Tokyo Ballad (Open)

Teaching...sucked. At least it was a topic he was well versed in and used in damn near all of his missions. Magic. At a magic academy. Alias...check...lesson plans...check...glasses...check...female business suit...check. Yes...he was required to crossdress in this one. Damn principal wouldn't have hired him if he didn't. And he needed the money for now. Good thing he didn't mind Yuri's inflated price tag. Luckily, classes were over, and he was out enjoying tea in one of Tokyo's outside cafes.

He looked like an old woman...thanks to make up and hair dye and a wig. But still looked decent to the untrained eye. Under normal circumstances, he would have been required to stay there simply because he had work to do. Work he had gotten done in no time flat. Contracts can be dirty things...but he wasn't paid hourly or on a salary. At least the school was still in secret. Most of the magic academies were. And frankly, that's how he preferred it. The Amesbury library Angel now runs was already on headlines regularly. He was sure the Magic Board didn't appreciate that too well, but the funds they were getting out of it had quieted their complaints for the most part. If his sources were right.

Still...a nagging feeling had developed about midway through the day. Something bad or marginally bad was going to happen...and involve him. Joyous. So now he was on edge...reading the newspaper, and keeping an eye on pretty much everything...

Viewing the brilliant outside cafe, Albatross smiled devilishly as always, though it had no unnecessary evil in its heart today it always found the habit of smiling enjoyable, and always useful in tricky situations. And for Albatross this grin, this half smirk of a smile looked almost normal, human normal. As the beast in human skin wandered about the various restaurants it relaxed as it let its senses flow across its sphere of influence letting the knowledge just flow back into its mind as it came. This area in particular had intriguing information, to say the least. Tokyo had always been a fun place for the likes of Albatross, though it still preferred its homeland as the settlements were less compacted, the city of Japan was still a fine place to take a vacation from the Coalition prisons which the Gamble knew all to well.

It felt the presences of decently powered beings, but Alba payed them no mind for the time being as it wandered around aimlessly through the department stores, its slick gelled back air and pale white skin screaming to the native populace that Alba was from the Western hemisphere, even much more so than its suit having been tailored by an American company. As Alba waled through the stores looking at the various human trinkets it stopped as it spoke with one of the clerks before leaving the tall building with a handful of various electronics. Under the alias of Don, the creature walked amid the crowds before stopping at an outside cafe, where one of the presences Albatross sensed was. The gamble all the while retaining its human form the entire duration, while its true power was kept under wraps with its abilities it let out an abnormal aura of human energy where it sat, directly to the left of one who looked like an older woman.

Its smirk still plastered across its clean shaven face, Alba ordered a sandwich before taking in the scenery. Alba had a mind to cause a little bit of trouble today and pestering someone with power was always an easy task to complete. Alba's bright green eyes making sure to try and make eye contact with the stranger sitting near itself. Its black tie fluttering slightly as a breeze came by.

Nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing. A few tourists...but that's about it. A few of which seemed happy about one thing or another. But one was...staring at him/her. A tourist, obviosly western, probably US. Yuri was reading the paper, and avoiding any direct eye contact. After he was done with the tea, he paid for it, and started walking away...very womanly. Briefcase, purse (with his gun and a fake wallet), and newspaper. He kept an eye on anyone that followed him. Indirectly, via the various reflective surfaces that were around. It wasn't just that man. A couple of thugs, just ahead of the tourist.

It wasn't long that the two thugs dragged her into an alley and pushed her. Yuri turned around, looking...neutral...even with two guns pointed at him. They wanted money...and he guessed to them, he had a lot of it. He took out the wallet and tossed it at them. Both rummaged through it to find nothing. When the looked up, two gunshots rang out. Their guns were destroyed thanks to the armor piercing rounds that were designed to take on spiritual beings and they each had a pretty good hole in their arms. "Seriously, young men, you should be ashamed of yourselves. Now leave and get to the hospital." With that, they left. Unless the tourist decided to pipe in or something...

Watching, what appeared to be a woman, Albatross flexed its fingers casually as it saw its new entertainment move and leave the cafe. Alba was only saddened by the fact that it would have to eat its sandwich while walked; throwing some money down on the table the creature in human skin swept through the crowds of people casually as to not cause too much of a fuss. All the while Alba ate its turkey sandwich on rye as it kept its senses on the one known as Yuri, though the Gamble did not know his name as of yet. Watching the rather calming blue sky for a moment Albatross saw as two brutes dragged the woman into a back alley. There weren't as many civilians out in this corner of the city, but Albatross kept itself under wraps for the most part. Itself standing at the en of the alley, facing the sidewalk and street.

It sensed the power of the human and knew such backwater thugs would pose the person no harm, unless they proved themselves idiotic in their own protection. Dropping a tomato slice on the sidewalk Alba listened in as it heard two gunshots and the ripping of metal. Peeping around the corner as if it was a curious child the Gamble chuckled to itself as it saw both of the brutes grip their new bullet wounds. Making way for the two thugs as they ran out of the alley, Alba twirled around on its heel as it walked into the alley, half of its sandwich in hand as it nibbled on the bread between breathes. "How cute." Alba spoke with a mouth full as crumbs dropped onto the ground. "It's always fun seeing gun fights, too bad it didn't have the fun of an old western, ha." the suited man spoke elegantly, not mispronouncing a single syllable of English. "Oh yes, perhaps you do not speak English, I always get ahead of myself, considering so many hollows and other creatures know the language so well nowadays..."

Keeping ten feet away from the woman Alba finished its snack before its shoulders relaxed, and its tight stature drooped slightly, as if the man hated being uptight. For the most part that was true, the gamble was always one to be more casual in its ways. As it cracked its neck with a simple twitch, the popping noise could be heard loud and clear. Alba's normal grin widening slightly before returning back to normal, as it swept back its hair again as a breeze ruffled its placement.

Noticing the blood on the ground Alba walked closer to where the two thugs had stood before they left, taking out a small test tube, the blood droplets were collected in a single motion, the dirt and gravel beneath the blood not even being disturbed. Glaring with interest at the dark murky blood of humans, Alba turned its attention back to the woman if she had not already tried to leave. "I've always taken in interest in the human race, to be frank I'm wondering if I should just fight you or let you be, as I am rather bored today. Ha!" Albatross spoke again before placing the two test tubes in the inside of its suit jacket.

Yuri watched, and kept his gun pointed at the man. In the same granny voice he had used earlier, he spoke some more. "On the contrary, young man, I can speak English quite fluently. And most other languages." Seriously...he did not like this situation at all. Especially as the man grabbed samples of the blood. Yuri stood still and listened. Yep...go figure...not human if how he spoke about it was an indication...and wanted to fight. He snorted. And in a younger woman's voice, spoke, hopefully the voice change threw him off. "I don't think so. I don't like to fight."

Pointing behind him, Yuri opened up a holy portal. He went in. And reappeared in an alley 200 feet away. The portal closed. Putting his gun away, he walked out and started back towards his apartment. Checking every so often for a following. Hopefully none. Even so, he would wonder around in random places for an hour before heading home...a hotel.

Laughing loudly at Yuri's words, Albatross rested against the alley wall opposite of where the portal was made. The Gamble's normal smirk changing to a wide smile as it cracked its knuckles one by one. The energy signatures being memorized in an instant as it replying to the woman whose voice had changed slightly. "Do not like fighting? To each their own. Heh." Alba spoke as it watched the human disappear into the portal. It was not impressed, especially when the man's eyes shifted to the direction of where the portal reopened to let out Alba's new interest. "So the game begins, cat and mouse seems rather dull for such a nice day, but why not? This is still better than sleeping the day away." The monster in human skin thought as its energy signature disappeared completely, its human scent dissolving as Alba took a step away from the wall it had rested on. Its pitch back dress shoes no longer making a single sound as they touched the pavement of Tokyo.

"Let the game begin." the creature thought to itself as its pale left had reached into its jacket, past its dress shirt, and into its very body. The hand grasping inside Albatross' unique form for something to create more interest. Its hand slipping slowly out of its own torso. Holding in its hand was one of its prized creations, a one foot tall mannequin which Alba proceeded to place on the pavement in front of it. Knowing full well that there was nobody around to witness its actions, the gamble placed its hand on the wooden mannequin as the item was imbued with a captured soul.

No light, no burst of energy, nothing erupted forth from the mannequin besides a simple shutter as the small doll shook violently for ten seconds before it began taking shape. Its short legs extending and widening as wood changed to bone and then the bone covered in flesh of man. As the mannequin finished its process of the soul entering the new creation clasped its hands against the black asphalt as it raised its body upward towards Albatross.

The soul's attire appearing on its once naked body as it looked up at Albatross, the being kneeling out of fear for what Alba had in mind. "I chose you to help entertain me for this trip. Tokyo looks like an elegant city, but there is more to life than just petty appearances. I'm sure you are up to this task."

"But of course... sir." The soul spoke in its new voice, heavy set and rough. The new man looked up at Albatross before standing back up, his name was Lance, his soul stripped from his former body. Though Lance had the appearance, and even appeared fully as a normal human as he once had been, his powers were gone, his strength, speed, and agility were diminished while inside the mannequin. However, Albatross did not summon forth its servant to fight but rather to think, it had always found Lance intriguing as a human specimen, the man having once been a renowned tactician before dying. "What would you have of me?"

"You're going to help me pester a human, a soul which is able to utilize energy as not normally seen often, though not unheard of. this human has power, so you will not be doing anything directly." Showing off its white pearly teeth Alba snickered as it continued to observe its prey from a distance using its advanced sensing techniques. The Gamble finding amusement in its target's actions of wandering around Tokyo, perhaps to try and throw itself off from following the human. "A fool's errand..." Alba thought to itself as it moved out of the alley, beckoning its accomplice to follow.

Having Lance follow, Alba gave its subordinate a wire s they could remain in contact throughout the city. "You will head North and wait at any destination that you choose, as long as it is within six hundred feet of me. Now go." With a curt nod Lance parted ways and moved about the city before resting at a small bench facing a small inner city park. The man's dark khaki cargo pants complimenting his dirt orange T-shirt, though his attire did not fully match the humans around him Lance blended in just fine, as he had Japanese parents, though he was raised in Canada. He waited for Albatross' word to move, as they remained in contact, the small earpiece hard to notice without actually moving in close to take a look.

All the while, Albatross waited at a small antique store that was West of Lance, the monster continuing to sense where Yuri was heading, and before it knew it an hour had passed and Albatross finally replied back to Lance, notifying that its new target had stopped wandering around. Telling Lance the directions on where to head, looking for anyone that seemed to fit the description of an older aged woman. While Albatross began walking closer to the hotel, all of its scents, sounds, and signatures still fully under wraps and hidden.

Lance walked along the path that Albatross told it to take and soon enough Lance spotted someone who made the description, which he began to tail carefully. Lance full knowing he was much weaker while inside the mannequin, having only the power and energy of an average human. Lance pulled down his sunglasses down from his short cropped black hair, which was nothing odd as the day was rather sunny.

Yuri spotted him. A new person tailing him, albeit carefully. Not an expert, but no amateur either. But was he with the man he met earlier? Or a seperate entity? He kept walking towards the hotel. He went towards the bar for a drink or two and thought. As he sipped a beer, it hit him as he looked right at his reiatsu suppressor, a ring on his ring finger. He had hidden extra clothes and such in the restroom here. Actively suppressing his power now, which wouldn't have been possible without his ring, he went towards the restroom with the purse.

Yuri changed and redid the make-up. Now sporting black hair, black T-shirt hiding his gun and knife, black color contact lenses, and jeans and proper shoes for working a bar, he walked out. Still with the fake breasts. He took a few orders, even the man's if he had followed and waited at the bar. After about three hours, she went off shift. Now he wandered the streets towards a safehouse. What was up with that? Well...at least now he couldn't sense him, if he really was. Yuri didn't know. And didn't care. Only person that could really keep track of him is a werewolf, or someone else with such extreme enhanced senses. Or if they somehow stole his ring. He was a master of disguise and prepared such changing stations immediately after he comes to a location.

But his Hyper Intuition was still going haywire on him. So he still kept watch...

Seeing his target walk into a bar, Lance waited outside as he casually made his paces around the buildings, being sure not to forget to check the back alley of the bar, as to not let her escape that way. Though time passed rather slowly for Lance, even if he had just come back into the world he was forced to leave nothing had changed to make him feel awe inspired. Even with the new technology that lit up the billboards and advertised the Japanese market, Lance felt that nothing had changed throughout the fifty so years he had been dead. Shaking his head as he did another round around the block, Lance listened in on his small headset as Albatross spoke to him, its voice full of glee as usual.

"Ke-He-He... the one you are following is leaving the destination, moving to a new area..." Alba spoke with an underlying laugh, as it relaxed on the top of an office building a few hundred feet away from Yuri or Lance. The Gamble enjoying such a relaxing game for once, it felt enthusiastic about its life. Something which had not happened since it had met up with Grand again after so long. However, Alba quickly shoved those distracting thoughts away as it focused back onto what was going on in the real world. Closing its eyes Albatross sat back and leaned against a small pile of bricks that were on top of the roof, the creature beginning its more advanced sensing as it felt a disturbance from its target.

Closing in, Alba watched the city of Tokyo through closed eyes, seeing the crowds shuffle through the sidewalks, hearing the sirens and advertisements that made up the city, closing in bit by bit until it found what it was looking for. While suppression of energy had its uses against normal creatures, Albatross felt no hindrance as it saw where its target was. And with a vile grin spreading across its thin lips, Alba spoke through its tiny headset to Lance.

"It seems the mouse has grown younger, you are no longer looking for an older woman but a younger one, black hair, black shirt, and jeans. She has left the destination you were watching a few minutes ago. Do not fail me." Alba ended as it stood up to stretch its arms, letting out an exasperated sigh of relief it walked down the stairwell of the building, taking its time knowing that Lance would be sure to fulfill his mission.

At that moment Lance sighed out of displeasure as he rubbed his eyes, he was tired his master's games, and even more tired of being so weak. Stroking his clean shaven chin, Lance looked around the area looking for anyone that fit the description given, it took him a few minutes to locate the target but it was done. Heading back to his job of tailing, Lance noticed that the crowds were starting to thin, not too much but it was noticeable. Having Alba send him directions, Lance went down a side alley as he decided it would be safer to follow indirectly. Several minutes of following in that way passed, until Lance ran out of alleyway to use, tilting his head around the corner he saw the girl again.

At that point Albatross came around from across the street, opposite of Lance, the collector of souls speaking above the very few people in the streets that began to thin down again. "Hello, again." It spoke as it looked at the target in the eyes, though Alba and Lance where to the right of Yuri, further down the street.