[OOM] Further Monastery Hijinks.

[orange_lily]

It's about two days after the attack by the Cockatrice Phantom that Yugo pokes his head into the archives.

(Yugo has spent much of that time training, and a not inconsiderable amount analysing the data they got from the Cockatrice Phantom. He has the latter in a folder under his arm.)

"Dude, you here? Dude? Duuuude?"

Comments

[herr_bookman]

"I am amazed," Autor says quietly, as he strolls up to his florist friend, "that I can tell you're calling for me, given all of the ways you use that word."

The kid adjusts his glasses. "What's the issue?"

[orange_lily]

"There's no issue, dude," Yugo says. "Doesn't have to be an issue for me to come see you. How's the archive trawling going?"

[herr_bookman]

Autor shakes his head. "I haven't found any pattern in the Phantoms' targets," he says, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Or where the Wiseman would have possibly hidden them all."

Then he glances up again. "Er. How are you?"

[orange_lily]

"The pattern might just be that they're Gates," Yugo says. "Trying to bring more Phantoms in and all that."

Pause. "I'm good. Soukichi, Yuriko and I have been going over data. And, y'know, training."

[herr_bookman]

"Augh," he says, chewing on the inside of his cheek. "That's the logical conclusion, but I'm still annoyed. They'll be impossible to track."

Autor nods. He'd been part of the kickboxing training and watched a bit of the armor, but stuck with the archives more often than not, recently.

"What data?"

[orange_lily]

"Boring stuff, mostly. Energy readings, mass, weight, average speed and strength," Yugo says. "We didn't find anything interesting."

[herr_bookman]

"Hm," Autor says, pursing his lips. "Did we get anything on his Gate? Or how Cockatrice managed to break through?"

[orange_lily]

"Office worker from Sapporo," Yugo says. "He vanished just before the eclipse."

[herr_bookman]

Autor blinks. "Wait, vanished? And just randomly appeared in an ice cream shop? How far away from the eclipse site was he when he turned into a Phantom?"

[orange_lily]

"I'm pretty sure 'vanished' here, means 'was kidnapped for the eclipse ritual'," Yugo says, "and unlike most of the others, his Phantom didn't start impersonating him afterwards, so he never showed back up again."

[herr_bookman]

"Interesting," Autor says. "So he was an aberrant, of sorts. A time-bomb. Do you think there are more like that out there? I wonder what makes them?"

[orange_lily]

"I wonder whether he's a defector, or part of a different faction," Yugo remarks, sitting down on whatever chair is nearest. "Dude is kidnapped and taken to the eclipse site, and the Cockatrice Phantom appears out of him, killing him in the process. But while every other Phantom goes to Tokyo, he and Werewolf and who knows how many others head up North to Shiragiku, essentially abandoning the others."

Beat. Yugo shrugs.

"So a traitor is one option. Or even just part of a special group with a different mission."

[herr_bookman]

Autor follows suit, leaning on the table and folding his arms. "A defect makes sense, as does a special mission."

He tilts his head. "So you did indeed choose a... 'hot spot' of Phantom activity to live in."

Stretching, he stands again. "Anyway. How are you? Has Phoenix been more or less active lately?"

[orange_lily]

"That's the plan! If the attacks in Shiragiku trail off, they'll probably move me down to Tokyo, and I'll get to meet Haruto."

Beat.

"Which'll be fun when I have to explain that my Phantom has a crush on his Phantom. Phoenix has been okay. Pretty calm."

[herr_bookman]

"Oh, interesting," he says. "Will Haruto's sponsor interfere with the meeting, you think?"

The kid does blink, though, at the whole crush business. "Why would you need to explain that?"

[orange_lily]

"Well, it's all just hypothetical right now, dude. Unless Shiragiku suddenly becomes safe, Soukichi's going to keep me there and out of Haruto's way."

Beat.

"Dude. How pissed off do you think Phoenix would be if I had the chance to set up a meeting between him and Dragon and didn't take it? He'd never forgive me," Yugo says. "And I totally think Haruto would deserve to know."

[herr_bookman]

Autor rubs one of his not-at-all-pink cheeks with a hand. "Oh! Well, um, yeah, I guess that makes sense," he says, and peeks at the floor. "But, um, wouldn't that be sort of awkward? With the whole"... Sharing of bodies thing?

The kid abruptly turns on his heel and walks three steps. When he returns, his blush has dissipated. "Do you know Go Fish? I've been wondering if we can set up games in the holographic displays, to give Phoenix something to do occasionally."

[orange_lily]

"Kinda why it's important to discuss it with him if I ever meet him," Yugo says.

He tilts his head. "I know it. That's a good idea, man."

[herr_bookman]

"Fair enough," Autor says, and then nods. "Good. I'm going to assume that Phoenix knows all the games you know."

He motions to the displays behind them. "Would we need special cards for that, do you think?"

[orange_lily]

Yugo peers at the displays. "We can probably rig up a display to create some holographic cards. Either that, or I can hold Phoenix's cards."

[herr_bookman]

"You could," Autor says, "but then you'd not be able to play. I'm fine either way. Is he up and about right now?"

[orange_lily]

"Rigging up the display it is, then," Yugo says, and gets to work on that.

He's not a computer expert by any stretch of the imagination, but the display is almost unnervingly intuitive, and has Solitaire installed, so it's not long until there's a deck of cards resting above one of the tables.

Yugo gives it an experimental tap. A card flips off the deck and hovers in front of it. He taps it again and it's laid flat on the table.

[herr_bookman]

Autor grins. "We could probably even set up a Tarot deck for the Fool."

He furrows his brow and turns to Yugo. "If this works, then theoretically Phoenix could access any program we wanted him to have on this display. Games. Paints. Maps and other things."

Any lovely bribe we wanted.

"All right. Are you ready for this?"

[orange_lily]

"I bet he'd love the paints," Yugo remarks, just a touch dryly as he slides a ring onto his finger.

"Rise, please."

He aims it at a holographic display, and watches as it changes, assuming Phoenix's vast, birdlike form before shrinking down to human shape.

Phoenix seems rather pleased to see Autor, throwing his arms up with a grin. "Dude!"

[herr_bookman]

"Why wouldn't he like the paints?" Autor says, blinking. "There's nothing wrong with paints. Except that they're messy and smelly and stain things."

The display lights up with fire, however, so if Yugo answers, Autor doesn't hear it.

The boy smiles at the bird. "Hello, Phoenix. Care for a game?"