If ever someone had incredible timing, it was the wishing star that landed before them this evening. Sailor Cosmos' appearance was both a blessing and a signal. It had come time to end this...
No, she was mistaken. It was not time for an end. It was time for a new beginning.
Phact could only pray that the presence of all five senshi of them would keep the General at bay.
"When this is over, he will make his own choice and your threats will not influence him!" Phact spoke, eyes landing on the general before shifting to glance at Cosmos. They were ready. Taking a deep breath, the senshi of doves closed her eyes.
One by one, each member of her court placed a hand on her. One by one she felt their power flow through her and into the wand she held in her hand. Drawing the item close, Phact held it upright against her chest. Her own mouth open and she slowly began to channel that power. The strength, courage and passion from her friends. Her own desire to protect. Everything was taken into her before she extended the wand outward and opened her eyes just as that energy flickered to life in their wand. Like before it was a slow glow that became stronger with each of their four heart beats. A part of each of them...their hope.
"Bazzite." Phact said his name softly, glancing towards the being and giving him a slow, reassuring nod.
It was time.
Lucifer Force
Sleet Tempest Snape
Torvil
SerpentSong
Ryuthulhu
The Space Cauldron
Posted: Sun Aug 27, 2017 8:59 pm
Cosmos’ eyes scanned the girls; she watched as they poured their energy into saving this youma. It was impossible for her to doubt that there was good in the world when there were those willing to sacrifice, to give, to help others.
Even youma.
Her eyes lingered on the General spewing threats. She did not offer her name to him, and she did not forgive him.
A life of hatred and anger was all the Negaverse could provide, and if this youma wanted to see the sun, she’d see to it that he greeted the dawn.
Light would always overcome the darkness.
A glow emitted from her, from the Court, and it spread to Bazzite and washed over him.
Purification always hurt, but stripping the Chaos out of your blood, your bones, your heart, was always painful. It was worth it, Cosmos deemed.
Perhaps, if the General did not seem so keen on pursuing the suffering of the Court and this youma, she would have sympathized with the pain he was about to feel.
Losing a bonded youma was a painful experience that even the strongest General couldn’t stomach. The permanent loss came with the sensation of flames on skin, eating away through flesh and bone. It wasn’t unlike someone reaching into your chest, gripping your starseed and squeezing. There would be no more fighting after Bazzite’s purification; the General would be lucky if he managed to even stay standing. Pain, nausea, fatigue—the stronger their bond, the stronger the fallout. The relationship between a Negaverse Agent and their youma was extreme, and the moment Bazzite was stripped from the Darkness, Benitoite would feel it.
The Court wouldn’t have to hurt him, tonight.
He’d done it to himself.
Sirene Naiads
Lucifer Force
Sleet Tempest Snape
Torvil
SerpentSong
Ryuthulhu
The Space Cauldron
Captain
Offline
Lucifer Force
Sparkling Senshi
Offline
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 12:35 pm
Sirene Naiads
The Space Cauldron
Sleet Tempest Snape
Torvil
SerpentSong
Ryuthulhu
He was blinded, a lion submitting to lambs. Instinctively the creature shielded his face with his outstretched hands, wholly unprepared for the depths of blistering pain shooting there every particle of his being. Suffocating, searing light took the very breath from his lungs. Bazzite would not, could not utter a single sound save for one last sharp, metallic gasp as the Court’s power consumed him.
His unfeeling carapace seemed to melt like white-hot lava over what fleshy, vulnerable body replaced it. The pain was excruciating, darkness being forced out from his soul and replaced with light that seemed hostile at first… but the agony, though deeper and more intense than anything he’d felt before - was deserved. Bazzite knew he deserved this incredible torture, the very first uncertain step of a very long journey of atonement. His consciousness, enveloped by the incredible power of the Council and Cosmos, wept at this salvation. He could feel his body rapidly changing, though he couldn’t yet see it through the brilliance of this blessing.
The silhouette that so characterized his insectoid form slowly began to melt and reform, shrinking in size and shape. No longer would he stand so tall and so sharply, no longer would he possess wings incapable of flight. No longer would his hands taper into sharp claws meant only for rending of flesh and bone. His nerves would no longer be dampened by the hardened and dry outer shell, unable to fully feel even the most tender of touches.
Light fading from his form, the man whose figure replaced that of the locust beast tilted his head to the sky. There was a slight breeze, cold to his pale skin, and he shivered reflexively…
...cold…?
He could not feel cold before… could he? It used to be only a vague sensation, a tingling in the back of his mind. His body had behaved as though it were wrapped in heavy plastic, but now… Now he shivered and the simple feeling was nothing short of exhilarating.
Rapturously did he open his eyes to the twinkling blanket of stars above, now fading slowly with the coming of the sun. Drawing deep his very first breath, tears of cherished joy fell from now-human blue eyes. The air was crisp and cold and his flesh shivered in delight, arms wrapping around himself to feel an unfamiliar softness of flesh and fabric.
Quivering and overwhelmed, the young man dropped his gaze from the heavens to the Court before him. Locking eyes with each of them, he could not seem to form the right words with enough gravity to explain the debt he would lovingly and forever hold for them. Sabine, for believing him, Phact for her steadfastness, Kasta for her calm, ‘Trix for her willingness to defend him. Cosmos, for protecting all of them.
His new legs could no longer support him and, knees buckling, the Cosmos Knight dropped to the ground. Bone and flesh were tender things but the pain was inconvenient at best - nothing compared to the blistering white light of celestial rebirth. Despite the pain, tears still fell and a genuine smile stretched across his features.
“....t-thank… thank you…”
((Hopefully this works! Mobile sucks sometimes...))
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 4:21 pm
"Neither of us was a slave." The General hissed, his voice cold and harsh. "You speak as if you know me and what I did and did not do - as if you understand those you never met. How presumptuous of you. Bazzite was never a slave in this relationship, nor was I." Laughing he shook his head, his one free hand finding it's way into the pocket of his coat. "Really? You believe everything you see and hear....how childish....between the two things you are severely misinformed and lacking - not a surprise. You are blind to everything aside from what you wish to see - what you assume. Tunnel vision if you will." Tilting his head to the side he managed something of a sympathetic look, like one might expect from a parent or someone who felt pity for the person they were dealing with.
She had no clue how much of a mistake it had been turning Bazzite into a youma, no clue how much guilt and remorse he'd felt! The punishment he'd received had been little compared to the punishment he's set forth for himself, for the nights crying, pacing around his house while daus had been spent curled up into his couch in much the same emotional state as he'd been in the night before. How long he had gone without visiting Bazzite because he couldn't deal with what he'd done. He had kept the other safe, wouldn't let him get involved in fights- wouldn't summon him or order him around. This senshi had no clue! Yet assumed it all. That angered him, it was an attack on his morals - on who he was as a person.
Tonight he might not get to this senshi...but he wanted her above the others in this little group....her words hurt more than almost any physical attack he'd ever received.
Some part of his mind, something in the background right now, really hoped Bazzite didn't go and tell them anything about him - about who he really was and could be. It seemed Bazzite hadn't said anything during whatever past encounter, maybe encounters, they'd had...so then it was safe till now. How long though? How long till bazzite betray him further....drove the knife into his back deeper and twisted it? Hand clenching inside his pocket, knuckles white under his gloves, he almost felt himself shaking where he stood.
He knew he was bonded to the other, he had known since the moment he had felt the other starseed shatter in his hand...when the screams pierced his ears. He had felt the bond form. Something wholly unwanted and yet it had been there. Weak and feeble at first but it had grown stronger over time, as much as he didn't want the bond, it was a reminder of what he'd done - his mistake...his weakness. Now that bond, as unwanted as it had once been, was about to come back around and take his legs out from under him - literally and not.
He had a feeling of what was going to happen. There was no way that the power they were generating and about to use would reveal to him Bazzite his Captain, or even a General like himself. No...it was going to make a knight. The bond was going to break no matter what but he knew they were going to create potentially a new enemy and one who might go back on his word, might hate him for what he'd done to him...might take advantage of the weakness he knew was going to over take him. Breaking a bond was not something which would be simple, he wasn't stupid enough to think that. No...this was a bond and it was strong and it was going to hurt, emotionally and perhaps physically. He knew this and he knew he was going to be in a vulnerable state...he didn't trust these senshi one bit....and Bazzite had put him in this spot! He was serving him up to them on a platter!
If Bazzite didn't finish him they could just as easily, it was as if Bazzite was doing it anyway - right?
The General had felt pain, that was how he had gained power and continued to accumulate power, and this was similar but different. The intensity and the pain - he knew it like a very old...and very much disliked friend. A visitor you didn't ever want to see again but instinctively knew you'd see again. It was a friend, a guest, that he thought would never come back as he was a General. He didn't presume he would ever climb high in rank and so would never deal with it again. Yet here the pain slammed into him and brought him to his knees. The scream which tore from his throat was silent and his body was tense as his hands supported his weight while he shook. Joints locked in place in order to save him from face planting, he would not do that. He still had his pride, at least some of it. The pain was searing, like fire, it was painful and the bond - the bond...he could feel it stretching and tearing before it broke. He couldn't feel the other, couldn't call to him.
His stomach knotted and twisted, churned, and it was all he could do to take in gulps of air in an attempt to settle his stomach before he made a mess of things. He hadn't had much to eat, at least not in several hours, so perhaps that was a plus? Maybe not...he wasn't really able to ponder that. All he knew was it was a struggle to keep whatever was in his stomach - in his stomach. The pain though....that was enough to keep him on the ground, keep him from getting up, his eyes on the rooftop under him as he waited for someone to attack him, he didn't trust those senshi and whatever words they had given - they were senshi. There word meant nothing to him, just words spoken with nothing backing them.
Slowly, as he was able to gain some thought amongst all the pain, he lifted his head. Forced himself to lift his head and look towards the group - towards the new power source. He knew it...a knight.
The tears in his eyes were from the pain, at least he would tell everyone that - tell himself that. It wasn't because Bazzite had left him...had betray him and become a knight as well. It wasn't for any other reason than the pain that ripped through him and removed every trace of their bond and left a large hole in it's wake.
Lucifer Force
Sleet Tempest Snape
Noble Vampire
Offline
Lucifer Force
Sparkling Senshi
Offline
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 5:43 pm
Sleet Tempest Snape
Exit for Beni time. sad
His legs were human now, but too weak to support him. Even so, the now-human knight could hear his once-General behind him, and knew the pain the blonde must've felt. Staggering simply to turn around, an older face greeted Benitoite - someone aged, someone no longer seventeen. He was an adult now.
Even so, tears cascaded down his pale face and while he could no longer see Benitoite through the haze and the tears, he could feel the General standing there. He was no longer part of the Negaverse, and so his General's energy signature felt foreign, sickly... corrupted. The thought made him shiver and grab his chest, feeling a pounding heartbeat there.
He had a beating heart, now.
Turning briefly to the Court and to Cosmos, the knight knew Benitoite was in grave danger in this state. He repeated his plea. "P-please... please don't... don't hurt him... let him l-leave... he's... he's h-hurt, too..."
Benitoite was powerful, that much he could distinctly remember. "Beni," he cried, voice wavering with the thick and heavy emotion he'd never felt in all those years. The pain in his chest coupled with guilt and shame, knowing he no longer belonged to the blonde. While he did not know he would manifest again as a Knight instead of a simple human, he thought perhaps Benitoite would blame him for all of this. "Beni, p-please... I-I know... this is... this isn't... what you w-wanted, but... y-you mean... so much to me... I won't f-forget how... you took care of me, in the cold dark... I w-won't forget that... I promise... I promise..."
The Knight couldn't take much more, and broke down into gulping sobs, hiding his human face in shame. Would the Court take him in? He had no family now, without the blonde. Would he be worthy to continue to live, or would the Court put him down right there? Would Benitoite ever come to look at him without searing hatred in his eyes?
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 6:02 pm
From where he was on hands and knees, drawing in slow deep breaths the downed General heard the pleas and for a moment laughed was choked out past his lips. Words didn't pass his lips, not at first, it was too hard for him to manage that. The silent screams which had torn and clawed their way up his throat, where they failed to be vocalized, had left his throat raw and painful.
His slate hued eyes settled onto the one pleading for his life...how amusing. He had brought him here and now was pleading for them not to do what? Kill him, beat him....make him one of them? He was at their mercy and it was the other's fault. How pathetic. This wasn't the person he'd once known - this person was weak.
For a moment, for a single solitary moment, the others words almost brought forth some sort of emotions...something the other would have been familiar with but not those around them. No,this was far from what he wanted and he didn't want the other to forget him, maybe it was how long they'd spent together or just how much they had impacted each others lives. But that thought, those words, were quickly dealt with as he forced himself onto his feet.
Staggering the General brought his feet under himself, for a moment he did wonder when he had dismissed his weapon, but with his feet under him he stood there still shaking and still in pain. Everything sort of did a tilt and spin as he'd climbed up onto his feet but now he was on his feet and he stood as strong as he could given the circumstances.
"You'd best forget that...all of it........you betray me and became one of them." His words were broken, his voice raw from how sore it was, but there was a harsh truth to it. This was over, for now anyway.
"Think of me like they do - a monster. It'll help with forgetting me." Forgetting that he was human, that he cared...that he was anything but the enemy.
As another wave of pain slammed into him, this time coupled with the emotional pain he was dealing with, the General did what he was good at - he teleported. He needed to get someplace safe while he was still able to escape, before these senshi showed their true colors and converged on him.
He needed to get close to home....so he could power down and then....then what? He was sure he couldn't make it home. But he would - he had to.
The moment it was done, Sabine removed her hand from Phact's shoulder. Turning to face the General that had been wracked and weakened by their actions to purify Bazzite. But, before she could open her mouth to fire off a retort - to declare her challenge to the General, Bazzite... Well no - not Bazzite anymore she supposed - spoke to the General, and pleaded with them once more to let him go.
Then the General was gone - back to whatever dank hole he chose to hide in.
She was drained as well - they all would be, she knew. This took a lot out of all of them, and had it not been for how weakened the General had been, they wouldn't have been fit for a continued fight. No, they would just have to be happy with their victory - they had taken from the Negaverse this day - and they should rejoice in that.
Still, she silently swore - that she would kill Benitoite should their paths ever cross again. She would make deathly sure of that - if she had to choke his life out of him with her own hands. The rage - forcibly suppressed - began to swell again, and she tried her best to stamp it down again, to not give into the anger and hatred and become that which they hunted.
But those who hunt monsters become them - and you either die the hero, or live long enough to become the villain.
Words rang in her head, she wanted to drown them out, to press her head to the rough roof and will them away - but they didn't have the time. It wasn't safe. They couldn't afford for her to break down or snap here. She had to hold it together. She brought her hands up and slapped her cheeks a few times to bring herself back into the now, then turned, and moved over to the sobbing knight.
He was bigger than her, and it was - strange - seeing a grown man sob like a lost child. But she knelt down, and took him into her arms, and brought his head to her chest, brushing his hair as she had Nathaniel's when he had been far younger than he was now. Granted, she had been far younger than too, and far less damaged than she was now - without the scars that marred her within and without.
"Shhhh," She said softly. "It's going to be okay," She said, keeping her voice low. "You're human now, I bet that feels way better, huh?" She said, stroking gloved fingers through platinum hair.
"But we need to get moving, it's still not safe here," She said, a bit firmer now. "We need you to pull it together, and we need you up and on your feet, we need to move." She added, her voice urgent, but gentle.
"Can you do that? Can you move?" She asked, voice soft, like she was speaking to a child.
She looked up at the others, looking to each of them in turn. "We need a place for him to stay..."
Lucifer Force
There, there...
Sirene Naiads
Yo, we need a place for this dude to sleep.
serpentsong
Any suggestions?
Ryuthluhu
Bueller?
Posted: Mon Aug 28, 2017 9:28 pm
she had stood in silence as their power had washed over Bazzite. She had listened and watched the exchange between him and the general. but Kastra could not just sit idly by as the newly made knight fell to his knees.
She was there as fast as Sabine, her hand going to the knight's shoulder, folding firm and letting him know she was there.
She was fatigued, the wear showing on her face even know, but she would not let this man feel like he was alone. To start a new life from the beginning was hard enough, but to do so without friends would be all the harder.
"Even if we move slowly, it is better than staying in one place...Your General will not attack us this night, but that does not mean that other will not come for you."
Her eyes turned to the others she knew they had to get moving. "Phact, do you have an idea of where we can hide him until he gets his bearings? I can only imagine he does not have a home here, not if he was lost to the rift.."
Imperatrix, no particular stranger to the excuses abusers made when they explained, with tears in their eyes, how every wrong they had done was the fault of their victim, or someone else -but not them, never them- and -why could you not see how wronged they were in all this-' rolled her eyes, raised one hand and made a somewhat universal gesture with her hand that implied a lot of talking going on, without saying much. It was better, she figured, than doing what she wanted to do, which was breaking ranks and starting to hit the ******** when he was down. She'd promised. She wasn't going to break that one tonight, even if it was a -beautiful- opportunity.
Instead she let him slip away, wailing how wronged he was for trying to -murder- his supposed friends chance of escape.
"OK hon, Sabine and Kastra are right. We should get moving." She looked at Phact also, brow knitted in worry. She still lived at home, though she was thinking of changing that, but right now she couldn't, reasonably.... well she could ask her parents to let Baz... or whatever he was called now... stay... but if he admitted to amnesia, they'd want to take him to the hospital, who couldn't possibly help.
"I can pick up some take out and you know I can put some money in to get him some new clothes, but my folks are going to want to go to the cops, or the hospital, and I don't think he needs poked and prodded right now. I mean some noodles from that noodle place might go a longer way toward helping than that."
Torvil
serpentsong
Sirene Naiads
Lucifer Force
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 7:45 am
When the light cleared from her eyes, Phact felt as if she had just channeled a tidal wave through her very being. Stepping forward as she felt the girls pull back, the senshi of doves needed a minute to breathe. No matter what people said, you don't get used to a rush like that...
Breathing hard, her chest and shoulders rising and falling as she looked up and towards Cosmos. They owed that woman much this evening. Without a word, Phact gave Cosmos a smile and a nod. It was an unspoken thank you. A thank you for much more than just coming to their aid this night.
Her free hand came up as she moved to stand straight again. Running through the loose black strands, Phact turned her attention to the members of her court and the newest Knight in the fold. Knight...So there was a difference in the starseeds. He had been an agent before becoming a youma and the return to being human had stripped him of everything chaos had once made him. He truly did have a new life.
And with that life came so much change.
Holding the wand once more over her head, Phact sent it back to the subspace it rested in until she needed to call upon its powers once more. "Ladies." Phact forced out before sucking more air into her lungs. "Ladies let him breathe." Each one of them was crying. Each one of them she could see the pain and sorrow going out to the beloved male before them. It wasn't that she didn't feel the same and her heart did not long to run to him. Phact just knew that one of them needed to keep her head...at least for now.
Kneeling down infront of the man, Phact reached out her hand to place softly on the side of his face where the tears ran. "It's going to be alright." She cooed before giving him a warm smile. "We are here and we are not going to leave you alone." Then she turned her attention back to the other girls. Each one of them had a part to play now. The easy part was done. Now began to real work.
"Sabine, does your brother have any clothes left at home? Something we can use for now?" Red eyes locked onto her second in command's face with a strong nod. It was for encouragement and for strength.
Turning then towards Kastra, Phact gave her the same look. "Kastra, would you run and get us a selection of items that he can try? None of us have any idea what is going to sit well on a post purification stomach after all."
"Trix, I need your help getting him back to my place. He can stay with me until we figure more out. I'm the only one of us who doesn't have to explain why there is a man suddenly sleeping in the guest room after all." The smile that appeared on her face was an attempt to give them all the courage and strength they needed to move forward.
"Then meet back at my apartment?" Looking at all of them for a nod, Phact then glanced down at the man she was trying to protect. "That is if it is alright with you after all? Do you remember your name?"
Lucifer Force
Torvil
SerpentSong
Ryuthulhu
The Space Cauldron
Sirene Naiads
Romantic Senshi
Offline
The Space Cauldron
Captain
Offline
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 7:53 pm
Unlike the rest of the group, Cosmos was not fit to stay on Earth. She could offer no safekeeping or further assistance for the Court or the once-youma; her eyes lingered on him for a long moment. Sympathy crossed her features, but she eyed the pastel colors he wore, and her symbol on his uniform.
He looked better like this.
He’d feel better, soon.
The Knight was going to be in good hands with this group; Cosmos may not have stayed for long after the last time they had worked together but she found it easy to trust that they only intended to do the right thing.
She watched them quietly for a moment before a twinkling star in the sky seemed to catch her attention; she looked up, stoically, and then returned her gaze the Court and the new Knight.
“Tonight has worn heavy on all of you.” She nodded to the members of the Council, but it was to the Knight that she spoke the softest. She knelt to put herself closer to his level. “Do not cry,” she murmured, reaching out to stroke his hair. “You are in a better place now. I must return to the Cauldron, and for that I am sorry. But you are in good hands. In time, the pain will fade. You are free, now. Free to find happiness, and free to live your life how you see fit. Do not weep for the General. He lives, the same as you. Perhaps, in time, he will realize that this was the best path for you. Your happiness and safety is the most important thing, and you will have both now. Breathe, my friend, and relax.”
She spoke with only the purest conviction: “Everything will be all right.”
Sirene Naiads
Lucifer Force
Sleet Tempest Snape
Torvil
SerpentSong
Ryuthulhu
Posted: Tue Aug 29, 2017 8:46 pm
Bright blue eyes blinked up at each of them, half-wondering why they were comforting him. He could no longer sense Benitoite's poisonous energy on the horizon of his perception... was it always like that? He couldn't remember a time when it felt so wrong. It frightened him deeply, instinctively.
He felt Sabine's nails in his hair and Phact's hand on his cheek. They felt soft, warm, and so alive. His hands wished to reach out and hold each of them as tenderly as they were treating him, but Sabine and the others were right - they had to move. As foggy as his now-human mind was, it was infinitely more clear than just a few moments ago. His mind felt as a vast, open field, without limit, without boundaries. It was thrilling and frightening, as compared to the narrow psychology of the monster he had been.
He now had the capacity to care about them, to love them and to be concerned for them. The Knight could hold each of them in his heart that now pumped with fresh blood instead of tar. That heartbeat was nearly deafening in his ears with its strangeness, its newness. A heart that beat with strength instead of sinister, predatory intent.
With tears in his eyes did he look up to Cosmos, whose aura was iridescent and beautifully blinding. The Knight bowed his head to her in loving reverence as she stroked his hair.
His name? ....what was his name? Did he have a name? Surely he did, at some point, while he was dreaming... he was called something...
Swallowing thickly, the Knight looked up into the eyes of Cosmos and the women who surrounded and protected him. His name? Throat dry, the Knight made a few pitiful sounds before forming the name with sound. "...Gravina... I'm... um.. Gravina. Y-yes. I th-think so..."
Gravina had to stand, had to move with the Court before other Chaos vultures swooped in while they were drained and vulnerable. Knees and ankles were weak, his center of gravity lower than all the years he'd been used to, and it showed. Unsteady like a newborn foal, Gravina struggled to right himself and keep from rolling his ankles. His feet felt unshapely, longer, wider, flatter. Knees weren't so sharp, hips didn't bear so much weight. His back and shoulders didn't feel so prickly and heavy and dry. The Knight leaned heavily on the senshi supporting him, despite his best efforts to the contrary.
Whispering apologies every few steps, when his throat and tears would allow, Gravina was carried into the dove's nest for safekeeping.
