Songs Collide: Ice (Job, Kaori, Private)

Job Info:

It had been at least a few weeks since the strange and oddly eventful sleep over that had been hosted by Kaori and still Samira was having recurring nightmares over it. Each time gigantic and fluffy stuffed animals would be in the scenery, acting as the walls to a large maze. She would be chased through the whole thing by the more cutsie side of Kaori, who had every intention on capturing her in the form of a tackle hug and squeezing her to death. Each time she had the nightmare Samira as well as Kaori would always be wearing a different set of pajamas that would usually be worn by children rather than grown women. Lots of fluff and fuzzy additions were in the design as well as images of small and adorable animals sewed into them. If she escaped the pursuing Kaori and managed to reach the end of the maze she would find Ikuchi there and would find herself being taken away and put on display as some sort of trophy in a glass case. What made it worse is that the case was rather crowded as many other women were also a part of the collection. To make matters worse, the nightmare would always end with everything disappearing and darkening. Then, a giant version of Chaac would appear in the sky. He was always angry and each time her voice was called in a manner of an angry parent disciplining their child. Then a long stream of scolding would commence that she could not tune out. She would always wake up from the nightmare as Kali instantly appeared and chopped off her head. Needless to say, Samira was not getting much sleep these days.

Samira sat at her desk in her room, looking grumpy and tired with dark circles under her eyes from sleep deprivation. She let out a yawn before faceplanting into a book she had opened and was attempting to read a moment before. It was still early in the morning, a time when she normally went out for breakfast. Why was she not doing so that day? Because she had given up. Everytime she went out Chaac had made it his mission to use his own power to enter the mortal realm and follow her like some sort of bodyguard. It would of been something she would not of minded before but he had grown to be so far beyond the definition of over protective that they may as well have created a new word just for him and slapped it into the dictionary. Every man she passed by on the streets got threatened in one form or another, and one time a small child that had asked her to play catch was run off by the large and intimidating spirit. She was even still trying to make up for the time the mailman had accidentally touched her hand when handing her a letter. The act sent the spirit into a rage, thinking it had been a love letter and the touch was a form of perversion. The mailman was sent flying and to that very day he skipped her address or ran away whenever he saw her. It also didn't help that whenever he was out it always rained. Having an umbrella on hand had now become a habit.

"Samira!" The voice of Serqet reached her ears but the woman made no effort to move, not even as the scorpion spirit walked over and proceeded to poke her several times. All she wanted to do was sleep. "Hey. Hey! Summoner? Key Owner? Celestial Wizard?" Serqet frowned and placed her hands on her hips. Then with a mischievous grin she leaned over, moved the green locks away from Samira's ear and whispered, "do you need a certain kind of kiss? I know who to-" The woman quickly sat up with an embarrassed squeak. "I am up!"

"Oh, darn. I really wanted to see what happened." Serqet pouted while raising from her leaning position so that she was once again standing fully. "Oh well, guess what?!" Serqet clasped her hands together before her and waited in anticipation for the long line of guesses to come. She would be further disappointed as Samira merely rose from her desk and with another yawn put the book she had away on a nearby shelf while asking the question of "what?", which was almost completely drowned in the yawn.

"You're no fun. But I forgive you and tell you anyway. Chaac won't be stalking you today. He is busy at some meeting with Awilix. He'll be gone the whoooollllee day. I think." Serqet grinned, expecting Samira to jump for joy at having a normal day. Unfortunately she was too tired to care about that part and her mind focused more on the part of the meeting. Awilix had been another one of her newer spirits, sharing the same country of origin as Chaac. When her power rose she had unlocked three new keys of power but with them came spirits belonging to lesser keys that had been hesitant to become active until she reached a certain point. While Chaac was the leader of her lesser spirits, Kali and Susano were also leaders of the ones that matched their rank of power. "Are Susano and Kali still available?"

"Susano is busy arguing with Bacchus on whether celestial wine or saké is better. Last I checked in they were having a drinking contest to see which one could handle the most alcohol."

Samira let off a sigh. In that case he would be useless. No one could ever out drink Bacchus, although they could try and fail horribly. And why were they drinking so early in the damn morning? Was time really different in their world or did it just not matter to spirits? "And Kali?" After the whole sleep over ordeal Kali was had very harsh words for Samira and had been distant ever since. She never even showed when summoned. Serqet clenched her teeth together and drew a breath, cringing at the question. She was still pissed then. Well it was what it was. Some time was just needed for the spirit to cool off.

Samira turned back to the bookshelf and started to run her finger along the bind of each book until she found one of interest and pulled it out. "So Chaac will be gone a whole day, correct?" A smile appeared on her pale face as she decided to take advantage of the opportunity and be a little...disobedient. She was part of a monster hunting guild and what better way to get experience in that department than to do some actual hunting? Legends were something she took great interest in and the tales of phoenixes were well known to her. What was more obscure were the stories of the other elemental variants. It was hard to have any solid proof of their existence due to the theory that they were all split up and made their homes on different planets. It was unlikely she would be able to take a trip to all the planets in one single day but she could search around a small area of one and gather some notes. The book was tossed into a knapsack along with her weapons, having learned before that walking out without them was generally a bad idea no matter if she was just doing a social visit or not. Some other odds and ends were also tossed in and soon she was ready. She remembered the planet name Kosetsu, a place full of nothing but snow. It was the most likely place for the phoenix of ice. Samira reached for the door but stopped herself at realizing getting to the Wakusei Portals was likely going to take the whole day by itself. "I did not think that part through."

'You have ally with means of travel, ya?' A newer spirit by the name of Skadi asked within Samira's mind. The voice was that of a woman, but it was deep and carried with it a type of accent. 'Stop being a slápr and ask her.'

"Stop being a what?"

A book materialized in Serqet's hands and she began to search for the definition of the word. "I think she just called you a good for nothing lazy person."

'I wish to see winter planet.'

Samira made a sort of an annoyed sound in her throat but made no comment. The spirits had done well to have Skadi use terms she could understand but when it came to the insults she went back to her personal preference. The suggestion was a good idea though. Kaori did have a ship and using it to get to the portals was reasonable. There was just...well several things that made her hesitate. With the fears of their last meeting aside, there was the fact she may of been busy or was using it herself. "I'll go ask!" Samira made an attempt to stop the spirit as she threw the door open and ran out, but it was too late. Serqet had begun her short journey to the docks with Samira having no choice but to slowly tail after her.

The spirit of venom reached the docks at a high speed and made for the Arc of Destiny. Or should she have gone to the White Mermaid? Eh, details. Her invisibility cover took over as she snuck aboard the ship and made her way through the halls, looking for any signs of familiar faces. Along the way she made it a point to switch things around and even play around with some of the crew she passed by with simple trickery. Before long she would get tired of her search and, with her invisible cloak still activated, announced her presence. "Heeelllloooo? I have come to haunt this place! Take me to your leader!" A few seconds of pause before adding some fake and childish ghostly sounds. Hey, it was her opinion that spirits should actually act like simple spirits for once.

(Word Count: 1681)

With the sudden crash behind her, Serqet quickly turned and hugged onto her scorpion tail as a reaction of surprise. She was supposed to be the one making the scariness, not the other way around! Her eyes blinked and as her head tilted to the side curiously she noticed the source of the loud crash had been caused by some type of fighting. Didn't people normally do that outdoors? The thought of going to check it out further developed in her mind, but before she could make much progress her invisibility cloak disappeared and she found herself lifted from the ground, held in a very familiar bridal style she had witnessed happening to Samira before. Not only was that quite a pleasant surprise by itself, but Serqet was lucky enough to get the shirtless version. Points scored for the spirit! It was nice being held by a mortal with a set of lovely muscles and she couldn't wait to use it as some fun jokes and pranks against her summoner. "Oooo, so this is what it feels like. Very nice." The spirit became relaxed in his arms, enjoying every second of it, which unfortunately for her wasn't as long as she would of liked. He had done a mini teleport of some sort and dropped her off at a random door before taking off again. "Hey wait!" Her hand went for him but he was already gone. "Awwww. I wanted to see if I could get a backrub." Her arms crossed over her chest as she pouted and waited.

Samira took her time with her small journey to the Arc of Destiny. Even fully rested she wouldn't of been able to keep up with her spirit so what was the point of trying at that moment? She just hoped Serqet wasn't causing too much trouble in the meantime. As she approached the ship a man had crossed her path, someone she didn't recognize fully but with his explanation he was one of the ones that was recruited from the Ancient Ruins. His life was a lucky one. If not for Iron Fist saving that one man from the trap they likely would not of been recruited and instead would have ended up as corpses in some form. It was odd running into someone and that acted all happy to see her when if things had gone the way she would of left it their fate would of been changed as well. An apology was made, to which she did not have much time to comment on since he had gone back to work. A couple of minutes later as she kept walking the shout of her looking beautiful reached her ears. "A waste of an apology," she whispered quietly as her face flushed from the compliment.

'In my country, you receive compliment from male you beat his skull in. If still living, he is perfect mate.'

"...I am not going to do what you just said."

'Don't blame you. Is often hard to find male willing to compliment after while.'

Samira couldn't help but almost laugh and resist the urge to make a sarcastic reply of how she wondered why Skadi had difficulties finding someone willing to take her. The small good mood left her almost instantly as she found herself once again picked up bridal style. "Put me down immediately!" She cried as she squirmed in his hold. It didn't take long for her to notice that something was slightly different than before. Eyes widened as she suddenly felt the urge to scream. "Where is your shirt?!" How was it that he remembered to wear a mask but completely forgot about fully dressing himself before poofing into existence to pick someone up? The two vanished and appeared inside the ship where the loud speaker gave the single instruction to put her down. Kaori! Her savior from all things Ikuchi! But who was going to save her from Kaori?! The door to the office opened and as she begun to wave towards her the ninja woman vanished only to reappear in the form of a tackle that sent the both of them to the floor. Maybe she should of sent a letter first to tone down the excitement from a surprise visit.

"Hello, Kay," Samira said with a small smile as she gave a gentle wave from her place on the floor. The other woman was straddling over her, preventing her from getting up. "Am I allowed to get up now?" The question came off rather timidly as a bubbly sweatdrop appeared on the side of her head. Kaori had removed herself with a happy giggle and helped her to stand. It was still weird seeing that side of Kaori, but Samira felt happy that the other was glad to see her rather than think she was a burden.

"Ooo, I want snacks!" Serqet raised her arm above her as she walked into the room. This caused Samira to turn towards her and shake her head before turning back to Kaori. "Actually we came to ask if we could get a ride to the Wakusei Portals." The summoner removed the knapsack straps from her shoulder and took out the book she had packed and turned to a page that covered the great ice phoenix of Kosetsu. "I acquired some free time for today and wanted to visit the area to gather what information I could about the creature. No one is for sure if it even exists." Samira held the book to her chest and looked at Kaori with pleaful eyes. "I just require a ride is all. Due to some...personal matters I only have today and any other form of travel would be too slow."

(Word Count: 956)

Samira began to take a look around once Koari walked over to her desk. She would be lying if she said she didn't expect an immediate answer with her request. Some form of no or hesitance. Even a gleeful yes would of been appreciated. All she got was silence though as the other woman began to go through papers on the desk. The summoner could only describe the office as some type of war room. The weapons. Oh my, all those weapons. It should of been an expected thing to see, but after seeing Kaori's room Samira had a tough time expecting anything. She had expected at least one stuffed animal plushie to serve as a stress reliever but instead of that she was met with the many monster heads that served as trophies. Even the decor was a little strange. How was it that an assassin came to have so much wealth to be able to afford all of that? Then her green gaze took notice of the tables with glass cases that had different sorts of treasures displayed within. A surge of excitement spread through her as she rushed on over to have a closer look. It was as if she were a child trying to pick out a toy. Samira moved from case to case, happily staring and making mental notes of each one before going back to the previous ones she had already looked at. It was only with Kaori's angry shout that she jumped in place and returned her focus to reality. Samira bit her lip and held her book tightly to her chest again. 'This was probably not the most appropriate approach.' Samira thought, for once communicating with her spirits inwardly rather than vocally.

'Agreed. In my country, you bring grand gift when asking favor.'

'That advice would have helped before we got here.'

'Bug Lady was in rush. No time for proper preparation.'

Samira walked over to the desk as Kaori was destroying slips of paper in a rather unusual and unorthodox manner while explaining the many different methods of transportation she had but were unavailable. It seemed getting a ride was going to be impossible and she prepared herself for the inevitable disappointment. However, as usual Kaori had another plan up her sleeve and seemed to not really be bothered on the fact she had just waltzed in there expecting a favor for nothing. Samira felt relief and made a small nervous laugh in reply before following her out of the room. "Come, Serqet," she said as she passed by, remembering that it was probably not a good idea to leave the spirit in there.

The scorpion spirit had been examining the weapons and when she heard her name she had already been in the process of poking one. "Huh?" Her poke was miscalculated as she looked away and the weapon fell from its place on the wall. "Gah! No, no, no!" Serqet kept her desperate words quiet since she didn't want to hear the other two hear and she had managed to catch it before it clanged on the ground. The weapon was put back easily enough, which was a good thing due to her back up plan being the action of her throwing it into the paper hell underworld that she had seen being used. "Hey wait for me! I am the one that wanted snacks, remember?!"

Once they had made it into the kitchen Samira could only facepalm at the sight. Ikuchi peeling potatoes and still without a shirt. He had been dressed so nicely during the sleep over party and yet that day he seemed to be fighting the basic principles of wearing proper attire when guests were around. The little girl she had almost missed completely until she had removed herself from her step ladder and made her way over to the oven. Samira blinked, rather confused by the sight. There had been no prior mention of her before nor had she ever laid eyes upon her until right then. She felt it was not her place to ask about it though regardless of her levels of curiosity, especially when she had already asked for a pretty big favor. One thing she was most certain about was that the child was the epitome of adorableness. Then again, she thought that about most children she came across. The company of kids was usually a delight for her even if she didn't make it a point to constantly surround herself with them.

"Pastries!" Serqet grabbed two from the basket the little girl had filled up with such a happy expression one would think her life was complete. Samira only grabbed one. She wasn't one to have an overly large appetite even if she missed her breakfast. "Huh? Just one? Be more greedy, like me!" The final pastry was taken by the spirit. "There is being greedy, and then there is being gluttonous." Serqet just shrugged, the comment completely going in one ear and out the other as she unwrapped a pastry and began to eat it. Through her full mouth and the activity of chewing the spirit let Samira know that she was going back home to enjoy her tasty pastries. Fighting in a planet of winter was so not good for her health.

Samira was about to leave the kitchen right about the time a scrunchie was offered to her and placed within her hand. "Thank you?" The woman wasn't trying to be rude, rather she was just confused on why exactly she would need to make use of the hair accessory. The answer came in the form of being licked the moment she left the ship. At first she stepped back, surprised, and uttered a short scream of alarm. Not that it did any good considering she was still under the lick attack. The creature was familiar and once her head started working again she giggled while trying to escape the intimidating looking monster that was really nothing of the sort when it concerned her. "I remember you," she said with a smile as she petted his snout. So, that made one question in her list of unanswered questions answered. The mysterious creature that had helped her defeat a Titano belonged to Kaori and was perhaps sent by her. That explained a lot.

A bit of hesitation was evident when it became her turn to get on the creature. She didn't exactly prefer the method of travel but it seemed it was going to be the only choice. Samira got on and just before the creature was commanded to take off she recalled the scrunchie. Now the reason she was given it made sense. "Oh, no," she muttered as she realized she had yet to put it on. "One moment I have to put on the-" the command to go was given and the creature she rode upon took off at a high speed. "scrunchhiiiiieeeee!"

The ride slowed down on the other side of the portal but it did nothing for her already tangled hair that was everywhere in a giant mess. Samira blew a puff of air to remove some of the strands around her face before using her hands to do what she could to fix it. A mistake to assume the ride was over. The speed quickened once more, ruining all progress she had made fixing her hair. Finally it was time to get off and get off she did with much enthusiasm. If only it weren't for the queasiness that followed. Samira held a hand to her stomach as she slowly and somewhat wobbly walked the few steps to the pillar with the large gem. It was with some form of twisted luck that she had no fresh stomach contents to throw up due to missing breakfast. The book was taken out of her pack once more and she instantly flipped it over all the way to the end where some blank pages were as well as a pen stuck between the sheets. Her writing hand began to work, writing everything that came to mind with what she saw and concluded. Kaori and the dragonhound were likely very bored during the process but in a few minutes of the writing and studying the pillar she forgot they were even there. There may have been no phoenix to be seen but Samira doubted the dragonhound was mistaken with its tracking. He had proved capable enough before and it served as evidence for her to fully place her trust on.

"What is that?" She said, talking to herself even though there was actual company in the area. She got closer to the pillar and, laying the pen back between the sheets of book, she used her hand to brush some of the snow off the structure. A collection of symbols were below the ice blue colored gem that she did not recognize and after taking notes on that she went for the main thing that stood out, actually touching the gem and seeing what happened. The blue gem lit up from her touch and created a thin layer of ice over her hand.

From behind the shrine a high pitched shriek of a large bird could be heard and from the snow emerged a large blue avian creature, similar to that of a normal Phoenix but with a different element and coloring. The creature was the color of a mix of snow and ice and with its light blue eyes it focused on the small group that had invaded the shrine. What was Samira doing during all of this? Drawing the damn thing rather than bringing out her weapons or spirits. Priorities.

(Word Count: 1617)