Interestingly enough, that thought hadn't even occurred to him, and it caused him to blink in surprise, a huge show of emotion on the normally stoic face. It was completely true. Even when he was talking to that Acel fellow, the other male had done most of the talking. Yet, with this man, he had spoken more than the entire time he had since that fateful day. The fact that the male was poking fun at the fact barely even fazed the warrior, in fact it caused a ghost of a grin to cross his lips for a brief moment, as his mind was filled with the happy memories of a successful hunt, the warriors jostling each other around, and sending good-natured barbs, the air filled with laughter and life.
For once brief moment, Dal'Mori felt normal, and it was perhaps the strangest feeling he had experienced since coming to this place.
It was a startling experience, having been certain that nothing could ever make him feel this way. Yet, here it was. A moment in which he felt like his old self, coming back from a hunt completely unharmed, his entire team untouched as well, the creature sent back to hell where it belonged. Of course, it was shattered mere moments later when treacherous thoughts sneaked into his mind, in the shadow of the good memories. Things like 'But you weren't actually killing them, were you?' Which, naturally forced him to slam everything back into the back of his mind, his face shifting right back to the hard stone it was made out of.
Luckily for him, they remained silent for the rest of the rather short journey back to the portal, allowing him to completely store away all the rather horrible thoughts in his mind, having no desire to allow them to affect him further. However, he knew he would have to do something. His first thought was immediately the magic from earlier, a work out against someone that can actually beat him was something that sounded good. The best way he knew how to learn. A quick glance to his companion killed those thoughts quickly. This magic needed the man beside him to work, as far as he was aware, and the man was simply in no state to assist on that front.
He might not want friendships, but the man had earned respect today, a great deal of it, and on that alone the warrior would not pressure him to do anything, instead he might even suggest the man go rest. That might be pushing it though, he didn't want to come across as some eager pup, trying to impress. That would send all of the wrong signals, and lead to a situation he wanted nothing to do with. At the same time, he wondered if perhaps not saying something would sever this? Just yesterday he didn't like this guy, and the guy seemed perfectly content to keep it that way. Almost going so far as to encourage it.
While he would adamantly refuse that he cared because he liked whatever this was, he would then claim again the practical uses of having others look on him as a friend.
He watched the other man step through the portal first, face completely blank of the thoughts in his head. It wouldn't do for people to be able to pick up that you were assessing their value. Being appraised seems to really upset people, a good thing to know when going into a fight with another person. As he watched the light fade from the magic the was just used, he sighed and stepped forward. 'Why are people so complicated?' He thought as the magic consumed his body, and the now remarkably familiar feeling of his body being torn apart flowed through him.
The thought never occurred to him that people only started getting this complicated after he decided to use them as tools.
Even as his body came together yet again, the second time today, he couldn't help but be amazed once more. His people got everywhere on foot. These people? Just flash wherever they want. The very idea was incredible! Oh, imagine if his people had that! The ability to move about to where ever they wanted at will. Hunts would be so much easier! He wondered if there was a miniature version of this, having an ability like that in combat would be incredible.
He vowed to look into it after his next mission, having decided that in lieu of a workout he would just go do another mission. This time on his own. Even if he wanted Kawaguchi to go, he wouldn't take him in this state. Speaking of which, the one and only was standing right over there, as if waiting for him. He lifted an eyebrow slightly, not at that fact, but the fact that he feels weirdly relieved that he's standing there, because it means there is hope.
Which meant this worked out amazingly well.
He would have to hunt down Acel when he gets back from his next mission. For now, though, he walked over to Kawaguchi and bowed slightly, nothing more than a slight bend at his hips. A gesture of respect from one fighter to another. "It was a pleasure fighting with you." He said in his usual manner of speaking, but it was clear that despite the lack of emotion in his tone, he meant the words. He waited on brief moment before nodding and turning to walk off, ready to get a start on his next mission.
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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 175 Health: 1820/1820 Control Limit: 1400
One Man Army - Level 5 - While fighting without summoning an A.I. Core, you gain an additional +25 to all stats. However, if you do summon an A.I. core, you will receive a -50 to all stats instead.
Ooc:
Line Count: 55
Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 4:04 pm
❅❄❅⋅⋩⋩Безумная Утенок
I F I G H T F O R M Y F R I E N D S
Ilya watched his friend interact with the new woman, Sarah, as his tears slowly stopped flowing down his face. This woman was really kind, and he was beginning to really like her. If he didn’t know his mother so well, he would assume she was just like her. But no one could match that weird combination that his mother had where she could terrify you right to your bones and still be the most comforting person in the world. His mother was a wonder woman, and she did it all by herself. Suddenly, he wanted to go see her. Ilya strongly felt that the only way to really make things better was his mother… And besides, she still hadn’t seen Thre yet. Katya was going to be so happy to see her! Ilya smiled, this being the first one to appear on his face since he’s come back. His mom was the light of his life, and that would be very obvious whenever one saw the two together.
But then, the last thing he could have ever wanted happened. The smile dropped from his face immediately as he saw what made Sarah look up. Ilya immediately tensed as he walked over, almost looking entirely like a deer in the headlights. Ilta had no idea he could be so afraid of one person, but that didn’t stop the pulsations of absolute terror that were sent through him at the sight of the man. And he was walking closer! It took all he had to not simply take off, leaving the other two to deal with him alone. That wouldn’t do, so he simply sat there, squeezing the bench with hall his strength. He barely made out the words that Acel spoke, unable to hear him over the rushing in his tiny ears. Of what he did make out, however, was that the man had lost his daughter before he had become a Baiter. The rest, however, was completely drowned out by Ilya’s fear and his attempts to control his breathing. All of this was too overwhelming for him, and soon, the man was walking away before Ilya even realized that he was done talking.
Shaking, Ilya forced all his fear down and pushed out one single sentence for the man before he was completely gone. “Don’t... Don’t overlap your daughter with us again.” He wanted to sound a little fierce, perhaps strong like his mother was… But he still only managed to sound like a scared rabbit. Ilya balled his fists, trying to control the shaking. Damn it… Ilya was raised by a superhero, and all he could do was tremble in fear and cry… He wanted to sigh, to be angry at himself, or to just be anything but scared. But he couldn’t. Nothing in him allowed him to be strong.
The child waited there until the man was gone, not realizing that Thre was just as mad as him… But finally, when he calmed down enough to take a look around at his surroundings, he realized that Sarah had left as well. So, the little boy took a deep breath, trying to keep himself together, and wiped at his nose. “D-do you wanna go see mom?” He asked, trying hard to keep his voice steady. “Maybe you can show me some of Miss Sarah’s music…” The boy spoke quietly, doing his best to speak normally. However, the poor boy still couldn’t stop shaking… The sheer fact that he couldn’t not be scared of that … guy. That thing…
All he wanted, now, was his mother. And that just hurt more than anything.
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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 97 Health: 1020/1020 Control Limit: 780
Skill: 60 [--] Strength: 65 [69] Defence: 70 [80]
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Tactical Advantages
Tank - Level 1 - Your A.I. Core has imbued you with an inhuman durability. You can shrug off heavier blows with ease that your comrades might not be able to. You gain 10 extra Defense. However, you also receive a -5% to your defensive chances.
Shards of Myself
Zenko Kaze
Ominous Noodles Crew
Dramatic Fatcat
Offline
BlankCaption Captain
Intellectual Smoker
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2016 7:19 am
The precipice created by the events of his entire life loomed before him as he stumbled his way through the hallway. Thre's expression was enough for him to gauge what she thought of him. The same thing she thought before...just much worse by this point. He didn't blame her. Why the hell should she feel anything but disgust for a man who failed to protect them...and who looked down on them like they were weak...like they couldn't do anything on their own. And Ilya's words...they shook with the fear that he felt, having seen Acel peeling away and eaten alive by the demon inside of him.
He had wanted so badly to do something good...and this was what came of it. Hate...and fear...it was true that his life as a father had died. He remembered when kids loved him...god...what was wrong with him? He almost wanted to laugh...why did it matter what children thought of him? The world was dying. There were more important things to worry about. But even so...Ilya's smiling face when he had met him...somehow wouldn't leave him.
As he stood there, fumbling with the choice of whether to turn back from the clifftop and struggle, or to just...fall, it was Sarah's voice that pierced the darkness and stunned him. It caused him to stop in his tracks...for a moment, frozen in surprise, but he quickly recovered and tried to move on, ignoring her completely. He tried to take a step forward but her hand fell onto his arm and he fumbled once more with what he wanted. He wanted to punish himself for what he had done. Lock himself away and be alone and in pain and suffer because he deserved it...and he wanted to be saved. So badly.
It was then that he hesitant hands grew strong and he felt himself being pulled toward her. He put his hands between them, ready to push away, and even beginning to wedge them apart. But it was then that her lips parted and the sound that came out of them echoed into the hallways. His eyes widened, and his heart stopped for a moment. His whole body went rigid as every fiber of his being focused on that sound. He had never in his life heard a voice so impossibly pure. There had been parties and Tomba played the guitar, and a couple of the ladies in the village...even Jasmine at times, sang. But like this? His ears had never heard anything like this.
His hands dropped from their struggle, refusing to push her...unable to push her. And his shoulders began to shake, heaving with each fresh sob. Acel fell to his knees, his legs unable to carry him, and she fell with him, kneeling beside him as she sang, holding him in her arms. He gripped her arms, holding them tightly, leaning his head into her shoulder. He couldn't help it...he couldn't deny himself even if he tried. Everything in him screamed out for comfort...for someone to make him feel even for a moment like his life wasn't over...like he was worth something.
He had killed his baby girl. The woman he had grown to love. His neighbors and friends. Everyone he had once known. He had slaughtered them like animals.
She could never know.
But how could he hide such a monstrous side of himself?
As the sweet words flowed over him, he couldn't staunch the flow of his tears, completely collapsed into the woman's arms. She was here during the darkest point of his entire life...and he barely knew her. What if she just pitied him...she hadn't spent enough time around him to think of him as a friend, truly, he was sure.
The song she was singing tapered off, and he lay there in silence for a few moments, propped against her. He didn't know what to do...he had not opened up or been so vulnerable since the first day he had arrived here...the day he lost them all...ironic...that it had been him all along. They hadn't been stolen from him at all. He had taken them himself.
"Sarah...I...I didn't know...you could sing...so well. I mean...I knew you were famous and everything...but...th-that might have b-been the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my life..." He said, not moving away from his position as he spoke, trying to absorb the last bit of peace and tranquility that her presence offered before he leaned away and sat upright, wiping his face with his sleeve.
"I saw it...over and over. My daughter dying. Every time the A.I. went for the kids...I saw her being murdered over and over and over. I...I scolded the children...for not listening to me. I tried to keep them safe. Told them not to fight against the A.I. core. The last one was just...he was far more powerful than even me...I knew they couldn't win...I didn't want them to die...so I told them not to. In the middle of our fight one on one....they just charged in...I got angry...and now...well...they hate me, I think. At least the girl does...but she hated me the moment she saw me with Ilya." He said, beginning with more tears as he spoke of his daughter, and by the end of it laughing a little bit about the comment of Thre hating him. However, it was but a sad shadow of a laugh.
He got to his feet slowly, and he looked down at her, offering his hand and helping her up to her feet. "I apologize for rambling...I do that sometimes...and...a lot when I am, well, feeling a bit shaken up...you don't have to worry about me, Sarah. I will be fine. I am sure you have loads of people to see or things to do. No need to waste the time on me." He said with another less than genuine laugh. She probably just felt bad for him, so he wanted to give her an out if she needed it, so she could walk away if she wanted to.
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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 194 Health: 1500/1500 Control Limit: 1552
Battleground Proficiency - Level 5 - You gain +10% to all defense chances, and your opponents receive -10% to their defensive chances against you.
Accupuncturist - Level 3 - When you deal damage, the foe suffers a -6 to their Strength stat for the rest of the fight.
Posted: Thu Oct 06, 2016 7:38 pm
Sarah Hartwell
۩…………………………………………………………………۩
Sarah felt Acel struggle against her hold, but she stayed firm on her grip. She knew what it was like to feel like everything was gone, the day she broke everything from him. And her family and friends did the same with her, kept a firm grip on her and pulled her away from the emptiness she felt inside herself. She still felt it at times, but not as bad, since she was proving to herself that she was able to do the things he said she wouldn't be able to do. She couldn't bring herself to let someone else feel the way she did at that time. Even if she barely knew them. She felt relief when he stopped struggling when she begun singing. She wasn't sure if it would help, but it did something. Music always did. For better or worse, music helped. She loosened her grip so it wasn't so firm, an actual hug that meant that it was okay.
She kept singing, her voice unwavering. She then felt his body shake with each sob that came out of him. She fell with him, making sure he didn't fall to fast to hurt himself, glad to know she had some strength. She was sure, if she was still back to her normal self, that she wouldn't have been able to prevent that. She knew when he was wanting the comfort, truly. Not moving as he clung to her, sobbing into her shoulder. She removed one arm, but only to rub his shoulder to let him know it was okay as she felt her shirt begin to feel warm and wet from where he was crying. She continued the song until the end, not moving when she finished the song. She let him release what he was very likely holding in for a long time. She knew how it felt, to finally let it all out.
She looked glanced at Acel when he finally spoke, not able to look at his face. Just at his blonde hair, feeling a little pride swell when he complimented her singing. It was always like that when she heard someone liked her singing. Like Thre did when she said she was her fan. It always made her feel like she was helping someone, just a little.
She relaxed as he pulled himself off her shoulder, wiping his face with his sleeve. She sat back on her heels as she listened to him explain what happened between him and the children. She didn't say a word, letting him speak. She wasn't sure what to say to all of it yet. She knew children will do things even against the parents wishes. She supposed it could be the same with baiter children. She wouldn't know, she didn't know of any children that were baiters until just a few minutes ago. But when she heard about his family, she couldn't help the small gasp that sounded from her. She didn't know that feeling, and honestly never wanted to know, as selfish as that may seem. But she had a large family and she wouldn't know what to do if she lost even one of them.
She took the hand he offered to help her up, stretching her legs a bit from sitting on them for so long. She gave him a reassuring smile and shook her head as she looked down at her hands. “I...It's my time to waste as I choose. And....and believe it or not, I don't have to see anyone. I'm about as lonely here as you are..” She felt her nerves start to rise, feeling nervous again. Was that the right thing to say? How would she know he was lonely? “A-and you c...can ramble if... if you want... I'm... I'm use to it fro-from my five nieces and nephews. A.... as for the children...Ilyra... and Thre. I... I'm sure they'll.... they'll come to forgive you when.... when you show th-them that you believe they-they are strong.” She stuttered, her hands starting to twitch from wanting to sign her words as she spoke.
“I... I am s-s-so sorry to h-h-hear about your family. I-I-I wouldn't kn-know what to d-do....” She cut off short, not sure what to say. Nothing she said could help. She never lost anyone close to her like a family member. She lost the chance of starting a family, but it was for the best. She would have been miserable. She knew that now when she was over her grief, the fear was still there though.
She pulled out her phone, seeing the time and felt her stomach clench in protest. She glanced at Acel, wondering if he was possibly hungry as well. Food was always good after a good cry. At least in her experience. “I...I'm actually k-kind of hungry. Wou-would you like to... to waste your time wi-with me?” She asked him, still looking at her hands that still twitched here and there, the last movement they made was her thumb point at herself.
Threigze Fionsi Bez truda, ne vitashish i ribku iz pruda.
It hadn't occurred to her, as unfortunate as it sounded, that Ilya would be just as affected by the presence of that monster masquerading around as a man. She felt selfish for a moment, which caused her to feel bad. Yes, that rotten snake b*****d deserved every ounce of her ire, but the truth of the matter was he didn't matter. He was but a blip on the radar, where Ilya took up the whole thing. She supposed it had to do with how genuinely happy he seemed around the guy, figuring his more than forgiving nature would make him look past his rather... Less than appealing actions and words.
However, the second that cheap rip off walked in, the younger male was petrified. Shaking near violently, simply due to the close nature of the two. This, naturally, made her dislike, even borderline hate, that disgusting snake even more.
Her head snapped to him the second he opened his mouth though, her eyes wide open, a mixture of surprise and impressed swirling in their depths. This was new. Ordinarily, the white haired male was kind of meek, and quiet. Almost adorable really. Yet, here he was, staring at easily one of the most insane people he's likely ever met in his life, standing as tall and proud as he possibly can. Calling him out on his bullshit in a way she wished she had, without too much hesitation.
It was an amazing sight.
Taking away the fact that he was shaking like a tree that was having an ax taken to it, he looked like a beast. Ready to face down whatever threat he needed to take on. He would need to work on his tone, but the fact that he had enough spine to even say anything at all was astonishing enough.
Turning her attention away from where her heated gaze had followed her hero and her nemesis back towards Ilya, she managed to squash her angry feelings and thumped her little brother on the back. "Look at you. Standing up for yourself. Well done. I am proud of you." She said with a smile on her face, showing that she meant every word of what she said, and she really did. He might not be like her, able to look monsters in the face and laugh, but what he did took guts.
The second he mentioned they could go meet his mother, one of the very first people to informally adopt her as their daughter, her eyes lit up like stars, and she grabbed his arm and pulled him after her quickly, rushing out of the re-birthing center and down several halls, before suddenly stopping short. She turned to look at him, a slight embarrassed flush on her face. "Er... I don't know where we're going." She said, having the good grace to look quite ashamed of her actions.
Finally, her mind clicked, and a grin came across her features. "As for Sarah's music! Of course I can! I have everything she's ever done! Even the live shows!" She said, pulling her backpack around, and pulling out the most recent music device. It was a gift from Alexander, her boyfriend. Speaking of! She hadn't told Ilya! She turned to look at the young man next to her, and grinned. "I have something to tell you and mom when we get to see her!" She said, and in a very un-Thre-like manner, began skipping alongside Ilya after handing him the music player.
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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 84 Health: 140/140 Control Limit: 420
Skill: 50 [74] Strength: 59 [83] Defence: 59 [83]
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Tactical Advantages
One Man Army - Level 4 - While fighting without summoning an A.I. Core, you gain an additional +20 to all stats. However, if you do summon an A.I. core, you will receive a -40 to all stats instead.
Ooc: Horrible post is horrible.
Line Count: 73
Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 9:46 am
He felt her support and her caring throughout the entire experience, and he wished he could somehow let her know how much it meant to him. He was falling apart...and he hadn't even realised how much of it he had kept buried, just so he could move on through the days. He had needed to hide from it, and he hated how much he had hid...but he didn't have anyone he could talk to...that he could invest in...or maybe he had just been too afraid. He had been pretty earnest with everyone before...but now the story had changed...he was...a murderer.
He didn't know how it had become like this...how he had managed to fall into her arms. He didn't understand why she would bother...why she would care. He was nothing but a monster. But...at the end of the day, nobody really knew about it. Nobody knew just how awful he was...how worthless.
When he told her about his daughter...about seeing her being murdered over and over again...about his dead then-wife, she gasped in shock. It was indeed a horrible thing to hear about. He wondered what her reaction would be when she learned that it wasn't just his wife and child, but his entire life. Everyone he ever knew or cared about. Only his parents remained. It was at that very moment that the most sickening thought of all pierced through his gut.
His parents. They knew about all of this.
His mouth went dry as he contemplated the lie that they had been allowing him to live. They knew that he had done it...that he had killed everyone. How could they possibly let him live without ever actually knowing?? How could they allow him to go ignorant to the fact that he had destroyed everything he held dear? It made him want to scream. To find them and to dash their heads against a wall...how could they do this to him!?
However, when Sarah's light, meek, voice came out, his roiling thoughts calmed and he listened to each word that she spoke. When she said that she was just as lonely as him, here, he wanted to scream again. No. She wasn't. She had no idea how alone he was. The nights he spent crying into his pillow because he couldn't stand the emptiness. But she didn't know...she knew he was alone...but she couldn't know how much he was. She had no ill intent with her words, and he knew that.
Acel noticed her hands twitching as she continued to talk, as if she were fighting against them while she spoke. He smiled weakly at her giving him permission to ramble...he would take that permission happily, he was sure. But, when she had said that they would come around he sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "Well, the problem is that, well, they didn't just get an earful from me because they disobeyed a command that I thought would save them...they also...they also got introduced to the monster that you met in the tunnels." He said, rubbing the back of his neck. "I am not sure they are going to be prepared to forgive me, or even want anything to do with me again, after that. But, hey, it's probably not the best for my mental state to be around them right now anyways...I think I need a bit of a break from kids. It feels like all my skills with children just...left with mine, you know?" He said with a light chuckle, looking down into his hands.
When she apologised for his family, he nodded to her in response, weakly. How could anyone know what to do after that? "There's nothing to do...nothing you can do...you just...fall apart. It's like...having the heart torn right out of your chest and stomped on in front of you. You just...you die." He said, fighting the tears burning in his eyes.
When she pulled out her phone, he figured that she was leaving...that she had hit the point in time when she had no more time to spare. But, as things would be, it ended much differently. She asked him to come to eat with her...to waste some time together. His heart swelled at the line she used. It was sweet, and kind, and beautiful. She had said the thing that he needed to hear most...taken his self-deprecating line and turned it back on him tenfold...and he was glad.
"Yes. I would." He stated with such conviction and desire that it even surprised himself.
He really did want to waste his time with her. With anyone...anyone who would give him the time of day. Anyone who could comfort him or care about him, or make him feel like there was a point to living...because if even for a second, he felt like there wasn't, right now, he might just end it all. Pry the Code Core out of his chest, shatter his sword, and let himself die with no hope of resurrection. He had to trick himself into not thinking about what he had done...because if he had to contemplate it, he knew the answer was simple.
He did not deserve to live.
"Are you...nervous about being around me? I mean...I won't blame you for it, at all. I just don't want you to feel...uncomfortable." He stated, looking at her with hopeful eyes. It was the first time he actually got to look fully at her, without his vision being clouded by tears or his own frantic thoughts, keeping him from focusing. She had holes in the side of her shirt, and her arm was bandaged up in certain spots. She must have just gotten back from a mission, herself, though, she must have survived with the kind of damage she was still sporting. Acel was clean and healed in every way...other than the violent throbbing pain of death that worked its way through every area he had wounded in his fight with the kids.
"What happened to you? I mean, not in a bad way, but, you look like you've been in a bit of a dog-fight. Did you just get back from a mission?" He asked, quirking a brow. "By the looks of it, you guys got out alright." He said with a small smile. "As for food, if you are truly intent on spending the time around me...well, I would suggest something, but I'm not too sure what kind of food you like. I tried 'Ethiopian' food for the first time a while ago, but otherwise, I have only ever really had the home-made food from my village and a couple of things here and there since I got to Gondora. I'm a bit...new to a lot of things." He stated with a slightly shy tone.
He just hoped she wouldn't look down on his ignorance of a lot of different things.
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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 194 Health: 1500/1500 Control Limit: 1552
Battleground Proficiency - Level 5 - You gain +10% to all defense chances, and your opponents receive -10% to their defensive chances against you.
Accupuncturist - Level 3 - When you deal damage, the foe suffers a -6 to their Strength stat for the rest of the fight.
BlankCaption Captain
Intellectual Smoker
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Ominous Noodles Crew
Dramatic Fatcat
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Posted: Fri Oct 07, 2016 9:00 pm
Damn it, Akio was absolutely correct in that his headache would only get worse when he walked through that portal. Still, he didn’t regret having gone through the mission with Dal’Mori, nor did he feel like the oncoming migraine was going to really ruin him for the rest of the day. At least…. That was the hope. With his brain doing somersaults in his head, he turned around to see the tall man walk through the portal. He seemed in a fairly decent mood, though that was incredibly hard to actually see. And it wasn’t as if the man actually showed it on his face. Really, Akio was just taking a wild guess. He hoped the man was in a good mood, rather. Still, he offered a slight smile as Dal’Mori walked up to him and bowed, saying only a brief comment on how it was a pleasure fighting with him, pausing for a moment, then walking off again.
Akio was unable to respond to that, not really for lack of trying. Akio wasn’t a man who always knew what to say to people, and often times ended up with his foot in his mouth. So, the man went with a simple nod in thanks and left it at that. Besides, it wasn’t like the other man to talk very much anyway. There wasn’t going to be a conversation about this. So, after his small nod Akio watched the other man leave contemplating what to do next. There was a lot to think about… Particularly, about what he wanted to do next. He would honestly love to go on another mission, but he was still radically exhausted, and the pounding headache made it increasingly difficult to do much of anything. So, first things first, get rid of the migraine.
Wobbling forward, using the wall as support, he made his way through the portal room to where he knew the infirmary was. There, he knew they would have plenty of strong pain killers. Or, better yet, he could find Kiki and have her fetch him something strong. Wherever that tiny robot had rolled off to. Last he left her, she was in the training room, which was on his way to the infirmary anyway. This was going to be his first destination for the time being.
His walk was unfortunately unsteady, and making full attempts to walk as normal as possible, but his damned brain just didn’t want to cooperate with him. On top of the migraine, he was somewhat dizzy, and he was beginning to need a cigarette. Badly. His hands shook a little, and he was wildly irritable. Though, to be completely fair, that could also be because he was in a world of pain at the moment. Even still, he wore a magnificent scowl on his face as he wobbled his way into the training room to peek his head in. Hmmm… Empty.
‘Maybe all your friends have left you. They don’t care about your existence.’ The E-Trooper spoke up.
Akio rolled his eyes, shaking his head. ‘I’m not here for friends. I’m here for Kiki. Where is that blasted girl…’
‘I do not believe that machines have genders, Akio.’
Akio gritted his teeth. Both actions, the eye rolling and the teeth grinding, only served to cause him more pain, but that didn’t stop him from doing either. ‘Shut the ******** up.’
‘Ooo. Saucy. I like it.’
Akio could only sigh in an irritated fashion when he walked out, deciding that he was going to take a walk so he could have a cigarette or two before continuing his search. This wasn’t going to be a very pleasant day. But, maybe while he was out, he would be able to grab a cup of coffee? Perhaps that would relieve him of his little, ah, issue. No… Akio sighed, balling his hands into fists, probably a lot harder than he really should. He could feel pain in his palm where his fingers dug into his skin. That was fine though. It was just enough of a distraction to take away from at least his dizziness. He really needed those pain killers. Stat. That wasn’t something he could skip out on at all.
It took him a little bit to make it to the infirmary, but when he did he couldn’t have been happier. The migraine had already gotten way worse than it already was, and he was barely able to handle it anymore. So with a deep breath, Akio downed four migraine pills dry and leaned against the wall. There he stood for a few moments, trying to refocus his world. The pain was beginning to leave him, but the sides of his head still felt like they were being stabbed. Unfortunately, that was going to take a while to subside, so he had to do what he could while he had this small lapse in pain to get some coffee and smoke a small amount. With a small sigh, he pushed off the wall, needing much less support than before thankfully, he made his way out the door and to the nearest exit where he would be able to find a coffee shop. He hoped he wouldn’t have to travel too far, but that wasn’t going to be an issue if that even was the case. At least on the way he would be able to have at least one cigarette.
Outside, it was rather mild and cool. It was roughly midday, as far as he could tell, and the skies were clear. Out here, there wasn’t much that could hurt him, and there wasn’t much that would oppress him except his own thoughts. So, Akio stopped outside the door taking a deep breath in of the sea air. This was a place that he now called his home… It was a lot to take in, even still, and though he was getting used to it, there was a lot he was still unsure about. One of those things was living alone. It was strange, to say the least. Lonely and quiet, it took a lot to help him sleep at night. And even then, it was hard to do. He was so used to sharing his bed, then sharing his home with at least someone… But now? Nothing and no one. Not even an animal.
Akio sighed, moving forward towards the nearest coffee shop. He took out his pack of cigarettes, taking a look at the inside of the box. Lucky for him, it was still half full. So he pulled on out and lit it, breathing in the minty smoke of the menthols. He had always known it was bad for him, but there were many things that were worse that he wasn’t doing anymore, so it mattered not. Besides, it was calming. The deep breaths in, the long held breath finally being let out slowly, the smell and taste of mint… He had to admit, it was rather nice. At least nicer than having a horrible headache that refused to go away. And it didn’t take long to make it to a coffee shop, where he finally was able to put out his cigarette and order a large cup of coffee. Strong, plenty of creamer. When he finally got his cup of joe, he walked back to the head quarters with it, lighting up another cigarette.
His habit was getting worse, and he knew that. The problem was that he couldn’t find it in him to care. So he simply sucked on his second cigarette of the hour and sipped his joe. When he made it back to the headquarters, he found a place to sit and continued to drink his coffee. He wasn’t out of sight, finding a benched table to sit out in front of the building, evidently where a lot of the other workers in the HQ would take their own smoke break. But he was alone for the time being, only small scatterings of others coming by to have a five minute smoke while he sat out there scrolling through his social media site, not reading any of the messages he’s had built up in the last few years, not posting anything, just scrolling and reading what others were up to.
Everyone else he went to school with seemed to lead happy or busy lives. Some people had kids, others were getting married, or starting their own companies, or getting a promotion at work. Meanwhile, he was sitting at a bench smoking his third cigarette of the hour and drinking his second cup of coffee after a successful mission. Which, to be fair, wasn’t a bad place to be. Far cry different from where he thought he would be, but not bad.
One particular post caught his eye, mostly because it was from a friend who had taken his side after Kim had left him in an untimely manner. It wasn’t too much, just someone saying they had seen him on the news because he had participated in the tournament and went to Chicago the day before. Fascinating, actually. They had even posted an image of the news report. Akio laughed, noting how awful he looked after the actual beating that he had received in that fight. Plus, they used an old stock image of him from when he was still with his father’s company. That really was something… He liked the post and moved on, scrolling through everyone else’s lives like it was nothing, waiting there for nothing to happen and no one to show up.
Lines: 92 Ooc: weh
Quote:
B.A.I.T.R Standing: 181 Health: 1500/1500 Control Limit: 1452
Acupuncturist - Level 6 - Your blows hit pressure points, causing the foe to move slower and be less proficient with their attacks. When you deal damage, the foe suffers a -12 to their Strength stat for the rest of the fight
Quote:
Posted: Sat Oct 08, 2016 9:58 pm
❅❄❅⋅⋩⋩Безумная Утенок
I F I G H T F O R M Y F R I E N D S
Ilya had zoned out for a moment, completely absorbed in his fear and anxiety. There was a lot he was dealing with as far as Acel went, and a lot to sort out in his mid. He wasn’t sure what really scared him more. The idea that he was so kind to Ilya, and then suddenly not, or that he was … something else completely. Ilya just didn’t get it. The skin peeling off his body, the double voices, the change in tone, everything… It bothered him immensely. And what was even worse was that he willingly let Thre die, as well as Ilya… It was all so scary, and most definitely not something that the small boy wanted to see again in his lifetime.
But then, a sudden thump on his back scared him out of his reverie. The sudden contact made him jump, looking around to see the source of the thump. Then, Thre began to speak, congratulating Ilya on his ability to stand up for himself. At that, the little boy took a deep breath. He did suppose that it was the first time he had done that, at least that was noted. The boy was unfortunately meek, doing more for others than they did for him. Gripping his shirt he gave a nod, nervously shifting his weight back and forth between his feet. Ilya barely muttered out a thank you, then his offer to go see his mother, before Thre excitedly pulled Ilya down the hallways. He guessed that she was excited as ever to see his mom, though he did guess it had been awhile since they had seen each other.
Thre dashed her way through the halls, dragging Ilya with her as she did so, excited to see Katya for the first time in forever. Ilya tried to get her to let go, but she was simply too strong. So, instead, he would let her do what she wished, figuring that she would eventually have to stop to figure out where she was going. And, that was exactly what ended up happening. Thre stopped mid run, coming to a complete stop before laughing nervously and turning to Ilya and confessing that she had no idea where she was going. Ilya, by that point, had forgotten most of his anxieties, and was able to let out a good laugh at his friend.
”It’s okay.” Ilya laughed, finally managing to pull away from his friend. ”I don’t know where mom lives, but I know there’s a lot of people who we can ask.” Come to think of it though, he didn’t even know where the building was. But… To be honest, Ilya wasn’t going to admit that in the slightest.
Ilya then began to lead the way, once more giggling at Thre and her antics. He had no idea that Thre could like something so much. It was amusing to see, really. Taking her music player, he began to look through the songs that she had on there. And that was actually a lot. So much so that he almost felt overwhelmed by the amount, unable to pick a song that he wanted to listen to first. But finally, he picked a song at random and began to listen to it without headphones.
The music that came out of the speakers was quite enchanting, he had to admit. The violin and vocals were beautifully woven together and made him finally relax, able to laugh and breath normally. It felt… nice, actually. Ilya grinned at Thre, ”This is really good!” he exclaimed, almost bouncing in his spot as he continued walking. Both listening to the music and scrolling through it, he looked for a couple of the live shows, noting to watch them later.
Then Thre spoke up again, saying that she had something to talk to mom and him about. Ilya cocked his head, taking another look at Thre as they continued towards the doors that lead outside. ”Something to show me and mom??” He asked, unsure about how he was supposed to take that. ”Well, if it has you this excited, then I’m looking forward to it.” Ilya decided with a smile, going back to the songs list.
But soon, they stepped outside and Ilya was hit with the cool breeze. Shivering, the little boy looked up, then around at his surroundings. Really, he didn’t actually have any idea where to go. That man had led him around through the city with his mother, so he only had to follow directions. Suddenly, Ilya felt overwhelmed once again and didn’t know what he was supposed to do, or where he was supposed to do. ’Relax, child. Deep breath, and look at your surroundings. Maybe you can find someone to help.’
Ilya nodded, taking a deep breath, then looked around the area to see if anyone would be willing to help out. And as luck would have it, the man from the training room from earlier! A giant grin spread across his face as he saw the man, suddenly darting his way over there to say hi to the man, since he didn’t have the chance to earlier. Ilya almost slammed into the bench, slapping the top with his hands after letting out an almost too loud hello. The man looked a little freaked out, eyes growing wide before settling down a bit. Then he just looked confused. ”Hi! I’m Ilya and I’m new here. I’m a Baiter, and I was wondering if you knew where the housing units were?”
The man before him simply stared for a moment before he began laughing, putting away his phone and standing up. The man agreed, introducing himself as Kawaguchi Akio, requesting that they call him either Kawa-kun or Kawaguchi. Ilya would do neither, settling on calling the man Kawa and moving on. Still, he couldn’t help but know the name. ”Akio? I’ve heard that name before. I think … Acel … said something about you.” The way Ilya said the man’s name was uncomfortable, like he was afraid of even the name. Acel wasn’t a man he really could stomach anymore...
Lines: 215 OOC:
Quote:
B.A.I.T.R Standing: 97 Health: 1020/1020 Control Limit: 780
Skill: 60 [--] Strength: 65 [69] Defence: 70 [80]
Quote:
Tactical Advantages
Tank - Level 1 - Your A.I. Core has imbued you with an inhuman durability. You can shrug off heavier blows with ease that your comrades might not be able to. You gain 10 extra Defense. However, you also receive a -5% to your defensive chances.
Shards of Myself
Ominous Noodles Crew
Dramatic Fatcat
Offline
Brotherhood Of Explosives Vice Captain
Mind-boggling Trickster
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Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2016 2:49 pm
Threigze Fionsi Bez truda, ne vitashish i ribku iz pruda.
Today was just full of the unanticipated wasn't it? The only thing that had gone according to plan was becoming a Baiter. She had not expected to see Ilya, one of the very few people she missed from her days in the lab. She had not anticipated meeting probably the snakiest person she'd met since that old b*****d Cain. She had not guessed she would take her first mission today. She did not expect to die today. She, for damn certain, never would have guessed she would meet Sarah ******** Hartwell! So, with all of these surprises, she should have been able to handle more, however the second Ilya mentioned he didn't know where his mother was, her eyes widened to near impossible sizes.
That just didn't seem possible. Real even. For a moment Thre wanted to stop and ask who he was, and what he did with the real Ilya. After another moment of thought, she figured that it actually made a little sense. He was impulsive and energetic, so it stood to reason he would leave to go do a mission, likely his first too. When he stated that he knew where to go to be able to find her, or at least find someone who could help them find her, she relaxed and more than happily followed after him.
She smiled brightly when he enjoyed Sarah's work, knowing that she just pulled another person into her fan base. The woman was magical after all, casting spells with her music, she deserved all the recognition she got. It was even better that she was sharing this with her best friend/brother. She didn't realize how much she truly missed him until right then, when they had time alone, to just be themselves around each other without a third wheel.
It honestly made her very relaxed.
So, when they got outside and he seemed overwhelmed by everything, she was able to not follow in that track, keeping surprisingly calm, despite the fact that Ilya seemed lost. Just before she reached out to grab him, to calm him down herself, the stress seemed to melt from his body, being replaced by a calm determination. She smiled at that, but wondered how he had managed to suddenly become so calm, given the young man's usual go to action was 'cry'.
Not that she found anything wrong with how he did things, she found it rather adorable really, but all the same, it was a tad unusual. 'It was probably his A.I. I sense it's a Kabal.' The sudden voice in the back of her head caused her to start, her body whipping around so fast she looked like a blur, her arm already morphed into its claw form on pure reflex. It wasn't until she heard a giggle in her head that she realized that was Summer.
That was going to take some getting used too.
Being used to having to always watch your back, having a voice that seems to always come from behind her inside her head would certainly cause some issues. 'You think so?' She asked, knowing that the core would hear her, having done so before. 'Yeah. Kabals are known for being very defense oriented, very protective. It's very likely he's helping your young friend out.' Thre nodded in acceptance of this idea, and was immediately grateful to the Kabal, something Summer made sure to project to Ilya's core. If she wasn't able to always be there to help her brother in all but blood, then she was definitely glad someone was.
With an abruptness that caught Thre off guard, causing her to curse today once more, being so full of surprises. She didn't pause for long though, taking after him, only slowing when he planted himself on the bench, making his presence well known. She stopped just in front of him, taking a moment to look at the person Ilya was talking too. He looked good. Damn good really. Where Alexander was adorable and unique, this man was the definition of sex appeal, with an air of mystery about him. Maybe it was the darkness of his hair, or the piercings that littered his upper body, or the claw marks running along the side of his head, but something about this man screamed dark and mysterious, and she couldn't help but feel drawn to it.
It hit her like a ton of bricks, and she immediately felt bad for Alexander, but she knew what was going on. She had a crush on this guy! She couldn't help it. He was gorgeous, and she was reaching that age when girls start noticing boys, and damn was this boy something to look at. For good, or for bad, all suspicions she might normally suffer with a stranger were swept away in the tide of new daydreams.
A soft gasp behind her brought her back to reality.
She turned around and saw a woman looking at her arm in, what she had long come to terms with, fear. She frowned slightly and quickly turned it back into her normal arm, hoping no attention was brought to the change. She could handle it if this tall, dark and handsome stranger rejected her because of her... Uniqueness.
'Sweetheart, I think he's a little too old for you.' Summer spoke again, causing Thre to jump again, but this time she managed to keep herself from spinning around and pulling out one of her weapons again. She didn't respond in words to the core's words, instead sending the mental equivalent of a raspberry, from which she could feel Summer rolling her eyes.
As he introduced himself, she found herself staring at him a little too intensely, and for longer than was considered polite, causing her to cough into her hand and look away, biting her knuckles to fight against the blush slowly rising to her cheeks. In that moment she decided she didn't trust her voice right now, and let Ilya do all the talking. She found herself unable to focus around the taller male.
Quote:
Quote:
B.A.I.T.R Standing: 84 Health: 140/140 Control Limit: 420
Skill: 50 [74] Strength: 59 [83] Defence: 59 [83]
Quote:
Tactical Advantages
One Man Army - Level 4 - While fighting without summoning an A.I. Core, you gain an additional +20 to all stats. However, if you do summon an A.I. core, you will receive a -40 to all stats instead.
Ooc:
Line Count: 133
Posted: Wed Oct 12, 2016 1:40 pm
Akio sat and scrolled through his feed idly, sipping his almost empty cup of coffee. After the four cigarettes, the painkillers, and the cup of coffee he was actually feeling much better. There was that pang of pain that still hammered the side of his head that had the scars, but it was much better than it was five minutes before. The friend who had posted about seeing him on the news ended up messaging him, excited that he was actually online. They messaged back and forth, mostly catching up and asking how each other was doing. Akio didn’t say anything very substantial, but did let her know that he was doing okay and was doing his best to move on as a Baiter. It was kinda weird talking to her again, unsure if they should still be friendly, or if he should even be talking to her at all. He decided if she began talking about anything deep, he’d stop responding. He still didn’t think he would be able to handle that kind of conversation at the moment.
At least, he didn’t think he did, but that wasn’t what stopped the conversation short. It was the sudden loud banging on the table and the childlike shouting that scared the ever loving s**t out of him that did. Akio flinched, nearly dropping his phone at the surprise. And for a moment, Akio just stared at the kid, eyes wide with surprise, but soon, Akio just let out a laugh. “Well, alright. I can’t say no to that.” He said, standing up at stretching a bit. “You were the one who popped your head into the training room earlier, yes?” he asked, his deep voice thoroughly amused by everything that was happening. Akio was fairly certain that it was the same little boy that he saw earlier, but he thought it be best to ask.
And then there was the girl that accompanied him. He had never seen her before, so he was curious about who she was and why she hung out with this kid. Ilya, was his name. “Kawaguchi Akio. Call me either Kawaguchi or Kawa-kun. Doesn’t matter which.” He would be more lenient with the kids, but he didn’t actually want anyone to call him by his first name. It bothered him to think that others would refer to him as such. Then Ilya spoke up about hearing that name before… Possibly from Acel. Suddenly, Akio felt somewhat irritated. Acel calling him by his first name? Even if he wasn’t around, that still wasn’t right. Disrespectful, even. “Damn that Acel…” he muttered, shaking his head. He would have to say something about that later. Finally, he turned to the girl, questioning where she came from and why. “And you are?” He asked, trying to keep the ire from his voice. Really, Acel probably didn’t mean anything by it, but that didn’t stop Akio from feeling irritated by it.
Whenever the girl would respond, Akio would smile at the two of them, completely ignoring the fact that Thre, the girl, was acting rather strangely. She was blushing, so he felt it best to ignore her weirdness. “Alright. Let’s go then, I kind of want to go home too.” With that, the three were on their way to the housing unit that everyone now called home. It wasn’t actually too far from where the actual base was, but there was a train ride involved. If only a small one. So, first, Akio led them to the train terminal where they would wait for the arrival of the little trolley that carted everyone around the city. It was small, considering not many people actually lived here. Though, more than likely, there was a much larger tram for when the island was flooded (haha) with refugees. Still, it was nice seeing the place so empty. It was calm.
Well, except for the thousand mile an hour questions he was receiving from the girl. It was hilariously awkward, actually, and it took a lot to not outright laugh. She asked him questions like “Where are you from?” to which he would answer bluntly, ‘Japan, born and raised.’ and “What do you like doing?”
‘I was an engineer before this.’
“What about your family?”
‘All engineers except my grandmother who is also a Baiter.’
Then the girl would change course, turning the conversation at a 90 degree angle, and ask “What’s your favorite color?”
That question gave him a small pause. Why in the world did she want to know that? “Ah… Purple, at the moment?” He answered, admittedly a little awkwardly. Damn, what was her deal? The spitfire questions continued, blasting him to and fro with every question she could think of. Honestly… He couldn’t help but be incredibly amused, though. Especially after she whispered something quick under her breath that he only barely caught. Akio stopped for a moment, giving her a weird look, “What did you say…?” He asked, thoroughly amused. The girl then simply shook her head, offering a polite smile.
“Nothing~”
Akio let out a small, amused huff, then continued on his way. It didn’t take them too long to reach the complex, though it did feel like a while with so many questions being thrown at him. He couldn’t say he disliked it, though. It was in the very least amusing. But, this was where he said he was going to lead them, and this was where he was going to part ways. “This is the complex, kids. If you’re looking for someone specific, then ask the front desk. They’ll help you out. I’ll see you kids later.” And with that, Akio began to walk off, heading up to his own apartment.
Lines: 148 Ooc: weh
Quote:
B.A.I.T.R Standing: 181 Health: 1500/1500 Control Limit: 1452
Acupuncturist - Level 6 - Your blows hit pressure points, causing the foe to move slower and be less proficient with their attacks. When you deal damage, the foe suffers a -12 to their Strength stat for the rest of the fight
Quote:
Ominous Noodles Crew
Dramatic Fatcat
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Ominous Noodles Crew
Dramatic Fatcat
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Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2016 3:37 pm
❅❄❅⋅⋩⋩Безумная Утенок
I F I G H T F O R M Y F R I E N D S
Ilya was so happy that he asked this kind man for help! He was turning out to be a much nicer person than that Acel guy. Though… He had to admit that it was a little funny that he was out here all alone, playing on his phone. Ilya wondered if he was playing a game, or something. He looked so serious about it, too. So seriously into phone games? That was something he would have to ask about later. But for now, he just wanted to make his way home so that he could see his mom again. At least Kawa was decent enough to just show them the way to the apartments! Though he did say that he was going to be heading home anyway, so it wasn’t like he was going to be weird about it, right? Maybe he could get his mom to invite Kawa over for something to drink. Or something like that. Maybe some sweets! Everyone loved sweets.
Ilya watched his friend ask this man a million and one questions Never taking a moment to even breath. He felt a little bad for the man, but Kawa seemed to take the encounter in stride. He answered the questions with a chuckle, for the most part, and truthfully. Ilya was actually happy about this, seeing just how patient the man was and how easily he could handle being around people. That made Ilya curious, though. What did this guy do before becoming a Baiter? Was he anything like a child worker, or worked in a school? He didn’t LOOK like he did, but he sure acted like it. Or was he just good with kids? Ilya couldn’t put his finger on it, at least until Kawa mentioned that he was an engineer. Oh! How weird and interesting. That was about when Ilya couldn’t help but butt into the conversation. ”An engineer? That’s so cool! Why did you decide to join up with Baiter? Did you wanna see all the cool gadgets?”
Kawa didn’t really answer right away, but he could tell that there were a few reasons floating around in his head. Finally the other man shrugged, answering with a ”Something like that, yeah.”
The whole idea of being an engineer seemed really cool, though he wasn’t 100% sure on what it was that they always did. He just knew that they always worked on computers which sounded like an awesome deal. ’They actually work with machinery and code, like what I’m made of. While my coding is far too advanced for a human, he might be able to pick certain things apart and examine it if he wanted to. Not that he would get much out of it.’ Ilya bounced up and down at that information, letting it swirl around in his head. That sounded so cool!
He wondered what it would be like to see what Gavriil truly looked like in the code, but he was sure that he was never going to be able to read it. That’s just not where his mind was. Still, it was really cool to think about. It almost distracted him completely from the task at hand! But, no, what brought him back to what was real was his friend whispering something really weird under her breath. Ilya wasn’t sure that Kawa caught it, but he sure did. The small boy let out a laugh, trying really hard not to out this girl who was basically his sister. Whatever it was, Kawa didn’t need to know.
But then they got to the complex, Kawa tried to leave! That wasn’t allowed, absolutely not. If anything, he should stay for some milk or tea, or something. Cookie! His mom always had cookies at the ready for him and his friends. So, when Kawa tried to leave, Ilya grabbed him by the sleeve, pulling him back. Kawa was stronger by a large margin, but the man didn’t pull away. That was a good sign! ”No! You should at least say hi to my momma. She might have made cookies!” the little boy cried out, hoping that it was enough to get this man to go with them. It would be nice to at least getting them there safely, right??
Thankfully, Kawa reluctantly agreed and they were off again, trying to find his new home. Which, actually, didn’t take too much effort. Asking up at the front desk was all it took, then everyone showing their badge so they could sign in and walk right up. Which, actually, it was on the first floor, which was very handy. So, they walked right on in, greeted by the smell of absolutely divine peanut butter cookies.
Lines: 262 OOC: Leaving it here, sorry not sorry.
Quote:
B.A.I.T.R Standing: 97 Health: 1020/1020 Control Limit: 780
Skill: 60 [--] Strength: 65 [69] Defence: 70 [80]
Quote:
Tactical Advantages
Tank - Level 1 - Your A.I. Core has imbued you with an inhuman durability. You can shrug off heavier blows with ease that your comrades might not be able to. You gain 10 extra Defense. However, you also receive a -5% to your defensive chances.
Shards of Myself
Posted: Sat Oct 15, 2016 4:16 pm
C O R R I N N E x E S P E R O N
____________________________
Sociable [Mood] Outside of Ilya's Apartment [Location] Kawaguchi & the Young Ones [With] Pardon my catching you right before entering your characters room. [OOC]
__________________________________
Corrinne returned through the portal at the main facilities and studied her surroundings; it appeared the same way she left it with workers busy with their daily tasks and commuters readying to pass through the portal to other far away destinations. She checked herself out of habit, all her bags were there but she had the sudden feeling as if she had left something behind. After a moment of reflection, she concluded that everything was there and it was probably just an instinctual feeling after leaving her uncle behind. She was still worried for her uncle, though he had told her that he was fine, she was still unsure of his health: again, probably an emotional response.
Gathering her things, she returned to her room to drop off her things. In the corner of her room stood the reaper staff, quiet and still. She paused for a moment, her eyes studying it. Then, deciding to move on, she unpacked her things back into their appropriate places, everything neat and tidy. She stood for a moment with her hands on her hips, pleased with the way the room presented itself, a small smile briefly gracing her lips before she turned to the bathroom to take a quick shower. She always felt like taking a shower after going through the portal, she didn’t know why, it’s not like it added any grime to you as it was reorganizing your particles. It was probably a reaction to traveling, as she would usually want a shower after a long train ride.
Once she had finished and dried herself off, she stood in front of her closet trying to decide what to wear. She didn’t know what might come up that day; it was still mid-day, anything could happen. And there was also the trouble of missing so much from her few days away, who knew the amount of information she could have missed. But her only living relative was ill and she didn’t regret spending time away with him.
She decided it would be best to seek out news, surely she would find someone around that she knew who could catch her up on what had been happening around headquarters these last few days. Finally deciding on some casual wear, she slipped on a pair of tailored jeans and a sweater knit, turtleneck top; with a couple of her more stylish boots with silvers studs. For some reason she felt like dressing up a bit, most likely because of her absence.
Before she left her apartment she glanced at the reaper staff again in the corner, she could have sworn she caught the slightest sensation of irritation permeating from its cold, jagged surface. She grimaced slightly before shutting the door and locking it before slipping the key into her right hand pocket of her pants.
She didn’t have to walk long before running into a familiar face, “Kawaguchi, are you well?” He appeared to be returning to an apartment and he seemed exhausted and wired at the same time. What had he been through these last couple of days that could have strung him out to this extent?
“Has the tournament ended?” Corrinne suddenly worried that this might be a taxing question and quickly added, “Of course, you don’t have to answer if you need your rest! I’d understand with the way they work us here.” Since she was already in the nursing mood, she almost attempted to help him to his door before realizing that this would probably be an invasion of his space. Retracting her obliging hands into her pant pockets, her thumbs stuck in the corners with the rest of her fingers hanging outside casually. It was then that she noticed the little ones around him and blushed from embarrassment, “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize that you were with friends.”
Bowing lower to them, she introduced herself frankly, “Hello, I’m Corrinne Esperon and who might you two be?” Her whole demeanor changed into a warm, welcoming woman. Corrinne was always at her most comfortable around children, believing that the younger the child, the purer they were. This might have been naive on her part but usually it was not unjustifiable.
__________________________________
LINES: 46
Quote:
B.A.I.T.R Standing: 55 Health: 600/600 Control Limit: 440
Skill: 35 [35] Strength: 35 [36] Defence: 40 [41]
Quote:
Tactical Advantages
Sadist - Level 1 - When one of your attacks deals damage, you get +5 to your Strength. This bonus disappears if an opponent successfully blocks one of your attacks. Sadist does not stack with itself.
Ominous Noodles
Shards of Myself
[Corrinne's Outfit]
Pesky Raven
Fashionable Warrior
Offline
Brotherhood Of Explosives Vice Captain
Mind-boggling Trickster
Offline
Posted: Fri Oct 21, 2016 7:12 pm
Threigze Fionsi Bez truda, ne vitashish i ribku iz pruda.
Mrs. Thre Kawaguchi.
... ... ...
Okay. Maybe she was going a little overboard.
Could you blame her though? He was a tall drink of water. The hair, the eyes, the piercings, hell even the scars all made this man one hell of a sight. Every second in his presence was causing her to feel the need to fidget. Fix her clothes. Make sure her hair looked alright. Subtly check her breath to make sure it didn't smell bad. You know, normal things. All the while there was some, not-so-subtle, quiet laughter in the back of her mind. It wasn't mean in nature, but she could tell Summer was laughing at her expense.
Once more, acting every bit the mature adult she was, she blew a mental raspberry at the core.
Having run diagnostics, and found herself acceptable, she found that she was no longer frozen in his presence. She found herself glad for Ilya's adorable nature towards new people. Everyone was a new friend. No one wasn't distrusted until they showed reason for it. In this case, it distracted the man long enough for her to pull herself together. He introduced himself, queue up day dream sequences of marriage, then reality check when he mentioned 'Acel'. She wasn't able to pick up the most of what he said, but she could see he didn't like Acel either for some reason.
This only further cemented her desire to keep a careful eye on the man, so she could save Sarah from he's vile grip.
Though she disliked Acel, she was glad that she was tuned into him right now. Otherwise, when Akio asked for her name, she would have been, metaphorically, caught with her pants down due to dreaming about what Akio would look like in his handsome suit as she walked down the aisle. However, since she wasn't caught daydreaming about what they would be doing on their wedding night, she was able to reply easily.
"Friends call me Thre."
She said in a slightly over-friendly tone, almost as if she was trying to be flirtatious. A groan sounded in the back of her mind, causing a frown to tug at the edges of her lips. 'Hush you. I have Alex. Doesn't mean I can't look at this man candy.' She thought, not quite viciously, but not quite kindly either. Somewhere in between.
Summer quieted down after that, allowing Thre to focus on Kawa-kun, something she did rigorously. Ilya had convinced the man, she guessed while she was conversing with Summer, into leading them to the houses, giving her plenty of time to do so. The more time they spent together, the more questions she asked him, the more enamored with him she became. He was answering every question she asked, honestly even, but he did it in such a simple and blunt way. It was like he was humoring her, while leaving the majority of his story up in the air, to leave her guessing.
It was simultaneously maddening and enticing. It was like the obvious lack of reaction towards her made her want him all the more. Made him crave his attention all that much more. She was so caught up in asking him as many questions as she could think of, one that she had never meant allow to pass her lips sped right past, the only thing she could do with it was quiet her voice and speed it up, hoping he couldn't understand it.
When he asked what she said, she felt relief, however the laughter from both Ilya and Summer after she denied having said anything caused her mouth to form a pout. Hey, she was allowed to think he was cute. She was a girl. He was a guy. These things happened right? She stuck her tongue out at Ilya when Kawaguchi was looking away.
Lucky enough for her, they came upon the apartments shortly thereafter. However, that was where the luck ended. As they were coming upon the door to Ilya's home, the smell of his mother's cooking wafting through the area, they were accosted by some harlot! She walked over and tried to just put her hands on Thre's man!
The glare that was sent Corrinne's way could have boiled the skin off a lesser being. Meanwhile, inside her mind, there was a sigh. 'Hey, look, I'm not usually one for encouraging interactions, my basic nature telling me to run the other way. Maybe it's you, I don't know. Either way, I don't think you're going to get very far treating everyone you might work with in the future like enemies.' Summer's voice once more caused Thre to jump in surprise, however they also caused her to turn her gaze the other way.
Summer was right of course, but that didn't mean Thre had to like it.
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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 84 Health: 140/140 Control Limit: 420
Skill: 50 [74] Strength: 59 [83] Defence: 59 [83]
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Tactical Advantages
One Man Army - Level 4 - While fighting without summoning an A.I. Core, you gain an additional +20 to all stats. However, if you do summon an A.I. core, you will receive a -40 to all stats instead.
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Line Count: 180
Posted: Mon Oct 24, 2016 7:06 pm
Akio couldn’t deny that these kids were very adorable. The younger one, Ilya, seemed incredibly excited over everything, not to mention very trusting. It was adorable, actually. Specially when the kid asked him if he became a baiter specifically to see all the ‘cool gadgets’ that were for them. Though, to be honest, he could see them if her were just an engineer for the organization. So Akio let out a chuckle and answered with a small amount of truth, though it wasn’t quite right. “Something like that, yeah.” The boy seemed like he was so in awe about everything that he couldn’t help but chuckle.
Then there was the girl who very obviously had a crush on him. She asked him questions at a mile a minute, and he did his best to answer them. Thre was even at points flirtatious, speaking to him in ways that he would never imagine someone else speaking to him in. It was hilarious, if he was going to be completely honest. At least enough to continue humoring her. Though, it did seem that the more he answered her questions, the more Thre was interested in him. Well… He supposed there wasn’t going to be any sort of winning here. How unfortunate. But he supposed he could just roll with it, after all she was only, what, 14? She’d eventually have to get over him, considering he was very close to double her age. Akio shuddered. He was getting old… That wasn’t good.
But finally, they made it to the front desk where him and the kids could part ways. So, Akio waved to where the front desk was and told them that here is where they could ask where Ilya’s mother set up her apartment. And, more importantly, where he could leave them to go take a much needed nap. There was still a mild drumming on the side of his head that signaled that he was still far away from feeling ‘better.’ Then the little boy said there might be cookies and Akio had to agree to at least meeting the mother.
Akio couldn’t say no to cookies.
So, Akio sighed and asked the lady sitting behind the desk where a “Katya Utkin” lived and they were off. First floor, down the hall. Easy enough. Making their way down the hallway, it wasn’t too long before they were in front of the door that smelled faintly of peanut butter cookies. That set of his wild curiosity. One thing that a lot of people didn’t know was that he was severely allergic to peanuts. However, now, as a Baiter… He theoretically couldn’t die and his healing factor was through the roof. Maybe he could eat one and be okay? Oh, that would be really weird, but it made him severely curious. He didn’t even remember what peanuts tasted like, so he was itching to try and eat one.
The curious train of thought was then broken when he heard someone walk down the hall and call out to him. Turning around, he saw the red-headed woman that was at the tournament. What was her name? Sounded like it started with a K. Kory? Korra? Korin? He didn’t remember. But lucky for him, she skipped to a question rather than a proper greeting. “I’m okay.” He responded, casually leaving out her name so she wouldn’t know he forgot it. “Yeah, the tournament has been over. That Fae guy won, as far as I know.” Akio paused, glancing over at Thre to see how she was doing with him talking to a woman she clearly didn’t know. The girl seemed to be seething, though she ended up not saying anything and just took what was happening in stride. Akio almost wanted to laugh, thinking about interactions with, well, anyone at this point would go. The whole idea that a teenager was attracted to him in the first place was also mildly hilarious.
The peanut butter cookies still called to him, though, and he really wanted to try them, despite his allergy. They smelled good, and it was of the utmost importance to eat them. Yes, that was what he was going to do with his life. Eat the s**t out of peanut butter now that he finally had the chance. Nobody was going to stop him now! And finally, the woman whose name he forgot introduced herself. Korrin, or however he took it to be spelled. He was still used to names that were more Asian in nature, so he didn’t think about the spelling or however it was. It sounded like it would be spelt like that, so that’s how he thought of it. But that wasn’t the point, the cookies were still inside and he wanted something sweet. Perhaps that would take the rest of his pain away? Or at least soothe his burning curiosity as to what peanuts tasted like. “She’s a Baiter, like us. Invite her, if you want, but it smells like peanut butter cookies in there, and I can’t say that I’m disinterested.”
It was right at that moment a small yet stout russian lady with dark, raven black hair and bright green eyes opened the door, “Ilya! Thre! Ty doma! YA tak rada videt' vas, rebyata, vse v poryadke!” And with a sweeping motion, pulled the two kids into a tight hug. “Ooooo YA slyshal, chto missiya byla zakonchena, no ya ne slyshal, kak on poshel. Vy, rebyata vyigrat'?” The woman pulled back, looking both of them over to make sure that they didn’t have a scratch on them. It only seemed to be then that the woman registered that the two adults were there as well. She stood up straight, smiling at the both of them. “Hi, I’m Katya, Ilya’s mother. Where’s Acel?” She asked curiously, looking around to see the man nowhere in sight. For a second she frowned, but bounced right back into her mother mode, ushering everyone inside for some cookies. “Ilya, tell me all about the mission over cookies! You must be absolutely exhausted! And of course, you two are invited for cookies as well!” She said, excited that she had company, more than likely due to never having friendly company very often. Akio shuddered, it was an odd resemblance to his own mother, though this woman seemed significantly younger.
Either way, Akio followed the woman inside, unable to say no to cookies.
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B.A.I.T.R Standing: 181 Health: 1500/1500 Control Limit: 1452
Acupuncturist - Level 6 - Your blows hit pressure points, causing the foe to move slower and be less proficient with their attacks. When you deal damage, the foe suffers a -12 to their Strength stat for the rest of the fight
