Life went on, it seemed. Always marching forward as long as a heart still beat in your chest. That she was still here, still breathing and feeling and thinking was as much a surprise today as it had been those few days ago when she had suddenly woken up in a bed she remembered leaving behind years ago. One brown hand pressed to her chest just below her breasts and Orah's eyes focused inward on the memory of steel sliding into flesh.
It had all felt so very real... she remembered every detail of the five years she had lived, how could it not have happened? Some how, some way... she had gotten a chance to do it all over again. She couldn't let that future come to pass... whatever it took, she would forge a different path. How she was going to go about that though... she wasn't entirely sure.
Sitting on the roof of the show house in one of the developing suburbs, Orah waited patiently for Gehenna to arrive. He'd mentioned this place in the magical note he'd sent her... good that he had thought to do so, or she would have forgotten entirely that at this point in time, she had asked him to patrol with her. She was still trying to sort out just exactly when in time she was, remembering something as time specific as an appointed meeting was nearly impossible.
The deserted neighborhood, waiting to fill its new streets with new houses for new families, fit her tonight as well as they probably fit the knight. She didn't want to run into anyone right now, not while things were still so strange. Dealing with just one person seemed just the right amount of socialization for Orah. She hoped her powered down state wouldn't cause a problem for Gehenna finding her, but old habits died hard... the short patrols she'd done the last few days had been strangely absent of anything more than scattered Negaverse signatures, but instinct warned against letting her signature shine without a cat around to dim it. She was too used to hiding... too used to being wary of drawing attention.
Too used to not powering up at all, really. Her fuku felt strange on her, like clothes packed away for a few years suddenly taken out and tried on. Especially considering how often her power had come in the form of wings and jewels, rather than a torso hugging bodice and hood. Drawing her knees up, Orah wrapped her arms around them and settled her chin on top of the weathered jean material, her thoughts brooding. Even these clothes felt strange, though not as strange as the other things in her closet... the old sweat shirt and scruffy jeans were meant for 'when you know you're going to get messy', but they were closer to what she had grown accustomed to wearing than the bohemian dresses and skirts that had flavored her teenage years. She wasn't used to this extra weight either, slight as it was... actual feminine curves that had once been scraped away by too much work and not enough sleep.
A sigh slipped from the young woman as she cast an anxious glance up the small street and then down it again, a finger tapping against her knuckles. Orah kind of wished he'd hurry up... sitting alone with her thoughts was really not something she cared to be doing right now. Her nerves called for action, for motion... she needed a distraction.
Felyn
Posted: Wed Oct 15, 2014 11:33 pm
When it came down to it, Gehenna hadn't really been sure why he'd bothered to send the note at all. Chances were, if he'd not done it, she never would have been able to find him for this patrol that she had invited him to. Yet he'd written it and sent it hours before they were supposed to meet, reminding her that he hadn't forgotten.
Perhaps it was because Sana was out of town and he didn't want to go to the bars alone, or because drinking every night was beginning to affect him in worse ways than not drinking. Maybe it was just because one more night alone with his nightmares was unthinkable, especially now that he'd begun to have them about some future reality where he had succumbed to his darkness.
Whatever the case was, he was here, reaching out for companionship from someone that he barely knew. As he approached the new building, he was curious. He didn't feel an energy signature and part of him had to wonder perhaps she'd been the one to blow off their patrol night? Had he somehow misspelled her name? That seemed unlikely. There weren't many ways to spell Ida. For a long moment he just stood at the locked entrance, checking and double checking his sense for any sign of someone. It was only as he looked up that he noticed the civilian sitting on the roof, half hidden among the gloomy night shadows.
Was that.. her?
His thick brows furrowed and he slipped down a side alley. A quick hop up a dumpster and onto a fire escape gave him the path he needed onto the roof.
"Did you forget your henshin pen?"
His face was bright and smiling, much more hopeful than he felt - or she looked, for that matter. As he got close, it wasn't hard to see the way she was practically sulking. He had a stabbing moment of panic that this was about to turn into an emotional situation he didn't know how to handle but it was too late. He couldn't back out now that he'd shown up.
There was still the chance that this girl wasn't Ida at all, they didn't even look much alike.
She heard the foot steps before she heard the voice, her slender form tensed to wait for whomever it was that had decided to join her. Without her power, she had no way of knowing if the individual was Order or Chaos, or just another civilian. Orah's hand slid into her front pocket and closed around a familiar and comforting shape, the chipped and scuffed lacquer of the switchblade warm from her body heat. Her thumb found the release with the ease of long practice, but her hand stilled to wait, wanting to be sure who approached her before she went about flashing her only weapon.
The voice that finally came out of the dark was at once familiar and strange. There was a dual nature to it as something she remembered hearing not so long ago... and yet dusty with the weight of time. Orah's full lips thinned at the sensation and she released the knife to pull her hand free, reaching for the pocket on her sweatshirt instead to pull out the slick, shining pen.
"Gehenna." Orah said in relief, turning towards him. The smile on his face was comforting, bringing with it an easing to the lines of her shoulders and the set of her features. The line between her brows smoothed out and she was even able to offer him a smile in return as she rolled to put her feet under her and stand. "No, I've got it. I just didn't want to draw attention while I waited. It doesn't feel safe to go around flaunting an energy signature when I'm all by myself."
It didn't feel safe at all, really... but she had to keep reminding herself that this was the past, before the Negaverse had gotten enough control of the city that powering up in it was dangerous. Order still had a foot hold here... the streets were still patrolled by their kind.
"Ida Eternal Make-up!" Orah said as she lifted her pen over her head, the words firm, if quiet. Petals swirled upwards from around her feet as her clothing disolved, glowing like tiny stars or fireflies, and wrapped her in light. When they exploded outwards in dying sparks, Ida stood in Orah's place, hooded and bedecked in flowers, henna glowing down her face and arm.
Powering up came with a feeling of surging energy and a weird lack of queasiness she had come to expect and prepare for. She kept forgetting that this was what it had felt like, back then. No sickness, no home-sick longing... just the warmth of Ida's energy flowing through her and strength in her limbs. Things had been better, back then... back now? Back when she had had things like showers and fast food and only responsibility for herself...
Realizing she was falling into brooding again, Ida shook herself and smiled again, firmly putting away those thoughts for now. She'd come here to be with Gehenna, he deserved all of her attention.
"Thanks for coming. I was a little worried you'd skip out on me. This isn't my normal patrol route, but with all the empty buildings and construction zones, I'm sure we can find some youma skulking about, using it for hiding places." Youma were easy to kill and eternally in need of it, as bad as any vermin.
Felyn
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 12:04 am
The sudden change in demeanor was not unnoticed, even by someone as unaware of the subtleties of female emotion as Gehenna often could be. He'd met Ida when she was obviously patrolling alone one night, there couldn't have been that much difference between then and now. At least now she'd had the security of knowing a handsome, strong man was showing up - then she'd had nothing and been completely at peace with it.
Something was wrong. He just wasn't the right kind of guy to know how to figure this s**t out. He tried to shove it to the back of his mind and forget that he was worried about it.
Gehenna had seen a few senshi transformations by now, but it didn't make them any less surprising when they happened. His own transformation lacked a lot of the hoopla that his allies had and he was pretty sure he never got close to looking so completely naked. Even if they were glowing like they'd been dipped in rainbow road, it didn't take much for a gutter mind like Gehenna's to fill in the details.
For a moment he just stared, caught off guard, then let his eyes drop to the toes of his boots with an awkward throat clearing sound. He kicked at a displaced chunk of brick until the brilliant, flashy lights in his peripherals died down. It was an odd thing for him to shy away from openly staring at a woman, no matter how inappropriate the situation, but he did have the ability to be respectful on occasion. She wasn't some college girl in a bar looking for a good time, she was a good heart that genuinely seemed concerned about his well being for no reason at all. Gawking at her would have felt way too wrong.
"That magical identity thing is a real ********, you know?" As he glanced back up at her, he offered her that same, at-ease smile. "Here I was thinking you didn't look a bit like her."
He turned away from her to look out over the rooftops of the nearby buildings as she brought up the topic of the patrol they were actually supposed to be doing. The area was a newer part of town, with more empty houses than filled ones and where there were fewer people, there were usually fewer scumbags and parasites looking to feed on them. He hadn't chosen the area at random, though now he was beginning to wonder if she needed the distraction.
The squire stepped up onto the ledge of the building and crossed his arms over his chest, feeling for any sign of activity out beyond them. Nothing. Not that he had expected it.
"It's a pretty quiet night, all things considered."
Her smile turned sad for a moment as Ida considered his statement, a flurry of memories of people and places where glamor had hidden details that would have changed everything running through her minds eyes.
"Glamor is a blessing and sometimes a curse, because it works as well for our enemies as it does for us. You could be sleeping with someone who, earlier that night, was trying to kill you and never know it. But at the same time, it keeps you from being murdered in your sleep." She shrugged coming to step up beside him and follow the line of his eyes. It also wasn't surprising that he didn't think she looked the same as a civilian. Even without the glamor, Orah was a delicate, drab little creature compared to Ida with her golden bracelets and glowing skin.
Once, the line between Ida and Orah had been as distinctly drawn as a concrete wall. Back when she had first awakened and thought she could dabble in saving the world after school and study time. Over time that wall had thinned... down to a paper screen, then a curtain, then barely even that. In camp, she had been called Ida as often or more so than she had been called Orah, whether she was powered up or not. Among allies, there had never been a reason to hide who she was and even important that people could find her no matter what guise she worse. Six or seven years made a world of difference... even just one year saw radical changes from fresh faced teen to determined young woman.
"Its too quiet..." Ida mused softly as she stretched her senses as widely as they would go, straining to catch even a whiff of Chaos energy. "I'm not... used to the city being so barren of Chaos."
Reaching for her waistline, the eternal wrapped her fingers around her compact and lifted it in her palm, thumb depressing the button on the front that popped it open. The black screen inside the lid came to life with a grid of glowing purple lines and little dots of light appeared on it. Fiddling for a moment, Ida zoomed the view out to its full five mile radius and then she paused, her dark eyes studying the screen.
So many little dots of light... all lives fresh and new to this war that's been waged for centuries. How many of these lights will go out in the coming year? ... How many can I keep glowing, I wonder? As many as possible, she was determined. All, if she could. They needed every last one to stave off the future she remembered.
"There are always youma about. We should start walking... my energy will draw them out soon enough and then we can dust them. It'll make the streets that much safer for every one we take down." Youma always seemed to flock to her. Its why she had tried to avoid the medical tent during the ambush... they found her energy far too sweet. She hadn't even realized before that that was why the number of them out prowling had seemed to double after her trip to her planet. "I also kind of want to see you fight. I have a feeling you're like my team mate, Tsui. Close range and fists."
Felyn
Posted: Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:51 pm
Gehenna seemed to consider what she said about glamour, seriously, for a long moment. Then he just shrugged.
"I actually wouldn't be surprised if some of the women I'd been sleeping with were the enemy." He smirked, showing a flash of his cocky attitude that had been absent the night Ida found him sulking under a tree. "It would actually make a lot of sense." It might not have been the most appropriate thing to say, but she just seemed so sad. Being serious was obviously not going to help the situation, so he'd try another tactic.
When she opened the little compact, he leaned over her to look down at the screen. Being familiar with maps in video games, he had a few solid guesses at what it might be. With no chaos energy in the area that he could feel, she definitely wasn't scoping out potential youma to dust. He could ask her to explain it all, but knowing what little he did of her already, he probably wanted to avoid any chats about this sort of thing until she wasn't quite so somber.
"Tsui, eh? I don't know that one, but it's not too hard to guess that a guy with a spiky gauntlet uses his fists, detective Ida." He tugged lightly at the edge of her hood, a small tease, then turned and dropped back down to the roof of the theater. Once back on sure footing, he began stretching his arms across his chest, rotating the shoulders and working the muscle into a more fluid feeling. "But what about you?" He turned to look back at her where she stood, outlined against the dimly lit Destiny City sky. "What are your fighting skills?"
If she'd been worried about patrolling with the youma running about the other night, even if it was all a ploy to get him to come out, he had to guess that her combat skills weren't up to par with the average Knight.
Strangely enough, Ida found Gehenna's comment as amusing as he seemed to mean it to be and she chuckled, a smile pulling at her lips. Her own situation had not been amusing, but if these were casual flings he was talking about, then it was a bit different than what she had gone through. If it was just sex, just a one time and then done thing, did it matter so much what side they were on? Ida was pretty sure she'd never be able to trust herself with someone she didn't know was order, but then she was pretty sure she'd never be able to sleep with anyone she didn't have feelings for either. She envied him, just a little, for his confidence. Not getting emotionally tied up with Alois would have saved her a lot of pain.
When he leaned over her shoulder, she tilted the compact towards him so he could see it better, happy to share her one-of-a-kind treasure. He didn't ask about it though, instead teasing her lightly as he tweaked the hood that wrapped around her shoulders. The playful motion was a stark contrast from the last time she had seen him and she couldn't help the bright laugh that broke free. There was no bite to his teasing and she found she even enjoyed it. It was hard not to compare him yet again to another young man and how his teasing had come with a sharp edge that left shallow, but painful, cuts. This was far more comfortable.
"She's the Senshi of Tigers." She said as she turned to watch him, closing her compact with a click and letting it fall against her stomach. "I'm a ranged fighter, though I guess that is only maybe forty percent of my fighting time since my attacks are limited to three. I can fight up close, but I'm not really trained or anything... its all just experience and a couple of self defense classes." Her shoulders rose and fell as she dismissed her fighting abilities. They were passable, but unremarkable.
"I can show you if you like?" Ida said as she pondered the idea of a spar. Less dangerous than youma hunting, though that sort of thing had never really bothered her. He might not like it though... he was worried before about the strength of his abilities. He seemed more enthused today though, more upbeat and even playful than before. It was a nice change to see. A playful smile spread as she tilted her head a little, raising her fists into a defensive sort of pose. "I'm pretty fast though... you'll have a hard time keeping up, and I hit harder than you'd think by looking at me."
Felyn
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 4:35 pm
As the laugh passed her lips and he succeeded in putting a smile on her face, Gehenna's playful grin warmed. He was pleased with himself, deep down, for being able to break her out of the shell but he was also just glad that he had put a smile on her face. Even if he didn't know her well enough to truly be worried about whatever had her so down in the dumps, he did owe her for a night of consoling. She'd given him a night of peace and he wanted to return the favor now. Good people didn't deserve to frown.
"It's never good to be just a ranged fighter when you've got the Negas and their weapons. Unless you're always gonna be with your Senshi of Tigers, of course." He dropped his arms from their stretching position and let them fall back to his sides. His hands balled and unballed from fists, stretching the fingers and working his circulation. "But I'm willing to bet you're better than you admit. Even if you aren't, you know one of the best trainers in Destiny City now." His smile couldn't have been described as anything other than smug at that point - his ego was shining bright and true for her tonight.
When she offered to show him what she was made of, he let out a figurative sigh of relief. Even though he didn't like using his powers, he also didn't have to use it to the full extent if it was just a spar. If they went youma hunting it was hard to predict what would happen - they could find something worse and more powerful than just a youma that needed dusting. Even the mere thought of having to use his magic with her around made his mind uneasy. Gentle hearts were the ones most at danger, they always seemed to think they were stronger than his magic. They weren't, and that made them the most vulnerable. A spar with her was by far the easier option.
"I'm used to being the slow one. It's why I'm covered in armor, doll." The smug smile was at least accompanied by a playful wink now. He bent a little at the knees and brought his fists up into a defensive position at chin level. Even as he continued his taunt, the tone was playful and full of mirth that had been absent from him up until this point. "Try not to hurt yourself when you swing at me."
It was easier to forget the darkness when someone brought you a light. Easier still when they shared their company with it. With no Chaos signatures putting an oily spot on her inner radar and only a smarmy Mars Knight for company, Ida was almost able to recapture some of how she had felt once, before war had torn away what little was left of her innocence. Back when she had gone through this for the first time and everything had been fresh and new.
"Tsui is my team mate, I spend as much time with her and Athene as I can. We were always stronger when we were together, when we fought side by side. We always came out on top." She said, firm in the belief that what she said was true. Things had always gone worse without them by her side. Her scars were all from times when she had fought alone. She had been captured alone... died alone... Alone never brought her anything but pain and her resolve firmed. His comment about being a trainer pulled her out of the turn her thoughts had taken and her face cleared again as she gave him another smile, this one flavored with lifted eyebrows.
Doll? The nickname warmed her cheeks and Ida shook her head, her hands falling to rest on the curves of her hips as she gave him a stern look.
"Someone has a very large ego tonight." She said, cocking a hip. "You should be careful or your big head is going to throw off your balance." His attitude didn't bother her so much, really... surprisingly. It was different than the ego Castor had worn that had so put her on edge. Granted, part of that was how hard the Prince had been flirting with her too, though 'hitting on' would probably have been a better word. Maybe it was knowing how poorly Gehenna thought of himself, behind his bravado. They had that in common, at least. Maybe two failures could help each other succeed at something.
Ida smirked as he delivered his quip about hitting him and she straightened up, throwing an arm up before her in a sweeping arc upwards. Petals that glowed with purple light fell from her fingers to float in the air, compacting together to form a more solid shape.
"Heavenly Orchid Arrows!" The eternal called out as she grabbed for her glowing bow, lifting it lightly as she reached to pull back the invisible string. An arrow like a shooting star appeared in her hands, the petal tip of it aimed dead square for Gehenna's chest. Ida's face was determined as she released her arrow and it leaped from her bow with a rushing roar of sound, streaking across the distance between them. She was already in motion as her bow dissolved into sparks, her gold heels striking a rapid beat on the rooftop as she made to circle the knight, keeping them at a distance that made his combat style useless.
She was going to have to time this well... she'd already clued him in to the limited number of her attacks. Sparring felt like old times though, something she hadn't done in too many years, and Ida's heart felt light in her chest.
Eternal Sailor Attack: Heavenly Orchid Arrows! [What it does] An out-flung hand casts a trail of petals that form a bow-like shape. She takes it up and uses it to fire arrows of light with hardened petals as arrow heads. The arrows have an 'aura' of power to them and explode on contact. The explosion is more concussive, causing a pressure that can push a target backwards a foot or two, but doesn't do much in the way of actual damage. Unbalanced enemies could be knocked over, if they were caught unaware. Particularly heavy opponents may not be moved by the attack, but could be distracted or slowed by the pressure of it. Each arrow takes a lot of power to cast and her limit is three, which exhausts her and can force her to retire until she's rested.
Felyn
Posted: Sat Oct 18, 2014 9:33 pm
Gehenna did nothing but smirk when she told him he was in danger of his big head. Ida just didn't know him well enough yet - soon she'd realize that he always had a big ego. The night beneath the tree had actually been the fluke and not even that stern look and that notorious disapproval stance would be enough to rid him of it.
The attack, however, did shut him up temporarily.
He hadn't really been expecting her to open with it but since he had almost no idea what it did, he could only brace himself for whatever was coming next. A lucky thing he did, as the arrow plowed into his chest plate with a force harder than any punch. As he was knocked back, one arm flung out to the side to maintain balance, temporarily throwing a wrench in his defense. The soles of his boots ground against the gritty roof as he skidded back involuntarily a few inches, trying to make sense of her next move through the effort it took to maintain himself and the dazzling flare of lights that had accompanied the force.
He was sure he'd have a nasty bruise beneath the armor from the blow, but he had no time to stop and think. He only caught a glimmer of her as she whirled past in her circling arc around him. He was slow to react, but he was turning, ready to intercept part two. He'd been caught unaware, but he didn't have much ability in himself to fear her - she was nothing compared to the sparring partner he'd faced just earlier in the week.
Her attack took him off guard, pleasantly, but she knew it wouldn't happen again. Surprises only worked the one time and then people got wise to it. That didn't mean they were her only surprises though...
Ida pushed herself to circle the roof, using the speed of her higher stage and lighter build to her advantage. If he couldn't reach her, he couldn't hit her. That would have to be her mantra tonight, because she was positive any contact at all was going to hit hard... unless he got chivalrous on her and pulled his punches. Defeat the purpose, trying to be nice to me... As though I might break like a glass doll.
"Heavenly Orchid Arrows!" She called again as she skidded to a stop, the sweep of her arm pulling the petals from the air again. This time she aimed for the back of his legs, right behind his knees. If she could knock him down, it would give her another advantage... make it safer to get in close and use her fists and feet. That was the idea anyway. Hit him fast and hard until he fell down... perfect plan.
Felyn
Posted: Tue Jun 02, 2015 8:06 pm
Instead of wasting his time and energy chasing her, Gehenna spun slowly to follow her arc, moving only as little as was necessary to keep her from attacking him with his back turned. His dark eyes followed her every movement, every motion, waiting for the tell-tale signs of an attack. He saw it in the split moment between her lips parting and her first word and the way her muscles tensed right before she came to a halt.
He was prepared.
He dove as soon as she began speaking, arcing slightly in an attempt to avoid the release of her arrow. It flew past him so closely that he heard the air whistle as it was parted, though he tried not to let his attention be distracted by the near-miss. One hand left its defensive position and pulled back as he closed the distance between them, swinging in a wide arc at her torso - he wouldn't have felt very good about trying to punch a sweet girl in the face, even if that was usually his go-to.
He dodged her attack by a hair and the arrow exploded harmlessly behind him as the knight rushed her. Ida danced back, but he was fast, and he knew what he was doing.
Thankfully, he didn't aim for her face. A busted nose would not have been pleasant, or the black eyes to go with it. Someone probably would have been eyeing her room mates as possible abusers, seeing her beat up like that. Bruises on her torso were far easier to hide...
The air rushed from Ida's lungs as he hit her hard in the ribs, but she went limp with it, folding and falling back to take some of the force out of it rather than stand and take it all. Throwing an arm around his to pin it to her side, she swung a fist at the only part of him not fully armored... If they wanted to take this at all seriously, she just couldn't offer him the same consideration he'd given her.
One more arrow was all she had... and she needed distance if she was going to use it.
Felyn
Posted: Wed Jul 08, 2015 6:44 pm
A grimace plastered his face as her fist connected with his kidney. Pain blossomed across his side, dimming his vision, and causing that familiar prickle of a fading consciousness to crawl up his spine. The overwhelming need to suddenly vomit was the only thing that kept him standing and his teeth grit against that urge just as much as they did against the groan that resounded deep in his throat.
Who knew a girl could punch so hard - he probably needed to stop underestimating the difference between their power levels.
Though his vision was still dancing with stars, he put all of his focus on the proximity of her body. With one arm tangled around his own, he didn't have to see her to know where she was. A good warrior could fight, even when blinded. Or, well, that was the idea anyway. Hopefully.
He threw out his free arm until he found her shoulders, then clamped it tight around her slender figure. As the dizziness abated, he tightened his grip, dragging her into him and crushing her against his body. He couldn't take her down, but neither could she take him if she didn't put distance between them. A good warrior also knew when he was outclassed, though Kam lacked the true finesse it required to think a step ahead. All he could do was shut her down, the option of a counter attack was gone.
"Check mate," he said lowly against her hair, attempting to squash any attempts on her part to break free.
The connection came with a surge of satisfaction and just a twinge of regret for hurting him, but really, it was not a crippling blow... As long as she avoided hitting him there agin, he should be fine, right?
His counter attack came quickly, which she anticipated, but she underestimated being hampered by her grip on him in return. She attempted to squirm out of the way, but ended up crushed up against his chest with a muffled noise of protest. Without thinking, Ida shoved her hands into his stomach and gave a full body wriggle. It didn't move his arm, unfortunately, but it did give her a good idea about which parts of him were hard, unyielding armor and which were slightly less hard, living body parts.
His voice came out just above her ear and Ida froze in place, feeling a flush of warmth creep into her face as she completely and utterly forgot they were supposed to be sparring. There were probably things she could have done to force him to release her but they all fled her brain completely as though given wings, leaving her head empty and scrambling for something to do now that she was smooshed up against his body.
"Ghen... you can let go now." She managed, her voice embarrassingly breathy. "I give up, you won! Um... good job."
God, he was going to see how red her face was when he released her... she was twenty three for crying out loud, this stuff shouldn't have such an effect on her. Especially considering Alois... but then again, he had not been the hugging type either.
