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 Posted: Mon Dec 08, 2008 11:08 pm
[From his statement, I just meant to imply that by being a feline, and surrounded by felines, he would have heard just about any story involving cats. XD]
"Power is power." He stated, "You can control it, correct? I'd count my blessings, if I were you... You've got a means to protect yourself that many would be envious of." Deacon didn't have much of a care for how that power was gained, apparently. "You can't possibly tell me that, if you had the choice, you would throw your ability away."
At first, he'd thought that perhaps he'd said too much... Been too honest about his opinions of Yuki and Hitsu. Then, she'd spoken again, and he sighed softly. "You must understand, they only have each other. It's been that way for several years." Personal secrets didn't matter, not when they weren't his secrets to keep. "Their mother died, you see. Twelve years ago, if I'm not mistaken." He stared into the fire, "Her husband was already gone, without a trace the same night she gave birth to the girl."
"I'm not so sure Hitsu is as frightened of losing Yuki as he is of losing her... He's kept her so sheltered from the shadows of reality that I'd wager she believes life is one big Fairy Tale, and everything is meant to be perfect and happy in the end. He's doing her more harm than good, really..."
"But to answer your question; Yes. That is what love is, in a way." He looked up to her again, "If you care for any of these people you've been accompanying, how would you feel if they were suddenly ripped away from you? Now imagine, if you can, if that person had been there your entire life, or close to it. The only one who accepts and understands you despite your flaws, the one who will be there no matter what... The only one remaining of your family. Gone. You'd probably be pretty crushed, too."
"It's not a matter of want. Some people are just so ridiculously attached to their parents, siblings, husbands, wives... If one of them dies or disappears, the other will simply give up." He frowned lightly, "It really is possible to die of a broken heart, but some have it in their heads that the sooner they die as well... The sooner they'll see the one that they lost."
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Posted: Tue Dec 09, 2008 12:36 am
... Throw it away? If she had the choice... Would she throw it away? Things would be so much simpler. So much quieter...
And yet...
To be that defenseless. So vulnerable to the world. That would be a nightmare in itself... To say Riyo trusted the world was a severe overstatement. Sure. She had friends. And no, she didn't plan on loosing them anytime soon... But if she did. And even if they just sorta disappeared and left her open for attack...
No, she wouldn't.
Her mind was once again deterred from its current train of thought as he spoke of the duo's past. Their mother dying. Having only eachother. This, unfortunately, did not phase her.
Deacon's other words, however, did get under her skin a little. What would she do if they all just disappeared? Be alone again. That's what. So? She was getting along fine without them... Sort of.
"Mm.. At least they realize how invaluable they are to eachother... Though, I think if someone would have been there with me after..." She paused. "... After circumstances fell into place and left me alone, I would've held onto them as well.."
Readjusting her position on the ground, she pulled her legs toward her and continued to zone out in the fire. "But, that wasn't the case. I was alone at age five and stayed that way until about a month ago... No, that's not completely true." A small realization caught her. Riyo reached into one of her pockets and pulled out... A cat doll? "I had this. Not much of a talker, but he kept me company just fine."
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 12:47 am
The lack of response to his hypothesis on her magic use confirmed it; Whether she denied it or not, she'd miss that strength if it were gone. Who could blame her? Without magic, she probably would have been pretty defenseless. At least, that would be his guess.
"I suppose." He shrugged lightly. There was a difference between holding onto and caring for someone, and completely smothering them. Not that he had much experience with either, it wasn't his thing. Deacon just knew it when he saw it... Especially when it had gone on for this long.
"You are a strong individual, to survive on your own from such a young age." Quietly he watched her, unable to help but chuckle at the sight of the doll she produced from a pocket. Not mockingly, really, he'd just never seen an adult carrying a doll. "Real cute." He stated, examining what he could see of it from his short distance away. "Did you make it?"
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 1:12 am
"N-no.." Was Riyo's quick response to his question of whether she herself had crafted the doll. "My father made it. Before I was born." She let out a sigh and looked at the doll. "You'd think that I would've destroyed it... Because of how much I hate him... But we can't help who created us, now can we?" Her question was obviously directed at the doll as she gave it a soft pat on the head.
Just then, the noise of footsteps in leaves caught her attention from a distance. Riyo's head snapped to the left, ears perking up. Something, or someone else was out there...
"Boss, I smell a campfire or somethin'.." Came a voice.
"Quit yer yapping. Someone might hear us." Came another.
"Heeey... I smell it too." A third voice?
Whoever the hell they were, it wasn't anyone they knew...
She pocketed the stuffed animal and stood up quietly. Intentions? Most likely negative if they were worried about someone hearing them.
And that was when outlined shadows became a group of men. 5 to be precise. Looking more than a little rough around the edges. They were all human, ranging from 20 to 40... And looked quite... "pleased" to stumble upon their little camp.
"Weeeeell... Whadda we got here?" The tallest one asked. "Two little kitty cats nestled in for bed. How precious." Yep. Negative intentions alright. Riyo raised an eyebrow and looked at Deacon. Eyes screaming 'Oh hell no. He did not just go there.'
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Posted: Wed Dec 10, 2008 6:17 pm
"Ah, I see..." There wasn't much more to say about it, considering the words that followed. Deacon had returned his attention to the fire, as Riyo's words seemed to be directed at the doll as opposed to him. The fog may have thrown off his ability to see the strangers approaching, and the smoke from the fire had hidden their scent from him, but his ears worked just fine. He'd rotated one of his ears to the side just as Riyo jerked her head in the direction of the sound.
Wow. Did these strangers seriously think they were going to sneak up on them like that? Mentally, Deacon was laughing at them, but his outward appearance was nothing but serious. He quietly tallied the different voices he'd overheard, three wasn't so bad.
Then, they waltzed out of the forest and toward their fire light, like they owned the place. He didn't bother to stand, though he did sit upright as their unwelcome visitors came into view. So there were more than he'd heard, what a bother. The first one who opened his mouth, Deacon looked up to with a distasteful sneer.
"Oh, so there you are... I was beginning to wonder what smelled like s**t."
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 12:36 am
"Oooooh, Mr. Kitty has some bite to him." The tallest one sneered and took a step closer to him, while two of his lackies followed. The other two walked towards Riyo. Of course more go after the man. You know, the woman's nothing to worry about.
"Heey... I wonder if Miss Kitty bites." One of the approaching men said with a raised eyebrow and a malicious grin.
Riyo's head tilted at his comment. Bite?
Her eyes glanced to Deacon again. Hmm.. He wouldn't... He wouldn't be bothered by what she was about to do, would he? She thought about their conversation for a small moment.
"Hehe, you're about to find out~" Her head swung back to the approaching men, eyes meeting the closest one. Grin matching in possible devious intent.
"Hope you don't mind if we... Borrow your woman, Mr. Kitty." His hand went to the sword he kept at his side. Was that a threat? Probably. "Along with any other goods you might have... If you don't mind."
Riyo was less than worried about Deacon. After seeing what he could do with the earth, it wasn't really an issue. Just like these men in front of her weren't an issue.
As he got up in her face, she could hear the sound of a sword being removed from its sheath coming from in front of her. "Hows about we step aside for a second?" God, he was almost drooling... How gross.
"How about...Oh my! What's that?" She pointed at the ground just behind him with a shocked look on her face.
"W-wha?" He asked, foolishly following her finger to where she was pointing. Last mistake he made. She took the sword out of his grasp and shoved it into his side. "GAAH." Screamed the man as he fell down.
"Mm. must've been me."
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 10:27 pm
Bite? Oh, they had no idea. Deacon slowly rose to his feet, hands poised out to the sides. A gesture to show he had no intent to harm them, or to be harmed. Though, a smile tugged at his lips. "I'd stay away from her, if you know what's good for you..." He offered, though made no attempt to clarify just why.
Or which one of them they'd have to be concerned about.
Deacon's attention soon focused on the human stating that they were going to 'borrow' Riyo and their other possessions. "I do mind, as a matter of fact." He really didn't sound concerned at all, what with being slowly surrounded by a trio of humans. "Though, I do dare you to try."
In just a few seconds, one had done just that. As far as Deacon was concerned, the man deserved no less. Though, while he would have loved to witness the pitiful creature drop to the ground, he took the moment of distraction to make an action of his own. He was no less merciless.
In one, swift motion, he'd raised one of his arms from his side to directly in front of him, fingertips level with his own face. With his gesture, a thick, pointed pillar of stones ripped from the ground in front of his feet like a hot knife through butter. It jutted out at just the perfect angle to jab and penetrate the tallest stranger's stomach, traveling up and underneath the ribcage in short succession. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it was drawn back from whence it came when Deacon jerked his arm back to his side, without a trace that the ground there had been disturbed.
Even before gravity dropped the man, Deacon shifted his gaze to one of the other two nearest him. He tilted his head to one side, and the other, adjusting his neck with a few hollow pops. His gaze shifted swiftly between the two, "Who's next?" He flexed his fingers at his sides, itching to dig his claws into the first one who made a move.
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Posted: Thu Dec 11, 2008 11:55 pm
The second man who'd been walking Riyo's way looked horrified as his comrade fell to the ground, still twitching a little. Oh, he was still alive. Riyo knew it, but figured she'd deal with him later.
"Y-you b***h!" He screamed and took a few steps back.
"I've been called that. Though, it's so politically incorrect. I am a cat after all. A few seconds ago you and your slap-happy lot of men couldn't stop pointing that out." She held up her hands and rolled her eyes to the sky, acting as if what she'd done was nothing but a neat little trick.
Riyo couldn't help but smile more when she heard the nauseating sound of bones breaking and flesh ripping from Deacon's direction. "Music to a maestro's ears."
Though, it seemed the two that remained in front of the male feline had a distinctly different opinion. "Holy s**t!" the man closest to Deacon screamed and took more than just a few steps back. The other covered his mouth in shock. Though, he didn't stand and stare for long. His hand shakily rushed to his sword, in (futile) hopes that it might stop this... This monster.
Meanwhile, the man in front of Riyo wasn't about to wait for something like that to happen to him. If she was anything like he was... He'd have to kill her and fast. Only, he didn't waste time with a sword. He had a knife in his pocket, and charged at her with it.
Riyo, who'd been paying more attention to what Deacon was doing, realized at the last second. She dodged, enough to catch it in the arm. "Ouuuuch." She mumbled and looked at the wound with a pouty look. "That wasn't very nice."
"Yeah? Well there's more where that came from!" He screamed and tried it again. Riyo wasn't fooling around now. She grabbed the wrist that held the knife and squeezed until he was forced to released it. Then she pushed him to the ground violently.
"Tell you what. I'm gonna give you the special treatment." She smiled down at him and gave one of his arms a good stomp. The sound of bones shattering was a nice touch... Followed by earth-shattering screams. "Keep it down! You'll wake the neighbors!" Riyo hissed down at him, though it was a joking tone. He lifted his good arm, in hopes to stop her, but she grabbed it with her hand, fingers curling over his palm.
She crouched over him, taking a seat on his lower torso, and looking down at his face with a smile. She rested her free hand on her knee and used it to prop her head up. Poor thing was trying to struggle away. "Mmmm. Wouldn't do that chief." She mumbled and daintily used her thumb to begin pushing back one of his fingers. When he kept it up, she pushed it a little too hard. Snap went the pointer finger!
"OH GOD! STOP IT, STOP IT!" He yelled, tears coming out of his eyes. Damn, he must've been an amateur at this.
"Ooooh, I bet that sounds familiar. Wonder how many people said that to you... I know I got it a lot. Though, the children tend to just scream for their parents. And if they don't have parents, they just scream. Best to finish them off quick, right? Right."
He struggled again. Pop went the middle finger. Another scream. Oh, how fun this was! "Last time I did this, I didn't have much time to savor the art. Didn't want to end up part of the piece myself, Y'know? But you... Oh, you. We'll make something beautiful of you yet!"
The man closed his eyes now. Perhaps, accepting that fate had it in for him? Perhaps. "Tell you what, I'll end this little game if you can answer my question." She now sat up, free hand moving to his face. She grabbed his chin so he wouldn't struggle, and stared. "What do you see? What do you see when you look into these eyes? Be honest, now. I don't like liars."
The man's watering eyes opened to look into what he considered the face of evil. Those eyes... Those terrible eyes. "I see a ******** MONSTER!" He yelled at the top of his lungs.
Riyo tilted her head, absorbing his answer for just a moment. "I see."
There was a small pause. "Well, if that's the case, then let me show you what a real monster can do~" She whispered down to him, and before he had a chance to speak, she placed two fingers in his mouth, tossing the hand with broken fingers aside to secure his jaw so he didn't bite.
The black substance flowed into his mouth and down the pipes. She couldn't stand the gurgling/choking sound he made, but kept it up nonetheless. When she thought she was done, She stood up and whiped her hand off on her pants. "Night night."
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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 1:02 am
Deacon wasted little time, instead of lunging forward for either of them as he had plotted a moment before, he noticed one nearest him reaching for the hilt of his sword. "Can't have that." He stated quickly, and clapped his hands together in front of him.
With that gesture alone, two slabs of rock and soil sprang up to either side of the unlucky fool. Perfectly mimicking the earth manipulator's actions, they snapped together and in result crushed the second of the three men who'd thought they could take him. This one, however, was not left to fall. Upon impact, the slabs fused themselves together with the victim trapped between, and with a heavy shaking of the ground around and near them, both earth and human vanished under the surface with only the stray blood stains on the ground as proof of something having once been there.
Just as this was accomplished, Deacon realized that only one of the previous five remained. "Hmm..." He chuckled, his attention temporarily aimed at Riyo. "You want to finish this, or would you like me to do it?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 13, 2008 1:40 pm
Meanwhile, the man who Riyo had just tortured seemed to be reacting... Rather badly to whatever she just did. "Kill me! Just kill me!" He groaned. Though, he didn't get a chance to finish his speech before one of Riyo's little cat minions burst from his chest. "Hehehehe~" She couldn't hold back a case of the giggles to that one.
The last one. This man who'd just watch all of his buddies die... Looked like he was about to have a heart attack. Wide eyes, looking from Riyo to Deacon. They showed no remorse.. In fact, it looked like they... Enjoyed what they were doing. He'd never killed anyone.. In fact, he'd only joined this group of bandits a week prior. He didn't deserve this! He was young! Had a life to live!
"I don't wanna die..." It started out soft, but soon grew. "I don't wanna die!" He began shouting, taking more steps backwards. "PLEASE, I DON'T WANNA DIE!"
Riyo looked up to see the last man standing and looked back at Deacon. "I'll split him with you..." That's when she got an idea.
"Oooh! Ooh! Here's an idea! You take one arm, I'll take the other, and we'll pull to see who gets the bigger half." Her face resembled a child who'd been gifted with a fun game to play.
The man, who was now being referred to as nothing more than a cheap toy, looked at Riyo as she explained the game. He wasn't sticking around for this! And it looked like his feet had the same idea. Because they were moving as fast as they could before he realized it.
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Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 11:55 pm
Looking back toward the single remaining human, Deacon's grin grew more sadistic with each panicked chant. "Too late for that, I'm afraid..." He stated, in an all too amused tone. With each step backward, Deacon took a step forward, in an attempt to not allow the man to gain much space between them. Oh, the tabby knew that this human would run. It was all they knew how to do, if efforts of intimidation failed. Such pitiful creatures, they were.
Then, Riyo had apparently thought of something genius. Deacon looked to her curiously, and nodded slowly once she had elaborated. "Sounds like fun." He replied, but their prey had slightly different plans.
"Oh dear." He said, monotone. "I don't know how two cats would ever be able to catch up..." You bet it was dripping sarcasm, and just as soon as he had finished the statement, he gave chase.
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Posted: Thu Dec 18, 2008 4:21 pm
Interesting.
That's all she could think as she watched Deacon's grin grow wider. To think, that the quality her friends tried to forget about her was what brought them closer together. Bonding, she supposed. And... The man she held the most distain for shared more in common than possibly anyone in the group. That was something.
Riyo picked herself up quietly and also began approaching the man. "Don't run, little human. I only want to see what you look like on the inside."
Too late! Off he went flying, into the forest. Panting, eyes wide open, heart racing a mile a minute. And Riyo made chase. Like a cat chasing a big, fat, slow mouse.
Might've taken them longer to catch him... Had he not tripped on a conveniently placed branch. Nice. "OW!" He shouted, a nice little crack echoing through the area. "Oh... Oh God.."
"God can't help you now." Came a quiet voice from the fog. Big, red eyes glared down at the poor fool. "How does it feel? To know that you have reached the end of a relatively short life? Are you angry? Frightened? A little bit of both? Mmm?" Riyo asked as she drew ever closer. "Are you expecting a miracle to happen? A hand to come down and smite your attackers shouting 'it's not yet your time'?"
"Please... Please... I'll give you anything.. I'll do anything! Just don't kill me..." He frantically pleaded.
"I have no use for a dead man walking." She reached down and grabbed his hand.
"NO! PLEASE NO!" Riyo ignored his pitiful cries and looked to Deacon. "Ready?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 20, 2008 11:56 pm
It was a shame, how short lived the excitement was. One moment the human was running for his life, keeping several feet between himself and the two creatures chasing him, and the next he'd neglected to mind his footing and went crashing to the ground. The distance between the clumsy young man and Deacon was closed in seconds, and Deacon leapt casually over the fallen branch that had caused the meeting with the earth, bare feet landing lightly on the ground in front of the man's fallen form. Deacon looked down to him coldly, that very same smile still present on his face.
"How unfortunate..." He said, the disappointment clear in his voice. "I thought you were going to provide more stimulation than this..."
He suppressed the urge to literally kick him while he was down. How delightful it would have been to do so, or to blind him with a swift dusting of soil into his eyes. That would have made it near impossible to see the true fear in the human's eyes, and that was higher in desire than petty bullying... No, it wouldn't have been worth the screams.
They would give him reason to scream.
Riyo caught up just as quickly, and Deacon stood in silence as she mocked the man. Waiting his turn, perhaps, or simply savoring the reactions from their victim without the need to fuel his fright any further. How amusing it was for the bandit to beg for mercy, beg for them to spare his life, when mere minutes before he and his mangled comrades so boldly threatened theirs. Oh, how he loved the surprise of the tables being turned.
Following Riyo's gesture, Deacon stooped to take hold of the opposite arm. "Thought you'd never ask." He replied, gripping the cloth and flesh below with his claws. Once the wailing idiot was pulled from the ground, Deacon dug a second set of claws in further up his arm and pulled against the appendage firmly, shifting his stance to gain the proper footing. "Ladies first..." He suggested, seemingly offering her a head start in their disturbing little game.
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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:29 am
"Ah! AHHH!" The man yelled as Deacon dug his claws into the poor guy's arm. Looked like he was on the virge of crying. Poor baby.
Riyo could care less at the moment. Her mind was set on bloodshed, and she wasn't about to rest until the ground was soaked in it. "How kind, thank you!" She aimed her sinister grin at Deacon, if only for a moment. Her own claws found their way into the man's skin. And her boots planted themselves firmly on the ground below her.
And with everything secured, she started to pull. That was when the real ear-shattering screams began. Along with the occasional bones popping out of joint, of course.
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Posted: Sun Dec 21, 2008 12:48 am
Almost immediately upon Riyo's first tug, Deacon pulled against it. So much for a head start. It was all going according to plan, at first. A tug of war with a living thing in place of the rope, really. Though, there was that bit about seeing who got the bigger half...
Deacon's ears were soon flattened against his skull. Not in anger of their game, not really. The more effort put into this, the more the b*****d screamed. The longer he screamed, the more annoyed the tabby became. He didn't deal well with things that bugged him.
Growling his frustration, he gave a final, firm jerk of the human's arm. As he drew his body backward, a thin slab of earth, not much unlike those he'd conjured before, slid up like an enormous switchblade from the ground and sliced the bandit's body cleanly from groin up the abdomen and torso, severing it completely just alongside the joint of one shoulder. As it turned out, this left Riyo with little more than an arm and leg and Deacon with the 'bigger half' aforementioned.
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