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 Posted: Sat May 16, 2015 9:43 am
It had been a week since Ate had met Haumea, her heart still beat a little faster when ever she thought upon that night. She could still remember the cold rain on her skin as she approached him and finally the heat rushing to her limbs as they spoke and shared what only two people who were truly dedicated to Metalia could do. She had made him agree to meet her at the cemetery, the largest in Destiny City, the graves growing like unhealthy flowers from the ground they surround her as she made her way though the tombstones. There was only one person she could speak to and she wasnt even a person. She was Lyssa. Hardly a guardian cat by the standards she had already seen, insane, crazy. Those words paled in comparison at explaining what Lyssa was truly like. She was fractured and broken but she perfectly at ease with what and who she was. She was just how nature had intended even though she was the most unnatural thing in this world. She didnt belong here and neither was unwelcome. It was something Ate had pondered on. First though anger, with her rages and the fire that burnt within her. But Lyssa had, in some way, helped her over come this. Sure she was still as blood thirsty and prone to rage as she was when she was first corrupted but Lyssa had shown her how to direct this and it was all towards Metalia. The cat may have no sense but she was certainly convincing when it came to the goddess.
And that was why Ate found herself in this empty place. All the good god fearing people had stopped visiting hours ago. The crematory gates had been locked and secure and the groundskeeper were happily tucked away in their beds leaving this place deserted. Sure Ate may stumble across a group of teenagers trying to scare themselves silly with a night in the graveyard but Ate was positive she could give them something much more real to keep them awake at night. That aside she was here for a purpose. Lyssa wasnt the easiest to track down, the cat didnt live with her, or anywhere really. She came and went as she pleased. Yet she was sure that if she was to be found anywhere it would be here. Where she could dig to her hearts content and keep her...friends company.
Breaking though another long line of fresh new gravestones Ate stepped into the older part of the cemetery. Here where grand tomes were dedicated to loved lost ones, where weeping angles cried over humanity's loses and memorials stood broken and crumbling with the passing of time. It was here that Lyssa would be found.
*~*
And so she would be. Here in the oldest part of her adopted home, where her best friends lay forever, she would spend her nights caring for each and everyone of them. Bringing gifts and news of the outside world while they waited for her to arrive night after night. They rarely spoke, being as shy as they were. But she could often coax out a little word here or there, especially when they heard of a new neighbor arriving. They were always keen to hear about that and give out the best advice on how to welcome them to their ever growing family.
"HmMmm...I DonT ThinK thaT will do, the daffOdils are TOO preSumPtuous this Time oF yEaR, theY thinK themSElves biGGer than thEy truLy are, wheN thEy only EvEr see ThrOUgh veiLs of reD..."
The Somali flicked her ears listening to the flood of words coming from beneath her paws. She twitched slightly, tail curling and uncurling around her as she sat upon the grey tome of some unknown person, the name long ago worn away by time and weather. She knew them though. She knew what they liked and disliked. How they liked their tea, two sugars no milk, how they preferred the sun to rise over the hilltop, not too fast and with a slight bend. She knew this one down to their bones, only 137 left now, and yet they would argue with her over the simplest of things. She waited until the complaint had ceased before nodding sagely, her eyes blinking too many times to be healthy.
"Yes...YEs. Gladioli wouLd be MorE seeMiNg in THis weaTHer, they Are fAR more CourtEOus. I boW to Your WisdOM oncE agaIN oLd FrienD." She then stretched out, as if to bow low to the stone under foot before shaking her back legs in an effort to crack every bone and tendon from its stiff place. Her purring started then. High pitched and erratic, no constant sound but a mixture of stops and starts, like an engine about to die. She sniffed the air and again nodded to no one inparticular.
"I KnEW yOU woULd be HEre. YouR FooTSteps nEVER lie aNd yet." She stopped speaking and sniffed again, her head favoring one side as she watch Ate emerge from behind a statue of the Mother Mary. "YoU aRE heavY wiTH QuestionS? I DidnT thiNK one SO younG could be so AwarE..." She didn't look at Ate but instead looked off in another direction as if waiting for some one else to appear.
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Posted: Sat Jun 13, 2015 10:25 am
Cursing himself for feeling late to this most important of meetings, Haumea didn't bother for much in the way of sight-seeing as he hurried through the cemetary. How Eris managed to take up so much of his time was beyond his ability to discover. Oh well, she was a problem for another time.
Once in a while a strange feeling of familiarity would strike along with the briefest of visions. A massive war hammer swinging down on him. A pale and glowing Knight. Ah, but that had been a different cemetary. Hadn't it?
Giving his dread-locked head an irritable shake, the corrupt senshi forced the uncomfortable thoughts from his head. All that mattered right now was finding Ate and putting their plans into motion.
And as if summoned by his thoughts, there she stood. Smiling, he slowed his pace until he came to a stop a few feet away. A quick glance showed him a small, reddish feline and he hazarded a guess that this was the Lyssa that Ate had said could help them. Closing the distance slowly, Haumea raised a hand in greeting to Ate and gave the strange cat a short, but graceful bow. Something about the cat's posture sent prickles up his spine.
Though he'd been slightly dubious at how much help a cat could give, he felt those doubts begin to fade. Surely between the three of them, they could puzzle out the problem?
"Apologies for being late, my ladies," he said softly, daring to reach out a hand and gently brush it against Ate's. "I'm afraid my new houseguest took longer to settle than I'd anticipated."
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Posted: Sun Jun 28, 2015 7:53 am
Ate's eyes widened at Lyssa's comment before she saw Haumea coming around one of the tombs, her words now making sense as she smiled brightly at the other Corrupts presence. She usually choose to ignore Lyssa's blabbering but sometimes she made sense. Like with Haumea, the cat was right to see something special about him, just like she had.
She shook her head at his words as she approached him. Her hand making a cutting motion through the air. "Think nothing off it, its good that you came at all." She stopped before him,dancing between giving him a hug of welcome or a formal handshake and instead slapping the top of his arm in a friendly gesture, the smile not leaving her lips. " I didnt know if you would have changed your mind after our last meeting. It was...a little much to take in, asking to give up your whole human life for something greater. I assume by being here you have made the right choice?" Her eyebrows rose slightly, the challenge in her voice only minor as she could see he had made his decision just by being here. The right decision.
She awaited for his answer before nodding her head in the direction of Lyssa, the cat was staring up at the stars mumbling about taxes as Ate motioned for him to follow.
"This is Lyssa. She is insane, and I mean that in all of the "tin foil hat wearing, aliens ate my cow" sort of way, but... she is also the closet thing I have had to a guide of the Rift, and she has never lead my astray. For all her insanity she is connected with the Rift on a...very deep level. I think that's why she is so messed up."
It was strange that Ate was blaming the Rift and ergo the chaos that ran rampant down there as the cause of Lyssa's insanity. But this was neither a worry or concern to Ate and neither did she see it as a bad thing. Ate had only recently seen that Lyssa's madness was not a hindrance but an awakening. Chaos had caused her mind to evolve. Her brain worked on a different, more enlightened plane of thought to all others, a plane Ate hope to achieve by becoming ascended but one she would never understand as a mortal.
"But you can speak to her, and ask her questions. Just know it may take time to figure out what she means, but when you do, she is usually right, she is the best we have to get answers about how to become like Alkaid." She whispered as she looked over at her Guardian cat and sighed heavily, her hands coming up to rub at her temples.
Lyssa had decided to start licking the air in front of her furiously while humming the theme tune to Titanic. It was going to be a long night.
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Posted: Tue Jul 07, 2015 4:53 am
If Haumea was in any way dismayed by the revelation that their guide in this endeavor was completely bugshit, he was polite enough to not let it show. Instead, he focused on Ate and smiled.
"No, my mind hasn't changed. Completely cutting ties is just something that is going to take me a little since I don't want to raise any red flags that might send people out hunting for me. I promised you, Ate. And I keep my word."
Following along amiably, he wondered how the cat had even survived in the Rift. Crazy or not, from what he knew, every monster down there should have seen her as a mere snack. The fact that she'd gone down there and survived did more to bolster his faith in her than the idea that her madness gave her greater insight.
"I wouldn't even know what questions to ask right now," he admitted sheepishly. "Though... would she be able to lead us through the Rift? I've always been told not to venture in alone, that the youma will not suffer a senshi's presence, corrupted or not."
He noticed the cat's air-licking antics and managed to keep himself from sighing. Instead, he paused and knelt before the cat, watching her carefully. With a glance of apology at Ate for his bluntness, he turned tangerine eyes back to Lyssa.
"Lyssa," he began in a soft, almost gentle voice. "Can you lead us through the Rift? I never saw you in my dreams, but Ate tells me to trust you. And from my dreams, I know I can trust her."
He fell silent and hoped that the cat might be able to provide a starting point. After all, Ate had said that he was allowed to ask questions.
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Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 12:04 pm
Ate couldn't blame Haumea's hesitation in asking a question. How do you even phase such a thing? How do you even begin to say what you need answered, when the question itself is based on something that may not even exist? There was no right or wrong way to go about it, all they had to do was ask and see what would happen. If Metalia truly wanted this from them, for her and Haumea to become her true soldiers in both body and mind, she would help them, she would find a way.
"She can go in alone" Ate muttered as she thought on the pink corrupts question, her last visit in the Rift neither pleasant or fruitful - unless you call releasing hundreds of trapped, uncontrollable Youma as a win. Shaking her head to dismiss that train of thought she watched Haumea approach Lyssa, her eyes watching them both with interest. "We on the other hand would need someone to escort us though the Hall of Shadows first. Once in we can dismiss them and together we should be able to fend off any rogue Youma we find, allowing us to find what we seek."
It was strange speaking so confidently about finding something she didn't even know was real. Because she had to believe the answer was there. The Rift was a mystery to even those that had lived within its walls, it had to hold this secret as well. To think of the alternative, to not find anything - no - she wouldn't even humor the idea. To never gain that connection to Metalia that she, they, had glimpsed at, would be a joke crueler than death.
And even Lyssa would have to agree with that.
*~*
Lyssa had watched the young corrupt approach her with air of doubtfulness. She saw it falling off him in waves, crashing upon the ground and spraying droplets all around them. She watched as each one in turn transformed into a translucent butterfly that swam away between the gravestones. She smiled as they fluttered, watching their grey wings fighting against the wind and very quickly losing the battle. Their tiny bodies were dashed along the masonry work of the tomes surrounding them until all she could see was grey death...
And this Senshi before her.
She could tell just by the way she could see his emotions and thoughts falling so vividly from him that this human had seen things. He had experienced things that no mortal could grasp. Just like Ate. Just like those dreams had gifted upon them all. He had glimpsed something only few had seen Metalia bestow upon them. Her benevolence. Something only those who earned it could witness. Her power. And something far fewer had ever had the chance to claim for their own. Her ultimate blessing.
She could see it as a mark upon his soul. He had seen it, lived it, experienced it. And right now she could tell he wanted it back.
"AsCentIOn..." She whispered it slowly, quietly. Too softly to hear as the wind howled all around them. Yet she knew that was what they were both looking for, even if they hadn't told her, for she too had seen it in their futures.
"YeS inKEd one." She uttered, baring her teeth in what she assumed was a bright smile. "I caN leAD you inTo THE rIFT but...iT doeS not LOok poliEtly oN YouR kind. EveN though it CaN not LOok, but it heARs and SmElls and YOu Sound JUSt Like the Ones who BRoke it. You SMelL like the ONE who STarTED it All...."
It was difficult for her to explain how the Rift felt, how it whimpered and cried and screamed to those that entered it hallowed halls. Senshi were not welcome, not by a long shot. There had only ever been one from this time that could do so without the fear of being taken by its vengeance. But even she was gone.
"YOu WiLL WaLK on maNy STeep HilLs IF you ENter there, evEn WheN THe Floor IS verY flaT and NOT nicE to Sleep On, RoCKs are eveRywhere..."
She mouthed a few more words without making any sound, her head shaking after each movement before she began nodding seriously. She wouldn't see her wards being rejected this time. She would do it for them. She would lead them through if they wanted to prove themselves. To be accepted. "BuT it Can be dONe....TEll Me...whAT do YOU thINK you WILL find froM my friends On the OTHer side?"
She wanted to hear it from him. From them both. She wanted to know how serious they were even if she couldnt put it into words.
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Posted: Thu Jul 09, 2015 4:23 am
Nodding to show he'd heard Ate's words, Haumea kept all of his attention fixed on the small cat. He had no doubt that the other corrupt was correct is her assessment of their chances once in the Rift. After all, she'd had more time to think about this than he had.
Smiling a little at the title Lyssa gave him, Haumea nodded, wondering for a breif second if she meant they smelled like those who'd first damaged the rift or like Alkaid. After all, she was currently the first and only Ascended. The one who had started it. It was an interesting mental puzzle, but not one he'd trouble the cat with. At least not now.
His smile turned to a thoughtful frown. Steep hills and rocks sounded like a convoluted way of telling them it wouldn't be an easy journey. Nothing new there. But when she said it could be done... Haumea's face lit with an almost religious fervor and he glanced to Ate, wondering if she'd just felt the same quickening of spirit as him.
Yet there was Lyssa's question still to answer. And he suspected that a great deal rested on what he and Ate would say. Therefore, it required careful thought.
"Atonement," he began slowly, feeling out the words and knowing, deep inside his heart that this was what he needed to say. "Atonement for my sins in the wars of the past and present before I was saved by the Dark Kingdom. It's not enough for me to merely exist as a Corrupt senshi of the Dark Kingdom. It doesn't make up for enough. Yes. Atonement and after, the grace of Metallia."
He knew it would be dangerous. It was entirely possible that he would die and never see those dreams become reality. But the chance to make them happen. To feel that blessed connectedness to Metallia and to his fellow Ascendeds...
That was worth everything.
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Posted: Sat Jul 11, 2015 9:20 am
The world stilled for his answer. Even the echoing chatter from beneath her paws drew an audible gasp as they listened in. The trees stopped their rustling and the traffic that was so close to them fell away into an uneasy silence. All Waiting, waiting to see what he would say. It was all she could do not bite her paws in anticipation. And then he spoke.
"Atonement"
And with a collective sigh the world came rushing back into the graveyard.
"AtonEMeNT...YeS, yes. THe SHAdOWS...I ThiNK tHEy WIll aCCepT THAt, ThE GoddESS wOUld FinD It A WortHY Goal. WeLL done InkED one."
She began to purr, the sound coming from deep within her chest as she looked up at him with a smile. He was so smart, so intuitive. He should do well in the trials that would face him, the pain he would endure on this mission. She could only hope that Metalia saw that in him too. For she could reward just a quickly as she could punish and even though Lyssa hoped that would never be the case, it was not her place to speak out against the Goddess actions, for she was everything and they were nothing.
With a start Lyssa suddenly remember Ate, her eyes blinking rapidly as she turned her head to stare at the raven haired Corrupt, her purring stopping as she considered her ward.
"And WHat do YOU brinG to The PinIC DirE Maiden?"
Ate stilled for a second before pulling her intense gaze away from Haumea and landing it on Lyssa. Ignoring the pet name Lyssa used for her she pushed herself away from the gravestone and walked towards them both. Her high heels kicking up leaves and pebbles as she moved to stand beside Haeumea, a small smile just for him as she began to explain her own motives.
"What do i bring?" She mused, her eyes looking up to the dark sky before releasing a slow breath and quietly formed the words together.
"I can not...I do not seek atonement. I will not try to gain redemption for the actions caused by those who shared my ancestry. They chose there path as I choose mine. There mistakes are not mine to rectify and the scars left, I will wear around my neck for all time..."
She stopped, she didn't mean for it to sound like she didn't care. Glancing at Haumea she thought of how perfect his answer was. To accept the burden of the past and carry it squarely on his shoulders, to forever try to redeem himself in the eyes of Metalia for the crimes committed by their people. It was beautifully self sacrificing. And Ate could not do that. Didnt know how. She could only be what she was, and at the heart of it she was a warrior.
"But I will be her weapon, her steel against those that oppose her. I fight for her now with every fiber, every inch of my being, my soul, but I will give so much more. I am hers to take and shape to fit her will. I renounce all my ties with this mortal world, its people, the past and in doing so I will become her fury, her vengeance. I will do anything she wishes, I will be the tool of the Goddess will."
"EvEn if her wiLL was TO deStrOy you?"
"Yes!" She screamed her hand clenching together so tightly that the whites of her knuckles pressed against the surface. "If she so choose that then I will gladly accept it! But I know, she will choose to use me instead." She thought of all the things she had done, the inhuman acts that should keep her awake at night but instead fueled her for the next task. She wasn't philosophical, she couldn't grasp the deeper meaning of things but she could fight, she could lead and she worshiped Metalia above all else. She would do anything for her. She would watch worlds burn if it pleased her if only for a second.
"I will be her weapon in this world and all others, for all time."
Her breathing came out in ragged breaths as she stopped her rant, her palms painful where she had dug crescent shaped wounds into her hands. What else could she say? The need to be closer to Metalia was like a physical pain, like a hole that never healed, it was always there. And she feared, her greatest fear, was that she was too weak to serve her. That she would be rejected by Metalia. To never be allowed to bask in her glory, that she was worthless to her Goddess. It was a fate worse than any death.
There was a moments silence before Lyssa began to speak, her tone somber.
"YouR worDS do noT sing as SoftLY as THe INked ONe, THEre aRe MaNY that WoulD LaY theiR Life dOwn for The GoddESs aND yEt yOU feEL That Is EnougH?" Lyssa was generally curious. She knew how much Ate wanted this, could feel it radiating off her like a burning heat. But the Mistress was a fickle being and Lyssa did not know if Ate would be accept on that admission alone.
Ate looked pained for a second, as if finally receiving the blow she had expected from the start, but she regained her composure just as quickly.
"It has to be and she will know that. I gave up my humanity long ago for her and she will see what I can do, what I can bring...and if it isn't I will give her more."
Though slitted eyes Lyssa watched Ate for a second longer before nodding, her eyes closing and letting out a long sigh.
"WE wiLL sEE Maiden, we wilL sEE." Standing back up from her sitting position she moved closer to the two corrupted Senshi her eyes glowing in the dark. "We MusT SerCH thE RifT. WE wiLL finD Your DesirE wiTHin itS heARt but WE shOULd stART as SOOn as Possible. FoR The RIft WishES to Keep Its ManY SecreTS"DaisyMilk sorrynotsorry for massive post
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Posted: Sat Jul 18, 2015 12:29 pm
He could feel Lyssa and Ate's approval of his answer and he basked in the feeling for a moment, still crouching before the cat. As he listened to Lyssa question the other corrupt, he found himself not entirely sure of what was happening. He thought Ate's answer were perfectly reasonable and fine. But clearly, it wasn't his opinion that mattered here.
Still.
"Such passion is valuable," he murmured, remembering the dream future. Remembering those officers who had sneered down at them, at Metallia. "Particularly when not all of Her servants share it. Those who doubt Her will in any way should be made to learn better."
Shaking his head as if to clear it of the visions, he made himself focus on the cat.
"There may be many who would give their lives willingly to Metallia, Lyssa, but in my time within the Dark Kingdom, I've only met two who would fit that description. Ate... and Alkaid. The rest play with words and think that simply murdering helpless, sparkly children is enough. To them, Metallia is less a Goddess and more a figurehead. Something to mouth platitudes at. Let us teach them better. Lead us into the Rift. Please."
He wasn't sure where exactly his words were coming from. Partly the dreams, partly his own disgust with some of the officers he'd seen who were little more than spoiled kids playing at being bad-asses. He wanted to see and feel Metallia rise. In the future, she had been and was his mother.
And everyone knew that every good boy just wanted to see Mother happy.
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Posted: Sun Jul 26, 2015 11:48 am
Lyssa didn't answer at first, her mind racing over the words that the boy had said, tried to grasp the subtle meanings under the vowels and though the T's and came back with a grin. He was already trying to help Ate, and they would need that, both would need to support the other and grow together if they were to succeed. For their chance of that was nothing even to begin with.
"Yes, he wIlL do weLl. Maybe toO well? No, Well ENough. Ahh I see YOur MeaninG. Of courSE you Do. Well Done Again INKed one. HelP hER to GROW and Maybe HER SacrIFICE will be Enough..."
Ate's whole body had tensed at Lyssa's remark. She needed help? Would need help? It shook her to the core to think about how weak this made her sound, how unready she was...but then again. If she couldn't even impress a cat, how would Metalia look upon her? Maybe Lyssa was right? Even now Haumea spoke of the value in being passionate, of Ate being above those that shared the chaos Metalia had gifted to them, of being better than them and she felt herself calming, felt a spike of pride up her spine as she saw him belief in what she stood for. He was good for her. Another echo of a smile appeared on her face as she watched him finish his plea to Lyssa, her mouth forming the words before she knew what she was saying.
"Thank you."
A simple phrase but Ate tried to push all the pleasure she held for his support into them. She couldn't wish for someone more steady-fast in their love for the Goddess than the corrupt that stood beside her. She would stand at his side, and what ever the future held she could only want for the gratitude and camaraderie she had for him to grow.
Looking back down at Lyssa, more determined than ever to set them on this path.
"We need to move quickly then, if the Rift is as ever changing as you state it is, I do not want to lose our only chance." Twisting to look at Haumea she grasped his shoulder her eyes burning into his.
"As soon as your ready, we will journey to the rift. I can find us the Captain that can lead us past the Hall of Shadows. Contact me -" She paused to pull out a piece of paper with a hastily written cell number on it. She had thought ahead to bring it with her just in case, and there was no better reason than this to share it with Haumea. " - on this number, what ever the day, what ever the time, and I will be there ok? We may have to make multiple journeys so dont take too long finishing up those loose ends, ok sugar?"
And then Ate did something she had forgotten she could do. She pulled him close and she hugged him. Brief, only seconds, but it was something she hadn't done to another being for a long, long time. She didn't need to share pleasantries with anyone any more but this...she wanted to hug him.
"Got that, as soon as you can..." Pulling away she glanced down at Lyssa, a slight hesitation before holding out her arms. The kitten took the prompt, half jumped half falling into her waiting hands before using her sharp nails to pull herself up and onto Ate's shoulders.
"We gO tO the BillAry Room NOw? I WiLL like To caTCH the DUst Bunnies AT their DancE RoutinE earlY today." She purred, straight into her charge's ear, her tongue darting out like a snake as she nuzzled the black mass that was Ate's hair. The corrupt squinted, half turning her head to look at the ginger feline, her face pulled into a frown.
"...Seriously, cat, I have no ******** clue what you mean but sure, lets go...there...I guess...Haumea, until later ok? I will see you again brother."
She waved, before setting her back towards him to walk away.DaisyMilk Fin? I can of course stay if you need anything else answering!
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Posted: Sun Aug 23, 2015 11:17 am
He hadn't expected to be thanked, but Haumea turned slightly and gave Ate a quick wink. He understood. Passion for and love of Metallia took different forms. He and Ate were simply two of those many faces. Turnign back to the cat, he listened carefully, already finding it simple enough to gloss over her oddities.
Nodding in agreement, he placed his hand over Ate's as it rested on his shoulder.
"The sooner the better. And I'll be ready. There's only one real loose end now. Perhaps two," he murmured thinking of the tattoo parlor and of Rin. Both were easy enough to solve, if a bit on the time consuming side.
Haumea was startled from his thoughts as he felt Ate hug him. His breath caught slightly as he reached up to gently, but quickly brush his fingertips against her dark, glossy hair. THen, the moment was over and she and Lyssa were leaving. Staring after the pair in slight bemusement, he waved back, smiling with pride at being called brother.
"You can be sure of it, sister," he called back before turning on his heel to make his own way home.Matisha Nope! ♥ This works as a good finish. I am a slug, I am sorry.
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