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 Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 8:13 pm
"Kazami Yuuka, mh....?" the demon seemed to think about it but decided to respond the questions." Ah I don't mind it one bit,' The woman grinned in her usual manner, comming to the flowers as Yuuka talked about how they should not exist.
"These?" Livid looked at her flowers,"They exist on the malevolent auras of people. It is simple to say they exist on the sins of others and their ill intentions. It is true they do not need sunlight or the like, the dark energies are enough to keep them alive and in full bloom."
"They do need much of it to suffice for the lack of nutrients, but they fare quite well around me~' She shamelessly chuckled.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 8:59 pm
"So they feed off ill intent and emotions... That explains the evil presence I felt earlier." Yuuka took one of the unnatural flowers, holding it closer to her gaze. "These flowers are an abomination..." A thought came across her mind to crush the flower, but instead, she merely replaced it into the arrangement. "...But I suppose even abominations have their place here in the Underground."
She turned to the 'shrine maiden', eying the girl up and down. "And what of you? Why is there a shrine here, so deep in the earth? I doubt one would amass many followers here, though not for a lack of cleanliness..." Yuuka couldn't help but note the neat and tidy look the shrine held, an oddity in and of itself.
Yuuka meet the girl's eyes with her steely gaze. "What is your name?" There was something unnatural about the girl herself, something that put Yuuka on edge. A strange familiarity, perverted by some...shadow, some dark force.
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Posted: Wed May 23, 2012 9:13 pm
" They may be, but, as you say, everything finds its place somewhere," the woman chuckled, her own sell tensing as Yuuka seemed to think about crushing the floer.
She simply looked sideways with a smirk as she felt Yuuka's eye her," Ah, I found the shrine here, I am unsure of how or why it is here. I simply stumbled upon it, back when its god was here." She said looking to the wall with the engravings.
"My name?" She tried to think of her real name, but gave up on it with a chuckkle," My real name has been forgotten, i am afraid. But as the few who have come around here call me, you may know me as Livid."
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 7:15 pm
"Well, Livid, what can you tell me about the being that used to inhabit this place? What happened to it? If you're the maiden of this shrine, then surely you must have communed with this 'God' at one point."
Yuuka turned her attention to the engravings on the wall Livid had looked at. The designs were foreign to Yuuka's knowledge, though admittedly, many things in the Underground still were to her. Even more concerning was the evil aura that flowed throughout the shrine, and became even stronger the closer she got to Livid. Was she the source of it all? Just what manner of entity used to inhabit these walls?
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 7:27 pm
"The deity was rather enigmatic." The maiden responded, looking to Yuuka,"I stumbled here, and she immidiately offered me an end to my suffering. It was obvious is was not a deity from above the ground, or a sort of celestial, but, Having nowhere else where to go..." She turned to the center to the shrine, looking as if she was seeing the scene that had repeated in her mind countless time,"I only hesitated a moment to shake her hand."
Livid chuckled,"She was a demon, but a very strong one, impaired by her emboidement in a corporal body. I agreed to watching over her shrine in exchange for shelter and a place to be at. She was more than happy to agree, saying that her price would be cheap. She extended her hand not clrarifying much, and I shook it."
"She took my humanity." Livid stared at the center of the room still, the boiling wrath in her almost surfacing, but the demonic maiden knew better. "Like I said, she was a lower enitity. She changed me to fit her likeings, and all I had to do was run errands and keep the place clean. Eventually, the denizens attempted to seal her, I failed to prevent this, and to this day I am unsure of where she has been kept."
"I know little of her, she would disappear and reappear to give me tasks. A very complaiant Master for being a demon with the fame of being merciless. I suppose she liked having a hopeless follower." She chuckled grimly, now jealous of her old master's freedom and cunning attitude."But that is as much as I know. I am not one hundred percent sure what kind of deity she was, but she was one that was feared enough to have been sealed."
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 8:17 pm
Yuuka listened to the shrine maiden's tale intently. She couldn't help but notice the intense change in atmosphere as Livid spoke, changing in its tone and depth to match the gambit of emotion in her voice. "You used to be a human?" Yuuka decided to test the woman's psyche by adding, "I couldn't tell."
The familiarity was nagging at her even worse. Yuuka had associated with very few humans in her long life, and even less in the last few decades. That left only a few people she could recall, but they would have been well over one hundred years old now, much longer than any human tended to live here in Gensokyo. However unlikely the scenario was, it was not impossible to conceive that 'Livid' may have been changed quite some time ago.
"You must have been in an immense amount of suffering to accept help from such a demonic Youkai, holed up deep inside the Underground of all places. Surely you must have had some better home to return to?"
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Posted: Thu May 24, 2012 8:30 pm
Livid only found pride in Yuuka's question, she smirked,"I have no desire to be assosiated with humans~"
"I have thought that maybe it wasn't that much suffering. That if I hadn't been foolish and young, maybe I would have known better than to sign a contract that would change my life the way it did," she crossed her arms thoughtfully, exposing the tatto like marks on her left arm. "now, If I recall correctly, I never quite had a home, nevertheless I had people I loved. They were all taken away from me."
Once more her wrath spiked. There was reason's she avoided talking about her past, it was the easiest way for her to lose any self restrain and politeness."We weren't beings that clung to material things," now she leaned on the small altar, her nails digging ever so sligthly into the wood, her face turned deadly serious with a look that could kill on its own. "When you live the way we did, when all you had was each other, the moment you tear that they tear the existance of us."
"That is what happened. Back then I was so bound to them, Losing my whole existance to pitiful humans,...It was more than I could bare." Livid continue to stare into the engraved wall with her look of poison, wrath and jealousy of at the happy humans above ground who knew not of how they had iilled her humanity and her chance at a normal life as a human girl.
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 5:38 pm
"You sound like someone who would take joy in the suffering of humans." Yuuka replied casually, walking around Livid with a purposeful stride. "You're certainly the type of being who belongs in the Underground, with all the other unwanted Youkai." She made note of the tattoos exposed on the woman's arm, detailing a certain dark past, or perhaps, a dark future.
This woman was dangerous. She commanded a power that even exceeded that of the Bridge Guardian, feeding off and manipulating the deepest, darkest emotions of all sentient beings. Even Yuuka herself could feel this needle, this taunting stab, poking and prodding at her own mind, trying to rouse whatever ill emotion it could. She didn't like it, and resisted the urge to indulge in such vulgar thought.
"No matter what tragedy one experiences in their lives, all it takes is a strong resolve, a certain..."spark" to forge onward. Someone showed that to me a long time ago." She turned to Livid, crossing her arms. "It's unfortunate what happened to your family that made you turn to live in this dark being's shadow. Humans are not known for their tolerance of things they do not understand..."
And then, realization. A long time ago, Yuuka had spoken the same words...to a girl not unlike Livid, to a girl who hid her pain behind a smile. Yuuka felt a pang of sorrow, now understanding the situation clearly.
"Where are my manners? I don't believe I've properly introduced myself. My name..." Yuuka brushed the dust from her skirt, taking its sides in her fingertips and performing a slight curtsey.
"...Is Yuuka Kazami, Youkai of Flowers."
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Posted: Sat May 26, 2012 6:41 pm
Livid only dug her nails into the wood a bit more noticably. While her bangs usually covered one eye, the way she leaned her head down covered most of her expression. Nevertheless, she forcefully cracked a cynical sneer that seemed half demented,"Ah, I can alway fit exactly what mortal's expect of me. It is easier to give them what they want, than to make them understad... Seeing them suffer must be quite pleasing, but it's not one of my hobbies, though I can't hide that the wrath they express in their last moments is quite,..ecstatic~"
She remained the way she had positioned herself, her sneer dieing down to a pressed frown as Yuuka continued to talk."Spark..? I think I need more than a spark to brighten the darkness that surrounds us."
Why was this woman so familiar, and if anything the way her words stabbed at her mind was more then enough to push her over her limit. Her memory was decadent after countless years going by, since she lost her deity, she had no reason to think of the passage of time. Always, she thought she would die and rot in the shrine where her time came, before being taken to hell to suffer for eternity for her sinful ways. But, the life she led as human, that was what had clung to her. Yet, it avoided her much when she tried to remember who she had bet and under which terms. Chances were she had bet the flower youkai as a human, and simply forgotten, albeit, if this was the case she would not be so bothered by it. She knew the woman was important and that if she weren't her mind would not be going over and over her name, as if trying to uncode it and extract its value.
"You had already introduced yourself," she whispered, before repeating it more loudly." YOU HAD ALREADY INTRODUCED YOURSELF!" She viciously turned and grab Yuuka by the shoulders, gripping the youkai with twice the strenght she had grabbed the altar,"You already told me you name!" She shook Yuuka as she continued to rant,"What's with your name?! What does it mean,mh?! I don't care what you are called! I want to know WHO you are and why your name BOTHERS ME SO MUCH!" Her wings had subconciously spread out from under the cape as she had begun to make senseless demands, the red wings in contrast with the darkness in the shrine.
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 8:40 pm
Yuuka's casual expression remained unchanged, even when pulled into Livid's incredibly strong grasp. The aura of anger created an extremely intense pressure wave, strong enough to possibly cause physical harm to a lesser being. She gazed upon Livid's sudden wingspan, the demonic wings like a beacon of darkness, a testament to her demonic possession. Yuuka placed a hand on Livid's, gripping it slightly. "I told you who I am. I am Yuuka Kazami...Youkai of Flowers." Her own grip intensified, prying Livid's hand off her shoulder. "You promised you would never forget."
She released Livid's hand, and after a pause, thrust her hand forward, shoving Livid off of her in a burst of kinetic energy. "You should have heeded my advice..."
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Posted: Sun May 27, 2012 8:59 pm
Yuuka took grip of her hand, pulling it away. Livid was surprised for a split moment, this woman was strong too. Stronger than those that had clashed with her in prior decades.
"Never forget-?" She allowed herself to be pryed away, realising she had pretty much just attacked her guest. She seemed hardly abashed by the kinetic force, simply making a small tak noise as she landed a bit away, her wings already tucked away. Though she still boiled, she was far too curious about this. NOw that her search spectrum had been reduced to those who had actually given her advice, Livid simply looked thoughtful. "Mh, advice...." She tilted her head thoughtfully, resting her chin on her left hand. The demon went from zero to nothing quite quickly, but it seemed this also worked for calming down.
She then blinked,"Oh-" Now she remembered, in fact most of the whole meeting with Yuuka. The shrine maiden cracked a grin, snapping her fingers,"So that is who you are!" the demon laughed, at her own idiocy,"Yes, yes, that is who..."
"I guess the time line to following your words never quite worked out," She sobered, lowering her hand back under the coverage of her cloak. "Even if I had done any of what you said, it would have made no difference."
"Is it because you think your words carry some sort of power, eh~?" She grined once more,"YOu can't save them all, dear, even if you try to help, sometimes you mess up more, you know~?" Livid knew nothing of Yuuka, but from her prior words, it seemed as if she had already helped someon else.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 9:36 pm
"I don't help anyone. What beings do with their lives is of no concern to me." Yuuka brushed the fabric of her sleeve free from creases caused by Livid's fingers. "But there is always a choice. You chose to walk down this path, to allow yourself be enslaved to a dark god. You can't blame humanity for your own failures."
She took a few steps closer to Livid, her piercing stare unwavering. "What have you become, Katrina? Was power and shelter worth the price?" It felt like not a day had passed since Yuuka lead the young gypsy down the busy market streets; indeed, a hundred years had passed quickly for the already aged Gardener. She stepped even closer, not breaking her cold gaze. "Was it worth losing what little remained of your heritage? By renouncing your humanity, you gave up any chance you would ever have at rebuilding your family. The death of your clan is ultimately your fault; the blood is on your hands."
Yuuka turned her head to the engravings that emblazoned the walls. "The god here gave you an easy way out. You accepted this burden. You deserve the fate you chose." Her words were cold and unforgiving. Whatever sympathy she once held for Katrina was now seemingly replaced with contempt for what Livid became.
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Posted: Mon May 28, 2012 10:11 pm
"Technically my part of the deal is done, she was sealed. And whether there was choice or not, there was none in my mind." Livid said rubbing at one wrist absently, her own gaze dead in Yuuka's. "A long time has passed, even if this body allowed me remorse, having it would be pointless."
When Yuuka uttered her name she flinched, feeling her throat go dry and her stomach pit. She had not had this feeling in ages, the sudden sense of emptiness. By doing this, Yuuka inabilitated any sort of denial and defense the demon possesed. Katrina was definatly shaking under all that was Livid, only sligthly concealead by the heavy cloak and by her hair as she looked down and away. She had not encountered someone who knew who she was before the deep engravings of her arm.
"How do you rebuild a family when you are only one...?" she whimpered, completly weathered down by Yuuka's attack, and still looking away."I never came looking for power, I never asked for this... She felt arm when she embraced me. That was all I wanted. Someone to understand me. Someone who didn't throw things at me and yell curses at me."
One of her wings stretched from below, hardly above the ground as it moved,"It hurt, you know? This. I never thought she would do something to hurt me. But, she was happy, and I let it go. It wasn't until my thoughts begun to spin vulgar things that did not belong in a girl's mind that I realized my change had been more than physical. By then, of course, it was too late."
"Not ripping these wings of. Not clawing this marks off my skin. Not a thing I can do. Do you think I liked the fact I became what my people feared?! A cursed demon?!" She turned back to Yuuka,her eyes treathening to leak as pulled out her hands from below her cloak to signal to the shrine,"I may have taken this path, but it was far too dark for me to see it fully! Don't blame my people's death on me. My hands have blood, yes, but not theirs! I wish I could remember them, because if I did, I would have a purpose to live!" Her voice had grown loud, and it seemed as if her eyes threatened to weep, something she had not lived since her transformation."I just live because the sins I carry won't let me die! I have wished I was dead countless of times, but if I am threatened I fight back . I have no concious say on the matter! So don't go telling me i deserve this. Even the worst of youkai deserve death at the very least, don't they?!"
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 5:51 pm
"You traveled to Former Hell, and believed the Youkai here wouldn't hurt you? You really are a hopeless case. I doubt even the estranged Mistress who lives in the mansion nearby would accept a Human unto her fold. All this dark god did was help you become what you truly are: A blight upon humanity. This cosmetic change suits you well."
With that, Yuuka watched quietly as Livid screamed in protest to her situation, to her fate. In truth, seeing the pained girl hurt Yuuka as well, but she knew there was no turning back for the former Gypsy; whatever hex the demon placed upon the girl, magnified by the time she existed in this form, appeared much too powerful to ever hope to reverse.
"You dare speak of death, having already confessed to staining your own hands with blood? You want to run from responsibility once again? Don't you have any backbone?!" Yuuka took a dangerous step towards Livid, a dark intent in her eyes. "First you seek escape from humanly loneliness. Now you can't stand the abomination you've become, and seek death as an out? You disgust me." Another step closer, Yuuka's face was a mixture of annoyed bemusement and remorse. "But if it's a coward's death you seek, then allow me to erase your cursed existence from this world."
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Posted: Tue May 29, 2012 6:21 pm
The flare from Katrina died down once more, her wing tucking back once more. Her emotions back in check, she heard as Yuuka named Satori and her mansion, not that Livid hadn't seen it on her way to and from the shrine while her deity had lived here. "You would call me a rot on plants. All you have are flowers isn't it?" She reached to unbuckle the cloak, and let it drop as the gardener mentioned her physical changes,and moving the hair out of her eyes to reveal the continuity of the marks under her right eye,"Maybe it fits me well."
"Didn't you hear me?" She grins, boiling once more, as if she had been challenged by Yuuka,"I won't let you take me to the Yama's court. Call it being a coward or what you will, you can't blame me. Greed doesn't let me be happy with anything, and wrath only angers me about it, while jealousy feeds that fire. Its a vicious cycle quite literally, I won't let you just kill me. I am a blight in humanity, then I won't leave my host quite that simply. If you came to my shrine to judge me, you damn well deserve a yama's hat. The blood that stains my hands is quite nice, as you should know, I am sure you did your fair share of killing. So don't give me this s**t." Her grin turned even grimmer, as she held out a hand,"If you are really that into correcting my existance, I suggest you come with back up. I won't give you an easy time."
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