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 Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 7:18 pm
It was getting late, not terribly late that the blue-haired student was troubled, but late enough that it was darker than it was light. Yahya Grant was, miraculously, without any animals for the time being. His baby squirrels were getting bigger, so much that he kept them in a crate to keep them out of trouble. Columbus was a happy, healthy, and self-entitled kitten who could do with being a few hours away from his owner. Yahya had spent an hour or two at Destiny City's Animal Shelter, debating on whether he should take some of the cats and dogs to the rescue center, which had more open space. There was some overcrowding in the animal shelters, but when people thought about adopting animals, they went to the shelters before the rescue center. While the rescue center predominantly focused on wildlife, there were cats and dogs that had been picked up by them there as well.
The bottom line was that there weren't enough homes, and though he wished he could, Yahya couldn't fit all of them in his apartment (and it wasn't like he'd be allowed to squeeze in some of the larger dogs too). He would just do what he could where ever he could. Yahya just needed to focus his attention on the animals he had at home. By now Columbus would be mewing angrily for dinner. The squirrels would need their vitamin supplement...
Yahya stopped at a crosswalk, patiently waiting for the light to signal he could cross. But when the light turned to the 'walk' symbol, Yahya didn't cross. Rather, he turned down the sidewalk. Something... felt funny. It was nagging at him, suggesting that he should go in THIS direction. Yahya chalked it up to instinct. Maybe there was a cat stuck in a tree somewhere down this road? Well, whatever it was, there was definitely something ahead of him. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there.
It was getting darker, but as the saying went, 'Curiosity killed the cat', and he couldn't dismiss the feeling. He'd just check it out really quick, and get home in time to give Columbus a late dinner. It wasn't like he'd drop down dead of hunger (Yahya was more inclined to overfeed than underfeed).
The student turned down an alleyway, hearing some rustling, and imagining that it was an injured cat or dog, or hell even a bird. He had a knack for running into injured things. He hovered at the entrance to the alleyway for a moment. If it was an injured animal, it would potentially be dangerous. Yahya had to be careful.... It'd have been better if he had actual supplies to wrangle up an animal. A leash or even GLOVES would be of some help.
"C'mere, kitty, kitty..." He wasn't sure it was a cat, but he wanted to let whatever was back there know he was there.
Yahya took a step into the alleyway, just as he was beginning to see the outline of some sort of animal. A... really big animal. Umm... okay, that was not an animal he could tell from the shadow. It was just a little bigger than him... a bear?
There were no bears in Destiny City!
...A circus bear? He could hope - it seemed safer than a wild one. "Niiiceee..." he cautioned as the creature came into a clearer view. It was dark out, but this creature was darker. Reptilian... wait but those things didn't get so big!
The creature made a clicking noise, hunched down onto short, muscled legs. It's neck extended sharply, clearing two yards easily, so that its eyes came into clear view. It was the only thing distinct, red, owl-shaped eyes on a flat, wrinkled face. It's mouth parted in what could have been a grin.
Yahya didn't think so, there were too many sharp teeth for that. "s**t!" Yahya yelped, not usually the one to curse but he was scared. He backed away, and the creature itself mimicked the motion, as if it didn't like the sound of Yahya's voice.
Another clicking sound was made, and the black shape curled up, readying for a pounce... and Yahya was way, way too scared to move.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:01 pm
Sue'd had a vision in his head for how Yahya would be living his life, post Barren Pines. It involved the rescue center; Columbus and those silly baby squirrels being happy and healthy, keeping the boy's hands full. School would come too, of course - Sue was hopeful that he'd be seeing his friend around Meadowview, some small bit of brightness to the headache that was a new school.
The one thing Sue hadn't figured in, even having discovered the youma activity around Destiny City, was that Yahya might stumble into danger. If such a situation were to happen, though, Sue liked to imagine that he'd be somewhere nearby, wearing his cat ears and armor, able to steer his friend out of danger.
As it happened, Sue was nearby, making his way home after feeding the cats near the site that had once been Barren Pines, when he caught the familiar whiff of a youma's evil aura, saw Yahya frozen to the spot at the mouth of the alley - but he was not in any skin but his own human one, with all the clumsiness and dull senses that came with it. The window to act was too brief to change over - by the time he was in the proper form, Yahya would be a chunky paste spread around the alley....
Sue couldn't remember having ever run so fast in his life. "Move, idiot!" Barely having reached his blue-haired friend, he grabbed the boy's shirt with both hands. There was no delicacy here - just yank hard enough to whip the boy around the corner (sorry if you hit the wall there, Yahya, but it's better than the alternative of being caught in the alley!), and then get the ******** out of the way before that thing - Sue saw red eyes, bunched muscles, and that was all he needed to know to be sure of the danger - made its move.
Of course, after that, they'd both be plastered against the wall and the youma would probably be just about on top of them - but hey, one problem at a time, right?
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:17 pm
A voice broke his fear-induced trance, because he recognized it, the tone was familiar, even the way the words were spoken was somewhat familiar. It was hard to tear his eyes from the dark creature in the alleyway, but his head turned just slightly to the side, in time to see Sue's purple hair. He was too close to see much else. While he had been told to move, in the end it was Sue who was hauling him around the corner of the building (and yeah, thanks Sue, he did hit the wall there just a LITTLE hard).
Surprise lit his features, and though his head was hurting from his encounter with Mr. Wall, he could tell that the person in front of him was definitely Sue, and not that predator-creature. Huh, what where the chances of meeting Sue here, right at this moment? Did he have time to even wonder over that? He didn't suppose so. "Sue?" he was astonished, and perhaps a little disoriented from what he had seen, and what had nearly killed him. "H-hey, Sue! It's good to see you..."
The sound of nails scraping against bricks hurt his ears, and inevitably drew his attention upwards. His eyes met large red ones, as the creature he saw in the alleyway hovered over the roof of the building. Its neck extended over the edge, face hovering only a few feet above the boys' heads. It hissed, the claws clutching the ledge of the building scratching away at the stone, as if it could hardly hold itself back.
Instinctively Yahya's hands shot out to try and push at Sue's chest, push him AWAY from danger. It was easier to push him than try to move both of them out of the way. "Go!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:14 pm
It was probably one of those ridiculously dumb things she would later regret. Actually, probably definitely. Captain said don't go out alone and what did she do? Right away, go out alone. Well, it's not like she could help it! Captain had also told the Princess to stay home and not patrol any more, and she didn't want to bother anyone...
So she found herself on a rooftop, shivering with cold, staring at the big scaly back of a dragon youma. "It's not so bad," she said to herself, quietly, "You've taken down a youma or two before. You can do it, Virgo!" As inspirational speeches went, it wasn't the best. It was more like the worst, because...
Then she heard someone yell. That someone was Sue. Move, idiot! and then, Go!
There were civilians down there!
That spurred Virgo into action; she let herself shiver one more time, and threw herself at the youma's back. If it moved, that would suck. If it didn't move, well, she'd be distraction enough for them to get away, right? The civilians were the important ones here, after all!
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 9:47 pm
Sue wasn't resisting Yahya's order - he got moving straight away, getting down the street a ways away from where the youma had been crouched, ready to attack. He would have kept right going, too, trusting that his friend was at his heels, but for one thing. That little ding! that light up in his mind, a blip shining bright on his mental landscape. A Zodiac nearby, arriving on the scene.
He stopped and turned - just in time to see Virgo's tremendously dramatic and terrifying leap. Ho-lee s**t.
The first thing to Sue's head: Why did it have to be the one Zodiac that had little to no use that showed up?! Sue would have taken the Princess before Virgo! She shouldn't even be patrolling on her own like this, anyway. What was that idiot thinking -- oh look, somebody's in trouble, I'd better just throw myself on top of the youma so they can run away while I get mauled, tee hee!
Later, Sue and Virgo would need to have a talk about priorities in battles. Likely featuring a strict "no suicide moves" rule pertaining to the rescuing of anyone but other Zodiacs and the Princess.
But for now - well. The Zodiacs were his duty. Sue wasn't about to let Virgo get ripped to shreds. He just had to get himself and Yahya a decent distance away, find a suitable excuse to let him slip off. Then he could transform, circle back, and then... then...
Then what?
Even in his between-form, human body and a cat tail, Sue didn't know about whether he could get away with actually fighting a youma. Sure, Astraea had some awesome head-laser thing - but that didn't mean Zue ever had. He was a Guardian, but even after having met with Astraea, he only had the slimmest sense of what that entailed....
One thing was clear enough. Standing around and thinking wasn't going to help anybody. First thing, he had to get himself and Yahya clear; after that, he could think about how to help Virgo.
If there was anything left of her to help.
"Hurry up, Yahya," he urged his friend on, "we gotta get clear!"
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:04 pm
Yahya paused, waiting to make sure Sue was moving on ahead of him before he followed his friend. If they were going to get eaten, he wanted to be eaten first - it'd give Sue more time to escape. Yahya's priorities usually put himself in last place. His friends and family came first, even Columbus and the squirrels ranked before himself. So long as Sue was ahead, Yahya would follow, and with one frightful look at the youma staring eerily at them, he fled after his friend.
Naturally, when Sue stopped, Yahya skidded to a stop himself. The teen glanced over his shoulders, only to stare in wide-eyed shock as girl JUMPED onto that thing's back. Yahya's 'Help the Weak!' instinct threatened to kick into overdrive. He had no idea how he'd get onto the top of the building, but he would try if it meant he could help whomever that brave girl was. "But Sue!" He was hardly one to argue with his friends, but this was a special circumstance. He couldn't leave that girl up there to die. "You run and I can... I can go back and help!" There was nothing he could do, not to help that girl.
He could stick with Sue and continue to try and keep the both of them alive, but it felt so wrong to leave anyone for dead. With a pained expression, he obediently, if not hesitantly, began to follow Sue again.
It wasn't like they got very far anyways.
The youma, startled by he sudden weight on its back, expended little energy in craning its long neck backwards in an arch. Its red eyes started unblinking at Virgo, mouth pulling into a grin. It didn't feel threatened. This one didn't look like it'd put up a fight... and so why not take it for a ride? With three great strides, the youma managed to jump from the roof of one building to another, and then jump down onto the ground feet in front from the retreating boys.
If it had managed to lose its passenger along the way, it would pick her back up later. For now the creature braced itself, and then leapt at the teens.
"Run!" Yahya was reaching for his friend's hand, to pull him to the side, maybe out of the way of the black creature to preserve their lives for a few seconds longer.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:46 pm
Sue and Yahya. Well, the fact that she knew them would fully help her with the whole... you know, you're gonna get your a** kicked ordeal. Seriously, how many times did she have to throw herself off a roof before she learned that impact hurt?
She made it all of two hops before sliding off, hitting the ground hard on one shoulder and rolling. The pair of boys were lucky, though, in that one flailing arm brushed the creature's tail; she grabbed it reflexively and was pulled to her feet. Ugh! she was never going to complain about combat practice ever, ever again. She was going to go there and be grateful, because surely that was the only thing keeping her upright and the youma held back.
"Come on, Sue, get him out of here," said Virgo. "Please!"
Maybe she could... throw the monster, or something. If she got it cornered, maybe she could beat it up or something. She had to keep them safe--had to.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 10:59 pm
"Working on it, damn it!"
Yahya would probably be wondering later how Sue happened to have an acquaintance with the daring (if thus far less than effectual) superheroine that was endeavoring to rescue them. And by the time he got curious, Sue dearly hoped that he would have thought of a good explanation. But for now, Yahya had already gotten a grip on his hand - Sue tightened his fingers around his friend's, and began hauling a** for the nearest alleyway.
As he was running, though, he was doing a bit of mental consultation. There had to be another Zodiac around somewhere - had to! They needed to get someone else into this, or else the lot of them were going to be in trouble. But there wasn't anything coming up on that little map inside his head - nobody close enough to call out to, anyway. Unless one of the Moon kingdom senshi were sulking around, they were pretty well stuck with what they had.
Sue didn't think he could stay in human form much longer then, that being the case. He needed to find someplace to stash Yahya so that he could slip off and switch over. Maybe he'd still be useless, but at least he'd be a quicker, more dextrous brand of useless with something more substantial than a cotton shirt. "Need someplace to hide," he gasped to his friend as they raced on, his breathing already starting to get a bit wheezy and labored. (Running: Not Sue's style.)
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:14 pm
W-what the...?
Yahya was momentarily stunned as that girl (did she just call Sue by his name? How'd she know him? How did Sue know her?), whoever she was, HELD the creature back from them. He could see the reptilian-esque monster struggling to get free. Well, at least she seemed equipped to handle the monster to SOME degree. Hell, she was more equipped than Yahya and Sue together. But would she really be okay? Yahya's feet had stopped moving, and it was really only because Sue's feet kept moving that the student was made to follow his friend. First, a few hesitant steps, and then he was running alongside Sue, trying his hardest not to look over his shoulder, because he was scared of what he'd see.
What if she really got hurt, while he was running away? He silenced that thought, had to silence it or else he really would pull his hand free from Sue's and run back to try and help that girl.
He tried to focus on finding a place to hide, instead. But they had little options. A dumpster didn't sound all that pleasant, and he was sure hiding behind trash cans or even IN them wouldn't be all that good of a hiding spot... unless the stench of trash covered their human scent. But a predator should still be able to pick up on it. "I... don't see anything. Is she going to be okay? Shouldn't we go back...?"
The youma, meanwhile, was not a happy camper. Its victims were running away, and it couldn't get at them because a senshi had its tail. The youma hissed, red eyes keen on the direction the boys had disappeared in. It couldn't see them any longer, and so it turned its attention to the senshi. Slitted eyes narrowed, and the youma's head snapped in Virgo's direction. With its tail caught, there was only one option, and that was tearing apart the girl who had its tail. With a hiss, the youma's neck shot out, teeth moving to try and clamp onto the girl, the youma's body twisting on itself in an attempt to get at her.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:27 pm
Virgo wanted to snap well work faster, but she didn't. That would be mean, and she was using all her energy to keep this monster at bay, and--well, she was busy. If she wasn't busy, she would have said it.
Maybe.
The boys were running away, at least, and in the right direction, which meant 'they were running from the youma'. She could feel the beast stretching to run after them, straining--her grip slipped a little. The gloves did not help; no matter how pretty they were, they weren't made for youma-wrestling. Deep breath, she said to herself; the monster's attention was turning back her way. She had to get it away, she thought suddenly, away--
So, in a move that would have made any member of the track and field team proud, she wheel around and threw the youma into the alleyway behind her. It hit a line of trash cans with a resounding clatter and crash; she permitted herself one moment to think Holy crap that was so badass.
Then, seizing a trash can lid--it was something--she threw herself after the youma, fully intending to bash its head in.
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Posted: Wed Jan 20, 2010 11:39 pm
Sue knew the look Yahya had in his eye, there. It was the one that worried after wandering puppies and hungry kitties and little baby squirrels - the can I help it look. "No," Sue said firmly, tugging Yahya earnestly forward. "She can handle it. We can't."
The fact that he had absolutely no confidence in what he'd just said didn't deter him from pushing the boy forward in front of him. The alleyway was about to split here - and Sue had an idea, the first good one he thought he'd had since the start of this mess.
"Split up!" Sue released the blue-haired boy's hand at last, giving him a light shove on the turn to the right. "We'll meet up at Meadowview - just run and keep running!"
And while Yahya did that, he might finally get a chance to transform, and just maybe, he'd find some way to help Virgo....
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 12:46 pm
He pulled his arm against Sue's hold briefly, as if to protest to the fact that they really were running away. Sure, they weren't equipped to take care of whatever that creature was, and maybe that other girl really could do it... but what if she needed help? Yahya and Sue were the closest people around, from what he could tell. If that girl needed help, they needed to be there. They couldn't be running away, not now. "But we could distract it for her, so that she can hit it easier. We can help." There was a slightly stubborn set of his lip, eyes flashing briefly with determination.
And then Sue shoved Yahya out in front of him, and reluctantly the boy moved forward as he was instructed to. He didn't like this, but at least it seemed like he would listen to whatever Sue told him to. It was inevitable that he'd at least hear out his friend's opinion... At least, Yahya would listen to Sue as long as Sue was there.
"Sue-" He was going to say something, but thought better of it, beginning to walk to the right as he was told... until his friend was out of his sight. With Sue safe someplace, and not there to talk him out of it, Yahya could go and help that poor girl. He waited a few moments, and then ran back the way he came, ran back so he could try and help somehow.
Meanwhile, the youma went flying, and crashing into some steel garbage cans that were even further away from its prey than it liked. The youma screamed, a mixture of pain and anger. It would take out the senshi, and then find some other victims for the night. Righting itself, the youma's head snapped in Virgo's direction, but not entirely quick enough to defend itself from the trash-can-lid-wielding-senshi. It lashed out with its tail, trying to trip the senshi up before she closed in on it.
Yahya made it back to where he had last seen the creature and the girl, but they were now out of his sight. What alerted him was the creature's cry, and sucking in a sharp breath, trying to calm himself, he ran towards the entrance of the alley way. He was sure he wouldn't be able to do anything to HURT it, but he could be a distraction, couldn't he? He'd find some way to help.
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Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2010 7:38 pm
This would be a story to tell the Captain. Surely not everyone threw a youma that was their own size a good ten or twenty feet into the alleyway. (She would not, of course, tell the Princess. That might make the Princess worry, which she would not do, because the Princess was a big deal.)
Virgo had no idea how youma decided when they were dead. Mostly she'd either jumped on their heads until they were dead, or run away, or in the one case the princess had cut it in half. The head-jumping seemed like a good idea, but... she couldn't get the height to jump on its head with suitable force. And her trash can lid was a little dented on the one side.
Still. She had to kill this thing-- "Ouch," said Virgo, landing on the shoulder that had taken the impact before. Stupid monster, tripping her--she recovered quickly and slammed the trash can lid across its face.
Was that its face? Virgo was unsure.
When she went to smack it again, she caught sight of Yahya and faltered. "Go away," she shouted, turning back to the monster and trying to hit it again.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:10 am
Go away? But... he hadn't even made his presence known yet! He wasn't even in the alleyway yet, but just catching a snippet of the conversation from around the corner!
Cursing under his breath, the Guardian Cat Zue came screeching onto the scene - shoeless, armored, and looking decidedly cross. (Of course, that was really just how he always looked, anyway - even in cat form, he tended to seem vaguely disconcerted about something at all times.) Of course, once he saw Yahya there, he grew decidedly crosser. Why, that sneaky little--!
"Sailor Virgo! Stay focused - I'll handle the civilian!" Zue barked. The civilian. Like he didn't know who Yahya was, like he didn't just learn how incredibly stupid his friend could be. If it weren't for anonymity, he'd be shaking the boy's shoulders and slapping him on the face right then. It would have to wait, though, until they got clear of the danger area - no good yelling at Yahya when there was something that thought them particularly edible and delicious rampaging around.
Moving quickly (fleetness was one of the many benefits Zue had discovered in his mid-form, along with his better jumping abilities), the not-quite-a-cat moved to block he alleyway from Yahya's help. "No place for you in this," he told the other boy firmly, affixing him with a particularly impressive sneer, "so scram."
Like that would actually work.
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Posted: Wed Jan 27, 2010 12:24 am
He couldn't just go away, not when this girl was up against some monster all on her own. Every good-intentioned bone in his body screamed at him to stay, to help in whatever way he could (which wasn't a lot, but he figured it was better than nothing!). Yahya couldn't leave, he was just either that flat-out stupid, or just too good of a guy to leave. Yahya could not and would not leave. Then student swallowed down his fear, mind trying to devise a good, solid plan of aid that he could provide the girl. Distraction was the only thing that came to mind, but that monster seemed PRETTY focused on the girl.
It would take a pretty big display to get its attention...
And then there was another teen blocking his way... a teen in cosplay? A cat-boy, or something like that. But, whatever he was, it didn't matter. The other boy was in his way, preventing him from helping a girl who could be seriously hurt any second from now. Yahya wasn't usually the abrasive sort, but it wasn't the time to pansy out. Yahya had no idea who this person was, and he wasn't about to let the stop him.
He had to help.
His expression turned to one of fierce determination. "No, you have to let me help!" And if Sue didn't take no for an answer...? Well, Yahya was already trying to maneuver his way around the other boy.
The youma let out a piercing shriek as its face nearly caved in from the blow delivered by the trashcan lid. In fact, it's face seemed to shrink further back into its own skull from the blunt force of the assault. The youma's confidence seemed to waver, the creature warily stumbling back from Sailor Virgo, tail lashing out to keep the girl at bay. It did not want to die. It wanted a meal.
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