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Gracious Conversationalist
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 Posted: Sat Jun 20, 2009 11:50 pm
Private Metaplot-related RP between Rugovin (Graficcha) & Kaosu (Count Kaosu)
Location: Wasteland – No-Man's-Land bunker station
Weather: Dry and hot, merciless drought on the open plains
This is a flashback-RP, set only a few weeks after the official cessation of the Hunt. A young, inexperienced and decidedly confused Vin has allied himself with a band of rogues, but doesn't quite manage to *keep up*.
Elsewhere, an equally young Kaosu finds himself wrapped in another operation, kept under covers from the government and anyone but the mysterious man-behind-the-screens who requested his direct superior to fulfil this mission. They have prepared this hunt thoroughly...
The chess pieces are set, but who knows how this will play out?
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Posted: Sun Jun 21, 2009 12:22 am
Huff, huff, huff.
Thudthudthud
Moving on, ever moving on. Not fast enough, not strong enough, not yet, but he knew he'd make it. Wanted to know it, believed it without a shred of doubt. While not naturally gifted, the 'brat' of the pack sure was tenuous, straining on, pressing onward driven by a righteous, indignant fury.
They'd told him they'd leave him behind if he lagged. Such was their life. The troupe would not risk being decimated because of one who failed to keep up. Only those who could hang on on their own power were worth being included, for one weak link would shatter their balance, and greatly increase the risk of complete eradication. They wanted to live, Rugovin wanted to live, if only to prove he wouldn't yield.
The concept of giving up had never doomed on him before, and it wasn't in his mind right now either, cut off from the rough-but-reliable pack he'd found, who were teaching him how to survive, lost and worn-out and aching and short of breath this far out in the middle of nowhere. No direction, no hints, no nothing, only an instinct he cursed every day of his existence telling him where to go. Making use of the fact he was one of them, with them, that something in him resonated to what-he-didn't-want-to-be in the others, that would save his life, allow him to grow strong in this wayward land and find the support he couldn't do without.
...fact remained he HAD lost track of them during their before-dawn sudden move, too tired, too weak to keep up with their tempo. He'd catch up... he'd find them.
Giving up had never been this close to entering his mind before.
But not before every muscle in his body was pulled, not before his heart gave out, not before he withered on the damn spot right there and then would he give in.
__~
Speeding through the rocky desert, in the dizzying sunlight, the 19/29-year old Essentic was completely unaware of the danger, lacking the capacity to think about anything but remaining in motion. Maybe he was afraid, even, of never finding them again, but his desperate rage was livid enough to silence that nagging voice.
There's your prey... Time for hunting.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 2:29 pm
Big cats usually hunted alone. Kaosu preferred to hunt alone.
Naturally, he was quite miffed that he had been forced to take an ally along on this particular trip. An officer, no less. It was ridiculous. He had an easy kill ahead. Their prey was young. Inexperienced. Probably not even a combat type. The foolish thing had gotten separated from its group: it would be a perfect victim. Like a lost lamb at the mercy of a wolf. A very clever lamb with a lethal array of powers. That was even better. Kao’s party had been trailing this particular pack of Essentics for quite some time, and it would feel wonderful to finally have the blood of one of them on his hands.
Dizzying sunlight. Nagging heat. The arrogant, heavy gaze of Major Manstein as they threaded through the rough terrain. The whole tableau made for an extremely uncomfortable chase. Wordlessly, without complaining, the two Hunters tracked Rugovin dilligently. They kept their distance, hoping to remain undetected. They were stalking him -waiting. He was headed in the direction of an old, unused military bunker that would provide the perfect trap. It was easier to pin down targets in enclosed spaces. Neither of them was in the mood to play hide and go seek in the open desert.
When their destination appeared on the distant horizon, Kao nodded at his superior. Drastically he picked up his pace, veering off on another route. It was a shortcut. He would try to overtake Vin and cut him off from the front. Communicating via old but effective headsets, he and Manstein would herd their target towards the base. There they would strike. In theory. The strategy was a basic, flexible plan. It left plenty of room for screw ups. Fortunately, both Kao and Manstein were skilled. They never screwed up. And if they did, they could improvise.
The redhead enjoyed the solitude as he hastily caught up to the Essentic, carefully keeping out of view. He remained several hundred yards away, not daring to betray his presence just yet. His partner kept tabs on Vin’s location for him. He promptly reached his position. ”I’m going,” he stated curtly over his radio. At this, the wily seventeen year old completely shifted gears. His irritation vanished. His nonchalance withered. He drew his scoped rifle and raised his guard. Oh hoh, it was time for the fun part.
Speeding up, he made a hard turn and headed directly for Vin. He tried to move quickly, but he kept to cover (not that there was much) the best he could. The whole idea was to drive their lost little bird into a cage… but if Kao, who was an excellent marksman for his age, could sneak up and snipe from a range, the job would become worlds easier. Yeah right. The stubborn torture specialist refused to EVER shoot to kill. That ruined the danger. That destroyed the challenge. An anticlimactic end to a boring chase. No, he would aim for a limb. Cripple the beast and bleed it dry slowly. Anything less would be disrespectful. Almost cruel.
Kao rapidly drew closer and closer to his mark. Who would spot who first?
ooc| DISCLAIMER: All of the violence in this RP is preplanned. D': Normally I would not instant hit !
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 4:30 pm
The young Essentic was largely unaware of being tracked down like this. The constant danger, the continuing strife and hectic moving around and the exhaustion had dulled his senses, and heightened his paranoia. Not a very constructive combination, really.
Focused on running, never stopping, never faltering, for about eighty percent, another fifteen percent occupied telling the remaining five percent of his attention that there was no reason to jolt away at every damn lizard or odd-coloured rock on the path. He already didn't have a single breath to spare, every skipped heartbeat was a moment suspended between the agony of continuing and the defeat of giving in.
No, this young man was as aware of Kaosu as he was of the preying raptors around and the snake slithering clear of him as he came thundering by. He couldn't discern real danger from potential danger anymore, though he would react predictably ferally if disturbed.
Go get him, cat-man. Catch the bird, catch it now. Before he runs out of steam, then it's no fun anymore.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:03 pm
This was it.
The thrill of the hunt. Half of the reason Kaosu had deigned to participate in this bloody mess in the first place. Sure, he hated Essentics. He wanted revenge for his brother. Most of the time, he masqueraded as though such details were his only motive. But at moments such as these, when the adrenaline heated his icy veins, he knew the burning truth. He enjoyed these games. He thrived on danger. He had lost all value for the concept of life.
Spotting movement on the horizon, Kao stopped dead in his tracks. Ducking behind a dusty bolder, he used his scope to get a closer look. Oh my oh my oh my. Poor thing had yet to notice him. It did not even seem to realize it was being tracked. No, Rugovin moved with a pointed carelessness. Definitely inexperienced. Definitely shaken. Tired. Paranoid. The redhead was almost disappointed. This was not going to be a challenge at all, was it?
Dejected, he slowly took aim, bracing the high caliber barrel of his rifle on the stone and holding his breath. He paused only a second to gauge the wind and his prey’s speed.”Let’s make this quick,” he purred into his headset, his tone dripping with arrogance. His conscience made a feeble plea for peace in his gut, but he expertly ignored it. He pulled the trigger.
Three shots. Always three shots. One for each leg. One at the right shoulder in case the enemy was armed. Manstein would scold him for not targeting vitals, but seriously. What was he, a duck hunter? What self respecting murderer gave his victims a quick, unexpected, painless death?
Without even checking to see if his bullets had found their marks, the seventeen year old bolted towards Vin. His officer would be right on his heels.
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2009 7:59 pm
Well that was shocking alright, the sudden panic alone was almost enough to make the Essentic's heart miss a beat or three.
In a crucial second before becoming a direct target, Vin's still underdeveloped survival instincts kicked in full surge, and he whirled around to look at what was now undeniably drilling into his personal space with hostile looks. Only bad end of that uncoordinated reflex was that he didn't have the sense yet to hide first and then look.
Not nearly fast enough, alert enough to react on the danger he saw, he almost got the full brunt of the well-placed shots. One bullet tore through his shoulder, in a thorough graze. Armed? Him? Not in a million years. The other two firmly lodged themselves into his legs, one tearing into his calf, the other drilling into his shin.
His instincts weren't the only thing that had yet to reach full maturity yet... Not that he would be able to shrug something like this off many years later either, but at this point in tie, he definitely wasn't prepared for it one bit. He'd been close to giving out already, and with this sudden burst of pain, there was no way he could've held on.
He'd still been going at quite a speed though, and when suddenly his body jerked, hitched, internal gears jamming to a halt, he ended up crashing rather messily. At least it took enough of his breath away to not allow him to cry out quite as loudly as he'd have liked, almost choking on his need to release that burst of agony into noise. A lot of noise.
By the time he realised he was looking directly into the clear sky now, blinded by the sun somewhere vaguely overhead, his vision had stopped turning around quite so badly. As soon as he got a grip again after that disorienting tumble, the next wave of rather distracting sensations came over him again, though.
"Ngh..."
Owf-, owfuuuu-... Well, this certainly was a new one... Through the entire ordeal since the start of the Hunt, he hadn't actually been shot before.
Get up, get UP already.
With an ultimate effort, accompanied by a low growl, Rugovin managed to at least sit up again, the world going fluid before his eyes as he wheezed, quickly, deeply, to try and get enough air to compensate for the sudden cease in motion as well as that strangling pain shooting up his legs. No, he couldn't afford that now, he had to.. get... up again, curse it all...
Bleeding faint trickles into the dust, the youth struggled to do so, and fuelled by that hot-white fury yet again, he suceeded in somehow getting to his feet again. No doubt he wouldn't hold out for long though, trembling like an overexerted equine like that. At least the glare he was casting the enemy approaching left no doubt, this man was far from broken. Cracked, maybe, but not shattered.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Jun 23, 2009 8:08 pm
Good instincts. The second Kaosu locked onto Rugovin, the hapless Essentic spotted him. The creature had very good instincts. Fortunately, they proved too little too late.
Three earsplitting cracks split the desert air, echoing across the landscape. Most sniper rifles were designed for range, not subtly. Manstein would take this din as his cue. Kao himself had other noises to worry about. His bullets clearly found their mark. His target toppled gracelessly, skidding to an abrupt halt in the dirt. He had been traveling at a pretty fast pace and hit the ground with a satisfying thud.
Oddly, he did not cry out as much as a raw amateur would have. He handled the rather nasty blows decently. Was he really so inexperienced? Could he possibly be a Combat model? No. Maybe he was simply tough? That was a comforting thought. Perhaps Kao would get lucky. Perhaps Vin was no pushover.
"Status?" a stern voice demanded, robbing the red head of the opportunity to enjoy his success. Still swiftly running towards his prey, Kao gruffly answered, "Hit him three times. He's down, but not dead." Silence. Then an annoyed reply, "If you hit him, why is he not dead?" The seventeen year old ignored the rebuke, cheerfully strapping his heavy gun back to his back. In its place, he donned a pistol. Much more practical for close action. Much less lethal, too.
The officer had no right to complain. The guy could not have made ANY shot from such a distance himself. As long as it was his neck on the line and his finger on the trigger, cocky Kao figured he had every right to play things his way. "...Fine. I'm coming. Try not to screw up again until I arrive." Tch tch. That did not give him much time to work with, did it?
Mulling over his options with a sick sort of amusement, Kao slowed dramatically when he neared his prize. He stopped several feet away, remembering to take care. He could not underestimate his opponents. He knew more than well what happened when one cornered a cat. Absently trying to gauge his skills and temperament, he sized the male up. Wheezing. Groaning. That was good –his victim remained alive. He even sat up! Good good. Kao did not like toys that broke easily.
When Vin struggled to his feet, the Hunter nonchalantly switched the safety off of his weapon. ”Oh? You can still stand?” he purred in a distinctly mocking tone. ”That’s no good.” He fired again, aiming pointedly at the Essentic’s bleeding legs.
Meanwhile, his reinforcement drew into view in the distance.
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Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 6:06 pm
'Simply' tough? Well, the not-quite-so-young Mimicker did have a tenuous streak, no doubt, but right now most of that uncanny refusal to give in was backed up by that gift of his acting independently. It had saved his a** before, and now was no different, keeping the pain at bay, allowing him to fight through the worst without his systems failing. Without that subconscious aid, he probably would have fainted about a minute ago.
Currently he still lacked the capacity to have much more on his mind than to try and keep standing, and various variations of 'who for the devil is this guy' and senseless urges to rip somebody's head off a skinny neck distracting him from actually finding a productive course of action. A wild stray, a wounded animal, cornered predator, unable to find a strategy but naturally puffing up, going for sheer intimidation. Crest of pale grey feathers flaring, eyes livid, his entire self exuding mortal danger. On top of that he had started to produce a rather alien-sounding rattle of threatening sounds, sharp clicks that were almost too artificial in nature to be produced by an actual voice. The rattlesnake is driven into defensive, kid, and if he gets an opening, he'll abuse it to the fullest here...
But look, for once an adversary who actually knows what he's doing, somehow. Good boy, Kaosu... don't play with your food before you know it can't tear you to shreds anymore. Indeed, underestimating someone you just shot, essentic or human, that's the thing that got you killed prematurely.
Straining to remain in control, frustration about that incessant tremble, that wave of weakness ablaze within, Vin was much too preoccupied to be fully aware or Kaosu's motions, the safety, what's that switch anyway? He'd never known much about weapons, still didn't, and in his haze failed to recognise what he was faffing there until the very last moment.
It was impossible to tell if the first thought to cross his mind was something akin to 'oh crap' or more like 'he wouldn't, would he'.
Fact remains that the rage suddenly switched places with sheer disbelief when he was gunned down again, getting another shattering impact into his already damaged shin, and the other bullet only narrowly missing an artery yet again when he staggered back half a step only to get hit for the fifth time in about as many minutes.
When he fell back, still having some momentum from recoiling a moment earlier, a local dark network of lighting jolted out into the air around him soundlessly, a discharge running over his legs, leaving to trail, no mark. With another dry thud, he came down on his rear, lower limbs spread out haplessly before him, a silent static crackling. He'd made no sound, and remained silent even now, gaze suddenly gone focused on eternity, as if pondering what exactly just happened to him. The only thing that betrayed his pain was the fact his breath was ever shallower, quick, every inch of his body trembling subtly.
And then he became aware again. Another black arc of lightning surged down him as he snapped his head up, staring at Kaosu with an intensely hollow glare.
Alright then.
Come and get me, b***h. You win.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 3:23 pm
Oooooh, scary.
The Essentic huffed up. He rumbled threateningly. Every inch of him, despite his faint trembling, seemed utterly intimidating. Kaosu scoffed, his expression speaking for him. You think you can intimidate ME? Do you not have eyes? Not understand the position you are in? The whole poise… what a pointless display. Was that a crest of feathers? The guy must have some sort of bird influence. How fitting. Maybe the red head was hunting ducks after all.
Naaaaaah. Vin felt more like a raptor.
That hunch- that tedious scrap of caution pinned Kao down. He did not dare step closer to his target. Not yet. He needed to poke around more, first. Even when his second round of shots cracked into the other’s legs, he patiently stayed put. Vin stumbled back predictably. But he did not immediately fall. He did not cry out in agony. The teenager raised a brow, somewhat impressed. ”You’re STILL standing,” he stated incredulously. Five bullets would break even the most hardened soldiers. Tough. That word was not strong enough for this particular lamb.
Quickly burying his surprise, Kao almost fired again. He did not have to. Finally Rugovin collapsed. ”Much better,” he said cheerfully. ”Have a seat, have a seat.” He relaxed a bit, settling into the situation comfortably. He was in control. He had won. Now all he needed to do was decide how to dissect his poor little victim.
It was a terribly hard decision to make. This one was interesting. He had attitude. He had life. Even better, he had black lightning. Kao had never seen any power like it before. He could not conceal his curiosity. ”No need to be so hooooostile,” he purred, the gears turning rapidly in his mind. Sadly, he could not use his normal techniques. He had no idea what this strange electrical energy was and he had no intentions of finding out first hand. He would play his games from a distance. ”I only wanted to chat,” he pouted in a shameless tone.
”Stop it,” that pesky voice of reason echoed over the radio. ”Don’t play with your food.” Clearly miffed, Kao hastily pulled the device out of his ear. He was not in the mood to listen to pointless nagging. Sure, he was experienced. He was clever. He was careful. When it came to hunting, he knew exactly what he was doing. However, the fact remained he was only seventeen years old. Young, rash, and proud. He was the definition of insubordinate.
Distraction over, Kao shook his head and leveled his pistol on Vin again. This time he aimed for the head. Hopefully by now the Essentic had deducted that he had a happy trigger finger. The half demon wanted to deter any sudden movements. ”That being said… who are you?” He did not actually care. He simply was trying to pick his enemy’s brain. Gauge his reaction to outright mockery. ”What are you doing so far away from you pack, hm? Could it be you are lost?”
Grinning pointedly, he added, ”Or maybe they’re already dead?”
Manstein sure was slow. Good good. Maybe Kao could get some actual fun in before the officer arrived to reprimand him.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2009 5:50 pm
Duck was indeed anything but the right word for Rugovin, even if he might give you an exquisite quack-recital if asked nicely. Right now such a request would end with his hands around your neck to attempt to pop your head off though. He was nowhere near as strong as he would be one day, a long time from now, but I wouldn't take any chances though. There was no telling what righteous fury would do when brought near a young male's throat really, especially if it involved considerably powerful hands.
Just a low snarl. Yes, I'm still standing. Hardly believe it myself, halleluja. Take heed, I don't like smartarses. You are SO lucky I have better things to do than to listen to that jibing, bub... Well, for example to fight the urge to give into the lure of unconsciousness, at the edge of his mind like a particularly tasty cake.
Come on now sweetie, why torment yourself, you know you want to.
"Hostile...?" A rather sluggish response, as if he had almost decided Kaosu wasn't even worth the energy spent on responding to him. Fool.
"Back where I come from it's considered hypocritical to accuse someone else of your own mistakes." He had his click-hissing reined in again now, and mocked him back with ice-cold control.
"Hah, you should've asked for my beeper number, this was... absolutely not necessary to get my attention." Despite his voice having turned rough and raw from the exertion and the entirely new way of using it -shouting, confirming, warning- it hadn't lost it's oily quality yet, and his self-confidence was unharmed as well, it seemed. If anything, he only sounded worn out -hardly a surprise-, and decidedly disapproving of Kaosu's conduct.
"You know, tripwire's actually a much better base for a friendly conversation... " Not a shard of submission of his spirit, even if he made no move that would set the young halfbreed off. "It's quite a bit less messy... less uncomfortable as well." He yielded, but did not surrender, never. That wry smile as he glanced at the luscious red seeping into the parched earth from his legs, that wasn't an expression found in someone who cowered easily.
The black lightning concentrating in on the impact centres briefly flared up -in amusement perhaps?- when he heard the third, steadily approaching party reprimand the hunter before him, and he couldn't help pulling the corners of his mouth up into a rather smug smile, eyes going half-lidded as he looked up at him. Heheheh... stupid, foolish youngling. Mockery isn't half as awesome as you may think it is... and you're not hurting me with it, no. Wonder how vulnerable you are to it, though. Poor sod.
Smartly enough, Rugovin made sure to lower his gaze and repress that smirk before Kaosu could notice. He wouldn't take needless risks, not if he could help it, and... oh yes, there we have it already, I'm a target again. Maybe that's how the rowdy boys say hello nowadays... No, wouldn't bet on it.
Indeed this wasn't the moment to mess with that oh-so fragile youngster pride, and even less with that oh-so touchy hairline trigger.
That short moment of appropriate humility was enough to force Vin's focus back to the pain he was in, and find his heartrate had anything but improved, heart going in overdrive, breathing irregular and quick, slowly getting drenched in cold sweat, losing precious fluids he couldn't afford to waste. His nervous system began revolting rather violently against the abuse, stomach churning, vision getting blurry for just a moment before he got a grip again.
"... me?" No odd moves, no, just him sitting on his butt in the dust leaning on his hands behind him, and a single eyebrow rising sarcastically.
"Why, I assume I'm some sort of target to be taken down. A shame really, I'd still wanted to finish that economy paper I was working on before the freakin' apocalypse hit..." Hard to top that in sheer apathetic snark.
"Didn't do the research? If you really want to know, I'm Rugovin. That's my name. Like it or not." That was accompanied by a short low growl. Challenge my name and be hurt, I swear.
"As for my 'pack' as you so kindly refer it to, a hunter like you should know that those who can't keep up are left behind. I have no clue where they are." That message he relayed looking up sternly now, eyes locked into Kao's. I really. Don't. Know. Don't waste your time asking, might as well cut straight to bone-dry torture if you refuse to believe me on that.
"I'm no more lost than you are..." he averted his eyes again then, gave a rough jerk when he restrained a tormented cough. Ugh... this really didn't.. didn't feel so good...
Again, that black energy spiked and surged locally, the network growing fainter and more erratic by the minute.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Sun Jul 19, 2009 9:22 am
Defiant. Tough. Sarcastic. Kaosu did not know whether to be impressed or annoyed by Rugovin’s behavior. Sure, it would have been boring had the Essentic simply passed out. That would have left nothing for the redhead to enjoy. No reward for his tedious, uninteresting mission. He liked that this creature had a spine, even if he did not have a soul. However, that certainly made him more difficult to deal with. No sense of humor. No weakness to take advantage of. Even worse, that black lightning… It was very clear that Kao could not get under his victim’s skin through mockery, so he would have to do so literally: with torture. With pain. Both were easy to inflict, but not without touching. That strange energy discouraged any kind of touch. Kao would not risk messing around with the unpredictable. Therefore, he had only a two options left. Keep shooting (though that did not seem to work well) or shoot once.
”Hypocritical? Maybe. I’m not particularly worried about being hypocritical,” he replied evenly, as though not entirely focused on the conversation. ”It doesn’t really matter who’s calling the kettle black if the someone has a gun, good aim, and a vulnerable target.” Absently, he toyed with his weapon, clicking the safety back and forth with an arrogant sort of indifference. ”Either way… I promise you, if I was hostile, it was not a mistake.” Mmmm, he was being mocked in return. Kao proved more amused than annoyed by this. The disapproval. The overconfidence. He very world was dominated by adults. He could not have survived military service without learning to cope with such bull s**t. ”Though you DO have a point there,” he admitted flatly. He paused for only a moment, pretending to feel awkward.”So then. What’s your beeper number?”
He continued to feed the strange charade. ”Trip wire takes longer to set up. When I first set eyes on you, I couldn’t wait to meet you. I’m afraid I acted a little rash though, didn’t I?” Ew. Flirting with an Essentic. Why did he bother? Even if he was only being facetious -even if the game behind it really was malicious- the idea sent chills down the adolescent’s spine. Enough of that. Enough of all of this, really. Kaosu did not miss Rugovin’s smirk. Really, even if he HAD missed it, he would have to be blind in one eye to miss the other’s cheeky attitude. Sure, the Essentic BEHAVED humble. Compliant. But the silence said it all. Silence. Compared to his sarcasm before, such a contrast was too conspicuous to ignore. Oh hoh, how perverse. This lamb felt… smug? Kao would have to fix that. He would definitely fix that. He would never get angry –anger was a dangerous, useless emotion- but he sure as hell would get even.
”What apocalypse?” Kao inquired curtly. "The Hunt can hardly be considered an apocalypse. Only the Essentics are being wiped out. That's more of a..." Genocide. Ethnic cleansing. In some cases, revenge. No, no it was nothing of the sort. This was necessary. This was the means to deter a REAL apocalypse, right? "At any rate, Rugovin. Research isn't my job. It doesn't really matter if I like your name or not: they want me to kill you, not waste time ruffling up an unimportant pawn who most likely isn't trusted with any information in the first place. You don't need a name: you won't be getting a gravestone or an epitaph." He discussed the subject nonchalantly. He had been rather desensitized to death. "But I'm feeling uncreative today. So I'll let you pick your poison. Tell me, Vinny. How do you want to die?"
That tormented cough... the fading current... for all Kao knew, Vin might up and conk out from blood loss. But still, the other's last words bothered him, "Lost? What makes you think I am lost?" A few moments later, an irritated voice cracked the air.
"You would do well to listen to your superiors every now and then, kid," Manstein declared harshly. He finally had trudged across the desert over to their position. "Sorry, my radio shorted out," Kao lied carelessly, taking a step back from the incapacitated Essentic. You would do well to not flaunt your status at me. You would do well to keep out of my business. You would do well to move faster if you are SO concerned about what I do. Such thoughts flashed across Kao's face briefly, but he held his tongue and pretended to be submissive. He hated being talked down to, but he could handle it. "I was awaiting your orders." The ill tempered officer shook his head and scoffed, "Watch yourself, Mister Lucien Lefraunte. You may think you're special because you're some rich spoiled brat from some wealthy family, but you're nothing. You're not above the rules here. No one cares about titles here unless they're rank. And you've got many, many years to go before you can even think about rank."
"My name's Kaosu," the petty teen corrected quietly. The reprimand did not bother him. Manstein was a fool. Kaosu. The nickname had been assigned to him his military companions. It buried his aristocratic heritage. It murdered that rich spoiled brat. It was his implied rank. As far as Kao was concerned, Manstein had no idea what he was talking about and brushed it off. "Fine. Kaosu. Rugovin. Batman. I don't care what you call yourself. I'm warning you. You'd better pay more mind to protocol or your future might not be particularly bright. Wouldn't want to end up like your brother, would you?" Critical hit! It's super effective! Nothing either Vin or Manstein had said so far had irked Kao at all up until now. But the mere mention of his sibling... that low blow... his mood immediately, visibly soured. You could insult HIM all you pleased. But insulting his family's death? The end of his world? It was never a good idea to provoke a young, blossoming sociopath in such a crude manner.
"Very well, Sir. I'll stop messing around and finish this." Fighting and failing to conceal his new, spiraling ire, Kao gruffly aimed his pistol at his prey. The head. The chest. The throat. He would like to see the Essentic act so brave after losing one of those. "Any last words, Vinny?"
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Posted: Tue Aug 04, 2009 4:53 am
Enough with the shooting already, this is overkill as it is. Remind me, how many bullets have you wasted so far? Three? Four? Don't mind me losing the ability to count, my ears are still ringing. Indeed a stab to the heart would've been merciful, but how fun would that be. Not a very interesting approach to take. Boring. Easy.
"Point, though we're still kettles." Props, you realised you're in charge and I'm inches away from getting killed. Don't mind me, mister-freakin'-doomed-anyway, to snatch back the last word on it. "And my beeper number's private, you'd have to ask me very nicely." =3=' And preferrably stop trying to murder me.
Oh yes, why not add a dose of... good god, what's WRONG with this man. How messed up do you have to me to start... start... FLIRTING with your own target, let alone an Essentic target. Well, something told him this kid loathed the idea as much as he did, but that only made it a notch creepier. Mother Iris, when would this twisted farce stop? Either these two killed each other or they both killed him or a lightning bolt would come and tear the planet apart, but honestly now, get a move-on.
And then the pompous a** has the nerve to not even formulate a decent opinion on all of this mess and dismiss it by calling me an unimportant pawn. Yes, so much for knowing what you're doing. Fool.
"How I wish to... You're not exacly going to comply if I decide I'd rather get hit by a truck next year than die here and now eh..." Oh come on, no more, no more games. We both know who'll have the last word. You know, I really don't feel so good. If you're going to waste more time talking, you won't have to worry about that entire killing thing anymore at all.
That last inquiry Rugovin let slide. What would it matter anyway? By now he was fairly certain he would meet his end here, so he just let them talk over his head while his lightning gyrated out of control slowly, numbing him to his physical signals without even the least conscious fiat.
The entire bicker drifted by as if they were two strangers at a bus stop discussing a subject Vin simply wasn't into. Not one bit. In fact, the entire matter almost hurt to even vaguely register. Only when Kaosu addressed him again did he look up at him, his gaze calm despite the tremors going through his body now, despite the heaving breath.
"Last... words?" Who cares, you're going to murder me now, and nobody's going to care. "Just do as you're told, before you get in trouble..." Fool. Don't go down your brother's road, kid, whatever brother you had.
"Wished I could've been a brother." For real.
As he said that, Rugovin's gaze seemed locked on something far away, yet he sounded surprisingly present. His eyes were open, his voice was solid, before you is a man, an Essentic, in full knowledge, conscious of himself. Now it's up to you to end it here.
Do it, kid.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Mon Nov 23, 2009 9:45 pm
Do it, huh?
Manstein wordlessly demanded the same thing. No one was amused by this chatter. Vin wanted the pain to stop. The major wanted to get back to base and relax. Kaosu had no excuse to draw the conversation out any longer. As annoyed as the teenager was, he knew this fact very well. Swallowing his pride and his anger, he almost grudgingly aimed for the Essentic’s head and pressured the trigger. All he had to do was pull that tiny strip of steel. All that stood between him and the end of this mission was some gunpowder and a mechanical spring. He had killed countless, right? This should be easy.
It wasn’t.
Kaosu, in a sick sort of way, always had trouble with goodbyes. Whether of friend or foe, death of any kind left him numb. Death was absolute. Death was the one demon he could never defeat. Death was the end. He was powerless in the face of it. If he had learned anything from the burning of his brother, it was that he was terrified of being powerless. When his victims were alive, they bent to his will. Their well-being depended on his mood. He was absolutely in control and he enjoyed it, like some old principal who hated his job and loved to take it out on students. But that control always ebbed away as their strength faded, leaving nothing but a bad taste in his mouth. Regret, guilt, and doubt always sank in. Hunts and interrogation were fun, but death left nothing in its wake but darkness.
Why was that stupid Manstein making him do something like this? He belonged back in an operating room, where he could take his sweet time.
Normally Kao conquered such reservations quickly, but before he managed to steel his nerves, Vin spoke. Wished I could’ve been a brother. The redhead winced. He had heard that phrase before, right after it left his own lips. His hesitation was only brief, but his superior spotted it. ”What’s the matter, Mr. Kaosu? Having second thoughts?” Kao grimaced then retorted, ”I was only-“ ”Oh hush. You always have a response to everything. I’m sure you and that Essentic have a lot in common: you both are young, you both are useless, and most of all you both are completely incapable of being family. It’s lucky I came along. I’ll just take care of this for you.” Casually, Manstein pointed his weapon at Vin.
BANG.
Blood splattered all over the ground. Kao drew back slightly, dropping his cool demeanor. ”I, um…” Oh god, that had been impulsive! He had not prepared himself for this. What now? How would he explain this? For a brief instant panic flashed over his features. ”Whoops.” His officer was dead. Even worse, he was the one who fired the bullet that took his life. He HAD to compose himself and deal with the situation now. He had not composed himself while Manstein was taunting him, and just look what happened. Why had he done something so irrational and stupid?
”What to do, what to do? I can’t take him back to base. That shot is probably still lodged in his skull and they’ll be able to identify it as mine,” he mused to himself, obviously flustered. Work mind, work! ”I can’t leave him here. They’ll find him in no time,” he continued, pacing slightly. ”And,” the red head stopped abruptly, finally turning his gaze to Vin. ”What do I do with you?” The Essentic was too far gone for anything interesting. Kao had lost any reason or motivation to deal with him. Unless… An idea struck him.
Cautiously, Kao stepped closer to Vin. ”Hey,” he began, clearly wary. ”It would seem that we’re both in a little bit of trouble because of me.” He did not like the thought of entreating the aid of an Essentic, but he did not have alternative. ”I can get us out of said trouble. I’ll let you live. But in return, you have to h-h-help me. Er well. Not really. You just have to survive.” He clicked the safety back onto his pistol and returned it to its holster. ”Can you handle that, Vinny? If I can get you back to our jeep, I can probably stop your bleeding, so, um.”
If Vin lived and Manstein’s body was properly disposed of, Kao could pin the murder on him. Since the birdie was already being hunted, what harm could it do?
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 1:46 am
Do it, get it over with, yup.
All the while, Rugovin continued to tax him with that controlled-vicious gaze, even if his mind was severely fogging up. He had almost started to get irritated over the youth's spineless attitude. Yeah, from a distance you can shoot me, you can play with me and cause me pain, but you can't finish the damn job? Precious, oh how precious. His stare flicked to the adolescent's superior when the wizened man stood to take this matter in his own hands, and a small growl escaped Vin at the unwanted dissing he poured over both him and his primary assailant. Dude, this is between me and the kid, piss off will you.
No matter if he was being rational here or not, he was still fully expecting to die within the next seconds, feathers flaring up in alarm when the elder raised his gun, took aim so loosely.
Props be given where due, the Mimicker mananaged to keep his eyes open when the noise erupted, pupils shrinking to avian pinpricks at the deafening sound. His crest had sharply fallen low, like a cat flattening its ears facing a sudden threat, but at the scene now enfolding they slowly rose back to frame his head in a picture of confusion.
Wat.
For the longest time he could only stare, eyes flicking from the now soundless and thoroughly dead -no doubt about that- body, to Kaosu starting to pace about like a slightly cornered tiger and back.
Wat.
No, let's not muss around now, I'm still very much alive, thank whatever gods be damned. That little b*****d did in fact, just murder his superior, and hooboy, was he ever going to be in trouble for this. But why, WHY? Okay, brain, you're failing me. Well, either that, or the world has indeed decided to convert to a most strange logic overnight and forgot to inform me that we're living in backwards-land now. No, logic is still the same, it was that kid who'd just lost his marbles. 'Whoops' indeed.
That odd 'realistation' made the Essentic give a slight headtwitch, trying to snap himself out of that stupor. Bukawk, I'm still befuddled. Yup, and my legs and shoulder are still killing me, take that as literally as you like. Yeow.
To try and keep his focus away from that unpleasantry, Vin returned his attention to a muttering Kaosu. Nice to see you realise how crazy this is yourself. Oh wait, you're talking to me now? He couldn't help giving him a slightly sarcastic headtilt at that, his previously wide-eyed stare sliding close to a worn-out scowly squint. What you're going to do with me? Oh I don't know, I'm not going anywhere... Hah.
Hey, hey, back off boy.
Not liking that look he was getting one bit, in a reflex the mimicker jolted up a little, angled one of his legs and shoved himself further away from Kaosu, at the cost of yet another lashout of lightning. Isis be damned, that hurt. Beyond a grinding of teeth, a sharp warning glare at the youth and feathers tensely flaring again he made no sound though.
"A little trouble?" he retorted incredulously, indignantly, almost coughing it out in the hot-dust heat. You have GOT to be freaking shitting me lad. "You just shot your supervisor for Iris' sake." It might have been a good thing he still sounded so hoarse, having your voice slip up from the sheer amount of disbelief would have been embarrassing. Again he glanced from the body to Kaosu, back and forth a few times. The boy had to be stark raving mad, he had to, and that idea only took his level of potential danger to creepy new heights. Oh well, a shrug later Vin seemed to have approved of that concept, and was ready to listen. Oh, you're panicking now? Works for me.
Staying rather stoic as he let Kaosu talk, watching him with gruff indifference almost, he began to mull over what the youth was offering him. Had to give it the lad, that was some sharp thinking.
"So if I'm hearing this right, you'll want me to become a tool for you to cover your a** with when your employers catch wind of this." You couldn't blame him for the caustically sceptic look he was giving Kaosu now. It was a good thing his survival instincts and general ******** attitude was kicking in again at the prospect of not being shot the next second though. No, this was a surprisingly reasonable offer. The Essentic had nothing to lose at this point, so even the slightest reprieve was a quite welcome advantage. It wasn't in his nature to get all self-sacrificial over a personal grudge either, revenge served nothing if it got you killed. The benefits of cooperating far outweighed the idea of Kaosu having a decent chance of getting into deep, deep trouble for this. Might as well remain on his good side before he started thinking of ways to help himself. Oh hey, the gun is gone, a good sign.
"Might be the sun getting to me, but that sounds pretty good to me, considering." Survival is a pretty precious reward to dangle in front of me. "I'll do whatever you want of me... As long as it doesn't involve raping that corpse, thank you kindly.
"I can apparently handle being shot by a loon-in-training, I'm sure I'll manage." Don't take the snark too personally, no matter how surprisingly eloquent he was remaining. With a gruff snort, he leaned forward, willed his legs back into his control again. He'd at least had the time to catch his breath for a while now, and it gave him an edge in overcoming the pain and the rush of dizziness coming over him when he began to try and get up. Again the lightning sparked, retaliated as he bent his knees, put pressure on torn muscle and broken bones. Mother of all, it hurt, it hurt, but damn her to all hells and back, Vin wouldn't yield. With a rather powerful growl he forced a tight focus into himself, and quite suddenly, the stray arcs shooting over his body stopped. The next moment, he was standing, somehow, his stance askew, fresh blood welling up from the bullet holes.
Overkill, Vinnie. Overkill on the agony, at least. He felt close to nothing at this point, only decidedly uncomfortable pulsing, irregular and dull-heated shooting up from his lower extremities, and a heavy, deep pressure in his shoulder.
"... alright." almost annoyed, if still dazed-looking, he glanced himself over, his consciousness again desiring to fade out. Being all high-up again felt refreshing though, the air a degree cooler off the ground. No, don't look down, you really do not need to see how much you bled already. Ignoring his heartbeat going erratic, feeling it throb in his head, he looked at Kaosu. "I have no idea how I am standing, but I'm betting my a** on it it's not going to last."
So whatever it is you're planning, do it and do it now.
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Gracious Conversationalist
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Posted: Tue Nov 24, 2009 10:31 pm
Kaosu had left base seeking revenge. Revenge was what drove the deranged teenager to join his organization in the first place. Everything he did was rooted in his need to console himself over the loss of his family. The selfish sentiment drove him to hunt down Essentics like animals. Kaji had left his sibling to die. In his mind, like her, all Essentics were incapable of love. Like her, all Essentics menaced society. Like her, all Essentics deserved to die… But so did men like Manstein.
What soulless b*****d would so carelessly mock the dead? For as long as Kao had served under the major, the older man had made his life miserable by constantly bringing up Mabui’s death. His words were like spit on his brother’s grave. Therefore, even though in the end Kao would have to save Vin instead of killing him, he still got his own little way. That irrational shot, fired thoughtlessly in anger, proved to be his revenge.
Then why did he not feel any better?
Crazy though his plight may be, he would survive. Even if his little bird friend refused to cooperate, there was more than one way to dispose of a body. He would get away with this. His organization would never know of this particular murder. No longer would he have to put up with his arrogant superior breathing down his neck. As the sole survivor, he might even get a promotion! He had won. He had won, as he always did when facing Essentics. So why was he not proud of himself? Why did disgust creep into the back of his mind? He was justified, right? Or maybe, this idea of revenge… maybe it was not so rewarding after all.
Whatever. One way or another, he had to focus on the here and now. ”Yeah, I did shoot him, didn’t I?” Kao responded absently, regaining his cool and pretending to be unconcerned. That Essentic seemed just as stunned by his sudden betrayal as he was. Tsk tsk. He even backed away when was approached. What a numbskull. Did he not remember that he was injured? OF COURSE moving away was going to hurt. And naturally, he sparked too. ”Don’t worry! I am trained to deal with situations like this. I’m sure I’ll pull through this ordeal completely unscathed,” he hummed. ”I can’t exactly say the same for you, but since it looks like you’re willing to cooperate, we may be able to work something out~”
Good good. So Vin was not so preoccupied with pride that he was willing to die for it. However, he still seemed a little… skeptical. ”Yeah, you’ve got the basic idea. Tool or no, you’ll still be alive. That’s pretty generous of me when you think about it.” Or not. As much as he hated to admit it, to stay alive he needed Vin as much as Vin needed him. He was not about to let his acquaintance know this, though. Fortunately, Vin came around without any convincing.
”Pfft. A loon? I’m not the one who is part bird here. I’m glad you don’t have bird brains, at least. This will be a lot easier if we just put up with each other for a…” Kao stopped midsentence, raising a brow. Maybe this Essentic really WAS a loon. What kind of fool tried to stand with bullets holes in his legs? Anyone in their right mind would understand that movement like that would only increase the bleeding, not to mention cause a lot of unnecessary pain. Yet here Vin was, on his feet. Sure he was tough, but this really was a bit overkill.
Shrugging, Kao chirped, ”Alright indeed.” He quickly calculated the odds of Vin making it very far on his damaged limbs. Well, if he managed to ignore the agony, he could probably walk. BUT he had open wounds. Exercise of any kind would encourage more circulation in his body and therefore more leakage. This guy could not have much blood left to spare. No. Kao was not in the mood to deal with a stopped heart.
”The first thing you can do for me is stay still,” Kao purred, sounding slightly annoyed. ”There’s no point of me leading you to medical supplies if you lose so much blood you’ll conk out beforewe get there. Idiot. I’ll be back in a minute, so try not to hurt yourself, mmkay?” With that he hurried in the general direction of the bunker. Yep, I did just ditch you. Kao figured that even if he left Vin, he was not about to go wandering anywhere in his condition. The military jeep was hidden a short distance to the south. The hunter could retrieve it and drive back in a mere handful of minutes. He had never attempted to drive before, but how hard could it be?
Hard was not the word for it. Technology, for Kao, was always… frustrating. The spoiled kid wasted several long moments figuring out the controls, and in turn was rather flustered by the time he arrived back at the crimson spattered scene of the crime. In a straightforward manner, he stopped the vehicle and hopped out. ”So um. I’ve decided that I shouldn’t use any anesthetic on you. I don’t know what your influences are, and I’m not particularly up to figuring out which drugs will and will not kill you. Not like I have many to choose from, anyways.” He casually dug through the back of the car, which was loaded with everything from land mines to ammunition to food rations. He pulled out a rather simple surgical kit and a few other materials.
”I’m going to have to pull those bullets out of your muscle tissue. Which will hurt. A lot.” Kao, having located everything he needed, turned to Vin and crossed his arms. ”I don’t know if you can control that lightning of yours or not, but…” Ugh, this was not going to be fun. The torture specialist was trained to break bodies, not repair them. Bullet gashes were actually fairly easy to stitch closed, since the hot metal cauterized the flesh, but to do so would require a lot of concentration on Kao’s part. That meant dropping his guard.
”You’re that last person I want to say this to, but I’m going to have to trust you and you’re going to have to trust me for few minutes. Got it?” So sit down and I can get to work.
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