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 Posted: Sun Feb 14, 2010 5:15 pm
Deep in the snow fields in the north there is rumored to be a cave. Locals claim that this is the den of the Great White Wolf, a beast known in tales as either a vicious monster or a benevolent savior. In truth, however, this is the lair of a witch, one taking the form of a wolf to hide her true self.
The frigid cold, ice, and snow usually keep most people away. Those who would still brave those conditions are kept away by the tales of the White Wolf.
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Posted: Sat Feb 20, 2010 9:50 pm
Luna Luminesca The Ice Witch - The White Wolf of the North
 Luna's journey back home had taken her through the show covered mountains in the north and past many perilous natural defenses that the icy weather caused. But none of that had ever been much of a problem for Luna, navigating this land was not only easy for her, it was enjoyable.
As Luna entered the cave that she called home, she took the time to shake the snow that had gathered in it off her fur. This cave was one of the only places she felt safe in the world, a place that was truly a home for her. Though it looked like a typical cave, in the back was a path leading deeper underground, where it began to look more like a home for a person. However, Luna liked sometimes just living in the wilds like any other creature. Most wouldn't understand how she could pass up the comfortable bed just a few steps away from her to sleep on the cold cave floor like an animal, but she always felt more comfortable and safe knowing if anyone did see her sleeping, they'd think of her as nothing but a random lone wolf.
Luna curled up on the floor of the cave, her eyes drifting closed as she let her exhaustion over take her and drive her into a deep sleep. So much had seemed to happen in such a short time, her whole life seemed to get turned around. She knew she needed to think of something to do now to ensure her safety, something to protect herself, but for now she'd rather not think of it. She just wanted to rest and forget about everything, just for a little while...
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 12:06 am
Luna Luminesca The Ice Witch - The White Wolf of the North
Luna had never believed her mother's stories before. She didn't believe this group Shibusen would ever come after them. She was just a little girl, and she and her mother were living alone, away from any people. They may have been witches, but they weren't trying to bring about the end of the world or anything, they just wanted to live and be left alone. Luna thought her mother's warnings were just something to keep her from practicing her magic, since she had hurt herself a couple of times.
But she saw it for herself; four students from Shibusen traveling through the snowy wilds, heading for the 'Ice Witch's lair'. They had spotted her as well, but she was in her wolf form. White wolves weren't rare in the area, and seeing she was just a cub they didn't see her as a threat. The leader of the group was big and strong-looking. He had brown skin and angry, brown eyes, and wore his hair braided in corn rows. Luna heard him answer to the name 'Cross'. His partner seemed the complete opposite, a small, thin, and pale boy with messy red hair who was called 'Blaze'. The other pair consisted of a fierce looking girl with short, brown hair and blood red eyes named 'Juliet', and a much more gentle, young-looking girl with long, black hair and bright green eyes that was called 'Spiral'. Luna had only gotten a quick look at the group before they saw her and the one named Cross shooed her away, but little did she know that their images would be burned into her mind for the rest of her life.
Because of her small size and knowledge of the land, Luna was able to make it past the group from Shibusen and make it back to the cave she and her mother called home. When she did arrive, she changed back to her human form and ran up to her mother, frightened and out of breath.
"M-Mommy! I saw them! T-the bad men from Shibusen! They said they were coming here to-to.."
Luna's mother kneeled down, embracing her frightened daughter. Aside from the fact that her mother's hair was long and her body was much more toned, Luna was the spitting image of her mother. And though it had been a while since she had needed to fight, she had a fighter's eyes, fierce and always looking for a weakness to exploit. Now, however, they were softened as she tried to calm her daughter.
"Don't be afraid, Luna. They aren't going to hurt you, I won't let them..."
"B-But Mommy! They-they're after you! What are we going to do?"
The ice witch looked up towards the entrance the cave. It had been years since she last needed to fight someone from Shibusen. She had quite a nasty reputation in the past for specifically targeting Shibusen students and horribly murdering them, but that had been at least ten years ago. When she retreated from the world, she told Shibusen she tired of the cycle of violence and that she would disappear and wouldn't return unless they were stupid enough to go looking for her. Back then, a few Shibusen students would have been no problem for her, it took an expert Technician and a deathscythe to give her a challenge. But after ten years, she began to fear she was a bit rusty...plus, she would have preferred not to kill any of them. She didn't want to kill anymore.
"Luna, do you remember the secret hiding spot we made? I want you to go there and hide until I tell you to come out, okay?"
"But mommy! I don't want the bad men to hurt you!"
She pushed her daughter to the secret tunnel. It was small, so Luna had to shift into her wolf form to crawl through. That way, they wouldn't be able to get to her, even if they found out who she was. The tunnel led to outside, so Luna would be able to escape if she needed. Once Luna was through, the ice witch looked at her fist, clenching it as she mentally prepared herself for the battle. She hopped she could drive the intruders away without anyone getting hurt, but she needed to be ready, just in case.
The four Shibusen students found their way to the outside of the cave, most of them looking confused, They looked as if they were expecting some kind of residence, not a icy cave that looked like any other icy cave.
"...Are you sure you didn't get us lost, Cross? I mean, this is just a cave, do you really think a powerful witch that could probably make her own ice castle would hang around in a cave?"
"Yeah, I'm sure! Have a little faith in me, Juliet. Blaze and I did a lot of research on this, and I'm...pretty sure this is it."
Out of the cave, a large white wolf walked out, growling angrily while it stared at the group with menacing eyes. As the wolf grew closer, Spiral screamed and hid behind Juliet.
"Ahh! T-That thing is huge! I-I think it's angry we're in its territory...we should get out of here!"
The red haired boy, Blaze, stepped forward, looking the beast in the eyes, seemingly unafraid.
"Don't be so scared, Spiral, we've fought things much tougher and more scary than a big dog. Anyway, this is probably that 'Great White Wolf' we've heard about. And if it is, Cross's and my research says that this is our Ice Witch."
It had almost worked, she had made one of the kids want to run, but it seemed that the fight was inevitable. The wolf changed back into her human form, showing exactly who she was.
"So, you did research on me. I suppose I should be flattered. I am Raine, the Ice Witch. Though, I've given up killing off you Shibusen students; it got horribly dull, and its so difficult to wash blood out of white fur, you know? So, since I have no real reason to fight, and I'm feeling generous enough to ignore you trespassing, I'll let you four leave alive."
The stare she was giving them was more fearsome than the one she gave as a wolf, but the for seemed unwilling to back down. Even the girl who had been frightened before seemed to gain her nerve back as they got ready to fight.
"Heh, you think we'll miss out on getting our 100th soul? No way, lady!. Come on, Blaze!"
"You're not getting her before we do, Cross! Come on Spiral!"
Blaze turned into a sword with flame-like saw teeth, and Cross grabbed the hilt, charging for Raine. Likewise, Spiral turned into a hand-held drill, and once she had her in hand, Juliet moved to attack Raine from behind.
"Do you really think you can beat me here? I have the ultimate advantage here..."
As Raine had attackers approaching her from in front and behind, she didn't seem worried at all. The terrain gave her the ultimate defense, and she knew they wouldn't even hit her as long as she could predict their attacks. A sheet of solid ice four feet thick rose up from in front and behind her, blocking both attacks easily. Raine didn't even take a battle ready stance, almost taunting the attackers.
"With so much ice to manipulate, I can do this all day without breaking a sweat. Are you sure you don't want to run away yet?"
"You think we hunted you without being ready for your powers, Ice Witch?"
Raine raised an eyebrow to the boy's comment, but understood what he meant in a few seconds. The saw sword may have been stopped by the ice, but it was also quickly melting through the ice. And behind her, the drill was drilling through the ice, quickly inching towards her. They must have chosen to pursue her because they both could break through her ice barriers. Raine was barely able to jump out of the way as both crashed through the ice barrier, barely missing her.
Luna gasped silently as she saw the battle going on. She was at the exit of the small tunnel, still in her wolf form. It wasn't a fair fight at all, and she wished she was strong enough to go out there and fight with her mother. But she was small, weak, and scared, so she wouldn't do anything but make it harder for her mother. She just had to watch and hope.
Raine kept putting up barriers, and the two technicians kept breaking through them. To them, the defense looked like a desperate attempt to protect herself long enough to avoid the next blow. However, Raine was much smarter than that. It was almost effortless for her to make these small ice walls, where it took a lot of effort for her opponents to break through them, and they would tire themselves out eventually. However, as they began to get tired, they began to use their minds more. Now one would break the barrier and the other would charge behind. Raine was using all of her athleticism to evade the attacks, and figured that she needed to change her strategy.
"It seems like I'm going to have to take this fight seriously, doesn't it?"
Raine shifted her stance into a more offensive-minded one. As Cross charged at her, attempting to behead her, Raine gracefully ducked under the sword strike, delivering a swift kick to the man's abdomen. Her kick had enough force to wind Cross, and she followed that kick with another, a thrust kick that sent him stumbling back on the ice. Juliet, thinking her attention was distracted, attempted an attack from behind, but Raine made a pillar of ice raise right in front of her, hitting her directly in the chin with enough force to send her airborne. A quick roundhouse kick allowed Raine to sever the ice pillar she had created, and she grabbed the dislodged piece, swinging it like a baseball bat at the airborne girl. As she was sent flying, Raine leaned on the ice pillar, tainting the group by showing she again had yet to break a sweat.
"You know, I haven't even attacked you with my magic yet, and already you're all exhausted and on the floor. I really suggest you all start running..."
The pillar began to frost over until it formed into a wall slightly larger than Raine herself. Then she hit the ice and it cracked and chipped, quickly falling apart. What was left of it was a large, crystal-like sword, one that seemed to large and unwieldy for Raine, but she seemed to pick it up with ease.
"...Before I'm forced to show you my full power..."
The two technicians re-grouped, trying to think of something to do to defeat her. They conversed with their weapons, slightly worried, but still not ready to walk away.
"We should have the advantage against her ice powers! There has to be some way to beat her..."
"Maybe she won't be ready for our Soul Resonance... Let's give it a try."
Raine sighed as the four prepared to attack again. She had fought others who could use soul resonance before as well. They usually had wild, unpredictable powers when they did, so Raine took her sword and got on her guard. The saw sword now seemed to be larger and made of pure super-intense flame, so Raine figured her ice defenses would be all but useless now. And the drill, it turned into some kind of arm cannon, something that Raine was being much more careful of, since it was the less direct, more unpredictable weapon.
Cross rushed to Raine, slashing with the flaming sword. Raine kept evasive, dodging all of the strikes and looking for an opening to attack with her own weapon. She saw her opening, seeing cross left his left side open, and quickly swung her large weapon, making contact. Her sword did not cut, at least, she had formed it without shark edges this time. It did hurt, however, as it bashed into his ribs. More importantly, as he was hit, he began to freeze solid. More than the sheer power of a large weapon, that was its real ability. However, as the ice was spreading, the heat from Blaze began to melt it away, and Cross regained the ability to move. Raine wasn't expecting the attack, and could only move her sword in the way to block. The aura of cold and blaze's head seemed to be canceling eachother out, but slowly, Raine was losing the battle; her ice sword was beginning to melt, and eventually shattered. Even as it shattered, the shards that made it up launched out to Cross, though he was easily able to deflect them. Raine herself began to stumble from the shock of the sword breaking. And as she was stumbling, Juliet saw it as the perfect chance to take her shot. She fired a drill-like cannon shot right at Raine.
Raine saw the attack coming, but had stumbled and fell to the ground. She made a barrier of ice rise in front of her, but the shot shattered it without even being slowed. Raine just rolled out of the way, part of her shirt being lost in the process. She got up to her feet, slightly shaken from the near-death experience. These Shibusen students were proving to be a real problem, and as much as she hated the idea of taking a life again, Raine couldn't hold back her power anymore. They were too dangerous for that.
"I didn't want to have to kill anyone, but you four will just continue to be a threat and an annoyance. So I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice..."
Raine raised her hands in front of her, and a heavy snow fall seemed to begin, and the winds started to pick up, like she had began creating a massive blizzard. Nobody ever got to see exactly what she was doing, however, the cannon shot from before did not just disappear after it missed. It drilled through the ground, turning around underground, and headed right back at Raine. Nobody could have expected a shot to come from underground behind them in time to do something about it. Raine just felt something pierce through her back and out her front. She looked down at the bloody mess where her stomach used to be, and felt all of her strength start leaving her. Her legs were no longer able to carry her weight and she fell to the ground.
"Noooo! Mommy!"
After seeing what happened to her mother, Luna wasn't thinking about staying hidden anymore. She ran over to her mother, looking at her condition with tear-filled eyes. Not knowing what to do, she just hugged her mother, who she could tell just from her eyes was fading fast.
"Mommy, please don't die! Please mommy!"
As Spiral turned back into her human form and saw the little girl run to her dying mother crying, she felt like a complete a*****e, especially since she was the one that had landed the blow that had deprived the child of her mother. The others, however, didn't seem as bothered with what they had done. Cross did feel a little bad, but more than that, he and the others saw the opportunity that had arisen.
"...I didn't know she had a kid. As much as I feel like crap now, this is also a golden opportunity. We beat one witch, and we have another that's defenseless...now both of us can get our 100th soul..."
"Wha? S-she's just a kid! And we just took her mother from her! Now you want to kill her, too? Aren't the witches supposed to be the evil ones, not us?"
"Yeah, but she's a witch. She's eventually going to grow up and become a threat anyway, better to deal with her now than wait until she hurts someone..."
Luna turned around, just realizing where she was. She stood in fear of the four Shibusen students that were going to kill her now too. She didn't really know how to use her powers, and they'd be weak anyway, so she couldn't fight, but she couldn't run and leave her mother either. She didn't know what to do.
A hand reached out and grabbed Luna's shoulder from behind. As Luna turned she saw it was her mother, still clinging on to life. She didn't have much left, but she would use whatever she had to keep her daughter safe. She pushed Luna to the side with as much strength as she could muster; getting a bruise or a scrape would be nothing compared to being in range of what she was about to do. There was no moon out, but Raine focused her mind on the image. The full moon had always given her an insane strength, increased power and the ability to ignore pain in exchange for the loss of reason and all cognitive functions. She became like a wild animal; a wild animal with magic power.
Raine got up on all fours, shifting to her wolf form. She looked just as badly hurt in that form, but the damage didn't seem to matter anymore. She gave a long, powerful howl that made all of the Shibusen students shake in fear. The snow began falling again, and the blizzard winds seemed to appear once more. Raine tool one step, and the ground began to freeze around her. The frost traveled in a line, heading right at Spiral's feet, Once it connected, Spiral herself began to freeze, and within a second, she was frozen solid. Raine then charger right for Cross, the ground still freezing with every step she took. Blaze didn't even have time to change back into his weapon form before Raine was upon Cross. Che pounced on him, knocking him to the ground. Before he could struggle to get her off, her razor sharp teeth were already at his neck. She bit down and pulled, closing her eyes as the spray of blood washed over her.
The wolf, its white fur now drenched in blood, slowly walked towards Juliet and Blaze, both of who slowly retreated backwards with every step she took. However, the pain seemed to overcome Raine, and she fell to the ground, legs unable to carry her weight once again. Juliet and Blaze, after seeing what happened to their respective partners, knew they had to do something to avenge them and protect themselves. Blaze turned into his weapon form, and Juliet wielded him. They weren't a perfect match and there was plenty of interference in their connection, but they both would deal with the pain if it gave them a chance to survive. However, Raine was down, but not out. As Juliet charged forward to strike the killing blow, spikes made of ice rose from the ground right beneath her. Just as Raine wasn't prepared for the attack that hit her, Juliet found herself equally unprepared. However, Raine didn't spot with just one spike, impaling Juliet and Blaze over and over until the two of them were bloody messes. Then, with her enemies defeated, Raine's rage passed. She turned her head to look at her daughter one last time as everything began to fade, smiling since the girl was still safe.
And Luna watched the bloody white wolf turn her eyes to her, then saw the life drain out of those eyes. Luna didn't know what she could do besides cry. She didn't understand it. These Shibusen people, they attacked them for no reason, they were going to kill her even though she hadn't done anything wrong, and most importantly, they had taken her mother away from her forever. They were monsters...
Luna slowly opened her eyes, shaking the cobwebs out of her head as she woke up. Every once in a while, she would re-live that tragic moment in her dreams. She woke up sad, almost wanting to sit there and cry for a while. It was 12 years ago, but she still remembered every detail like it was yesterday.
Luna knew her lair probably wouldn't be safe for much longer. Once Anemone found it, she'd need to go somewhere else to hide. But what Ai had said, going to death city? She couldn't. Those...monsters would slaughter her the first chance they got, just like they were going to do when she was just a little kid, just like they did to her mother. But, she didn't really have a choice, really. She'd have to stay there and keep herself hidden, it was the only way to be safe from Anemone...
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Posted: Mon Mar 01, 2010 8:36 pm
Luna Luminesca The Ice Witch - The White Wolf of the North
Luna was sure Anemone would send someone after her. Anemone most likely wouldn't come himself, he never seemed to do his own dirty work. Luckily for her, Zeke seemed passive enough that he wouldn't be sent. Luna had no real idea what the man could do, and if she had to fight, she'd rather not fight the unknown. The other choices seemed worse, however. Ampere was a fearsome sea creature just like Anemone, and Luna found her just as creepy. Then there was the Bell Witch, Mary Worth. Luna had heard stories of her, and her power seemed to be her blood. Luna hoped that she would have an advantage over these two; water and blood were both things that could be frozen quite easily. And Anemone most likely wouldn't send Filk.
It seemed like she had a decent chance if she stayed there to defend herself. However, she was probably the weakest of the witches, so maybe these advantages wouldn't help her enough. Also, this place had been found by Shibusen once, and even if she did manage to defend herself, people in the area could catch a glimpse of the battle or notice the violent changes in the weather she would cause, and rumors of the Ice Witch would pop up again. Then how long would it be until she faced the same fate as her mother?
She had to relocate, but she didn't know where. She could make a home anywhere in the snowy north with her magic, but that would just draw the people who wanted her dead to her. She didn't want to think Death City was really her only choice; to her the thought of a witch living there was suicide.
Luna was stressed. She didn't know how to proceed forward. A part of her didn't want to abandon the place she and her mother called home. Needing to relieve some of the stress, Luna grabbed her guitar and started playing a few songs. Anything that could lift her spirits now would be a big help...
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Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 7:50 am
 WITCH ROZEN
Rozen wanted to cry. She probably would've, but the tears would have frozen her eyes shut and those were one of the more painful injuries to heal. Too many nerve bundles in the eyes... At least Anemone was kind enough to keep to the limbs, torso and abdomen.
But she was digressing. Anything to take her mind off the weather, the mission, the locale. Apparently the town closest to this frozen wasteland was superstitous thanks to some old witch legends decades ago. It would have been the perfect opportunity to collect information; if she had Soul Protect, that is. Superstitious communities were paranoid enough already, so Rozen couldn't even get close to town.
She hated cold weather. A couple fingers had already dropped off from frostbite. The witch tugged her cloak closer around her. She looked like a black blotch against the pure snow. Rozen faltered at the symbolism.
Her antennae were freezing up as well. Everything just smelled like ice and evergreen trees. Forget finding Luna, she'd be lucky if she could find her way back to the sanctuary.
Rozen gripped her hat as a gust of wind blew past. Once it subsided, she could faintly hear the sound of guitar music wafting over the breeze.
'Huh...'
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Posted: Thu Mar 04, 2010 12:18 pm
Luna Luminesca The Ice Witch - The White Wolf of the North
There always seemed to be something almost intoxicating about the sound of music. As Luna played the soft, slow melody on her guitar, it was like she was being soothed, like each sound was massaging her troubles away. She leaned her head against the cold, comforting wall of the cave and closed her eyes, relaxing as she continued to play.
However, just as Luna had fallen into a zone of comfort, something broke her out of it. She immediately stopped playing, paying attention to the howling winds outside. She thought she had sensed someone nearby, traveling towards her. She could feel the magical energy this person had, it was another witch.
"Damn it! I knew they'd find me eventually..."
Luna put down her guitar. She had to choose now, would she fight or would she run? If she fought, she'd probably lose and die, and even if she won, she'd just call for a more powerful attack later. But if she ran, she'd have to go to Death City, a place full of people who hunt and kill witches. Plus, she would have to cross the desert, and if someone found her while she was there, it would be even simpler to kill her. It seemed like such a no-win situation...why didn't she stay quiet when she had the chance. If she would have just taken her punishment from Anemone instead of getting angry at the way Rozen was treated...
"...Huh? Wait a second, that scent..."
Luna sniffed the air, trying to verify who it was. It was faint, the strong winds made it much harder to smell, but Luna was able to pick up a faint scent of someone she knew. It was Rozen! But Luna knew she needed to be careful. She had been tricked before; this could just be someone with some item of Rozen's using the scent to trick her into a false sense of security. She exited the cave in her wolf form, moving slowly and letting her white coat camouflage her in the winter landscape.
It wasn't long before Luna was able to spot the seven foot tall witch. Apart from her height, the dark clothing made her stick out like a sore thumb. The weather seemed to be making her miserable; she definitely looked underdressed for someone coming to that area and without the same resistances Luna had. Luna shifted back to her human form and rushed over to her friend.
"Rozen! It's so good to see you! I was so worried what could have happened to you! I felt really bad running away from the lair by myself, but it wasn't like I had a choice in the matter. Oh, you must be freezing out here! Come on, I'll take you to my home, it's a lot warmer there."
Luna held out her hand to Rozen. She knew how to get back to her lair quickly so that people she found did not freeze to death. And while she was pretty sure the cold wouldn't kill Rozen, she at least wanted to make her friend comfortable.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 7:43 am
WITCH ROZEN
Rozen jolted at Luna's sudden appearance. She really did seem at home in her element. Meanwhile Rozen could barely hear over the wind and the frost stung at her eyes. Thankfully her antennae had gone numb a while back, because those ******** hurt.
"Th-Th-Thank y-you..!" Rozen chattered quickly. It was hard to tell whether the stutter was from the temperature, or the usual Rozen behavior.
She took the younger witch's hand with one of hers. The upper set, meanwhile, were focused on keeping the cloak wrapped tightly around her lean body.
The heat Rozen felt through their gloves ran through the witch like a shock, followed by a wave of nausea, as she remembered what she came there to do. This act of kindness was hurting Rozen more than anything Anemone had done.
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:10 am
Luna Luminesca The Ice Witch - The White Wolf of the North
Luna brought Rozen to the cave as quickly as she could. At first glance, Rozen would notice that the cave seemed...like an ordinary cave. It wasn't much warmer that it was outside. In truth, Luna had spent almost half of her life as an average wolf, and could easily survive without all of the amenities that most other people needed. However, she did like to sleep in a nice, comfortable bed every once in a while, and there were sometimes lost travelers she found passed out in the snow that needed to be cared for. That's where her 'house' came in. She cleared away some of the ice on the cave floor and a trap door was revealed. It was a tight fit, but Rozen was able to make it through the small door and down the ladder. When she reached the floor, she could see that it looked as if she was inside of a log cabin. The wooden furniture looked as if Luna had made them by hand, and looked quite comfortable as well. And despite the fact that this cabin was underground and surrounded by ice, it was very warm and cozy, and even had a fireplace.
"So this is where I live! Sorry if the ceiling's a little low for you... Anyway, make yourself comfortable, I'll get a fire started so you can warm up."
Luna got the fire going in the fireplace and also started to make some hot tea for her friend as well. She looked as if she wasn't expecting Rozen to have been the one sent to kill her at all. Her back was turned and she was vulnerable.
"I was afraid for you, you know? When that other girl saved me, I thought Anemone might take his...or her...anger out on you. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if you got hurt because of me. Hey, you should think about staying here with me! I mean, it's tough living out here, and it can get lonely, but it has to be better than the constant abuse from Anemone, right? Plus, its hard to find, and even if Shibusen or the other witches did find us, I have a massive advantage here, and we could probably force them back..."
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 9:59 am
WITCH ROZEN
The roach witch silently followed Luna back to the cave. She was skeptical at first, but perked up at the sight of an actual living space beneath the cave's floor. She shiverred at the sudden rush of heat, but was infintely grateful. She stood a little crouched over and pulled off her hat, exposing the white, bony protrusions her antennae trailed from; flinching a bit when they got too close to the fireplace.
It was a nice home; much nicer than Rozen's, er, her family's home, which had technically fallen into disrepair half a century ago. There really weren't high standards with her kind...
"Mm..?" Rozen came back to earth while Luna was talking, taking a moment to catch up. "Ah... no... it's okay... I-I actually haven't gotten hurt since you left..." she gingerly placed herself on a stool near the hearth, the shadows from the flame caught a tiny smile on her face, "In-In fact... A-After you were rescued and the lair was destroyed... Ma--Anemone saved me. He-He... He carried me out of the flooded room. I-I hardly even got wet..! He's been pretty mellow since then..."
Rozen still couldn't get over that. It was bizarre. Could it have been attributed to the sudden appearance of that other witch? From all the years Rozen had been indentured to Anemone, she could recognize the soul of that intruder. She was somehow related to Anemone which had rattled him. Still... had this occured during Rozen's first few years of work, Anemone probably would've left her in that aquarium to drown... or thrown her at the enemy.
Rozen's smile faltered and she turned back to Luna. She saw the opening and immediately wished she hadn't. She could go on pretending there were just five more minutes. Just a little longer...
"A-Anemone's strong... H-He's the strongest witch we-we've got and... and it's his job to protect the other witches... It's really... really stressful and it's affected him over the years. I-I like to think of what I'm doing as-as a service to others less... equipped. To let him vent that is..."
Rozen felt her heart breaking. By doing this... By killing... By protecting Anemone, she was protecting all the other witches, right..? She immediately flashed to Mary, Ampere and Filk. Were they really worth saving? She flinched as she questioned Anemone's motives--an instinctive response despite thinking it at least a hundred miles away. What was she doing?
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Posted: Fri Mar 05, 2010 3:48 pm
Luna Luminesca The Ice Witch - The White Wolf of the North
Luna sighed as she heard what Rozen was saying, how she was trying to defend Anemone's actions. Rozen was made to suffer more than anyone else, a suffering that she did not deserve. It sounded like Rozen wasn't completely sure of what she was saying, though.
"...Anemone doesn't care about protecting us at all. Since he's stronger he uses fear to keep us in line. He doesn't care for the well-being of other witches, he only cares about how useful we can be to him. If he really cared about us, he wouldn't have sent you to kill me just because I stood up to him..."
At first Luna had hoped that Rozen had gotten sick of Anemone's treatment and decided to leave, but seeing as she was still trying to defend his actions, that couldn't have been the case. No, if Rozen didn't brave the harsh weather to ask for her friends help, she must have been sent there by Anemone to do his dirty work. Luna turned to Rozen, giving her a gentle smile.
"Don't worry, I understand. You're just doing what you have to do. But Rozen, you're strong enough that you don't need Anemone. If you just left, what could Anemone do? You don't need to take any crap from anyone, you deserve to be surrounded by people who care about you, and not just someone who will use and abuse you. Mary, Ampere, Filk...none of them care about us at all. They probably enjoy when us 'weaklings' are put in our place by Anemone... You don't owe anything to any of them."
Luna sat down in a chair next to Rozen, letting her be the closest one to the fire. Luna seemed to still be comfortable around her, despite figuring out the reason she was there. She actually felt bad for putting Rozen in that position, to have to choose between her friend, and for lack of a better term, her master. However, Luna hoped that she could get Rozen to see that she didn't have to subject herself to his torture.
"Listen, I'm not saying this to try to save myself. If you...*sigh*...if you still want to go through with this order and fight me...we could move somewhere else first. I have a significant advantage here, and as a friend, I'd at least make it fair. Plus, even if you did...kill me...you could get lost up here or frozen solid. But I think if we worked together, we could find someplace where the both of us would be safe. The witch that saved me before, she was Anemone's sister, so she has to be powerful. But she told me she lives in Death City...so there could be some way for us to live there too. They did seem oblivious to the fact we were witches even without soul protect. And they didn't seem so horrible when we were there, maybe we could even negotiate with them..."
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 8:21 am
WITCH ROZEN
Rozen buried her head in her hands; all of them. She pulled herself under her hat, hiding like the bug that she was. She was quiet and breathing deeply, but as time went on, the breaths became more frequent and less even.
"No... No, No, No, I'm not strong... not at all... I'm weak and useless and undeserving of being a witch, having these powers, having this lifespan. I should be dead. Dead. Dead. Dead."
It was questionable whether Rozen was really talking to Luna or not. Her face was still concealed by her gloves and her voice muffled and just barely audible. She whined, or whimpered, or something between the two.
"I don't give anyone a reason to care about me, to love me, to fear me. So very weak... I have no useful powers, no drive to destroy or corrupt, even plain cockroaches have that. I'm no witch. I'm human. Too human, but I'm not, am I?" Her lower set of hands clenched into fists, but kept near her face, "That's why I'm weak. That's why I'm such a disappointment, a failure. I'm too human..."
There was a short moment in which Rozen's shaking torso calmed, as if she reached a sort of clarity about the issue.
"Running away... cowardice. Inaction. To hesitate over subjectivities like kindness or hope. So human... I can't afford to be human."
Rozen's shaking started up, but she still calmly placed her hands back in her lap. Without moving her body, she turned to look at Luna, revealing her tear-streaked face. She'd been sobbing silently.
"And neither can you..."
The silence with which she amended herself was quickly drowned out by loud snapping. Rozen's head thrashed to the side. She had spent her life caught between her human soul and witch body, but now it was obvious, she had made her decision.
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Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 10:22 am
Luna Luminesca The Ice Witch - The White Wolf of the North
"There's nothing wrong about caring about people. And humans may lack the power we have, but we all have hopes, dreams, and the will to live. We're not really different. And I refuse to think that I need to kill and destroy just because I was born a witch. If that's true, then...then that would mean...Shibusen was right when they killed my mother, and they would have been right in killing me. No, I refuse to let their actions be justified..."
Luna got up, her head hung low as she headed towards the entrance of her home. She had hoped for Rozen's own sake that she could convince her to leave Anemone and break her association with the other witches. But it seemed like she had already made her choice. Anemone was truly cruel and evil to have warped the mind of a good person so much.
"...If you've already made up your mind, then follow me. We already know what Anemone does if you take too long to follow one of his orders..."
Luna headed back to the cave and out the entrance. She knew the quickest way southward to a place where the scenery became more green than white. From there, Rozen would be able to safely navigate back to the sanctuary...after their battle. Luna wasn't looking forward to it, but she had to win. She wouldn't kill Rozen, in fact, she wasn't sure she could, but she needed to survive the fight. Then, she'd have to get stronger and find some way to do away with Anemone once and for all. Then maybe witches with kind souls like Rozen could be able to live in peace.
((Next post in fields, I s'pose...))
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