I'm Not Down (Closed, Shinkuro Only)

"#@$%ing police state shit!" she cried, her voice thunderous with a righteous fury, drowned out only by the hustle and bustle of the crowd. Her mismatched eyes, one green, the other gold, smoldered with anger. She was glaring intently at a notice nailed to the wall of one of Era's many, many bars, as if to bore a hole through the sheet of paper. The notice was, surprisingly, handwritten and signed by a Councilman. The writing was an elegant cursive form, letters flowing into one another, and the language was formal, but nonetheless exacting and absolute. It read:

"Effective immediately, all guildless wizards are to register with one of the official guilds: Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, or Blue Pegasus. Those who do not will be considered potential threats and be dealt with accordingly. Punishment for failing to comply includes anything from fines to death, depending on a court ruling. The Magic Council will not tolerate those who operate outside the system. Guildless Wizards have one week to comply."

At first, Abigail had wanted to believe that it was a joke some asshole had decided to pull. She had heard a lot of stories about the Council's heroics during the supposed war that had happened a year ago, during her short time spent in Era. She didn't want to believe that they would go to such extreme measures, simply in response to a single attack. But it wasn't a prank. The Council's seal was stamped right on the bottom of the flier, in dark red ink. It was official. They truly intended to go through with this registration crap, no matter how much it curbed basic human freedom.

"You sons of bitches..." she snarled, her face twisting into a nasty sneer. She wished the notice had a face that she could punch. Hell, she wished a Rune Knight would show up, just so she could show them just how much she "appreciated" this new law. "You jack-booted, goosestepping sons of..." She cut herself off, realizing how pointless it was to cuss out a piece of paper nailed to a wall. Sighing in frustration, Abby ripped the notice off the wall and rudely shoved it into the pocket of her red leather jacket. After quickly throwing the hood of her black hoodie over her head, she then left the bar, stepping out into the busy streets of Era.

She wandered the streets for a few hours, seemingly nonplussed by the below zero temperatures and ankle deep snow that covered the city. Not going anywhere in particular, she allowed herself to stew in her simmering anger. This registration thing was a puzzler for sure. On the one hand, this wasn't her universe, or her world. Why should she give a shit about whether or not their Council wanted to put on the Reich? She was only here for Emiliana. And making a habit of pissing off the local governments was not, by any means, conducive to her goal. But on the other hand... This was the exact same thing she fought against back home. There was a goddamn war over it. She couldn't ignore it happening here just because it wasn't her home. And it was an inevitability that the Council would eventually corner her, no matter how well she laid low.

"Dammit..." Abigail grumbled, stopping and letting herself slump into a bench. "I wish you were here with me, Dad. You'd know what to do." she said aloud, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter. It'd been a long while since she'd gunned a stick. But right now, she bloody needed it. Lighting up, the redhead took a hit off the cig and then exhaled a cloud of thick, gray smoke. She looked down at the wedding band on her left ring finger, smiling underneath the shadows of her hood. "Hope you're doin' alright, baby. I'll try to be home soon."

Shinkuro had a habit of climbing trees and looking over the landscape. It brought his mind away from the pressing issues of how to get home, what the heck he should do in a world that wasn't his, and how he could NOT stand out as an awkward offworlder. Heck, he wasn't surprised that local enforcement hadn't caught on to him yet. Maybe that was how things worked around here, what with colorful folk with their cool outfits and magicks strutting around the town like they own the place.

Not that there was anything to be proud of in this town. The place was a mess; ruined houses, charred craters, and ever-present sounds of widespread construction told a story about how to bounce back from a lost battle. He'd heard some details before from that red-haired man in the bar, but from the tree branch he was sitting on he could truly see the extent of destruction.

Maybe he was simply sympathizing with the people - because of his experiences in the war-torn land of Illumina - but he felt a slight anger against the group that attacked this city and turned it into rubble. Then again, it said a lot about this land's center of government, to be so easily taken down in battle. Perhaps he should try and keep a low profile; not get himself caught in the crossfire between these two parties.

He knew he couldn't sit still when someone needed helping, though. That was just how he was. In fact, he stopped riding that train of thought and focused on the tiny little snowflakes that fell from a sky covered in gray. Thank the Goddess he had worn his fur-lined hooded coat. He didn't want his first experience in the new world to be encased in winter ice.

A few minutes later, he caught sight of a red-haired woman walking with heavy steps and a hunched posture. His first thought was Liliana, and a sudden urge to jump from the tree and land on her was strong. And then he saw the mismatched eyes of green and gold. He stopped himself in the nick of time, letting out a sigh of relief. Hurray for quick, rational thinking.

Apparently he was well-hidden in the branches of the tree, because the girl sat on the bench underneath; or rather, slumped. He couldn't quite hear what she was saying, though the glint of the ring in her finger caught his attention.

'Hm... she seems like she might know something more about what's going on. Should I surprise her? Or approach her like a normal person for once?'

While he was thinking about his next action, he failed to notice his body leaning ever so slightly to the left. Of course he nearly slipped off the branch, and even though he managed to grab hold of another branch the damage was done. A large helping of snow fell from the branch, covering the girl in white, powdery wetness. He mentally cursed himself, instinct causing him to grip the Raisou tightly. If there was going to be a confrontation, he made sure to be ready for it.

To say that Abigail was surprised when snow rained down upon her from above would have been an understatement. To put it both plainly and accurately, she was struck dumb. It must have taken at least three minutes for what had happened to actually register. She just sat there, head and shoulders covered in snow, her face blank. When it finally clicked in her mind that a small, localized avalanche had pretty much dropped on her head, the young woman slowly began brushing herself off, starting with the shoulders and knees. Leather creaked as her hands moved rapidly to sweep away the powdery whiteness. To clear off the top of her head, she simply threw back her hood, revealing her face.

Once she had cleaned herself off, Abby looked at her cigarette, held between the index and middle fingers of her left hand. By some miracle, it hadn't been snuffed out by the snow that had fallen on her. Well, she wasn't going to complain. Bringing the cig to her lips again, she took a hit off it and exhaled a couple smoke rings. "Well then..." she said under her breath, more smoke bellowing out from her lips with each word, before rising from the bench and looking up above.

What she saw brought about a fit of laughter which she forced herself to stifle. Sitting on a branch in the tree above the bench she had been occupying was a young man. A lot younger than she was, at the very least. His hair was a bluish gray mop, and he wore an olive drab coat with a fur collar. He seemed poised to draw his sword at the drop of a hat, as if he expect her to attack him. She stared at him for a few moments, her hands in her jacket pockets and a wry look of amusement on her face, as if to ask, "Really? You're that jumpy?" Then she spoke up.

"Well, well. Looks like I've found myself a stray cat climbing around in the trees." Abigail said, her lips curling into a rather feline sort of smile, and a mischievous gleam flashing in her eyes. She had to allow herself that much, at least, if not out and out laughter. "Havin' a good time up there, kid? Or did a big, mean ol' dog chase you up there?" she then asked the youngster, still taking the piss. She figured he could at least take a little ribbing, considering he just dumped snow all over her. "Well, look. If I was gonna hurt ya, I'd have done it already. So come on down, unless you're frozen to the branch or something."

So first, he nearly fell off a branch, which was embarrassing in itself. But to hear this woman talk to him and treat him like a kid irked him to no end. He was reminded of Elizabeth, that dog of the Conglomerate that hounded him all across his homeworld and the next. Always taunting, always mischievous, and always annoying. Normally he'd pay no heed to the words of this woman with the mismatched eyes, if only she didn't sound like that demented woman so much.

He hoisted himself up, placed both his feet on the branch and jumped off. He landed in front of her with a bit of flourish, katana in hand and a steely glint in his eye. Courtesy towards women was part of his mantra. Elizabeth wasn't worthy of courtesy, and only time would tell if this red-haired woman deserved it. He made sure she could see his thoughts in the appraising gaze he gave her.

After a short while, he extended a hand in greeting, while keeping the other tight around his only means of protection. "Hey there. The name's Shinkuro Inazuma. I'm not from around here. And you are...?"

The guy wasn't exactly thrilled with what she had said. When he looked at her after jumping down from his perch, she could see it in his eyes. The fact that he kept a hand close to his sword, a katana from the looks of it, also led credence to this. Not to say that Abigail worried too much if he was miffed. She wasn't exactly in the best of moods herself, and he dumped snow on her. Her reaction was actually quite tempered, compared to other, similar incidences.

But, she had gotten her jabs in, and this wasn't something worth holding a grudge over, anyways. So she was willing to move on. Abby stretched her arms up towards the sky, standing on the tips of her toes whilst doing so, as the young man extended a hand and introduced himself as Shinkuro Inazuma. Japanese, or at least Japanese-sounding. Made her wonder if maybe he was an inter-dimensional traveler like herself. Not that she was going to ask him to his face. Not yet, at any rate. Wrapping her hand around Shinkuro's and giving it a firm, confident shake, Abigail responded.

"Abigail Parker. Nice to meet ya." she said, a smile on her face. Her voice now was pleasant, lazy in its intonation. A far cry from the sarcastic edge to her previous tone. Letting her hand fall to her side, she continued with a brief addendum. "Sorry for the teasing. I've not been having the best day, and then you dumped snow on me and... Well, let's just say I figured it was healthier to shoot off a couple smartass remarks than to get violent. No hard feelings?"

Seemed like she was decent after all. Shinkuro allowed a smile to cross his face, before relaxing his grip on the weapon. He wanted to point out that the snow was an accident, but he didn't want to spoil this chance to befriend someone who might shed some light on things. "Yep, no hard feelings," Shin said. He decided to make small talk first, before delving into the real issues. Her eyes caught his attention, just the perfect topic to open with. "You have... colorful eyes," he observed, leaning closer for a better look. "Where I come from, gold is a sign of nobility, and possibly a divine heritage. Now don't tell me you're actually part god, because that would make me feel really bad for accidentally dumping snow on you."

Abigail let out a loud, but brief laugh when Shinkuro asked, albeit indirectly, whether or not she was the child of a god. "Please! There ain't a single drop of godly blood in me. Or noble blood, while I'm at it. I'm as much a peasant as the next gal walkin' the streets." she informed the stranger, that lively gleam of amusement in her eyes again. She took a hit off her cigarette and exhaled more smoke rings, making it a point to blow them off to the side, so that they wouldn't hit Shinkuro in the face. "'Part-god'... Pffft! That was a good laugh. I should buy you a drink for that." With that little addendum, Abby gave Shinkuro a pat on the shoulder. The grin on her face went from ear to ear.

"In all seriousness, though, the eyes are just a bit of a genetic muckup. Nothin' special about it." She paused to shrug, then stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets to keep them warm. "Mind if we get somewhere indoors? Kinda freezin' my buns off, just standing around here like a fool." Without waiting for a response from Shinkuro, the redhead began sauntering down the street, long strides carrying her swiftly across the paved streets of Era. Taking one last drag off her cig, Abigail flicked the butt away and peered over her shoulder to see if Shinkuro was indeed following her.

"So. Mind telling me why you were up in that tree, anyways?" she asked the young man, an eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Hiding from the Council's dogs or something?" Her tone took a steely edge to it when she mentioned the Council. She was still pissed off about that. Why don't those bastards just dismiss all pretenses and clap every magic user in irons? They're only a jump off the slippery slope from doing so, anyways. "Honestly, I wouldn't worry about it too much. So long as you don't go out of your way to be an evil sonuvabitch, they shouldn't bother ya. Well, in an ideal world, at least."

Shinkuro rubbed his head in embarrassment. "Sorry about that. I've learned not to mess with divinities the hard way. I didn't survive as long as I did without being cautious and observant." He appreciated the fact that she didn't blow him straight with the smoke. Even if she probably didn't know, Shin hated the smell of cigarettes despite having lived in a neighborhood filled with it. "I really didn't mean to make a joke, but I'd appreciate a drink with you."

He followed after her as she began to walk, noting with interest about her eyes being the result of genetics. In Crescentia, that could be a possibility. But in Illumina, different-colored eyes denoted danger, in the form of sorcery or godly power. For now, he didn't mind her suggestion of getting indoors to escape the cold. A drink or two would probably help a lot with that.

"Why I was up in the tree?" Shin scratched his chin, looking for an acceptable explanation. "Actually, I just liked the view from the top, even if all I could see was snow, construction, and smoke. Your red hair was a refreshing change of scenery, at least. And forgive me for asking but... what are you talking about by Council?"

Shin didn't miss that edge to her voice. Whatever this Council was, it could probably be compared to the Steel Industry in Crescentia, a conglomerate that oppressed people through force and finance. If the Council was anything like that, he'd have to mind his actions in this world. Though, messing with them would exactly be what his mother would've wanted.

Abigail's previously neutral expression quickly soured when Shinkuro decided to pursue the topic of the Council, her face contorting into a sneer that bared her teeth. Like this, the woman known as "Freebird" was more reminiscent of a wolf, baring its fangs to drive off those that would invade its territory. The fact that even after so long, her canines were still elongated and razor sharp supported this image. "The Magic Council. Supposedly the governing body in charge of regulatin' the magic-using population. Separate from the royalty." she replied, her voice dropping a couple octaves, and her old South Boston intonations slowly overtaking the nondescript accent she had developed from years of travel. "With what they've recently announced, I'm about ready to write them off as a bunch of jackbooted thugs who get hard at the thought of being able to push around mages with impunity. Just a couple days ago, they posted a decree that basically ordered all guildless magic users to register with a legally sanctioned guild, under threat of arrest, or worse. At their discretion, of course."

There was a veritable fire in Abigail's eyes as she went on. Her anger over this situation was bubbling just under the surface. The whole thing made her sick. It figured that the moment you gave someone authority over an entire portion of the population, they'd abuse that power. She understood that the Council had been attacked, but that didn't give them the right to instate this bloody registration act. What the hell had she ever done to the Council? What had any other guildless mage ever done to them, for that matter?! This was subjugation, pure and simple. And it wasn't right. Not in her mind, at any rate. She had fought against an upstart empire to prevent stuff like this back home. And if it came down to the wire, she'd fight against the Council, as well.

Letting out a sigh, the snarl left Abigail's face, and the furious light in her eyes dimmed. She flexed her hands, then directed her gaze to the wedding band on her left hand, as if the thought of her dear Sarah was all that was keeping her from going over the edge. "I know there are good folks working for the Council. And a lot of them are probably just doing their jobs. But the whole thing seems a little... excessive to me." Abby let out another deep breath, then closed her eyes and stuffed her hands into her pockets. "But you didn't ask me what my opinion was, did you? Sorry. I tend to get pretty passionate about human rights. Especially when I feel they're being violated." Finally, a small smile returned to Abigail's face, and her voice lost its seething edge.

As silence fell upon the two strangers, Abigail continued plodding along, her eyes scanning the buildings for any sign of an establishment that sold alcohol. They passed a couple blocks before she spotted anything promising: a sign above a window which read "Tony's Bar & Grill." Honestly, she was surprised the whole "bar & grill" thing existed in this world. Not that she had any particular reason to be by this point. Just the other day, she could've sworn she heard somebody playing Queen's "Stone Cold Crazy." Or something eerily similar to it in chord structure. Figuring this would be as good a place as any to have a couple beers and warm themselves up, Abigail pushed open the door and stepped inside.

The establishment was entirely barren. There were no patrons in sight, either at the bar or sitting at any of the numerous tables. Apparently, business was slow today. Shrugging, Abby sauntered over to the bar and planted herself in a stool, waiting either for Shinkuro to join her, or for the bartender to show up.