|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sat Aug 29, 2015 3:18 pm
She smiled her coy, fanged smile and nuzzled the salt and pepper hair against her cheek.
"He's hardly innocent. He attacked me first, did you know? I was only defending myself. And then he was rude enough to call me a b***h to my face. I'm only teaching him some manners..." Her claws flexed against his face, lightly scratching at his skin in thoughtful petting.
"But I won't be leaving just yet. You see, I've decided this one is mine now and that leaves him two options to choose from..." Cinnabar took a slow step back, putting more space between herself and the knight in a subtle way. She turned her head a little, her lips near enough to the senshi's ear to shift his hair with her breathing as she lowered her voice. "Did you hear that, Pet? Pay attention. First; you can surrender to me and all of this will end, right now. I'll take you to a General-Queen, you will be reborn into a new life, and you will have the opportunity to find fulfillment in serving Metallia, as I have. That is the easy route, and the most rewarding. You would be well treated for your willingness, and well cared for. The other option though, should you refuse my generosity..."
Cinnabar's grip tightened as she shifted them back more, her eyes on the knight.
"In the other option, you refuse... In which case, you will be punished. Death is the only reward for those who stand against the Negaverse, but... Yours will be special, Pet. Even if this knight manages to wrestle you away from me now, I will not give you up. I will find everyone you have ever cared about and they will be punished in your stead... They will die by my hand, knowing it's because of you... And when they're all gone, I will find you and I will kill you last." Her lips curved against his hair and she chuckled, finally raising her voice again to include the knight in the conversation.
"It really is an easy choice, and it's more than your new friend will get if I catch him. He's locked himself forever away from Metallia's touch and there is no option but death for him. You're lucky, because you get the choice. So. What do you chose? Join the glory of the Negaverse... Or bring death to everyone you love for your misbehavior? You won't get to change your mind, so think carefully and make the wise decision."
Another shift took them a little further still from the knight and she eased her grip just enough to let the senshi speak and seal his fate.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Aug 30, 2015 7:10 pm
Even though Eurydike really didn't want to be in a position where he needed help, where he needed some knight's pity - could he try a little harder to actually ******** act concerned?
If she wasn't holding him like she was, the nuzzle would have made him ******** gag. The most he could do was shut his eyes and grit his teeth, biting at the inside of his cheek. Stop touchin' me, stop ********' coddlin' me like I'm some kinda -
That word again. Pet. He bit down hard enough to taste fresh copper in his mouth.
The only reason he ever even considered Cinnabar's "generous offer" was the threat. No, it wasn't a threat; it was a ******** promise, and all he could see in that moment was Tolliver, because that was all he had. It wasn't fear for himself, but fear for his lover that struck him dead, ice cold and rigid, his heart pounding in his head.
What kind of choice was it, though?
Start a new life to keep Tolliver safe, in a place he'd never be able to reach him? Where Tolliver would be left alone?
Or to stay as he was and risk death, or worse, risk Tolliver's? A world where he'd risk watching his lover fall to her claws?
Although he wavered, ultimately, there was only one choice for Eurydike.
He opened his eyes, took as deep a breath as he was allowed, and gave his answer, loud and ********. YOU."
And he lurched forward the best he could with no leverage to be had, digging down as deep as he could to struggle. No matter what - he knew this, no matter what happened from here - it was all his ******** fault.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Aug 31, 2015 6:46 pm
He maintained the calm and relaxed expression on his face, though inwardly Celsus was already trying to figure out how the hell he was going to get the senshi away from those damned claws. She was not exactly a simple Lieutenant, fresh off of the boat, that was for certain. This was a seasoned fighter, a General most likely, and not only that, but obviously one fused with some sort of youma, judging by her appearance. It would not be easy to get around her, but leaving behind an ally was unthinkable.
He clicked his tongue. "Well, I will admit to it being rude that he called you a b***h to your face," Celsus consented. "That's not particularly nice. But your method of teaching manners is probably a bit more violent than strictly necessary, wouldn't you think?"
His eyes flickered towards the claws pressing against the sides of the senshi's face. Celsus shifted his feet, cape swaying behind him, eyes narrowing ever so slightly behind the rimless glasses. Neither option sounded like a good one, not that it was being presented to him, exactly, but it might as well have been.
Celsus wrinkled his nose a little, reminiscent of a certain someone, though not quite the same. "Not quite the best options, I will say," he said lightly, stretching out the whip in front of him and giving it a little tug so the straps snapped into a straight line. "Can't we all just get along? You seem a reasonable sort, quite diplomatic, from the sound of it - but I suppose you wouldn't be willing to change your min - "
The rest of his sentence was lost to the snarl from the senshi, and Celsus leapt into action almost instinctively, letting go of the straps and snapping the whip hard to the side. It made a crack like a gunshot, cutting through the air as he dived for the senshi, making a grab for him.Quote: Celsus cracks the whip, and the sound creates a distraction, a lack of concentration. They have trouble keeping their mind focused on one specific thing for very long. This makes it difficult for the opponent to keep their aim specific. Celsus has to be within viewing distance of his opponent, and he has to be looking directly at them. If his vision is obscured or his concentration broken, the effect won't work. The effect lasts approximately 40 seconds, depending on the strength of the opponent.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2015 3:52 pm
The General felt the senshi in her arms go stiff and she let out a rough, rolling chuckle at his expense. Yes, that was what she wanted to see... his turmoil excited her, she had to admit. She enjoyed seeing him upset, in pain. It was a character flaw she'd always been aware of and lived with, part of what had set her sister so against her when she was younger.
Red eyes stared at the knight, keeping her attention split between him and her captive. She watched for any motions to attack, just to be sure she had plenty of opportunity to retaliate before he could reach them. There was no doubt she was faster... she just needed to be ready for it.
"Spare the rod, spoil the child." Cinnabar cooed. "He'll never learn if I'm too lenient with him and he has such potential... And I'm afraid these options are the only ones available to him. Getting along is not one of those options..."
Things suddenly swung into motion and the lunge from the senshi in her arms was unexpected, though it really shouldn't have been. Blame spreading her attention too much and letting over confidence ease her stance. Another character flaw, that over confidence. Something to work on.
The sudden pull made her instinctively tighten her grip and as he pulled, her claws bit into his skin to shred flesh. At the same time, the Knight swung his weapon and the sound was unnaturally deafening. Cinnabar jerked back as she clapped her hands to her ears, reeling from the thunderclap. She couldn't focus suddenly for the sound, everything had gone fuzzy and weird. It was uncomfortably close to the feeling of being high, without any of the good feeling, and she hated it.
It was all she could do to stumbled backwards in an attempt to remove herself from harm's reach. Teleportation would have been her prefered choice, but there was no way it could be accomplished as she struggled to hold a destination in her mind and it kept slipping through her mental fingers.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 1:20 am
Claws effortlessly cut deep into the flesh of his face, and Eurydike howled with an already cracking voice as he half-stumbled, half-fell away from the demon woman, and he felt the knight successful grab his arm. His vision swimming, fresh, hot blood from the gashes joining the rest that was still trickling from his broken nose as he half-fell into the knight, and he left a smear of vivid red across the front of his would-be hero's uniform.
He tried to straighten himself up, but his knees buckled, and his vision swam as he gasped and drew a hand to his face, more blood quickly coating the white of his gloves.
The senshi tried once, twice, three times to pull away from the knight and do something - duck behind him or face the demon woman or something - he couldn't be a ******** liability goddamnit - but nothing was happening. His head was foggy, and no matter what he did, his legs weren't ******** cooperating.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 4:08 pm
He caught the senshi and staggered back, heedless of the blood on his uniform, Celsus determinedly keeping his eyes locked on the general.
"Hold still," he said, without lowering his gaze, and hints of energy began to trickle their way into the other's body from where his hand lay against the man's back. It wouldn't do much in the long run, not when he was as gravely injured as he was; but it would at least keep him stable for the time being.
A low whistle was pulled through Celsus' lips, and a second later there was the sound of flapping wings, an owl fluttering into view. He gave it a little smile and nodded at the senshi, and the owl flapped hard, a gust of wind swirling around the senshi to protect him.
His gaze snapped away from the general, which would break the magic, but it was becoming draining anyway, and he couldn't hold that, and the other up at the same time.
"I have no doubt we'll meet again," Celsus said lightly. "But for now, could we perhaps just agree to disagree and go our separate ways?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2015 5:05 pm
It was long, reeling moments before the muffling feeling lifted, allowing her mind to clear and refocus again.
Red eyes snapped immediately to the pair she had been facing off against, her motions to put a safe distance between them more deliberate now. Her lips pulled in a snarl as she dropped her hands, hate and rage in every line of her face. She weighed the chance of getting her toy back now that he was free and in the hands of the glowing knight, and the magic the knight had to bring to the fight. It honestly wasn't worth it to pursue the fight further... there was little benefit to the cause and more risk to herself. Even if her pride prickled at letting him go, at least she was leaving him with a lasting impression.
"I'm not done with you!" She snarled as her hands flexed, black claws pushing from her fingers in wickedly sharp curves. "I told you what I would do, Senshi Brat. I don't go back on that. And you, ******** a*****e of a knight... I'll remember you, too."
Tail lashing, the General gathered herself and disappeared.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 9:25 am
Eurydike didn't exactly argue with him - what the ******** was he going to do, say no? - and he didn't know a whole lot about glowing knights, but he did know whatever this guy was doing, it was making the edges of his vision less hazy, bringing things into sharper focus.
It helped the weakness, not the pain. He didn't even know where to start with that. Even just standing there and breathing was ******** agony, and he only dully realized that there was an owl - an owl of all damn things - was here and sending gusts of wind around him and -
(Damn, this magic s**t never stopped getting weird did it?)
Then, the demon woman, Cinnabar, had her senses again, and Eurydike would never admit out loud (although the look on his face told another story) how much that look on her face, those claws, that final warning and promise of more harm to come, how ******** much it all scared him. He'd walked into something big, entirely too big and lethal, and he knew it now. This wasn't a lesson he'd be soon forgetting.
When she was gone, he wilted, slumping lightly against the building beside him, breathing hard, sweating mingling freely with blood, and he thought to himself he really ought to thank the knight or something - all pride aside, the guy had just saved his life and all. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 9:31 am
And then she was gone. Celsus' shoulders dropped visibly in relief, a gust of breath leaving him. The owl fluttered around the two of them, still flapping its wings, and he called to it, the bird soaring over towards him, its feathers brushing his face almost affectionately as it hung in the air by him.
"Thanks," said Celsus lightly, giving the owl's chest a gentle stroke with a finger. "You can go now, you've served us well."
The bird hooted, there was a glimmer of white, and then it had gone, dissipating into nothingness. Celsus dragged himself partly upright, glancing down at the bloody smear against his chest as he carefully made sure that the senshi was propped up securely against the wall. A hand still braced on the other's shoulder, still seeping energy into him, though the magic was almost complete by now, and he couldn't do much more than this.
"Seems like you've got yourself in a spot of trouble, eh?" Celsus said with a friendly laugh. "We'll have to get you to a hospital or home or some place other than this, can you power down? I'm on your side, so you don't have to worry about anything."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 2:04 pm
Spot of trouble seemed like the understatement of the century but okay. But the surge of energy was still appreciated, so he couldn't really say anything - actually it was legitimately hard to say anything. His throat hurt, and hurt bad, on top of everything else. He tried to clear his throat, and winced, nodding along with that the knight was saying.
Gritting his teeth, in a flurry of magic, Eurydike shifted back into Hitch - and for the time being, the gashes on his back were hidden beneath a t-shirt and flannel, although they was no hiding the blood on his face or his twisted fingers, bent out at not quite the right angle.
He managed to find his voice enough to croak out, "No hospital. Please. I just... I gotta get home."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 2:08 pm
He waited patiently for the senshi to power down, Celsus watching him with a look of concern -
- but the look of concern did not stay the same. In fact, the more that was revealed of the civilian, the more thunderstruck Celsus' expression became, until he was staring down at the figure on the ground with a look of utmost shock and mingled horror.
"No," he said, and stood quickly, taking a step back, and the tone of his voice was almost offended, like the universe was laughing at him, because this could not - this was not -
"You cannot tell me," Celsus snapped through gritted teeth. "That I did this - that I did this for you, bloody hell, out of all the people to have been awakened, you? Really?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 2:17 pm
Hitch looked up at Celsus, blinking furiously, visibly confused as his arms began to curl around his aching sides, pale and sweating and breath labored. "What?" he asked, wondering just what the hell the problem with him was all of a sudden.
There was no reason for anyone to look at him the way the knight was now. He didn't know enough people, there was - this guy sounded - indignant that he'd saved him now? Like he was insulted or something by Hitch's face.
"The ******** your problem?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 2:24 pm
A sharp laugh escaped him, almost sardonic.
"What's my problem?" Celsus said incredulously, and he took a step back towards Hitch, his cape sweeping around his ankles, coins jingling. He leaned over, a look of dark, twisted amusement on his face. "My problem, dear man, is that you are sitting here in front of me. My problem is that it's you I was just forced to go up against a youma general for."
He sucked in a sharp breath. "My problem," he said, and there was a distinct note of anger in his voice now. "Is that you can't even see - you don't know. Well, no, I suppose you wouldn't, would you?"
Celsus lifted his chin. "My name is Celsus, Knight of Chronos - but my civilian name is Frederick. Except you probably know me better as - "
And the magic melted away, Celsus powering down easily and simply until he was nothing more than -
"Fritz. Fritz St. James."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2015 8:14 pm
As the magic melted away - as he saw Fritz standing there where the knight had been - a wave of sickening rage swept over him. A wave of adreneline, coupled with the energy he wished he`d never taken, steadied him.
If he hadn`t already hated Fritz as much as he did - the realization that this ******** would have just ******** let him die if he`d known who Eurydike was, just out of spite, fear, ignorance, whatever the ******** else - twisted in his gut like a foul a** poison, just further darkening his view of the one that was supposedly the "shining" twin.
So this was his ******** secret a** "job". It ******** figured. (Why couldn`t Celsus have been Tolliver, goddamnit, WHY?)
"Yeah, I know you - the douchebag who ********` rejcted his own goddamn brother, made him ********` miserable, you - I can`t believe what you ********` did to him, " he choked out, pushing himself up off the wall. He`d left blood there, too. But he was snarling white through the crimson that stained his face. "******** you - ******** you, an` if you`re so ********` bothered you piece of s**t, don`t ********` bother next time!! I would`ve ********` figured it out without you!"
He wouldn`t have. But the thought that he owed Fritz St. James of all people his goddamn life - a growl rumbling in his throat, he pushed past the knight-turned-man deliberately, ignoring the pang of pain.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2015 7:01 am
He was not going to flinch at those words, he was not going to wince at the reminder that he'd ******** up his relationship with Tolliver - no, it hadn't been him anyway, he'd just been looking out for his twin, that was it, he wasn't him, it was bloody Logan Hitchcock, this shell of a man standing - kind of - in front of him.
The look on Fritz's face was thunderous. "I wasn't about to leave a senshi - an ally - " He spat the word out like it tasted bad on his tongue. " - behind. You can't seriously expect that I would have just walked away, this is my bloody job, I protect the city, I do whatever I can to make it good."
He dearly wanted to add and that would mean getting rid of you, but Fritz bit back the impulse, glowering at Hitch.
"You certainly don't look as though you would have figured it out," he said instead, gaze flicking up and down the other man's half hunched over form, at the blood and the scrapes and the injuries that littered his body. "You look like you're closer to passing out instead. How long have you been a senshi, anyway?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
