Cuffed: Count Shiroe and Jax [Closed] [Plot]

The airship hovers over a remote area of the snowy forest. No other teams are in sight and the weather is a nice, sunny day. Opening the hatch, the two partners, handcuffed at the wrist, are pushed to the edge of the hatch. "Okay!" Prof. Strom yells over the engines. "Rules are simple. One: Dont die. Two: Dont kill each other as there are laws against that and you will fail. Three: If the handcuffs are removed at anytime, no matter it be Grim or you, you BOTH fail this course. Once the trial is over, the handcuffs will automatically open up and send a signal to me to come pick you two up." Professor Strom made a large grin, "Also, have fun!" He yelled, pushing the pair out the hatch.

(right hand of Count cuffed to Left hand of Jax)

Jax had been quiet for most of the flight... for a given value of quiet which in his cause meant heavy metal booming out the edges of his headphones, the occasional jangling from the chains and piercings on him and grunts as he scratched himself in places most people tended not to in public. He had to force himself not use his left hand to scratch his right armpit and instead had just grunted when that itched. His scrawl was even more obvious then normal. He wasn't happy with the situation at all. He intensely regretted being dumb enough to volunteer for some idiotic team building, he regretted that this had ended up with hand cuffed to one of the few men who had joined this little assignment, and most of all he regretted that the person he had been handcuffed to was wearing a tie. Jax mentally cringed at the thought of it. The idea of willingly putting a leash around his own neck made Jax sick and he had done his best to ignore his partner till he had no choice otherwise.

He had considered lashing out when they shoved him towards the exit but instead with one hand pulled his headphones off his ears and listened as the Professor told them the rules. The no kill rule was kinda obvious but he hadn't expected the fact this assignment could mean he could fail the whole course. His eyes widened and then narrowed as he regarded his partner and as he stood on solid ground he told the man.


"... Well... dis is just going ta be a vomit bucket of fun... oh well... at least ah use ma right hand ta wipe so no awkwardness there."

With that he regarded the forest trying to figure out their first step.

Shiroe stayed quiet most of the trip, noting that he was handcuffed to a brute was awful enough but a unhygienic one at that. Being right handed meant that his dominant hand was now on a handicap since he can't use it to swing his sword, making the necessary adjustments he moves his sheathe to the right side of his body so he could easily pull it out with his left arm. Not only would he be severely hindered by the handcuffs and his partner, he also wouldn't be able to make runes as quickly on any surface if he's wielding his Sabre.

This is quite a predicament, now to find our way around.

Ignoring the the earlier statement of his temporary partner he decides to follow through and cooperate despite their differing personalities. Scanning the forest and appreciating the sunny weather Shiroe stretches his free arm.

"Now, where do you suggest we go off to?" he says as he stretches.

Jax looked to his partner and shading his eyes with his free hand he looked around trying to find something that would work. His lips pursed as he thought and he let his mouth flow a bit as he did so.

"Ah dink da first ding we gotta do is find some place ta keep our head down fa a bit. I ain't a coward but we need ta find a shelter where ya and ma can figure out how we are going ta fight grimms while we are shackled ta each other."

Pulling his hand down he grasped Chainbreaker and flicking it out watched as it unfolded from a simple crossguardless green broadsword with a black blade to something... much worse. Somehow this punk was one handing a massive greatsword who while it still didn't have a crossguard instead of a black blade it was edged with razor sharp teeth much like that found on a chainsaw. Jax rotated his hand a bit inspecting the weapon and it's spotless shine. While Jax himself was a bit dirty, scruffy, and smelled of gasoline, grease and oddly enough massive amounts of copper the weapon was taken care of flawlessly. The teeth of the weapon didn't have a speck of rust or an scratch on them. Jax grunted as he rested the flat of the blade precariously close to his neck and looked up at the taller boy for Jax was a bit shorter then average.

"Ah am Jax, This is Chainbreaker. We don't da subtle very well but we can plow through just about any obstacle in our way. What we can't cut through..."

Jax flicked out the weapon again and this time it became more compact as it shifted, the blade sliding down itself and forming a box like shape and revealing three gunbarrels half as long as the weapon had just been, the hilt of the sword morphed to be a upward sweeping trigger grip and a handle jutted out the top of the assemblage. Jax still held it one handed but it was obvious from his stance this was not how he usually held it.

"We can shoot through."

One last time Jax shifted chainbreaker back to the broadsword it had originally been and shoved it back behind his back where it hung in his chain belt. He went back to looking around and continued speaking.

"Ah don't care if ya don't like mah, Let's just try ta live ta see da school... again..."

Jax pursed his lips and looked back the way they came from and opened his mouth to speak, tilted his head as if looking at something only he could see and then smiling with one eye raised.


"Wit da three rules da teach gave us... ya know... he never said we had ta stay in da forest. Jax's Rule one. If dey isn't a rule against it. It ain't cheating."

Despite being loud, rough, and somewhat unsightly, Jax seemed to be quite smart in his own way. Shiroe was impressed at his handling of his weapon despite of it's size and how easily he adjusted to using only one hand, given more freedom he would prove to be a formidable force.

"Pleasure to meet you Jax, Name's Shiroe.This here is Ryujiin" He says as he brandishes his Sabre, "It has runes where I channel dust and my aura for both offensive and defensive purposes but seeing as my other hand isn't free I won't be able to cast any of my contact runes easily." Shiroe then sheathes his Sabre.

Looking at the dense thicket, Shiroe decides to go along with Jax's idea of finding shelter. The weather may be nice now but it could change any moment knowing the nature of the region. The prospect of combat is also a possibility so they should discuss any plans for fighting grimm. Seeing as no other teams landed near them it means that they would have to work together for the whole endeavor.

"Now our current problem is looking for shelter, I suggest we get a move on now."

Jax frowned a bit at his explanation of his weapon. This guy was obviously right handed as well and if he needed to draw runes of some kind with his weapon it would be hard with his right hand attached to Jax. He nodded in thought and looked around some more and then thrust his chin to the east towards where the trees got thicker and closer to each other. His eyes darted around a bit and he even lifted his head to sniff there air. He didn't think it would help but he doubted it would hurt. The idea of being tethered to someone meant he was dependent and his heart began to pump a bit harder as he thought on that. To be dependent on people as a rule was repulsive to him and now he had no choice. As his heart began to pump harder a thump in the air was almost heard and felt, taking a deep breath to calm and keep his semblance under control Jax kept looking ahead.


"We head towards da trees and find a good cluster of them to sit between, da thick trees will keep da bigger grimms either away from us or at least slow dem down as we maneuver. Ah dink even like diss we can take da smaller ones together easily enough. It's da larger ones dat worry ma..."

Jax started to move forward, knowing he might end up dragging Shiroe if he stopped and then he himself stopped as he peered upwards at the sky in thought once more before turning back to his partner.

"as we move ah will have ma left arm limp, see if ya can make ya runes if ah am not resisting. oh... and on a personal note."

He looked down to Shiroe's chest sneering.

"A tie? Really?"

Surprised by his partners crude comment Shiroe says, "I honestly don't see anything wrong with what I'm wearing. Besides, it goes well with my attire."

Shiroe tries reaching for his blade with his right hand and channels some aura into it which causes the runes on his sword to glow with a bright white light on the edges.

"Seems my sword runes work well enough. Now, let's head for those trees" he says as they head for the thicket.

Jax shook his head at his partner. Really... he was proud of the tie. He seemed to like even. It 'fit with his outfit'. Jax felt like throwing up at hearing that. The idea of willingly putting one on... Jax would rather shove a cheese grater down the front of his pants and roll in lemon juice then wear a tie.


"Ah will never get ya. Ah can tell that much. Ta put a leash around ya neck every morning... gah. Screw that."

Shaking his head as he watched his partner swing their bond together arms with a few practice swings he had to grudgingly give him an eight for style though. There was good skill, a grace and agility that Jax himself would admit he didn't have. Perhaps their skills would work well together... that said as they passed a tree Jax barely restrained the impulse to swing his left arm so his partner would impact until unconsciousness... granted passing the three days with the man out cold would probably be more pleasent and would technically break no rules... he didn't want to have to drag or carry the man. Plus they might run into another group and then awkward questions so Jax restrained himself and...

He stopped. His sneer vanished and his eyes narrowing as they scanned the treeline again. Gone was the anger, the disdain for a moment as he stopped ignoring what his partner did. The man could stop or try to pull Jax. He just stood for a moment and sniffed the air again and then jutted forward his jaw. It took him a moment to realize what he was hearing... or not... to realize why his instincts had brought him to a halt.

"Yeah... ya see... dat ah don't like."

Slowly Jax rotated his upper body with tilted head trying to hear something, anything out in the forest and failing that he grabbed his blade and held it loosely in his hand.

"... ah don't suppose ya runes have a side effect of scaring away all animals in a given area... dat would be fantastic news right now instead of it being something being in da forest wit us."

Shiroe places his free arm below his chin and thinks. He knows using his fire rune may work but that would put them at risk of the whole forest burning down, but if he controls it maybe he could make a small enough one to keep them at bay. Though when he thought more on it seems as though it wasnt' as good as he thought.

"If you don't mind burning a few trees in the process I'll be glad to do it, but seeing as though it would be of a major inconvenience to us... Nevemind." Shiroe then felt a chill run through his spine as though something was watching them.

So that's why he asked such a question, we're not alone after all.

Shiroe saw a low lying branch and proceeded to cutting it down with his Sabre, he then charged his blade with dust and his aura and stabbed the edge of it to let it catch fire. Picking up the burning branch he looked to his partner and gave him a look as if asking You think this will do? then held it up high to see if he could see anything in the trees or possibly scare them away though he doubted that a little fire would do. If things get worse he could always just set the whole perimeter on fire..

Jax looked around becoming a bit more edgy. He was confident of his ability to take out most grimms... on his own. But handcuffed and only able to bring half his strength to bear seemed to take a bit of wind out of his sails. He knew that to survive what was coming he would have to fight smarter... and despite the fact cutting off Shiroe's hand would violate none of the rules given he was pretty sure he would be suspended for it so that was out so instead he started looking up, the forest was thick with trees and all he needed was a good nearby branch to pull himself up. Jax spotted one thought... it was just a little too high up but it was close enough. He would need longer arms... to... reach.. it..

Jax looked to his partner and an idea formed, the grin that crossed Jax's face would never be known as reassuring, looking more like a shark just before it takes the first bite. Jax did a few mental calculations and figured the worst that would happen is they would land on the ground. Nodding mentally at his plan Jax started moving forward at a run, not caring if Shiroe kept up because at the time he was willing to drag him if need be. Jax spoke fast.

"When ah tell ya ta grab on DA IT!"

With a sudden burst of strength Jax leaped, hurling himself skyward. It was not the best leap, many would be able to do better even handcuffed to someone but while Jax couldn't leap as high as others be was quite strong and he put this into use right now as he pushed off the ground he began to swing his left arm, and the handcuff, and the man attached to the handcuff. Hurling it all towards the branch he was aiming at. While Jax's jump was well short... Shiroe on the other hand would be just in range.


"GRAB IT!!!!"

"When ah tell ya ta grab on DA IT!!!"

Shiroe heard Jax yell as he felt a strong tug on his arm. Jax had leaped from their position and then swung his left arm, where Shiroe was handcuffed to, upwards towards an underlying branch. Shiroe was startled by the sudden vault but managed to process what he meant when he threw him up. As he was headed upwards he managed to  throw his Sabre up as well to free his right arm and caught it with his left. As he approached the branch he dug his sword into it to give them more grip trying as much as possible to make sure it doesn't cut through completely.

What in blazes was he thinking?

Struggling to lift Jax up he decided to lock his legs on the branch for a better hold. He then started lifting Jax up with his right arm and managed to get a hold on the branch with it, grunting as he did. "Now if you don't mind pulling yourself up, that would be great but if you wanted to get up so badly I could have just vaulted us up with a rune of mine." he said with a slight hint of anger in his voice.

Jax was looking kinda pleased with himself until Shiroe told him a new tidbit of his rune powers. Jax tilted his head for a moment and then frowned at him, his expression telling his partner he himself was irritated.

"Well da is ya own fault then for na sharing dat isn't it?"


Jax pulled himself up over Shiroe carefully as to not twist the chain around itself and planted himself on the branch seated somewhat comfortably and tried to spot whatever was watching them as with his left hand he easily reached over and pull his partner more firmly onto the branch. Reaching up withi his right hand he fiddled with the bolts in his ears and thought a bit.


"Alright, we could continue moving up and see how high we can go... if ya da that trick of yas I promise na ta swing ya. We could just move outwards as fast as we can but ah warn ya, speed is na my best quality, we could fight it, or we could try ta find some of da others."

Shiroe just shrugged at Jax's disappointment, he knew that it wasn't his fault for not telling Jax about all his runes. That would take too much time and detail, and not only that, he knows he should keep most of his abilities hidden just in case of certain trust issues.

Now where do we head to from here? I highly doubt we could find the others, we were dropped pretty far away from each other. Then again we might just walk into someone if w kept walking. I can't even recall the purpose of this anymore.

Shiroe tried thinking over what possibilities may arise if they tried going on. Most probably they'd get tired or be pursued by some Grimm in that state and that wouldn't be much of a good idea. Going back to the other choice they might just be able to plan out a path given a far enough line of sight.

Shiroe brushed some dirt off of himself then said,"I highly doubt we'd be able to find the rest even if we actively looked for them so I think getting higher is our best option. " Shiroe knelt down on the branch a bit, trying not to pull too much on his end of the cuffs. "I'll start forming the rune, should take about 3 seconds but I could activate it at will so no need to worry about a sudden jolt. Unless you try to attack it that is."

Shiroe started by placing his hand on the surface of the branch and watched as runes formed around it. Usually he'd just place them on his boots but that would take too much time. He then channeled his aura into it to finally finish it.

Rune of Force. Fully Charged

Shiroe looked at Jax and said,"Ok, now all we have to do is stand up and watch for any branches on the way up. This should get us pretty high up so give me the signal when we're ready to go."

Jax nodded grimly looking off into the forest. He knew they were being watched, could feel it in his bones but he wasn't about to let something like that spook him. He was a Hunter... in training... but still a Hunter even if he didn't have a license, degree, or anything like that. The idea of just running away rankled but he needed time to adjust, to get used to his partner before he just ended up using him as a bludgeoning weapon or something.


~Just keep him alive, no one said anything about intact or happy~

One thing at a time so Jax unstrapped his sword and shifted in one hand and dropped it before quickly grabbing the pommel ring at the same time he planted his foot just before it. Without taking his eyes off the forest he pulled on the ring and the chain that it appeared to be connected to within the hilt of the strange greatsword, the sound of an engine roar came from within it at once and he pulled his foot off as the teeth of the sword began to vibrate a bit back and forth as if seeking the taste of flesh, the lack of pressure caused the sword to pull up to the chain as Jax let go the ring to grasp the hilt and rotate the whole thing into proper position. He grunted a bit with the effort. Jax looked at the sword and knew this was going to be an issue, he couldn't bring his full strength to bear one handed but realized he would just have to deal. Looking skyward and holding his sword in position to struck down enemy or blocking branches Jax fixed his steely eyes on their destination.

"Go!"

Concentrating on the rune on the tree Shiroe stood up and readied his Sabre with his left hand after dislodging it from the branch. He could see Jax revving up his sword, ready to cut down any branches or enemies in the way of their path. Shiroe closes his eyes and channels his aura making the rune on his right hand glow with a red light as he willed it.

Release. Rune of Force

Just as he willed it the Rune glowed and suddenly a bright flash of light encompassed the immediate area and the two vaulted upwards towards the canopy, swords at the ready.