north of the river, all the streets are the same

[contrition]

Tackling the city of Darrow would be one thing if Yukio had his team around. If there were multiple Exorcists with varying meisters working together as a team. He's used to keeping a sharp eye out for threats in the distance and putting them down in short order, used to assessing the source of a demon's strength and throwing it at its weakness. He's used to patching up people's injuries on the run, building them up enough to keep fighting.

But within a certain range, Yukio is all but helpless.

Asking Rin for help isn't always an option. Rin, whose goal should be caring for himself rather than adding yet another weight to the responsibilities he carries on his shoulders. But there are precious few that Yukio trusts in the city — Dean shouldn't be the one that he constantly turns to in times of need, and Clementine's his student. Alex is still something of an enigma.

Which means that Yukio is left wondering if he can train himself to proficiency in the other disciplines. Every evening, he spends a couple of hours trying to memorize verses from the Bible. He's taken to training with a bokken for mid-range combat. Straightforward and manageable.

Summoning, on the other hand.

The surrounding area is wet from a recent rain, the scent of earth heavy in the air. The Naiads stand tall around Yukio in a circle with their arms raised towards the air. Between them, a large sphere of water spins, but as the seconds pass, its momentum slows. Water starts to drip down from the ball, rushing over the toes of Yukio's shoes, until the Naiads turn towards him simultaneously.

One by one, they flip back into the puddles speckled around the forest, until Yukio's left only with the sound of rain and his uneven breath.

"Damn it."

Comments

[primuslune]

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Remus murmurs from where he stands nearby, half-hidden behind the trunk of a tree, one hand pressed against the rough bark. His voice is scratchy from the cool, wet weather, but his blue eyes are alert, watchful and curious as any of the other eyes hidden in the forest around them.

He hadn't expected to come upon anything like this, when he'd heard a soft commotion from the depths of the woods.

"That was an impressive bit of magic." Not like his own, but Remus knows very well that there is more than one type of magic out there in the universe. Even House Elves have their secrets. "Water elementals of some kind, wasn't it? Do you work with that sort of thing?"

[contrition]

Yet more proof that he isn't up to par. There's no way that he would have missed the man lurking were his attention on the perimeter, as it usually was when he fell into the role of Dragoon. Fortunately, Yukio is able to quickly stamp down his surprise and anxiety, only manifesting in the sharper gaze from his eyes.

The last time he ran into someone alone in a forest, things had not ended well.

"Naiads," Yukio confirms, jaw tensing as he straightens his posture. Both hands remain carefully at rest by his sides. "I wouldn't say that most of my work goes into allying with them, but I am certainly trying to improve. And yourself? What kind of magic do you employ?"

[primuslune]

"I'm a wizard," Remus says "So."

He holds both hands up, showing the young man his palms, empty of his wand or any other weapon or device. Stepping away from the trees, he approaches, only until he reaches the edge of where the forest floor is wettest. Although there isn't much in the way of dry spots, to begin with, what with the weather. Cold, misty, late winter rain.

"I was only curious. I live nearby. My home is out here, not far. Hidden from detection. I was in the neighborhood. It's Lupin, Remus Lupin. I apologize for not introducing myself immediately. Are you much for shaking?" He offers a hand anyway.

[contrition]

"A term that doesn't mean much in a city that aggregates as much as Darrow does," Yukio points out, eyes briefly narrowing as he watches the man approach with palms open and bare. Empty hands aren't very comforting when they belong to a wizard. "But I assume that means you have access to a wide range of different types of magic."

His gaze flickers down to the man's hand, then back up to meet blue eyes not too unlike his own.

He doesn't reach out for a shake until he's sure he can manage it firmly and without hesitation.

"Okumura Yukio. Surname Okumura," Yukio shares. "Your home uses magic to avoid detection? Is that a spell you can share?"

[primuslune]

"More specifically, then," Remus says in a voice of allowance. "I am a person who was born with an innate ability to perform a variety of acts of 'magic,' which involve the manipulation of time and space in ways they wouldn't naturally be experienced."

He drops his hands, satisfied by the introduction, if not the weather or the warmth he's recieving from the other man, which is none at all. "Unfortunately, this means that the spell being used to cloak the presence of my home out here, isn't something that I could teach to another person who couldn't at least fit themselves into that same description. Apologies."

[contrition]

Yukio's gaze betrays him for only a moment as he stares at his feet. In some respects, the definition that Remus Lupin has offered fits Rin. (And a part of Yukio still wonders about his eyes, and whether or not there's a thread of him that ties closer to Rin than any of them dares think.)

For now, it's not a path worth pursuing. Too much information to give up for too little reward. Keeping the other man's attention on the Naiads might be smarter.

"No apology necessary. It's not something that can be helped, right? Whether or not we're born with that type of innate ability." Yukio crosses his arms loosely over his chest, less tense than a moment ago, but still watchful. "I'm afraid I don't have much to speak of at all. Hence my difficulty with the Naiads. To some, such a spell would have been easy as breathing."

[primuslune]

"I'm sure that it would have," Remus says, folding his hands over his hips and offering a gently warm smile. Gone is the standoffishness, although the alert wariness remains. Not necessarily a wariness toward Yukio in particular, but simply the self-awareness of a person in a new situation.

"Everyone's got things that they're good or bad at. Some of those things they're born into ... other things, less so. Well, obviously. That is a lot of words to say ho-hum. You're sopping. Do you want to come in and have a drink 'til all this drizzle ends?"

[contrition]

Remus' words are slightly roundabout in a way which covers all bases, and tries to leave no consideration unturned. It has the effect of making him seem like a teacher, or some other individual who with the primary objective of including as many different perspectives as possible.

Yukio knows the practice rather intimately — the difference being that allowances on his end are always forced and conscious. For this man... perhaps not.

"Alright," he says with a nod, lips pressed in a thin line. "If it isn't too much trouble. I'd be... very interested in heading about some of your own strengths and weaknesses. If I can be bold enough to request a topic of conversation."

[primuslune]

"You can be bold as you like," Remus tells him, his face opening up with what is a genuine smile as he waves the young man after himself, toward the nearby home.

"Actually, Darrow can be a little lonely. There aren't always a great many people here who would be comfortable coming into a home after you've introduced yourself as a wizard. I imagine many of them might be worried they've been caught in stories where people get lured away, cooked, and eaten, or worse. But even if that were true, you can clearly look after yourself"

The smile brightened a little, as Remus reached out for the door to his home, the air in front of it wavering like a curtain before he pulled it open, revealing the structure of the cabin to the two of them. It did not seem very large, or very elaborate.

[contrition]

Although well aware that the sentiment in the man's smile might very well be genuine, Yukio's own expression remains stalwartly neutral as he steps into Remus' house. Openness isn't enough to make him feel entirely comfortable with the other man. Comfort would require a more direct comparison of their abilities, a confrontation that Yukio isn't eager to attempt when he's already somewhat fatigued from his effort with the Naiads.

It's yet another reminder of how much work he still has ahead of him in the city.

Still, he knows his manners as he enters the cabin, brushing his shoes clean on the doormat and watching closely for Remus' actions. Since the other man doesn't take off his shoes, Yukio follows suit, lightly stepping into the house and subtly glancing around. It's remarkably ordinary, all things considered. Nothing that marks it as being a wizard's residence, save for a few decorations and a tank to the side, home to a creature Yukio's never before encountered.

"I find it interesting that the city doesn't seem to have accounted in any meaningful way for those of magical backgrounds in its limits. No provisions in its laws. Few considerations when looking for employment. And a lack of a strong network between such individuals. I was hoping to bridge that, myself, perhaps with a school of instruction. It would be unfortunate not to foster those skills," says Yukio, breezing right past the mention of his own abilities. "But you're right. Coaxing comfort out of people, those with paranormal abilities or not, might be a great hurdle to cross."