|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 1:59 am
 |
|
|
 |
Seth looked at the sky once more, determining that he had been walking for an hour at least and several hours at maximum. He was no closer towards any information, or even another person. The desert was proving to be barren indeed, devoid of life, and sand filled the eye as far as it could see. He hated to admit it but his stamina was tiring quicker than usual. No doubt because of the unbearable heat, and the lack of shade combined with his thirst for water.
Several times, he thought he heard voices. Voices that spoke to him. Or a glimpse of something in the uncertainty that this desert was. But he wasn't about to fall pray to the hallucinations that the desert offered.
Finally, he settled on a nearby mountain in the sand, and sat. He raked back his already messy hair, deciding to take a break. Besides if he pushed his body further, then he would be bordering exhaustion. He needed to catch his breath, before he continued on his journey. He couldn't afford to be anything less, especially in a place and time that he didn't know.
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 10:41 am
|
|
|
|
How long had she been walking, following the sun? How many poems had the remembered, using the words to maintain a sense of reality when there was little else to judge the time by? There was nothing but sand and the sun. The sand was no judge. Sometimes it seems it shifted as she watched it, filling back in the holes that her heels had stabbed into it. For the first time, she wished that her scout outfit wasn't so heavy, pulling her down physically.
Scylla was climbing a sand dune. Unless she wished to change her course, this was the only way to go. If only she had her powers, she reflected, waving her hands in a brief mockery of the giant arms she commanded. If she had her powers, they would clear her path for her, smashing down the dunes. Right? Of course. She wished.
She reached the top, feeling herself sagging. So much energy sapped, and she was running on almost empty. She pushed herself forward anyway, starting to walk down the other side of the dune, and her footing slipped. Her footing. It had nothing to do with the sagging in her limbs. Nothing. it was a lack of the grace that she had. Scylla tumbled into the sand, her body falling down the mound of sand, head over heels.
At the bottom she sprawled in the soft stand, dazed and coated in the silver grains.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 1:35 pm
|
|
|
|
Lucky for the senshi, there was another person situated at the bottom of the sand dune. The desert was no longer silent, but slight footsteps padded the sand a small distance away from Seth. He looked back, wondering if this would be another trick or not. But this time - it was hard to miss the cloud of sand that rose, the sound of human weight, when the senshi rolled down the steep sand dune. He stepped out of the way, covering his mouth until the sand cleared away.
Before Scylla could react, her arm was yanked (not too gently) up by the negaverse lieutenant, who was relieving, entirely real. The heat of his body, the grip on her arm, the voice that came next proved that he wasn't a figment of the desert. His voice wasn't a hallucination, as he asked, "Who are you?"
He eyed the newcomer, the only newcomer that he knew of, with her white bodice, her blue skirt with the telltale tiara and headband. She was a senshi then. But instead of attacking her, he pulled her up. "Where are we?" He didn't trust her, but then again, it was rare for the male to trust anyone but himself. But he was willing to talk, to get an explanation for this hellhole that they had been thrown into.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 2:09 pm
|
|
|
|
Up from the sand she was yanked, before she was ready, and she fell towards the figure that had jerked her from the sand. Male, with charcoal boots and a half-jacket, white undershirt. Go Jada; the first thing she noticed was gender and fashion.
But the most important thing she noticed was that it was someone solid. If this was a hallucination, it was a good one, because her hands gripped the arms of someone who felt as solid as she herself. "Thank god." Her voice was a whisper. Not only because of the sand and dry heat, but because, the lieutenant may notice, of a ring of bruises in the shape of fingers around her throat.
Someone had tried to choke her out?
"I don't know where we are." her face fell as he asked the question. "I was hoping that you might." she held herself carefully; Sailor Scylla was on stage, powerless but proud. After all, it wasn't Scylla here. Scylla was strong. This was just Jada in a fancy dress. Covered in grains of silvered sand, she held herself as Jada might, hiding behind the only veneer she knew. "Thank you for helping me up."
She swallowed, looking around. "Are you the only one here?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 2:25 pm
|
|
|
|
He noted the ring of bruises around her neck, it was difficult not to considering the darkness of the bruise and the obvious area exposed by her sailor uniform. But he didn't ask. It wasn't his concern.
And with her response to his question, her answer was proving to be no more informative, and Seth sighed. Well, he hadn't anticipated much. Especially if she was dealing with the same circumstances as him. But at the very least, he wasn't dealing with a crying girl. If that had been so, he probably would have left her without a thought. But that wasn't the case here. He stared at the senshi, mildly surprised that a young girl like her could still hold her composure. Most of the regular female population weren't as receptive when they were thrown into a desert, with no food, water, or shade. Or even an explanation. That alone made him stay with her, if only for a little bit.
"As far as I can tell." His emotionless gaze swept across the horizon, which was still as empty as when they had first arrived. "Keep moving." He began to walk again, as soon as Scylla stood up. They had to keep moving. Seth wasn't about to be a sitting duck, especially in a place that they were unfamiliar with.
..And with her throat in that condition, she was probably lucky that this lieutenant didn't require her to explain, or even talk very much.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 6:45 pm
|
|
|
|
He sighed, and she gave an apologetic shrug. "I am sincerely sorry. I wish that I had a better answer for you." His brief stare made her respond with a slightly doe-eyed, startled look. Why was he giving her such an odd expression? No food, water, or shade; no sense of direction, no way to know where she was going or where she was. He turned to gaze away from her and she took the opportunity to let her breath spill past her lips, trying one more time to summon spittle to whet her mouth, tongue catching on sand caked against her lips.
It was disgusting, the feeling of the grit against her tongue. She lifted her hands, brushing them together, wiping them as free of dirt as she could before rubbing them over her burning lips. The stranger was walking away from her, leaving her behind. She paused, hesitating, staring over the sands. Was there anything out there to aim for? Why should she follow someone else?
Did she really want to risk dying alone?
Frankly, Scylla didn't want to die at all; It was not, however, as though water or shelter would find its way to her should she cease moving. She started after him, trying not to stumble as her heels again started digging into the sands. "Do you know how you got here?" She asked him the question after several minutes of silent wandering through the sand.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 7:05 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 7:29 pm
|
|
|
|
Their only other choice was death, especially in a desert like this. But the male had no plans of dying any time soon, and he doubted that the other girl did as well. So naturally, they had chosen to survive.
He didn't have much to answer her question with either, "I woke up here." The sand were crushed beneath his feet as they steadily progressed. Anything beyond that, he didn't know either. And he didn't take well to not knowing, hating the fact that he couldn't change or control their situation. He didn't spare a thought to her impractical heels, or heavy dress.
"Does anything work for you?" And by anything, he was referring to her powers. Sometime in between, while he had been unconscious, he had shifted from civilian to Negaverse. And while his attire was negaverse, his other abilities had been hindered. Specifically, his tonfas.
Before he could explain or ask anything else, his gray eyes picked up on the shift in the sand, and he grew abruptly silent. He certainly hadn't missed it, and Scylla likely hadn't either. And he wasn't foolish enough to make an excuse either.
"We're not alone."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 7:47 pm
|
|
|
|
He'd woken up here. Scylla's smile was wry, directed at his back. What could have happened? It was reassuring, in a way, that she was not the only person to whom this had happened... was she? No, this was nothing like her normal dreams were. Her normal dreams were filled with water. And in a dream, she would not be garbed as Scylla. She would be herself. This, whatever it was, was not right.
Did anything work for her? She shook her head silently before realizing that he wouldn't be able to see her. "Not that I have seen so far." It didn't surprise her that she would be known as a Senshi; it never passed her mind that he might be a member of the Negaverse. His attire may not be... normal... but it was hardly something that she would associate with a potential enemy.
Even if it were, Jada allowed almost everyone one chance.
There was a shift in the desert and as one they fell silent. Not alone? That might... might... not be so. Still, she didn't much feel like trying to mess around. There was no wind, nothing to explain the mark that had crossed the dune. Nothing to have caused the shift. "Well then. We walk softly." She only wished that they could have a big stick to carry as well.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 8:46 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 8:56 pm
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Thu May 20, 2010 9:07 pm
|
|
|
|
Geography was not the strong suit of Jada Chamberlyn, or Sailor Scylla. That, ladies and gentlebugs, would be world history. Most especially English history. Where they were, she hadn't a clue. They were in a desert, and she'd tell it to the other as cheerfully as she'd ever said anything else in her life, given another chance. Maybe. She might be too tired.
No. She bit her lip, shoving onward. She was here alone for now, with only one other with her. "Onward ho." it was a low sound, almost a grumble, but there was no genuine complaint behind it. Complaint could not be afforded in this situation. Her eyes gazed over the sand, perhaps not as observant as the grey eyes of her companion, but nothing else was noticed in the shifting of the sands. "If I get caught by something, give a rescue at least one good go, would you? It isn't like there is anyplace to hide, after all." It was a redundant request, maybe. "I am Scylla. You are?" She stepped forward.
That was when she heard it. A rattle, and the ground again shifted. She stopped again, back turning to the back of her companion, her hand reaching back for his arm. Insects? She shuddered. Jada hated bugs. It must be a feminine distaste, she'd never met a woman who liked them. Bright eyes darted over the sands around them; sweeping to the left before then sweeping to the right. She was so hot, and so tired. The knowledge that there was something out there galvanized her.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 6:54 am
|
|
|
|
A whistle sounded over their heads. Two birds were winging high on the wind, buzzards, perhaps. They swooped down lower, and on second view, they were ravens. A pair of them.
"Stop and collect yourself," said one.
"No, run," said the other. "It's death or worse, if it catches you up."
"Here or there," the first agreed. Well, maybe it was agreeing, anyway. "Sooner or later."
There was another cresting of sand, as though something were underneath it, much closer this time. Whatever it was, it was narrowing in on their location. It would find them soon.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 11:09 am
|
|
|
|
"The weak will die. That much is a given." He was merciless, which probably wasn't a very good thing in Scylla's situation. But he was talking, and answering her questions. "..Raite." Echoing that name sounded strange to his ears, but he brushed it aside.
He noticed the sounds at the same time that Scylla had. His eye caught the rippling, the shift in the sand. Rattling? In a desert? There were a few conclusions that they could come to, but it passed beyond the realms of 'normal'. No, this world wasn't normal. They had to start expecting the 'abnormal'.
Their attention was drawn by a whistle above their heads. His annoyed gaze was drawn to the birds having a conversation above them. Talking birds. Right. But their conversation was far more important then the entities themselves. Run? Or collect yourself? They had no weapons. Their physical states weren't much better, due to the heat of the desert. And their unknown enemy as well. As much as he'd hate being subjected to the whim of some birds, he wasn't going to be sitting bait for whatever lurked out there. Their choice had only dwindled down to one.
His voice was soft, but Scylla could hear it well. "Run." She was going to have to forget that her exhaustion, or either die.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Fri May 21, 2010 1:15 pm
|
|
|
|
The weak will die. Jada looked faintly amused, unaware of the expression crossing her face. "I'll remember that if you get caught." she told him, voice bland. And indeed she would. Even as she (more than likely) attempted to provide him the aid he would apparently deny her in a similar situation, she'd be remembering what he'd said.
And then, from the sky a whistle came, and her eyes left Raite to look towards the sky. Birds. Ravens with a vocabulary. Here was no 'Polly want a cracker' conversation. What the f- Jada caught herself before the curse spilled over her dry lips. Sooner or later, One way or another? Friendly and optimistic little turds, Huginn and Muninn were. She didn't share the nicknames she'd come up with for their feathered company. "We're not outrunning it. Whatever it is." she told him frankly, quietly. her eyes were on the birds. "And nothing to say it doesn't hone in on the vibrations we make in the sand as we move." Talking birds. What the hell?
Gods above, she wished she had the comfort of her powers. Those eight disgusting little- well, not so little- arms. She didn't even have her speed. Nothing. Die here. Die there, wherever there was. She didn't much like the thought of dying at all. But running... she could go along with that for now. Run? Fine. Blue heels were pulled off again, gripped in her hands. Small feet pressed to the sand. She couldn't run in these heels. She could barely walk in them.
"What is it that hunts us?" she asked the birds before she made any kind of movement to run beyond slipping off her shoes. There was no harm in taking a moment to ask the talking ravens what hunted them. Maybe what hunted was as intelligent as the Avian life? Scylla almost laughed at herself. Christ, she was treating this as though it were some sort of a video game, not that it was real. And this entire crazy situation was real, wasn't it? Wasn't it?
There was no place to run to.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
