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 Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 11:42 am
The world was a very different place from the day when Aree Cadence had first been corrupted by the then ruler of the Negaverse. It was a world in which Queen Beryl was only a long lost memory, something whispered in darkness but never spoken of with any hope. In those days they had been little more than a ragtag group of rebels, fighting against a force that seemed overwhelming.Their numbers seemed to constantly swell, and it felt as though another senshi was leveling up every other day.
There had been a time when Tanzanite had been sure that their battle was lost, their beloved planet sure to be swallowed up by the invading horde.
That time had long since passed.
Now, they were an army. Their numbers had grown until they had become an organized and efficient machine. While they had lost Charonite and Nealite, they had gained a purpose.
It was for that purpose that General Tanzanite was out that evening, gathering energy from whatever unlucky individuals she happened to pass. Most were spared their lives, but one man had far overestimated Tanzanite's capacity for mercy. A snippy comment about the thin scar that ringed her neck had resulted in a fist buried in his chest. She had not called upon the power of the Negaverse to allow her hand to slip through without damage. Dark claws had burst through his sternum, and his heart had popped like an overinflated balloon beneath her crushing grip.
His body fell to the ground, and Tanzanite stared at it for a long moment. His face did not have the quiet, serene expression which many associated with death. It was twisted in terror and fear, and Tanzanite rolled it over with a foot so as to avoid his wide brown eyes staring up at her.
“Don't look at me like that,” she sighed, “You had it coming.”
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Posted: Wed Feb 09, 2011 7:14 pm
They say curiosity killed the cat, it didn't stop the dog from sniffing its carcass, however. And it was by said curiosity that one Billy Roadinger would find himself, duffel bag full of art slung over his shoulder, trailing after a most curious feeling. He had been sensing monsters for some time now. He had even painted a few, as Ladon could attest to. This sensation however was different. He had felt it on his way back to Hillworth after an afternoon spent trying to sell his wares.
"I suppose he did," The silver haired b- well, not quite a boy any more, said, stepping foot on the scene with all the arrogant confidence in the world. He had never heard one of the other monsters speak, nor look quite so human. Then again, he reminded himself, this aura hadn't quite felt the same either. This one, he appraised with his artistic eye, would have made a particularly fine model to add to the other paintings he had accumulated, which were borne by unforgettable mental images that begged to be set free. Placed on a fabric canvas where he was then safe to gaze upon their usually grotesque visage.
Billy sat his bag down on the ground and leaned against the wall behind him in an all too casual fashion that betrayed the sliver of fear he denied to himself that he might have felt. Denial was something he was good at.
He was also horribly uneducated about the city's goings-on. He didn't have the luxury of watching TV, and only read the paper when it suited him. He also chose to take any gossip he heard with a grain of salt. That said, he was aware of the city's monsters - obviously - and he supposed there might have been some sort of terrorists about, but as far as he was concerned, it was all just a huge irritant getting in the way of his goals. Bottom line - things were wrong here in Destiny City, hell, things wrong with the world. And it was all a huge obstacle that he would see bow to him. One way or another.
Oh, don't ask him how. He wasn't sure. Though I'm sure if one was to ask he'd come out with some very egotistic comment.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 12:53 pm
Interesting.
Tanzanite's head swiveled, drawn to a voice whose tone was far too casual, far too calm to not attract her attention. She was used to the screaming, the gasps, the cries and the pleas. She was even used to seeing nothing but a figure running into the darkness, as though it offered some kind of shelter. It never did, but that never seemed to keep them from running off.
This one, however, was not running. He was not a senshi, that much she could tell by his energy signature, and she was certain no agent of the Negaverse would be following her around. Still, his casual manner caught the General slightly off guard, and she observed him quietly for a long moment.
Should she kill him?
Should she just beat the hell out of him and leave him here?
Should she steal his energy?
So many choices, and so little time to decide before she needed to be moving on. Tanzanite needed the energy she gathered to live, and that was on top of what she was supposed to bring back for the Negaverse. Slacking off, while it had never been an issue with her, was something she no longer had the luxury of even considering. Finally, her own curiosity got the better of her, and she arched one dark brow in question.
“You're either very brave or very stupid,” she said, the youma's voice a low hiss behind her own, “Which is it?”
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:15 pm
"That would depend on what side you categorize curiosity on. There's some really stupid brave people out there, and vice-versa." He could have easily answered one or the other, but where was the fun in that? If it was up to him, the 'stupid' category wasn't even an option.
He was still trying to determine what he was sensing with what he was seeing. He had never really fiddled too awfully much with this sixth sense that had developed after his hospital stay. After Barren Pines. Normally he sensed them and either observed for artistic purposes, or avoided. He wasn't sure if there were different sensations for different kinds...a more human kind? No, he was pretty sure this here was something special.
"What are you?" He finally came out and asked directly. "I've sensed monsters before. You're different."
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:30 pm
Tanzanite laughed, but it was a mirthless noise. A practiced and fake sounding expression which did little to ease the tension. She stepped forward, and circled the boy in a wide arc, pacing back and forth with slow, measured steps. A predator circling it's prey, uncertain of whether or not to go in for the kill.
“Monsters?” she said, realization dawning on her features. She had met another like him... the Barren Pines survivors who had a the strange ability to sense the youma that the Negaverse had deployed around the city. It meant that he had been a part of Charonite's failed experiment, the botched project that had resulted in the return of the Zodiac Guard and a heap of additional trouble that they didn't need. He, like so many others, did not understand the youma. They were loyal servants of the Negaverse, agents for a greater good than this boy's human mind was capable of imagining.
“I'm only half...monster,” she grinned, amused by the notion. It had been a long time since she'd talked with a human, and the feeling was almost... sentimental. “Don't you know there is a war going on, boy? It isn't safe to be out alone at night.”
Or during the day.
Or.. ever.
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 1:45 pm
"That explains it then~" Billy said with a ponder-some nod. Half. He had thought maybe, if the 'different vibes for different kinds' idea was wrong that that might be the case. But how? Well, that was something better left to be figured later. I f there was a later. There would be a later. Billy had the fullest confidence in himself, and his ability to smooth talk his way out of things.
"I'm not going to hide and be afraid of something I don't know much about. Too many people are afraid of the unknown." He then scoffed at the thought.
"I don't waste my time much with TV," That was a luxury he couldn't afford... "So I'm not very 'in the know.' War? what in Destiny City is worth waging war over?"
Then again, life was a personal war, a battle - fighting to obtain petty goals. Although some were not quite as petty. There would be winners, and losers...
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Posted: Sat Feb 12, 2011 2:12 pm
He was talking to her, holding a casual conversation as though she had not just reached into a man's chest and literally squeezed the life out of him. The blood still stained her hand, but Tanzanite did not seem to mind. Eventually, it stopped being wrong. It stopped being disturbing. It stopped making you sick and just became another part of daily life. She would go home that night and clean the dride blood from beneath her fingernails, and she would not lose a second of sleep over it.
What mattered right now was the boy who stood before her. If this boy had survived Barren Pines, then he was someone worth considering. Far more likely candidates had not survived that hellish place.
“Destiny City?” Tanzanite laughed, and this time she was sincerely amused. Oh, why did they always think on such a small scale? “Destiny City is our Lexington and Concord, boy. It is just the beginning of a war that will decide the fate of this entire planet. The senshi... those costumed idiots that have been running around the city? They were born with their power, and they would use it to oppress every human living here. They don't belong here.”
Tanzanite met his gaze, and there was no doubt from her expression that she believed in every word she said.
“We were humans, once. Each and every one of us. Queen Beryl has given us strength. She has given us power to defend our home. What I am, our Queen made me.”
And then.. an idea.
"What would you give to be more than..." she looked him up and down, and smiled a pitying smile, "this?"
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:28 pm
War, monsters and space invaders. Since when did life become a cheap paperback sci-fy novel? Initially thinking, Billy dismissed any desire to defend earth, but then, thinking deeper on the issue - without earth, there were no people to remember his name. It was that sort of immortality Billy sought. Who wanted to live forever, when your name and memory could carry on? And power... Well, now that was tempting. Who would remember a airbrush artist for ages to come, when he could be remembered and praised as part of the army that saved the earth?
It was that pitying smile that riled his bravado. In a 'do you think the world could HANDLE me being MORE?' way.
"Hmn, I dunno. You think Earth's army can handle me?" Billy smirked, "I will not lie, I have an ego. And if I were to lend my aid in this war, it would be out of pure, selfish, desire for glory."
The goal of glory in and of itself showed that there would be a fierce determination within him to do all he could, be all he could be. To be someone worth remembering. Selfish, egotistic, and obviously doesn't afraid of anything. Dangerous, stupid, qualities, but they had some benefit. Given time, he would surely come to truly embrace the Negaverse's goal, yes? Experience would teach him, and loses would knock him from his pedestal. His determination and drive would see to it that he endeavored to climb back up again. With a vengeance.
"But of course, that is simply me assuming that is what you meant." What what else could she mean?
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:08 pm
His arrogance made the General laugh. It was the same cocky smirk she had seen on Obsidian's face before. If nothing else, the Negaverse would give the boy a much needed reality check. His reasons... well, his reasons didn't really matter to Tanzanite. What she needed was guts. She needed those who would throw themselves into the cause without fear. The reasons could come later. After all, how many people could one kill before they started asking what it was all for?
“Don't worry,” Tanzanite's hand shot out, slipping through Billy's chest, and blackened fingertips curled around his starseed. There was, as always, that initial hunger. That urge to tear the life from his chest and consume it for her own power. She resisted, and held it still between her fingers, “I assure you, we'll take care of that.”
And then, Billy would feel a pain unlike anything anything he had ever known. It was one of the prices they paid for their power. It was pain beyond words. Pain that made every cell of your body feel as though it were exploding. It was the kind of pain that brought a strong man to his knees and made him writhe in agony.
It only got worse with every step taken further and further into their dark power. Tanzanite pushed the energy into him until she felt his starseed crack slightly beneath her grasp, an occurrence that would feel to Billy as thought his entire body had just been ripped in half. She channeled it into him until she could feel the starseed darken, until the man who took his place was no longer Billy at all.
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