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 Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 9:58 am
Destiny City's weather was finally improving. The sun was lingering on later into the evenings, lending its warmth to the air and it's brightness to many an overall mood. The gentle breeze that accompanied it seemed to draw people looking to spend that perfect day off outside in droves which made Destiny City Central Park, one of Sailor Corvus's favorite patroling places, a bit busier than usual even after sundown.
She had headed to the park as a student that day, not as a senshi. The art class that she had taken in an attempt to get back to something calming and relatively safe (at her parent's insistence that she take something -other- than just self-defense or kick boxing or any of the other things that might get their darling daughter roughed up more) had asked that they spend a day taking inspiration from nature... And honestly, what better place to go than a beautiful park filled with trees and flowers and people.
Cordelia had found a nice bench to sit on, using a charcoal pencil to sketch out a few things; trees, the fountain, a few loose sketches of people in motion... It seemed quiet; far too quiet, and a part of her knew it really wasn't going to last.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:02 am
Serenity and calm were not words normally found in the vocabulary of Penny Figgins. The 27-year-old assistant producer for Destiny City Nightly News had a tendency to always be in some sort of tissy -- be it over the wrong temperature on the steak she ordered, the sound guy showing up late, or any other of the number of things that tended to go wrong for her on a daily basis. Sunset approaching meant that Penny needed to head to work, if she wasn't already there. The 11:00 news went into its cycle of production and organization for the show hours before the cameras began to roll. Penny tended to turn her gears on to go-time hours before that.
It was a wonder that she was not already fast at work within the sacred walls of the news station already.
Unlike Cordelia, Penny was in her alternate form as the sun began to roll beneath the horizon -- and running. Even though she still had an hour to get to work, the woman considered herself personally late since she typically came early. The fastest way between two points was turning into a Page and making use of her speed boost, evil to battle be damned. Nothing chased her. She had no idea if there were any youma in the area. Meri just wanted to get to work, and fast.
Her booted heels clicked across the ground as she high-tailed it from one sidewalked patch of ground to the next, her pale silver hair whipping in the wind behind her. The bow she was still learning how to manage was slung hastily across her back, and the arrows in the quiver rattled with every step. The long panels of her skirt caught the breeze and flapped wildly.
It was daylight out, and Cimmerian was running without a care through a park, ambivalent to the civilians who glanced her way.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:04 am
For all that Cordelia was quickly becoming accustomed to odd outfits and strange happenings, there were some things that she had trained her mind to keep an eye out for. Sightings of strange weapons were one of them, as they generally signaled a Negaverse agent of some sort (unless there really was something weird going on wherever she happened to be, like a play or a pageant or something...).
Her sketchpad was dropped and she sprung to her feet quickly at the sight of a bow slung over a back accompanying such an odd outfit. Just running through all of those civilians? Maybe they were just new... Well, what better time to introduce whoever to the senshi that considered this area her territory.
While she lacked the speed when henshined-down, she seemed confident enough in her ability to chase after someone that she didn't let it bother her, figuring that somehow she would be able to catch up better once she had a moment to duck out of sight. She took advantage of the first area of dense shrubs, pulling out her pen so that she could power up...
... And then she was back on the ground again, heels clicking and skirts swishing as she took up the chase once more, so intent on the chase that she seemed to miss the residual feeling of dark energy coming from somewhere other than in front of her
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:06 am
Cimmerian didn't seem to care about the looks she got. A woman gripped her cellphone tightly, shaking as she took a photo. A dog barked. Truth be told, there was probably a part of Meri that enjoyed the spotlight. She had grown up wanting to be a news anchor only to find herself behind the camera. As a Page, she had found an all new spotlight, and at times, she thoroughly enjoyed when it was fastened right on her.
Time was ticking, and she needed to get to the studio in time to have her pre-show nap. The burst of another energy signature in the area didn't seem to startle her. Meri was so new that she was only vaguely aware of these sensations anyway. She had no idea what auras meant, and she hadn't thought to question it either.
What she did notice, however, was the sound of heels chasing behind her. Rounding a corner out of sight of the civilians, Meri finally came to a stop, quirking her head to one side. She saw a dark-haired girl following behind her -- from the look of her, was she... "Senshi!" Meri shouted, waving one hand. "Wow, you're my first. Senshi, I mean. You are a senshi, aren't you? The skirt and all." Meri had seen enough news footage to recognize a psuedo-school uniform. Apparently that was the base of the senshi aesthetic, as far as she knew.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:11 am
If she hadn't been paying attention to the other female's movements, at least a little bit, she would have skidded right into her as she stopped. Heck, even then she almost did, heels digging into the dirt as she skidded to a stop, eyes narrowed with hands on her hips as though she were about to give someone a scolding (yet another something she had become practiced in).
"Super senshi, actually." As though the bigger bow and the sheer sleeves didn't give it away, never mind that they wouldn't give it away to someone who had never crossed paths with a senshi before as the young woman was claiming she hadn't. "Super Sailor Corvus, and since you're brandishing that thing," she made a gesture towards the bow hanging from the girl's back, "and you've never seen a senshi before... Should I assume you're a careless Lieutenant? Or did I miss the memo and you're just an intelligent civilian who just so happens to be running late for play practice and was blessed with the natural ability to run at warp speed?"
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:14 am
Despite her desperate need to get to work so that she could not be late to being early, Cimmerian was perfectly willing to wait around for a little chit-chat with a fellow superhero. "You come in sizes?" she echoed, laughing. "Like french fries. Wow, I wonder if I come in sizes." This seemed to be a genuine question for her. The bubble of happiness shrunk as the self-proclaimed Corvus prickled at her.
Meri took a step back and raised an eyebrow. "Brandishing?" she said, dropping her eyes to the bow lazily strung around her. "If this is brandishing a weapon, then I am a little terrified of what you would think if I actually notched an arrow in it. What's with all this puffing up, Super Size? We're on the same team." She did a half-hearted fist bump with the air between them.
"No, seriously, I am Cimmerian, Page of Pluto, and according to the ghost of the Cimmerian Knight who came before me, we are totally on the same team." This only made sense to the petite Page, but she didn't seem to find it necessary to explain it further. Instead, Meri lifted a hand to shake. "So how about a highfive or a handshake or something instead of the third degree? You're my first senshi. That s**t is exciting for me, you have to understand."
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:16 am
"Sizes?" Her brow quirked for a moment as her mind drifted to something other than the direction the other female was going with the conversation; thinking only of the one attribute she had that size was ever really mentioned about until realization sank in as she continued to listen to the self-proclaimed Page. Then her brow was furrowing as she shook her head, uncrossing her arms. "No, no... In this case, in the case of senshi it refers to power levels. I've reached the second tier, so to speak... And for whatever reason, it's called Super." From the brief eye-roll that seemed to follow that statement it was clear that she sometimes thought it was just a bit less than actually super.
"As for the third degree? You're my 'first' Page. The last girl I saw with a bow was trying to shoot me with it; doing a poor job at it, but trying to shoot me just the same. I didn't think our side had weapons... Other than the few senshi I've seen with them, but they tend to be few and far between. Beyond that, the last non-senshi ali that I met helped lead a group of us into space, which then lead to being dropped off in a dream land where we all wound up fighting for our lives." Bitter much?
She seemed to realize how much of a killjoy she was being as her eyes lowered to meet the hand of the page, brow furrowing slightly as her shoulders fell. "Sorry..." Her voice sounded as though it carried enough regret in it and she held out her own gloved hand as a sort of 'peace' effort. "We're not all this bitter. Senshi, that is... I'm certain some of us could downright kill you with cute or kindness instead of just grumbling you to death. It's good to know we're not the only ones fighting on the light side, though... And, judging by what you've said about meeting a past Cimmerian Knight? I'd say you've got sizes to look forward to as well." She punctuated that with a smile, a bit of light and humor returning to her eyes.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:21 am
Some senshi had weapons and magic? So not cool. As far as Cimmerian knew, she would only ever have this damn bow with its blunt arrows. She could give a youma a headache, but would have to get creative to actually dust with with it. The more Corvus spoke, the more confused Meri felt. Space? Dream land? What?
Well, she had gone to space. Was Corvus talking about Kurma? Before the petite Page could interject, the dark-haired senshi was already apologizing. Meri smiled back, shook her hand, and then dropped it back to her side. "Being a superhero is confusing, I get you," she said, popping one hip out to the side and adjusting her bow. "I'd rather upsize sooner rather than later." She had no idea what upgrading would entail, but Meri was the kind of girl who liked to be the best at something even if she had no idea what that something was.
A piece of something Corvus had mentioned earlier came back to Meri then. "You said I was the first Page you'd met? I only know one other like me, a hulking guy name Gehenna, and you're the only senshi. And then I guess I met Kurma -- Esabel, too, if you count visions from the past. That is the start and finish of my experience with this new lifestyle." New lifestyle. God, it sounded like she was experimenting with her sexuality, and that was what college had been for. "So am I something weird? Are Pages not the norm?" This idea intrigued Meri. On one hand, it insinuated that she was special, and on the other, it meant that she would have less people to go to for answers.
Down the street, something black and crawling lurked behind a bright green dumpster, watching the two powered characters talk.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:23 am
"As far as I knew, prior to Elysion, it was us and them." The way she spit out the word 'them' was like she was talking about the group of misfit kids from that school you didn't talk about. "Well, no. That's not completely true. A year ago there were others, but I couldn't really tell you what happened to them either and I only ever met the one." She'd been of the stone cold variety too; Kunzite, they'd called her. Cavalier Kunzite.
Whatever the senshi had been thinking she seemed to shake it off with the bounce of some curls and the dismissing wave of a hand. "Senshi and the Negaverse... That's all there was. Then the Mirrors and Kurma... And the Guardians of Elysion. But you don't know anything about them, do you?" Her brow furrowed and it looked almost as though she was going to begin with another barrage of questions and comments but instead she paused, shivering slightly before glancing around.
"... I don't think we're alone." Captain Obvious.
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Posted: Tue May 17, 2011 10:26 am
Cimmerian was part of the 'us,' right? For a split second, she was unsure. This was the first senshi she had ever met, and the girl was giving her a lukewarm reception split by waves of what seemed to be exasperation. Was that what being a crimefighter did? Maybe you exhausted? Meri already had one job that she loved in her civilian life. She still viewed her Knighthood as a strange character quirk, not some mighty calling, not even after Esabel told her it was.
A year ago there were others? Others who? How many groups had come and gone since all this madness had started in Destiny City? "Mirrors, Guardians, others -- I know Kurma, but..." Her words trailed off as Corvus sensed something was in their vicinity.
The Page turned, slinging her bow off her back and into her hand. She notched at arrow. "I nearly shot a stray cat with one of these yesterday," she said, taking slow careful steps toward a shadowed space just past the edge of the street lamp.
Meri slowly prowled toward that space, step by gradual step. When she was within a few feet of the trashcans, the petite crimefighter leapt forward suddenly, "Aha--huh?" The only thing behind the trashcan was a rotten apple, some wet and crumpled pieces of paper, and a puddle of dubious water.
Cimmerian straightened, relaxed the bow in her hands and turned back to Corvus. "I guess sometimes we just get false alarms. I needed to leave anywa--" Her words were cut off as something small, black, and vaguely monkey-ish dove out from one of the trashcans and latched itself on to Meri's face. Her bow went flying to the side. She stumbled backwards, gripping the tiny youma under what she assumed were arms as it began to scratch and claw at the tender skin on her cheeks.
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Posted: Sun Jun 26, 2011 7:33 pm
Her own reaction times weren't nearly what they should have been; certainly not up to the standards that she had tried to keep herself pushed to. She should have been faster, should have been able to snatch the ugly little critter away as it lunged... Should have had a power that permitted her to do something other than vaguely wish the damned thing had attacked her first.
She took a moment too long looking around for something to use as a weapon before snapping out of it, realizing that she had the only weapon she currently needed; her fists. One gloved hand balled up, fingers closed tightly as she took a swing at the youma clawing at the other female's face, hoping in the back of her mind that the creature wasn't smart enough to grasp the concept of duck or dodge.
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Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2011 8:34 pm
The creature wasn't smart enough to duck or dodge, but apparently, either was Cimmerian. There was a wet squelch and the cry of the youma. Then the cursing of the Page of Pluto as the velocity of the hit went through the youma and to her face. She stumbled backward, clawing at the thing. With their powers combined, Meri and Corvus managed to confuse the beast enough for it to let go and hop to the ground with a hiss.
Meri looked worse for wear. Her cheeks had scratches covering them, and one eye looked like it might turn black in a few hours. "******** a**," she swore, balling one hand into a fist. "I have to go to WORK." This, it seemed, more than anything was what set her off.
The Page pursued the youma around the park, punching, kicking, and spitting when possible. At last she grabbed a hold of its tail and spun the youma like a shotput, finally releasing it in a high arc that sailed toward Corvus. "Heads up!" she shouted a touch belatedly.
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Posted: Sat Sep 03, 2011 8:16 am
As the youma came hurtling towards her Sailor Corvus held her ground despite the warning from the Page. If anything, she seemed more than determined to let the youma hit her, beckoning it to bring whatever it had to throw at her with it.
It caught her in the chest with enough momentum to bring her to the ground, momentarily winding her. The only up side seemed to be that the youma itself was just as stunned as well as more than a little bit dizzy as it rolled off of her chest, falling to the ground beside her with a sad little noise that almost made her feel bad for it... Almost, but not quite bad enough.
"Gotcha now." She muttered as she rolled over just enough to get a clear line of sight on the creature as it tried to recover, stretching her hand out towards it as her power took form at her fingertips before releasing. "Violent Revenge!"
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Posted: Sun Oct 23, 2011 1:56 pm
"No, no, RUN!" Cimmerian shouted toward Corvus. Why was the girl just standing there? There was a youma torpedo on the portside, and that ship was going to be sinking!
The Page of Pluto had no desire to have innocent blood on her hands so she took off at a run to try and do something. Corvus, it seemed, had a plan. For her part, Cimmerian tripped and fell. Her boots protected her knees from the worst of it, but the girl got one hell of a cement burn up her left thigh. <********!" she swore loudly, pounding the pavement with one fist. At this rate, she would look like a burn victim by the end of the week.
Attempting to help, Cimmerian threw her bow at the youma half-heartedly as Corvus' magic did its part. The youma burst into dust before her weapon even made it there, leaving it to clatter on the cement. From the ground, Cimmerian didn't look much like a warrior.
"Your power... is cool," she said finally, wincing as she attempted to stand. No, no. The ground was better.
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Posted: Tue Oct 25, 2011 8:01 pm
"My power..." A groan parted the senshi's lips as she pushed herself up from the ground, patting the dust off of herself lightly while making her way over to the page before holding a hand out to her to help her up. "... would be a lot cooler if it didn't demand some sort of sacrifice first. I'd love to be able to just blow the hell out of something whenever I want like I've seen some senshi do.
Never mind that Corvus was certain that things like that came with a cost of their own; a sense of responsibility for things beyond their control, maybe. At the end of the day, complaints or not, she wouldn't trade who she was for anything.
"I'd kill for a bow like yours on most days. Not that I would know how to use it..." A light smirk turned the corners of her mouth up. "Thanks for looking out for me, though."
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