This Town Ain't Big Enough for the Two of Us

"That's it?" Haruna snarled, stepping back as Katsue hopped over the mud puddle towards her, then past her towards the village. She was still feeling particularly tense, and she didn't trust that the other Terran was going to let things drop so easily... perhaps she didn't want things to drop so easily. "You're just going to run away after provoking a fight over some stupid misunderstanding, like nothing even happened?"

Haruna was mad. She didn't often get provoked these days... and honestly, when a confrontation did occur, usually it was her who chose when to end a conflict. Something about Katsue's abrupt dismissal of the teenager struck her the wrong way. "You got to interrogate me, I deserve to know why. Who's this 'Trancy' prick to you that you'd go around beheading strangers for him?" Disgruntled as the girl was, she wasn't above using foul language to catch another person's attention, even if it might provoke escalated hostilities from the other woman. When Haruna's pride was laid low, she had a difficult time letting go of a situation -- it was something she'd always struggled with, and something that she realized was probably going to cause a problem now if she didn't keep her mouth in line.

((OOC: Sorry if I made it too melodramatic! I was influenced by anime ^^'))

Katsue stopped in her tracks, just as she was taking another step. She remained still for a moment, her back to Haruna. Her eyes took time to focus from where they were staring off, and she let out a sigh. Not a tired or sorrowful one; simply a sigh with maybe a hint of exasperation. She was all talked out already and here this brat was mouthing off again. Although, if Katsue thought about it she understood that the teenager had a point. After the treatment she'd received, the least she deserved were explanations. Or perhaps it was the fact Haruna had called her father a prick that had done it.

The somewhat subdued woman turned around, facing her opponent and burying her charcoal eyes in hers. ''Fine'', she deadpanned. ''I'll tell you, if it'll get you off my back.'' Even as she said that, it was mostly her pride talking. If she was truly against speaking up, she would have left.

She set the yolk and took one, two step towards Haruna. While she drew closer, she tried convincing herself what she was about to do couldn't be harmful. It wouldn't come back to haunt her later on. What she was going to admit was supposed to remain inside her. Why? No particular reason. She was just an introverted person, and despite her age was too stubborn to let her pain out. But you know what? This girl was being nosey, and she was in luck. Because Katsue actually didn't care enough right now to keep her past to herself. She only worried telling Haruna would one day, somehow, work against her. Oh well, Katsue thought, I'll just deal with whatever happens. Yet, she decided to use caution.

She had walked up to Haruna completely, and she now leaned over the girl's shoulder so she could whisper bluntly next to her ear: ''Lucius Trancy is the Ignisian army's to-be general. He's my father, but he destroyed everything I ever loved. Now, I aim only to make him pay.'' She blinked, opening her burning eyes. ''To kill him.''

Katsue pulled away, a harsh, yet calm look on her face. She lingered before Haruna, scrutinizing her face for her reaction. Surprisingly, Katsue was curious about it. It was the first time she had spilled so much of her dark side to someone besides her master, after all.

With the way that Katsue had been acting earlier, it was hard for Haruna to allow the woman within arms length. The woman looked like she had all the horses of hell on her heels, for all that she moved with a smooth, calm demeanour, for all that she spoke with a flat, unemotional voice. It was something in the way that she lacked apparent emotion that set all the small hairs on Haruna's neck and arms to prickling.

She straightened when Katsue dropped her deadly secret, clenching her jaw and turning her head to face the short-haired woman. "Either you're crazy, or you've got the tallest order in the world to fill." Since it seemed truthful that everyone around Haruna was crazy to some degree or another, she supposed that the two might overlap a little. The fact that Haruna had heard of Trancy's name before -- she still couldn't link it to any particular information, but now she was more certain than before that she'd heard it from North's mouth -- she supposed that that was about as much verification that she'd get that Katsue wasn't merely bonkers.

"Why are you out here with the other Ramkarnese noble brats if you're trying to get revenge?" she truly wanted to know. She'd waited a moment or two, wanting to see if Katsue would flip out and try to drop a blade in her gut... but it hadn't happened yet. Something about the blunt persistence of the younger Terran seemed to be having a positive effect on the other woman.

Katsue took a step back, crossing her arms. Haruna was obviously bothered by her proximity and now that Katsue thought about it, she could easily relate. Had she been in the younger Terran's place, she would've shoved the other person away.

''Heh...I thought you'd already established I was insane.''

The self-aimed pass was more of a way for her to snap out of her doom and gloom attitude. She didn't like it anymore than other people might. She'd been fine with opening up a minute ago, now she fancied herself a whiner.

At Haruna's words, Katsue smiled crookedly. One, she liked how the teenager addressed the volunteers. Two, her question and the answer to it reminded her of Hajime. And the report she would eventually have to give him. She wasn't exactly looking forward to it. Might as well stick around here for a while, kill some time. Haruna was already making conversation, which Katsue found ludicrous given everything she had done to the unassuming girl.

''My mas-...mentor'', she corrected.

Something about acknowledging Hajime as her master was annoying to her. The word was too grand; it didn't suit the geezer. Never mind that he used to teach an entire school.

''He insisted I do this. He wanted me to learn something from it. I have no idea what the old man wants. And I get the feeling he'll end my training if I don't bring back something to show for myself.''

She was planning on going back and winging it; maybe she'd strike the right chord. Yet here she was, letting herself be sidetracked. It was very unlike her, but something about the other Terran made her not mind staying to chat. She would have to face her master in time, however. Well, maybe while she was here she could brainstorm lies to feed Hajime in hopes of passing his 'test'. She wasn't any good at the art of conversation, though, so she kinda just stood there awkwardly, letting a short silence sink in.