Nar Yakushi

12:07 AM, Winston's Arcane Technologies Headquarters, Vanhoover. A security guard sounds off over his radio. Nothing to report on his patrol. After the recent vandalism of multiple of the company's properties, every property of Winston's Arcane Technologies has seen a significant upgrade in security. New cameras everywhere, extra security guards, and even some experimental arcanotech developed by Winston himself. It's been a few days since the vandal last struck, and this guard doubts the vandal will strike again with all the extra security. Even if he does, he's going to be caught for sure. Winston's called in help from the big guns. (https://youtu.be/KfnveBGDnig?si=KwgVHB0FlAbluS-9) A blue door marked with a star opens on the side of a rooftop entrance to a brick building. The buildings real door sits only a few feet away, on a different side of the brick square acting as the rooftop access point. A figure clad in black exits from the threshold of white from beyond the door. It appears to be a unicorn wearing a black hoodie, black jeans, a black bandana over their mouth, a pair of metal aviator goggles over their eyes, and a pair of modified rollerblades on their feet. As soon as the rollerblades on their feet hit the rooftop, they take off to the north, towards the imposing silhouette of headquarters of Winston's Arcane Technologies. Nar jumps the gap between two buildings, vaults over a small stone wall to access another's rooftop. In one ear under the hoodie he's wearing, is an earbud, which Aki's voice is currently speaking to him through. "No guards on your approach. I've switched their camera feeds. They probably won't notice anything for about five minutes." Under his bandana, Nar smirks. "That's all I need." He jumps into a wall-cling on the side of a nearby building, then hops once more to clear a wire fence atop a building on the outer perimeter of the headquarters. Nar lands atop the small building, then proceeds along a route Aki had planned for him earlier. After some brief acrobatics, Nar manages to make it to a landing on the 5th floor of the HQ, which is easily visible from the street to the south of the HQ. A can of spray paint is removed from his hoodie, then, Nar begins his work. 3 minutes into his piece, Aki's voice comes through Nar's earbud again. "Hey, Nar. I think I just saw something on one of the cameras near the plaza. Looked like something, or someone, just took off." Suddenly, Nar feels the hairs on his back stand up. He stuffs the can of spray paint into his hoodie, then turns to head back out VIA the route he took to get in. He hears a distinct popping sound from his left, and just narrowly avoids some sort of object that was about to hit his side. As Nar leaps from the landing towards the outer building, he risks a look over his shoulder. What he sees is a pegasus in some sort of tactical rig discarding a used taser as he begins to pursue him. (https://youtu.be/rahtBTYUmOU?si=Fg4jksLnGpm8l8Po) The wheels of Nar's skates hit the rooftop, and he gains a sudden burst of speed. Beams from high powered flashlights begin to light the sky like tiny spotlights. Behind Nar, the pegasus continues his pursuit. Nar finds an elevated point on the outer building's roof, and uses it to clear the wire fence. He lands hard on a nearby building, but scrambles to his feet to keep moving. He can hear Aki's voice in his ear, but he isn't paying enough attention to actually listen. He's more focused on making his escape. Nar vaults over the side of the building onto the lower roof of another building, just in time to evade a swoop from the pegasus. He hurries to the other side of the building, where he spots a drain that goes to the ground floor. With some tricky acrobatics, Nar manages to vault the edge of the roof, but grab the ledge to swing himself back towards the wall. He then grabs hold of the drain pipe with his other hand, and begins to slide down the drain as the pegasus turns to follow. By the time Nar makes it to the ground, he feels like he's lost at least two layers of skin to the friction of his hands sliding down the metal pipe. No time to worry about that though. The pegasus is approaching fast. Nar exits the alleyway he'd slid down into, and quickly pivots to head east. There's an Astral Highway door in the side of a building just 3 blocks down. He just needs to make it there, then, he'll be home free. Hopefully. Another swoop from the pegasus is barely evaded. Nar powerslides to a stop in front of a blue door marked with a glowing store set in the side of a small hobby shop. He flings the door open, and leaps into the threshold of glowing white behind it, slamming the door closed behind him. Nar emerges out onto a dirt path in the middle of a dense forest. He begins down the path, only looking back to see where the door he entered from is. He sees a blue door in the side of a large redwood tree. Then, the door slams open, and the pegasus emerges through the threshold of white. Oh shit! He didn't stop at the door! Nar kicks his skates back to full throttle, and blitzes down the dirt path. The arcane modifications making the bumpy dirt a non-issue. He quickly grabs a large tree branch, and uses it to fling himself into the forest, causing his pursuer to overshoot, and need to turn back to continue the chase. There's another distinct, but much louder POP from behind Nar, and a tree branch is snapped above him. Okay! So he's using a GUN now! Judging by the lack of a follow up, it could have just been a warning shot, but Nar isn't willing to stick around to find out. For around 10 minutes, Nar navigates the endless forest. After the first gunshot, he doesn't hear the pegasus anymore. After five minutes, he looks over his shoulder, and does not see the pegasus, or any movement in the trees. After ten minutes, Nar is certain he's clear. To his surprise, he manages to find another light blue door inside another tree, far off of the path, and opens it to enter. When Nar emerges back out into Vanhoover, he feels his phone buzz multiple times from texts it received while out of service. He'll have to check them later. They're probably all from Aki anyway. Oh, right! Aki! Nar lifts his smart watch to his face, and pulls down his bandana. "Managed to escape whoever that was. Sit tight. Gonna take another route back." Then, Aki's voice, full of worry, begins to bombard him with questions. The only answer he gives her is "I'll tell you when I get back."

After their heartfelt crying session last night, Nar, and Aki have decided to have a little 'family day' today. Early this morning, the two took Cookie to get breakfast at Pancake Cabin, and have been doing family activities since then. The three have been having a wonderful time. At the moment, the three walk down the streets of Vanhoover, on their way to the park after a nice lunch at a local deli. Nar walks hand in hand with Aki, with Cookie in front of the two. Her little wings flap with excitement as she babbles about how she can't wait to feed the ducks at the park. Nar feels Aki squeeze his hand tightly. He turns his attention from Cookie, up to Aki, only to see her staring ahead. He pace begins to slow, as if she doesn't want to go any further. Nar places a hand on Cookie's shoulder to stop her, then looks up to see what Aki is staring at. All he sees is a small crowd standing in front of a store. He can just barely make out a head of long, black hair with a bright sheen poking out in the middle. The head seems to turn in their direction, and then... The crowd parts. Aki visibly shrinks beside her boyfriend. Nar heaves an annoyed groan in his own head, but outwardly, remains bright, and cheerful. Down the sidewalk strides a woman/mare with an appearance that rivaled the goddess Mandy Fullbright herself. Pink, knee high boots with fashionable straps, a sparkling white dress that had no sleeves, and left her sides bare, with a form fitting, glossy material that covered her stomach, back, and barely covered her important areas. She wore a pair of designer sunglasses, and a vibrant, pink lipstick that perfectly contrasted her shiny, black hair. As she approaches, Miki Inoue throws her arms open, a bright smile upon her face. "Oh! Nar! It's good to see you again!" She tries to cup her hands to his cheeks, but Nar lifts his hand off of Cookie's shoulder to gently push one of them away. Miki gives a pouting frown, but quickly returns to a cheerful smile. "You never did send me a text, or a call." Nar keeps up the cheerful appearance, despite the anger welling inside him. "Oh, yeah, sorry about that. I left it on the table of the cafe, and the waiter took it. Probably thought it was trash." Miki then turns her attention to Aki. "Hello sis. How have you been?" She then switches to neighpanese. Her voice is still cheery, but the words are certainly not. "Why is he still with you, hag? I thought he would have dumped you the moment I gave him my number. He can do so much better than you." Rage. Nar can feel nothing but pure, unfiltered rage. He turns his head to Aki, as he feels her grip on his hand become shaky. She looks as though she's about to cry. Enough is enough! Nar can't sit here and play dumb like he did before! He can't wait for the right moment to reveal himself anymore! He's not going to stand by, and let someone insult his girlfriend like this! "Actually." Nar begins, voice still cheery, only barely containing his rage. He's speaking Equestrian, and not neighpanese. "I'm quite happy with our relationship. I think Aki is a wonderful partner, and I enjoy every second we get to spend together. Plus, I like the way she looks. I think she's very cute. She's very caring, and genuine too. Unlike a lot of people you meet these days." Miki DEFINITELY caught that jab at her in the end, but she doesn't let it show. He can see the shock in her eyes, as she realizes that Nar could understand her this whole time. "Oh! Well, I'm very happy for both of you!" Yeah, right. You vapid witch. Miki then looks to a fancy watch on her wrist. "Oh my! Would you look at the time! I should get going! I have a scene to shoot soon!" This time, there is no cutesy goodby. Miki simply turns, and heads back down the sidewalk, not even bothering to look back over her shoulder. When Nar finally looks back to Aki, he can see her looking up at him with a blush across her face, and adoration in her eyes. She wraps herself around his arm, and does not let go for the remainder of their day out. Later that night, as the couple lay in Nar's bed, watching a show on his computer, Aki looks up at Nar, a look of concern on her face. "Nar?" She barely squeaks the word out. "Yes, Purin?" Nar responds with one of the neighpanese themed nicknames he'd given her. "Why? Why didn't you just leave me for Miki?" Nar is unable to respond at first. He's in a bit of shock. Then, he remembers what she's told him of her childhood, and the question makes sense. Nar adopts a soft smile, and tone, as he pulls her close to him. "Because, I love you, Aki. Just because some pretty girl gave me her number doesn't mean I'll stop loving you. I can't think of anything that would make me stop loving you." Aki takes a breath, then words just start spilling out of her mouth. "But, she's prettier than me! More successful! She's popular, and always gets what she wants! She's better than me in every way..." Nar gently strokes Aki's back, and kisses the top of her head. "She's a vain, vapid bitch, who isn't interested in me as a person, at all. She's got a new boyfriend every week. She only wanted me because I'm with you. She only wanted me so she could flaunt me around, and hurt you. She'd just dump me after she got bored of making you suffer. Plus. You've got a lot of things she doesn't. For one, you're really smart, and you can put up with my crummy taste in anime, and music." At this, Aki lets out a small chuckle. Nar continues to gush to Aki about all the things he likes about her, only to be stopped when Aki presses her lips against his. When she pulls back, he can see an almost crazed look in her eyes. Her breath is hot, and heavy. "Turn the TV off." Nar obliges. He's never seen Aki like this before, and it's making Nar feel a way he hasn't felt since that first day he spent with Amy in Haven Hollow. Then, Nar's head softly thumps against his pillow, and he turns his room's lights off with his magic.

It's been a while since Nar has been to visit his uncle Steve. Well, Steve isn't actually his uncle, but they have that kind of friendship. After a good month or two since his last visit, Nar has decided that tonight, he's going to go to the bar, and see how Steve is doing. The doors to Stinkin' Steve's are pushed open, revealing it to be fairly packed tonight. There's a Vanhoover Timberwolves game on almost every TV in the bar, which the majority of the patrons appear to be watching. It's quite lively, with the speakers on the stage playing the audio from the broadcast, rather than any music. Nar gives a wave to the portly, middle-aged earth pony stallion/man behind the counter, who pauses the conversation he's having to wave, and cup his other hand to his mouth. "Hey nephew! Come have a seat!" As Nar goes to sit at the bar, he can't help but feel the guy next to the seat he's about to sit at looks familiar. He's a pegasus with light-blue fur, a short, red mane/hair, and a black jacket with a single, deep blue horizontal stripe going around the middle of it. The wicked stubble on his face throws Nar off though. When Nar takes his seat, he thinks he catches a glimpse of the pegasus glancing at him out of the corner of his eye. For now, he thinks nothing of it, and converses with Steve for a while. Steve tells Nar that they need to plan to go bowling with his daughter, and girlfriend at some point, and Nar agrees. Steve tells Nar about a new menu item he's testing out, and invites Nar to stay after closing to try it for him, to which, Nar readily agrees. Then, after Steve's attention is pulled elsewhere, Nar is left to his own thoughts. Nar can't help but think he knows the pegasus sitting next to him. He manages to avoid glancing over at the guy, but eventually, his thoughts get the better of him. Nar turns slightly on his barstool to address the pegasus. "What a game, huh?" The man looks over his shoulder. At first, he doesn't respond, likely not realizing Nar was talking to him. Nar's friendly smile, and stare tells him he was wrong. "Yeah." He tries to turn away, but Nar speaks up again. "Think the Timberwolves are gonna win this one?" The pegasus looks up to the screen. The score was currently 0-3, Timberwolves, in the second quarter. "Probably." Nar continues, either oblivious to the man's annoyance, or purposefully ignoring it. "Not much of a hockey guy, huh?" The man lets out a quiet sigh, which Nar only barely picks up. "No. Not really." Then, Nar decides to just go for it. "Say, I haven't seen you around here before. Where are you from." The man's face contorts, and he grips the bottle of beer in his hand tightly. "Damn it Nar! Did you just come here to pester me or something?!" Nar blinks a few times. "Oh shit! It IS you!" Then, the man's face shifts again. Now, he seems perplexed. "Wait, hold on." He shifts in his seat to face Nar. "You mean you didn't recognize me?" Nar shakes his head. "I mean, I KINDA did, but I didn't think it was actually you. Shit Roy, how've you been?" There's a pause. The pegasus turns his head away. "Surprised you even want to talk to me. Remember the last thing you ever said to me?" The memory comes to Nar quite easily. He remembers being full of rage, and wanting to kill Roy when he kicked him out of the band, and his life. "Yeah... I do... But, I'm not gonna beat you up or anything now. 7 years too late for that." Nar's tone is jovial, but Roy doesn't seem to find his joke funny. "So, you still mad or something?" At this, Nar gets serious. "Roy. None of us can ever forgive you for what you did. But that doesn't mean I don't think you could have changed." Roy is silent for some time, before he downs the rest of his beer, and flags Steve down for another. "I don't get you, Nar." Nar lets out a small chuckle. "Sometimes, I don't get myself either." For the next 20 or so minutes, the two engage in standard small talk, with Roy consuming 4 more beers in that time. By the time he's on his fifth, he's clearly buzzed, and seems to be relaxing a good bit. "So... What have you guys been up to? Outside of the band. It's hard to not see your faces everywhere, and see news about you guys in every magazine." Roy cracks a small smile. "Things have been pretty good for us. I've got a girlfriend, and even adopted a daughter. Asuka's other ex, Ruby is staying with us for a bit, and Juno's dating Mandy Fullbright. Our new keyboardist, Scrappy wants to start writing songs, and Asuka's friend, Deena just started up her own flower shop in the city." At this, Roy nods, approvingly. "Good to see you guys have made good lives for yourselves." "What about you? I haven't heard from you in years." Roy shrugs his shoulders. "You don't mind me dumping for a bit, do you?" Nar shakes his head. "Hey man, everyone needs to vent every now and then." "Well. After I got kicked out, I sorta just coasted along for a bit. I tried to start up another band, but once we started gaining traction, they kicked me out. Lost my job, and my apartment, and had a really bad few years for a while. Got involved with some bad stuff, and even sold off the last thing I owned to fuel an addiction. Eventually, I learned that you guys were starting to gain traction in Vanhoover, and... Well, I realized how far I'd gone. I got cleaned up, got a job, and managed to make a decent life for myself. I just got bored of the endless monotony after a year or two. Bought a new guitar, didn't renew my lease, then I just hit the road. I've been a traveling musician for about two years now. Play some gigs in a city, earn enough money for motel stays, food, and a train ticket, then when I'm bored, I head off to the next city." "Damn, dude. You've been through it, huh?" Roy nods solemnly. "Yeah, but things are better now. Got no time to wallow in self pity." He then begins to smile. "I'm actually really happy for you guys. You guys made it. Number one on the national charts, each of you are millionaires, and you've got fans all over the world. Do I wish I was a part of it? Well, I did for a bit, but... Well, Attack on Mango isn't the band we started in junior year anymore. You guys made it your own thing, and it took off. I can't take any credit for all the hard work you guys put in." At this, Nar leans in, uncomfortably close. "Who are you, and what have you done with Roy?" For the rest of the night, the two talk like the old friends they once were. Roy getting more, and more inebriated as the night goes on. By closing time, Nar has forgotten all about Steve's offer to test his new dish, and walks out of the bar alongside Roy to wait with him for a taxi. The two exchange numbers, and promise to keep in touch. Despite this, Roy is adamant that Nar not try to introduce him to the rest of the band again. Nar makes no promises, and watches as Roy slumps into a taxi, and is driven off back to his motel.