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 Posted: Sat Jun 08, 2013 11:41 pm
The stars burned so brightly it tantalized him.
As he lay against the cool cement rooftop, gazing skyward, he reflected on the ties of the stars to the earth. So infinitely distant, yet always in sight... A mocking display visible from any angle on the planet. Bischofite abhorred them, their beauty, their senshi. He knew not why they brought their glaring brilliance to earth, nor did he care. This war served only as a pretext for things far more ancient to act out their eternal struggles. They served only as vessels. He knew this war wouldn't end in his lifetime, or a thousand lifetimes. None of this concerned him - even his loathing for the stars and their infinite spineless servants did not dissuade him from the cause.
The empty cause. The cause that yielded nothing more than an excuse for him to indulge in ceaseless violence. That's what it all boiled down to - a reason to immerse himself in his own rancorous impulses. This war encompassed insanity at its finest.
In an instant, he shifted his gaze from the blanket of stars to his impeccably polished shoes, resting against the cement wall. The skulls adorning his ankles drew his focus. How many lives were snuffed out to make his uniform? Four, maybe five? He wore death like a badge of honor. He collected trophies from every encounter; starseeds replaced skulls and scalps, bones and teeth. He walked as the Aztecs walked, he held still-beating hearts in his hands and looked upon his sacrifices without remorse, without regret. Did they understand that ancient fuel that drove him? Did they see the thousand revelations he suffered with each passing day?
Did they recognize his constant, turbulent changes? Did they recognize the spirit of a murder of crows, that seethed and swarmed beneath his veins, in the very core of his existence?
Perhaps only chaos drove his feverish internal monologues. Perhaps only chaos led him to feel so alive, like any moment could be his last. That mortality surged within him with reckless abandon. It felt so exhilarating, like ripping the starseed from a hapless victim.
Bischofite made no effort to stand. Even with his feet propped up against the wall, even as his arms splayed out away from himself, he made every effort to remain as still as possible. For, when he refrained from movement, he could feel the humming of ceaseless energy beneath his skin. With every thought of a violent encounter, he felt his heart quicken, his eyes dilate with the surge of ecstasy. Was this what meditation aimed to accomplish? Was it a sense of euphoria brought on by the focus on one's self? No - here, lying against the cool cement floor of a department store, he achieved a peek into the center of his soul, if he could call it that.
Bischofite slowly understood himself, every time he ventured to power up.
Did senshi feel the same? The thought crept into his mind as he mildly detected a foreign energy signature. Did senshi seek battle to loose those ancient feelings, to discover a euphoria that normal life could never yield? Perhaps they felt these revelations in seeking out their timeless counterparts, their age-old sparring partners from millennia long since past. They danced in turns that their genes memorized, due to how ingrained these battles were. Perhaps they only acted on impulse now, puppeted by their genes more than their insights. But even those may be facsimiles of genetic design... Whatever the reason,
let them come.
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Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 1:15 pm
It was almost easier now. Before Cybele had wandered without purpose most of the time, tracking youma maybe if she could, but more worried about being confused than hurt and not knowing what to do. Now, she truly hunted, waiting for the bit of chaos to sound on her radar. It was easier to not think that way. It was easier to pretend she wasn't useless, as she ran until she couldn't think. Maybe it was a good thing. Maybe she was doing something more like this than burled up in a ball of sobs. Maybe it wasn't. She didn't pause even as she realized that the far too strong for a youma, didn't pause as she realized she had no idea what she was going to do when she arrived. Fight? She'd never win. Still, she didn't hesitate and searched a few alleys until she found the source of the aura. Then, she stopped gracefully for the moment, but when the starlight illuminated his features, well, really, just the blood on his face, she froze. It was him. "Bischofite." She said his name like it was the worst insult. She would have screamed some others at him if there was any chance he would have taken them seriously. No. She wouldn't. Memories came, of course, memories of youma and death and him. Him grasping her soul, him whispering something in her ear. That he wanted to see her twisted by hate. Well, she was, but she would never give him the satisfaction of seeing. She couldn't smile. She couldn't force the ends of her mouth up. It was all she could do to stay frozen and not either weep or throw something at him. Words were easier. "Thank you for saving me." Her voice held no warmth at all, and her teeth were clenched. "From the youma." Ugg, youma. That thought brought more memories of blood and death, and she couldn't do it anymore. Everything blurred. She looked up, but that only delayed the inevitable tears. Then she realized it could all happen again. Her will to not give him any satisfaction crumbled and her face was suddenly very wet. "Are you going to kill me?" she asked, because that was obviously the most pressing question.
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Posted: Tue Jun 11, 2013 10:49 pm
He didn't bother to get up, to turn his head, to acknowledge her presence. He merely smirked at the mention of his name, sweetened by her acerbic tone. Few people encountered enough of his inspiring presence to bear him such malice, to voice violence. So who could it be? Chaldene? Kallichore? No, no... None of them understood him quite so well - neither engaged him in such an intimate fashion. This one rendered him a vulture encircling impending doom. But was he such a carrion creature?
No. He curiously prevented that fate for the girl.
Finally he breeched the silence. "I remember you now." Bischofite turned his head easily, focusing his golden gaze on the silver-clad senshi standing several feet away. She looked touched, wrapped in enchantments and enthralled by curses. Threatened by hatred, she stood overlooking a source of finality. Perfect - he liked where their unique little relationship was heading. He gave her meaning and she fed him with such wild, unabashed hate. Beautiful, truly beautiful.
"You're welcome, little girl." After slipping his feet off the wall, he stood and stretched languidly. However, he didn't bother to face her fully; he only half-turned to regard her. "I couldn't let a little gem like yourself succumb to zose beasts. Zey don't appreciate ze nuances in people like I do." A toothy grin punctuated his statement.
"Allow me to explain it to you..." He began, and approached her with a hint of confidence in his walk. "You're special, little girl. Truly." That advance slowed as he closed the distance between the two. "Even if your actions mean nossing, even if you find yourself peeling your on skin off looking for reasons to exist... Know zat you're terribly special."
After folding his hands behind his back and leaning over, his gaze leveled with hers. "I see blood in your eyes, Kind. Zat makes you beautiful." Another malicious grin tainted his features, and he reached out to wipe her tear-stricken face. "Now why would I end zat kind of beauty? Maybe it's only natural to me, but I razzer sink zat we can't exist wis'out each ozzer now. We're tied, in a way. Bound by fate. So if I were to kill you..." He straightened up and gestured to himself. "I would kill me."
Maybe that wasn't such a bad idea after all.
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Posted: Sat Jun 15, 2013 5:25 pm
"Don't touch me!" She stepped back quickly out of his reach and scrubbed furiously at her face. It didn't help. More anger joined the mess of fear of memories that she was fighting to control. At least it seemed he wasn't going to kill her. She straightened, hands forced back to her sides despite the tears still running down her cheeks, met his gaze and sniffled defiantly. "I could kill you and be fine." No! A moment after she said it, she blinked in shock. She'd said exactly what he wanted her to. It was a lie, anyway. There was no way she could kill him, but... she'd said it. Delayed enough it seemed awkward and still locked into her defiant stance, she said, "No... I mean we're not tied by fate!" Her voice was almost desperate, and still broken by her crying. Not convincing. She'd just promised herself she wouldn't give him any satisfaction, but now she was such a mess, and she hated herself for it. She took what could maybe be considered a deep breath, but it didn't help. "And if you think I'm beautiful because of the blood in my eyes... well, look at yourself! You should be gorgeous. A god. But trust me, you're not. You're a monster!" She clasped her own hands together tightly. It was the only way she could keep from trying to punch the smile off his face. She wouldn't give him that satisfaction, at least.
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Posted: Tue Jun 18, 2013 6:36 pm
Bischofite smiled at her words. Perhaps she wasn't a lost cause after all - no, this one held quite a bit of potential, and expressed it through venom and malice. Though she quaked with her own fear, disdain, rancor... These things only accentuated her brilliance. He believed with certainty that she teetered on the edge of an evolution, some wondrous change culminating within herself. He wanted to bear witness to it, even if it seared him with its volatility. Then again, perhaps that was the very reason he sought to watch.
"You misunderstand me, girl. Your passion is what illuminates you. And zat is why I chose you - you haf' such capacity for turbulent emotion. You are ze epitome of all ze sings I can't feel myself, and I am everysing zat you lack. Don't you see?" He spread his arms wide. "You aren't meant to die in ze midst of a carnival siege, and so you didn't. You were meant for me."
A mirror of his mortality.
Regardless of his reiterations, she refused to swallow the simple facts. It did little to deter him; instead, he'd explore their unique connection in a different way. Perhaps she would grasp the basic concept of introductions, when provided some reward for partaking in his little games. "You don't seem to follow me. Es ist egal, it doesn't matter - we'll dance in a different way: you tell me your name and I will gif' you a little present. I'm sure you'll like it." With any luck, she'll recognize its significance.
"I'll even sweeten ze deal - if you tell me, no one will die tonight. If not, well... I can't be arsed to go home empty-handed."
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Posted: Wed Jun 19, 2013 4:27 pm
Cybele stared at him in confusion for a moment, because she’d heard his speech hundreds of times before. Not like this. Not directed at an enemy who was screaming at you, and he, unlike some agents of Chaos, was definitely her enemy. It didn’t even fit with the rest of his words. It was the speech from every poorly written romance ever, but twisted in a way that made her skin crawl more than it already was. He wanted to own her. That was as clear as it was sickening. Visibly, though, she calmed, reducing her emotions to white knuckles on her clasped hands and a few tears still on her cheeks. He obviously got some awful enjoyment out of seeing her as a weepy, angry mess, so she would try harder to keep herself under control. “I’m Cybele,” she said as casually as she could manage as she stepped backwards warily. Considering what he was like, he’d probably try to give her something awful, or kill someone anyway, in front of her, even, just to see her scream. She didn’t see any point in not giving him her name, though. “And I’m not ‘for you.’ I’m not yours, and you have nothing I don’t!” Nothing that mattered, at least. Still, her blatant denial sounded weak, and her voice was rising dangerously again. She forced herself to pause, breathe, and then continued, “I didn’t die at the carnival because you didn’t kill me. Not because of fate. Not because I’m yours. You didn’t even care about fate then, or me.” Hate and disgust was creeping back into her voice, but it was quieter. The tears on her face brought about by memories she was making herself focus on again were more subtle. “I don’t think you understand…” she finished vaguely, because anything less cryptic could be turned on her, though it was a lie. He seemed to understand everything somehow, especially about her. It was another thing she hated about him.
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Posted: Fri Jun 21, 2013 11:22 pm
"Good, you still haf' ze sense to introduce yourself when asked. Bravo." He grinned maliciously, and even managed a golf clap. "As I promised, your reward..." After a short search, he procured a small red crystal. it gleamed softly under the dim light of the stars. "Here," he tossed it underhand, and it landed weakly at her feet. Too bad she stepped away from it so soon.
"Cybele - pretty name, I might add - you haf' an interesting way of looking at sings." He closed his eyes and drew an even breath, exhaling through his nose. "But it feels like talking to a child, talking to someone who refuses to see ze world as it truly is. To put it simply, you still sink ze planet is square. It's cute, but pointless. You will amount to nossing more zan a blubbering, useless mess - like you are now - unless you do somesing to change zat outmoded way of sinking." Why couldn't she grasp the infinite wonder of being bound to someone? Surely there were at least a dozen others, all tied to her by fate, all relying on her by some sixth degree to pull through in the end.
To do her job as a senshi, whatever that job may be.
"I'm feeling generous tonight, so I'll try to explain ze carnival to you." Since she made it clear that she deeply despised standing close to him, he simply sat against the wall where he was previously. After all, this conversation may end up quite lengthy. "Do you remember ze youma? Ze ones zat nearly ate you alif'? Zey did not, and it wasn't by my command. I had no reason to stop zem. You would'f been just some passing victim zat night. However, zey didn't eat you, and I had nossing to do wis' it. And when I caught your starseed, brimming wis' ze energy of terror, do you really sink I would'f had any qualms about ripping it from your chest? No - I've done it before, I'll do it again. Ze act requires little sinking on my part. However, somesing stopped me zat never stopped me before. Do you really sink zat was all my clever design? To meet you, ******** wis' you and leave you shaken, but alif'? You'd be terribly mistaken, my dear."
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Posted: Sun Jun 23, 2013 4:17 am
Cybele nodded once, taking the time he spoke to calm herself further. However, she couldn't hide all of her disgust as she looked at the item at her feet. It wasn't like anything she'd ever seen before, but it wasn't hard to guess what it was, especially with the way their conversation was headed. It was almost exactly what she'd been expecting. That didn't make it any less awful. Her voice trembled a little when she spoke. "You... you killed someone tonight already. You kill people without qualms, without thinking!" It was horrible. Picking up the crystal, which she'd consider the sadness of at a later time, she walked towards him. "You hurt me, almost killed me. Now you apparently... want me? Trust me, it's not... childishness that makes me not want... makes me refuse to be tied to you!" Emotions were fighting to fighting to overcome her voice again. She paused to stop them, and to think. "You make it sound less violent than it was. It hurt. I knew I was going to die. It doesn't matter, though. If you say fate stopped you..." she shrugged, "I don't think I believe in fate anymore. I tried for a while, after people told me it was fate that made me this way. They told me that was why I was strong enough to protect people, There was another sigh, a fresh wave of uncontrollable tears. "They... w-were wrong. Obviously." She held out the soul in her open palm for a moment for him to see before tucking it into her upper sash. It was another symbol of her failure. It was another person she hadn't been there to save.
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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:04 pm
Sadly she didn't pay nearly as much attention to his actions as he did to hers. "Don't assume so easily. Zat was someone who died at ze carnival. Someone who took your place, so to speak." The warmth was beginning to fade from his tone; his words fell on deaf ears, and it did nothing but mar his faith in the girl. "Consider zat a token of your savior. Someone who died in your stead, zat kept you living just a little longer.
"It's obvious you don't understand my intentions. You already said it yourself - you belief' I murder wis'out sinking, but I suspect zat if I explained it to you, my endeavors would amount to nil." Perhaps she couldn't be saved after all. Perhaps he just wasted his breath in trying to convince her to open her eyes to the bigger picture, to see how they were all infinitely linked together, and how each snap of the string unwinds a great deal of efforts. However, if she wanted to continue believing her force-fed drivel that he was the enemy, that he was insane and operated without motive, that was her prerogative.
Bischofite watched her actions stoically, as if chronicling them for later use. She was so stricken with emotion, it was a small wonder that she was even coherent half the time. Obviously she wasn't thinking clearly; if she could swallow those limitless emotions for just a moment, perhaps she could grasp the concepts he threw at her.
She looked like she needed help, and he would oblige whether she asked or not.
"Let me tell you somesing interesting," He began, as he slowly became more animated again. "You sink you're weak and useless, and I won't argue wis' zat. However, if you could simply change ze way you sink, then your entire world changes wis' it. All reality is composed of five senses, yes? And our minds just react to zose inputs in some way. So if you could change ze way you sink about what you see, hear, taste, feel, smell... Zen maybe you wouldn't be quite so weak at all."
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Posted: Fri Aug 02, 2013 1:34 pm
As soon as he spoke, Cybele started fighting the tears again, and her best efforts were starting to work. Each breath she took was less ragged, and when she spoke a few moments later her voice held no sadness at all. "Don't act like I'm stupid for repeating what you said," she snapped. Anger was replacing the sadness, but it wasn't leftover rage from the carnival. She'd partially managed to stop thinking about that, but this comparatively calm night wasn't proving much easier other emotions. "Or for not trusting you," she added as an afterthought, because she wasn't sure she believed his story about the soul she now held, or anything he said. Especially anything not proving he was a monster. But then, what was she? Not a monster, surely, but not the opposite, either. Just a mess. If, somehow, someone was watching them, they could see it easily. Everything he did was pointed, words cutting deep and silences showcasing just how messed up she was with awkward words that failed to be harsh and even worse sobs. Well, she was going to change that. She was going to say something less stupid, even if it did mean being reasonable with him. "And," she continued, just a bit too long after her demands for it to seem like a true offer, "I'll do my best to treat you like a human being instead of a monster." Her eyes were locked onto his, her fists were clenched, and h voice was cold but steady, which was saying something considering how disgusted she was by what was coming out of her mouth. Her other options, though, were to leave or attack, and she didn't see either of those ending well. Her carefully calm expression faltered slightly when she considered the rest of what he said, about strength. "I can make myself stronger... Or I can pretend to be. I tried that for a while, but like I said, like you saw..." She attempted to shrug casually, but she was tense with the effort of not breaking down again. She didn't trust herself to finish the thought. "Anyway, whatever you do... I'm not sure I want that."
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Posted: Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:42 am
"Good, since I am still human, for ze time being." Do atrocities corrupt a man into something worse, then? Did he bear the visage of Dorian Grey without a portrait to monitor his progress? Was she seeing some psychotic beast instead of a man? He thought not. It was easy for her to mislabel him as something less than human, because it eased her interactions with him. She no longer had to consider dealing with a human life, especially in saving everyone, since he wasn't human enough to save. But... He wasn't monstrous enough to kill, either.
Was this how youma were made? Enough iniquitous deeds and one contorts into a creature? For as much as he abhorred humanity, such a thought seemed farfetched at best. Given the amount of prominent political figures considered evil, and the amount of youma present in the RIft, one would think these monsters would've been recorded in history long ago if that were the case.
For now, he was simply a monster of a different sort, until she begrudgingly recanted her accusations.
But Bischofite figured she wasn't serious. Considering him malevolent and bereft of humanity was far too convenient to pass up. It might've even enabled her to kill him, though he suspected by doing so she might sever a side of herself that she might've neglected for all this time. Did she want to die in killing him - no. And he'd tried to explain it to her, but she feigned ignorance and indulged in revulsion far too damned often for him to get through to her.
He only flashed her a knowing grin. Surely it was difficult to stand before a hated enemy and refrain from cutting him down. After all, he could've killed her on that fateful day, yet he hadn't - and for that, she owed him, didn't she? Was that staying her hand, or did she simply lack a reason to fight for as long as one didn't fight her? She certainly remained an interesting little senshi as a result. "Close your eyes." He deliberately avoided expounding on his intentions, since she would likely either a) spit in his face, b) vehemently reject his command, or c) call him all manner of insults and try to kill him. At least, that stemmed from what insight he'd garnered thus far.
"I can't promise you to trust me, but I find it so hard to kill a senshi wis'out one of zeir wonderful starseeds as a souvenir. Almost like trophies, zey are. So you'd feel it if I tried to kill you, and I'm sure you'd recognize it easily." That was as close to reassurance he could muster - outright lies were reserved for greater endeavors, ones not quite appropriate to their unorthodox interaction.
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:33 am
“I don’t trust you, remember?” Cybele said, frowning, eyes narrowing skeptically but remaining watchful. "You're not even being consistent," she pointed out in the same harsh tone of voice. "I thought no one was dying tonight. I thought you couldn't kill me anyway, because we're 'tied by fate'." She rolled her eyes, then returned to glaring. "But now I'll just recognize the feeling of you trying to take my soul easily, instantly maybe, but not until it's much too late." Her voice was rising, suddenly very harsh. Instantly, she felt stupid again. Screeching meaninglessly… that was all she could really manage, other than the offer not to treat him like a monster, which clearly wasn’t working out. It wasn’t like any of her words would make him less likely to kill her, and she was on the verge of an emotional breakdown because of a relatively simple request. All right. She could act a little bit more civilized, treat him a little less like a monster. Keep her word just this once. “Sorry,” she said, fairly coldly considering. The forced calm was next, but she tried to make it a little more genuine this time. She unclenched her fists and tried to think about kittens. It didn’t help. Then, she closed her eyes, but not before crossing her arms protectively over her chest. It was the best option, considering, but still wasn’t good, especially for staying calm. Visions from the past swarmed her again, suddenly. She’d forgotten how much easier it was to block out memories while in touch with reality, but really it was mostly the same thing she was seeing- Bischofite’s smiling face. Do it then, one of the visions said. Kill me, and things had ended rather badly for her then, as she now spent a few seconds remembering. She wasn’t going to relive it, though. “If you touch me, I’ll kill you,” she said instead, though it was hard to tell if she meant it.
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 10:20 pm
"You mistake me once again. When did I outright say I'd kill you, eh? I posed a hyposetical." Her incessant misunderstandings wore his admittedly sparse patience even thinner. "It wouldn't even matter if I attempted it - my actions are just a conduit to determine whezzer you lif' or die. I don't get to decide, neizer do you. If you were meant to die, you would, be it by my hand or ozzerwise. So for ze last damn time, stop pretending you know how I sink.
Maybe he shouldn't have relinquished his chance to kill her at the carnival. Better yet, he may as well fulfill her expectations for murder and strike her down where she stands. Still, even that may not pan out to his advantage.
It's happened before.
"You know, child, you're not very good at zis." The fact that she continued to lash out spelled her utter distaste for him, if not outright derision. This was an expected reaction by now - most senshi didn't bother to view their enemy as anything but. Despite his high hopes for her, she didn't fare much differently. "I can see zeir propaganda, zeir Meinungsmache, is very effectif'. Look at you, unable to see me as anysing ozzer zan a convict awaiting deas', correct? You're too far gone to sink for yourself, even wis' my help. What a shame, what a pity."
But at least the grueling brainwashing she must've endured instilled a certain obedience in her. If anything, perhaps the White Moon Court operated as a better military faction than the Negaverse. The errant senshi appeared so devoted to their cause that they'd die for it, including her.
Satisfied with the fact that she finally adhered to his command, Bischofite circled around her inert form. He even drug his feet a little, if only to emphasize the state of weakness she readily engaged. If she wanted to play at threats to feel safe, so be it - he had no reason to refute her now.
The black-haired captain paused behind the young senshi, mulling over his options. He could kill her, yes, but that seemed far too uneventful for his taste. So how might he demonstrate what he explained earlier? Perhaps he'd start with a simple study of sensory perception. "Try to take zis as it is, wis'out drawing conclusions about it. You'll feel somesing shortly, but it won't be what you expect." After the forewarning, Bischofite carefully pressed the pad of his middle finger against her forehead, and soon after, leveraged his thumb against the top of her head. "Zis is just a sensation. You're ze one zat decides if it's real, what its intentions are, and how you'll react to it. Maybe it's not real. Maybe it's evil. Maybe you'll recoil. Or..." He withdrew his touch as easily as he made contact. "Maybe you felt nossing at all. Maybe zere wasn't any animosity. Maybe you never reacted at all.
"Maybe zere was nossing here in ze first place."
With his parting words, Bischofite approached the edge of the building. He'd had his fun, and though he left without a starseed in hand, he hopefully planted a few seeds of doubt in the girl's mind. If not, then... Perhaps he'd sharpened her devotion to his doom.
Bischofite stepped off the roof soon afterward and bade his wordless goodbye in a flurry of fabric accosted by his downward trajectory.stari_maga Thanks for rping with me!
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Posted: Fri Aug 16, 2013 5:55 pm
The touching her would have been enough, even though he wasn't trying to hurt her. It was twistedly gentle, but she wouldn't have just kept standing there even if it had been accidental. Also, he was still acting like she was incompetent, like she was a mindless sheep. So she would keep treating him like the monster he was. She whispered, "Cybele Hunter's Grace!" and finally uncrossed her arms to hold the magic she wasn't sure what she was going to do with, but as her arms snapped open, she realized she was pointing her bow at empty air. He wasn't gone, she watched him hit the pavement, but what was she supposed to do? There was no way she was throwing herself off a roof, especially now that she had stopped trying to hold back the tears, so she could barely see, and was shaking uncontrollably again. "It's not them!" she screamed at his retreating figure, meaning, probably, the White Moon Court. They didn't have any propaganda, they didn't try to tell her do do anything other than try to help, and she wasn't sure they'd approve of her opinions of the war anyway. The few conversations she'd had with them had been as awkward as this one, if less weird. The one thing she was sure of was that she wasn't loyal to anyone. "It's you!" she finished, fairly certain her words weren't doing anything. Then, she stopped caring and just sat down, letting the magic fade from her fingers and sobbed. Various memories came and she didn't push them away this time but nursed them, not just bloody, awful things from the carnival but every time she'd almost died, every time she'd failed, every time she'd done something stupid, all the impossible promises she'd made. She'd been so idiotic and weak, and she gave herself a little while when she didn't exhaust herself trying to forget it. Then she picked herself up, still trembling slightly, and went home. Strickenized Thank you, too! It was super fun.
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