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    “Such a shame.” Sai pointed a finger at the ground before him lightly, then twisted his arm and curled the finger upward. Up from the ground sprung tall shining grass, with feathery plumes. Pushing his full body through the veil of grass, Sai immediately found himself standing face to face with the mountain of a man, having raised himself above the ground high enough that they were at eye level with each other. “I’m not hostile” he said, holding a hand between the two as if to halt the giant. As he spoke, he raised his right hand, making a subtle circular gesture in the air. In an instant, the failing portions of the stage structure were rebuilt and reinforced, with haphazardly strewn scaffolding holding up portions that were about to collapse, all with a decidedly Japanese style of architecture. Billowing flags depicting purple irises unfurled from the highest beam, catching each of the thrown civilians and gently rolling them down to the surface of the stage. “Do you have any inkling as to what is occuring?” Iroas looked over to the President. The President only gave a small nod of approval. With a nod of his own, Iroas turned back to Sai. “We seem to be under attack by a terrorist group called MIRROR, and their target is the president.” He explained, his eyes darting to the side so he could keep an eye on said terrorists. “I presume this group has branches around the world?” “If I understood the debriefing correctly, yeah.” “That explains quite a lot. Your boss seems to have an above-average level of preparation. Did you clock where the gunfire came from?” Iroas nodded, pointing over to his left side. “It came from somewhere over there.” He began to squint, noticing something a little off. “There’s a girl making a break for it, but the way she’s running isn't like everyone else. She isn’t scared.” “Hm…” Sai glanced over, seeing the pink-haired bounty hunter already taking pursuit, “it appears that that one is already managed. In that case…” looking out over the crowd, Sai’s attention was caught by the girl who appeared to be terrified, yet was not fleeing. Without a word, he gestured lightly with a finger, and the same grass from before sprung up from the stage. With a step, he had fully passed through the grass, and was gone as abruptly as he had arrived. Sai reappeared in front of the frightened girl and smiled, immediately taking hold of her face in his outstretched hand. With a push, he plunged her through his veil of grass, and the pair was immediately hovering about 10 yards up in the air, directly above their previous location. Below them was a platform of cherry blossoms, not unlike what he had stood upon previously, though this time he had created ample space for the both of them. Despite his aggressive approach, he released her gently so that she could stand before him. “Hello there. You can call me Sai. What’s your name?” With the teleportation of the girl, and the resulting breaking of her focus, the arms threatening to tear apart the presidential stage broke away into nothing. A short-lived victory at ground-level, however, as with another command from the man commanding the arms that had just moments ago thrown civilians at the stage picked up where their ilk had left off, grabbing at the stage and pulling with a less wild, more thought-out intent of ripping the stage’s front pillars out. Back on Sai’s platform, meanwhile, the girl’s focus was on reacquainting herself with her surroundings. And promptly realizing she was several yards in the air, and very at the mercy of whoever had whisked her away to this platform. And if he could do such things just like that… “GET ME DOWN FROM HERE,” she shouted, scanning the crowd below, seemingly searching for something, or perhaps someone, and taking whatever steps back she could without teetering over the edge. “You're working with them aren't you?!” The scattering wisps of mist that once formed arms threatening the stage - along with a new outpouring of the stuff from the girl’s own body - coalesced on the ground beneath the platform, gathering and building, shaping and towering. Behind the girl, the mist had re-shaped into what - aside from its size - could be considered a bear, though its form was gnarled and twisted into the territory of something that wasn't “a bear” so much as “what might be left of a bear after meeting a much bigger, very angry bear.” Paying no mind to the entity that was forming beneath the pair, Sai extended the cherry blossoms under the girl's feet as she stepped backward, careful not to let her fall. “I’m not working with anyone, aside from doing my best to keep people from getting hurt.” He took a half step forward, gently raising both of his hands and lowering his center of gravity as one would when approaching a frightened animal, “I don’t want you to get hurt either. I saw you looked scared, so I took you up here, away from all that violence.” For the first time since the sound of gunfire, the panicked, fearful expression left the girl’s face, and with it, the bear that would have otherwise brought its titanic weight to bear upon Sai’s platform disappeared into nothing. “...and maybe I was down there to cause all that violence,” she said, with a stern expression that looked as if her facial muscles had never made such a face before and weren't sure how to do it right. “I know you were. That’s why I am so concerned about you.” Sai sat down, crossing his legs as his hair billowed past the edges of the platform. “Though, you haven’t answered my question yet.” “Official MIR--... ahem, official group protocol is to not give our names to anyone. Our boss said that goes double for me. So my lips are sealed.” With a resigned huff, the girl sat down as well, not looking at the chaos below, but still scanning the outer edges of the crowd. “Don’t worry, I know about MIRROR. You’ve all been busy this centennial, haven't you?” Sai paused, as if thinking for a moment, “do you enjoy tea?” A look of genuine surprise struck the girl’s face, though she waves off the offer for tea, seeming uninterested in the drink. “It sounds like you know a lot more about us than anyone else should right now. We have had suspicions that there’s a mole in the ranks…” “Oh I assure you that I know nothing of that, I only heard the name of your friends a few seconds before we met. It does make sense though. I’ve just been in attendance of more crashed parties than I’d prefer.” With a shrug, Sai twirled a finger, and a steaming teapot appeared in his hand. He tilted the pot to pour, and before the tea could splash onto the cherry blossoms, a small plate with a pair of cups appeared to catch the liquid. “I figured I would pour you a cup just in case you change your mind.” “Well, since you seem to have somehow attended most of our attacks, I do want closure on this and don’t want to wait until I’m back at base if I can get the answer now. The Russian attack. Is the man in charge…” The girl made a cutting motion across her neck with her thumb. “I propose an exchange of information. I tell you how things went, if you first tell me what I should call you.” Sai smiled warmly, taking a sip from his cup and pushing the plate forward so she could reach her own. “I know it’s against the rules for you to tell me your true name, but I would at least like something to call you, for my own internal perspective. Is there a name you fancy?”
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