Proof of Mortality (Raisu, Closed)

(Treylech So sorry, but I had a few RL issues to attend to. Responding now if you're still interested!)

(Thread PL: 165,230.)

Raisu walked down the streets of the West Capitol. It was an interesting place. He didn't want to call it lovely, but it was nice. Raisu quite enjoyed the cityscape. After all, he considered himself an explorer. And that included the urban jungle, the steel forest. And besides, he was a bit familiar with the West Capitol. He'd met Jarvis here. And at the man's own bar, no less. If the Monkey's Paw was here, it must surely be a happening place.

Raisu turned onto a strangely empty street. Odd, he thought, but he'd not question it. It might be nice to step away from all the people for once. And there was a serenity in quiet. Who knew what might be tucked away on this street? So far, stores and closed buildings. Nothing unusual for a city, of course, but at least he was keeping himself occupied. That was all he could ask for.

Suddenly, a man burst from a store in front of him, a cashier crying out about thievery. Interesting, he thought. The thief's power signature was quite large, at least for a human's. Luckily, he didn't get violent with the cashier, but if anyone was going to chase him down, it best be Raisu. He was, at the moment, the best person to deal with this. It would be his good deed for the day.

"Hey, you, thief! Stop!"

Raisu shouted as he chase after him. He was moving fast, his far above human speed carrying him down the street. He could fly after the man, but where was the fun in that? Raisu might enjoy a good foot chase. And besides, it wasn't as if he intended to hurt the guy. Maybe just drag him back and make him apologize. Raisu wasn't a police man. Not his place to jail somebody.

The man wasn't much faster than the average person. Raisu frowned. That was odd. He was certainly far above average in-terms of a ki signature. Perhaps he just lacked some refinement. Either way, Raisu was not going to give up the chase. And Raisu was rapidly gaining on him, despite the lead the man, or boy, had had at first.

Suddenly, the boy veered off his path and towards an alley, one blocked by a fence. Raisu half-expected the boy to collide with it, like a gag from a slapstick routine. But no, the boy lept and cleared the fence by pulling himself over it. Raisu even found himself impressed by the way the thief was manuevering. He moved well, like he'd done this before. Perhaps he expected to throw Raisu off his path, but little did he know that Raisu was just as capable as he.

Raisu came to the alley and quickly turned, the sudden change of direction sending his brain through a loop. Quickly though, he bounded over the fence, his mastery of flight serving him well. And further more, this fence was nothing to someone who had done training at forty times the Earth's gravity. As Raisu came down on the other side, the thief was nowhere in sight. He must have skedaddled, thought Raisu. But he wouldn't get far.

Raisu closed his eyes and concentrated, seeking out the thief's ki signature. And there it was. Indeed, he had not gotten far. Raisu turned his head and took a small step towards a doorway, plain and nondescript. Raisu grinned. He was proud of his ability to sense ki, and this was definitely a case it came in handy: he would have ran right by it if he'd not been able to sense the thief's ki. He was clever, Raisu had to give him that. Anybody else would have been fooled by it. But today just wasn't the thief's day.

"Alright," said Raisu, speaking aloud. "Come on out and we'll talk like people. Don't come out, and I'll drag you back like a dog or something."

It was the thief's choice, whatever he did.

Thankfully, the thief saw reason. Good, thought Raisu, glad to see that some people in this world still have sense. Thankfully, this proved to be quite simple. Almost too simple, but he was not going to complain. It was about time that something went his way. Nothing semeed to these days, and he was glad for the easy success in this matter. At least it had provided him with something to do.

Sadly, the thief seemed like a nice enough guy. At least he understood he was in the wrong it seemed. But just as easily, the man raised his fists. Raisu cocked his head to the side. Interesting, he thought. Raisu was not even hiding his own power this time. Could the boy not sense ki? A pity. It was a useful ability, one that had saved Raisu's skin a few times.

Raisu almost wanted the boy to punch him. Even if it wouldn't particularly hurt, it was always nice to get a taste of someone else's power. But sadly, it seemed that it wouldn't be the case. Well then, thought Raisu. At least he would come quietly.

"Well," said Raisu, "Glad to see you're handling this well. And, by the way, I think I can handle myself."

Raisu chuckled to himself. If this boy truely didn't know the disparity between them, it would have been a funny encounter. Though he had a point. Raisu did tend to gind himself in trouble, usually from rushing head in. Raisu leaned in and clapped the guy on the shoulder.

"Well, let's get going. Say, why you stealin' anyway?"

Raisu nodded. It certainly sounded like he had it rough. Times were tough all around these days it seemed. But stealing certainly wasn't the answer. Raisu began to walk. Hopefully, the thief would follow. Not that Raisu was worried. He would just catch the thief again if they ran away.

"Hard times, huh? I get you. Been there myself. Though I made those choices, myself..."

Raisu spoke as he walked. He was, of course, referring to his times on the road. Of course, growing up with a single mother in the South Capitol, he was used to monetary hardship. But, he didn't really know what it was like to be poor. He always had food and roof over his head. But the road was different. Out there, there were certain things that were tougher than others and money could be in short supply. Not that he'd ever resorted to stealing, though.

"Fighting, huh? You know, somehow, I believe that. You got that look about you."

Of course, he had the ki about him, too.

"So," began Raisu, "You seem like a resourceful guy. No work? Not even in construction or something? In my experience, they're always looking for strong guys."

Raisu had done a little construction work himself, in the past. It was boring, but it paid out and he had needed the money. Hell, he'd even done fight clubs for money.

"Or... How about hunting? It's not hard. I mean, I get it. Times are tough. But man, you gotta do right by others."

(Hey, no worries! I think your posts are just fine, and I know what it can be like posting from mobile.)

Raisu listened as the thief spoke. Interesting. So the man had his work, or lack of, cut out for him. That was quite the bed he had made, and it sucked that he had to lay in it. Raisu glanced behind his shoulder for just a second, looking to make sure the thief was following. Raisu was pleased to see that he was. Good.

He didn't kill? Interesting. Raisu didn't kill himself. At least not people. Come to think of it, he hadn't killed animals much either. Just fish. But still, he'd rather go fishing than steal from someone. Morality was a funny thing. Where did the slaying of a fish land on the scale compared to stealing? Raisu certainly did not know. He only had a vague idea of where it fit into his own moral code; He'd never given it much thought before.

The thief seemed repentant. Thank Kami, Raisu thought to himself. That would make things easy.

"Maybe he will. You know, I'll buy you food if you play nice," Raisu offered. Now, Raisu did not have much in the way of spending money himself, but it was, in his mind, the right thing to do. A little kindness went a long way.

He had a point. He did come along easily enough. Perhaps Raisu was just making converse, but it was a genuine offer. They finally reached the convenience store, though, and Raisu watched as the situation unfolded. The thief couldn't even get a word in edgewise. Ouch, thought Raisu. Harsh. Raisu could understand why, though. No one likes a thief. But still, Raisu couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy. He certainly played it the best he could.

Raisu followed him out of the store and stood beside him for a moment. He whistled a tune to himself before speaking.

"Hey, at least you tried. More than some folks could say." Raisu said amiably. He always did try and look on the bright side.

"So, what're you going to do next? You gotta eat."

(Yeah, I'm having fun with this thread as well.)

Raisu listened to the thief speak, nodding along. Yeah, those were all options. Not good ones but they were options none the less. This guy had clearly made some mistakes, but hey, everyone did. What was important was how you dealt with them. Raisu's heart went out to the guy.

"The name's Raisu. Nice to meet you, though I guess it could have been under better circumstances. Your name?"

Raisu turned to face him in full and stuck out a hand. Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all. Raisu could understand only knowing fighting. Hell, it seemed to be the only thing he was good at these days. It was, after all, in his blood. It was a gift, a curse, and something in between.