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 Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2011 8:50 pm
Winter was always welcome in the eyes of Lieutenant Esperite. Though he wasn't properly dressed for it nor was he resistant to the cold winds that swept through Destiny City, but as an agent of the Negaverse, he thrived in darkness. The winter season brought shorter days and much longer nights and Esperite had certainly been more active in his energy collection duties since the nights had grown longer.
On such a night, Esperite was taking the back roads to the park, making sure to stay out of sight since his uniform would have stuck out like a sore thumb. While he preferred to stay in a more urban environment, he couldn't beat the advantages that came with collecting energy in the park. The snow covered trees and the frozen vegetation provided the perfect cover while he scoured the terrain for any unsuspecting denizens. He was worried that the number of visitors would have gone down after the recent increase in energy collection throughout the city, but like rats that always flock to a cheese covered trap, the citizens of Destiny City seemed to ignore the danger and continued to stroll through the park to gaze at the frozen lake and vegetation. Not that Esperite was complaining, but he certainly questioned their logic. Unfortunately, it only served to bolster his ego as he found himself continuing to devalue the people of Destiny City.
Leaning against a tree, Esperite remained in the shadows as he watched various people pass by. Some were too old and he noticed a great deal of children out at night in the park. Though he hated children, he still felt odd draining their energy. He chalked it up the noise they always made; he knew deep down it was his conscious rearing its ugly head. Once they passed, he waited for the area to clear before he quickly drained the couple resting on a nearby bench. Their slumped over bodies looked nearly lifeless and an unpleasant uneasiness ran through Esperite's body. Hoping to rid himself of the notion, he quickly made his way to the other side of the lake, where he rested on one of the few benches that didn't have a streetlight nearby.
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Posted: Mon Dec 19, 2011 1:39 pm
General Painite felt the lower ranked Negaverse agent nearby, her rank allowing her to feel him from farther off than he might have been able to search. She grinned, wondering who it was and what they were doing out.
Of course, she could guess the last part at least.
Someone out draining energy, filling their quota. She teleported to them, appearing beside the bench he was sitting on.
"Having a nice night out, Lieutenant?"
She smiled at him, speaking lowly but chuckling all the same. She was always in a good mood, and she lowed the cold weather of the night. Like Esperite, she thrived, but for many different reasons. She simply liked the cold weather, it reminded her of home. England was nothing if not cold and rainy.
And she loved it.
She hadn't seen his handiwork with the couple on the bench, though she would have approved of it if she had. She always loved seeing Lieutenants and Captains taking their duties seriously, and fulfilling their quotas. She did prefer, though, that they had some fun while doing it. Maybe that was why she was checking in, just to see how Esperite, who she now recognized though she couldn't place why, was doing his work.
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 1:04 pm
Startled, Esperite almost summoned his two plastic daggers to his side. A lone wolf of sorts, he wasn't used to running into other Negaverse officers while he was out collecting energy. Usually the lieutenant found he had a great deal of time on his own to move through the shadows of Destiny City. Though he was obviously startled, he quickly changed his demeanor to disguise his astonishment at the general's presence. The last thing he wanted to do was come off as weak or fragile.
"Good evening, General. Are you out collecting energy on this lovely winter's night as well? There are so many options in the park this evening."
Pausing for a moment, he tried to place her before he spoke further. Esperite had seen her somewhere, and her distinct cockney accent certainly sounded familiar to him, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember the exact place they had met before. Standing up, he offered out his hand in a very formal manner. Rudeness would not be tolerated and he didn't want her to think he was so relaxed as to ignore their obvious difference in rank. That would certainly not stand well with Esperite.
"My apologies, though you look very familiar, I can't quite place you. I'm Esperite and it is a pleasure to see you again."
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Posted: Tue Dec 20, 2011 2:15 pm
"I was thinking about it, but I felt you were already in the area, and I didn't want to impede on your turf. How is your hunt going?"
She recognized him from one of the meetings, and remembered that he had made a good impression. She couldn't recall why, exactly, but just the vague idea that she liked him already was good enough for her. She acted informally, relaxed. Probably because she was the general here: she didn't have to worry about being polite if she didn't want to.
"General Painite, and I think we met once at one of those oh so fun group meetings. I can't recall exactly. But! There's no better time to get reacquainted then by a little energy hunting. I think I'd like to see your style, Lieutenant, if you don't mind showing me."
She summoned her weapon, not as a threat but because she wanted to hold it. Looked more official, and she was keen on checking out Esperite's current level, see his skills, and train him if he needed it. All she wanted was to see her fellows within the Negaverse advance, flourish, and if she could aid them even in passing then she would do so.
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Posted: Wed Dec 21, 2011 8:50 pm
"Please don't trouble yourself with such thoughts. The park is large enough for multiple officers to roam about and collect energy. I was only able to nab so many tonight since I had the whole place to myself. Truly, we all work for the same cause, so I don't mind anyway. But I have to say, nothing is better than a little healthy competition."
Giving her a smirk to affirm his words, he summoned both daggers to his side. The feeling of sparring with a fellow officer of the Negaverse was very different from battling a senshi or a knight. Although, they presented a fair enough challenge, he still found it hard to see them on an equal playing field. However, Painite presented him with the perfect opportunity to test his abilities. Eagerly, he accepted her request.
"I would be honored to prove myself to you, General. I do hope I am able to keep up with you with these toys of mine. Here I come!"
Charging forward, he aimed his daggers at her left arm. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to hold back or not, but held back at first to keep from crossing the line with his superior officer. Honestly, her rank intimidated him slightly and Esperite didn't want to come off as brash or disrespectful.
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Posted: Sun Dec 25, 2011 9:08 pm
Painite grinned. She liked ambition, but she liked it as applied to situations within their grasp. Fighting a senshi of any level, sure, go for it with all the gusto in the world. Fighting a General of the Negaverse who had asked for the spar?
Might do to enter with some caution.
Laughing jovially, she used the staff of her spear as her weapon. She wasn't about to stab him, obviously, though he might enjoy some cuts if she got too into it.
Holding back was a mistake on his part.
She would pull her punches if they seemed like they would do serious damage, but considering that a dose of energy would fix any sparring related, she lashed out at him quickly. She swung her staff like a bat for his gut, enjoying herself already.
"Don't underestimate your opponent, even if you know them. Or respect them." She grinned.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 6:04 pm
Painite's words hurt worse than his aching stomach after her swift strike. Esperite did respect her, but he knew now that shouldn't have meant he was to let his guard down and go easy on her. The Negaverse wasn't about hugs and kisses; it was an organization that was going to change the world by any means necessary. Their agents’ actions and the methods they used to fuel their organization should have been proof enough that he needed to prove himself and not appear meek and withdrawn. Esperite learned this the hard way as he quickly moved forward to make his next strike.
"A lesson I won't soon forget. The kid gloves are coming off now!"
Moving in close, Esperite did his best to keep their fight as close as possible. He didn't know much about fighting others with actual weapons as his battles had mostly consisted of battling against magic. However, he knew a spear lost much of its worth in close combat. This wasn't to say it became a completely useless weapon and Esperite knew Painite knew a trick or two since she held the rank of General. For now, he would have to hope he could keep up with her.
Grasping both daggers firmly he swung them at each of her shoulders. Joints were smart targets and Esperite knew he needed to impress his superior from that moment on. He wasn't fond of his rocky start and hoped to quickly redeem himself, in the eyes of General Painite as well as for the sake of his pride.
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Posted: Tue Dec 27, 2011 7:19 pm
The irony was, Painite was a hugger. She loved her teammates, and she loved her friends. There were negaverse soldiers who were like family to her. Hugs and kisses abounded, really, when she was in a good mood or free to be herself.
But that wasn't right now.
"Good!" Painite laughed, watching the Lieutenant with high expectations. She liked close combat, though she had trained in almost everything to try to keep her balance. A General was supposed to be well versed, and all that. But even before then, Painite had been very much into training herself.
And Hiro taught her well.
"Good," she said, as he targeted her shoulders. She took a step back and then pulled her own weapon up. She held her staff in front of her, horizontally, and thrust it forward into his already targeted gut while his arms were up. She liked his moves, and his keen eye. Targeting weaknesses like shoulders was smart. She was not a particularly tall person, and her body frame was light. it made her fast, but it also made her easy to throw around.
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Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2012 1:39 pm
The force of Painite's blow pushed him back and Esperite felt the pain in his side intensify as the second blow landed. Quickly, Esperite figured out that she had trained extensively with her weapon of choice. He felt rather stupid for believing that she would not be well versed with her own weapon and its weaknesses, but at this point in their match, there was little the crimson eyed lieutenant could do, but continue on and learn from his mistakes. He did; however, pick up on her compliment and the general's words were taken to heart. Esperite aimed to impress his superiors and any praise at all was a huge compliment as far as he was concerned.
Rushing back into the battle, he changed his strategy this time around. Since Painite was well equipped to deal with close combat, Esperite would have to rely on his height and strength to overwhelm her enough to change the tide of the battle. So far, he had been coming to her and playing into her strengths. He knew it would be best to try and push her back and instead rely on his kicks and long legs rather than put his faith in the two, barely useful, plastic daggers.
"Round two!"
Closing in, he dismissed both daggers and instead tried to take hold on her spear to push her back. Without his daggers, he had both an advantage and a weakness. While they worked well for blunt attacks and eye poking, they weren't well equipped to deal with real weapons as the only real advantage to a plastic weapon was when he faced senshi who didn't possess any kind of weaponry. It almost seemed liked he was initiating a game of tug-of-war, but Esperite was hoping she wouldn't be able to withstand such a struggle for long.
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Posted: Fri Jan 06, 2012 1:25 pm
Painite was a small Negaverse soldier, and even with the power her rank gave her, her body was small and had a lower cap for physical strength than more well built Generals. She relied on speed and cunning, and her weapon, to aid her rather than the physical powers of her blows. She had a weapon that was sharp at both ends, and added strength to hits since it was made of something sturdy. Her weapon was an extension of herself.
In training her greatest strength, she had given herself a weakness, as well.
She was surprised when he banished his weapons, and very nearly banished her own to level the playing field. But no fight would be so kind. No opponent would give themselves a disadvantage just to be nice. She watched him keenly, wondering what he was thinking.
It wasn't the first time someone had latched on to her weapon, but he seemed tenacious and wasn't doing it to avoid being stabbed: he was trying to wrench it from her. "Not so fast!" She said, and on instinct she banished it, to summon it again.
But for a moment, she was without it, they were close, and he had an opening.
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Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:02 pm
Though the crimson eyed lieutenant had been in his fair share of fights, despite his entry level rank, he was far from a pro. His stature and demeanor may have suggested otherwise, but he found in most cases, he was easily able to intimidate others enough to scare them off. Esperite mostly benefited from his active lifestyle and good genes. However, since he became an agent of the Negaverse, these claims had been put to the test. Forced to battle monsters, senshi and knights, Esperite was still learning and adjusting to physical combat, which as it turns out, was much easier to boast about rather than actually engage others in a one-on-one brawl. Ninety percent of the time, he was forced to play on his natural strengths and sorely neglected the twin daggers out of frustration and embarrassment. For now, fighting without them was more beneficial since it freed up his hands.
"Wow"
As his grip on Painite's spear was almost secured, the weapon instantly vanished in front of him. Shocked and caught off guard, he was able to fully take advantage of that moment and only managed to try a low kick as he took a step back to avoid the spear head as it reappeared in Painite's hand. Instinct and his limited experience had taught him to go on the defensive when the opponent pulls out a surprise attack. While tempted to stay close and make a second move for the general's spear, he instead opted to rely on his kicks to keep his arms ready to guard against any incoming attack.
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Posted: Thu Jan 12, 2012 12:01 pm
Painite was not one who gave over to intimidation very easily. She fought hard and she fought well: mostly because she enjoyed herself. Scaring the hell out of her opponents was her favorite thing to do, and she held a lot of faith in the power of intimidation. So at least she could admire his tactics, able to see that he had skills and control.
She grunted when he kicked her, stumbling a bit. She was caught in her own move, and she grinned instead of giving in to that flush of embarrassment and pride that hit her in the process. She had let herself get hit, and gave him an opening, and though she could claim it was on purpose she knew it hadn't been.
"Good," she said, though she was ready to end their little sparring match if she could. She teleported, which was cheating because he couldn't do it and it was just a show of her rank, and reappeared behind him. She turned her staff around and jabbed him in the back with it. The end of it was sharp, but not a metal spear head like the top. It was more like a javelin, though she wasn't aiming to do him any serious damage.
"You have good moves. A good understanding of yourself and how to read opponents. I do like your style, Lieutenant."
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 12:41 pm
Whatever advantages he possessed from his height and build instantly went out the window when his opponent was able to teleport wherever she pleased. With her last attack, he felt a quick burst of pain shoot up and down his back and somewhat awkwardly turned to face Painite. He was certainly glad she was ready to end their match as the difference in their experience and abilities was becoming more and more apparent the longer they continued to fight. He had hoped to quickly best her once he took her staff away from her, but as it turned out, she was the victor of their sparring match.
"Thank you, General. I appreciate you taking the time to test my worth. I usually don't get the privilege of a higher ranking officer's presence. I'll have to keep training though if I want to beat you anytime soon."
Grateful for the opportunity to meet another agent of the Negaverse, Esperite meant what he said and offered out his hand as a form of respect to end their match. It had been some time since he last sparred and the experience of battling another who used weapons was invaluable when he generally only battled magic users.
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Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 1:22 pm
Painite smiled at him.
"You've a very good fighter, and you've clearly got the confidence to back your skills up," usually, it was the other way around. People often got too confident, and didn't have the ability to follow through. Painite didn't like thinking of it that way: confidence brought will, and will became drive. A motivated soldier was confident and always striving to make sure they weren't proven wrong in themselves. It felt like a more hopeless struggle the other way around, trying to prove oneself not only to everyone else, but to themselves as well.
Painite, for her part, had always known she would be strong. That knowledge was what brought her to where she was today, and what kept her going. To her, confidence was a good thing.
She shook his hand enthusiastically.
"If you ever want to fight again, or to patrol together, feel free to contact me through our crystals. I would like to see you again, and see how you progress. I'm very interested in you, and I'm sure you won't let me, or anyone else for that matter, down." She nodded her head as she grinned at him.
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