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 Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:38 am
Jericho held onto her firmly, not wanting to let go right now.
"You aren't useless... You need to stand! Strength comes in many ways and I'm sure if I were an Illithid I'd be considered a complete failure and would have been dead long ago!" he hissed through gritted teeth. It wasn't easy to focus with the waves of emotion emitting from her all at once.
"You say I'm strong yet you worry you'll lose me. That won't happen. Don't underestimate any of the others either. I believe you have what it takes to take your duty and your feelings and find a medium! The Riley I know would stand back up in the face of all of this.."
There was a pause and his voice seemed to waver some with his next words, "But... is this.. what you truly want?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 1:57 am
Riley held herself at enough distance to glare up at him, trying to force his words out of her mind, and out of her heart. She cut herself off from him, leaving her own mind the only one to suffer. It isn't about underestimating you. The only true strength comes from victory. There is no medium. No room for emotions on the field of battle.
She heard her own words, and they sounded so right. They sounded like those comforting words that had been drilled into her mind since the moment she could first stand, and they had put her in that pit. It was only the fear that crept back into her heart that felt wrong.
What did she want? What did SHE want?
She wanted Malodore.
Her angered expression crumbled sadly once more. In a moment of vulnerability, her jarring thoughts were left unbidden and open. Self-centered. That's what Malodore thought of me. It thinks I'm self-centered, and it's right. Because that's how it's supposed to be. It was right, but.. but.. I don't want to FEEL this pain that it's one, errant thought has the power to cause. I don't WANT to be affected by such a simple truth. So what if I am self-centered? It was only right to be. It shouldn't HURT this much, right now, to know that's how it really feels.
She slumped back into Jericho's embrace, and failed to stand of her own accord.
Can't I please just forget. Please. She whispered. I'll be better tomorrow.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 9:34 am
"If that's the case, Riley... then I am useless to you. I've lost fights to fellow students and there was no victory for me on the island," he said almost coldly as he looked at her glaring eyes. His expression softened as she faltered once again and finally explained the cause of all this turmoil.
As she slumped down, Jericho continued to hold her up, not wanting to let her drop to the ground.
"Love is a battlefield... as some say, as well as what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger. What you feel is normal.. for most of us at least. Maybe not to a mindflayer," the dragon said softly, "With having people close, there will be times of pain and times of laughter. Do you really want to forget the good times too? Just.. simply cutting everything off because you don't want to face the pain seems like you're trying to run away.. retreat."
There was a long pause before he spoke again.
"I... I don't want to lose you. I don't want to give up any piece of you... not the leader... not the friend.."
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:19 pm
You are far from useless. And I won't forget the good times. I won't forget anything. She thought it all made sense, why was it so hard to understand?
Only, Jericho seemed to understand better than she wanted to admit. Running away, retreating - that's exactly what this was, wasn't it?
In his words, he heard the echo of another, a faint memory of a better time. Arrestare l'esecuzione da me ogni volta che inciampo in una ferita. It was her way, wasn't it? The easiest path was the one back to safety, to retreat and regroup, only to surge forward when the time was right. Attack and retreat, attack and retreat.
No. Not normal to a mindflayer. She repeated his words. We do not let people get close. And when we do.. this is what we do.
Her eyes tilted up to look at him. It won't be my first mind-wipe, you know. She whispered quietly. Most of us receive our first one after our first kill. It helps with the trauma. My father received seven mind-wipes in his lifetime. It's quite common for us. The last one was when my mother was .. when she died. If he hadn't received it, he would have killed me. There was something quietly burning behind her eyes, a sense of guilt and loathing. It really is for the best, sometimes.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 4:41 pm
"It still wouldn't be the same, Riley..."
With a sigh, he had to wonder why Malodore had to say what it did to cause her to be like this. That was a thought to save for later as he really needed to deal with the Mindflayer and her current state right now.
"Maybe sometimes it is... but I don't think this is one of those times," he said quietly while staring into her eyes. There was a sense of guilt in them. He remembered her uttering something quietly months back in her sleep, 'I'm sorry mother...' and he couldn't help but feel this was somehow related. Now wasn't the time to pry into that, just as it wasn't the time to get angry.
"You aren't about to kill any of us.. as far as I know. Even if you were, I'd stop you."
Just as he had stopped her from going after Calder several times before. And as he helped stop her from going berserk on everyone at the lighthouse.
"I know you can pull through this. You don't need to retreat every time you get a bruise or cut... the Riley I know wouldn't let that deter her. She's one I can rely on, not only as the fiercesome leader she's meant to be but as the pillar and friend that she can be.. Don't break that treasure in half, please."
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:03 pm
Only certain things caught her attention in Jericho's words. They were all touching, but they faded away in place of a thought that sparked in her mind the moment he said those words.
"I'd stop you."
Defiant.
Riley's guilt melted and her eyes were suddenly burning with a familiar light. She even looked like she would be smiling. You see? This is why I knew you were perfect to stand by my side. Well done, Jericho. If you are so adamant in your stance, then you should fight for what you believe in. She reached up and hugged him gently. If you really think I'm making the wrong decision, there's only one real way to convince me that I am mistaken.
The hug slipped away, and she pulled herself out of his arms, standing on her own two feet once more. All her strength had returned, if only because he'd called out to a natural instinct within her.
Then she crouched ferally, hands curling into claws. If you win, I won't receive a mind-wipe. If I win, you will wake up tomorrow and it will already have been done.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:13 pm
For a moment, Jericho thought he had won, but it soon became clear that his victory wasn't quite there yet. His grip loosened as she pulled away and he took a few steps back as he saw her crouch down in a more battle-like position. There was that fierce spark in her eyes that he admired as well. Never would he thought he'd have to fight her, but he couldn't back down. Not with his friend more or less on the line. "I don't want to have to hurt you. But if this is the only way...," he said while letting his voice trail off. The dragon glanced around the room briefly before grabbing onto his skull pin and tossing it aside. He felt he would be better suited in his natural form, and with the stakes, he was going to use every advantage he could get. It felt natural to be defending his treasure in his own lair like this anyway. Limited room or not. Once he was fully transformed, he crouched down and bore his fangs. "... Then bring it." (( Fusion dragon - battle music))
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:24 pm
Riley's crouch straightened as she watched her friend grow, and when he stood there in his natural form, she put her hand on one hip and gave him a critical glare.
Well, s**t. I should have thought of that one. And here I am, little ol' Riley, with no big bad natural form to counter with. Ah, well.
She plucked her skull pin off, and flicked it at him. The fingers that flicked it crackled as they lengthened to vicious claws, and she rolled her neck even as her tentacles moved from the front to her face. Her physical form only grew a few inches, nothing impressive at all, but the slight bulge of muscle that strained under her skin was deceptive in it's subtlety. It didn't look like much.
When her body relaxed from the strain of stretching and popping into a feral monster, she blinked up at her best friend with an expression that could almost be considered puppy dog eyes, if it weren't coming from something so vicious.
"Just, try not to turn me to ash. I'd hate to have to explain that one to Malodore, if I were you." The slippery voice was scratchy from lack of use, and hissed slightly.
Then, the faux softness in her eyes was gone, and a snarl leapt from her mouth. She dropped down on all fours, before sliding underneath Jericho and grabbing hold of his underbelly with her claws. She climbed around his body, clamped her legs down once she reached his back, and wrapped her arms around his neck. A familiar stance, to say the least - the only difference was that she did not normally squeeze hard enough to constrict him from breathing.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:31 pm
Jericho watched as Riley tossed off her pin as well and as she shifted before his eyes. He knew the other form was not her true one, and he never thought he'd see her natural state in this sort of circumstance. Well, at least now he knew what an Illithid looked like most of the time. What was more jarring was hearing her voice... through his ears. While it made sense seeing how she had a mouth again, it was just strange.
"And try not to eat my brains out either," he retorted with a draconic smirk.
Before he really knew it, she had gone and mounted him with incredible swiftness. With the tight quarters and his larger size, he had lost a fair bit of maneuverability, but he wasn't about to let that slow him down too much.
Letting out a hiss as he felt the mindflayer constrict his throat to cut off his air supply, he reached around with one large claw to try and grab a hold of her, aiming to get a fairly firm grip around her body. He wasn't sure if he could reach her, but he had alternatives to this problem should that be the case.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:37 pm
Riley leaned her head down so it was closer to Jericho's, and her tentacles slid across his skull. "Mmmm, but they smell so good, I don't know if I can help myssself." She let out a snort of a laugh, that cut off into a choke as a claw came swiping at her. She felt his arm trying to clamp down against her. She bent out of the way, judging just how far he could stretch his arm and keeping out of his distance. Her chokehold tightened further - the quicker this was over, the better.
"That'sss not going to work, Jericho. Just take a nice nap and I'll see you in the morning."
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:39 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:47 pm
Oh, good, he was giving-
Squish.
All of the air left Riley in a whoosh as she was pinned quite uncomfortably underneath the dragon. Her upper body had slight maneuverability as it was only pressed against his neck, but her legs were completely pinned immobile under the thick of his body. Her arms let go of his neck for a split second, when her head hit the floor with a solid thud. Her vision went white as it hit, but she shook out of the haze and regained her senses quick enough. Her arms returned to their tight embrace around his neck.
"Stop this, Jericho. You know how this will end. Give up now, won't you?"
She knew better than to think, for one second, he would take that out. Perhaps it was just a taunt, to make him act rashly and force a mistake. Or, perhaps she was just being polite.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 5:52 pm
She had quite a good grip to be able to stick on after that. Snarling while remaining on his back, he rocked back and forth a bit before bringing his claws up to try and pry her smaller arms away from his throat.
<WILL. NOT. GIVE UP!>>
While he continued to pry away at her arms, he left his head and neck up before attempting to slam her back down into the ground.
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:00 pm
Riley didn't want to choke her best friend into unconsciousness, right now. Not when he said beautiful things like that. She didn't let go, but at the same time it was difficult to tighten her grip when she felt the surge of pride fill her up and make her shiver. Jericho was glorious. One day, he would fight this hard at her side, and they would be unstoppa-
Distraction, it seemed, was the only key to making Riley lose a fight. Her head cracked against the floor a second time as he slammed her down into it, and her eyes rolled back behind her head as she threatened to black out. She would have been out the first time, if her skull wasn't so thick. It was her only saving grace at the moment, as she struggled sluggishly to keep her arms away from the reach of his claws. Her embrace tightened higher on his neck, just under the head itself, and her legs wrapped around to kick his arms away.
"I know you won't." She whispered proudly, resting her head against his even as she continued to block his air flow. "And neither will I."
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Posted: Fri Apr 29, 2011 6:06 pm
A strangled sort of noise escaped Jericho as Riley continued to choke him out. He didn't know how much longer he could last. It was already getting harder to think. His vision was starting to grow dim. But he couldn't stop here. While he had managed to loosen her grip briefly, she soon became out of his reach... would she soon be just that in another way?
<>
Lifting his head up, he went on and slammed back down.. .twice. The impact made his own head dizzy as he was now forced to bash it into the ground alongside Riley due to her new position.
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