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 Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 10:04 am
Zircon reveled in the whites of Dia's eyes, now that she was close enough to truly appreciate them. Yes, let Dia fear the terror she'd called upon herself when she'd decided to step out of her lane, let the panic infest and ruin her the way it had destroyed Zircon herself so many times when she had accidentally trespassed on her betters. The fruitless way Dia squirmed under her was thrilling, a feeling so decadent and satisfying that Zircon felt undone in its thrall. No senshi would ever overpower her again. No senshi could ever hold her down or harm her. For the first time since Charonite had sunk his hand into her chest, Zircon felt completely free of the shackles of her own helplessness and weakness. She laughed and she leaned in so her eyes could trace over every facet of the corrupt eternal's horrified face so she could remember it for the rest of her days, and so drunk was she on the rush of her exaltation that she ignored the truth of what made senshi dangerous in the first place.
They had magic.
Zircon had only a moment to process what Dia had been trying to say before she felt herself hit with a concussive force, flailing back gracelessly. She crashed against a crystalline wall and crumpled to the floor, curled and clutching at her torso while her mind raced to get her bearings. Something sticky was smeared across the front of her jacket, with too much tack to be blood, and the leather was only frayed even though her midsection screamed. Broken ribs were a concern, internal bleeding was more pressing, neither of them so dire that she required an immediate retreat. The sharpness of the pain was dizzying, but nothing she was unaccustomed to. It would be temporary, a slap on the wrist for her own hedonistic pride. Zircon should have known better--when had she ever been rewarded for enjoying her work?
"I suppose...you think that was cute," Zircon grunted, shaking to get her arms under her so she could climb to her knees. She needed to get on her feet, get her weapon in her hand, then force Dia to unconsciousness--she couldn't cast if she was already passed out. She looked to Dia from under half-strewn hair with ragged wild eyes, her goggles nearly blown off from the blast, and she called the boomerang to her side. Using it as a makeshift cane to pull herself to standing, she breathed through the pain, even while her whole body shook. Focus. She needed focus. "You'll pay for it."
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Posted: Mon Jan 15, 2018 3:48 pm
She'd seen the effects of her rock candies two or three times now but never experienced their force until that very moment. As soon as all fifteen candies brushed against the two of their torsos, each candy erupted in a loud, horrific explosion. There hadn't been enough time to draw in a breath before they blew up, forcing a pained cry out of the Eternal as her hands reached to cradle her chest.
Her hair had been ripped at, any strands that Zircon had gripped hold of in her pinning having been taken with her in her sudden departure. Dia's skull throbbed in pain but it was nothing in comparison to the sharp pain that came with every shallow breath she gulped. Being forced between an explosion and an unmovable surface, her abdomen had taken the brunt of the blow and her ribs felt every motion, every shift of her tortured frame as she struggled to look at the General rising from her landing.
Zircon's threat was ominous, especially considering the senshi didn't feel that she had the strength to get away from the older woman who was hobbling her one-legged way in her direction. Effort was made, however, and Dia was quick to confirm that even as she tried to strain her arms out to flip over and crawl towards the room's exit, her body refused to comply. It screamed against her attempt, tears forming in the corner of her eyes as nails scraped the marble floor.
Exhaling, she gave up and returned to her back, one arm defensively raising to cover her chest while the other moved to brush away the offending tears.
"Well..." she managed to croak out, each word a struggle to force out. "At least I still have both legs."
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 8:35 am
It had been the mess in the foyer that had tipped him off to the fact that something was wrong. Food was splattered all over the wooden flooring and glass was mixed throughout it. It was easy to see that the dish had been constructed by Suri, she was the only one of the active wolves that new how to cook. Or cook well.
He took the time to clean up most of the mess, the food regrettably making home in the trash, and swept up the loose shards before those too were deposited as waste.
As Suri's car still sat out front, and Prissy's sat in the garage, Chase made the rounds of the house looking for either woman only to find neither.
That was the most troubling.
In the end, it didn't take him long to decide to check elsewhere and the shift from Chase to Labyrinthite was second nature now. Something akin to pulling on a favored old shirt or jacket that always fit just right. Once he moved into negaspace, find them was easy enough.
Especially once the explosions started.
His steps were brisk as he covered ground quickly, taking long strides until he found the source. Immediately what little good mood he might've held was soured at the sight of his right hand woman and the eternal who always stood beside him were engaging in a literal catfight.
"Enough," came his quiet, but still audible order. He did not yell, but he made sure that he was heard by the weight of the scythe that he had called to hand slamming it's skull against the ground beside him.
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:16 am
Fury seized its way through the limping general, tearing at the hollow feeling in her chest. "We'll see about that when I'm done with you," she hissed, dragging her boomerang behind her. If Dia was going to be so particular about the shape of Zircon's body, then maybe it was time that she learn a little of what it felt like to have her mobility stripped from her. Nothing permanent, of course--just some broken bones, some time with crutches. Perhaps she'd ruin Dia's pretty little wrists, so she could understand what it meant to have to relearn how to write, to drive, to pluck a starseed with shaking fingers. It wasn't punishment, it was education. Zircon would teach her, something she'd failed to do when Dia was a fresher member of the pack, more pliable.
One murmur and Zircon froze in her tracks, guilty eyes swiveling for the entrance just in time to flinch from the heavy slam of his weapon on stone. Her fingers loosened on the trappings of her boomerang, but the weapon dissipated before it could teeter to the ground. "Labyrinthite," came her only response, hushed and startled. She took a step backwards, but it did nothing to undo the crushing sensation of guilt that shrank at her shoulders and settled as a pit of fear in her gut. Zircon could teleport, but not anywhere that he would not be able to find her. It was useless, and not befitting of her station.
The fact remained that Zircon had just been caught toying with Labyrinthite's favored pet, and surely he would seek vengeance for her insubordination. Her hands tightened into fists--it wasn't her fault, she hadn't started this fight, she was defending herself--but that wasn't strictly true. Slowly, her hands uncurled, but she took another step back anyway. Between his anger and his disappointment, she wasn't sure which would be worse.
"...You should teach your pet some manners," she offered lowly in lieu of an explanation, wiping at the smear of potatoes across her face. If she was going down for this, she might as well get one last dig at Dia in.
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:37 am
The moment she heard a voice, a feeling of relief washed over her. It was over - Zircon, that insane woman, could finally stop this horrible assault on her and she could go home and...oh.
Oh no.
It took a few moments to recognize the voice, followed by the thunderous echo of the scythe's skull resounding through the large room. Her heart stopped and teetered into the pits of her stomach.
Zircon's passing comment didn't go unnoticed but Dia knew when to pick and choose her battles and giving a retort to the pompous little prude wasn't the most worrisome thing on her priority plate for the moment. Her boyfriend was clearly livid and goodness only knew what sort of punishment he was ready to dole out to both of his underlings for their decision to dispute their differences using weapons and magic.
So, instead, she decided to take different route for things.
Rose eyes lifted towards him in an almost pleading manner as the words choked their way out.
"L-Labyrinth--th...."
Her head hit the ground with a soft thump, cushioned by the egregious amount of hair that rested between her skull and the flooring. The arm that had been wiping her face fell limp, crashing onto the ground in an unceremonious fashion while the other simply remained on her shredded, bleeding chest. Motionless fingers rested across the exposed portion of her dress as her lungs expanded to create slow, intended breaths. Her eyes, however, refused to open.
For all intents and purposes, Sailor Dia had passed out.
(... or so she gave the illusion of such, perhaps?)
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 9:47 am
His grip on the base of his scythe was tight, white-knuckle inducing as his breathing was carefully measured despite the flaring on his nostrils. Most of his face was obscured by the shadows of his hood, but his eyes still were bright and narrowed and his mouth was clearly set in a downward turn.
"Looks like you also need to re-learn your manners Zircon." His criticism was offered in a low, gravely voice that offered no kindness. "I expect better of both of you." His gaze shifted from the general dressed in browns to the corrupt laying on the floor pretending to be passed out.
"Get up," he demanded of her, tone implying she had one chance to listen before he pulled her up himself. She could play dead all she wanted, but he knew better.
His jaw ticked, teeth grating over each other as he worked it so that he could stay as level headed as possible, but his desire to lash out was compounding. If he wasn't careful, the damn would break and they would truly face his wrath.
"I want an explanation, now."
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 10:41 am
Zircon shrank under Labyrinthite's criticism--general or not, she'd known him as a lieutenant first, and there would always be some part of her that only knew how to kneel. She hadn't noticed Dia's little display, but at Labyrinthite's order her head swiveled back to her opponent, eyes narrow. In spite of the danger they were both in, Zircon scoffed--even now, she was playing dumb, even though Zircon knew exactly the sort of snake she was. She opened her mouth, ready to tell Labyrinthite exactly what had provoked her response, when she happened to glance down at her hands, still threaded with whorls of cotton candy hair.
There was no getting out of this scott-free. She would get no mercy for being his second, not with the way Labyrinthite doted on his senshi. Zircon had to choose whether she thought she would be better off telling the truth or downplaying the entire situation, sparing Dia but also sparing herself. Or Labyrinthite could catch her in a lie, and then Dia would be spared while Zircon suffered unfairly. She hadn't started this fight--it wasn't her fault.
"I--we--" she stuttered, her voice a wavering croak. "I was trying to bring over dinner--" She folded her arms over her torso, trying to ignore the way it throbbed with every beat of her panicked heart. Zircon couldn't fight the feeling of being exposed and looking stupid, and it caused her to fumble over her words--what explanation would be sufficient, what words could she say to get those bright eyes off of her?
She glanced back to Dia, her heart hitching in her throat, but she tried to swallow it down. "...Priscilla...was there." What could she say? What could she say?
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 12:05 pm
Drats.
Internally, she let out a dramatic sigh but knew better than to perform one in front of her superior officer slash boyfriend, especially considering his current state of apparently furious.
Eyelashes fluttered open as she "returned" to the world, barely lifting the top portion of her torso up by the ends of her elbows. He demanded an explanation and, like the faithful lapdog Zircon tried to be, she immediately started sputtering out an explanation.
Or at least, she tried.
Her gaze darted away from the formidable General to the less-than-formidable, potato-faced one and her self-preservation skills kicked in. While she had a high distaste for her boyfriend's chosen "Beta", she had more fear in what the Alpha would do with the both of them as far as punishments went. So, just as she did in boarding school, Priscilla Stratford - rather, Eternal Sailor Dia - decided that banding together might prove more efficient than having both get run over by the figurative bus.
"Darling, you're being dramatic."
Eyes still focused on Zircon for the first few words, the senshi fearful that she'd lose her own words if she stared into the terrifying face of the man she acknowledged as her leader. "Zircon is absolutely right, I let my competitiveness get the better of me and said some rather nasty things in the heat of the spar."
Her head nodded in the blonde General's direction, to which she added, "Sorry, sweetie. You bested me this time - perhaps next time I'll try my other candy and see if it has a better outcome?"
The smile was strained but practiced - this wasn't the pinkette's first rodeo, after all. Rose colored eyes finally turned back to the Reaper as she offered him a shrug, still laying half recumbent across the ground. As hard as she tried to play it off, her chest hurt... but she wasn't willing to see the sharp end of the scythe, to get back at the woman who'd caused her initial pain.
"Our spar got a little passionate, that's all. There was a bit of a playful food fight that led to the suggestion of working out our differences on the playing field - it's no wonder you have her as a second hand, General, she fights rather...fierce." Her face was hurting from the cheerfulness she was attempting to convey, the lies passing through her lips as easily as any other comment could, "Are you going to really hold it against us, for trying to keep up our skills and make our merciful leader proud?"
Her glove extended itself, not to Labyrinthite, but to Zircon in an unspoken request for assistance in standing.
God, she hoped the other woman would take the hint.
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Posted: Wed Jan 24, 2018 2:06 pm
He couldn't say what disappointed him more; the fact that his two most trusted had been squabbling like two children on a playground over a toy or that neither of them provided him with any sufficient information. Zircon sputtered and faltered where as Dia tried to pretend that their catfight had been anything but something childish.
His adam's apple bobbed as he let his gaze linger on Dia while she spoke.
"I saw the mess," he decided to start with, gaze shifting sharply to the woman who lacked words to reply to him. "You're insulting me, Dia."
The sound of his heels walking across the pavement filled the space of the silence that filled the area when he started to walk around them, slowly circling the two women. He was not, at least, looking at them at this time. Instead his gaze was unfocused before him while he contemplated what he was going to do.
Luckily, the scythe had been returned to subspace and both hands were held behind his back as he moved.
"I do not expect you to be friends, but I expect you to be civil. This is your one and only warning." He stilled before them, head lifting and sharp gaze returning to them. "I'm disappointed, especially in you Zircon. This is what you do after your promotion?" His tongue clicked against the roof of his mouth. "As for you Dia, keep your petty jealousy to yourself next time. Or learn to cook, if you think that a dinner prepared for me is worth throwing a tantrum."
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Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2018 9:14 am
Zircon felt frozen in place, petrified to stillness by the sound of clicking heels. She could only move to the sound of Eternal Dia's voice, and just to turn her head to give the senshi an incredulous look. Sweetie? Was she really going to try and play everything off as some little spat that got too heated? Zircon's lips pursed and her eyes narrowed, all too willing to throw herself on the proverbial sword to make sure Dia got nothing merciful from their leader, but she heard Labyrinthite's boots again and the color drained from her face.
He was keeping his distance, but Zircon felt no safer for it. With the ability to teleport, he might as well have been at both their throats.
Nevertheless, Zircon did her best to square her shoulders and stand tall, eyes on the pacing cloak that stalked her. She let Dia's hand stay outstretched, turning away from the senshi so she could fold her own in front of her, perfectly content to leave the eternal senshi out in the cold. Nothing Zircon could do or say would make this situation better, would soothe the aches in her gut or the sting of being caught, and so she did nothing except follow Labyrinthite's boots and scratch at a mark on her wrist. She met his eyes only for a moment and nearly crumpled under his gaze, forced to look down and away from the acrid burning in his gaze.
A thousand molten protests burned in her throat, but what Zircon said was, "I understand, sir." Everything good she'd done so far was undone by his stern judgement. Her stripes and medals could not protect her. One look, one stern finger wag, and she was back to being nothing.
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Posted: Mon Feb 12, 2018 7:33 pm
Eyes narrowed as the blonde little tart was clearly too stupid to even bother trying to save her own hide in their less than stellar predicament. Of course she would shirk, of course she would stand there, looking ready to kiss the tips of her General's boots if he so much as breathed the order for her to do so.
What Zircon lacked in limbs and personality she made up for with boring and predictable.
Dia was far from spared from Labyrinthite's wrath and the older General's words stung harder than she'd cared to admit. It was hard not to flinch as she felt the anger boiling and bubbling up within her. At Zircon for being there in the first place - the day was going fine until she decided to show her little kiss-up face in the mansion. At Labyrinthite for being so dismissive. At herself for getting caught up in all of this... all of this pointless mess!
She didn't need to learn to cook. They had people for that and those people didn't have such a stupid crush on the man of the house and... and...
Ugh!
"If you're finished treating me like a child then, General, I have an appointment with the emergency room that I'd like to get to."
As if to emphasize the fact she'd been wounded in all of this (a fact he'd clearly found lower priority than some stupid dinner his wannabe girlfriend wanted to spoonfeed him), her hand clutched over her battered chest and she let out a soft huff. Blinking out of the Negaspace, the Eternal Senshi deposited herself into her former bedroom in her former home, where Priscilla Stratford would soon seek out her Daddy dearest to call in a visit from their preferred physician.
She'd worry about her angry boyfriend after quelling her own seething frustrations.
Hmph.
Nuxaz I'd say sorry but we both know she isn't.
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Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2018 7:19 am
The look Dia would receive was impassive, stern, and certainly implied this isn't over, but she would receive a waving, dismissal via hand. He did not, however, say anything else to her. If spats like this continued to be a problem, the general would have no issues reminding them what it meant to deal with a proper threat.
Disciplining was not something he enjoyed, because he held his wolves to high expectations, but he knew how to do it regardless. He had simply hoped the display of strength and power with Wolfeite, however long ago it had been, would have been the last time.
To Zircon however, he spent a long while simply gazing at her and the way she held herself. His jaw shifted, molars grating over each other, and he exhaled through his nose slowly. "Dia needs to be reminded of what it means to be respectful, but you need to be reminded about what it means to command it." Whiskey eyes stayed trained on her face regardless of whether or not she looked up at him to return his gaze.
"She can be difficult, but she's a greater ally than foe. If you let her rile you up so easily, what will happen when you come to face someone on the side of the White Moon who's out for blood?" His head shook and he stepped back, creating a small amount of distance between them. "Do not let your emotions get the best of you where others can see it, because every witness is a c***k in your armor that someone else can exploit."
Clucking his tongue, he seemed to sigh before he too, was gone with a blink.ghouliboo he's not finished with you missy
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2019 3:05 pm
Zircon had so many things she wanted to say, to insist and protest and shout and beg, because Labyrinthite didn't understand, he couldn't possibly understand or he wouldn't be looking at her with those angry disappointed eyes. Were she as strong as the generals before her, she would have explained the indignation and rage she felt, the disrespect she received not only from Dia but the Negaverse as an institution, reminded him of all the little ways she had to fight just to be perceived as equal. Were she brave enough, she could confide in him all the little horrors and insecurities holding her down, ask for his counsel, exist without his approval. Were she whole, she could stand tall against him by her own power, or simply choose not to engage with the childish snubs Dia had managed to goad her with.
Zircon was none of those things--she was obedient, and drowned her words with the burning shame she felt until they died in her throat. What she felt didn't matter, so long as she could choke it down. Labyrinthite was right. She was weak.
"Yes sir," she murmured lowly, scrunching his shoulders and avoiding his gaze until he disappeared. Only then would she allow her shaking hands to clutch at her torso, feel the stings and the aches Dia left behind. She checked for blood, the feeling of broken ribs, and then shaking her head she also disappeared, leaving nothing but an empty hall.
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