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 Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 3:46 pm
He'd been watching for some time now, perplexed and irritated by the strange, unknown creature that had slithered through the trees as though they were water, and it just an overly large fish. Something about the meteor that had fallen, and now this monster roaming around in the park... Strange that the meteor itself was nowhere to be found, no crash site, nothing--and yet, this flowery, writhing creature was clearly alive and well.
The captain tracked it silently from the trees, listened to the sound of soft, female voices filtering through the park. People here, maybe searching for the meteor. The way the creature had responded to the sound, however, gave him good reason to be interested in its intentions.
Those vines snapped out without warning, yanked a girl up and began to haul her straight up the tree as though to better devour and digest her. Obsidian didn't see Janice, only shifted mildly aside so the thing could continue on unheeded. He'd let it do what it liked for now, curious.
After all, the life of a girl didn't matter much to him. He was intrigued, and only shifted with a quiet rattle of his armor.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 4:19 pm
Janice should have been more alert. If they'd had a flashlight they might have noticed something was wrong sooner, that the vines were too dark, their motion not matching up with the breeze. They should have noticed, she should have noticed. But she didn't, until the living thorny whips wound around her companion and started lifting her away, a slow rain of scarlet petals scattering in its wake.
Unlike Obsidian, who lurked and waited and watched, Janice -- Janice acted without a second thought. Or, really, even a first one. A couple of loosened thorns were prickling out of her face, she'd been knocked off balance over an unforgiving tree root, but before she had even properly picked herself off the ground her turtleneck and slacks had rippled away to make room for her white coat, her heavy gloves, her sharply-heeled boots. It was all too lucky Uranophane's transformation had been concealed by the shadows and the trees. There were other people not too far off.
Even so, she didn't care.
That monster had Vera.
That monster was going to kill Vera.
She leapt up and after the monster, snarling lividly, petals smacking into her coat and fashioning themselves as stylized bloodstains. All thoughts that it might be a youma on the job, might be one of theirs had been entirely pushed aside -- it had Vera. She was going to slaughter it, rip its vines out one by one, turn its head into a salad, smash its lithe body into a paste--
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:07 pm
Vera hadn't noticed the vines; she trusted Janice to lead the way. Besides, she was too busy looking behind her to notice much of anything in front of her, and so the first warning she had that anything was wrong was when the vines snapped against her, hauling her abruptly into the air.
What? She couldn't move, couldn't escape, and before the rising bubble of panic could burst forth into a scream, the monster had tightened it's grip on her. A strange lassitude fell over Vera then, the glow from where the vines touched her among the last things she saw before everything went black as the monster returned to the tree with her in tow.
The last thing she saw was a flash of Janice changing somehow...?
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 6:20 pm
"Nothing's wrong with morgues if you're into that sort of thing... I guess?" She should have known that would be the wrong thing to say to the girl who wore tiny bits of bone attached to the chopsticks in her hair...
Once again she let it roll off, skipping ahead to address the next thing Ume said. "And no, they didn't seem terribly friendly, which is why we're following them. Clearly they're up to something... And we're here to figure out just what is going on in th--"
Her eyes went wide at the sound of the shriek, her entire body tensing for a moment before she grabbed Ume's hand, tugging her quickly up the path towards the sound. She didn't pause to think that it just might be a bad idea to drag an innocent towards a scream with her until it was too late and she was staring at... "My god, it's an alien plant. It's Audrey II, it's..." Attacking an innocent.
"Ume, we have to get out of here. Now." She couldn't transform in front of her, in front of any of them, so she had to make sure that Ume was safe and fast.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 7:08 pm
"Ohmygod..." Ume was wide eyed...
"You go for help! I'll give chase! Your flash light is brighter!! I'll see if I can help them!!" She said squeezing the other girls hand. She couldn't just let her know that she could...um...well hopefully help.
And she -sure wasn't waiting around for her to argue the point. She charged after them looking for a good place to 'vanish' into the bushes and hoping not to hear any foot steps behind her.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 8:13 pm
It had firmly planted itself within the tree at this point, its long vine-legs wrapping around the thick branch as it kept its balance steady. The hold on Vera remained tight, the glow brightening as the young girl's energy continued to be sapped away by whatever powers the monster held.
It saw the figure below, making its way up the tree. The plant monster, the alien, whatever it was, didn't seem to care. It snarled and hissed, but remained frozen where it crouched, the girl in its arms losing consciousness as she grew weak, dangerously weak.
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 8:44 pm
He could hear the girls nervously yammering at each other, but he was too far away to make out the meaning. There were some sounds below as well, the monster hissing as though displeased, but Obsidian couldn't see from what. He kicked his feet idly from his branch seat, watching as the girl it'd snatched was slowly beginning to pass out. Interesting. Was it siphoning her energy away? It almost looked like it.
Then he saw Uranophane. Furious, desperate Uranophane.
She was going rabid over a human? The Captain found himself sneering, propping his chin in his palm. This was just pathetic. He wasn't going to step in--not yet. Time to see if Doctor Manjaw could actually do anything with the lessons he'd given her, or it'd all been a waste.
Showing attachments to humans, well, that was already a poor showing on her part...
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Posted: Sat Feb 06, 2010 9:13 pm
Uranophane was powering up the tree like a jumping spider that had spent its entire life on an ill-advised steroid regimen. Branches snapped into under the force of her springboard jumps off of them; her expressive clawlike hands fiercely dug into the bark and tore chunks of it away where she couldn't find a handhold. She was angry, she was livid; rabid was practically an understatement as far as her emotional state went, she was nearly at the point where her behavior could have ended up with her diagnosed with a spontaneously-formed brain tumor.
There was a tiny pop! and a pen materialized in her fist -- which was all the more infuriating, that all she could properly arm herself with was a pen -- and her eyes darted over the creature for a minute, a mutated corsage that had affixed itself to the trunk of the tree. Uranophane's gaze was frantic over it. She needed a weak spot so it could die quickly.
Those arms, those vines--
Vera--
The pen she kept ready in her hand, but she didn't use it. Instead she launched herself head-on towards the monster, intent on throwing her arms around the girl and hoping inertia and gravity would take care of the rest.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 8:15 am
"Ume... Ume..." That was not what she'd meant. It wasn't what she'd meant at all she thought as she reached for her friend to stop her. It was too late, though. Ume had already taken off and if she just ran after her, like every instinct she had wanted her to do, it would just lead to more trouble. She couldn't save anyone like this.
She flicked her flashlight off after digging her pen out of her purse, dropping the bag where she stood before holding the pen above her head. "Corvus Star Power, Make Up!"
It was only the second time that she had changed, but it was quickly becoming familiar. There were no surprises this time at the change of outfit as she had expected it to happen. There was no chaos in her emotions, just determination and the knowledge that Ume was out there and possibly in danger... And god knows who else, with that plant thing.
Bursting into the clearing she paused to assess the situation. Monster? Check. Captive being drained of life? Check. Crazy person climbing tree in a most inhuman wa-- Wait. What? Was that another Senshi? It certainly didn't look like one...
"Hey! Hey, put her down! Or in the name of Corvus, I'll... I'll punish you!"
She was going to have to think of a better line. A much better line.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 6:01 pm
"MuCephi Star Power, Make up!"
Ume had just pronounced from her first available 'hiding' spot, when to her surprise she caught the tail end of... someone else's challenge.
In the Name of Corvus? No time to wonder now.... no time to -warn- it either in her opinion, Yoma weren't know for listening to...
Was that a lab coat?? ... Not now, focus on, well focus on the carnivorous rosebush...thing.
Her heart was pounding in her throat with nerves as she made a snap judgement, hopeful not the wrong one, though she was not in the least optimistic.
She pricked her finger on her pin preparing, but what if she hit the girl? No...they did little more than irritate... she'd just have to hope, and possibly after a bandaid after. And hopefully it would be irritated enough to drop the poor civilian.
"BAD BLOOD!" she cried pricking her finger on her brooch and flicking her hand towards it, sending a few small red 'needles' flying towards it as she grew closer and more sure of striking it, glancing only towards the other senshi after she had been more sure of her aim.
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Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 6:57 pm
The creature's hold on Vera was strong and it had noticed the angry Lieutenant climbing her way up the tree, but the plant was not prepared for a double attack.
As Uranophane snatched and pulled at Vera's unconscious body, the monster held tight - until the needles began to strike. Sharp stabs pierced the limbs and the creature let go of its captive as it shrieked in surprise at the painful attack. Vera dropped down, now safe in the Negaverse officer's grasp, and the monster's attention was successfully turned towards the two individuals that had screamed out challenges at it.
Obviously angered at the loss of its prey, the monster leapt from the tree and began a dash towards the two senshi, bleeding branches (arms?) flailing wildly in preparation to snatch away its next victim.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 3:59 pm
So! Seemed like it was a popular night to party! He'd heard the shouts of what had to be senshi before anything, and he though he couldn't quite make out what the hell they were actually doing, they'd certainly gotten the monster's attention. It seemed like it'd lost its little treat, too, and he immediately cast his gaze downward instead of seeing where it'd gone.
"Lieutenant." Obsidian called even as he dropped from the tree, a fall that normally would have broken someone's legs. He only landed like he'd hopped down a step or two, straightening to eye her with a derisive sneer. "Is this why your starseed quota's been lacking, as of late? I didn't think you were the time to keep pets, Uranophane..."
Disappointing, really. He was going to give her s**t about it regardless though, and maybe help loosen a few of her teeth if she gave him s**t about it. The girl in her arms was entirely ignored.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:30 pm
Uranophane felt a wash of relief when the monster's hold gave way and she was allowed to drop with Vera safely to the ground -- but that lasted all of five seconds, before she heard Obsidian's voice mocking her from a few feet away. Being chided in such a way normally would have had the effect of making her whip around and scowl, but this was hard to do this a civilian in tow, so she resigned herself to settling Vera on the ground and removing her gloves so she could check for a pulse while responding.
"Captain," she started, hissing through clenched teeth, "besides what I'm doing, does it concern you at all that creature isn't one of ours?! Where there's one member of a new species there's bound to be more, it might end up being a problem. They might be competing with us for our source of energy."
She gave a quick jab of the head towards Vera, her bared fingers wrapped around the girl's slender wrist.
"As for my pet civilian," the word 'pet' was spat with no shortage of bile, "I'm preparing her for presentation to the Queen. She won't stay a civilian for long, and I'd rather her stay alive than waste someone who would be a great deal more useful than half of those already in our ranks."
Uranophane really wanted to take her protege somewhere more safe, but now Obsidian was in the way. Normally Obsidian's company was nothing short of entertaining, but right now it was just extremely annoying.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:49 pm
The girl was safe in the arms of the one who'd gone after her first... But was she truly safe or was that just a facade? There was something about the word 'Lieutenant' in this circumstance that struck a wrong chord deep within her. Why? Was this something she should know about? Was it something she'd been told about before? Or was it little more than a distant dream?
She brought her hand up to her head, rubbing at her temple for a brief moment only to realize that the creature was now charging in her direction... No, their direction. There was another scout with her now and she'd seen the attack but now... Now they were both in danger. They were in danger and she couldn't even summon her own stupid attacks.
Quickly looking for resources she stooped down to grab a branch that had fallen from the trees during the monster's climb. While not all that skilled with baseball or softball she was pretty damn sure she could muster a decent swing. "C'mon ugly... That's it." She murmured, waiting for it to come close enough that she could strike out.
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Posted: Tue Feb 09, 2010 4:55 pm
"Oh...oh no we have to get that civilian from that woman too!" Mucephi said desperate, but at the same time they couldn't just... leave the monster-thing unattended. Oh goodness she was never going to look at a rose bush the same again.
And ... the other Senshi was wielding a... branch? "D.. Do you not have any attacks? Oh dear..."
Oh what she wouldn't give for some kind of senshi two-way radio... or if she'd kept her cell phone when she henshined up.
She bent down and grabbed a rock and -chucked- it at the monster to keep it interested.
Well... at least if she got scratched with the thorns she wouldn't have to stab her finger again... right?
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