Gather Up

With Haseo's usual haunt these days being Alne and his negative reputation, finding the fabled 'Terror of Death' isn't that hard for Kite. In fact, just asking a few of the Adventurers around would instantly point him towards the Carmina Gadelica Church. Technically it was between that and the recent murder site, but given that there's no one currently hanging around there, it's safe to assume he's at the Church.

Whatever dumb detours the Azure Woobie decides to make, once he's inside he'd find the place pretty barren. There're no statues, no German music, no priests, or ganguro heavy blades in sight.

There is however, a singular white haired imp attempting to tamper with the deactivated Chaos Gate, his hands visibly swiping through menus. But as everyone knows, it's a pretty futile thing to do. They don't work anymore, or at the very least don't allow for transportation, so all they're doing is wasting their time.

Kite steps into the church quietly -- the rumors surrounding Haseo had been, to say the least, unflattering. But what concerned him most was what Polaris had told him, that Haseo was a player killer with an ability that sounded suspicuosly similar to his own. And if what he'd supposed about his own Twilight Bracelet were true, then that meant nothing good if this Haseo character really was killing people.

It meant that one of the only ways to truly kill an adventurer was in the hands of one of the least responsible people it could be in. It also, considering what little he'd heard about this 'Tri-Edge', left Kite feeling in some measure responsible.

Rather than say anything, Kite stares at the white-haired imp from the entrance. He wasn't sure what to say, really.

        " . . . "

"Come on. Come on! Do something, damnit!" There's no response, and eventually Haseo just gives up. They give a solid kick to the base of the Chaos Gate before eventually turning around.

Even whilst preoccupied with their fruitless fiddling, they're pretty positive they heard someone walk in. "If you've got something to say, hurry up and say...YOU!"

Haseo trails off as he finally notices Kite. His face goes from mildly annoyed to straight up contorting into anger, and he's already pulling out a massive great sword as large as he is.

It's him. That's Tri-Edge. They've already dashed up to the Twin Blade, the massive sharpened chunk of metal in his hand already being swung at their head.

He's going to get them, he's going... Wait, didn't that Count V guy say something about there being someone that looks like Tri-Edge? There's no time to Inspect them to make sure, only enough time to follow a gut feeling.

The attack aimed at Kite suddenly veers off, whiffing over his head as it's redirected at the last second. The sudden shift in momentum causes Haseo to topple over and drop his weapon.

"The hell is the big idea!? If you're gonna show up, announce your name or something? Just don't stand there ominously unless your plan was to be mistaken for Tri-Edge all along!"

He trails off a bit as he hisses in discomfort. Landing straight on his ass doesn't generally feel good after all, no matter how much the pain is dulled.

Just barely, Haseo veers out of his mad dash just in time to avoid striking Kite head on. For his part, the blue-haired adventurer looks mostly undisturbed ... well, it's not like it was easy to sweat bullets here. "I've heard a little about that 'Tri-Edge' ... so I guess he really looks like me, huh?"

Looking at Haseo, his first impression was that he was quick to violence, but as well, that he was just a little bit of a dork. It was hard to take someone rubbing their tailbone like that too seriously.

Kite sheepishly rubs the back of his head. "You're Haseo? ... sorry for not saying anything, but I wasn't sure how to approach you."

Eyeing the imp up and down, there was something about him that Kite couldn't put his finger on. It bothered him more than a little.

"Just a little huh? Pffft, you some sort of casual player? You'd think you'd have heard about some forum legend that looks like you sooner."

Haseo goes back to sounding annoyed and agitated, which is probably a step up from murderous angry man in the books of most people.

"So anyway, why the hell are you bothering me? You want to know about Tri-Edge, or are you just sightseeing?"

Shortly after asking this, they're already picking themselves off the ground, using both their hands and tail to help pat off any dust on their pants.

Kite frowns, remaining still as Haseo picks himself up off the ground. "According to some rumors I've heard, Haseo is a ruthless player killer ... and, a trusted source tells me that you have an unusual ability."

Kite pauses before determination hardens his eyes. No more beating around the bush, he resolves, "Are you using Data Drain to kill people? That's my concern."

His voice is lightly pitched, sounding youthful even at his age, but it had a certain firmness to it.

"I killed PKers? What of it? If you're one of those Moon Tree cultists, you can piss right off. And by trusted source, I assume you mean the roleplayer? The guy who'd have died if I didn't save his ass? You're really going to listen to him, huh?"

Haseo rubs underneath his nose and sneers. Though he's as quickly cut off guard by the second question.

"Data Drain? If you're talking about the scarf, I've only just recently got it after the log out button stopped working. Though given I'm pretty sure Tri-Edge is doing the same thing, I don't have any plans on using it on players... For...reasons..."

Haseo's voice gets unnaturally soft when he says reasons, and his usual scowl falters a bit, but just as quickly as he let his guard down, it's back up.

"So how do you know about this Data Drain thing anyway, huh? You're the first person I've met to actually have a name for it."

Kite's eyes soften slightly once Haseo confirms that he hadn't been using it on other players. It was a relief, really.

But the information revealed was still incredibly concerning. He'd gained the power to use Data Drain through his scarf after the Apocalypse? And then Tri-Edge, the infamous killer who was his spitting image also had it ... more than anything, the fact that the Tri-Edge also had the same ability left a pit in his stomach.

"Reasons? ... so you've already seen what it does to people." Kite pauses, slowly putting two and two together. "Tri-Edge --- "

His face twisted in guilt at the epiphany. "Just don't use it on the players or Landers." he says, seemingly moving past Haseo's question.

"Hey, I said I'm pretty sure. But people described what he did as 'drawing data'. But everything I know tracks so far. Those corrupted monsters, I was pulling their bugged data... But people that get in its way lose their memories if they're hit, and people that are the main target don't respawn and get absorbed."

Haseo rubs his chin, his brow furrowing as he's clearly thinking about something as he says that.

"Ignoring your dumb request about Landers, you still didn't answer the question? How do you know? I'm starting to think that Tri-Edge copied you for a reason rather than just coincidence..."

Haseo shoves a finger into Kite's collar bone repeatedly as he starts rapid firing questions.

"How do you know about Data Drain? Why do you know about Data Drain? You're not just some dopey noob, you've clearly got some sort of history, so you better start explaining!"

Inwardly, Kite winces, before sighing at the repeated pokes to his chest. Haseo was pushy, in an endearing way. "Who knows?"

Kite steps back abruptly as another poke comes. "It removes and patches data ... well, it used to be able to do a lot more, but it doesn't seem to be able to interact with the environment anymore .. in other words, its only use now is to defeat bugged enemies or to 'kill' people."

Rather than directly answer any of his questions, Kite just shoots him a friend request. "I don't really feel like going over my life story, but let me know if you find anything about Tri-Edge, okay? I'll do the same for you."

"You want me to tell you things after you're clearly holding on to information I want? I don't think you know how information exchanges work, buddy. But whatever, I'll think about it. My only stipulation is that you leave Tri-Edge to me if you find him."

Haseo's getting nowhere with this guy, and he's not in a position to threaten his life given they're in a town. So Kite gets to live for now. Unfortunately. Or fortunately. It's a matter of perspective, really.

"So that all? Not even gonna ask about the scarf? Or anything else? Just wanted to make sure I was being a good little boy?"

    Kite grins.

"Yep. And trust me, I know if you've been naughty or nice, so keep your nose clean! As for Tri-Edge ... well, I'm not sure if I could go at him alone anyway."

After all, Kite had started piecing together enough bits of information that Haseo had told him that things made a smudge of sense now. Even if only slightly. At least he had a piece of the puzzle, now, instead of nothing at all.

Kite reaches out and quickly pokes Haseo's cheek. "So, I'm probably gonna' make like a tree and leaf since our conversation went so well .. I'll catch you later!"

And, almost as if by magic, Kite's already halfway to the exit?!