Angels: Act One.

[twiststheblade]

The door opens onto a room, not small, not large. Bare, pale walls that could be made of paper, but aren't. There is a window, shuttered against the sun, pale light struggling weakly in to lie in stripes across the wooden floor.

The bed(futon) hasn't been made, white sheets tangled and draped half off onto the floor.

The only splash of colour in the room comes from a vase containing a single spray of yellow flowers, which sits atop a simple lacquered chest. Also atop the chest is a single, dog-eared book, titled 'Koshoku ichidai onna', and two small brown glass bottles, safety capped, labelled in japanese.

Miho steps noiselessly through the door, one finger to her lips, although of course she doesn't have to remind the others of the need for caution. She's all in her habitual black - soft jeans, well broken-in boots, tightly laced, the usual short-sleeved shirt and a loose kimono jacket over it all. There's a knife at each hip, and one at the small of her back. She has her forearm sheaths, as usual, and the bandolier of shuriken. There is a knife in each boot. No swords. Not. . . yet.

I can do this. It's not different than any other place. And I'm not alone. I don't have to be alone.

She raises her eyebrows to Goldy, and tilts her head to the door, a deceptively heavy affair, locked from outside.

Comments

[twiststheblade]

Miho had never come to a complete stop, and as soon as Alanna's on the bike again, she twists the throttle viciously, and the bike jumps away. She also has trouble keeping the front wheel down, but at least there's only here on the bike, and she wrestles it down again, shooting off down the driveway.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy revs up again and sets the bike in motion. Not quite as violently this time.

"Don't look back!" she screams as she lobs something over shoulder back into the garage, where the unfallen men are regrouping. And off they zoom, following the spray of Miho's wake.

Hopefully Alanna and Miho both heed her warning, because the object is a stun grenade. It explodes with a flash and an incredibly loud bang. The remaining guards are blinded for a crucial few seconds and then left disoriented and unbalanced.

[the_lioness]

Alanna couldn't turn her head if she tried. Everything is all speed and noise and light, the rain hardly obscuring her vision at this rate.

A slow smile starts under the helmet, and soon there's a carefree laugh.

"I knew there was a reason I came along," she shouts near Goldy's ear. She doesn't care if it's heard or not.

[3rdtimelucky.livejournal.com]

Goldy hears. She can't help but remember a certain afternoon spent galloping through the woods of Milliways, where she was the one clinging and laughing.

She swivels her head and grins back at Alanna. The bike accelerates even harder, weaving recklessly in between cars on their side of the road, and giving hard chase to Miho.

[twiststheblade]

Miho is uncatchable, really - they're on the same bike, there's only one of her, and she doesn't have an inexperienced pillion. She might have a death-wish, judging by the number of times it looks like she nearly side-wipes vans or clips the front of an oncoming car - but she never does.

The road stretches out in front of them, miles upon mile of slick wet asphalt. At it's end, is the port city of Yokohama, and as the day gets darker, it will loom up on the horizon, lights reflecting off the sky, casting an eerie orange glow.

But that's hours off. Time to enjoy the ride.

Pity they've no music.

(Act 2)