Familiar Faces (2) : As you walk around town, you start to notice that people seem different. Faces you used to remember have been swallowed by shadows; you may 'know' the person by a feeling, but their face is completely masked in deep black shadow. Their voice is unfamiliar, and it's clear to you that something is wrong, but no sense of logic can explain this. Shadows seem to be replacing people around you--associates, neighbors, maybe even friends or family members. Even if they act completely normal, you are left with an unsettling feeling. The shadow impostors seem to come and go, and are always just convincing enough to pass for someone in your life. It’s hard to feel safe anymore. Maybe you’ve just come down with something–or, maybe something from the shadows is just watching you.
And sometimes? It was friends — and others? Enemies he knew dead, aged faceless things from his past that crawled forth with rictus mouths and bleeding grins; last season Reed had caught a cold, but this? This felt like no cold he’d ever suffered before — the chilled shivers were anxiety, the furniture cloying heat his own mind dragging forth fear seers and putting him into a twitchy mood, making him pick up his pace unnecessarily — he didn’t tell his team — put the whole of it out of his mind.
At least until it increased—-
More people that shouldn’t’ve been, more shadows hiding around corners in his office and the eaves of his greenhouse. He’d taken off at a jog that night, loathed for exercise, but was sure it’d clear his head if he took an evening run…
At least he hoped.
Maybe if he avoided people entierly? Maybe if he swerved into the park and followed an off path towards Shieks plot of land — he’d take the mile — he’d shed his human visage and teleport if needed. So lo as he stopped feeling those cursed eyes on him. So long as he stopped feeling followed—-
The General — the man — utterly unawares as to whether there were others about that night. For even if he couldn’t see them? He could feel them. Endless black eyes. Shifting faces. He ran faster—-
Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2022 11:56 pm
For just once in his life Ken would have loved it if things went according to plan. The fact that he stood alone on an empty half basketball court just proved the point he was trying to sell himself on that people could not be trusted. Not even those he called friends. Scoffing silently and retrieving the ball he'd just sent sailing towards the lone hoop that was standing did the young man realize that maybe it was just that time of year where everyone forgot prior obligations. Shuffling back to where the free throw line was Ken dribbled the ball a few times before ceasing the motion to line up his shot. As he brought his hands up above his head to give the ball the momentum it would need to sail through the air the sound of footsteps nearby that seemed to be of someone in a hurry paused his motions.
Bringing his hands down Ken cocked his head to the side before bending down to place the ball on the ground. The sense that something was amiss was stronger as the footsteps suddenly became muffled, almost as if someone had stepped off the main path through the park. Was it someone who was running from someone? Or something? Why was it that he was compelled to figure out what was going on? In his mind there was a plethora of reasons that he felt needed to be eliminated: all the way from the good but also ranging from all the bad things. Ken's imagination ran wild as he grabbed up his bag to sling over his shoulder and tucked his ball under his arm before following as quickly, yet as silently as he could.
One could never be too cautious around the unknown around this time of year.
Every fresh sound; an insects rustle, the wings of a bat snatching fat moths from around city placed lamplights, the crunch of twigs beneath his own hurried feet — each echo of oddness was a driving spike of panic, menacingly spearheaded by the ghosts that lived trapped in his mind. He swore he heard things in the forest breathe, move, come alive beside him in a way that sent him into a halt — clinging to a nearby birch with fresh yellow, red, leaves that looked decaying in the slivered nightlight.
Reed heaved a hisst breath full of heightened panic, eyes darting in every new direction — and then he swore he heard *it* — a noise from behind — animal, or man, or other! He gave the tree his back lest he become surrounded — slipped into the guise of General like the shadows he so suddenly feared, and *waited*……
He couldn’t think to reach for his blade when he was trying so hard to stifle his heartbeat loud in his ears; each thought loud as a battle cry. Maybe it was the fresh princess that’d finally found him — Castor back from his hidden skies — A nameless knight bearing a whip full of sharp electricity.
Prehnite wanted to tell himself everything was *fine* — and then as his gaze fell back on the path he’d veered from, he saw a man shaped shadow *shift*, eerie, unearthly, menacing — and then he did find his blade, clenched the hilt till his fingers were bloodless white.
tefla
Posted: Tue Oct 18, 2022 12:29 am
Was he even doing the right thing? Ken paused once more as it seemed that whomever he was following had no sense of direction of where they were running to. What compelled him to follow? Now it seemed that since he'd made the decision to at least investigate and make sure things were alright did Ken leave any misgivings about what he was doing behind him. For all that he knew this person may have just been out for a midnight run but on the other hand the strong sense that this individual was running amok like a panicked animal made for ample reasons to make sure that everything was kosher.
Without much effort Ken eyed his surroundings and picked up on the small indicative signs that told of a presence passing by recently in the form of snapped twigs on the ground and just general disturbances in the ground. Ken, by no means, was an expert tracker like people who did this sort of thing for a living, but the way this unknown person was moving it wasn't hard to read the path taken. That is until it seemed to stop.
Passing by a grouping of birch trees did Ken realize that the trail he was following so readily had all but disappeared. He paused and backed up a few feet to where the treeline began before observing the ground with a keen eye. No disturbance. ... Where had the signs gone?
A stray whistling sound like a breath sucked in through clenched teeth and the soft sigh of fabric rustling had Ken spinning around to face the unknown that he'd been trying to locate ... and, oh, it didn't appear like this individual was happy to see him if that blade clenched in tense hands was any indication.
The intake of air hastened, till he bit it in two beneath a clench of teeth, felt the vein along his jaw twitch for the force of it. The nerve, for those of order to think they could sneak up on him? Kill him in the dead of night and leave him some cold, forgotten corpse!
He wasn't some helpless, fearful, little Lieutenant anymore. No, he was a General now. He had power -- he had a blade -- and one could almost hear his bones creak for how his grip tightened further still. The rustle of his cap scraping bark *loud* compared to the sudden silence amidst the trees.
"You--" and the venom that existed there in the monosyllabic word Prehnite spat; it was older than a decade of service, older than a cold cell and biting cuffs that left the faintest of scars. Whatever face the pursuant truly held, Prehnite only saw the one -- a morphing shadow and eyes full of cold disregard for life -- he could even hear the distant crackle of the non-existent weapon in hand. Oh yes it looked like a ball now, but that was always the knights ruse, their ineffectual trinkets that turned into deadly nightmares always at the ready ready, always waiting to twist from shoe string into a tool of punishing recourse. He imagined the moment this one'd spring it on him with vicious surprise, like all his kin's hidden summons, "--I remember you. Did you come to finish me off? Come to give me your name so I can curse you properly, finally, after all this time?"
How long had he searched into futility? Till he figured this one dead, or moved, or escaped to whatever world *Knights* and their ilk called home.
"So I can kill you. After all this time."
The face he saw was laughing, a spiteful grin full of 'come on', and rather than retreat and show weakness -- oh, he'd never do that again -- he brandished his blade properly and instead took a step towards the man before him.
tefla
Posted: Wed Oct 26, 2022 2:17 am
Whoa, whoa, whoa. Time out. What?
Ken obviously had jumped into something that was obviously out of his league. There was no real time to react to everything that seemed to be going down. On instinct, when faced with a blade-wielding figure, the urge to distract was strong. On impulse, even as he took a step back, did Ken throw the basketball that he'd been holding towards the stranger. Was it a wise move on his part? Only time would tell. The wisest move would have been to use the time to run off but there was something in the back of the young man's mind that hinted that running was not the right move. Would talking down this stranger's aggression be the better option or something else?
Even as he was hastily putting some distance between them did he raise his hands in a placating gesture. "Look, obviously something's wrong with you. I don't think you even know what's wrong. I don't even know you. How can you accuse me of wanting to finish you off when we've never met?"
'Oh brilliantly done, like that'll convince anyone. Why aren't you running?'
Ken shook the last thought out of his head before merely waiting for what seemed like the inevitable move that would possibly see his life end. His gaze locked onto and held the stranger's as he simply stood there. If he was going to be cut down in some form of mistaken identity there wasn't much that he was going to be able to do about it now. Instead of pleading now he changed his tactics a little, "I'm not sure if anything I'm saying is getting through to you. But trust me, killing me, not the answer. I can be of much more value to you alive," and Ken mentally crossed his t's and dotted his i's, before adding a simple, "trust me," to the end of his spiel.
Whether or not his words would either shorten his lifespan or not Ken merely stood there with his back straight and hands to his side.
"Wrong with me---" and the words spat free sounded very close to 'how ******** dare', Prehnite wasn't prone to cursing, but the intent was clear in the low tone and snake hisst. The way his eyes were wild like green-fire instead of soft grassy emeralds, he clearly took offense.
There was nothing wrong with him -- it was the Knight something was wrong with -- it was all of them that'd caused this! With their petty indifference of small lives, with the way they wouldn't bend; the skies above were dead, the war long lost, and the continued struggle of hopeful few rebels simply dragged it all on like the ghost of a mourners wail -- space was haunted by orders continued clawing, ever on, nauseatingly so; Prehnite wasn't the least bit pleased for it.
"Oh no, I'm hearing you, loud and clear. You don't want to die, nobody does -- and yet?" and as he stepped forwards at speed, he meant to grab for that gold and white he remembered so vividly, however faulty his mind for those moments a decade ago was, he remembered the cloak clasped near the nape. Only instead of catching fabric to hold -- of bringing his blade to bare against flesh emblazed by blinding marks that barred entry -- he felt his hand sink in, beneath it all to that incomprehensible void that held a persons soul.
That was wrong----
Transcendent's couldn't be turned, not Knights, not Senshi, all the things that made those glowing marks such a taunt---as if their celestial bodies had granted them no illusions of middle ground, stated cleanly how it was a war, and in war? The answer to a threat that was unyielding, to an enemy that couldn't be bent under their specific brand of yolk that was so oft labeled corruption?
Well that answer was death, wasn't it? Simple, clean, merciful in ways that an overwrite of the mind was not.
None of what was happening was right--There was no way to break a Knights transcendence! But Prehnites hand was in this strangers chest, bare fingers wrapped round his life-force, the thing that made him so very alive, and in the panic of watching the shadows dissolve away from the young mans face -- no Knight -- no enemy -- just another man. In his panic for that? He did something he'd never done before, and pushed a bold amount of chaos through into the frantically pulsing bit of crystal clutched therein.
tefla
Posted: Fri Oct 28, 2022 9:50 pm
Kenneth gulped. The speed at which the stranger moved had been unreal. It seemed as if following after this individual had not been the wisest choice and his own words had made the situation worse. Now as he felt himself lifted off the ground did Ken feel his heart lodge in his throat. Or at least it felt that way. Technically his heart couldn't be in his throat because it really felt as if this person's hand was suddenly vanishing into his chest. It wasn't in the direct path of his heart but somewhere close to it. Would it be wise to hold his tongue now? Kenneth swallowed nervously before his hands fluttered almost comically before one went to try and push the sharpened blade away from his neck even as his other hand went to try and put resistance on the one that had found its way into his chest.
And how was that even possible?
The sensation of this stranger's hand clasped around something deep inside made Ken wonder if maybe his heart was being grabbed at. His face blanched at the insinuation that maybe he was about to die. As the stranger continued to hold him up in the air did the young man kick out just once before stilling his flailing feet. "Hey, look, I don't know you well enough for your hand to be in my chest ... and I-"
Ken's words broke off with a muted scream as he felt something, unknown, foreign, yet sinister, being pushed into whatever this stranger was holding onto deep inside. The pain was unimaginable. Even as the sensations felt like they were ripping him in two did the wave of agony flare bright before settling into a dull throb. In a span of what had seemed like eternity, but was really only seconds did a change come over Ken. No longer was he dressed as a civilian but his clothing was sharper, more militaristic ... more of an unknown make and style. A rather heavy object was clasped in the hand that was near to his chest and he groaned at the sight. Pink ... shockingly pink. And just what was it?
There wasn’t room to make a proper apology like this, not with the need to concentrate hot on the trailing ends of his clearing mind. Focus was required, lest he ******** it all asunder and produce some half mangled youma-type being.
Prehnite wished he’d ever done it before — even once — breathed through his lacking confidence in a way that became a heavy sigh full of self-contempt. Let the brief fidgeting kicks land, before he was letting go, far more gently than he’d gone in. Uncurling his fingers and pulling his clutched wrist free, his blade a forgotten clatter amongst the foliage below.
The wherewithal the man’d had to protect his throat — smart — quick with his tongue — with his thinking — admirable traits that Prehnite noted even as the pained scream echoed in his head like the basketball Ken’d dropped. Hollowly bouncing about in the dark of his mind—- *what had he done!!*
“I’m so, so —- “ there was no going back though, no undoing what’d been done, “Sodalite —- there aren’t enough apologies in the world.” The name was the first that came to his tongue, even as he moved his hands to steady the man swaying from pain in his grasp. Eying every stitch — the odd — oh goodness, the pink mockery of a flail clutched there. Such a mess —-
“Can you stand?” a rude, twitchy, parody of ‘can you forgive me’, but he’d find the way to ask that later. After he’d explained — and there was so much of that to do now!
tefla
Posted: Thu Nov 10, 2022 9:25 pm
Ken was standing, wasn't he? What an absurd question to ask. He clenched his free fist around the handle of the plastic toy that was gripped in his hand before raising an eyebrow at the stranger in front of him. He felt different, more powerful if that was possible. The crispness of his new uniform startled Ken before he registered the name that was newly bestowed upon him. Sodalite. Something about the name rang deep within and he gave a short nod to the question that had been asked of him before taking a few unsteadily steps to each side just to prove that he could indeed stand on his own.
"So, your hand in my chest, and this new uniform, what does that make us?"
Ken couldn't help his words. There had been no warning of the danger that he had wandered into and now he was trying to figure out what came next and if he had to ruffle this stranger's feathers a little more, than so be it. The words continued to pour out unchecked, Ken was nervous and he word-vomited when he was in such a state.
"Like, you got up close and personal, stuck your hand in my chest and did something weird. Now I sport this new look and have a kid's toy clenched in my hand. I feel like there's a story behind what is going on and would love to hear it, but first things first. What's with Sodalite? I'm not a mineral now, am I?"
"Congratulations, we're married now--" curt snare of tone, and the twinge of worry, bucket of concern, and oceanic volume of guilt he'd been feeling just moments ago sloughed off like a landslide amidst a downpour; if this -- if Sodalite was speaking? Enough to ask such a barrage of questions, then he was clearly alive, maybe even too alive for Prehnites liking right then.
He tried to cling to his relief, lookit that, he hadn't maimed, maligned, or mangled his first ever actual recruit into a mushy, youmatic mess -- no matter how accidentally his intent had been thrust into the mans body. His uniform had even managed to come out looking decent enough, lucky b*****d. No jumpsuit -- no gardening-- well, the weapon was at least viable, maybe?
Insofar as anyone look at it might die laughing at seeing a-ah-ah skipit? Before they managed an actual attack...
"I'm sorry, that's untrue..and rude.....and quite honestly? I've never asked why, about the mineral names. I don't even know if it's explained in the.." and Reed was ever so slowly, carefully, retracting his fist from Sodalites chest. Leaving the solid, charged glint of soul safely behind ribs, lungs, and in it's safe bit of void where it belonged. Wiping it superfluously off on his thigh, as if anything actually clung to it at all...
"You're sodalite, because I don't actually know your name, and because those of us within the -- organization -- are all granted mineral names, for anonymities sake," words shunted through a sigh, emerald eyes that scanned toe to bright pink tip of toy, "explaining anything more than that is better not done out here in the middle of -- where the ********, actually, am I? Are we?"
Because he didn't remember fleeing into a *forest*, or was it a path off a familiar park?
tefla
Posted: Thu Dec 08, 2022 8:00 pm
Raised eyebrows was the only gesture that Ken, no, now he was Sodalite, gave to the other that had brought this change over him. Marriage, wasn't that a laugh? Even trying to joke about the connection between them was doomed from the start and instead the newly christened Sodalite instead took a much closer look at the thing that he clenched in his one fist. The heft of the plastic toy was oddly useful and perhaps he'd actually find a good use for the thing. Bashing unsuspecting people in the shins or other body parts would prove to be a helpful distraction.
He watched as the other's hand disappeared from his chest, at a much slower rate than it had gone in at, and as soon as the offending limb was removed did the young man inspect the area. No trace of where trauma had been felt remained and Ken scoffed before turning his gaze back to this new conundrum, "interesting magic trick. So I have questions and I guess you have answers but I can give one answer to your question: we're currently off the path leading to where I like to shoot hoops. Saw you running and wondered if you were in need of assistance. Guess not though."
Sodalite swung the skip-it, the name coming to his mind from what seemed like aeons ago, before bending over to pick up his abandoned basketball. "I can lead you back to the more common areas if need be but I think I need information. And I'm meaning the core basic things like: who are you for starters and what did you do?"
Prehnite blinked, caught in thought and caught in the spiral of words that came pouring forth from 'Sodalite' who's name he still didn't know. Not that knowing mattered, the man was technically his to ward, and guard, and inform now. Wasn't he?
And Prehnite found he liked this one, how his guilt that faded into confusion-riddled ire then built up into some sort of -- was it joy? Admiration for the adaptability and willingness to roll with the flow of things that a young Reed would've dubbed 'insane'. Destiney City was insane, well and truly so. The man standing before him offering an answer so easily; offering to lead him back as if he was addled -
Which, okay, maybe he was addled, maybe his mind was snowmelt and disease, and blightrot at it's core.
But that was fine, there were more crazed Generals than himself, bitchier ones, icier ones -- ones who were quite literally on fire and whom he even, crazily enough, shared a 'daughter' with.
"At least I didn't wander into another city," he'd research the why of that sometime later, whatever illness had spun him into doing something so maddeningly, and stolen his moment of memory for it, "thank you -- for that -- for stopping me. Even at a cost -- " of which he was being asked to explain properly. " -- I'm General Prehnite, you can call me Reed, and I -- well -- do you mind if I show you? It'll make the trick seem far less magical."
Or mabye it'd make it seem more so. Not that it mattered, holding his hand out to Sodalite a genuine offer to take it, because all of his handbooks and manuals were back in his office, because he finally -- finally -- had an actual officer who he could show the citadel, the rift, the abandoned city beyond it. A man who could make use of all those things therein instead of being food and fodder for their denizens.
"Or maybe it'll make me seem more insane than a man running into the woods and shoving his hand in your chest -- I don't actually know, does 'Let me teleport you to my office full of flesh eating plants?' sound more or less insane than -- than anything else I'm going to tell you by the end of the night. Over food and coffee of course, because I'm not so monstrous as to deprive you of options like that..." he wouldn't tell Sodalite he still had time to run, to turn away and go back to shooting hoops and having anything like a normal life.
That would've been a very cruel lie. He could still give him options though, couldn't he? Of menu, and venue, and points of operation in speech.
tefla
Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2023 2:52 am
"General Prehnite or Reed. Got it."
That was the short truth. Ken did get it. Obviously while he'd been spotted running he most likely would have been Reed, but now, in this form, he was Prehnite. Just like he was apparently Sodalite right now but in every other way and day he was Ken. That would have to take some getting used to he supposed. It wouldn't be kosher to go around introducing yourself as your alter ego. "At the speed you were running at it would have been possible for you to hit the next town over before the night was through. Was anything really chasing you or was it something else? If you don't want to answer that is fine."
Sodalite tested the heft of the shocking pink toy he wielded and gave it a few experimental swings over his head before nodding with a bit of satisfaction. "Well, I guess this will do just nicely. Fairly weighty but wield-able."
As Prehnite finished his spiel Sodalite was even more intrigued. Teleportation was an actual thing? This was looking even more interesting by the minute. "By all means, teleport away. This office of yours sounds intriguing. But let me grab my things before we, say disappear. That way no one will be tempted to take it."
Sodalite turned in the general direction that the court was and glanced over his shoulder. "Court is back this way as is the rest of my gear. Not sure what the overall gist is like yet but slowly catching on. Mums the word and all that jazz. Right?" There wouldn't be anyone else in the park to see their disappearing act at this hour.
Oh, there was some undignified wince on his face for that, a glare sent skywards for hearing how he must've looked like a man possessed by some unnamable bit of insanity. Running through the woods in the pitch black, chased by no one and nothing, startled by ******** leaves or spirits or whatever ******** was so pervasive in the Destiny City area. That Ken thought to approach him at all!? Maybe it lent to the mans braveness, or a complete and utter lack of self preservation. Prehnite would decide on that later, would have to poke, prod, invest some time in inspecting properly. Preferably not in the middle of a late night park feeling foolish...
No, Prehnite wanted to be on more firm ground than the off-kilterness of this. A more solid standing where he knew he had some control, and, well, couldn't get lost via fleeing whatever shadows may have lurked out beyond his mind.
"Ken, then, and if I had a proper answer to give you?" What had he been fleeing -- if he touched the memory it was foggy, like waking up from a dream and not being able to remember the contents of it, only that he had dreamt at all. About what caused him to pull on a weapon and point it at someone else...
For that he did scowl, there was a clear image, glowing lines, red hair on a freckled face. A whip. Another thing oh so very hard to expound upon while out in the open. He could hear the skepticism, the intrigue, and felt his hackles ease somewhat as he followed Sodalite along to pick up his things, the shame it would've been for them to get snatched. The secret bit of joy Reed held to hear anyone was interested in his -- in his anything, actually, even if teleportation sounded wild as syfy.
"Or--I think I do have an answer to give you, but it'll make even more sense once you've seen -- everything that isn't here. If I don't look and sound crazy now? I will after I explain Knights, and Senshi, and -- the entirety of the 'mostly a war' I've just dragged you into." Mum was the word, Prehnite was nodding, even as he reached to help Ken gather up the remainder of his things - to reach for the man in question with an open hand and a thorn of a smile.
"Regardless of all that! It's a pleasure to welcome you to the Negaverse, even if the circumstances are less than--ahm--preferable, now?"
He felt bad about being showy with it -- knew how jarring a first time was for some -- stepping through space, and time, and a void -- coming out somewhere new on the otherside. Citadel of the underdark of the desolated graying city beyond, with its purpled sky hues, it's ashen pallor, a scent that Reed to this day was unable to place as 'earthly' for all that he'd always assumed they were somewhere below earth in only the most technical of ways.
