Boardwalk

[BeautifulEclipse]

((Time to spice things up [-:< ))

Eclipse about this for a moment, he was worried that Raven might push herself to hard once more. The sight of her just before they left the tea house was fresh in his mind, Just don't push yourself too hard. I'll do what I can to help. he thought back to her. A slight nervousness was chewing at his mind not because of the large amount of explosives but because he was sure that it was going to come down to using his dark powers. I can use the dark energy to contain the explosion if it comes to that. he thought to Raven with some hesitation. He landed close by Raven and hopped around by her feet.

After a little while of watching Raven carefully he suddenly flew up into the air. Raven... something's wrong... he thought to her trying to pinpoint the sudden sensation that made his stomach churn. Then he saw it from the air, it was the chinese business man who had frequently visited his shop and tried to make offers on it. Mr. Lhao? he thought to himself. What is he doing here? The man looked serverely out of place in his business attire. He thought maybe he was imagining things when he thought he saw Mr. Lhao looking right at him. He watched as Mr. Lhao all too quickly found Raven's location. Without thinking he dove towards the man at full speed.

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Mr. Lhao found what he was looking for quickly, the woman who had taking the C4 out of Ryuu Hamasaki's tea house. The board walk was thick with her psychic energy but he was unable to sense Ryuu at all. He thought the man would certainly be here, he was certain he had been able to sense something from him on occasion. Perhaps he was completely wrong about the shop keeper, maybe he was an ordinary human. He caught a fast motion from the corner of his eye, it was a hawk diving at him at full speed. "What the...?" he muttered quickly throwing up his suitcase to protect himself from the possibly rabid animal. The impact was stronger than he explected and it threw him back a few steps. He watched at the bird stunned and possibly hurt fell to the ground, he looked as it twitched on the ground and shrugged.

Lhao continued on his way to the girl he was looking for, she appeared to be searching for sea shells but he knew what she was searching for. "Ah, those are very lovey, you can only find them around this time of year. But you ought to be careful, sometimes you can find very dangerous things on this beach." he said with a charming smile. It was hard to believe that this man could be capable of so much malice.

 

[Aizen Teresaga]

⋘ The ℜ 𝖊 𝖛 𝖊 𝖓 𝖆 𝖓 𝖙 Guardian ⋙
"And as the Ascended One danced into Heaven, the Revenant Guardian returned..."
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"How dangerous are you?" Raven gently set her small pile of shells to the side, leaning to stand and smack the sand from the palms of her hands. Adjusting her hat on top of her head, she narrowed her gaze in the light at the man. She was wary of Eclipse's warning, and quickly spotted him. He had been hopping near, then took to the air. Had this man been responsible for attacking him? She gave no indication that she would attack. Her hand would have to be forced there. There were hundreds of people milling above and around them. Any violent scene could cause too much panic. And even worse, the C4 could be detonated at any given point or time.

<"Eclipse are you hurt?">
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₪☽ ♋ ☾₪


||. Ego si relapsus resurgo .||

 

[BeautifulEclipse]

Mr. Lhao scanned he carefully deciding on what the girl was capable of. He smiled charmingly, "My dear, you needn't worry about me right now," he said with a deep throaty chuckle. "Although you do need to worry about the C4 that laces this beach." his waved his hand vaguely towards the beach. He looked around the beach for the owner of the tea house, he was certain he would be here as well after the C4 from his shop was gone as well. "Tell me were you planning to remove all of this by yourself? And how might you achieve that?" he inquired. His stance remained relaxed as he waited for the answer from the girl.

-------

Eclipse struggled to his feet, he felt ill and his head was pounding. He wasn't sure he could keep his disguise up for too mcuh longer, he focussed his gaze over to Raven and Mr. Lhao he could see they were just talking for now. He could hear Raven's thoughts echo through his head, he couldn;t gather his thoughts enough to answer right away. Panic rose in him fearing that Mr. Lhao was going to hurt Raven. He made his way closer to the two at least trying to hear what they were saying to eachother. He cautiously hopped close to Raven's feet trying to not to appear aggressive towards Mr. Lhao, he didn't want to take another hit like that.

I-I'll be okay, don't worry about me, he finally managed to put together in a thought to Raven. Though he was feeling far from okay, he was hoping it woulld wear off soon.

 

[Aizen Teresaga]

⋘ The ℜ 𝖊 𝖛 𝖊 𝖓 𝖆 𝖓 𝖙 Guardian ⋙
"And as the Ascended One danced into Heaven, the Revenant Guardian returned..."
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Raven, in her way of ways, took his response as a yes. Her gaze flickered left, and then right, the cat-like pupils dilated beneath the shade of her hat. She stepped around the bird, taking a protective stance over Eclipse. She didn't like that this man had battered Eclipse away so easily, her hands came to rest on her hips as she leaned back slightly. The corners of her lips upturned, her voice even and silky--almost a purr as she unconsciously assumed her Matreyan accent."Do not feign concern for this world's well being, or the people in it save yourself, Mr. Lhao. How I take care of this may be a concern of yours, if you're choosing to oppose me. So what is it you intend to do?"

Raven padded through the sand as she slowly advanced to the newcomer, moving away from under the pier and its boardwalk. She knew all she needed to know through Eclipse. Her extensive contact with him had allowed her to observe names, faces, and emotional connections. Even now, Raven could feel Eclipse's concern that Mr. Lhao would harm her. Even if he did, she was battle-hardened and prepared. If he was going to cause a scene on the beach, there were easier ways to deal with the panic. There was no way to influence others to look the other way and pretend these things were not unfolding. She was too tired, and there were too many distractions. Perhaps she would just have faith that human kind around them would allow their imaginations to go wild and stay out of their way.

Raven pulled the large, floppy hat off, tapping it against her right thigh. The wind whipped at her braid, which danced around her shoulder. The salt air reminded her of home. Of the Twilight world by the Ocean, and the cliff she so often overlooked the water at. The sand was less wet at her feet, imprints barely visible where she circled around, still advancing towards Mr. Lhao. There was a mischievous smirk on her lips, eyes locked onto the man in his pristine suit and his classy suitcase. Raven fell into the familiar pattern of predator and prey. Even the smallest of steps were calculated, intentional, dangerous. She was a Guardian, and this man was a threat. She was a Panther, and this man was her prey.
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₪☽ ♋ ☾₪


||. Ego si relapsus resurgo .||

 

[BeautifulEclipse]

Mr. Lhao wayched as Raven stepped in front of the hawk that had attacked him. It became clear to him that she was protecting it, perhaps it was a pet? Suddenly the realization hit Mr. Lhoa that he was looking at Ryuu Hamasaki, somehow all this time he had not been able to sense the man was some kind of supernatural. He gave a slight sigh knowing this wasn't the time to focus on that.

"Oh no, my dear. You completely misunderstand me." he started, "While I am indeed a very dangerous individual and perhaps one of the last enenmies you want. I am not here to harm you, or the good people of this area." while the charm was still in his voice there was a dangerous undertone. "I can offer you the power to save everybody." he offered. He was keeping a careful eye on the advancing girl. "You haven't much time and although I don't doubt you and your little bird are powerful indeed, you don't have enought to stop the boardwalk from being blown sky high." the tone of his voice was now a matter-o-fact. "Of course I would require something from you," he said noting the now mischievious look on Raven's face.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

⋘ The ℜ 𝖊 𝖛 𝖊 𝖓 𝖆 𝖓 𝖙 Guardian ⋙
"And as the Ascended One danced into Heaven, the Revenant Guardian returned..."
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"You're assuming I don't have the ability to. What do you have at stake here? And just how is it that you know we haven't much time?" Raven could already feel the energy surging within her. It required a little force to open a Gateway to Zero Space, but was easier still to break that into several smaller Gateways. Raven wanted to be prepared more than anything in case all else failed. She was not curious as to what this man wanted from her. She was not even surprised he suggested he help at a price of needing something from her. Raven was sure she didn't want to know what he wanted. Though she wished she could grant that last one outright, she could not. And though she didn't want to know, could she risk being incorrect and having them all killed? Or was this just a lovely mind trick to have her doubt herself and give in anyway?

She needed a plan, and one swirled into her mind.

Raven continued to advance to Mr. Lhao. Her pace had slowed as she surely closed the distance between them. It was like being in range of a signal tower. Though she was well within range of Eclipse, she was also becoming more in tune with his mindset and thoughts of Mr. Lhao. This would work to Raven's advantage indefinitely. Despite her initial halt of questioning, Raven shrugged her shoulders, "And it's really going to depend on what you want from me before I decide to drown you, maim you, force your ears and eyes to bleed, or psychokinetically turn your body inside out. Or accept your offer, whatever it may be."
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₪☽ ♋ ☾₪


||. Ego si relapsus resurgo .||

 

[BeautifulEclipse]

Mr Lhao smiled again, "You're sharp, I'll give you that." he said with a small chuckle. "People are at stake here, I di not wish their destruction." he said simply. "I have my ways of knowing many things, one does not live as long as I have without the power of knowledge. My source of this knowledge, however, are mine to know and yours to find out." he said laughing again. He was quite aware tha Raven was closing the distance between them, "If my words do not soothe your suspisions then at least let my actions do so." he extended his hand to point at Eclipse who was still struggling with his injuries. He walked passed Raven calmly to the bird and touched his head healing the injury he had caused him. "I apologize I was only protecting myself, I know not the cause of your reaction to me but allow me to prove to you I am not the villain. Now take your true form." he said to Eclipse.

He turned away from Eclipse and focussed back on Raven, "The only thing I ask from you is alliegance," he said to her. "Let me clarify this, to put it simply all I want is that if I help you dispatch of the C4 that I will b able to call on your aid later. I am not interested in your soul, unlike the lesser of my species my interest does not lay there. I assure you there is no reason to attempt to harm me." he said in an even tone. He lifted his eyes from Raven momentarily to look at Eclipse who seemed to be taking his natural form as he 'suggested'.

-----

Eclipse froze when Mr. Lhao appraoched him, he was too out of it to think of something to do. When the man appraoched him and touched him he felt a connection happen between himself and Mr. Lhao. He could hear something being uttered in the recesses of the demon's mind, it sounded like 'desire' it brought back the feelings of fear that he felt when he first saw him. What worried him is he realized the demon felt comfortable enough that he didn't go to great lengths to hide his nature. Then a calmness struck, his own will being replaced by Mr. Lhao's. He couldn't believe it was so easy for the demon to do this, all his life he practised as keeping the strongest forces out of his mind but Mr. Lhao took mere seconds to break through. Eclipse's form took a sudden change from bird to angel, skipping the human form altogether. He steadily rose to his feet and rustled the feather on his wings and looked around feeling panic at being exposed in such a populated area. He was shaking badly from the fear, "H-humans...." he rasped quietly feeling their eyes on him.

 

[Aizen Teresaga]

⋘ The ℜ 𝖊 𝖛 𝖊 𝖓 𝖆 𝖓 𝖙 Guardian ⋙
"And as the Ascended One danced into Heaven, the Revenant Guardian returned..."
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"I am allied to my Gatekeeper, and my Parabatai. My duty to them will always surpass anyone else. I am in the service of my Gatekeeper even now, and you are in our way." Raven hissed lowly, her lips curling into a gentle snarl. The sand flanking the three of them slowly grew less and less wet, water particles swirling into the salt air, almost sparkling. As it caught the light, the water molecules pooled together, expanding around Eclipse as his true form took place. The water was thinly stretched, a gentle coolness to his flesh. He would find it parted only for his eyes, ears, nose, and mouth for air, sound, and scent to travel through. To those looking onward, they would see Eclipse's disguised form perfectly replicated as the surface tension of the water made the illusion seem all the more life like.

Her attention shifted solely to Mr. Lhao. The pupils dilated, the lids widening as she trained her gaze on him. Her mind was already working, forming the visual. She drank in his features, the scent of demon so familiar to her. In her world, she was a Celestial, but in this world, she was classified as a Demon, A Hyoujin Neohuman hybrid of dangerous capabilities. Raven memorized this man as she crept. The woman knew that this man was strong, she could feel how easily broken Eclipse's mental barrier had been. She herself was strong in the mind, but it was not her most valuable asset. She had not missed Eclipse as he trembled and shook in fear, she did not miss the rasp stammering of his voice. This man had overpowered him effortlessly and invoked fear, and that ignited something fierce in Raven. Despite her clever disposition and her strength of mind, Mr. Lhao now faced a bigger problem: Raven was angry.

"Remove the C4, and you will have help when later requested. But if you rape Eclipse like that again I will eradicate you from existence and have you Soul Sealed into your cozy little Hell hole."
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₪☽ ♋ ☾₪


||. Ego si relapsus resurgo .||

 

[BeautifulEclipse]

Mr. Lhao himself seemed very shocked at the true of Eclipse, he had not intended this from the beginning. He had honestly thought Eclipse was perhaps a shape shifter, though this was much better, much, much better. He realized a few things though, he could not smell the reek of heaven from the creature. "How is this possible?" he murmured to himself quietly. He could see the creature seemed to be absolutely terrified, This could be better than I thought, he thought to himself.

He looked back up to Raven who seemed like she was getting angrier and angrier by the moment. The illusion was definitely impressive, he smiled a bit at her. He could sense the sense the anger seething off of her, he could use this rage easily. He raised an eyebrow, "Thank you for seeing reason," he responded simply, "Now allow me some peace while I accomplish this." he stood in quiet concentration. Energy surged around him, clouds gathered in the sky and electricity crackled all around them. The people at the boardwalk seemed close to panic at what seemed like a freak storm. This sent on for about a minute then the skies cleared and it appeared as if nothing happened. Though as agreed the C4 was gone, "There, it's done." he said to Raven. He turned to face her again fully, "Do not worry about Eclipse I will ruffle of his pretty little feathers. And I will contact you when you are needed. But do be careful my dear girl, rage is deadly sin, you know." he gracefully turned away from the two. "Goodbye for now, I believe you have one more location to deal with I shall leave you to it." he said before he disappeared out of sight.

--------

Eclipse was still bewildered he had never faced a force so powerful, he felt his own powers reacting to the demon. He took a few deep breaths and changed to his human form as he collected his thoughts. He could scarcely believe that nobody seemed to notice the angel in the middle of the boardwalk Then he slowly realized that they didn't notice because Raven was doing something to help keep him hidden. "It's okay, Raven I'm okay now." he said quietly. As Mr. Lhao started to remove the C4, he was impressed with the display of power. This demon was obviously powerful, more powerful than Eclipse would have liked to admit to.

After Mr. Lhao left Eclipse turned to Raven, "Have you ever seen something like that?" he asked her when he was sure that the demon was no longer close enough to hear them. There was something about Mr. Lhao he had never like on the rare occasion he saw the man and now he knew for certain what it was. "Why do you think he helped us?" he asked curiously, "And what do you think he wants you to help him with?" he was full of questions about the demon's motives. He sighed realizing that these question wouldn't be answered until later. He was also realizing how pathetic he must have looked over the span of those moments, "I'm sorry," he suddenly blurted, "You shouldn't have had to protect me like that, I... should have kept myself under control." he said chewing his lip slightly.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

⋘ The ℜ 𝖊 𝖛 𝖊 𝖓 𝖆 𝖓 𝖙 Guardian ⋙
"And as the Ascended One danced into Heaven, the Revenant Guardian returned..."
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"I have." Raven narrowed her gaze, watching Mr. Lhao as he removed the C4. The thin layer of water pooled away, leaving Eclipse dry as it puddled into the sand. Her smile was gone. Her entire demeanor had shifted instantaneously. Despite her desire to remain incognito, she had unconsciously shifted into the mindset of a Guardian. Every part of her was alert, poised, and ready for combat. Her sharp gaze cruised every direction, noting anything that appeared out of place, what would prove to be the best exit course, who watched them, who was oblivious. Raven drank it all in, as if it were the most natural thing to do. Her toes sank into the sand, the warm, fine grains familiar to her. The beach was her home, and she hated the fact that she felt less at home and more in a war zone.

Lifting her chin up, Raven heaved a sigh, her gaze still locked after Mr. Lhao. "I have because I am also considered a Demon. In my world, in my plane of existence, I am a royal Senarian Matreyan. In this world, my people are known as Hyoujin; Panther Demons. And that is why Mr. Lhao cannot fool me." The corner of her lips twitched into a brief grin as she glanced back at Eclipse, "I said that he would get the help he needed when requested. But I never said I would be the one to help when requested. I will have to save that for another investigation. I'm just glad he didn't hurt you. I could feel him in your mind, infringing. I should have known he would target you. That is always my downfall." And just like that, the woman's temper crumbled to mild shame, and her head hung momentarily before she slapped her hat back on.

"We've got to head to the Airport. The other ethereal trail led in that direction, and I'm on the verge of losing the connection." Squaring her shoulders, she began to climb back up the slope from the shore, the calves of her muscles tensing and relaxing, still ready to leap and attack at any threat. She paused only for a moment to turn and glance out to the Ocean. The left index digit was curled, almost appearing as a hook. Bowing her head, Raven closed her eyes and pressed her lips to the outside of the shape. She then lifted the finger, pressing the same side to her forehead, where a brief, brilliant spark occurred, revealing the pale ♋ symbol glowing on her forehead before it disappeared. Raising the curled digit to the air in a salute, the arm dropped back down to its respective side, and she continued up the beach to the boardwalk.
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₪☽ ♋ ☾₪


||. Ego si relapsus resurgo .||

 

[BeautifulEclipse]

Eclipse looked over at Raven he had noticed the way her demeanour had changed in an instant. He looked around at the crowd of people at the boardwalk, they had no idea how close they were to destruction. Ignorance is bliss, he thought to himself as he watched everybody going about their daily lives and smiled. He knew there was definitely a nefarious purpose to why Mr. Lhao had helped them but he was glad that the C4 was gone. He looked back to Raven, "He has tried to buy my shop from me for a long time now, I think he was trying to use his influence on me but it never worked." he said passively as if wondering to himself out loud. He wondered why he was so easily able to get passed his defences this time, was it because he was already vulnerable? He sighed and supposed he would have to be more careful from now on. "I don't think hurting me was his plan, when his was in my mind.... it almost felt like he was searching for something. I think he's trying to gather pawns for something he's planning," he mused.

"Yes," Eclipse responded, "That is what's best right now." he responded brushing the thoughts of Mr. Lhao's interruption away for now. He followed Raven up the sloped beach preparing himself mentally for whatever situation arose at the airport. When Mr. Lhao had first arrived he wanted o believe the demon was the mastermind behind the C4 but now it seemed like he wanted to stop the wanton destruction as possible. "Hmmm," he said to himself as he absent mindedly followed Raven.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

⋘ The ℜ 𝖊 𝖛 𝖊 𝖓 𝖆 𝖓 𝖙 Guardian ⋙
"And as the Ascended One danced into Heaven, the Revenant Guardian returned..."
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Raven's mind echoed the same sentiment as Eclipse's. Why had that happened? Why did Mr. Lhao insist on helping them when he could have just as easily destroyed them all? What game and angle was he playing that he'd need her help? Raven dusted her hands along the sarong, fluttering in the breeze. Careful steps led her to brushing most of the same from her toes, already dry. The weather was exquisite, the woman aching to jump in the surf. It was decided right then that once this was over with, a vacation was long over due. Fighting two wars seemed fair enough for that, no?

Raven easily slipped onto the sleek form of the street bike. Her head hung momentarily, the lids of her eyes closed as the veil of lashes fanned down. What would happen at the Airport? Was Eclipse safe? Would he be used to barter for services rendered? A million questions wandered in and off as the Neohuman tried to consider every angle and scenario presented to it. It was a terrible habit of a prompt neat freak. There, she had made herself smile, even a little at her own bad habits. Though she had to admit, those same bad habits sometimes kept her alive.

Looking up at Eclipse now, Raven sighed softly, "I hope I didn't just endanger you any more than I already have. The other trail leading to the Airport is thinning--Donny may or may not still be there. Let's hurry." Easing to the left, the kick stand slid easily, and with a twist and a flick, the engine quietly purred to life. Tucking the fringes of her Sarong to sit on, Raven pulled the helmet on over her head. The helmet swiveled to gaze at Eclipse, where he more than likely could see his reflection and the Ocean behind him.
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₪☽ ♋ ☾₪


||. Ego si relapsus resurgo .||

 

[BeautifulEclipse]

Eclipse could tell that Raven's thoughts mirrored his own, as much as he tried to push the thoughts from his mind as much as possible. He felt if he were to dwell on it too much it would become a distraction. He watched as Raven got on her bike and thought about how much the ride seemed to suit her, and how much he hated driving anything. He preferred to fly, there was less traffic and far much less 'noise'.

He looked up into the sky momentarily then around the street to try and find a place he could take flight without detection. He spotted a dark corner that he would be able to stay undetected in. He watched Raven quietly waiting for a direction to go in from her.

"Don't worry about endangering me," he said with a smile, "I''m tougher than I look,". When he heard the destination was the airport he briefly wondered what the would encounter there. Would Donny be there, or perhaps Mr. Lhao? Whatever the case would be he made a silent promise that he would be of help to Raven instead of a hindrance. "I will meet you there." he said with a small smile.  

[Aizen Teresaga]

⋘ The ℜ 𝖊 𝖛 𝖊 𝖓 𝖆 𝖓 𝖙 Guardian ⋙
"And as the Ascended One danced into Heaven, the Revenant Guardian returned..."
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With a smirk, Raven revved the engine, peeling away from the curb of the sidewalk. The sarong tried to escape, but was firmly tucked in place as wind whipped past in a howl. The front wheel ascended briefly, as she took off, the loud purr of the engine lost to her ears. She knew Eclipse could handle his own. She feared her Guardian complex would take over and make a martyr out of her. Though the irony, was that not how she became a Guardian to begin with?

Peeling away from the downtown area, she raced through traffic, veering, bobbing and weaving where she could. Soon her exposed skin felt like ice at the rate of her travel, though the Sun felt warm on her back. Regardless of what lay ahead, the Hyoujin was confident they could overcome the obstacles together. Bearing that confidence in mind, Raven raced off to meet Eclipse at the Airport.
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₪☽ ♋ ☾₪


||. Ego si relapsus resurgo .||

 

[BeautifulEclipse]

Eclipse looked around a few times before he went off into the small dark corner and took the he form of a bird and took flight once more. He promised himself that he wouldn't be a burden on Raven this time. He knew he would have to keep more focused this time and not act too rashly. From the sky he could see Raven racing down the streets on her bike towards the airport, he was easily keeping pace with her.

While in flight he let his mind wander a little bit, he wondered how he was going to explain to Saiyuki and Shiro that he had been lying to them all this time. Then he thought about Lisa briefly wondering if he was ever going to see her again. The last time they spoke Lisa was angry and didn't even let Eclipse really say his side of the story. He sighed to himself, he knew he was eventually going to have to talk to the woman and sort that out but not now.

Eclipse could see the airport approaching them, he felt a small amount of nervousness when he could sense how many people were there. Here goes nothing, he thought to himself as he started the descent towards the airport.

((Exit to Airport))