·†· · · · Can · you · share · my · Passion · · · ·†·

Even now I can still barely keep the cold at bay...I can feel that ice...

[There's a hiss to his words, and is voice is as cold as he likely feels at the moment.]

No matter. There are other more pressing...and entertaining thoughts at hand.

[He may have been silent and to himself recently, but he hasn't forgotten anything from earlier. If anything, he's dwelled on it.]

I wonder how long this spirit will persist in following me...

[There's a loud explosion heard, likely by people on the same floor as the now-tiny crow demon. He doesn't seem to realize that he's near a camera, rubbing at one pale cheek gently, fluffing his wings as he peers about forlornly.]

This isn't home. It smells like humans. And...and death!

[He takes stock in his surroundings, clambering onto the bed in the room, sniffing the air once more before huddling down, hiding behind his hair as he talks to himself once more.]

...Mama isn't here. Or papa. I can't smell anyone else!

[Karasu sighs heavily, twining a finger through his hair, chewing on his lower lip as he looks around...and then at the nice hole in the wall he made, moving out of sight as he calls out.]

Is anyone out there...?

[There's an initial pause, soft humming heard for a moment, low and crooning. It's not an unpleasant voice by far..though when Karasu speaks, the icy tones in his voice might give most chills.]

I think it's the hunt I find most alluring...

Well. Aside from the kill of course...

[and he chuckles here, as if the only one who gets his own joke, flipping the jigokuberry off after a moment.]

I wonder...

Does one age...if they are already dead?

The sky is the color of blood, the ground a barren wasteland. The smell of blood is thick in the air, causing any who might smell it to gag or retch. Thunder rumbles in the distance, but it seems that any storms building are still far off. Karasu is walking, slowly, his hands in his pockets, appearing unconcerned with the stale wind that idles through the air, now and then lifting a strand of black hair before setting it down a moment later. The wind does little to make the stench fade, but with that mask on, it seems as if he doesn't notice it one bit...or at the very least, doesn't seem to care.

The farther he walks, the more the landscape seems to form around him, dusty grey sands giving way to a blood-spattered dirt that seems to grow with each step until the entire ground is a deep blackish red, the earth damp and crumbling. Bones litter the ground here, of beasts far larger than any man, but built similarly all the same.

And still he continues walking, humming to himself. It isn't a jaunty tune, or even a somber one, but it seems to swell on the wind, carried back to the ears of any who might listen. And like a nursery rhyme, it gets stuck in one's head.

"They say...that graveyard of the ancient's has a lot of power in it..." he whispers without turning around, his voice warm, fond...too fond to be talking about the dead and gone. He turns, reaching out, white hand perched lightly on the skull of a giant cyclops, the flesh eaten away completely from the bone.

"A pity...I prefer the here and now."

The skull explodes in a shower of razor-sharp shards.

[[OOC: Event Post Info]]

[Karasu's voice is cold, bored, and yet at the same time...somewhat amused. If he's taking any of what's going on with some of the tenants seriously, it's obvious he doesn't give a damn who it happens to.]

Well...if people are really going to die...they should at least make it worth watching

[Nothing is seen at first, save blackness. The sounds of hounds can be heard, and then they bound past, spectral, snapping and yowling in glee for a good kill. A silken voice chuckles behind them, and Karasu can be seen, walking along through...what appears to be a forest. Violet eyes tilt upwards, and he smiles. Coldly, cruelly. ]

Those should be wary this night...lest they encroach upon my woods. My hounds might enjoy a good...hunt.

[One of the hounds begins howling, the sleek white beast circling Karasu, glowing golden eyes staring into the communicator. Karasu smiles, stroking it fondly. He's dressed from head to toe in black, but the fabric seems...alien, even through the communicators. He's clad in tight black pants of a supple, soft fabric, that almost seem to be created from night itself. His boots are highly polished and black, and as he walks forwards they make no sound on the forest's carpet. A tight-fitting black vest over a flowing black shirt threaded with silver cover his chest and arms. A silver tiara spangled with a handful of amethysts and onyx and a wide leather belt with matching gems wrapped about his waist complete the affair. There is no doubt he's royalty, by the haughty, hungry look in those indifferent eyes.]

But not all of you are so unadventurous, hmm...? But if I find you...I will chase you. And if you can outrun my hounds...well...can you outrun...me?

...Someone will pay for this. Exquisitely.

[Karasu looks, at least, marginally more in control of himself this time. He leans forward, masked face studying the scree, eyes tracing over it in such a manner you might think he's studying you personally]

Well...I still miss him. But...that isn't to say that I can't find someone else to...play with in the meantime, until he returns.

[While you can't see it, you can bet he's smiling]

He need never know, after all...

[The screen flickers to life strangely. A black cat's footsteps, ghostly and patchy are seen for all of a moment, stepping past before simply seeming to vanish. Behind this, Karasu can be seen lying on a bed on his back. That mask is on his face, but loose, now and then displaying a trace of his cheek. He's wearing pants at least, and looks unkempt and underfed. His cloak is gone, and he's clutching a magenta boy's uniform from a Japanese school. He doesn't seem to mind in the slightest that people might be watching him as he nuzzled the garments shamelessly. ]

Kurama...

[The name is a sigh, full of wistful longing. Black lacquered talons grip at the clothing as he rolls over, onto his chest.]

How you escape me...my beloved...but...you'll be back. Our destinies are entwined...

[A low, mad chuckle escapes him, and an explosion is heard and seen, small but enough to damage the wall, exposing the interior and likely causing the neighboring room to shake.]

You had best return, koibito...I miss you...

[Is that genuine sorrow in his voice? It's gone before you can be sure as he flings himself onto his back once more. There's another explosion, in the next room. Anyone on the 5th floor likely felt that one, as well as heard it]

Your heart will be mine...and it...will taste delicious...

[And those claws rake at the garment, and over himself, leaving reddened welts. Karasu simply laughs, low and mad, with the faintest trace of sorrow somewhere in his voice.]

I'll tear this place apart to find you...

Well...well...well.

It seems this place is more interesting than I could have ever dreamed. Why...it's almost like being home again, when you think about it. A dark place, danger lurking around...near every corner...

It's that danger that keeps us alive. That ever-present need to stay on one's feet.

-Karasu chuckles here, leaning closer, speaking in an almost conspiratorial tone-

If you're weak...you die. If you make a mistake...you die. And I think..we'll be seeing a great deal of that in coming days...or weeks. If these spirits have been around for awhile...well...they're patient. Moreso than myself.

Aaah...I suppose I should go and see what that beautiful redhead is up to...I'll just take this with me then, hmm?

My my my...

Should I consider it a luxury that I seem to have cheated death...? Or should I feel uneasy about being abducted at that precise moment to some other....place and left alone...? Heh. I think my only regret is that that I had to leave that...beautiful creature behind.

A nasty case of remorse over unfinished business, I suppose.

I must say though, the timing was both convenient and...needed, but it really is a pity that whomever drew me here couldn't stay long enough to allow me an explanation.

So...can someone be...so kind...as to elaborate on where I have ended up? Judging from earlier conversations on this terribly interesting little device, there's a story behind all of this.

Mmm...I'd be...ever so grateful for any assistance.