Temperance NG ✪ Lit|Yuri ✪ N/A

[Coleyoly]

There wasn't an escape from Alina's fury for Vedra. Shackled as she was, all she could do was raise her head and take the brunt of the younger woman's heated words, which might as well have been fire. They razed through her, and a pained expression deepened the stressed lines in her face. Her throat bobbed with a struggled swallow, and she husked:

"Because every day, I am a coward. Turning a blind eye, for the sake of keeping the status quo. Not making any waves, so I wouldn't have to swim against them. Buying into the New Order's ideals, because nothing seemed easier than relying on someone else to do the work I couldn't do myself... I took the coward's way out in all of this, in my life, and paid the toll for my actions."

Tears came to her eyes, and her normally unshakable voice wavered. "This place has overtaken my daughter's senses, and taken the life of my granddaughter." Vedra squeezed her eyes shut. "They sacrificed my grandbaby! A child of light in this gray, terrible world, and made something dark. Horrible and dark.

"I couldn't fight against IT, but I had to do something. I had to take the chance, that people stronger than me could prevent the mess I made!"

[sweet sapphoria]

[ ▶ GUDRUN ULRICH DAHL ◀ ]

“As if I am ever very far away to begin with. S’nothin’ left to be afraid of now.”

Gudrun intoned carefully, the words stringing gradually together as she strode out of the dark overcast of the forest. She smoothed a steadying hand on Blayre’s narrow shoulder and gently pressed her closer to Symphony, whose butterfly doors fanned quietly open.

“I hope you’re sense of curiosity is sated, because I want to leave. I don’t care to wait around peeling apart the layers of the plan these misguided fools put in motion.”


[OOC: Sorry I can only offer this much right now. I’ll try to give more next time if I can get to a computer at school.]

[Razsminion]

█A R I E L ☠ ☠ B A X T E R

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx۩█Ipsa scientia potestas est
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx۩ █Facile est inventis addere

xxxxxxIt is not when the truth is dirty, but when it is shallow, that the lover of Knowledge is reluctant to step into its waters.
-Friedrich Nietzsche

▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇

Ariel broke off from Gail, she imaged that the slightly older blonde was probably getting tired of hanging around with her anyway. She assumed that she would be going and celebrating with her friends about the most recent victory. Ariel found a nice little place to sit back against, it took some effort to lower herself down because of the wound that was still throbbing and unfortunately Ariel could feel said wound tear a little bit and warm crimson flow down her side in a gentle trickle with her movements of sitting down. Ariel hissed a soft sigh to herself but tried to relax while holding the section of the wound that had re-opened upon sitting down. Ariel shifted a little uncomfortably and let herself be absorbed in the semi-isolation that she found in attempts to collect some of her thoughts that had been more or less shoved off to the side of in favour of looking for the girls and making sure that they were returned home.

”Thank you so much!

Ariel’s face softened a little bit as she closed her eyes and gave a ghost of a smile. Lilian Juarez… she was quiet the strong little girl. Ariel never expected to have an interaction like that with anyone during her time as a Potential which made the thanking so much more to her. Ariel had been wrestling with what she wanted to do with her life and those potential futures she saw at the Labyrinth didn’t do anything to help make up her mind about what she wanted to do either, but this interaction made her give a little more thought to possibly being a Guardian herself in the future. She really wasn’t all that into all this military stuff and she was so much a free spirit that she wasn’t entirely sure that she would fit in either. But she was able to make a difference in a couple of people’s lives and she had never though that it would make her feel this way. This was her first mission and it would stick with her for some time –if not all of her life- and she couldn’t imagine that things would always feel this good.

Ariel leaned her head back with her eyes still closed for a few minutes more as the rest of the girls climbed on and get settled and Der Malian got this show on the road. Ariel wondered what would have happened if they had failed to get all of those girls out? She wondered about would have been triggered by that cult or how the rest of the girls would have acted afterwards? She supposed that such thoughts were pointless and irrelevant. They had come, they had saw, and they had kicked the s**t out of the baddies and foiled their plans, so what more could they have done? It was all in the hands of the Guardians and the Courts of justice now. It wasn’t a comforting thought but she supposed that it was better than having them run wild and be able to do all of this again. Hopefully they cut the head off the snake and they wouldn’t be seeing any more of them, but something in Ariel told her that they would be seeing them again. Cults like this were rooted in many places and getting them all was going to take a hell of a lot of hard work, and the Government would make it harder for them to hunt all the cultists down do to that damn right of to freedom of worship. She could understand the idea behind it, but there should be some serious restrictions when it came to stuff like this. Then again, maybe there was and Ariel just wasn’t aware of it. She hadn’t been in Rowan all that long so there was a lot of rules and what not that she didn’t know or wasn’t too sure of. If it was Celest, this Cult would have been deemed a threat and their cultists hunted down to extinction. Sometimes Ariel had a hard time getting use to things here and there was still a little culture shock that went with it. Heh… Then again, maybe it was just her being stubborn and not wanting to let go of what was familiar and comfortable to her.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx۩█Knowledge itself is power.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx۩█it is easy to add to things already invented

13/14 HP
☠ Thoughts: Ack! Dammit, I hope Gail doesn't find out I opened my wound a bit, I'll never hear the end of it... =A=;;;
☠ PMS Mood:Neutral
Battle Theme music: Rising

[Mori Kiyoshi]

A l i n a :: M o n r o e
The Romancer
[ 13/18 HP ]
_______________________

Alina’s gaze did not falter or waver while she watched Vedra squirm under her volley of accusations. The more pathetic Vedra appeared, the more the blonde seethed. She gritted her teeth as the woman spoke, grinding them against one another. As she listened, she felt the words burn in her chest and rise up her throat to pour out and scorch the woman anew.

“No,” she said shortly, but loud and firm. “You haven’t even begun to pay the price for what happened here.” Her brown eyes, usually calm and relaxed, were now sharp and intense. “Don't you ******** dare. Your granddaughter was the one that suffered. You don’t get to claim her pain as your own.” She felt the sting of bile rise in her throat, but she forced it down. This woman, her cowardice and selfishness, repulsed her-- repulsed her more than any of the gore she’d seen in the last month alone.

“Four girls!” She let the words hang, grasping for her next, letting the weight of those alone crush Vedra. “So you gave us a ******** hint so we could stop this? So ******** what? That gave us jack s**t to work with, and these girls almost died. Because of you. Two of them are lost parts of their bodies! None of them are going to be right in the head after this! Because. Of. You!”

Alina spun on her heel and lifted her right hand to grip her head in frustration. She squeezed her eyes shut and pursed her lips, fighting back the tight feeling in her chest. She stayed like that for quite some time, certain that Vedra wouldn’t have anything to say after that. When nearly a minute had passed, she let her hand fall and stepped toward the door.

“Your baby is better off with Jasmine than being around a snake like you. Better off there than in this ******** up piece of Grim you let in.”

Alina waited for a moment, in case Vedra planned to speak, then stormed out off of the transport vehicle.
_______________________

[Coleyoly]

Danni Watkins :: ( 17 / 19 )

Listening to Vedra's story struck a cord of pity in Danni. None of this would absolve Vedra's actions in her mind, but it was difficult to demonize someone who believed themselves so torn and helpless. She couldn't think of anything to say, but Alina's heated words cut through the silence.

The anger in Alina's voice surprised her. Her friend that always regarded her with the openness and warmth of smoke had kindled into a flame, and she scorched Vedra with precision. Danni could not blame her for this anger, and could even understand where the blond was coming from - but this did not stop her heart from responding to the tears that came, and the defeated bow of the older woman's head.

When Alina left, Danni awkwardly hovered before hurrying after.

+++

She didn't have much to say on their way back to her bike.

But she dared reach out, hesitantly, for Alina's arm, and give a comforting squeeze.

Neska Demir :: ( 16 / 16 )

Blayre Leblanc

Gudrun's appearance nearby eased some of the fear within her, and Blayre allowed herself to indulge in comfort from her guard's reassuring touch. She was compliant when urged into the car, and carefully settled into the expensive seat. As she fastened her seatbelt, Caprica hovered nearby and scrutinized her charge, her face one of concern. Her summoner appeared pensive and uneasy, and Caprica wondered what transpired.

"Caprica," Blayre spoke up finally. "I will call on you again."

"Blayre-"

"I don't have the power to keep you around for much longer. I will call on you again."

"... I understand. Goodbye, young one."

"Bye..."

+++

Once Caprica had dematerialized, Blayre withdrew the power from her bond and sunk into her seat with a sigh. The things she learned about herself today weighed on her mind: she was, as far as she knew, at least capable of receiving premonitions. Terrifying, disorienting, distressing premonitions, and sense - very vaguely - nearby auras.

It was more than speaking with shadows. These were legitimate Seer abilities.

Then there was that shadow, and the pain in her gut...

"Yes," Sliding her glasses from the bridge of her nose, Blayre massaged her tired eyes that stung. "I'm ready to go back."

Caprica :: ( 9 / 9 ) :: + 4

Gail Miller ( 17 / 18 )

Mercutio! :: ( 12 / 12 ) :: + 7

Sulli Renge

[Glory Sieg]

Courtney Der Malian
As soon as Jamie would raise her eyes to Court's, she would find the Der Malian's face rather close to hers. There was a gentle brush of cold lips, enough that Jamie would almost have to see if she had been kissed or if there was snowflakes waiting on them.

"You're cute, Saal," Courtney commented. "And I don't rightly care if they get away with it or not. It won't bring back those girls' arms. Or those bodies we found in Seventh. Not Chris's brother. And it certainly won't stop those monsters Alina and Danni said they found." She smiled. "But what's the point of being a notable Guardian if you can't do anything and can only watch? We can fix all of this sure... but why can't we just stop it from happening?

"That's why I'm mad, honestly," she said with a sigh, running a hand through her hair to smooth it out and over her dress to fit it back to her curves. "But stress and anger do nothing to help me stay looking this good!" She gave the DV Instructor her normal cocksure smile before grabbing the helm. "Say anything about this and I'm gonna spread your baby pictures all over campus."

Rhonda Server HP: 19 / 19 Tasmine 10 / 10 +4 Mod!

Rhonda lay on her back on the still smoking wreckage, hands tucked behind her head. Tas stood off to the side, sharpening her sword using one of the blade from the giant soldiers.

"Hey Tas?"

"Yes?"

"What sort of fruit basket says, 'I'm sorry for almost cutting your wife in half.'?"

The soft grating of metal on metal stopped. "Something with oranges."

"Why?"

"Because after coming that close to my sword, I wouldn't want to see another blade for a long time."


Petra Salander



Zephita Ruinen



Gefn Ahlberg

"I'll take your word on it," Gefn said, following her onto the boat, using her cane to pull her up. "You supply the wine and I'll handle the pizza. We'll make a night of this yet." She looked to Ariel and Gail as they got on, nodding. "We're getting pizza and drinks when all this settles down, you guys want in as well?"

She thought about it after a moment. "Why don't we just make it a Potentials Night In or something? Shack up in the lounge and just chill?"

[Coleyoly]

Urgency and adrenaline drained out of the city with a sudden, quiet crash. For many who were
invested in the return of those girls, the exhaustion settled over them and silence overtook the city.
As the press delivered news of the girls' recovery, there was a collective slump of relief. In four
homes of four different districts, parents and family members wept alike for the return of their
children - or most of them, anyway. It was undeniable that the four sparks would never be the
same, both mentally and physically, and the events of their abduction would linger with them for a
long time.

Vedra Castillo was immediately stripped of her office and imprisoned for her crimes against her
country and fellow sparks. It was revealed through thorough interrogation that Vedra had used her
credentials to gain access to the registered pre-Potential spark list and delivered the results to the
cult known as the Teutonic Order Revival. It was also revealed that she utilized her ties with local
law enforcement (among other groups of Seventh) to cover the Order Revival's activities. In the end,
her hand in the deaths of many of Seventh's homeless was downplayed and regarded less
significant than aiding in the abduction and attack against her fellow sparks. She plead guilty, and
was repentant throughout the whole trial.

Her daughter, however...

"We did what was right," Tabitha intoned lowly to the interrogator, and raised her sharp, grey eyes.
"To assist our heroes in their tireless battle, to overcome the threat of shadows, we felt like the
sacrifice of lives was necessary. The sacrifice of life WAS necessary, to create a leader from our
own blood, to alight the paths that had long since darkened. We can still blaze a trail forward
along side Jasmine's blessed. We can stem the tides of death-" The olive-skinned woman sighed
at the unnerved expression on her interviewer's face, and instead looked into the night sky with a
wistful sort of softness. "Well, maybe not WE. But SHE... She is still out there.

"Our self-made goddess..."

+++

... Sometimes battles don't go out with a bang, and instead end with a whimper. Sometimes the
defeated evil sprouts anew elsewhere, more dangerous and refined. Those who were chased by
the L14s would soon question their whereabouts, but only the sensitives, the Seers, would recall
the immense presence. They alone would suffer the mystery of HER whereabouts.

She with the yellow eyes.



Temperance NG I

End