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 Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 4:20 am
 If Angela was expecting the ache to go away, it didn't -- she was reformed, remade, and all the ache did was continue. Something nagged at the back of her head that she couldn't remember, barrelling around as Scorpio, Scorpio, Scorpio. No fear. Just a memory she couldn't quite put her finger on, and the smell of smoke. The memories were going to come pretty soon. Hero didn't insult Giselle by calling out her name: just looked at her, crimson eyes to blue. Now. Libra was already suited up; she just needed to complete the circle. Giselle Petrova did not wait. She and Elke both raised their pens, one after the other -- Libra, Virgo --   You could rely on Petrova and Arma after all this time. They too were going to soon receive an unwanted National Geographic of memories -- they had been burned once, burned again; why subject them to the memory a third time? Brains were unfair. "Sailor Leo!"
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:34 am
If the day could have gotten any stranger, any weirder, any damn odder than it already was, it would have been when Chronos brought Sagittarius back from the dead, or when Foreman ripped a hole in space and stuff and the missing Scorpio tumbled through into their laps. But no, no. The day had truly crested on the weird-s**t-o-meter bar for Froust. She was drained to fainting in shock and surprise, all she was thinking about was... well.... a large stack of steaks over a bed of mashed potatoes- gravy, peas, corn and a fluffy breadroll. With pancakes, icecream maple syrup and noooo questions asked. But in order to reach this state in the day, wherein everything would have returned to a normal, real state of existence.... she had to accept that this moment, right here and now, was really happening.
Abeline hadn't doubted that something would happen, hadn't doubted that despite the holding hands- the scared looks and the blind faith, that somehow--- holy s**t, she'd obviously not realized what was going to happen here! Froust watched as the others around her called out their piece, light glowing around the Zodiacs. Her pulse threaded as she looked to Leo now, he was next and then...
Well Froust had an idea now, what was in store for her. And what did that mean? Well for a start, the clothing looked comfortable and none of the others had the rips and tears showing. And they looked... well... yeah. Froust glanced at the beautiful princess before them, her eyes steady, and then, inevitably, she looked back at Leo, because he was up, and this had to be interesting.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 9:34 am
It was enough, even for a man who didn't possess a great deal of imagination, to believe. Watching those who stood in line next to him hold up their pens and transform into something magical shook Grayson, made his mouth go a little dry. Elke's hand left his, and he felt alone; he reflexively tightened his grip on Abeline's, suddenly afraid to break the circle. After all this, there was a feeling in his gut, a whisper in the back of his mind that wasn't as old as time itself, and it asked him, what if you don't do that?
What if he wasn't who they were looking for? What if this was all a mistake after all?
His eyes caught Abeline's, a for a moment, there was worry and fear in his own; then his head snapped around at the call, and he broke away from Abeline's grip, hand shaking slightly.
In his pocket was the pen, the pen he hadn't thought much about. As he withdrew it, the fear inside him stilled, the worry left his face. This was right. He would not disappoint them. He was Sailor Leo - he would hold his pen up and transform, and he would help them save the rest of the world.
Pen held level with his heart, extended before him, he smiled. Though he didn't shout, as Grayson very rarely shouted, his voice was clear and carried. "Leo Zodiac Power, Make-Up!"
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 2:34 pm
It was understandable that Grayson shone just a little brighter than the others; he had always been quite the show off. There was no time to order the new memories, no time to enjoy the new feeling of power. They were holding the line The Zodiacs probably understood how this worked by now, but still Hero called "Cancer!". It would be awful if something went awry and she might have been able to prevent it by her gruff orders.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 3:54 pm
Grayson's hand dropped away and it was Abeline's turn to feel just a little more isolated. She looked down at her feet, her shoes, her legs shifted and she was in preposition for a spin.
And then it was her turn. She glanced at Leo, well that was flashy, and bright and... Abeline exhaled and pulled out her pen. Her fingers trailed away from her death grip and she centered herself. This was just like changing costume in the middle of a dance. Really it was...
"Cancer Zodiac Power, Make-up!" There was no wavering in Abeline's voice. She did come out a little louder than she would have liked. But there was no uncertainty, no hessitation. Abeline was so self-assured, so knowledgable.
Of Course it would work. Because... well, Abeline was just that awesome.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:31 pm
 Apparently for Cancer, according to outfit, the dance had only just begun. "Gemini." Hero was focused, intense, incandescent. "Both of you. At the same time. Keep going."
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 5:48 pm
Andeon watched all of this. He watched with the kind of somber, wide-eyed wonder that came only in moments such as these. Moments where everything you had ever known, everything you ever would know, was about to change drastically. From this point, there was no going back.
He squeezed Mackenzie's hand lightly; he'd never want to go back anyways.
His smile widened from ear to ear as he witnessed the return of their Princess. She was dear to him in ways he could not explain, but felt in the pit of his stomach. In his soul. Not like Mackenzie, with whom Andeon felt he shared a little bit of himself, but in a way that commanded his loyalty and protection. She was perhaps the only woman in the world who he didn't want to make sweet, sweet serendipitous love to. His smile was, for once, neither lecherous nor sarcastic, but sincere and appreciative in a way that- Dear ******** christ on a cracker were Hero and Jude making out?
If Andeon had eaten anything in the past week, he might have vomited. In fact, might was putting it lightly. If Andeon Boskovic had eaten anything in the past month, he would have broken rank, strolled over there, and vomited right on top of their heads. Holding the line be damned. As it were, he just stared with a face similar to the one a person might make when they walked in on their parents doing it. His eyes were squinted, the bottom lids lifted to meet his pupils. His mouth was open, pulled up higher on one side that the other, frozen in a look somewhere between screaming and vomiting.
Gross.
Only when the two parted was Andeon able to shake the expression from his face, entire body shuddering once. It was like recovering from an unexpected slap in the face... with someones d**k. It was grotesque and horrifying and wrong in so many ways. You felt horribly, terribly violated, but it was certainly not the end of the world. He would live. He would live, scarred for the rest of his life, but living nonetheless.
Standing hand in hand in hand in hand in stump with the rest of the Zodiacs, Andeon thought back on the past couple of months. They had been through so much; some of them together, some of them barely even seeing one another. They had died together; some of them twice now, apparently. He looked at Elke, who he had stabbed in the face with a broken bottle no more than a few weeks ago. Giselle, who he had asked every day for two years – or so he had thought - to play “Petrova In My Pants”. He watched as each of them was replaced by their senshi form – a form that seemed to fit them far better than their human skins. It seemed.. natural.
At least, he watched a few of them. His gaze tended to snag on the chests of the female senshi as they transformed, glee apparent on his face. He elbowed Mackenzie a couple of times, pointing out a few of the finer racks. Those to either side of the duo would hear a few muttered clips and phrases, “What do you mean an eight? That is definitely a nine. Maybe a nine and a half. No, do you see them? Are we even looking at the same boobs here?”
So caught up in their bickering, Andeon almost didn't realize it when their sign was called. He glanced to Hero, giving her a wink and a nod, before turning his attention on Mackenzie. Andeon wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her down into a headlock. The stump of his other hand buried itself in her hair in old-school noogie fashion. After a long moment of this, Andeon pulled her into a tight hug, laughing loudly. The joy in his voice was unmistakable, and it shone in his eyes as he looked down at the girl in his arms.
“Together, then?”
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:13 pm
"There are so many boobs, it's hard to tell which ones you're staring at any given time!"
To her credit, Mackenzie tried valiantly not to engage Andeon in this particular conversation. She really did try. This was serious, she knew it was serious, she'd been through serious before and had handled it with ease. She had stood through Model UN conventions, through student council meetings, and gotten the 'being serious' thing down to a talent. Unfortunately, it didn't mean jack s**t when she was with Andeon. It was suppose to be an important, life-changing ordeal, and yet Mackie couldn't help but grin as the magenta-haired boy flicked his eyes meaningfully towards one of the girls, bringing their heads close as they bantered. And that was the beginning of the end, life-changing be damned.
But for Andeon and Mackenzie, life-changing didn't mean it could change who they were. In a past life, maybe things were different for them, once upon a time and not-so-happily ever after, but in this life, they were forever destined to be... Andeon and Mackenzie. The bane of the Zodiac Guard.
Whatever high-authority had chosen them would surely regret it, in due time.
Shooting what she hoped was a winsome smile in Hero's direction, Mackie yelped a little as Andeon caught her around the neck, twisting a little as he noogied her, her face twisted in mock-distress, the look melting away as she wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight hug. Clutching her half of the Gemini pen, she gave Andeon a teasing look, moving back to stand at his side again, eyes locked with his.
"Well, if we have to," She replied, her grin just as broad.
'Gemini Zodiac Power, Make-Up!'
Their voices rang out together, surprisingly in harmony -- strong on their own, together they sounded like they felt unstoppable.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 6:53 pm
This was incredible.
Absolutely incredible. Ignacio had never seen anything like it before. He had never paid much attention to the sailor senshi. They didn't affect his life, and therefore they didn't matter to it. When they were briefly seen as 'evil,' Ignacio had perked an ear, but he shrugged it off and kept moving when he realized that there was never any action at Barren Pines.
...Ha. Barren Pines. What a joke.
His eyes burned, but he couldn't take his eyes off of the transformations that were quickly flying in front of him. Pisces looked adorable, like the little sister Ignacio could easily see her as. Aquarius looked mysterious and regal like the stars she represented. Capricorn was reminiscent of secrets and rams. Sagittarius looked like quite the explorer. Scorpio reminded Ignacio of Sherlock Holmes (heeee, and she even had a magnifying glass!). Elke was that stupid girl in the Grecian dress that kept not listening to him and attacking; at least Libra seemed to be on her game. Grayson... Grayson looked hilarious. Ignacio had to stop the snickers that welled up in his throat. He looked ridiculous.
And now the Geminis were calling.
Ignacio was in awe. He wished so badly he could be calling out some power right now, some power that would help them hold this line but as it was, he had to keep the pure humans' spirit up as much as humanly possible. He could do it. "Keep focused!" ordered Ignacio to the other humans. "Don't stare too hard or we'll be blinded!" As it was, he saw spots all over his eyes despite the general darkness of the area. He threw a grin over to Yvette and squeezed her hand tighter as he looked forward.
But then he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Where had that mop of red hair come from?
Another survivor had joined them. Ignacio's eyes flicked over to the newcomer. "You, too!" He called, over to her. "Keep focused. Pray to the Opal Crystal! We can do this, we can hope for everything and get out of here. The more of us focused the better!" Ignacio wasn't going to accept that this was all the Zodiacs. They, too, could help hold this line.
Whatever line it was they were holding. It looked like they intended to smash a barrier and a curse to him.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 7:50 pm
Sam hadn't known what to do with himself since he'd been forced to take Alease down. The mirror that had saved his life twice over now had finally been left behind, the boy unwilling to pry it from her broken body. He'd clung to it so fiercely once. Now, he didn't cling to anything anymore. His shoulder bleeding profusely from the wound his friend - more than friend? - had inflicted on him, he wondered what was next. Another zombie drawn by the stench of his blood? The sky raining doom and destruction upon them?
He dragged his hoe along the ground behind him as he walked, gathering dirt atop the congealed blood his stand against Alease had left behind. To be honest, he almost didn't care anymore. What was the point? Everyone was dying, missing, or dead. He might have walked away from Alease's broken body, but he hadn't forgotten. His throat was raw from screaming, and the only reason he was still moving at all was because he'd made a promise. Remi had wanted him to live for them both, and he'd be damned if he wouldn't try - no matter how much easier death might have seemed by now.
With everything that had happened, to have the silence that hung like a curtain spanning in every direction blown away by a voice. A single, sweet voice that spoke as if someone were standing right beside him. But there was no one, not a single person in sight. Sam glanced back and forth, his eyes wide. Maybe he'd finally lost his mind. Or maybe it was just one more bit of strangeness in a world gone so awry. Someone asking for help... a voice so strangely warm, almost soothing...
Then, his heart stopped. Even if it was just for a second, he felt it. The pink haired boy gasped, nearly toppling over from the sheer shock. Another blow to an already exhausted body. He straightened and clutched hard at his chest, trying to process what had just happened to him. Whatever it was, it had hurt. A pain worse than any he'd known, even from the wound left by what had once been a lovely girl's new fangs. He might have died then for all he knew, and he didn't even know for what.
Panic flooded him in a flash. It was going to happen again. That's what she'd said, 'twice'. No matter how warm that voice had been, for all he knew, it was the same. The people who'd locked him in the room, the ones who'd burned the school, bought everyone death without dying, turned the sky black - in that instant, he ran. Where to, he didn't know. Anywhere but there. He kept a feeble hold of the hoe as he went, clutching his aching shoulder with his free hand. How many times had sheer adrenilene kept him going the last few days? And when would it finally give out? When would the running ever stop?
He got his answer soon enough. It did; only when he came upon the very group of people part of him had tried so hard to flee from. People in strange clothes gathered together, others, normal, like him, one screaming about keeping focused on... something. Hadn't he dreamed about eating that boy once, so long ago? Wasn't he dead? Was that Remi there with them?
At a complete loss, confused and bewildered by the scene he'd stumbled upon, all Sam could do was stare. One more strange happening on top of everything else. The sky falling might have been easier to swallow.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 8:21 pm
It had been announced that the non-Zodiac pray, concentrating upon the Opal Crystal. Feeling as if this was the only thing she could do, the dark-haired quiet girl closed her eyes and concentrated. She had always been one of those children who was taught to close their eyes when they prayed.
Please, Opal Crystal she silently pleaded. I do not know what is going on, but please help out the Zodiacs and the Princess. Please, most importantly, help out my friends. I want to help my friends in whatever way I can, so please listen to my prayer.
Her prayer was sweet, sincere, and simple in a childish fashion. With that same childish hope fluttering over her heart, she had kept her eyes faithfully closed, concentrating as best as she was humanly able. She could feel her heart beating fast, and practically skipping a beat as she heard each call. The girl wanted to peek, maybe open a single eye to glance for a second to see what was going on, but she knew what she needed to do. It was the only thing she could do. So even as the darkness behind the lids of her eyes seemed to shift from black to strange distorted colors, she kept her eyes pinched shut.
She felt the tight squeeze at her hand, which was perhaps the only vague comfort she had received that any of her efforts had been worth a damn. She returned it back, but in a much softer version of the near strangle-hold Ignacio had on her hand. All she managed to say in response with her tiny, nearly invisible voice was "For my friends..."
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 9:24 pm
He should have asked for an explanation.
He really should have, because he had absolutely no idea what in the world was going on here, what everyone was trying to accomplish. Sue had, for some reason that Yahya couldn't wrap around his head, GROWN EARS. Cat ears. But that seemed to be the least strange thing that was happening (maybe because Yahya affiliated Sue with cats already). They were all gathered here for something, something momentous, powerful. Yahya just didn't know what.
All he knew what to do was... what he was told to. What was he supposed to pray for, the clouds to rain puppies and kittens? No, that wasn't it. He glanced anxiously around him, trying to find the explanation for everything that was going on. That, apparently, would have to come later. Yahya was falling behind in his duty to... pray. Bowing his head, he screwed his eyes shut, and decided to pray for the one thing he wanted the most, an end to all of this. He wanted the zombies to be gone, he wanted to be able to leave the school. He wanted everything to be okay, like it once had been. He wanted Piper and Zeke back, and all the other fallen comrades. Yahya wanted an end to it all, a conclusion, a HAPPY conclusion, and for that, he prayed.
It was the first exclamation from one of the students that distracted him, made him peek a single eye open to see what was going on. There were glowing lights, and they had changed. Each one of them was changing, and Sue was out like a light (but okay, so all was well). Was everyone going through this transformation...? Again, Yahya simply could not understand what was going on. The best way to deal with it was to shove the new information aside. They were changing for everyone's good, to help everyone, and that was all Yahya needed to know. He did not understand, but he didn't need to.
He closed his eyes again, and sucked in a soft, calming breath, focusing his thoughts and hopes on a happy ending for them all.
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Posted: Fri Dec 25, 2009 11:42 pm
Andeon was about to get his hand back. Andeon was about to get his groove back. He and Mackie, hand-in-hand, arm-in-arm, body-to-body -- their light glowed together with double the brightness (obviously) that had characterised the others' transformations. Hero was looking at them with the sternness that should not hypocritically be on the face of a woman who had sucked face with Jude Lawson.  God, both of them. Now Hero was turned to the boy next to her, hand-in-hand, her second-in-command. Next to the Captaincy. Topher Coral, who still looked befuddled over the entire ordeal; Topher Coral, who she would not have picked. But who was. Inevitably was, always would be. "Taurus."
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Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 12:09 am
Even from her hideout in the pantry, Joanne heard the call. Even though she had no idea where it came from, she was compelled to seek it out. To pray with all her might as she wandered through the empty halls of the wrecked school, searching for God only knew what. She wasn't very strictly religious, but she did go to church when she could, and she had some faith to fall back on. Maybe her faith was being rewarded, or tested. Either way, it was enough to spur her into motion.
Still, she was on the wrong side of the building, and so it took a couple of minutes before the flashes of light caught her eye. Even when they did, Joanne hesitated. Who knew what was out there? Was it some kind of trap? She had faith, but she didn't want to wander blindly into the belly of the beast. Literally.
She thought about it for several moments, weighing the risks with the rewards. If she stayed, she'd have to stay until someone found her. If they found her. If she went, maybe she would get out, maybe she would get eaten. The more she thought about it, the more Joanne realized that she was tired of running. She would never break free that way. She had to free herself, somehow. What better way to start?
Slowly- moving towards people was uncharted territory for Joanne- she walked across the lawn, towards the edge of the barrier. Before long, she found herself jogging, then running. She wanted so badly to get out of there, to see her father, to not be trapped anymore-
There were people. Lots of people. Some of whom were familiar, some of whom were not, and some of whom she wasn't sure were people at all. She watched in awe as one of them shouted something into the sky, and had to cover her eyes with her hands to keep out the blinding flash that followed. As the spots began to clear from her vision, she saw a person who hadn't been there before in place of the one who had.
Those people, that group holding hands, they were important. The way everyone else watched them made that obvious. One of them shouted, repeating the call she had heard back at the school. A call to prayer. If this wasn't a miracle, what was it?
Joanne stopped running, coming up next to an unfamiliar boy with pink hair, and sank to her knees from exhaustion. As she struggled to get her breathing under control, she clasped her hands together tightly and squeezed her eyes shut. 'Please, she prayed silently, 'please set me free. Set all of us free. Set them free.'
Whatever the circle was, whatever the power was, it wasn't for Joanne. But that didn't mean that she couldn't try to help, to pray for them. Suddenly making it out alive paled in comparison to helping them. Maybe, just maybe, she had finally found a way to help. Maybe this was the answer she'd been looking for the whole time.
And if not... Joanne's shoulders relaxed, and she smiled. If it wasn't the answer, at least she wasn't running anymore.
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Posted: Sat Dec 26, 2009 12:43 am
Still reeking of the dead body, Topher was trying his best not to be completely sick. He held his hands as far away from himself as possible and cringed when he actually had to hold hands with someone who hadn't been in direct contact with something so disgusting. He was going to whisper an apology but then there was pain. Horrific pain that couldn't be measured against anything he'd ever felt before. Blue eyes screwed shut as he tried to suppress a groan of agony and quell the sudden stress on his chest. And, just like that, the pain was gone and he could breath again.
As his eyes reopened, fluttering lightly to clear pain blurred vision, he knew all of this was necessary. The green haired girl had turned into quite an enchanting being. She was their princess. This being, this girl, was going to help them through this. However, the gravity of the moment shifted when the body in the middle of their circle stirred. Jude Lawson was alive again. This boy had died before the fire and he was actually moving again. Obviously, it wasn't something someone saw everyday. Topher didn't quite know how to react. In fact, the bewildered boy didn't know how to react to anything anymore. He wanted to cry, laugh, yell and curl up into a ball all at once and yet they were all fleeting feelings. It was almost as if his mind had been wiped blank of emotion and withdrawn from everything.
Though, there was nothing more satisfying than watching the team coming together in spectacular costumes that were created from nothing. One moment, all of his peers were standing there and, the next, they were completely different. In ascending order. All the way up to him, their second-in-command.
Second-in-command...
It didn't dawn on him until that moment as he looked around the circle that he was actually part of something bigger than him, the school and the crazy plot to kill them all. He honestly didn't think he could do it. Of course, this wasn't the first instance in that small span of time that he just wanted to run away. Dead bodies and magical transformations had been the last thing on his mind when he'd left with Hero and it was exactly what he was getting. The full force of it almost knocked the wind out of him, chest starting to heave and knees going a bit weak. Thankfully, the shudder that was trying to work through him was starting at his toes and easy to shake away before Hero was able to see. His fingers twitched around the little pen as he took it all in one last time. Whatever he turned into, he would have to face it full force and head on. There would be no hesitating after this. What was there to lose anyway?
Topher took a sharp intake of breath, holding the pen level with his eyes as if the symbol on the top was giving him the final encouragement to do it.
"Taurus Zodiac Power, Make-up!"
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