SoulCoil

((sliding in a starter, feel free to reply))

It was just as Vera had feared. There was no escape now. It was far too late for her.

Vera's two best friends, Jae Gyeong-Su and Alice-Mary King, had noticed the green haired teen's recent decline in social activity. Being the 'good friends' they are, they arrived at her house one evening, and insisted that all three of them go to the movies together. Vera refused them, but her father stepped in. He agreed that she had been spending way too much time in her room, and also urged her to go.

If only they knew.

Her Revenant friend, Mortimus, tried reassuring her that if she would ever be targeted, he would protect her. It made her feel better, somewhat. Vera decided to go with her friends.

With that, the three of them drove off to the theater.

---

Later that night, they stepped out of the theater. For the most part, Vera felt way better about their night out. Nothing bad happened. But the movie was horrible.

That night, Vera had a change of heart. Maybe she should go out more.

But there were always people watching....

From the late-night cafe he sat in, Enri's skin prickled and his blood ran cold. Amanita's fur stood on end as well, and she uncurled from where she'd draped herself across three seats.

There was a revanent near.

His coffee, made just the way he liked by his favorite barista, lost all flavor. He downed it in one go and went to pay his tab.

So much for a relaxing evening on this side of town.

"Leaving already?"
He smiled apologetically as he grabbed his coat. "Unfortunately I have to run-- duty calls."
They laughed and waved him off. "You work too hard, Enri. Come back soon, you hear? You still need to finish telling us about that skeevy little manager."

He laughed, too, but it cut short the moment the door shut. He didn't want to draw too much attention with noise. And thankfully, Amanita had the sense to take a different route to leave. If the other revenant were close enough to see him, they at least wouldn't see her.

Maybe he could still escape unnoticed.

He saw people leaving the movie theater down the way. Innocuous enough on its own, with the usual crowds of pleased and displeased faces. But another face hovered above the human mob and Enri's heart nearly stopped.

This revenant was quite intimidating and much bigger than Amanita. Enri couldn't see its body yet, and really didn't want to. Ever.

He busied himself by checking his pocket for fare and flagging a cab.

Vera's Revenant had been lounging beside her and her friends, watching their exchanges between them. But he paused. Immediately, Mortimus lifted his head.

"There is another Revenant in the vicinity." He muttered, leaning down.

The green haired teen froze. "What? Where?" She looked around to see if she could spot them.

"There." Mortimus flicked his tail in the direction down the street. He soon turned back to her. "Though you need not worry. I sense no malice from them."

Vera sighed. "Like that ever makes sense." She turned to her friends and soon urged them to take her back home. They gave her looks of confusion, but they complied.

Soon the three climbed into the car.

Before the cab even pulled aside, Enri felt the prickling subside. He risked a glance and saw the intense Revenant and a trio of teens getting into a car. Thankfully, they seemed to be headed away from the area.

Enri smiled at the cabby and climbed in. "Upton Square, please." That would take him in the opposite direction than they'd left from. With any luck, whichever the Revenant belonged to hadn't identified him as the target. There were, afterall, many people on the street.

As an added bonus, Upton Square was 6 blocks from his current hotel. If any other competitors were watching (or on the prowl), that gave him more than enough time to notice. And plenty more time to solve the problem.

The cab pulled away and Amanita slipped down to the street. She took great care not to follow the cab directly, instead padding across the street towards the theatre. She slipped inside, sniffed around, and when she was content with her findings, slipped out the back way. She would meet with her partner when he arrived at his destination.

"Ready to go?" Jae asked, adjusting his mirror.

Vera opened her mouth to say 'yes', but was interrupted. Mortimus had nudged her leg and gotten her attention. She was careful not to look directly at him, but acknowledged him by giving the Revenant a single glance.

"I will return." Was all Mortimus said. Vera sighed, and opened the car door to let him out. The Revenant did just that, and he climbed out of the car and onto the sidewalk near the theater.

Needless to say, her friends were confused by this. Vera only smiled and made the excuse that she needed a ton of fresh air.

Meanwhile, Mortimus had caught the scent of the other Revenant nearby. He began to follow it. If he could just get one glimpse what they were dealing with, only a second or two, it would be enough.

He made his way to the back alley where the other Revenant was last.

Her whiskers stiffened and a shudder ran from nose to tail as the other Revenant drew nearer.

Though somewhat surprised, she found herself pleased that it chose to follow. She hadn't bothered disguising her initial destination simply because she hadn't considered it might leave the car. It seemed a tad reckless, leaving its partner vulnerable like this... Though she really couldn't speak on that, hypocritic as it was.

She relaxed. It seemed like it was time for some fun...

She padded through a few more alleys before leaping up to a fire escape to get a better view. She would wait until she had eyes on the other Revenant before she continued on. She would decide what to do from there.

Finally, he had sensed that the other Revenant was close. He slowed his pace and hoped he would catch her.

Then they started moving once more, a bit quicker this time around. Mortimus had trailed behind once more, matching their speed. He kept on until he noticed that the other Revenant had stopped altogether.

Mortimus' trot had slowed to a halt. There he stood, head scanning the area. Then he sniffed once more. Up above.

He looked up one of the building's fire escapes.

There they were.

Silently, Mortimus studied them. He knew that they too had strayed from their partner.

"At ease. I mean you no harm," Mortimus began.

Amanita scoffed. Or approximated it through facial expression, anyway. Her tail flicked lazily from side to side as she watched the much-larger Revenant below her.

As odd as his statement was, however, she couldn't help but believe him.

Strange, really. She wasn't sure why that should be the case. The information was unlikely to have come from a latent sync, since other Revenants always seemed so hard for her to sync with.

Still, it seemed worth a shot. She waved with one paw and tried to otherwise give the impression of neutral (if wary) greeting. If the sync was good enough, he'd recieve her following question. Or at least the gist of it.

Why are you a part of this competition if you mean no harm? Is that not the point of this game?

If not, she supposed she'd have to scratch out her messages on the bricks beside her.

He had picked up the sync well enough to hear what she had to say.

For a little bit, Mortimus was silent. He let out a long drawn out sigh.

"I never discerned the anguish and the despair that this foolish contest had created. Now I know. Though, there is no distinct method of avoiding it." He scratched his claw against the pavement for a second before looking back up.

"I understand that your mortal does not wish to murder any others, correct?"

She fluffed somewhat with pleasant surprise. That usually didn't work so well, and she'd been fully prepared to start writing for the stranger. But his words dampened her small victory.

How? How could anyone not have known what this competition did?

We put on a murder game and don't expect all the sorrows that come from killing? She scowled and shook her head. Revenants truly have forgotten much...

She flicked her ears and her agitation resulted in tighter, more frequent tail twitches. Hmm... She tucked her paws under herself and continued to glare at him.

Can't speak for my mortal... she sniffed. He does what he thinks he must to survive.

True, Mortimus had turned a blind ear to this contest. He wanted nothing to do with it, or rather, he was disinterested.

There was more silence. He lowered his head, thinking for a moment. Then he looked up once more.

"I wish to cease this wretched cycle of events. This has gone on for far too long. If we were to succeed in becoming the victor, then...."

Mortimus trailed off once more. He knew Vera didn't want anything to do with this. After he had told her about his plan and his general dislike for this game, she had agreed to help him in stopping it. Though, he didn't like the idea of putting such a young girl in danger like that.

Her eyes narrowed in distaste, Amanita listened and watched him think. And then his next words completely disarmed her; her eyes widened and she sat up.

That was why the sync worked so well.

If you were to succeed... she paused, considering her next words carefully. If I were to assist you in your goal... and I became your final opponent, could I trust you not to harm my mortal? I've become... attached.

She stood and stretched, her long body creaking slightly.

We... are of a similar mind. She admitted. I, too, wish to dismantle this cycle of needless death.

He definitely wasn't expecting this one to agree with him. Somehow, he had contained his surprise on her response. His tail began wagging.

Mortimus nodded slowly at her words. "I was beginning to be under the impression that no other Revenant wished to end this contest." He admitted. ".... We are in agreement. Your mortal will not be harmed. I only ask for you to do the same as well." For a moment, he paused.

"Ah, how impertinent of me. I have neglected to ask of your name."

She gave a long blink and would have purred, were she able. This whole mess might come to a true end this time around. No one else, no more innocents, no more hapless confused people caught up and chewed up.

She nodded. You have my most sincere word: your mortal will remain unharmed.

.... Oh. Names. Besides numbers, names were one of the more difficult things to transmit via sync. It really was lucky that she had one that came from an object in the world...

Images, tastes, and sensations passed across the sync. Various mushrooms, most with russet blush or fae pale hues. The most prominent being a bright red 'toadstool' with white spots. Each of the fungi came from the same genus. That detail had the strongest impression.
The tastes were light, delicate, tossed in oil and reminded of specialized salads. But the sensations ranged from delight and ecstasy, to pain, fear, and terrible choking death.

She tilted her head, hoping that would be enough. For if he'd never encountered such things, he wouldn't have the word for it. Or worse, he may have encountered it, but the wrong name come to mind. She hoped, maybe a bit too keenly, watching the other Revenant intently.

Mortimus was content to say the least. He had made an honest truce with another Revenant. It was relieving, as he was under the impression that all Revenants liked this sick game.

The images had confused Mortimus as he watched them. The feelings he received were somewhat familiar, though. What sort of plant could do that? He had never laid eyes upon plants such as that before. Perhaps she could not sync names well. Revenants that had to sync usually had trouble with names and numbers.

Mortimus tilted his head to the side, puzzled. "I apologize, for I know not what you are trying to express. Could you perhaps....write out your name?"

He waited patiently for a response.

Ah. It had been too much to hope for. Her shoulders sagged briefly before she turned to the bricks beside her. As she scratched out the letters, the sound was muted and barely carried to the pavement below.

'Amanita,' it read, when she was done.

Then she turned away and slunk further up the fire escape. It was... nice... meeting you... And you need not share your name. I do not care to know.

Good luck to you, and safe travels to your mortal. May this game end soon.

With that, she jumped to another escape a short distance down the alley, then another, before hopping down to the street level and slipping around a corner.

Amanita. He read.

Mortimus was about to introduce himself as well, though he stopped himself, as she didn't care for his name. Odd. Though Mortimus was silent as he watched her leave.

He stayed in the same place even after she disappeared. Then he turned away and made his way back to the car where he left his mortal.

Vera noticed him, then opened the door. He climbed inside.

Soon they drove off.

Having left the square and arrived safely at his hotel, Enri sighed. No one had followed, but he always felt safer near the suitcase. It did have all the fun items in it, and might even give him a chance if he ever had to fight one of those Revenants alone.

As of now, it was open and Enri ran his fingers lightly across the handle of the large switchblade inside. Other trinkets and vials of materials were tucked into pouches and strapped down within the case, but that switchblade was his favorite of them. He didn't know if its silver blade would do any good against such powerful spirits, but he knew it worked on others. And surely it would at least slow them down?

A hush settled over the room as the droning television set and the hum of the air conditioner sounded far away. The impression that someone had knocked pulled Enri to the door, though he knew he hadn't heard anything. He opened it and Amanita padded in.

"You alright? Took you a while to get back."

Just being thorough... Taking care not to leave an easy trail. She hopped up on the second bed, looking disdainfully at the suitcase and its contents. You've been busy.

He glanced at it and shrugged, discreetly clipping the switchblade to his belt. "Better to be safe, than sorry, yes?" He closed the suitcase and watched the cat sprawl out on the bed across from him. Her eyes were closed and she was still.

Get some sleep, Bard. A vague memory of guitar and vocals played with that last word. There will be no attack tonight.

Though his brow furrowed, he slid the suitcase under the nightstand and turned out the lights. He'd at least try.

There was complete silence from the three teens. Only the sounds of the surrounding traffic and the noise from the tires filled the air. Needless to say, it was rather tense. Really, really, tense. Like you couldn't exactly breath properly in the car. Mortimus didn't help much, as Vera could help but shiver in her seat.

"You mind telling us what's going on?" Jae finally asked. His eyes were still on the road, but he took a split second to glance back at Vera. "You've been acting so....weird lately. And not just weird. More so, really, really weird."

"Uh...." Vera glanced at Mortimus in the seat next to her, to get some sort of answer from him. The Revenant ignored her and was hunched over, and his head was down. His horns were barely touching the seat in front of him. It was sort of funny to her, but at the same time, she was a bit flustered. Finally, she let out a sigh. "I dunno. I've been kinda stressed lately."

Jae sort of scoffed. "That's for sure. I won't bother you about it, but in case you want to talk to us--or anyone, for that matter, don't be afraid to."

If only I could.

"Yeah. Right. I know. You guys are my best friends, but I gotta deal with this on my own." Vera said.

"If you say so."