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 Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:15 pm
Mass absolutely melted at back scratches, they were his favourite thing, and he sprawled out all the more, he didn't have any worries other than the fact there might not be a buffet tomorrow and that Rep wasn't acting right.
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:15 pm
Nuk had been just about to answer when the gunshots rang out, first one, then another following shortly after, his blood instantly running cold. Every muscle tightened as if he were straining, maybe to hold himself back, maybe to expend some of the energy threatening to send him into a lamenting rage, and his slow inhale shook a little with the effort, echoing the slightest quiver of his shoulders. It took a real effort for him not to howl, not to tear apart the room which had been so lovely earlier, destroy something beautiful out of spite, make the whole world feel the same loss he felt, share in the pain and the hate which had turned his blood to acid, burning him slowly from the inside out.
Ugly tears had welled in the corners of his eyes, keeping them shut until he was sure he had himself under control, had closed the door in his mind that held Sammy's teasing smirk and saucy attitude, the way she punched his shoulder and called him Mutt, and the gentle kiss as she'd said goodbye, touching it mentally before he let go.
When he reopened his eyes, the tears had disappeared, replaced by the image of Rep striding purposely towards him, settling whatever was left of his doubt. With a direction, a guide, he had purpose, and if he had a purpose, he didn't need to dwell on what he couldn't control, or on the way his rational brain tried to poke needle-like holes in his denial. Visibly, Nuk's muscles uncoiled, his arms unfolding slowly to fall at his sides, and he pushed himself away from the table gently, answering the seductive smirk with the slightest feeling of confidence renewed, his stride reflecting it.
As he passed behind Melvin's chair, the shape-shifter rested his hand momentarily on the boy's shoulder, giving it a little, reassuring squeeze.
"Catch you later, Melvin."
He let it rest there for as long as it took to get out of arms distance before it slipped off his shoulder, returning to his side as he followed Rep obediently out of the room.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:39 pm
Rep didn't look back until he'd put quite a bit of distance between the casino floor and them, leading the way into a small side room, used for private parties. As he went he felt himself slipping off into the cold purposeful place he went into on missions, where emotion was secondary to instincts, secondary to facts and all the beliefs he'd compartmentalised into himself over the years. This world was so difficult for him because within his own mind he was forever living a fiction, a storyline of his own that he twisted to fit what he wanted. When you lived in a fantasy so readily, being told to disregard what you saw and felt was much harder than it sounded.
He could not disregard Nuk.
No matter how much he wanted to tell himself he was nothing but a shadow of a dream, the man was there before him, flesh and blood, eager and willing.
What made it worse for him was how much the drug dealer reminded him of himself, a facet of himself that hadn't been so long ago or far away. He'd been in denial for a long long time, an endless array of faceless women he couldn't remember and didn't care to, notches on the bedpost of his sexuality. He'd tried to convince himself he was straight with sheer force of numbers, if he selpt with enough women, that would tip the balance. And then Jordan had come along, wise, gentle, and ensnared his heart. Harrison had been more raw and magnetic but no less potent in his effect. They'd been kind with him, and accommodated his reluctance and issues. The other him had tried to accommodate Nuk.
In principle it was noble, but in practice it was abhorrent to Rep. He had very clear rules about fidelity. He had given himself body and soul to Harrison and Jordan. There was nothing open about their relationship, it was why he'd pursued marriage so doggedly. An emblem of that bond. Three of them, till death and even then. This unfortunate figment was an affront to that promise. An error. A blip on the map of this world.
He would wake Harrison up just a little more by eradicating this hurt he'd inflicted upon him forever.
"You." he said, his words cold and dispassionate. "You are scum."
"What the ******** did you think you were doing, messing with me? Bringing me down to your level." he hissed, shadows curling around his hands, forming into claws. "You thought you were a dead man and that made it all right to get into my life, to ******** seduce me?"
It felt good to let himself drop off the edge of unhinged.
"You were so ******** happy to kneel earlier. It's time for you to do it again."
And he struck.
It glowed with a searing blue after-image, strips of neon blue that lingered on the air. Behind the swing was all the twisted and borrowed power bestowed upon him by this kingdom, everything he was capable of.
"I'm not the man you thought I was." he snarled.
HP: 60/60
Using: OVERPOWER
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 9:58 pm
B0nez watched Rep's progress mildly via the security cameras, while Harrison leaned against the table and looked distant and tired.
The strategics was out of Harrison's depth. And everything weighed heavily on him. B0nez didn't have that problem. The other Kingdoms had spent their health points beyond the mandatory amounts, and their pawns would rack up what they could in the battle field.
The real enigma here was the Voice. What gave it root capabilities? It had enough for 8 of them, to draw all of them into Battle, and even more interestingly the items that had been mentioned. Quest items. ...Cavern deep beneath the Tower, where the Gate had been- intact. Maybe the Silver King wasn't dead after all. It explained how his members had been able to hang around here, but for a Kingdom that dealt in information they sure weren't very keen on letting go of it.
Who was the Voice? What gave it its Power?
He zoomed in on the cameras as Rep knocked Nuk backwards.
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:21 pm
"Mind if I have a seat?" That was it, no flash of some mythical portal, no glimmer of light or perhaps some ridiculous space-time vacuum that would debunk the Kings' thoughts about the strange turn of events - because that never happened in Vegas. The figure, mostly molting black, some white, just the tips of their arms really, a fragment of their face, wearing a silver crown, pulled next a chair, crossing his legs over the edge of the table. "Don't mind if I do," he invited, for himself, of course.
"See," Elaborated the Silver King, "I sort of like you, by default, because of what you're representing." He pointed to his crown. "But the problem is you're a King, and I'm a King and well, basic math goes here. I'm not huge on the gambling front, but I'm sure I have quite the ace in the hole, if you know what I mean."
Click. The barrel of a thin silver gun, pointing towards Harrison. "Now, have you seen the Voice?"
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:29 pm
Harrison and B0nez both froze at the drippy intruder.
The crown made his status pretty clear. Still, Kings couldn't attack Kings. It was in the rulebook.
"He's kinda talky by definition," Harrison answered warily, looking down the barrel once, then back up at their guest, "doesn't make much for the whole...body thing. Why. You think he's got a one tucked away somewhere? Like, the Wizard of Oz and s**t?"
B0nez tipped his laptop semi-closed.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:31 pm
The world was tearing him apart by inches.
He'd shut the door behind himself with a gentle click, leaving the two of them once again alone in one of the countless rooms of the Watch Tower, the magnificent spire of steel and cut glass, inviting and foreboding and untouchable in the city without morals. What uncertainty he'd had before had been washed away by their last encounter, encouraged by the memory of Rep's smooth, easy tone, coaxing him slowly to abandon his hostility, his reluctance, and follow him into the dark. It was always easier the second time, a little more of whatever inhibitions had been holding you back ebbing away, the fear of the unknown no longer a factor. The knowledge that you had already once faced what you'd been dreading. As the door ticked closed, Nuk kept his hand rested easily on the glimmering gold handle, allowing himself a little room to be at ease, away from prying eyes. Hard, hostile lines melted away, leaving a not-quite-handsome face to glance over his shoulder at the redhead, gold eyes no longer guarded as they had been before.
Releasing the doorknob, the shape-shifter shoved his hands gently into his pockets, turning completely to face Rep head-on, his body squared with the redhead's. Tilting his head a little to one side, he cocked it slightly in a silent question, the barest hint of curiosity in his lifted brow.
"So?" he prompted after a moment, watching him.
What he got was far less expected. Rep's cold words were like a bucket of icy water, poured in waves down his body. His stomach not only fell, heavy as a stone, but twisted with the cruel, methodical tone, wrenching nauseatingly. It set his teeth on edge immediately, his entire body flinching a fraction of an inch as if the blow had been physical, sucker-punched by this sudden change of heart. But the hostility didn't come right away. At first, it was merely confusion which hardened his face again, a stinging, hurtful blow. Scum was not an uncommon nickname for him -- he took it like a slap, with a wince. But the further Rep went on, berating him, the more the cinders rekindled to angry, destructive flames, coaxed by the abusive, neglectful hand. His confusion became a scowl, which became a snarl, veiling the devastating effect the redhead was dealing him, blow by blow. "Seduce you," he echoed, teeth bared as he snapped back, taking a hostile step towards him.
He hadn't intended to attack. But it didn't matter. Rep had.
The claws which had only grazed him before came down upon him before he could react. The skin split viciously in deep, angry parallel lines, blooming immediately with blood across his shoulder to trail across his chest, the sound of skin tearing under the shadow claws deafening to the wounded dealer. His only saving grace had been a hard, backward jerk, shoving him back just barely in time to keep the wound from being any deeper.
There was still a lot of blood.
Stumbling backward, Nuk caught himself against the door, panting hard despite no physical exertion, elbow resting heavily on the handle to keep himself upright. His lips curled over bared canine teeth, decidedly less human than they had been a second ago, amber eyes pinpricks as he shoved himself away from the door. "You're not a man at all."
There was a pulse in the air, and Nuk's forward motion had altered to that of a 600 pound tiger, black body ramming hard into Rep's body with a sickening, meaty thud, giant paws slashing angrily at any flesh he could touch.
HP: 1/40
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:42 pm
Of the three occupants in the room, thankfully the 'Silver King' looked the most caught off guard. He rubbed his forehead, shifting his feet down, slightly. "He - body. Tucked away." He repeated it almost stupidly and then sighed deeply, taking a second to investigate the room around him.
"What is this anyway -" He suddenly gestured to the whole room - "This Human stuff, this fake treasure, these fake walls? Is this supposed to be some sort of morbid reflection of your own imprisonment? How about this, if you make it to the finale you ask this Voice exactly how you were created. Someone should tell you a little bit of truth around here - though I passed by some interesting infighting around your, ahem, subjects. Seems like a few people know what I'm talking about, you know, the imprisonment thing. Why don't you have a fun walk with them and ask?"
He tipped his crown. "Well, three down, four more to go. Have a nice day and oh-"
- Two dice landed on the table. Snake eyes. The Silver King shrugged. "What do you know, bad luck."
Something shattered behind them, the sound of glass breaking, the sound of something collapsing, though before the two could point any blame, the figure was gone. Toshihiko Two A PART OF YOUR KINGDOM HAS COLLAPSED, the barrier has been weakened significantly. Reserves (HP HEALING) reserves can NO LONGER be used
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:49 pm
Rep went down hard, in the moment, in his anger, forgetting what world he was in, a place where the supernatural was attainable to any of them, in his arrogance he'd taken the claws for granted, they fit, even with the awareness of who he was, what he was, the talons felt right. He'd have liked to have had Tracey to block with, but this would do, it would be enough to end this mistake.
The air was knocked clean out of him as he hit the floor, but he was tied to this kingdom. He was queen, and what an irony that was, because in his own mind, he was no ******** queen at all.
He gasped, breathless under Nuk, in the moment of stunned silence at being taken off guard echoing their earlier encounter.
And then he laughed. Laughed as much as he could manage through the daze and the sharp raw sting of claws on flesh. Because everything he did in his life came down to this, making stupid ******** mistakes and trying to fix them, always hurting everyone as he went along. Nuk was a good guy, in another life, in another place, maybe it could have worked out between him and that not-Rep and his messed up ******** skewed version of his own relationship. Maybe.
Right now he was in a dark place with no ******** way out but through everyone and everything. He would burn the ******** world down just to get to Harrison, and he'd told him no less.
"No. I'm no." he stammered through the laughter, bringing his feet up to kick as hard as he could to get free, twisting his weight onto one clawed hand and flipping himself to his feet, ready to swipe again. "No one ever ******** said I was a man. I always wanted to be a monster instead."
"But you want to know what I'm no? I'm no a ******** queer like you are."
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:25 pm
He waited until the weight had settled, hard, on Rep's chest, knocking the air out of his body before he changed shape again, human once more. As he'd predicted, Nuk was on his knees again, but this time they were braced on each side of the redhead's body, drug dealer's weight seated heavily on the delicate solar plexus. Strong fingers, dirt ground permanently into the skin, found the mess of red hair at the base of Rep's skull, twisting as he leaned down to growl in his face, low in the back of his throat. The physical exertion was causing the blood to flow more freely now; trickling down his chest, it dripped in thick, dark spatters onto the other man's chest, staining the remains of the blue and white suit. It drowned the dragon tattoo on his chest, nearly blotting it out completely as he continued to lose an unhealthy amount of blood.
Adrenaline was the only thing keeping him going. It filled his veins, his heartbeat quickening exponentially, struggling to keep pace. In reality, it only served to kill him faster.
Even now, though, all Nuk wanted was an apology. An explanation. The rage was strong, yes, but beneath it there was a deep, visceral wound festering, old insecurities mingling with a deep sense of new found betrayal. Beneath it all, more than anything, a devastated voice inside of him wanted to ask why. It had been such a masterful deception, such a cleverly laid plot, perfectly executed. The lure. The reassurance. The trust. And the crushing blow. Why? For what reason? What could he have possibly done, what part of him was so disgusting, that it deserved such unadulterated hatred?
He got his answer.
The kick left him reeling, bucked off and thrown back just enough to allow Rep to flip himself to his feet again. For a fraction of a second, the air distorted, the smaller body of the coyote catching the blow, twisting to try to land on his paws, minimize the damage. As soon as he hit the ground, he was back. Nuk caught himself on a knee, palms against the carpet long since smeared with blood, one leg already beneath him to shove him back to his feet as well. It was the words, as always, that caught him, jerked him so violently he could not move, could not breathe, as precious seconds ticked by. There it was, bared before him, no where to run to, nothing to hide behind. 'I'm not a ******** queer like you are.' And this time, there was no one to guide him.
Kicking off the ground, the shape-shifter threw himself into the fray again, no longer bound by reason. There was no humanity left in him, coaxed to blinding rage of a betrayal so deep it had come unhinged. He threw punch after punch, until his knuckles were bloody, disregarding his proximity with Rep and those shadow claws, pain not even the shadow of an afterthought.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Baneful rolled 2 12-sided dice:
9, 9
Total: 18 (2-24)
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Posted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 11:31 pm
Rage was a beautiful thing, glorious to behold. The sharp smell of blood - so familiar to him now in his line of work - like a drug. In battle there were no more questions, no doubts and hesitations, you danced a primal line between life and death where every single movement could be your last.
He was deep down sad he had to do this, the guy was beautiful, a sleek ball of fury and rage. He'd just gotten involved with the wrong guy, made mistakes he couldn't take back. Too bad, so sad, life was s**t like that.
It wasn't personal, he was disposing of his own flaws, it just happened Nuk had gotten caught up in them, snared like an animal in a trap on Rep's toxic hang ups and issues. As he came undone, wild unrestrained fury coming at him like a runaway train, Rep's eyes went wide, but it wasn't with fear, it was absolute delight. There was nothing he liked more than to see people rent asunder, laid bare before him right down to the core of who they were.
He'd found the nerve that made Nuk snap. In another time and another place, he'd have sought out what it was attached to.
Letting him near, he ignored the gashes he sustained, confident in his shield, but using the slight leeway to bring around his own claws, sinking them deep, deep into his body. And in the middle of the chaos and fray, he leaned in, as he'd done with Sasha before, and kissed him, deep, brutal and vicious, biting his lip as he snarled.
"No homo."
And, desummoning his claws, let go.
HP: 60/60
DMG: 12
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 12:35 am
There was a sound, like a wet cough, and unimaginable pain.
Every ounce of energy left him in that singular moment. Running on empty before, fueled exclusively by untempered fury, it abandoned him in his final hour, leaving not even the strength to keep him standing. Nowhere left to go, Nuk's body curled forward around the long, black claws, gravity pulling him closer into Rep's embrace. Razor sharp, they slid effortlessly deeper, impaling him completely as his weight settled heavily against the hunter's body, lips crushed viciously against his own. Convulsing once, the shape-shifter wretched, blood dripping out of the corners of his mouth like drool, followed by a slow, rattling gurgle. His hands slid heavily down the redhead's arms, reaching sluggishly to close on the folds of his blood-stained suit, but it slipped clumsily through his fingers, dexterity gone. With each futile attempt, it became harder to lift his hands, until they finally fell useless to his sides.
The claws retracted. With nothing to hold him, Nuk collapsed in a heap on the carpet, his body shaking, spasms racking his body. And with it, like an imprinted memory, his body changed. Tiger, coyote, human, coyote, tiger; in rapid succession his body morphed, over and over, each change faster than a blink, until finally the air rippled slowly, like a final heartbeat. The coyote disappeared, vanishing like an optical illusion, leaving Nuk's ruined body, resting motionless in a pool of his own blood.
Even in death, the wisps of miasma starting to dissolve him, he stared up at Rep, accusation in his eyes before he disappeared entirely.
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Interesting Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 4:34 am
Candace's eyes widened as she watched the scene before her. They didn't just..die. They melted or...or just..they did something not natural. She tried not to flinch at the second shot, though her body did tense up as she fought against its natural response. It had been quick, merciful, with no fanfare or long, drawn out speeches or anything silly like that. How very...Harrison.
She was glad they didn't behave like normal people in death. It was a good reminder.
When he spoke her name she looked up from where G and Sammy had been moments before, nodding at his request and leaving to head back into the main part of the casino. Good, Jerry was still with Atropos. "Hey." Ah, Melvin and Nuk were still here. Her gaze lingered on Melvin even as he walked away to sit with the tiger. You're not my cow, he'd said. That...was actually very sad. Rep cared that much for his minipet, something she never would have figured he was capable of doing. Perhaps there were a few..redeeming qualities to the man.
"Where's Jordan? We're running out of time.." Harrison had asked him to stay behind as well so he couldn't have been too far off..
Atropos was frowning. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." Candace answered too quickly, idly taking Atropos' hands and threading her fingers through the other woman's. She looked down at them, pouting her lips and then looking up at Atropos' face. "It was nice being able to do this with you again. Hopefully they'll do another golem testing someday, hm?" She smiled. "For nowwww..we need to find out where the gate or whatever Mark called it is, take out Fakisson--what?" Atropos had choked with laughter.
"Fakisson? Seriously I can't even believe you just--"
"Just go find Jordan." Candace snapped, blushing with embarrassment even as Atropos laughed and wandered off to follow Candace's demand.
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 8:49 am
Rep looked down at Nuk, absolutely covered in blood and unphased by it. Nothing personal. Just dealing with this the only way he knew how to. He tried not to think about the last few moments, the messy end he'd afforded him. It was no sleek bullet to the brain the way Harrison had done it. He'd always been more hands on and visceral.
As the man vanished, dissolving into miasma, so too did the blood across Rep's clothes, leaving no trace of what had just transpired other than his torn and ruined shirt and jacket. He took them off, wiped his own blood from his chest and tossed them aside - he was going through clothes fast today - and headed back to the casino floor. The gouges and cuts inflicted on him by Nuk as he went down mended in the shield of the kingdom much the same way injuries knitted with his usual shield from Tracey.
It would be a pity if Melvin was just as messy, but at least he wouldn't die on the battlefield, his figment would die at the hands of a friend. No one else would hurt him, that was loving right?
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Codebreaking Conversationalist
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Posted: Sat Jan 26, 2013 9:21 am
It was after a long time that Serafina managed to straighten her back and wipe her eyes, staring the exit to their kingdom with determination.
She would go, because she had to.
She would go, because it was all she had left.
She would go, because for her Family, and the sacrifices of Gargantuan and Sammy, she would fight.
There was just something in the Senator that deeply hoped she would be coming back alive, and join those of the living legends, the one that brought the Blue Kingdom to its Truest.
Her king was the truest king.
[[ Exiting to Battlefield! ]]
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