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 Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 9:44 pm
Candace rubbed at her face, feeling hair that shouldn't be there. She frowned, tearing the mustache off one last time and throwing it on the ground. Her foot was put on top of it, turning it left and right a few times to crush the mustache within an inch of its life much like one would a cigarette. The humming got her attention, raising a brow and looking up again. What was he singing now? She didn't understand it. She tilted her head a little, craning her neck to try and hear better until a girl's voice called his name. Wha--oh. Madison. Okay. She crossed her arms and ran her tongue across the front of her teeth, keeping her lips tightly pursed closed and looking away a moment. She wasn't upset a girl looked excited to see him, and she wasn't bothered that Jerry was excited to see her either. Atropos chuckled in the back of Candace's mind. Cuuuuuuute. Candace narrowed her eyes. Shut up.
A look was given to Clarice and her captive now, frustration shifting to curiosity. It looked half dead. "At least we still have one. Even if he does look like he needs a few sandwiches...and a lot of beauty sleep. That's something, right?" Candace was trying to think positively. It was hard to do when she was coming to realize something big had happened while she laid pitifully unconscious, knocked out by a damn scream. Who was still unconscious? Ariane and Petra were the first two she saw. Oh dear. Why weren't they coming around like the rest of them? "Maybe she just..needs a little help, Robert?" Candace wasn't sure how though. Smelling salts? Water to the face? A bit of gentle smacking to get her adrenaline pumping enough to awaken? Something had to work.
Candace shifted from foot to foot, discomfort taking over. She didn't like this. Being uncomfortable. It was not a welcome feeling, She swallowed hard and looked Harrison's way, giving a shrug at his question. "I honestly have no idea...I'm sorry, Thirteen." Candace actually sounded as sorry as she felt for once, rubbing the back of her neck with frustrated sigh before just letting her hand drop to her side. "I'm not sure we want to know anyway, with Caelius, Dr. H and Clarice so upset." Things she didn't know, things she couldn't do, things she was failing at. Candace was doing so poorly, how could she live with this? She lifted a hand to her mouth to bite down on the end of one of her thumbs, not caring that it was covered with a white glove, and gravitated closer to Jerry. He always looked happy when she was around...she needed that right now.
She draped her arms over his shoulders from behind, nudging his head with her temple and leaning into the man with a small pout until she was settled against him. Once she was comfortable she turned a curious look up to Jordan and Madison. "So we lost all of the captives, huh? I don't remember anything before Clarice so kindly kicked me awake." Yes. Kindly. What an angel she was...not. Her side still ached from being kicked so sharply. She pouted. "That's fine. We'll just go get more. Right, Jerr-bear?" She lifted her head to look back at Harrison again, forcing a grin. "Right, Harrison?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 9:49 pm
Petra didn't even flinch at Clarice's initial rain of blows, her body rocking a bit but otherwise remaining unmoved where she had been pressed up against Robert. Even his bellowed curses at the woman's pinch hadn't garnered a reaction, nor as time passed and the others began to rise and chat did she move. While the rest of Phoenix awoke and caught up on the events that had transpired, the moon hunter in training stayed asleep, completely oblivious to the fact that the battle had even ended. Even after Jordan awoke, the last of the unconscious Phoenixes to do so, it was a good few more minutes before voices started to filter into her muffled conscious, still a little distorted from the scream.
You should wake up now. Your beau is calling, and I'm afraid he might shake your brain loose if you don't answer soon.
Sliding her eyes open groggily, Petra stared a little dully up at her fiance, blue eyes a little glazed over as she started to focus and reorient herself, straining her neck to lift her head and try to look around. "What's wrong...? Where's my mace..." she answered in a groggy tone, sliding her hand around in a slow arc, trying to find her weapon. When she couldn't find it within the first few seconds, her eyes went back to Robert, eyebrows furrowed a little as if confused, flicking a moment later around to Jordan, Madison and Ennea. None of them seemed too concerned, and it was clear it was confusing her further, her mind still focused on the fight.
"Is someone hurt? I'll fend them off, get the bandages..!"
Trying to roll onto her side, Petra stopped halfway in the middle of standing up, visibly surprised to see Jerry standing nearby as well. It was at that point that she really started to take a look around, her eyes swiveling slowly to eye the other teams, all of which seemed to be taking care of their wounded. And since none of the others seemed too focused on wounds... that meant...
Looking down at her scorched hand, she sighed, her voice deadening considerably, as if put ********>
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:13 pm
"Clarissa." Caelius's clipped voice showed no signs of humour. "While I appreciate your concern for the trainees, I believe that is not your job currently?"
It was as much a dismissal as he could muster at this point, the Death Hunter not even bothering for Dr. H's 'assistant' to leave before addressing the motley group of trainees. There was nothing friendly about his expression, or that he continued to pace back and forth. Silence as he continued pacing.
"What." The first word he uttered did nothing to relieve the tension. "Did you think you were here for?" Granted, some of it might - and most likely was - misplaced aggression, the way that Caelius continued to pace, the way that he squeezed his hands into fists so hard that they were still trembling, and most of all, how in-eloquent in speech he had just gotten made the Hunter trainees stop and think twice. Was there a gravity to the situation that they had just missed out? What could have possibly more important than a full-on battle for their lives?
"Weak, every one of you. Pathetic. Disorganized." More pacing as he spat out each word. "Do you know what makes us weaker - when we fail to work properly together - WHEN CREATURES LIKE THE SOUL HARVESTER EXIST TO PRETTY MUCH DISTORT REALITY ITSELF. ******** a second, it seemed like the Death Hunter had lost all restraint, ready to eliminate the trainees himself. It was hundreds of times worse than being scolded before: this was a direct insult to their competence and even their lives. What did Caelius expect them to be, considering they did everything they could have?
An awkward silence ensued as he finally stopped and simply stood there.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:29 pm
Gale did not want to face their instructor. Having already seen Caelius in the worst of moods - or so he'd thought - he had no desire to be around the death hunter while he was in such a state.
There was no getting around it, no running away. The tension in the air was so thick it could have been cut by one of Harrison's swords, and Gale himself flinched slightly. He almost took a step backwards, but only the bare threads of what was left of his pride prevented him from doing just that. So instead he stood there, frozen in place, his face a mask of complete impassiveness, giving nothing away.
Caelius' voice rose, and with it the tension. Every fiber of the air seemed electrified, each word spat out with such intense loathing that it was like being struck with the hunter' scythe.
Gale did not dare to look at Bix, or even Davey, who he was still a bit concerned over. He kept his gaze focused intensely on Caelius, pacing back and forth like an angry tiger in front of them all, waiting for the inevitable end of his speech.
<< This is not good. >> Jinhai said, his voice barely above a whisper.
So I see.
It stung - Gale resisted the urge to spit back a retort. He'd done everything he could, hadn't he? He'd worked his bloody arse off, shot the creatures, captured a creature - and he hadn't been completely knocked off his rocker by the Soul Harvester, unlike some of the other hunters. His pride, which was already hanging by a sliver, frayed just a little bit more with each word, each insult.
Finally Caelius grew silent, apparently having run out of steam. A heavy silence fell, only broken when Gale stepped forward.
"What do you want from us?"
He did not know what his question would get him; perhaps a slap in the face, another insult. But the question had been burning in his mind since the start of their "mission," and regardless of the fact that he might get backhanded for it, Gale had asked it anyway, preparing himself for the worst.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:41 pm
Caelius' arrival would normally have excited Candace. The sight of that man's scythe would normally have brought great joy, and made her crave it and want to hold it and just touch it even if it wasn't summoned, as it wasn't now. But this time she actually held Jerry tighter, eyes widened in fear instead of excitement. Oh, s**t. He was really pissed. You're boned. You're? You mean we're.
Candace let go of Jerry to stand on her own, opening her mouth to speak until Caelius raised his voice. She actually squeaked, her mouth clamping shut and her heart skipping a beat.
"Weak, every one of you. Pathetic. Disorganized."
He...he was right. She was pathetic. She was weak. She'd failed. Candace's mouth opened again, and closed. Open, closed. Open. Closed. Her fists clenched tightly and she swallowed hard. "They caught us by surprise!" How the ******** were they supposed to know this would happen?! They knew the captives would be noticed, but the 'Soul Harvester'? They had no idea that thing even existed. "We were unprepared and caught off guard!" Her fists clenched tighter and tighter, straining against the white princess gloves.
"It won't happen again, sir." She was shaking, partly from anger but mostly with fear. He was so mad. So angry. That scythe of his...they'd failed him! Was he going to dispose of them? Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. No. Nononono. She couldn't let that happen. She refused.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:42 pm
Jude was waiting for his teammates to rejoin him as he stood in one place not really caring to scurry at the moment and besides it seemed everyone was either being awakened by someone or waking up on their own far be it for him to piss on the wheels of progress or get in the way of someone's best friend for life trying to wake up their buddy.
The quiet seemed to be the eye of the storm even Yom seemed to tremor when suddenly the Instructor spoke and began to verbally abuse them. Suddenly he felt that his ego was stripped away and he was nothing.
He was scum. He should have done better.
Jude's shoulders slumped a bit though his face remained neutral. He almost wished that the instructor ended his life or at least struck him for his incompetence now.
The young man shifted uncomfortably and tried to avoid even looking at Caelius and instead focused on re-gathering his group. Jude had no questions just a mission.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:47 pm
Madison had enough time to shoot Petra a relieved smile before Caelius arrived; as the Death Hunter began to speak she shrank back, not looking away but definitely not putting herself forward. She bit her lip at his words. Given that she'd hit the battlefield and then collapsed, she didn't feel she had the right to raise any objections, even if she'd been brave - or stupid - enough to do so. And it was intensely bullshit that that Soul Harvester thingie had done whatever it had done (she wasn't clear on the specifics, but it definitely sounded like cheating).
So when Gale spoke up, Madison's jaw dropped and she stared at him momentarily before swallowing and taking a step back. Their foes were not to be taken lightly, at all, and this whole debacle had proved that. If they'd gotten swelled heads from how easily they'd chewed through the Halloween kids they'd faced in the house, this had probably smacked them back to reality once more.
"I know we're what you said, sir - you're right. We... we failed. It won't happen again. We won't let it," Madison said, glancing at Candace and echoing her words. The older Hunter might be kind of a b***h at times, but she knew her stuff. "We'll bring back what got lost."
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:48 pm
That was the problem with heartfelt reunions. They kind of made you a bit vulnerable to attack at unfortunate times. Clarice didn't bother trying to make excuses with the Death Hunter, or even give him a sir, yes sir. She just got up, summoned her sword into a large metal cuff, and tugged the demon along after as she proceeded to put as much distance between herself and Caelius as possible. She whispered quickly, "Come on, come on. The whole not going to kill you thing? My bad. Because he just might."
The tent was...the lab tent was probably still a bad idea. So she went over to a stack of large crates and began carefully searching for something. "Just keep a low profile until he zeroes in on some other poor bastards."
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 10:56 pm
Ariane had twitched at the prodding, and then without warning, attempted to punch the person closest to her as she sat up - it was sort of a reflex since the last thing she remembered before passing out included the hunter hide out being invaded by tons of creatures...
<Hey ghouly, chill...>
"Ugh, sorry about that... What happened?" She muttered at Bix before frowning at the sound of Caelius voice; it seemed like they had lost this battle, and that... That glowing creature that had been trapped was nowhere to be seen - she could only assume that she had escaped, along with the rest of those disgusting creatures. Ugh. They allowed them to escape!
"s**t," She felt like a giant failure, but she wasn't about to sit around and mope like some emo turtle. Pulling herself off the ground, she dusted herself down, her lips set in a thin line as she walked over to where some of the trainees together with Caelius were, "Awaiting further instructions, sir."
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:02 pm
Harrison hadn't been in charge of building whatever it was that kept the Soul Harvester trapped. They were disorganized, sure. But in operations like this you had to have a guy in charge giving you directions, telling the unit to move where. Formations, signals, they hadn't taught them any of that s**t. They didn't even have hand-radios.
His expression was nervous and respectful, though. He didn't want any trouble. The extent of his vocabulary with superiors boiled down to answering direct questions, and Yes sir, no sir. He kept his mouth shut.
--
Barth, paling, nodded once and let himself be tugged. He remembered the human with the scythe, and stayed low and kept his movements reserved. Clarice busied herself in some crates.
"What err, what are you looking for?" he whispered.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:04 pm
Davey had just finished bandaging himself up and making his way over to Bix when Caelius reappeared. He stood at attention while their CO raged. Davey didn't disagree with anything that Caelius had to say - even knowing, logically, that part of Caelius' anger was directed at himself and not just the trainees. They could have done better, though. They should have done better.
In his mind, Davey could feel Azrael stirring, a cold sharpness heralding the arrival of his biting tongue.
'Don't,' Davey told him.
Nothing anyone said was going to alleviate Caelius' wrath. There were no excuses, and Davey wouldn't bother to offer any. He couldn't handle Azrael bitching while Davey stood and weathered the storm, though.
It was probably a good thing that Azrael was still tired from defending against the Soul Harvester's mental attacks. It meant that he subsided easily enough. Davey wouldn't get used to it, though.
He was glad he'd already dealt with his wounds. Standing and waiting for Caelius to give an order would have been hell if Davey had still been about to collapse. But he was feeling more like his usual self, so he could stand and wait. It wouldn't be the first time he'd been stuck at attention while a CO chewed everyone out and let them sweat before giving orders or dismissing them.
Caelius was more dangerous than anyone Davey had served under before, of course. The man looked like he was debating killing them all where they stood. Davey still didn't see any use in arguing - either Caelius would give them another mission, another chance, or he wouldn't. It wasn't as if they would stand a chance if the Death Hunter did decide to turn on them.
Davey shot Gale a warning look when the younger Brit stepped forward and spoke up. Hopefully nothing bad would come from speaking out of turn. At least Gale hadn't offered excuses like some of the others who spoke up after him.
He turned solemn eyes back to Caelius. This was the man who'd lead Davey through the Hunter trials. Davey had killed himself on Caelius' orders. It was entirely possible that he'd do it again, even knowing (or thinking he knew) that this wasn't a virtual reality game. All Davey could do was wait for an order.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:16 pm
The assistant paused and gave the creature a crooked sort of smile, "Something I've been working on," she answered a bit vaguely before turning back to the crates. "It's smaller, and should be marked with all sorts of hazard symbols and warnings. Things have just gotten sticky, and those teams will be going back in pretty soon. Best way to deal with sticky? Traps and explosives."
This was less a working theory and more her own personal motto.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:35 pm
"...Were the lasers near the beginning of the yard your work? Very interesting, I thought. Didn't zap each other, which takes some setting up."
Not that he wanted to help explode anyone he knew. Barth slowly, politely, and inefficiently searched the crates.
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:42 pm
"Gale." It sounded like Caelius was lining the Hunter trainee up for execution, however, his voice seemed unnaturally reserved, considering the last outburst. "It is not up to negotiation what I would want from you."
A sneer, and suddenly, Gale found himself at the receiving end of the Hunter Instructor's scythe, the sharpened point dangerously close, pressing against the skin of his neck. "If I wanted you gone that would only make one of us the winner." Caelius leaned in dangerously close, putting one hand on the top handle of his scythe weapon, giving it just a small push, the slightest bit more of pressure. A small line of blood trickled down from the trainee's neck. "I hope I am making this point very clear to you and everyone else."
If it wasn't established already - perhaps the Hunter trainees had gotten too used to a Caelius that only spoke but never delivered - they were suddenly very aware that this was the same man who easily committed everyone to their own deaths through the means of vicious games. The Death Hunter's hand never left the handle of the scythe as he looked at the trainees one by one, his hand tensed-
- and he dropped his arm, letting the weapon desummon itself as he once again began pacing, circling the trainees, seemingly with a change of heart. "The Soul Harvester can also be considered a weapon of mass destruction." Caelius spoke matter-of-factly as he brushed his weapon hand against his slightly charred jacket. "It's sole existence has the ability to distort space, which is how our supposedly secure camp was invaded. However, it only has the ability to move a certain amount of objects at once: our numbers should have outweighed this capability. Oddly enough, we are short not only a creature that could now return and kill us with a single look thanks to all our equipment being down, but also a large amount of prisoners."
The Death Hunter stopped again. "So, perhaps putting you out of your misery now is the most generous gift I could give to you. Or have you not learned your lesson yet?"
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Posted: Sat Oct 22, 2011 11:49 pm
"Oh, I just assisted with those," she replied modestly. "The doctor has a real fondness for lasers, you know. If we had sharks, I have no doubt he would find a way to efficiently attach lasers to their heads and...ah!" There it was, a flat metal box being used as an oversize coaster for someone's thermos. "Those motherfu-"
The vicious, whispered expletives that followed were very sincere and involved actions physically implausible for the human body.
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