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 Posted: Tue Mar 05, 2024 11:04 am
For all that Rakovanite had recruited this girl and had her unwillingly corrupted right in front of him, what he actually knew about this senshi was next to nothing. She’d been sent away soon after her conscription, and it hadn’t really been his place to question anything about it. So he hadn’t: out of sight, out of mind. And now that she was returned, it was perhaps sort of of his responsibility to make Pan feel… integrated.
Not really something Rakovanite had a fantastic track record for achieving.
He didn’t know the extent of why she’d been sent away, and he didn’t know what kind of person he’d be getting now that she was back. He didn’t know anything, and that made him uneasy. It was at least some consolation to think that she’d been living with Chaos for- two or three years? Something like that. Surely that was some kind of benefit, whether she’d done anything with it or not.
They met under the cover of an abandoned semi-constructed building, the kind of place that looked hazardous to passerby and normal, reasonable people would steer clear of. Rakovanite summoned her to him with little more than a thought. It was not a quiet city night. They were not in the middle of nowhere, and upon immediate arrival it should be obvious that if they stood here long enough, they would not be alone for long. Auras prickled at the edge of his senses- more than one.
This was not a desolate and deserted part of the city, so of course there were enemies out patrolling, keeping citizens ‘safe’ from the efforts of the Negaverse.
Once she was next to him, he canted his head in her direction and asked in a quiet, neutral tone, “How long has it been since you have powered up? Since you drained energy? Since you collected a starseed?”
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Posted: Sun Mar 17, 2024 6:30 pm
Pan practically vibrated with excitement at Rakovanite's summons. As far as she was concerned, he was her savior. She owed him her life. And it was not a debt that was easy to forget or ignore.
If Rakovanite called, she would answer. It really was that simple.
But she was surprised by his choice of meeting place. Auras abounded and grated at her senses.Still, there he was, just as she remembered him, though stronger. Lips twisting into a wide grin, Pan bounded towards him.
"Sir!" she said, saluting smartly before doing her best to remain as still and composed as he seemed to be. Even so, she couldn't help but blink in surprise as she tallied things up mentally.
"The first two, two night ago. The third, never. No one in Wales ever seemed to think I should know how and didn't bother to teach me. Though, I suppose I should be fair," her voice grated softly, clearly it still bothered her. "There wasn't a very large deployment there and I seemed to be the only senshi. I think they were probably happy once I left."
Indigo_Plateau Thank you SO much for your patience! Life has been intent on kicking me in the metaphorical balls.)
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Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2024 4:58 pm
It was uncommon for anyone to smile so broadly and approach him so enthusiastically, unless they were a certain degree of unhinged, like Calaverite… God, he hoped she was not like Calaverite.
He decided to chalk it up to whatever excitement she might’ve felt to be back home and continue with that in mind.
“Whales. Hm.” Much farther than he might’ve expected one of their senshi to be sent. He had no idea what the Negaverse situation was there, but based solely on what she’d just said, it sounded less… developed. Rakovanite should’ve sought out whatever information was logged about Pan’s stay abroad. It had been a few years, and she’d left so abruptly after her conscription… He had been even less important then than he was now, so wherever she was needed was hardly his right to question. It would’ve been a benefit to both of them to know what any of her experiences were, though. But he hadn’t even tried to check. He wasn’t sure it was his information to know, and it felt a bit like an invasion of her privacy…
But he could get over that.
As someone with his own bit of bias against senshi, he did sympathize with them not utilizing Pan to her greatest potential. Or knowing of it? “While I am pleased that you are finding it easy enough to power up, it is a shame you have gone so long without being able to utilize one of your most useful abilities,” he murmured softly. A shame, but not a surprise. Their own training handbook stated that it was not expected for every Negaverse member to be able to pull a starseed.
Most would probably argue that as a senshi, her magic was most important. Something inherently available to her, unique. Rakovanite had seen enough senshi magic to see how variable its use was, ranging from ‘convenient’ at best, to outright ‘worthless’ at worst.
“If it is no great slight-” Rakovanite mostly spoke in quiet, rumbling notes, but the last two words had just a touch of an edge to them: a challenge. “-to your moral compass, I will teach you.” There were options around. Rakovanite thought he might even recognize a face or two from his patrols once they got moving.
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Posted: Tue Mar 26, 2024 9:41 am
Her moral compass? Pan’s nostrils flared slightly with the effort of holding in her laughter at that particular concern. As far as she was concerned, a moral compass was only good for getting yourself killed. It was a weakness that she had no time for. Sure, she wasn’t going to go around sacrificing kittens and biting babies. But that was because she had Standards. The truly innocent and young were just that. There simply was no sport in hunting them. But once those babies grew up…? Well. Then she’d decide if they were worth hunting or not.
Questions of morality aside, Pan hid her glee at the thought of being able to rip out starseeds for herself. She remembered all too well the exquisite rush that a consumed starseed could give. And she knew that those who snacked indiscriminately were frowned upon. So she had to play this cool and collected.
“My moral compass is hardly a consideration, sir,” she replied. “It’s simply another tool in our arsenal, is it not? It’s bad strategy to ignore any knowledge that helps me do my job.”
Frankly, Pan would have jumped through fire to learn. She would do her best for Rakovanite and to not let him down.
“I’d be honored to learn from you, sir,” she said, quite sincere. “I can’t think of a better teacher.”
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Posted: Thu Mar 28, 2024 2:58 pm
'...hardly a consideration...'
Hm. Not a sentiment Rakovanite agreed with. He had his own boundaries that he was unwilling to cross and had the wherewithal to acknowledge that someone trampling across them would wound whatever fleeting trust him might have felt. Taking a starseed was no such boundary for him, but it was for some, maybe even many, among their ranks. It was true that if this had been her line in the sand, it may have been difficult for them to work together, but that didn't mean Pan would have no place elsewhere. Better to find that place early than try to coerce someone into performing tasks that they were inherently opposed to.
"It is a consideration," he retorted quietly. "I chose to bring you into the Negaverse, and it is my obligation to ensure that you thrive." Rakovanite had high expectations: one of his lieutenants had even called them 'impossibly high,' but he didn't think he was unreasonable. Just wary. If his subordinates weren't performing well, there was a heightened risk of them dying or causing the same to someone on their team. This was just risk mitigation. "I think it would be difficult to do that if I forced you to conform to a role that was ill-suited for you."
"But I am pleased that is not the case."
From his subspace, Rakovanite plucked a medallion with a peculiar etching on it. Once fastened to his vest, his energy signature dimmed. Still clearly present, and it did nothing to disguise the physical features of his rank, but it gave them some sort of surprise, and less experienced Senshi would not try quite as hard to avoid him.
And It was probably best if Pan had a less experienced target as her first.
Rakovanite started off at a brisk walk toward the nearest, weakest signature in the area. "It is generally not my preference to take a starseed without some planning beforehand," he admitted. But he was quite familiar with this area and was even quite sure he would recognize the faces they'd most likely come across. "I prefer to go unseen. If They know you are willing to kill, there will usually be less... hesitation before they fight back. If one of the White Moon see you take a starseed, you will be a target. Try not to be too conspicuous."
eldritch stardust Engraved Medallion - An antique medallion with some strange, foreign symbols scrawled on the back. The magic can only be activated and used on the owner of the medallion. The medallion allows the wearer to suppress their own energy signature by one level for up to three hours a day. First stage characters will feel like civilians; while this item has little effect on Mauvians in their cat form, it will suppress their energy signature as if they were a human civilian if activated while they are in their humanoid form. Youma will have the energy signature of a human civilian.
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Posted: Sun Mar 31, 2024 11:10 am
For just a moment, Pan had been tempted to tell Rakovanite that she'd nearly tossed a human to a youma as a means of reassuring him that the idea of sacrificing someone didn't bother her. But then he let the issue go and she kept her mouth shut.
Probably better that she keep that little tidbit quiet.
Instead, she turned her attention to the medallion and took appraising note of what it offered and meant. She had to admit, it was a pretty slick little thing.
"Are those very difficult to acquire?" she asked, genuinely curious if they were given out according to rank or something that could be more easily gotten by the lowlier of the Dark Kingdom's fighters.
"I can see where such a thing would be useful," she continued. And, much as it might rankle, she could understand the need to be inconspicuous and nodded her compliance to his request. She didn't want anyone on the other side catching on too much to her little forays. At least until she could learn to properly starseed and silence any victims.
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Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2024 10:32 am
From the corner of his eye, Rakovanite silently observed the senshi's interest in his medallion. For him, it offered some convenience. He could be perceived as less of a threat until someone actually laid eyes on him. But for her, she might as well be invisible to anyone on guard for stray auras. He doubted it would be like that for long, but for the time being, it would certainly offer some protection.
"Mostly happenstance," he admitted, having gotten his from the rubble of some nonsense magical battle however many years ago. "I will see if a Mauvian can replicate it." And how difficult it would be. Unfortunately, his team's guardian was not the most intellectually blessed of his species, and his success at replicating anything was far from guaranteed.
But it would be useful for Pan. The more shitty situations she could avoid until she was stronger, the better.
For tonight's adventure, though, he'd selected a lonesome-enough target that would pose minimal threat to the girl with him. They barely would've been worth harassing for anything besides a learning experience. "Do you feel that? Closest to us?" Rakovanite hummed softly. Their target must have sensed them, as well- and probably realized that it didn't want to face off against two members of the Negaverse because it was moving away. But not nearly quickly enough.
"Follow it. I will meet you there." He did not explain further, just flickered away from her as he teleported nearer to their target aura, putting it between Pan and himself. If its owner was smart, it would avoid him and head back toward Pan.
They weren't always smart.
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2024 7:39 pm
"I'll keep my fingers crossed," she replied lightly. Her faith in the cats was... not great. Of course, she didn't have a lot of experience with them, so maybe they were more useful than she assumed.
The thought was cut off and she focused her attention of Rakovanite, an almost hungry look flickering across her face as he directed her to the aura nearby. Nodding to show that she did, indeed, feel it, Pan allowed herself a feral grin at the order to follow.
Her whispered "Good hunting" was wasted as he'd already teleported away. But that was all right. She'd been set on the scent and she followed it closely, keeping only far enough away so as to not frighten the quarry away. She thought she could see what Rakovanite was doing and she didn't want to spoil things by flushing the game too soon.
"Come on out, little bunny," she cooed. "Let me see you..."
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Posted: Tue Apr 09, 2024 10:03 am
As soon as Rakovanite landed on the other side of the Page, trapping them between himself and Pan, the aura stilled. It neither drew nearer to him nor retreated back toward the corrupt. Just sat still. Waiting. Rakovanite wished he could remind Pan again to express caution. Just as he could conceal that he was a general, the White Moon could have any number of tricks of their own, and he wouldn't say that it was necessarily 'more likely' that an inexperienced Page was just confused about what to do here.
Rakovanite still advanced slowly, and it was only a matter of moments before he laid eyes on the girl. A green-eyed, blond-haired Neptune page, donned in soft greens and blues, standing in the broken-down doorway of an abandoned and dilapidated shop front.
And staring at him, while he stared at her.
If he ever gave pause to consider it, Rakovanite might feel a bit bad for Pages. They had no magic or weapon, and it was extremely possible they had no allies to call on. They were the easiest targets, and that was why Rakovanite had selected this aura to trace specifically.
But they were still human, still capable of trickery and deception, and if threatened, could still pose significant risk.
He could see the Page from his vantage point perched on a roof overhang, and he was sure Pan would have eyes on her in a matter of moments as well. His senses didn't tell him anything else was in the area, but they could hardly pick up everything, and that didn't mean there wasn't. He flicked his tablet open, typed out a quick message, 'Be cautious. Proceed.'
He'd seen this girl on patrol before, knew she was very attached to this area in particular, and there was a good chance they were going to find out why.
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Posted: Sat Apr 20, 2024 1:41 pm
The eagerness to hunt was strong, but somehow Pan kept control of herself. Rather than charge straight in, she'd stalked her prey. And she had to admit that there was a distinct thrill in doing so.
She'd already caught sight of her general and a brief glimpse of the baby knight when she felt a soft buzz and paused only long enough to open her own device and read the message. Then, putting it away, she frowned. Be cautious, huh? It wasn't her favorite, but compliance was easy enough. She was still a bit too far from the knight to use her magic effectively.
Shitfiddles. She'd have to rely on stealth.
Moving quietly, she closed the distance between herself and her prey. She wasn't sure what Rakovanite intended to do and didn't want to somehow screw this up.
Before long, she had full visuals on the knight and felt her lips twist into a grin.
"There you are, little rabbit," she purred. "Why so nervous? I just wanted to be neighborly and say hello."
Still not close enough for magic and she didn't want to send the knight bolting. Yet. There was always time later for a good, bloody hunt.
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 11:27 am
The Neptune page disappeared inside the dilapidated old shop the very second Pan was close enough to speak to her. There was no preamble other than that; she simply slipped back into the darkness of the doorway and out of sight.
That was quite strange, wasn't it? She couldn't outrun a General. That was objectively true. So there was almost no point for her to try to flee into more populated areas. But now she was trapped, theoretically, and there were no options available for her besides to fight- Fight two opponents who were stronger than she was. Again, theoretically. It felt like a weird choice, but people always did inexplicable things when they were frightened.
...She hadn't looked frightened when she locked eyes with him.
Rakovanite teleported, a little flicker of energy that brought him to perch in a crouch at the very corner of the shop's roof. He didn't trust it to support his weight if he landed more centrally. He did a quick survey of the area, and he couldn't see anywhere she might be able to get out of the building. Even the back door was boarded up, like most entrances and exits in the old buildings around here. But he could still feel the aura of someone inside. He was sure Pan could too.
From his position, perhaps three or so yards away from where Pan was, he rumbled out a muted, "She seems to be staying put, but these are... odd mannerisms."
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Posted: Sun May 26, 2024 2:02 pm
Odd mannerisms was one way of putting it, Pan thought as her neck prickled. Something about this felt wrong, but she couldn't figure out what or even why. Clearly, the knight hadn't slipped away or Rakovanite would have known from her superior perch.
So did the girl choose to hole up? Or did she have no choice in the matter when flanked by two enemies? Now, that was potentially worrisome. They didn't know what that little girl was fully capable of and she'd, effectively, been cornered.
Could be bad. Though Pan would swear by all she held holy that the girl was quite weak compared to her. And she knew white moon folk couldn't teleport like the General. Maybe the girl was too afraid to run. You saw that in actual rabbits sometimes. They'd just freeze.
But still.
"The rabbit's up to something, sir," she replied as she paced the ground outside the building. "We got her cornered, far's I can tell."
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2024 6:52 am
All the windows were boarded up, the back door was boarded up. For all this building and most of the others in this dingy and unkempt area were condemned, it was at least solid enough to keep one Page contained. Rakovanite couldn't see any other entrances or exits from his position above. So he dropped from his perch and slid up against the wall, peering between the wooden slats that covered the window.
There was something about having his eyes be the most exposed part of him that made him uncommonly anxious, but nothing of interest occurred while he looked inside, and quite frankly, it was just a dirty, empty shop front that had long fallen out of use. The girl was completely out of his line of sight.
"Stairs," he muttered, turning back to Pan. "There is a doorway in the back there, that leads to a staircase."
He couldn't teleport into it; he'd never seen it before, but there were zero obstacles stopping them from just walking down there. Besides the fact that they couldn't see what else awaited them. His experience told him that they were most likely dealing with a scared brat that had all the craftiness of a bag of bricks. But there wasn't zero chance of it being something more sinister. If he was alone, the risk would probably be acceptable from an information-gathering standpoint. He wasn't alone. Pan was here. He wouldn't force her to take risks she was uncomfortable with.
"It would probably be wiser to let her escape this time. She seems familiar with this area. She knew where to flee. And that information is good enough to have for another time. There could be danger in further pursuit, but how would we know unless we followed? What are you willing to do?"
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Posted: Sun Jul 14, 2024 6:13 pm
Following her general's example, Pan peeked inside and saw the stairs. Gnawing at her lower lip, the corrupt senshi listened carefully, feeling rather suddenly and uncomfortably on the spot. Was this a test? It seemed like a test. And she did not want to fail.
"If it would be wiser," she began, "no on could fault us for just leaving. But something feels off about all of this. That girl is still here somewhere. She's either not as knowledgeable as we suspect and can't escape or she's trying to lure us in."
She paused to think, pacing restlessly. Glancing up at the rest of the building, she wondered where that staircase went. It was a pity neither of them could fly and peek through the upper windows.
"What can a knight like her actually do?" she asked, hoping further information would help. "I'm happy to run down the prey, but our little rabbit is starting to act more like a fox..."
Pan's voice trailed off as she stared through the windows again. Nary a whisper of movement, but the girl's aura was still so tantalizingly there.
"Can we find an upper window to go through, do you think?"
Indigo_Plateau let me know what you have in mind/what you want to do!
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Posted: Wed Jul 17, 2024 9:01 am
It would be wiser. They should leave. But what did that achieve? They barely had any more information than what they'd started with, and it was pitiful to flee from a Page of all things...
He was not generally impressed with the level of ability most of them possessed. "They have not been especially blessed with any unique traits," Rakovanite admitted. "No weapon. No magic. Much worse off than a Senshi." He would argue even worse off than a Lieutenant, who should always have the ability to call someone more experienced to their aid. "But they are still human..." And capable of all the trickery and deception that entailed.
But every altercation came with risks. No one would accomplish anything if they were only keen on keeping themselves away from any trace of danger.
Rakovanite moved for the door, murmuring a soft, "Come on," as he breezed by Pan and reached for the handle. It was only once he was there, partway through the entrance that he paused, turned, stared back at her for perhaps a few seconds too long. "Or look for a window at the back. Or stay. It is your choice." He wouldn't hold it against her if she felt more inclined for self-preservation, while Rakovanite had a more limited capacity for such inclinations. The threat of injury or death was no great deterrent.
In he went, moving quietly as he could. The doorway to the staircase was open but shrouded in the darkest shadows. Rakovanite was only barely able to make out a second door at the top. This one closed. Probably not a ton of surprise if he intended to take this route.
He glanced back, searching for Pan and what she'd decided to do.
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