the time of day, there wasn't much of a crowd present here.

Having paid little attention to Penelope as she drove off, Ichi staggered into the 7-11 with duffel bag in hand. Making sure to keep his head lowered and walking in between the rows of items, Ichi spoke up. "Lot's a good merchandise you got here, pal. But, uh, where do you keep the chips?" The killer asked as the man running the counter shrugged and pointed over to a row on the right side of the store.

"Thanks bud. Got in a bit of a scuffle and could really use some Lays to calm my nerves." Wincing as the hole in his leg from Astaroth's stinger began to act up, Ichi limped over to the aisle and grabbed two bags of sour cream and onion chips and tucked a two-liter of Dr Pepper under his arm as he made his way over to the counter and slammed it down. Unamused by this costumer's apparent electric enthusiasm, the clerk quickly began ringing up the items and when he was finished, he glanced up and paled.

"Y...You're..."

"Eh? Isn't the correct thing to say, 'that'll be so and so, sir?' Honestly, I was hoping for a bit of quality at my 7-11!"

Ichi remarked cheerfully as he rubbed the back of his neck while his other hand snaked under his shirt and near his waistline. Watching as the clerk started to pull his hand back, no doubt to pull the alarm and alert the police, Ichi's own hand lashed out. Jabbing the tip of a screwdriver right into the back of the poor guy's hand, Ichi would have pinned it to the counter.

"Now, you really shouldn't have gone and done that. I was only going to take my food and be on my way. But I saw you pulling your hand back. You were gonna pull the alarm weren't you?"

"I-I wasn't going to pull the alarm! P-Please, I won't tell anyone you were here! Just let me go!"

The clerk begged as he worked on ripping the screwdriver out of his hand. Ichi seemed bemused by the request as he pointed to a nearby camera. "Yeah? You'd let me go and let's say you're too scared to report this to the police. They just take the camera footage and they see my pretty little mug on it. Then I've gotta do that whole song and dance and really? I'm just a connoisseur of the finer things in life. Like murder and all the different ways you can do it." Opening up his duffel bag, Ichi pulled out his trusty axe.

Realizing what was going to come next, the clerk ripped the screwdriver and held it off to the side. Clasping his hands together, he got on his knees and looked up at Ichi with tears in his eyes. He was only 20! How was this fair?! "P-Please don't kill me!"

"20."

"H-Huh?!"

"Twenty times I heard that line."

Swinging the axe, blood splattered onto Ichi's face and shirt as the first strike didn't take right away. Likely to do with the axe's blade getting duller. With blood gushing out from the massive wound the axe had made regardless, the clerk held up his hand. But Ichi wasn't feeling particularly merciful this night or any night for that matter. Taking another swing with the axe, this time did the trick and the head fell off to the floor. Pleased with the carnage he'd left, Ichi turned towards the camera and swung his axe in an downward swing.

The blow smashed through the camera's exterior and tore it down from the wall. As it crashed to the floor, Ichi took repeated swings with it until the camera was nothing but broken bits scattered all over the floor. Tucking the axe away now that it'd done it's bit, Ichi zipped up the bag and whistled a merry little tune as he made his way of towards the door. Stopping right before he exited, Ichi held up the chips and pop he had absconded with. "Thanks for the food!"

Tearing open the bag with as much ferocity as he would have one of his kills, Ichi made his way off out of the parking lot and to parts unknown. Needed to find somewhere low to hang out, tend to these wounds, and get new clothes. These ones were all bloodstained again.

He also had to do some reading up on demons it seemed...

Speaking of which as the car came to a stop once more, Astaroth could have only assumed that the girl had reached her destination. Taking a brief glance around in his shadow form, Astaroth noticed that nobody else seemed to be around. Or at least nobody close enough to be of any concern. Which is what provoked him into taking the next step. Snaking his tail from under the car, Astaroth opened up the car door and re-taking his shadow form? He crawled inside Penelope's backseat and as far as she knew? It just seemed like there was one more shadow along the back seat. Only this shadow didn't seem to fit with the rest, in fact it seemed like it belonged to a monster-

Astaroth's right claw closed around Penelope's throat but not enough to actually cause her any harm. Leaning forward so that Penelope could feel Astaroth's hot breath on her neck, the demon growled. "You scream or attempt to get away? I snap your neck. You're going to do exactly what I want you to do and what I want you to do is explain why you helped a serial killer. Right. Now."

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

Speaking of which as the car came to a stop once more, Astaroth could have only assumed that the girl had reached her destination. Taking a brief glance around in his shadow form, Astaroth noticed that nobody else seemed to be around. Or at least nobody close enough to be of any concern. Which is what provoked him into taking the next step. Snaking his tail from under the car, Astaroth opened up the car door and re-taking his shadow form? He crawled inside Penelope's backseat and as far as she knew? It just seemed like there was one more shadow along the back seat. Only this shadow didn't seem to fit with the rest, in fact it seemed like it belonged to a monster-

Astaroth's right claw closed around Penelope's throat but not enough to actually cause her any harm. Leaning forward so that Penelope could feel Astaroth's hot breath on her neck, the demon growled. "You scream or attempt to get away? I snap your neck. You're going to do exactly what I want you to do and what I want you to do is explain why you helped a serial killer. Right. Now."

Putting the parking brake on, Penelope took off her seatbelt with a click of a button, but as she did that, she was alarmed by the sound of the passenger door opening seemingly by itself.

"Huh? ... that's... weird."

Her eyes scanning through the passenger seats, she only saw her baggage in the back at first, prompting her to turn around and to pull out the car keys from its slot. She thought she saw some strange shadow on the ground, and she first assumed it to be some strange lighting effect in this parking building. Until then, she was unaware of what was about to happen until the last second.

"A-ack!"

Only letting out a short yelp from the sudden grip on her throat, Penelope's eyes drifted down to see an unfamiliar sight, the sight of... claws wrapped around her neck? Who the heck happened to get into her car without her seeing them? Who was this?! Thoughts racing through her head, her heartbeat thumped hard from the fact that the voice of this sudden intruder growled into her ear.

This person demanded answers from her... and when they demanded answers, that alone only rose more questions for Penelope. She didn't get what this... person, or whatever this was, really wanted out of her. She wasn't that significant to others, so why come to the conclusion that she had information on her?

"S-Serial... killer? No... no no no, I wouldn't ever get myself wrapped up in that kind of stuff... I don't know why... you'll ask that to me.. I-I'm just a student here... you... you must have the... w-wrong idea..."

Becoming stiff as a statue, Penelope didn't dare to look back now, terrified on what would happen if she did. She felt truly helpless, only a moment's away from death if this captor had wished to... and it felt like she was at the wrong place at the wrong time...

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

This person demanded answers from her... and when they demanded answers, that alone only rose more questions for Penelope. She didn't get what this... person, or whatever this was, really wanted out of her. She wasn't that significant to others, so why come to the conclusion that she had information on her?

"S-Serial... killer? No... no no no, I wouldn't ever get myself wrapped up in that kind of stuff... I don't know why... you'll ask that to me.. I-I'm just a student here... you... you must have the... w-wrong idea..."

Becoming stiff as a statue, Penelope didn't dare to look back now, terrified on what would happen if she did. She felt truly helpless, only a moment's away from death if this captor had wished to... and it felt like she was at the wrong place at the wrong time...

Not having the patience to deal with this woman's seeming obviousness, Astaroth's tail snapped forward, stabbing right into her dashboard. If she glanced over, she'd have seen what looked to be a human-sized scorpion-like tail with a stinger at the end. As the claws grew tighter around her neck, Astaroth growled louder into her ear.

"The next time, it's going to puncture your leg. Just like I did to that monster you gave a free ride to. Tell me why you were working with him..." Astaroth ripped his tail free from the dashboard leaving a basketball sized hole in it as it coiled up again. Ready to strike once more if he needed it too.

"Because I know what I saw. I saw you helping a man who's slain so many innocent children. I want a reason! NOW!"

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

Not having the patience to deal with this woman's seeming obviousness, Astaroth's tail snapped forward, stabbing right into her dashboard. If she glanced over, she'd have seen what looked to be a human-sized scorpion-like tail with a stinger at the end. As the claws grew tighter around her neck, Astaroth growled louder into her ear.

"The next time, it's going to puncture your leg. Just like I did to that monster you gave a free ride to. Tell me why you were working with him..." Astaroth ripped his tail free from the dashboard leaving a basketball sized hole in it as it coiled up again. Ready to strike once more if he needed it too.

"Because I know what I saw. I saw you helping a man who's slain so many innocent children. I want a reason! NOW!"

@Gummi Bunnies​

Everything froze up even more within Penelope as she saw what appeared to be a terrifyingly large stinger crash right through the dashboard of this car, and it didn't help that she was pressed to speak of some involvement she had no awareness of... further contributing to possibly having a panic attack or worse. However, that wasn't all she could feel after numbing up from pure fear, she took in the words that this mysterious captor had said.

"... wait... you're saying that Ichi is..."

Trailing off with her words, Penelope was starting to realize on why she was being questioned by this strange entity was after her. Her reasons for being close to a panic attack began to change, her eyes gazing down on her lap with the feeling of regret growing in her gut.

"... I... didn't know... I only arrived here in Tokyo not too long ago... I never heard any word of a serial killer on the loose... I've always been... terribly kind to others, and not knowing of Ichi's wrongdoings... I thought giving him a ride would be a good deed... but instead... I... I made things worse, didn't I? Did I pull him away from the crime scene? Did I bring him somewhere to do more killing? ... I must be terribly gullible and naive... right?"

Voicing out her regrets, Penelope kept her head hung low, clutching a bit onto her crystal necklace with sadness made clear in her eyes.

"... that's all I have to say and I don't have much to hide... and if you think I've done as much wrong as him... then do what you think is best to someone that has done wrong... even if it means killing me..."

Becoming silent after making this statement, Penelope only had one thought in her head.

Blake... Rin... I might be joining you guys soon...

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"... that's all I have to say and I don't have much to hide... and if you think I've done as much wrong as him... then do what you think is best to someone that has done wrong... even if it means killing me..."

Becoming silent after making this statement, Penelope only had one thought in her head.

Blake... Rin... I might be joining you guys soon...

Listening to what it was that Penelope had to say, Astaroth did debate the idea that she was just lying. In an attempt to save her own skin, didn't seem like it'd be unreasonable human behavior when faced with the threat of death lurking right over your shoulder.

But what would Nemo think if he heard that an innocent woman got murdered? What would he think if he knew his best friend was behind it? That was something that Astaroth didn't even want to contemplate. Removing his claw from around the girl's neck, Astaroth turned to open the backseat door.

"S'not like I got much evidence other than my own two eyes. You didn't know what was up, I acted rashly, and you almost paid the price. Sorry about that kid.." Astaroth murmured. "...If you do want to make up for what you did? I'll be hanging around on your school's roof. Come see me when you get a chance."

With that the demon stepped out of the car and slapped the door shut with his tail. From there he flew off to the roof. Wasn't much to do but wait at this point. He needed someone on the human side who could take down Ichi when he couldn't.

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"... w-wait."

Penelope happened to mumble out moments right before Astaroth would leave for the rooftop. She saw that this individual wasn't exactly human, almost like something out of this world. What was someone like him doing around here? Why did he have sights to stop Ichi, who she learned now to be a serial killer.

Sitting there for a second, she wondered if she could help in some way, to undo the unaware wrong that she had done here... Stepping out of the car with her luggage, the college student silently made her way to her dormitory room to drop off her stuff, clutching her crystal necklace to reaffirm herself that this will be done soon... that she'll fix what she had indirectly caused.

Don't worry Rin... I'll fix my wrong... whoever this is... they'll help me stop this bad person...

Repeating this thought in her head, Penelope made her way towards the rooftop, feeling nervous as she stepped over to where she saw Astaroth waiting for her... like he said.

"Um... e-excuse me? Like we... talked about... earlier... what can I do? I mean... I-I'm just a college student... I... I don't know what I can do against... a killer like Ichi..."

@Chewy Rabbits

​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

Don't worry Rin... I'll fix my wrong... whoever this is... they'll help me stop this bad person...

Repeating this thought in her head, Penelope made her way towards the rooftop, feeling nervous as she stepped over to where she saw Astaroth waiting for her... like he said.

"Um... e-excuse me? Like we... talked about... earlier... what can I do? I mean... I-I'm just a college student... I... I don't know what I can do against... a killer like Ichi..."

Astaroth had actually taken the time to watch as people went in and out of the college with some degree of interest. As a demon, he obviously had no longer a need for any kind of education. He knew enough and that helped him take care of Nemo and keep the boy out of trouble and that was all that mattered. So long as Nemo continued to see another bright and shining day, Astaroth was happy.

But he couldn't help but wonder if any of these students had siblings of their own. Siblings that might have met their end at Ichi's blade or were at risk. It made the demon's blood boil as he bared his fangs and had to restrain himself from smashing his tail down. Lest he end up attracting too much attention. Best to just wait here for the girl.

As she finally showed up, Astaroth glanced over and nodded his head in her direction.

"Glad you decided to show up." The demon muttered as he curled his wings around himself. "Yeah, you seem just like a run of the mill human. Doesn't know what she wants outta life. But that's what makes you perfect for this. I can't find Ichi and murder him on the spot. It'd attract far too much attention. Humans who aren't as...let's say 'open' to my kind as you are. But you can find him and you can stop him."

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"B-But... not to drop your hopes... it's just that... I seriously don't know what I can do. The... the best thing I can think of... is to lure him into some trap... so we can turn him into the authorities... but... Ichi seems to be... something else..."

Despite her wanting to undo what she had contributed towards, Penelope was running through her head on what she should do to help with apprehending Ichi. She wished that she had more to offer in this situation, but she knew nothing else, she was only a young woman that went along a presumably normal life. She could find this serial killer, assuming he didn't get too far from where she dropped him off... but she wasn't sure if she could do much to keep him in place or anything in all honesty.

"Either way... I'll try what I can... because... we both want Ichi to stop... killers like that... they hurt people, even hurting those emotionally that weren't involved... and... and..."

"... I... I don't want to see it happen again."

Mumbling more and more, Penelope's words began to soften as she drifted towards a different topic, starting to think on how she was left alone and without her siblings.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"Either way... I'll try what I can... because... we both want Ichi to stop... killers like that... they hurt people, even hurting those emotionally that weren't involved... and... and..."

"... I... I don't want to see it happen again."

Mumbling more and more, Penelope's words began to soften as she drifted towards a different topic, starting to think on how she was left alone and without her siblings.

Astaroth didn't feel too keen on standing up and would have rather stayed in the shadows. He didn't want to risk standing up and people that were less hospitable than Penelope. He already had Ichi on his shit-list, he didn't need reasoning to put a whole bunch of other humans upon it. Though as Penelope continued to speak, Astaroth couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.

"I appreciate you lending a hand. Try not to make it a habit of humans seeing me. But I got one of my own and the sooner this guy's stopped before he gets too close to my friend? All the better. Just need to track him down.."

As Penelope started to ramble on however, Astaroth gently poked her with the tip of his tail. "Hey. You feeling okay, you kinda started mumbling there for a bit."

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

Astaroth didn't feel too keen on standing up and would have rather stayed in the shadows. He didn't want to risk standing up and people that were less hospitable than Penelope. He already had Ichi on his shit-list, he didn't need reasoning to put a whole bunch of other humans upon it. Though as Penelope continued to speak, Astaroth couldn't help but tilt his head in confusion.

"I appreciate you lending a hand. Try not to make it a habit of humans seeing me. But I got one of my own and the sooner this guy's stopped before he gets too close to my friend? All the better. Just need to track him down.."

As Penelope started to ramble on however, Astaroth gently poked her with the tip of his tail. "Hey. You feeling okay, you kinda started mumbling there for a bit."

@Gummi Bunnies​

"O-Oh... um, sorry about that. I must've... lost track of what I was saying there..."

Snapping out of her memory trance, Penelope attempted to talk it off like it wasn't a huge problem when he had voiced out his curiosity. Whether she wanted to admit it or even realize it, her constant remembrance of her own tragedies continued to haunt her in her own thoughts, it always lingered in her mind in some way... and would resurface if something happened to stir those thoughts to her consciousness. To her, that was her curse, to be constantly reminded of some way that terrible things had happened to her, despite on what she could be working towards in the future.

Getting back on track, the young woman had to take in mind on how to help with this problem regarding Ichi. She had no other knowledge of Astaroth's capabilities as a demon and what else he could be working for other than helping out a friend of his, but at this point, she could perceive him and much much better than the terrible person that Ichi really turned out to be. Going on from that, she would have to keep in mind that Astaroth has to keep a low profile, because unlike how Penelope was quite hospitable, most others wouldn't be like her if they were in her shoes at this very moment. So their goal to stop Ichi once and for all... it had to be done with what they can do without any other outside support and interference...

"Well... Ichi could be anywhere at this point, but I remember he said something about books in that cover story he gave towards me... Maybe he could be passing off as a student to some that run into him and are unaware of who he really is... like how he tricked me... And knowing that this is the most prominent college institution in Japan, he might be lingering around here..."

While some assume that Penelope was a hopeless case due to her constant traumatic blackouts and anxiety-filled personality, her work in reading in the lines of certain problems in real life situations made her ability to think out these possibilities be helpful for what they had to do. Easy to theorize and say, but the real work came to testing this theory out and seeing if Ichi lingered somewhere ould prove to be difficult. Scratching the side of her head, Penelope gave this a bit more thought, because something had to help in tracking the serial killer down.

@Chewy Rabbits​

 

[Chewy Rabbits]

"Well... Ichi could be anywhere at this point, but I remember he said something about books in that cover story he gave towards me... Maybe he could be passing off as a student to some that run into him and are unaware of who he really is... like how he tricked me... And knowing that this is the most prominent college institution in Japan, he might be lingering around here..."

While some assume that Penelope was a hopeless case due to her constant traumatic blackouts and anxiety-filled personality, her work in reading in the lines of certain problems in real life situations made her ability to think out these possibilities be helpful for what they had to do. Easy to theorize and say, but the real work came to testing this theory out and seeing if Ichi lingered somewhere ould prove to be difficult. Scratching the side of her head, Penelope gave this a bit more thought, because something had to help in tracking the serial killer down.

"...If you say so, kid. Anything bothering you feel free to speak up."

Astaroth wasn't entirely sold on the fact that Penelope was a-ok. But as long as she kept it together long enough to help him find Ichi, he supposed it didn't really matter. He'd keep his distance from this human after this. He already had Nemo to look after, he didn't need someone else burdening him. As Penelope gave her suggestion, it made Astaroth's skin crawl and his tail swung downwards. Smashing part of the roof behind him as he bared his fangs.

"That...sick bastard! Hiding out among the innocent! If I could just.." Astaroth paused in the middle of his furious tirade to try and catch his breath. Once he had calmed himself, he turned back to look at Penelope.

"Suppose you're on the ball there. He's probably hiding out a dorm in that case then. I know I wouldn't want to be seen and try having to explain why I have a hole in my leg. Which means we're gonna stake this place out." Astaroth stated confidently as he clenched his claws.

"...If you're in for it."

@Gummi Bunnies​

 

[Gummi Bunnies]

"... Well, I'm not exactly sure if I could help in this case, knowing how this campus is set up in a way that... the dorms are split between boys and girls..."

Further thinking on the matter, Penelope became well aware that there wasn't going to be some way to easily track Ichi if he were hiding out here. However, she got one idea to cover up the reason she would be wandering around in the boys' dormitory building.

"O-Oh... I almost forgot... I have something to send over to a friend I know that's on campus. Maybe during that, I can keep an eye out for anything out of place... I just can't stick around for too long..."

Thinking about it, it was the only thing she could try to do in order to narrow down where Ichi's gone off to.

@Chewy Rabbits​