Forever the Sickest Kids

The night eventually had Grunty removed from his company, Shou taking a moment to briefly recall the flames he had summoned. They had been different from anything he had conjured before, the fire had been a dark crimson and burned with a ferociousness, as if they were the very fires from hell itself. The oni closed his eyes, visualizing that picture more clearly within his mind. Even picturing it, he felt his heartbeat begin to steadily rise, his breathing becoming a little more fast-paced. Indeed, he was excited by the mere thoughts of what had transpired that night and might have been unable to control them if he hadn't remembered that he had wronged. He'd pretty much blown any cover that Grunty had wanted, though he wasn't disappointed in himself with the silly notion that he had failed the woman. No, he was disappointed that he couldn't control that chaos that had welled within him, that he had just given into it and allowed it to take control and overrule him. The thrill had been worth it, though, Shou noted, especially since he was still alive and walking as an oni within the city.
The oni blinked, recalling the company of another. "So.. is your name really Brother Woylf?" Shou came to ask, glancing over his shoulder towards the human that he had accompanied that night with Grunty, the other who had aided in the vandilization of that building.

That was a relief, because such a thing like Brother Woylf wouldn't have suited someone as a proper name. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he sighed lightly, noting now that this Lance fellow didn't really seem the talkative type as the human looked to the sky and away from him. The oni wasn't much for one to try and force a conversation, just to try and get to befriend someone.. hell, he felt he shouldn't even have to put in the effort for such a thing, but the man was an associate now. If they were to work together, they would eventually need to communicate, and the sooner that happened the easier his job would be. "Lance, huh? An American Werewolf in Japan, eh?" Shou chuckled lightly at his own statement, though assumed that the name originated from the states.
Shou remembered the case that he carried with him, retrieving it from his pocket once more. Slipping a joint from the thing, he glanced once more Lance's way. "You remember this thing, right? You want in on any?" The oni simply wanted to smoke, but realized that this would be a great way to try and get to know the man better. It was the small things that would give them some common understanding of eachother, he believed.

The oni simply shrugged, "Suit yourself, bro-" He stopped himself there, taking a moment to consider those words while glancing upwards. He grunted lightly, a little annoyed that he would repeat that phrase that he had recalled Grunty saying. He supposed those kinds of bad habits were easy to pick up on. It didn't matter. The joint came against his lips and the end of the it came alive with a burning cherry, inhaling on the thing until his chest puffed out slightly. Once the joint was lowered down to his side, he inhaled once more, a bit of air that would push the smoke further down into his system. A moment later and he would exhale it outwards, though it came out faintly as most of it had been absorbed by the saliva of his mouth and throat.
"So.. she said you were a Woylf right? That you can transform into something pretty wicked.." Shou decided to bring up, since the other apparently wasn't gonna be making up any conversation. Might as well ask the question that had been on his mind. "What's that like, anyways?"

"That right?" Shou questioned, taking another drag from the joint. When exhaling, he realized he had taken a pretty big hit when a cough was followed behind the trail of puffs. "Ahem.." The oni cleared his throat, before glancing over to Lance again. When his voice recovered, he spoke once more, "Heh.. we've both seen what Grunty's capable of, but I don't think either of us have shown eachother our transformations." The demon stated, but then gave off a shrug. "Maybe that's a good thing, though, hm?" After all, if they remained enigmas to eachother, it was as if they were both capable of very much more than they let on. Of course, in Shou's case, his transformation wasn't quite at Grunty's level though, still only able to revert to his original demon form and back into his human form. As far as power increase went.. there was none.
Better not to let Lance know that, though, and Shou didn't really plan on transforming just to call out his own bluff. Deciding to change the topic while he still could, his eyes looked towards the man's blade, his wakizashi. "So I'm guessing you have some measure of talent with that? That blade of yours."

Though he was trying to communicate rather seriously, he couldn't help but feel a little lifted from his body. The awareness of him being on the ground eluded him for the moment, but he was used to the effects by now. These were pleasant things after all, Shou wouldn't have continued smoking the joint were they not. The demon turned and faced the other now, crossing his arms over his chest, his right hand still holding the joint between two of his fingers.
"There's a lot of advantages to a long blade.. but I don't have to tell you how to fight, right?" Shou chuckled lightly, before deciding he was more than a little interested in the transformation the man possessed. After all, in the form he held now it didn't seem he was too much stronger than the average human one would come by. But Grunty had stated he was a Woylf, capable of changing himself. "Tell me.. if you have the patience for it. What's a Woylf got going for it?"

The oni chuckled lightly, a smirk setting on his face. It was as if the other had read his mind, for it was exactly what he wanted to see. Only seeing the actual thing could satisfy his curiousity. "If you wouldn't mind, that is." Shou stated, uncrossing his arms and taking a few steps back from the other. Transformations sometimes had nasty little effects that affected the area around a person, and Shou would think it unfortunate to be caught up in something as miniscule as that. This would definitely be a sight, Shou believed, and it would help him understand the race of Woylfs better, as well as the capabilities of the human body when possessed of a spirit.

The demon didn't question the actions of the man removing his clothings, figuring it must have been a neccessary thing. It wasn't unlikely that a human would shred those fabrics apart were they to grow in size. The demon himself manifested into a human form with clothes and all, so his changing was a little more convenient than the human's. The transformation was an impressive sight, though, the demon had to admit, and saw why this type of possession type was referred to as the Woylf.
Shou could see the strength of the body, that dramatic increase in size and the rippling muscles that were hardly hidden beneath the newly acquired fur of the man. When the thing howled out to the sky, Shou came to bring his hands together in an applause, as the sight had been a spectacle indeed. "Haha! Who would have thought a human was capable of this." The demon stated, stepping forward towards the beast. "And you can control this power of yours freely?"

"Is that right?" Looking at the form of the other, to think that such a thing would have been on the loose and out of control was something that sent a shiver down his spine. It wasn't of fear, though. Not at all, for such a beast would surely have reigned his day of terror and destruction, things that Shou was all too familiar in taking pleasure from. He wouldn't have minded just watching the werewolf tear into a crowd of people, fangs and claws shredding a path through it.
The demon forced himself to bring a stop to such thoughts, chuckling lightly at the question. "Well, I can't see my transformation's got the theatrics of yours."
The need for undressing wouldn't present itself, as his body suddenly erupted into flames, shielding in from sight. The fire seemed to mold itself into his shape though, and began to drop down towards the ground. The flames continued to roar out, as a physical alteration of the body didn't seem to be present at the moment, as this was simply a spirit changing between shapes.
When the fire died around him, a lion stood where the man had once, red-fur that matched the hair of the human form he had previously been in. It took a few steps forward, lifting its head high. Even with its mouth closed, its sabre fangs were exposed into the world, large in size as they passed down its lower jaw a few inches. Its yellow eyes focused on the wolf before him, simply giving a nod in its way. "This is my true form."

"It's been some time since I've allowed myself to come out this way normally. I started to get used to being a human, but the four legs do have something of a balance advantage." The lion noted, chuckling lightly, something that would have been a rare sight were he a normal animal. This was the form his yokai spirit had been based on, though, the lion, representing the courage and pride he had died of in life. The reminder was almost a sad one, but those human days were far behind him now.
"Besides that, I'm more in tune with the fire this way."

The lion followed the path of the energy shockwave the Woylf had unleashed from his claws. When it had cut through the light pole, that much of an effect had been expected, but when it continued and broke through a solid brick wall, the lion had to be impressed. "Very nice.. just as I thought, that form gives you a lot of power. I don't think any human could have done that much." He nodded, quite approvingly at the sight. Himself, he didn't intend to show off his skills, though he could have raised a Hell's Echoes in the area and destroyed several buildings at a mere whim.
The oni wouldn't seek a fight with a Woylf, though, after having seen the display of power. Turning towards the man once more, the lion couldn't help but chuckle, as he spoke, "Sure am glad to have you on the same side, then."

The lion suddenly braced itself, its body tensing as it saw the attack that the woylf had let loose in its direction. The need for a dodge didn't seem neccessary, though, as the aim had been off, it seemed, or the woylf was simply trying to scare him. As the wave of energy flew passed him, his fur ruffled slightly from the disturbance of the wind that the attack had been accompanied by, the lion knowing there was a great deal of force behind the attack.
The yellow eyes narrowed slightly, suspisciously of the other, while a low growl came from the oni. "Just what the hell are you doing..?" It asked, as if in doubt that the man would suddenly just turn on him. Hell, tonight was supposed to be something progressive, getting to know the other associate of Grunty's, but it seemed things were turning towards a new direction.

Even though it originated from a different language, Shou could guess the nature of the words from the way the woylf had spoken them. It must have been a chant, meaning that Lance really was unrelenting in this battle. Snarling at the thought of one of Grunty's friends attacking him, he had to curse the woman for finding such unstable company. Opening its maw, a red orb appeared as he began to charge his energies into it as it flared out, becoming another fyreball like earlier. Being this high up, he figured he had a pretty good advantage since he wasn't in striking range, but he still wanted to keep the other on his toes in case he started planning something out.
He let loose the fyreball from his control as it shot outwards towards the lycan on the ground.

The lion didn't doubt that the tendril could reach up this far, though the levels of altitude he was at provided him a great deal of time to issue the proper reaction. Timing would be everything though, as he held his ground for just a moment longer before pushing off the discs of fire he was standing upon and moved back to land atop another. The tendril and the wolf head would shoot out and upwards just before him, Shou snarled as he went in to snap at the tendril with his sabre teeth, seeking to sever the connection of master and familiar.
These acts were only diversionary, though, to keep Lance's attention skyward. At the Woylf's feet, a ring of fire would encircle him, before shooting up and outwards, vortexing around the man (Flamewhirl). The space in which the Woylf occupied would rapidly increase in temperature from the surrounding fires before collapsing within itself towards the possessed human.

It growled as the tendril within its mouth dissipitated into the nothingness of energy particles, looking down towards the man to see another familiar headed its way. Shou figured he needed more altitude to distance himself, see if those things had a limit to what they could reach, but at the same time he would have to worry about dodging them. It suddenly raced from the position he stood upon then, moving across the sky and away from the familiar that had been launched towards it. It was good to see his flames had found their mark, but the Woylf seemed much more durable to be taken out by something so novice.
Other than that, other thoughts began to occur to him. From the corner of his eye as he continued to remain mobile, he glanced down towards the landbound Woylf. It truly was a monstrous transformation for a human body to undergo, but surely that same human body had its limits. If there was any hope for him, it would be that the Woylf that was out now was a limited thing.. and being up here, he definitely had time.

When he noticed Lance pushing off the ground, the lion simply in turned ascended atop the platform of fires, reaching the grand altitude of planes and such. Indeed, the people would look like mere ants from this sort of position, and unless Lance could fly he didn't expect any real interference anytime soon. Figuring he could tell if any attack was headed his way, the lion lazily came to lay on the disc of fire that was beneath him, its yellow eyes casted downwards as it watched the Woylf. Shou considered leaving all together, since he wasn't much interested in remaining friends with the other after this kind of incident, but it would be a learning experience as well to see the extents of the man's abilities.
The lion yawned, suddenly tired.

From the view, the movements of the other were vague, but he noticed the ripple of the air that emitted from the other. Shou recognized the disturbance as the same energy waves as before, snarling as the man seemed to be resorting to any tactic that he could. Apparently the other didn't realize that an evasion from that distance could have been performed even by the most novice of fighters. The lion would continue to lay, though, not interested in moving if he didn't have to, as the flames beneath him would carry him forward enough to send him into the clear once more away from both forms of the energy attacks. Apparently this man didn't get that Shou was no longer interested in fighting the losing battle. Besides, one could say that the ultimate victory was his, especially that he would be leaving this place alive. Self-preservation was always a must.

The change of the other was noticeable as the massive bulk reduced itself to just another speck of a human. The lion issued a light growl, a little distrusting of such an act, as he hadn't expected the other to have reached his limit so soon. Shou thought to come down and talk to Lance, question the means of his sudden attack, but doing so might have brought him into a trap.
His body would suddenly flare up, engulfed in the flame, before dying down once more and revealing himself in his human form as well. He figured he could communicate better with Lance, this way, anyways, as they both came to the forms they were in before the battle.
The disc of flame disappeared beneath his feet and the demon allowed himself the drop, the rush of the wind blowing upwards into him as he cut through the air and down towards the nearing ground. It had been the first time that he had done this from such a height, so to see the land beneath him rise towards him like it did was a little bit of a side thrill he enjoyed.
Just before he could break his legs, fire beneath his feet once more allowed him to slide safely to the ground, about five meters away from the other. Looking to Lance with narrowed red eyes, he lifted his hand out before him as fire outlined it, a clear and present threat to the human. "If you got a decent enough explanation, I might not be overly pissed." His hand clenched into a fist and the fire around it raged more fiercely.

He snarled suddenly, a very inhumane act for the form that he carried. It was accompanied by a sudden flare that bursted out all around his body, igniting his whole self in the flame. "This isn't some playing matter!" The oni shouted, enraged that the other would so casually smile at him after he had pulled off what he had. "If you wanted a spar, I would have gladly accepted. But you struck at me without any warning. We're supposed to be allies!" The fire began to change in color around him, turning darker, resembling the hellfires he had called upon the other night. "You must view it all as something of a game, huh? Hmph.. I'm not a person that enjoys being toyed with like that."
His composure seemed to return to him as he lowered his arm. As soon as the limb had come back down to his side, the fire around him died away. "Continue living like that. You'll push everyone around you away." The demon then turned away from Lance, hardly interested in looking at the man any further in case he lost his cool once more. The last thing he wanted was to start using stronger techniques that would only damage the area around them as well. Those types of things were reserved for the absolute need of them and now that the Woylf had been subdued, that need wouldn't rise.

With his back towards the other, the demon suddenly felt very conscious of the weakness that he was giving towards the other, though he figured he would have heard any commotion. A chant, or some running steps, both things were expected, but instead he came to hear nothing. The oni threw a glance over his shoulder towards the other and saw that he was following him, although rather slowly.
The oni lightly cursed under his breath, before turning around to face the human once more. "If you've got something more to say, go ahead, you got my attention. But if it's just more lunatic bullshit.." The oni left the sentence a hanging threat, looking to the human with a furrowed brow and distrusting eyes.

The oni held that distrusting gaze for the moment, fixated on the man's offered hand. Shou believed the man's words, especially if what had happened was his method of treating his so called friends. The oni suddenly related, though.. after all, hadn't he himself had a crazy outburst not too unlike the others? If anything, such a thing could have been excusable, but it was something that he felt had put his life on danger.
Yet, still, he had to remind himself that this man was a trusted companion of Grunty's. The company she kept really was questionable though, but as long as he continued to follow under the woman he was sure to see Lance. Sighing lightly, Shou nodded, taking the neccessary steps forward to close the distance between the two. The hand could have been a trap, but if that were the case then surely this man was doomed to his own loneliness, regardless of the wounds Shou would wear. He took the human's hand in his own in that common gesture, offering a little bit of a smirk. "You're strong as hell, by the way."

The way the man spoke, it seemed as if he referred to another alongside with him. Of course, he was a Woylf, so a spirit must have lived within him. Narrowing his eyes once more, the oni retracted his hand back almost forcibly. Though he might have trusted the other enough to have given him a proper handshake and a compliment, the lunacy was starting to return to the other. "Such things don't interest me." The oni would come to say, and it might as well have been the truth for the conditions of the present weren't important. The future was what held his sights. It was his goal, after all, to reform the rule of the world, though he wasn't so ambitious to voice those thoughts out loud.
Looking to the man, he thought more on the spirit that resided within the human, something that was more plausibly an oni than a kami considering the man's dark nature. "Perhaps we should part ways here for the night. There's some work for myself that I've been putting off too long." Shou stated, figuring the night young enough to get in some attempts at the Spiritual Arts once more. He was also looking to get away from the man for a while, just at least for the remainder of the night.. there wasn't anyway to look at Lance as a trusted ally for the moment, though he didn't abandon the idea altogether. The problem wasn't in the human, but within the spirit that corrupted and twisted him so.

The oni nodded towards him, "I'll see you later, Lance." It was good to get passed that awkward moment, especially with just a little hint of rage still within him whenever he looked at the man. He reached up and lightly felt for the injury he had endured, a slice on his forehead from the result of taking that sonic howl full force. Shou cursed lightly, reminding himself to force forgive the man.
Turning away, his steps would take him into the skies as it was the fastest way for him to get around the Lower Commons without being restricted to the streets.