|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Codebreaking Conversationalist
|
 Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:01 pm
Nkosazana was the exact opposite of a fighter.
She was a lover, in the truest sense of the word--someone who gave love freely to others. She didn't like fighting. She had done her best as a Silver Kingdom follower to avoid fighting to the T, acting as a negotiator and an ambassador more often than anyway else. She comforted everyone from every kingdom, no matter what their rank, their history, what they really believed so long as they were honestly good people. Blue was something she had a bit more trouble with, but of course, she wanted no fighting, so she would carry on.
And now she had to fight for foreign kings when her king was apparently twisted and somehow alive. None of this made sense, and everything hurt and spun. It was perhaps fortunate that Sinclair had found her, especially as Nkosazana was still frozen, thoughts spinning wheels in her head about how there was no way that man could have their king, their king was dead. And there was no way their king would behave so violently, just stabbing away with spears and running off through a damned wall.
Sinclair's hand brought her out of it.
She was a bit surprised, but the only way that was really obvious was by the slight way she jumped. Otherwise, Nkosazana seemed fairly calm when she turned to him, though perhaps that may have been the general shock and unease she was feeling about the whole situation at hand. She didn't know what she was feeling, and so, there was nothing to truly display.
But then, she had always been a reserved creature.
"I agree." It was good to see someone else who was so obviously of the Silver Kingdom, their rather rustic appearance in comparison to those that used to be milling around her a dead ringer for what they were. She followed him outside as he suggested, figuring that it would be best to discuss whatever they did next away from the prying eyes of potential White Kingdom Officers. It was nothing personal, but at the same time, it almost was. They weren't Silver. How could they even imagine to know the concerns of the Silver Kingdom?
When the area was sufficiently private, she let herself look a bit more distressed, digging a cookie out of her bag for Sinclair. "Do we have to go to the battlefield and ... fight? Does this war even matter to us? Our king is either dead or completely insane considering what he just pulled, and this isn't our home. They made us loot our own kingdom for miasma, and while I know this mysterious Voice didn't leave any choice..." Nkosazana shivered. "I don't know. I don't like any of this."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:01 pm
Elliot turned. Ami was standing in the room again, untouched. She had been dead, he had seen her die, but now she was back and there was a hardness in her eyes that told Elliot this was not the Ami he had met.
He didn't move, but a smirk was on his face now, fingers at the side of his leg where his gunblade was holstered in it's inactive form. Elliot did not hesitate.
"And what if I say no?"
His voice was the same as always, light and joking, but it did not reach his eyes.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:16 pm
Ami's head turned to face Dakota, caught somewhat off guard by the anomaly in her plan. She hadn't expected him to wake up so soon. Madeline had a good punch to her, she expected more time.
"Dakota. Wait. I will explain later." She said it with such desperation that she only hoped Dakota would listen to it. He probably wouldn't, but it was all she could do.
Elliot, on the other hand, was showing opposition. Instead of entertaining Elliot's question with a response, she simply ran forward. Midstep she opened her spear, and slammed it into Elliot's side.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:24 pm
Dakota hissed in pain, covering part of his head with his palm before narrowing his eyes. If Ami wanted to play some goddamn game of hey btw just cause you woke up, you don't get information...He would do exactly the opposite of what she said.
Instead he listened to the tone of her voice and glared, specifically past Ami over to Elliot and Wilson.
Little fragments were collecting up as it was. mark and his goddamn mission.
And Ami was in on it. His hand instantly went to his side, grabbing the pair of daggers.
"Fine, but you better tell me everything." He stared at Kat and Madeline and....augh his head hurt so much. This was ******** ridiculous wasn't it. "Better do as she asks kid or---" Too late, Ami totally hit him.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:47 pm
The spear that sank into his side was answer enough. So was Ami's lack of reply. He activated his gun blade and wrapped his left arm around Ami so she could not escape. The blade of slashed downwards through Ami's right side. He was starting to feel the pain in his side, the blood was dripping down, sinking through his clothing. He had been caught unaware, but he would not go down without a fight.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:09 am
One hit down. Ami semi-dual wielded her spear and the crystal, making pounding hits with her spear and small stabs with the crystal. It was unwieldy, and awkward quiet frankly. It would've been far more harmonious and effective to wield with one, but that wasn't what she was after.
She needed to charge this thing. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to know it was at full power, but Mark had told her she needed to charge it by hits. More powerful slashes seemed to make it glow brighter, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.
Suddenly the crystal buzzed, almost like a cell phone, thrumming with power. Her head snapped to Wilson. There was a moment of hesitation, just a moment, as memories from both her real life and this alternate universe collided into a ******** of regret and indecision. Guilt struck her from all sides, but she with a heavy heart and an emotionally practiced demeanor, she pushed it away.
And then, she leapt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:31 am
Dakota didn't even have much time to react as Elliot brought the gun blade down on Ami, but the blood that seeped from the guy was his own...not the girls. She'd have damage but even in this world he had healing abilities.
They'd figure the s**t out later.
"s**t, s**t." It was all slow motion as Ami lept for Wilson.
All the memories of both worlds flickered through and merged and distorted in a head mess of ******** could only stand still and wait...Was she successful?
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:51 am
There was only one reason why someone would continue to hit him and take his hits, and that was if they had an escape. Or if they had something else, something like a secret weapon or reinforcements. Ami had a plan. He didn't know which it was, but he only hoped that Wilson would snap out of it and escape before he died. Ami pulled back, for a moment she hesitated. Hesitation was weakness. In battle, hesitation meant death. Elliot did not hesitate, he struck out and rammed his blade through her shoulder. But it didn't matter, Ami did not stop.
She lunged, and he realized that Ami was not waiting for reinforcements, she had her secret weapon in her hand and it was aimed at Wilson's prone form. Elliot moved without thought. It was not duty, not fondness or even reason that moved him. It was instinct.
The crystal was humming with power and he felt that power spread throughout his body in shockwaves. The crystal sank into his chest. Darkness invaded the edge of his eyes and Elliot staggered backwards. His hand reached up to his chest slick with blood, but it was too late. Darkness was encroaching, and in the darkness he heard a familiar voice.
Elliot sank to his knees and, in that moment before his death, called out for one person.
"Emma--"
And then, he was gone.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:41 am
Sharra really did not need for any of this to be happening right now.
Chaos reigned in this place, in this city that for so long had been governed by their Commander, a man who, to the Orychanian's knowledge, had always had the best interests of his people in mind, though he was odd at times, Sharra felt that he'd made decisions with a certain amount of compassion and responsibility. One could ask for no more than that in a leader. Now they had come under attack...Wilson in specific had been brought under fire, which was a reason that fueled the urgency behind the youthful alien's rapid footfalls.
Making his way down the long corridors, he finally stopped in front of a familiar door, and whilst it was no more remarkable than any of the others that Sharra had passed previously, this one held more importance than any other. Composing himself, straightening, he knocked softly on the door, pressing his forehead to the cool surface. "Marosa...?"
Ah gods, how he hated this task. This was not at all what he'd wanted...he'd have rather been given a much longer and fulfilling moment of reprieve than the bare snippets that he and the redhead had eked out for themselves. Now the world was ending. Sharra laughed mirthlessly, the sound dying on his lips, the mere echoes of bittersweet emotion. They'd had a whole lifetime to sort themselves out, and now it was far too late to bring dreams to fruition. Running away had never been an option, the blond always one to stand up and fight...and this had been his last cause. He hadn't thought he'd find another, not this close to the end. Perhaps it was the end of days, the apocalypse, and the Voice merely the cruel harbinger of their demise.
Sharra, after all, had never heard kindness in the words of that detached entity. It was why he feared so desperately for his crewmates, as everything shattered around them like so much glass. It was a cruel kindness, that the fall of the White Kingdom had been forestalled as long as it had.
Knuckles rapped once more on the Ganerie's door. "Marosa...can I come in...?" He'd come to call the other to battle, an unforgiving summons...and it made the weapons tech feel utterly ill, an aching, twisting knot of emotion coiling in his core. Their chances of survival out there on the Battlefield were slim at best, but to shirk their responsibility now would brand them cowards.
Sharra knew full well that neither he, nor the man he'd sworn to protect, were the sort to flinch from such obligation. Even if taking up the proverbial sword must be done with a heavy heart.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 1:49 am
"C-come in," Marosa finally managed to answer. He had been curled up on his bed, clutching the pillow as tightly as he could to get the sound of dying out of his mind.
It was painful for the Ganerie.
Marosa couldn't help but whimper, wings stiff against his back as he fought to keep his body from shaking. If he'd had enough preparation for the battle, he would have been fine. The sacrifices had shaken him to his core, leaving him confused, and needing some time alone.
The time alone hadn't helped at all, leaving the Ganerie rocking back and forth on the bed to try to calm himself.
As Sharra walked in, Marosa glanced up slowly, not realizing that there were tears on his face.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:01 am
'We're under attack, we need to go.'
Those had been the words on his lips, but they died swiftly when he actually caught sight of the other, the door sliding open to reveal the Ganerie clinging to his pillows as though his life depended on it, and in a tragic way, it very much did. "Marosa..." The utterance was heavy, bogged down with emotion and sympathy, as the blond came to sit on the edge of the bed, reaching over to thread calloused fingertips through strands of red. "We're going to see a lot more of this before it's over..." It wasn't really meant to be a comfort, those words, but instead a conveyance of harsh reality in as kind a way as Sharra was able.
Leaning over the other, bracing a hand in the disturbed coverlet, he met Marosa's gaze unflinchingly. "But you won't have to do it by yourself." Simple words, nothing to be handed down through the ages, words...actions...to be whisked away, swept beneath the rug woven from time and tragedy. But in these moments, they carried their own weight.
He needed just a few moments...just a few moments more.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:06 am
Marosa nodded, reaching up to wipe his face, realizing he'd actually been crying.
"s**t," He muttered, sighing as he rubbed at his face. "Oi know we hafta foight, but..." He leaned forward as Sharra's fingers found purchase in his hair, eyes closing for a brief moment.
"Jes... a few more minutes?" He had to compose himself. The Ganerie was still trying to put himself back together, still spastic from the sacrifices and going into battle. "Oi'll be fine, oi just need..."
... he just needed Sharra.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:34 am
A certain stiffness that had been catching at his shoulders was relinquished, the blond sighing in relief as Marosa put in words Sharra's own silent longing. He'd likely have never said a word had it been left up to the Orychanian, too burdened by duty and the battle that was already escalating both beyond and around them. Even the simple elements of their lives had been caught up in this catastrophe, and the connection he'd shared with his childhood friend was no different. "Yeah..." He whispered softly, "I know..."
And then he was kissing Marosa again...fingers still caught in hair, bringing the other nearer still, tangling there, at the nape of his neck. It was different this time, in that he was no longer unsure of the reception, less something done in the heat of the moment, and far more an embodiment of mutual comfort and affection. The weapons tech was just sorry...so very apologetic...that they hadn't had the resolution to bring their complicated sentiments to the fore. Even though his conscience nagged at him now, whispering of the carnage that he was soon to be sucked into, their lives forfeit for the cause of the Crown....Sharra could not deny that he owed the Ganerie this much. These inestimable moments.
Sharra had no delusions about what awaited them.
And every man needs something to take to his grave.
[ Exit ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 2:42 am
"Sharra," Marosa breathed, reaching up to slide his arms around Sharra's neck, pulling him closer as his own lips sought the other's.
There had been far too many circumstances in which he'd missed talking to the other; he'd noticed the glances, noticed the stares and looks he'd gotten, but always attributed them to something else that wasn't jealousy.
Now he knew better. He knew now, deep down, that Sharra truly cared for him... and he cared back just as much. Love, this was what love was. Not lust that he had to deal with for days upon days of his life, but true love, without any consequences.
It didn't affect Sharra. He didn't know why, but... it didn't affect him at all. The Ganerie was glad for it, for the simple fact that he knew that this was what Sharra wanted, what he really truly wanted instead of being coerced into it with his natural ability.
Turning his head and breaking the kiss, the Ganerie moved to n** at one of Sharra's ears, tugging him down onto the bed with him, taking just... a few moments longer.
Just a few more moments.
[ Exiting for battle! ]
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 7:26 am
Sinclair's smile stretched a bit wider at the sight of the treat. Accepting it gratefully, he took a bite; the taste was a small comfort. He felt like he hadn't eaten in days. "I don't like this anymore than you do," He said. "This isn't what we were trained for, and it all feels pointless, doesn't it?" His brows furrowed. "What should we fight for? Even old legends have a remarkable tendency to neglect our kingdom. It's always 'the Seven Kings', or the 'True King'... As though our defeat was destined. And yet, there's no avoiding it. The Silver Kingdom is gone, and the only options left to us are to fight, or to remain inert and fade away."Sinclair took another bite of the cookie and chewed it thoughtfully, hoping the sweetness would remove the bitter taste in his mouth. "For it seems this kingdom will soon join the fallen. It may be in our best interests to leave, even if it is to the battlefield... while we still can."The smile on his face was a sad one. "After all, that was the legacy left to us as Silvers. We adapt, and we survive."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
