A Little Breaking and Entering [Nero/Natsumi]

It was late in the evening. Barely anyone was on the street. Natsumi did her best to keep to the shadows as she approached the building she had been searching for. A large logo of the Duvalier Group was on one of the ships. She chose the nearest building that wasn't obviously some warehouse. Each door was locked, and there was bound to be an alarm blaring if she dared break the glass. As she checked a second door, she heard someone coming and lifted herself in the air, floating about ten feet above them. She already checked the top floors for an easier entrance and found none, so once the security guard was gone, she lowered herself.

The building was huge and had six entrances on ground level. Having checked two already, she rounded a corner, going the opposite direction of the security guard to the third door. It was more of an employee entrance, a single heavy door up a small set of stairs. She didn't notice the camera above her head, as she approached the door and began shaking the handle. It was locked, just like others. Instead of moving on quickly, she put her hand on the door and closed her eyes. She had never tried a move like this, but if she could get the shape of the door right, she could figure out how to open it from this side using her reiryoku...

"Where do I deliver this letter? I wonder. This city is so large one could lose their sense of direction..."

Nero hadn't travelled outside the mainland of the City of Lights often. He had only been here for over a year, after all. Venturing this far into the docks, where not many were present, was well out of his comfort zone. Alas, he was tasked with delivering a letter, meaning that in no uncertain terms, he didn't particularly have a choice in the matter.

Duty called, and as a proud member of the Arant, he had no intentions of shirking away from any matter concerning his duties. Adorned within his Sternritter garb, Nero slowly traversed the area until he stopped at the mailbox, deftly placing the letter inside. While he did so, his gaze noticed a woman, who, even from this distance, appeared to be around the same height as him, suspiciously entering a building.

Blinking softly, Nero peeked towards the logo of the building. Duvalier. They were funding the Vandenreich to some extent, right? Her clothing didn't indicate that she was a member, ragged clothing that seemed like it belonged to someone struggling on the street, which lead him to wonder what her purpose is was entering. From his point of view, it was unauthorized.

He wasn't certain if this was in his line of jurisdiction, an off-duty task that did not appear to be in his wheelhouse, yet he assuredly felt she was breaking some law. As such, he utilized Hirenkyaku to appear somewhere where he could find the closest alarm, alerting those inside to her presence. Depending on how she exited, he could chase her down, get to the bottom of this, and nip whatever activity she was engaging in, in the bud.

This wasn't a technique she had used before, or thought of. So, when she found the door handle and pushed it toward herself, she was shocked that it actually worked. The door came open. A quick gesture of victory and she walked inside. This wasn't what she expected of a Duvalier building. She was first met by a long, dark hallway. Was anyone here at this hour? On each side were different doors. The first she tried was locked, so was the second. Who locked doors behind locked doors? The Duvalier, of course. She prepared to open it the way she had entered the building, but an alarm went off. Natsumi's eyes widened and she looked around.

"Shit, shit, shit, shit..." she thought as she darted toward the familiar exit. She practically kneed the thing open and she tackled through. The momentum sent her flying over an iron rail and to the floor, having forgot about the stairs that led to the door in the first place. She quickly caught herself,, an invisible force keeping her afloat and helped her land on her own feet. She sprinted away from the building, hoping no one actually saw her at this point. A few security guards making rounds were heading toward the entrance she just fled, but she was already gone. She kept going, until she made it to civilian streets and found the nearest alleyway.

The alarms blared as Nero kept his eyes peeled, his spirit weapon - Sol - materializing within his fingers. Holding his bow at the ready, he observed his immediate surroundings, surveying the area until the intruder exited. There, in that moment she exited the entrance, Nero set off into action, reiryoku pooling under the soles of his feet as he dashed after the woman with bow in hand. His eyesight was ideal for tracking his targets even at a far distance. He wasn't at the ideal distance to launch an arrow, but that certainly wasn't an intention he was housing at this particular moment. He simply wished to get to the bottom of the woman's intrusion. When he inched close enough for him to be in hearing distance, Nero called out to the woman.

"Breaking and entering is against the rules in the City of Lights, you know that, right?"

In the nearest alley she could find, she slowed down and took a moment to catch her breath. She wasn't expecting someone to have followed her. Of course, she couldn't sense energy very well, so she hadn't a clue what was going on. When he voice caught her attention, she turned toward him, keeping her hat lowered, shading her face. What little he could see of her face was a small, cocky smirk.

"I've been learnin' this kinda thing isn't liked just about anywhere, not just here." Natsumi said, sliding her hands into her pockets and turning to fully face Nero. "Takin' myself a guess here..." Natsumi said, keeping her eyes hidden behind the cap. "You some sort of hero cop? You gonna chase me down until you get ye'r answer for why I'm doin' what I'm doin'? Why dun' you just let me go?"

"No. I don't consider myself a hero cop, but I do believe the law should always be upheld. If you wish to enlighten me on what your purpose was, I might be able to make an exception."

Nero didn't feel like there was any need to apprehend her himself. He had no business with the Duvalier, after all. As far as he was concerned, she was intruding on something that lied on Vandenreich territory. He couldn't simply ignore her, could not act as though she was someone who could be ignored. What if she was trying to steal information that could be used against them in the future? Due diligence was an absolute necessity here. Nothing more, nothing less. He kept his distance, observing her quietly as he spoke once more.

"As I'm sure you understand, I serve the Vandenreich. It is my duty to make sure they are not compromised in any shape or form. What is your business with the Duvalier?"

Natsumi raised an eyebrow and pointed at him, a gesture of drama and energy! "Alright. I'ma make an attempt at talkin' here, if you mean what you say. I'm learnin' to trust some out in the world, so thank Kenichi for my generosity."

Natsumi took a deep breath and slid her hands back into her pockets, leaning back with bad posture and watched him for a moment. "Okay, so this is what is goin' down..." Natsumi gestured back toward the building she had broken into. "The Duvalier Group is pure evil. I intend to find evidence and tell the world! I'm gonna tear their empire apart and reveal them for the bad guys they are!"

Natsumi threw her hands in the air and then put both fists on her hips. As she did so, a rolled up magazine fell from her pocket. The title was "Common Traits of Hero Characters." Seeing it fall, she quickly bent down to grab it, stuffing it back in her oversized pockets. "You didn't see that!" Natsumi said, her cheeks a little redder.

"I don't know who Kenichi is, but I certainly appreciate you being reasonable about this. Anyone else might have tried to retaliate."

Nero didn't disperse his bow quite yet. He remained diligent enough to keep his gaze locked on her in preparation for an unpredictable event. Registering the woman's explanation, Nero tilted his head as he turned his head back to the building. The Duvalier group was pure evil? Why were one of their buildings located on Vandenreich soil, then?

What type of business did the Vandenreich and the Duvalier even conduct? He did his best to attempt reasoning within his mind, but he still circled back to the stance of defending the Vandenreich above all else. Perhaps it was merely a business-relationship, where morals didn't particularly hold any weight simply on account of prioritizing the bigger picture.

Of course, his stern gaze and deep-seated thoughts were briefly compromised when that book fell from her pants. His gaze hardly missed that slip up as the young man chuckled softly at her book of choice. She seemed so childish that Nero wondered about her age. Was she simply someone who lost their way? Who to believe? What to believe? This day grows all the more confusing as it progressed.

"Common traits of hero characters, eh? My, are you the legendary hero who has arrived to bring down the tyrannical group of evil known as the Duvalier?" He'd tease momentarily before transitioning to a question. "Humor aside, you say the Duvalier are evil. I understand that much, but why are they evil? I'm not calling you a liar, but I find it difficult to believe the Vandenreich would do business with them if they were despicable people. Then again... I've only joined recently, so maybe I'm the one being misinformed here..." He noted, scratching his head.

"I'M NOT LYING." Natsumi yelled, the sudden outburst both childish and filled with rage. Natsumi adjusted her hat by turning it backwards and lifting her head to finally show her face. She looked to the floor, her brow furrowed. This was so frustrating. She brought both hands to her forehead and hit herself three times because of how frustrated she was. "I, uh..." Natsumi roughly rubbed her hands down her face, stretching the skin like a kid does when they make faces.

"Look, they're evil and every time I tell anybody anything about why they all need to suffer, people just go thinkin' I'm crazy. Kenichi is the only one who believed me. I talked to like forty people since then and they all laugh, tell me I have a big imagination or somethin' like that. So, what's makin' you different?"
.

Nero offered a dumbfounded expression in response to Natsumi's outburst. It was difficult to choose an approach with this woman when he held no information whatsoever on how the Duvalier operated. He held no inkling of who they were outside of their public image. On one hand, he didn't exactly find her words fictious. After all, why else would someone randomly enter a building? On the other, there was no proof on either side to sway his opinion in a meaningful way. Again, she mentioned Kenichi's name, confusing him further. As to not be overwhelmed in thoughts, Nero exhaled a soft sigh as he quietly stroked his chin.


"I guess the difference for me is undoubtedly the fact you keep repeating that their evil without explaining a reason why. I'm trying to be reasonable. I assure you of that much. I would hope you could understand that I find it difficult that the Vandenreich would interact them if they were as despicable as you say they are."