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 Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:44 pm
Something clicks in the depths of Iri's mind. It doesn't come to the surface, though. It's like the thought is teasing her. She stows the connection away, remembering exactly what Syn had said. Nothing makes sense now, but she feels like it eventually will. For now, though, she shrugs it off.
"Ah well. People argue and fight. It's human nature. Er, well, the nature of living beings anyway." Iri's around humans enough that she often forgets she herself is of another race. "People often protect children from fighting. I wouldn't worry too much about it."
Iri looks up at the ceiling. She, too, is starting to feel sleepy. Not that she's physically tired. Her brain is just starting to slow down. Iri puts her legs up on the bed and lays down, kind of forming a semi-circle around Syn. One wing stretches out to form a blanket over the girl while the other slips off the bed and piles up on the ground along with her knee-length hair. She lays her head on her arm and nuzzles the appendage with her nose.
"Remind me sometime, I need to make lesson plans for the dojo," Iri mutters.
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:46 pm
"Mm"
Syn stays still, barely mumbling as she slips into sleep, not really paying attention to anything at all.
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Posted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 11:55 pm
Feeling the weight of her naginata in hand, Iri has the presence of mind to slip the weapon under the bed. After that, the woman gets comfortable and starts to drift off.
Before sleeps overtakes her, Iri has a thought. Each vision is around her, and includes her, but how can a child be evil? Surely it's not her. Maybe someone's doing something with her as a medium, but I can't see her being the kind of thing behind such visions.
And then, Iri falls into a light sleep.
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Posted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 8:54 pm
Iri would wake up to find Syn gone. There was a strange noise outside, in the hallway, and the lights had gone out. The sound of the turbines churning would cease suddenly with a deafening screech of metal-on-metal. A low, guttural growl crawled along the walls as a little girl's sobs, Syn's sobs, would echo just ahead of it.
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 5:43 pm
By nature, Iri is a light sleeper. And so, the first thing that seems out of place will wake her. Something does, though she can't place the noise. She thinks at first that it's a figment of her imagination. But then she notices the lack of lighting. She hadn't turned anything off, and she doubts Syn would have done so.
The horrible screeching of the stalled turbines make the woman jump out of bed with wild eyes. Then the strange growl, and a crying child. Just to make sure, Iri reaches down to touch her midsection. The crunch of paper reassures her that Tut's genjutsu tag is still in place. So this shouldn't be a mind trick, right?
Sage's kunai appears in her right hand and a tessen in the other. Iri moves to the door, stepping as quietly as a cat and listening for anything else of which she should be cautious. With the power out, the hallway is almost cave dark. Her eyes won't be able to adjust to this kind of darkness. There's a remedy for that, though.
A ball of swirling air forms in front of Iri's face. At the center is a ball of chakra, though not yet visible. Iri sends the ball out into the hallway and wills it to drift up toward the ceiling. Once it's in place, Iri takes a deep, quiet breath and wills the chakra to glow and feeds it more chakra so that it steadily grows brighter until it fills the hallway with a pale blue light. She's positioned so that she's barely within view of the hallway, still hiding in the dorm room, but ready to take action.
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 8:42 pm
As the hallway slowly lit, Iri could plainly see Syn backed against the corner, sitting down with her back against the wall, facing Iri's direction with her feet scratching at the floor, trying to push her farther away from whatever was on the other end of the hall. Before Iri could turn her head to see what Syn was trying to get away from, there was a loud, quick roar as a large, dark creature bolted past her with unimaginable speed. It quickly huddled around Syn and she screamed as the large, wolf-like creature snarled.
A blink.
The light emitted from the chakra was a dull purple now, almost like a blacklight. Syn was standing in the hallway alone, facing Iri with a wretched smile, her glossy black eyes reflecting the dim light back at her 'Big Sis'. She was about ten feet away, and staring Iri down, even though she was just barely leaning out in the hallway.
"Biig Siiis~ Be careful..."
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:08 pm
"Be careful of what, Syn?" Iri asks. Her voice is flat, revealing nothing. Her face is placid.
Violet eyes stare straight at the girl. Iri inches a little farther into the hallway, the better to see what's going on. Her spine stays parallel with the door frame. The kunai in her hand tilts a little to the shiniest portion of its surface, allowing Iri to covertly watch her back.
"I thought a friend had fixed my weakness to Genjutsu, but you or someone else is still playing such dirty tricks on me. How does that work, eh?"
Iri's mind is ticking away, filing every bit of the situation in a corner of her mind. The situation looks like Genjutsu to Iri. The blink between scenes is typical to the mind tricks. But something seems a little off. Why was Syn portrayed as the victim of an attack, and then appears as the black-eyed girl? Nothing like that has happened yet.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:07 pm
"Genjutsu. Genjutsu. Tricks. Tricks with your mind. Tricks with your head."
Another flash.
Syn was beside Iri, and slightly to the side. She pressed her cheek lovingly to the outside of Iri's thigh, her arms wrapped around her leg, holding it tightly. Her eyes were closed, but the same wicked smile was burned into her face.
"Tricks with your brain, no. Tricks with blood are much better. Tricks with your mind aren't tricks, then."
The turbines jumped into action again, slowly churning up to their nominal speed with a dull whine, the whining growing louder and louder as they sped up. It got to the point that the sound overcame even the machinery. It was quiet again, save the ringing. Even when Iri would try to speak, no words could be heard. Syn was speaking, but the only way she could notice would be to see that her lips were moving, and feel the vibrations on her leg.
It was as if she had been alone in a quiet room for hours, the ringing of your ears being the only sound, and in turn growing to a maddening volume.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:59 pm
Tricks with your brain, no. Tricks with blood are much better. Tricks with your mind aren't tricks, then.
The avian's chest rises and falls as she takes a deep breath and releases it. Keeping herself cool and collected is taking all she's got. This process is getting easier to deal with, though. In a way, she's almost getting used to it.
Iri lets Syn's words tumble in her head. As she does, she takes a page out of Tut's book and ignores the deafening noises. She splits her attention between Syn, the reflection in her kunai, and the strange girl's words. Something she once said comes to mind. If it really means anything at all, then things are making a little more sense. And Iri realizes why Tut's tag means nothing.
Were you telling the truth, Syn, when you spoke about being poisoned? Is that what you mean when you say, "Tricks with blood"?
Iri takes another deep breath and gives her head a shake. She's standing, yes, but the room isn't black light purple. There's no deafening whine. The only light source is that of her light blue ball of chakra and the basement's usual dim lighting. Nothing is going to convince her otherwise.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:26 pm
Iri's weapons grow searing hot in her hands, as does the genjutsu tag. The sound gradually give way to voices. Not Syn's, right off. They sound eerily familiar. Some like people she knew, some like her own family, and some unlike any she has heard before. They began to speak in turn.
"You didn't need to kill him..."
"I'm really having fun!"
"Sometimes it's necessary to..."
"I don't know where she came from"
"It's coursing through your veins. We need to let it bleed out."
"Have you ever wondered how exactly all this works? I've never been sure myself."
More and more voices join in as Iri's vision blurs, and these 'blinks' happen in rapid succession. In some,she's laying in the bed with Syn. In other, Syn is still cowered in the corner with the beast looming over. She's standing in front of Iri in the hallway. Iri is following a shadow through a fresh battlefield, covered in blood. All of these feel real, but they quickly start to blend together, just like the hundreds of voices.
"Sometimes, I pretend the black ones are lava, don't you? like to bring fresh flowers to your mo..."
"Why is this happening to me? I don't understand, what is this? I feel wonderful! It really worked, Doc!"
"People don't really like me most of the time. They say..."
"I wish I cou..."
One voice rang out louder than the meshed noise in the background. It sounds oddly familiar, and after a moment, Iri can place it as her own voice.
"Am... AmS I goiNg NMad? This sound. WHo arE these pEople? No! I'M no ̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑ ̒̓̔̕̚ ̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̕̚̕̚ ̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̚ ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠ ̌̍̎̏̿̿̿̚ ҉ ҉҉̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞ ̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑ t a lunaTic! Only true LUnatics think that they're҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇ ̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̿̿̿̕̚̕̚͡ ͡҉҉ ̵̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋ ̌̍̎̏̿̿̿̚ ҉ ҉҉̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞ ̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏ ̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓ ̔̕̚̕̚ ̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̔̕̚̕̚ ̠̊̋̌̍̎̏̚ ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠ crazy! Hah!.. oR is it the oTHEr waY?? I"m nOt
̚҉ ̌̍̎̏̿̿̿̚ ҉ ҉҉̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞ ̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑ ̒̓̔̕̚ ̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̕̚̕̚ ̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̚ ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠ ̌̍̎̏̿̿̿̚ ҉ ҉҉̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞ ̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑ ̒̓̔̕̚ ̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̕̚̕̚ ̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̚ ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠ ̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏ ̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓ ̔̕̚̕̚ sUre.̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̔̕̚̕̚ ̠̊̋̌̍̎̏̚ ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠ ̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏ ̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓ ̔̕̚̕̚ ̔̕̚̕̚҉ ҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇ ̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̿̿̿̕̚̕̚͡ ͡҉҉ ̵̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋ ̌̍̎̏̿̿̿̚ ҉ ҉҉̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞ ̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏ ̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓ ̔̕̚̕̚ ̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̔̕̚̕̚ ̠̊̋̌̍̎̏̚ ̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠ ̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠̊̋̌̍̎̏ ̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓ ̔̕̚̕̚ ̔̕̚̕̚҉ ҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇ ̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍ ̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̿̿̿̕̚̕̚͡ ͡҉҉ ̵̡̢̛̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋ ̌̍̎̏̿̿̿̚ ҉ ҉҉̡̢̡̢̛̛̖̗̘̙̜̝̞҉̵̞̟̠̖̗̘̙̜̝̞̟̠͇̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̊̋̌̍̎̏̐̑̒̓̔̿̿̿̕̚̕̚͡ ͡҉҉ "
The thought seems to short out in a muffled, electronic scream as all the other voices join in, creating a great cacophony, causing Iri's ears to burn as hot as her weapons are.
(Sorry if something shorts out and makes things hard to read, or if it's a little GMish/stale. I'm trying to get into it and convey the chaos as much as I can to bring it to a climax. X.x)
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:49 pm
(( No need to apologize. I'm causing problems of my own. Internet's been screwy lately. Can't hold a signal for anything, and what I can get is extremely slow. Bare with me? ^.^; ))
Iri doesn't let the weapons go or rip off Tut's tag. Instead, she grips the weapons harder than ever and ignores the pain as best as she can. If her hands really do burn, they can be healed. If she is scarred, she doesn't really care. The weapons, painful as they currently seem, become a sort of anchor to what she knows is reality.
The voices confuse her. Some of them seem to have meaning, but the others sound pointless. She concentrates on trying to extract information from the fragmented sentences. The visions she totally ignores, having seen them in one way or another already. What can they do, other than further tear at her? So, she totally blocks them out. She knows where she is and what her environment is like, so the visions don't matter, not matter how real they feel. Feeling her weapons in her hands helps her work past the visions as well.
Hearing her own voice in the mix isn't surprising. She's heard her own voice in one of these episodes before. But she can't feel her lips moving, so she knows it's not she who is speaking.
"You can't win," Iri says aloud. "You won't ruin me."
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 6:56 pm
As Iri spoke, she would feel that her lips didn't move either, even though she could hear the words. After, it would feel as if she hadn't spoken at all. When she came to realize this, she would awaken in the bed where she fell asleep, Syn wrapping her arms around her wing and snoring softly, sleeping peacefully. It was a dream. Her hands wouldn't hurt, but there would be a pale blue mark on her hands where the weapons were. Not a burn or a bruise, and barely noticeable, not having any pain behind it at all.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:22 pm
Iri slowly sits up in bed. Of course, the first thing she does is look at her hands. That's where the most discomfort had come from, after all. She gives her head that curious bird tilt upon discovering the bluish discoloration of her hands. Another mind trick, but this time she has a physical mark to show for it? How did the marks get there? She traces the marks with fingers, first on one hand and then the other. Then she closes her hands into fists. Iri looks down at the weapons on her belt. They're present. She pulls her shirt up a little and looks at the tag. Check. And Syn... Like nothing had ever happened. She looks back at her hands, staring at the blue marks.
The one wing gently pulls itself free from Syn's grip. Iri steps onto the floor, reaches under the bed, and produces her naginata. Violet eyes stare at the weapon, then at the sleeping girl. Could the solution be in killing Syn? But there's still the chance that Syn is an innocent pawn. And even if she isn't innocent, then Iri should make it her mission to understand the spell the girl has her under.
Quietly as possible, Iri leaves the room and hurries down the hall. The staircase barely makes a noise as Iri manages the steps. Then the avian is across the main room and out the door. She gently shuts the door and runs to a point about ten feet away from the entrance.
Powerful winds pick at Iri's clothes, play with her hair, and ruffle her feathers. She jams the butt of her naginata into the ground and grips it with both hands. She closes her eyes, takes a deep breath, and holds it for a while before letting it go. When she opens her eyes again, she looks up at the sky and begins to think.
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:31 pm
After a while, Syn crawled out of bed and looked around fir Iri. Shen she came to the front door of the dojo, she rubbed her eyes and called out to her.
"Biig Siiis~ Be careful..."
She took the hand from her tired eye and pointed at Iri's foot, which was on a purple plant, five leaves to each cluster.
"The poison..."
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Posted: Sun Jun 14, 2009 7:42 pm
"Biig Siiis~ Be careful..."
Iri thinks of Syn's words. The same way they had sounded in her dream, her nightmare. She doesn't look at the girl. Instead, she lets her forehead rest against the shaft of her naginata, well below the blade. She does look down at the plant below her foot. It's unfamiliar. That information also gets stored away.
"Syn?" Iri still isn't looking at her. She's staring down at the plant. "How does that plant poison people? I'm not eating it, and thorns and barbs can't get through my shoes, so how could it poison me? Have you ever been poisoned by it?"
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