The return of a Jackal ((unpopping of Kuroudo Akabane))

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

There were many things in his life that had struck him as odd, and most of them amused Kuroudo Akabane. This feeling of being compressed and heated, however, did not. He could feel a barrier around himself, but his scalpels would not answer his summons. He frowned, most displeased with this turn of events. There was no room for him to move, as lanky as he was, and the pressure and heat continued to build until the barrier burst, spilling him onto the ground, sans clothing of any kind.

"Yare, yare," he murmured, looking around. Where he had just fallen from had his name, slowly fading, and the word "Hufflepuff" on it. "What a strange place," he commented as the words faded from sight.

He looked around, seemingly nonchalant about his lack of attire. Nothing about the place looked familiar. It wasn't the home of the Kiriudo, nor was it the Infinity Castle. There was an off chance it was one of Ban's jagan dreams. He waited, wondering if anything would come at him, waiting to hear Ban triumphantly say "Just one minute...did you see a good dream?"

Seconds dragged past a minute and nothing changed. Perhaps this was a reality, either true of itself or virtual. For now, until he knew more, he would go along with what presented itself.

Maybe it would be entertaining.

But, first, there was a matter of clothing and to make sure his scalpels would respond. He looked at his palm, examining the scar in the middle of it. He could feel his blades, just under his skin, but they seemed disinclined to appear. He frowned at his hand. Perhaps it was a result of how he arrived.

Deciding to let the matter slide for now, he turned to examine the room. Nothing in the way of clothing was to be had. A small creature with large eyes and ears appeared, squeaked, disappeared and returned with what could generously be called a pair of pants, if one overlooked the fact that they appeared to be made of toweling.

Ban would pay for this joke, Akabane decided as he thanked the creature. Or Ginji. Both, he concluded. That would be most entertaining.

Dressed, such as the clothing was, Akabane stepped into the hall, wondering just where and what he should do here and if that word, Hufflepuff, had anything to do with it.

((OOC: posted to the plaque, and there are no other GB mun, so, here we go, the most polite mass murderer ever. He remembers nothing of his previous time here [I think I made that clear, but just in case]. I am taking him post manga volume 25 [so I can use his backstory, which is in the Kiriudo arc {for those that know the series, it also means that the anime version of the second time to the Infinity castle didn't happen for him as I prefer the manga canon line, but that only really matters if someone wants to play one of the other GB characters (not that this is any kind of hint)}]. Also, I prefer the sound of 'yare, yare' to 'my, my' but they mean the same thing.))

Comments

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

It's not HIS Jackal, but when there's a Jackal, there's a Caron.

Caron looked at the clothes (or rather pants) to the popcorn room, to the plaque.

"You just unpopped, then?"

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane looked at the man, assessing him before answering, "Is that what that is called, then? I suppose you could say that. Not a very pleasant process." With a slight bow and an absent reach for his missing hat. "Could you tell me where I am, please?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"This magic school in the UK called Hogwarts. It's...well, unusual. But very real."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Everything is real, or as real as it chooses to be," Akabane said. "And, this is a long way from my home." He looked around. "And, magic? As in witchcraft?" he asked.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"Yes. Right in the title too. Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane hummed. "I see. So then, it is not slight of hand?" He wondered if Ban knew of this place, since his grandmother had been a witch. He looked at the man before him, reassessing him. "Are you a practitioner?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"Well, just starting out," Caron said modestly. "I only came here a few months ago." He held out a hand. "Lucien Caron."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Kuroudo Akabane," he replied, giving the hand a curious glance before remembering it was a Western custom. He gripped Lucien's hand. "A pleasure."

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

Caron nodded as they shook. "From what I've heard and read, the people that come out from this room have been here before. Do you recall anything?"

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane looked around. "I do not recall being here before." He wondered if this were a test, part of scenario, but who had dreamed it up? Makubex? Ban? A new enemy? "There was a word under my name," he said. "Perhaps it means something?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"Do you know what it was?" Caron suspected it was his house name.

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Hufflepuff," Akabane replied carefully. "Unfortunately, it is no longer visible. Is that a familiar word to you?" he asked.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"One of the houses here. It's saying where you will sleep here."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane lifted his chin slightly. "I see," he said. He looked around. "If it is not too much trouble, do you mind showing me around?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"I'll see what I can find, but I'm not sure where Hufflepuff is. I'm in a different house."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Oh? And which house is that?" he asked. "And, if you don't mind, can you tell me some of this place?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"I'm in Ravenclaw. From what I know, this place tends to pull random people from around the world and various points in time. It calls itself a magic school, but classes are only held occasionally."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane nodded. "I see. What type of classes, and what do the...students do between them?" A professional finds out as much as he can, after all.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"Whatever they like. I mainly do some freelance detective work at the nearby village."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"A detective," Akabane said, sounding pleased. "Quite delightful. If you ever have need of a Transporter," he said, letting the offer trail off with a bow.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"I'll see what happens, but most of what happens here is relatively minor. And all the larger things are relegated to...Aurors, I think they're called."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Something to look into. "You are a veritable fount of information, Lucien," Akabane said warmly.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

Caron shrugged. "I'm somehow in my future, might as well get something out of it."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Well said. Entertainment is very important, after all." He looked around, still searching for something that would give away the source of this, if it were an elaborate virtual reality.

Though, maybe it was like the Infinity Castle, in that as long as one was within its environs, such a device would never be found, even allowing those creations of that device to believe themselves alive.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

Caron shrugged. "Haven't left Scotland or the wizarding world yet, though. Afraid I'd find someone I know."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Someone you know? A friend? An enemy?" Though, to Akabane, they're pretty much the same thing.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"Coworkers and associates, mostly. Myself, if I'm not already dead."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

That was almost tempting, the chance to fight himself. But first, he'd need to know what was going on with his blades. He flexed his hand and again they refused to respond. This would become troublesome soon enough. "My coworkers vary by the job, though sometimes they are enemies. It is so much more enjoyable to fight against comrades, isn't it?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

".....fight?" Caron asked confusedly. That...didn't sound good at all.

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane smiled. "Retrievers and Transporters are not always on the same side of a job," he explained simply. "And, it is more entertaining to know that your enemy is a strong one, and to truly know that, it is better to have worked with them at some point, you see?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"I...see, I think."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane chuckled. "The true value of a job is in how entertaining it is, after all."

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"I guess for you it is."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Akabane turned to Caron. "It does vary, doesn't it, what is valued?" He turned back to look around the halls. "There are places to find clothes near here? I shouldn't wish to continue wearing bath clothes," he said with a chuckle.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"The house elves," Caron gestured to one passing by with tea. "One of them can bring some clothes."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Ah, yes. They were kind enough to bring me these," he said, gesturing to his terry cloth pants. "I would prefer something perhaps more refined, a bit like what you are wearing."

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps if you were a bit more specific? Or if necessary, I could lend you something until you could get clothes of your own."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"You are most kind," Akabane said. "As for the houses you mentioned, how are the matters of room and board handled?" He might as well figure out how much he must work as it is expedient to do so early in the game.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"Find an empty room and claim it. Usually people stick to their houses but some people, particularly if they have family or a loved one in another house, will live there. As for food, again, the house elves will bring what you ask for."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"I see. So any work done is purely for enjoyment," he said. He wondered just what kind of clients this place would offer. "Would you happen to know if there is a Coordinator around here?" Why should he work to find a client if he didn't have to, after all.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"No, no I don't. Sorry."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

Perhaps that was just as well. It would give him time to figure out why his blades wouldn't respond. "And of the surrounding area? Can you tell me of it?"

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

"There are some woods nearby, but the groundskeeper says it's enter at your own risk, so I haven't gone in there. There's a nearby village, that you could walk to or use the floo network to get to. That's a type of teleportation involving fireplaces."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Enter at your own risk?" Akabane mused. That sounded like it could provide some entertainment. "You truly are quite informative," he said warmly.

[lucien-caron.livejournal.com]

Caron waved him off modestly. "It's something to do."

[babylonjackal.livejournal.com]

"Indeed. And everyone must have their hobbies," Akabane agreed.