Being a senshi was a strange thing. There was a lot she didn't understand, most of it centered around the war and her place in it. She knew why she had been awakened and why she was supposed to fight, but not why. Why her, why she was supposed to stick her neck out for people she didn't know. Why this was all happening, beyond the vague idea of 'they're doing bad things and therefore we fight them'. That didn't tell her why she should care. 'Bad' was subjective. It depended on whether the speaker was on the receiving end or the giving end.
Patrolling held zero interest to Eros, even with Puck waving the whole ‘innocent people being attacked by monsters’ card. Again… Why should she risk her own life and limb for them? She had spent her whole life saving herself from monsters, they could to. But Puck still expected her to go out at night, and truthfully… The perks that came with the senshi thing we're really kinda cool.
After work in the club district, she could power up in the back alley and jump easily to the roof, securing her a safe, quiet place to decompress. Smoke a little without anyone giving her the eye or fending off the sticky fingers of dudes who wanted a little something, but who’s manner or lack of personal hygiene turned her off. It didn't happen often, but she had some standards.
So there she was, stretched out on her back on one of the sloping supports of the Emerald Cat club, a glass piece in one hand and lighter in the other. Blue smoke curled around her, slowly thinning as it dispersed into the night air. It was nice up here… A little dirty, but blessedly empty. No one came up here save to maintain the roof, so it wasn't even set up to be all that appealing, but she liked it for that. Because it was ugly and wasn't trying to be anything.
She ignored the sounds of party goers on the street below, trying to push down the creeping anxiety that kept trying to intrude. That's why she was up here… To relax. Eros was determined to do so, unsettled feeling or not, and she lifted the bowl to her lips again, setting flame to it for another deep draw into her lungs.
Felyn
Strickenized
Posted: Thu Nov 05, 2015 9:21 am
There was a time where Domey felt the same way as the little Senshi that had stolen time to herself on the gritty rooftop. He'd often found himself questioning why so often that he had stopped questioning and doing anything about it all together. Yet now he understood a concept (had been forced to understand a concept) most Senshi never had to even deal with - it was not a Negaverse soldier's place to question why.
They followed orders.
They did not question their command.
He would have loved to have been down among the revelry, mixed into the crowd with a pretty lover on his arm, even sapping energy here and there if he had to. Yet there was a glimmer of an energy signature, a tell-tale sign of an enemy, and that had to be dealt with first and foremost.
Jumping across the narrow gap between the two buildings was done with relative ease, though it was the soft fall of his boots that he was more pleased with. Sneaking up on Senshi wasn't easy, but he could smell even from this distance that she was likely working with dulled senses. With one hand clasped around the handle of his megaphone, he crossed the rooftop until he could just see her, marked by the curls of acrid smoke curling up through the night air.
His thin lips stretched into a leer at the sight of her and without hesitation, he took a running leap at her, landing just above her on the flat seam.
Eros started at the voice that came from over her head, the heavy thud of boots sending her flailing off the slope she'd been lounging on. She landed on hands and knees, her piece dropping as it slipped from her fingers and hit the gravel roof with a sharp noise. She knew that noise and she had a flash of grief... That had been one of her favorites and they weren't cheap.
Her eyes flew towards the intruder as she scrambled up to her feet, backing up to put a little distance between them. Trash senshi...
"That's a rude way to greet someone. Didn't your mother teach you to be nice to girls?" She said as she swept her eyes up and over him. A megaphone? What the hell... His headphones were kinda cool though. She could be envious of them, they looked high quality. She drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, on guard should he make a move at her.
"So... are you here to talk, or what? I'm not looking for any trouble. If this is your territory, or whatever, I can just leave you to it. No harm, no foul."
There was a couple dozen steps to the edge of the roof... She was fast... could she make it before he could, if he came at her? Maybe... but she didn't like the idea of relying on it. She didn't know this roof well and it was covered in crap that was hard to make out in the dark. Twisting an ankle would not improve her situation.
Felyn
Posted: Wed Nov 11, 2015 3:04 pm
"My mom didn't particularly care how I talked to anyone, unfortunately." The perks of being a spoiled only child.
The sound of the breaking glass had been oddly pleasing, as he recalled the sound of his own phone breaking beneath a pair of Negaverse boots. Tit for tat. Someone paid the price. He leaned forward and, with his feet braced in a position reminiscent of a skateboarder, slid carefully down the slope she had been leaning on not moments before.
"I'm afraid that I don't have time to chat - I've got a rather annoying debt to be paid. It's nothing personal, but your starseed would make a pretty down payment. So if you're just going to waste it like that, I'm sure you won't mind."
Not even halfway down the slope and he leaped again, right for her, aiming to either tackle her to the gravel rooftop or chase her down until he could. There was nothing kind or considerate in the leer that stretched over his face - in fact, there was nothing kind about the air surrounding him at all. He was a man full of anger and even if he'd been dragged back into this life forcefully, at least it lent an outlet he could channel his irritation into.
Starseed... Rob had told her about those, about how they were inside your chest and being removed would kill you. She'd believed him completely... after all, removing anything from your chest was bound to be fatal.
Nope. So much Nope.
Eros didn't wait for him to finish his lunge at her. She didn't try to counter attack or reason with him. She did what she always did when faced with odds that were too heavily against her. The small senshi broke and ran, crunching gravel under her heel as she spun and took off. She managed a doge of his first move, but she was not sticking around to see if he'd make another one. There was no point to it. He wasn't like Quartz, he didn't want to talk, and there was nothing to be learned from someone like that. She was better off just getting the hell out of dodge and finding a convenient hole to hide in until he gave up looking for her.
Small feet pounded the roof as Eros ran, hell bent on making the edge of the roof and vaulting to the ground where crowds of people would at least make it uncomfortable for him to murder her. See how you like doing it with a bunch of eyes on you and your baby-s**t-green uniform and ******** megaphone. What the ******** was up with that anyway?
She jumped some metal tubing and clipped her heel, stumbling as she came down and forcing her to recover before picking up speed again.
Felyn
Posted: Fri Nov 13, 2015 11:53 am
Why did they always run?
A growl of frustration ripped through Domeykite even before he landed, watching as she leaped into motion and barreled away from him as fast as her short legs could carry her. There was a moment's delay in his own pursuit as he landed with a crunch of boots on gravel and bent at the knees to absorb the shock, mostly so that he didn't lose his balance and topple over. She had already gained a precious lead on him by the time he was able to shift his body from landing to motion, only fueling the irritable nature even further.
"God damn it," he cursed beneath his breath, narrowing his acid green eyes on her lithe little frame. He knew he was closing the distance, inch by little inch, solely because of his longer stride. It wouldn't matter if she got away before he did though, or if she slipped down into the crowd..
But then she slipped up. He saw it, the foot that clipped the metal pipe and the way it made her stumble. It was all the time he needed. He cleared the pipe after her with ease, maintaining his inertia, then threw his body forward into a head on tackle. If he could pin her down beneath him, she was done. She couldn't slip through his fingers then.
She heard the feet pounding the roof behind her and it set her heart racing with fear-laced adrenaline. It put more speed into her legs, but not enough.
Eros felt her pursuer collide with her back, hitting her hard and taking her off her feet. She shrieked as they went down in a tangle, the sound cut off abruptly as she collided with the cement and the air rushed out of her lungs. Stunned for a moment, all she could do was cough and struggling for air, but the second she managed it she was a storm of flailing limbs and eel-like writhing about. She was not going to make this easy on him, <******** THAT.
The small senshi rolled as she shoved at him, drawing a deep breath before she began screaming at the very top of her lungs.
If he was going to murder her, she was bloody well going to make sure the whole city knew about it.
Felyn
Strickenized
halp! ;w;
Posted: Sat Nov 14, 2015 12:57 am
The first time he heard a bloodcurdling scream in the city, he remembered it clearly. He remembered it because it reminded him of gang violence in New York, or mob movements in Chicago. He remembered it because of the way he reacted - he rooted to the spot, tried to discern its location, and walked directly away from that location. He never did it out of malice. He never felt guilty over it, either.
Isaiah considered it as a simple set of circumstances: the screamer was about to die. He did not want to get involved in that death. Even if he was possessed of the hero complex, the person would likely be dead when he reached the location. Then he would be next.
Witnesses, and all.
So when Isaiah heard the first scream peal across the silent sky, he rooted as per tradition. Ears strained over the echo to find the source - the general location.
Then curiosity piqued him. He powered up.
Scholomance, he found, needed no straining faculties to find that person. He wagered that, given his detection of darkness smothering out a meager light. Other scenarios came to mind, that the scream came from a civilian in an unrelated area, that the pair were simply having a chat, but instinct told him otherwise. Scholomance darted through the streets, peeling across their dead landscapes with an urgency to his speed, and a lack of consideration for any passersby that may stop and gawk at his garish appearance. The buildings turned and curled and loomed, making labyrinths of the grid system, but he outran the confusion.
A steady thump, thump, thump sounded when he sighted them. He thought it was his heart. Perhaps it was, flooding his ears with blood, but a second glance confirmed a prominent club nearby. Sid would be inside, he told himself. Playing every melody she could muster. Oblivious to all the world. Oblivious to this.
Oblivious to the boy looming over a girl, who tackled her to the ground.She struggled pointlessly. Scholomance wondered if he intended to cave her skull in with a megaphone.
No, they use starseeds.
So Scholomance summoned cane to hand. He reminded himself of the lessons taught by Thraen, by Methone. He remembered how his magic felt - its constrictive, derisive leech of his person. He remembered the sense of doom that pervaded him upon cast, and the death knell that announced it.
He remembered, and he waited for the precious seconds before the attempt.
Then his cane struck the ground in a toll that unbound the world.
Whimsical Blue
felyn
Squire - Parva Morta Duration: 30 second maximum magic pool Distance: Victims can be tagged up to 20 feet from Scholomance himself Number affected: Up to 3 'tagged' based on line of sight Extra: Magic 'tethers' at 20 feet from Scholomance barring sight interruption Description: Scholomance summons a death knell that will immediately affect 'tagged' characters (anyone focused on by Scholomance within line of sight). Any targeted character will have their corporeal form turned into a ghastly spirit-form, and will find that any attack or attempt made toward corporeal bodies will only pass through their form. In trade, corporeal characters will be unable to strike or harm those who are rendered as spirits. Spirits will see the world around them as an inverted, crumbling version of their current location. Corporeal characters will look to them as blots of energy rather than people. Spirits can still attack each other, and both corporeal and incorporeal characters can attack Scholomance, as he is the link between the illusory otherworld and the real world. Breaking his concentration will end the attack prematurely.
During channeling, Scholomance's magic actively damages him as tradeoff. Effects start at full body ache and exhaustion and can lead up to immediate collapse afterward, depending on circumstances. He is also completely immobile while casting and cannot attack any targets.
Strickenized
Garbage Cat
Offline
Felyn
Eloquent Lunatic
Offline
Posted: Wed Nov 18, 2015 1:32 pm
The sound of a bell rang through Domey's consciousness like it began and ended inside of his own skull, echoing across his brain and making his teeth grit. It was so intensely jarring that he stopped trying to hold the girl down and stiffened, closing his eyes to find his own center of gravity. He wanted to hold his head to calm the echo, like one silenced a cymbal, but there was no time to baby himself.
His eyes flashed open, his megaphone reared back and - he stopped, dead.
"What in the actual ******** ******** is happening." The words were loud, laced with a growl, as the world around him began to crumble and he witnessed the ground beneath him through his own legs. The megaphone was lost to whatever subspace he had called it from and wild, acid eyes looked around for any sign of what had caused his troubles in the first place.
There. A squire, rooted where he stood.
"Did you do this s**t?" A spectral hand waved for emphasis as he stood - or thought he stood - and shifted in the direction of the newcomer. There was a deep seated rage threatening to boil over as he did his best to navigate the world around him, but nothing was as it seemed - nothing was as he remembered it only seconds before. Beneath the rage was a thinly veiled feeling of nauseousness, like motion sickness born of the topsy turvy world.
He swore to himself, the moment he got his hands on that stick wielding p***k (as soon as he was able to), he'd strangle him.
Strickenized
Temper tantrum in 3.. 2..
Whimsical Blue
Posted: Sat Nov 21, 2015 10:02 pm
A deep bell sounded and Eros continued to shriek as she struggled, until suddenly the weight left her body and the painful grip disappeared. Startled, the sound cut off as she opened her eyes and gazed up at a phantom after-image of the man who had attacked her, still crouched where he should have been.
Eyes wide, she sucked in gasping breaths as she kicked and squirmed out from under the ghost when nothing solid impeded her way. He didn't even seem to be paying attention to her any more and as she followed his hateful gaze, she soon discovered why. Another man had joined them, tall and dark haired, his elegant purple coat decorated with bones. Or something with the semblance of bone... it was hard to tell, but she wasn't trying terribly hard enough, more focused on putting distance between herself and her attacker as possible.
She instinctively made for her rescuer when she managed to roll herself onto her knees and from there, to her feet again. Instincts said the safest place to be was with whomever was willing to fight for or with you. This stranger, whether he was responsible for whatever had happened to the officer, was the only safety to be had right now and there was no way she was giving that up.
Boots crunching on gravel, Eros darted to put him between them and only then did she dare a glance back, eyeing the man in olive.
"Did you do that?" She gasped out as she struggled to catch her breath, scrubbing at her palms to ease the sting from her fall. "How long does it last?"
Scholomance did not respond for all the rage that the lieutenant brandished. He did not respond for he could not speak - concentration demanded of him every last measure of breath in his system, every scrap of energy he possessed, and a taste of vitality with every passing second. He waited but for the few seconds to pass, for the lieutenant to divert his attention, and he released the grip on the illusory death realm to regain his slipping life force.
Bricks descended to their rightful spaces. Whole segments of buildings reunited. The street no longer parted in jagged dearths that exposed the very tears of the universe.
Immediately Scholomance leaned heavily on his cane and panted to regain lost breath. "I did," he returned at last. Another few breaths passed. "If I had to guess, you were about to dash her brains out with... A megaphone?" The creativity in it is commendable, but it goes against my sensibilities. Why couldn't you have stuck to your quota and drained her for all she's worth. "Whatever quarrel you have with her, leave it be."
Are those headphones? What an odd combination - headphones and a megaphone... Or are they shooter's muffs to block out the noise?
The questions behind him received no answer, for there was no need to return them. He already felt exhausted, even if he knew by experience that he could withstand another short cast. Scholomance straightened up then, with both hands remaining on the cane, and tried to act the part of hero. Unfortunately, it felt as though he crawled into a skin too large for his meager body to fill. The savior role offered him no comforts.
Felyn
Whimsical Blue
Posted: Thu Dec 03, 2015 5:23 pm
Time passed oddly for the lieutenant trapped in the Squire's magic, and every perceived second that tipped by left him feeling more and more disoriented and disconnected from reality. He realized he wanted to vomit - but wasn't even sure that he could, or what he would produce if he tried.
Whatever training the Negaverse had offered, it certainly didn't prepare him for becoming a terror of the night. He tightened his grip on the weapon and narrowed his eyes on the only thing he could see with any certainty. The culprit behind it all.
"You use what they give you," he hissed irritably, wishing he had the will power to beat the Squire's head in with it just to a prove a damn point. It was steady and durable enough to do blunt force trauma when applied appropriately, he knew. Yet there was no way he could find the will or strength to manage that, as every second that ticked by gave him a growing uneasiness that felt like super powered vertigo. He wanted to keep threatening, and cursing, but the words that bubbled up felt sticky in his throat and he clamped his mouth closed around them.
"Fine, I give up," he growled, low, little more than a mumble of his lips, "keep the little trashy b***h. I don't want to be here anyway." He turned his back on the pair of them to prove a point, stalking a few steps forward in the direction they had come from - though he wouldn't be able to leave until the effect stopped. If it could stop. He tossed a glance over his shoulder at the pale face behind him.
She watched the man who had attacked her as he struggled in the grip of what she assumed was magic from the stranger who'd rushed to her defense. Oddly, he hadn't moved since the whole thing had started and even seemed a little tense and frozen in place. It was concerning, if the other dude decided to break free or something... she was going to be right back in danger if this new guy was suddenly out of commission...
Then suddenly, motion again, and a worrying slump. Eros shifted further behind him, making sure he kept position between her and her attacker. The worry was even worse now, that her rescuer was somehow unwell. Whole lot of good he was going to do, that way. Be a two for one deal for the a*****e who jumped her.
"Woah, hey... are you okay?" She hissed at him, stepping in closer in a nervous sidle... at least until the boy with the megaphone spoke up.
"HEY! Who are you calling a trashy b***h? You emo One Direction wannabe!" Eros barked, her face drawn into a scowl. She made no move to step out of the knight's protective shadow, though, not when her attacker was making to leave without more trouble.
felyn
Strickenized
Posted: Fri Dec 11, 2015 3:10 am
I'm surprised he left like that. Maybe his quarry was too much trouble to pursue against a squire. Scholomance straightened and squared his shoulders back while he watched the lieutenant retreat. The knight found no particular impetus to follow the megaphone boy; there was little reason to meddle that greatly in Negaverse affairs.
But if someone died out here, he wagered that his shop would encounter the less scrupulous parts of his customer base in droves. Scholomance found that notion rather unacceptable.
And the senshi in question looked partially concerned, though mostly strung out. The red rims of her eyes bespoke smoking up, as if the pungent smell and glassiness to her gaze didn't declare her pastime already. "I'm fine," he responded with a slight wince. "Just a little pained. That magic is a little tricky." He only managed the cast for a handful of seconds, and it felt closer to an eternity. Practice assisted with the length by which he could hold it. Still, he hadn't managed more than ten, fifteen seconds at most in the course of an altercation. Perhaps he should thank his luck that the lieutenant found the pair of them unworthy.
The yell from behind him sent him into a start, and he soon recovered with an exasperated scowl, Looking back to her, Scholomance shot her a pointed, low-lidded stare to quiet her unruliness. "Don't bait him. You can have a rematch on your own terms, not mine." This senshi he recognized as markedly immature. For someone willing to alter their state of mind when involved in a war, she lacked survival instincts. Either that, or she assumed Scholomance was far stronger than he truly was. In an old, dark section of town like this, there's bound to be more than Negaverse agents crawling about. Personal experience says more than the occasional stranger here is armed. We'd best take to the lieutenant's strategy and leave if we don't want to get shot in a turf war.
Scholomance started on his questions while walking in opposite of the lieutenant's path. He did so purposefully, as he intended to steer the senshi away from this place. "What's your name? And did you know him?"
Felyn
his magic ended in the post on nov 24 in case you didn't catch it~
The kid left, which was good, all things considered. It eased the tension Eros had been holding onto and she relaxed slow, left in the company of her rescuer. Turning away from the retreating figure, she was finally able to give him a proper once over and she was startled by what she found.
He was tall, which she liked. He was also covered in things that looked like bones, which was... unnerving, if they were real. Chances are they weren't though... it would take a creature far too large, in her opinion, to outfit him. Plus magic, and who knew what magic could do, really. Making bones from nothing that had ever lived seemed a paltry thing.
Dark hair, bright hazel eyes, pale skin. Even with his leering mask, she found him attractive with his lean build. He had a cane and, though it appeared like a giant leg bone, it fit with the over all look of him, which spoke of death and darker things. All in all, not a bad package, and he had saved her life besides. That put him firmly in Eros's good graces, with a need to ingratiate herself. It was important, to know people who could and would protect you.
She offered him a smirk as he scolded her for her words and she shrugged boney shoulders, brushing it off. Nothing had come of it, why worry?
"He's not coming back, not while you're around." She said, turning to follow as he began to lead them away from the ambush site.
"My name is Eros, I guess, in this get up. I've never seen that guy before, I don't know him. I snuck up here for a break and he jumped me out of the blue. I haven't even done anything to be worth attacking, really, I tend to steer clear of conflict with those people." She angled him a look under her lashes, her fingers sweeping back her bright hair. "So... who are you, then? You're not a senshi, that I can tell. I'd still kinda new though, so hell if I know."
The night had started out well, gotten a bit rough there, but looked like it was on its way up again. She had a handsome companion to get to know and she wasn't a smear on the concrete, so Eros figured it was pluses all the way around. Maybe, if she was lucky, she'd even get a chance to repay her savior for his help.
