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 Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 6:46 pm
The only way to describe the sound was something akin to a dying cat. Although the situation certainly involved a cat, it wasn't the source of that wretched, terrible noise.
The wailing bounced of the walls, filled the alley, and made anything within a hundred foot radius want to double over and cover there ears in panic. Up close and personal, it was even worse.
"Shut your gaping trap, foul beast!"
Invidia had managed to corner herself between a howling youma with the lungs of a banshee and a wall. The only thing that was saving her at the moment was the window ledge she was perched upon. Well, less perched and more clinging to for dear life. Her belly was flat against the rough stone and her claws dug into it with all the fervor of someone about to fall off of a cliff. Below her a skinny youma prowled, reaching out with sickly, long limbs every few moments. Then, when that failed, it filled it's chest close to bursting and wailed.
She was sure she was going to pass out from a headache at any moment, then promptly become youma kibble.
"Where in the nine levels of hell are those damn sailor scouts right now?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:02 pm
She did not need to feel the source of negative energy, all Sailor Nemesis needed was a good set of ears that were on the verge of being broken. The senshi of Decay was well aware of the possibility of her eardrums bursting, and blood pouring out of her ears like in every good horror film from the sheer trauma of that wail. Whatever it was, Nemesis was going to shut it up. Nemesis could not take on the entirety of the Negaverse with her ears shot to bloody ******** hell. Unfortunately, there was no time to run back home and grab a pair of ear muffs (there was no senshi manual that said to bring ear muffs whenever one patrolled, nor was there a senshi manual period, but that was besides the point). Nemesis' only option was to confront it, and right now she wanted to do nothing but that.
She held a hand up to her ear, though that did little to block out that horrible wailing. Her pace quickened into a flat-out sprint, hoping to close the distance between herself and the youma before it really did damage her ears. The sound had stopped for the moment, but she could feel it, and of course it would be lurking in a goddamn alleyway. What youma didn't like to cuddle up in the darkest places in Destiny City? Didn't they know that smart civilians didn't walk into the least inviting alleyways? Hell, even the stupid ones didn't do that.
"In the name of Nemesis, I will --"
Her grand intro was interrupted by someone likely asking for aid in the worst way possible. Or, perhaps, she had interrupted them. For a few seconds, she couldn't quite pinpoint where the voice had come from. The youma remained distracted by something on the wall. Maybe it was a laser pointer. Someone had read the manual. Someone knew to bring laser pointers when they went patrolling.
"What the ********." Her voice was deadpan when she finally got it through her head where the voice was coming from. A talking cat. God, she hated talking cats. She hated cats in general. The only one she could tolerate was her family's cat, which did nothing but glare at everyone all day. It was as if the cat was Nemesis' destined kindred spirit. But not this one.
With her intro ruined, she could only stare on for the few seconds the youma allotted her. "I think the right to talk only comes with possessing actual lips." The cat sounded like she'd be more annoying than the youma's wailing. Nemesis had always jumped to conclusions.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:28 pm
Even if the loud mouthed Senshi hadn't introduced herself right off the bat, Invidia would have known that energy signature anywhere. Her pale green eyes rolled sideways and landed on the eternal with a mix of relief and venom. It was an odd look.
"Nemesis, you infernally late-to-everything-girl, will you please just get rid of this damned thing?" She grimaced as the youma seemed to realize there was bigger prey to be had and turned to look at the new source of noise. It was an oddly shaped thing with arms longer than its legs, so that it always used one to hold itself up. When it saw Nemesis its overly large mouth split into a grin full of short, sharp little teeth. Senshi had more meat than cats.
"I said please." Invidia had managed to pull herself up into a sitting position now that she wasn't terrified that the creature was going to grab her by the tail and pull her over the edge.
Regardless of whether Invy was asking her nicely to take care of it, she was going to have to make a decision soon. The lumbering creature was coming for her and it's chest was slowly filling up to shoot one loud, harsh wail right in her face.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:36 pm
"Hey, I've arrived in time to save your fuzzy a**!" she responded with a short snarl. Okay, so Invidia's 'please' was not all that convincing. The cat was just lucky that Nemesis already had it in her mind to rid Destiny City of one more youma tonight. It seemed like she was going to have to deal with two loudmouths tonight, so she might as well take one of them out from the very beginning. "You know, for someone about to come to your rescue, your 'please' did not sound all that convincing. Maybe I should leave you for youma bait. You'd keep it distracted for the few seconds I need to kill it."
No matter how mean she sounded, her mind was set on helping the talking cat... perhaps out of fear that the cat would talk more if she didn't aid it. The youma, anyways, seemed to finally realize that there was better prey afoot. Nemesis' wasn't the plumpest girl in town, but she was probably a sizable meal in comparison to a goddamn cat. "******** lucky goddamn cat," she muttered underneath her breath, a hand reaching out to cup her fingers under the handle of a trash can lid.
The thing was puffing up, and Nemesis imagined that it would be a bad idea to let the youma finish whatever action it was taking. The trash can lid was flung like a frisbee at the monster's chest in a blatant attempt to deflate it. "Now, in the <********> name of Planet Nemesis, I will break you apart, bit by bit!" There, she got her introduction in. It was now time for serious business.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 7:55 pm
The trash can did the trick. The chest that was inflating was hit with a precise toss and the air it had inhaled was released instead in a long, wheezing hiss. As easy as it was to fill its lungs, it was just as easy to expel them. For what it was worth, the cat seemed impressed.
"I see your upgrades have been earned. It's a good thing, I was going to be disappointed if I had to teach you everything again." With the youma's attention no longer solely focused on her, the cat seemed to have found her legs and completely forgotten that she had been terrified at all. She would probably deny every bit of it later. Now that she was free from the youma's attention, she leaped from the window sill onto a nearby fence, carefully walking across the tall slats of wood to observe the scene.
The youma wheezed and clutched one long, gangly hand to its chest. Then its eyes locked onto Nemesis once again and it reared back right before it lunged, with the use of its long arms, right at her. It was going to tackle her to the ground if it was able, with those viscous teeth gnashing all the while.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:07 pm
Well, that had actually worked. It was one of those few occasions where Nemesis applied her ability to think without disastrous consequences. She would have given herself a pat on her own goddamn back if she was in any sort of position to. There was a youma on the loose, though, and one she would have to deal with promptly. All the ears in Destiny City would thank her, her own ears remaining intact was all the motivation she needed. ******** talking cats. Her ears were more important.
Wait a second. What. "What the ******** are you rambling on about, whiskers?" The cat was talking with a certain amount of familiarity when it came to Nemesis, one which Nemesis did not reciprocate. Hell, the cat could be rambling junk for all she knew. Finding out what Invidia was going on about wasn't the highest thing on her priority list. It had actually just been knocked down a peg by the very real threat of a youma charging at ********>. Cats were distracting.
There was not enough room for Nemesis to maneuver. Her options were front, back, or to the side. In front of her was blocked by the youma itself, and she wasn't going to be able to run backwards fast enough to avoid the creature. The alleyway was cramped, which left her with little room to dodge. ******** it. Nemesis was going to take her chances, and standing her ground she waited for the youma to close in on her. The youma lunged, and Nemesis rolled forward in a not entirely graceful escape plan.
So, barrel rolling wasn't entirely painless. But hopefully she could slip underneath the youma while it lunged at the spot she had recently occupied. "Nemesis Touch of Death!" There was no time to waste, and the senshi was already back on her feet, light growing from the center of her palms to expand around the entirety of her hands. It was time to end this.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:22 pm
The cat frowned at Nemesis' inability to multi-task (for that was certainly what it was, not her own ability at distraction) and shut her mouth immediately in favor of not getting the eternal killed. Instead she walked the length of the fence and hopped onto a nearby, half-broken fire escape where she could promptly sit her rump down.
And get into position to fire a star laser if Nemesis really ******** things up, which Invidia assumed was always a very real possibility.
"Kill the damn thing already." Her tail whipped back and forth behind her quickly from the excitement of watching a good fight. Well. Decent.
The youma fumbled as its lanky arms and oddly shaped body found thin air, falling flat on its face instead of onto a delicious, meaty senshi. A loud growl of disappointment echoed through the area - not quite as loud and annoying as the wail, but enough to set Invidia's fur on end. It pulled itself onto its feet with its long arms, hovering slightly over the ground as they were fully extended for a moment. It turned to fully face her before its shorter legs every touched the ground again and, once it saw her hands alight with what it could only assume was something terrible, it started to fill its lungs again.
It was going to try and deafen her before she could close in.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:33 pm
Nemesis did not need a cat to tell her that she needed to kill a goddamn youma. She was on a time limit now too, which would dwindle away to nothing if she continued to do absolutely nothing. The end had to be now, or Nemesis would have to attempt to wait out another five whole ******** minutes just to try and kill it again. The youma seemed to be readying itself for another ear-wrecking wail. All Nemesis could hope was that it was as bad at multitasking as she was.
There was no more time to waste. Her buttwings pulled tight against her body, providing as little wind resistance as possible as she surged forward. The weakest point in an enemy's body, she discovered, was usually the head. Either they would freak out about someone going for their head, or she would actually manage to get a hold of them enough to strip the thin layer of muscle from bone. She quickly closed the gap between herself and the lanky youma, moving in range of threatening arms and mouth. She considered that threat better than its wailing.
It was a risk she'd happily take. Two pale hands extended, wrapping fingers around a thin neck. She could already feel the flesh begin to weaken, unsightly blemishes forming before the real damage would set in. True, damning assault would set in just a few seconds later. She was stripping the neck down until it was nearly impossible for the creature to hold its own head up. The thing could not wail, but as it tried to seize the Senshi of Decay with its long forearms... Nemesis ended it.
The neck now snapped easily, and the youma collapsed to the ground. She turned around to eye Invidia, not needing to confirm with her own gaze the dissipating remains of a youma. "Well, do I get a ******** award or something?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:44 pm
Invidia watched the whole process with particular interest, eyeing each piece of skin that bubbled, listening as it crackled and hissed beneath the glow of Nemesis' powers. She was familiar with the sight, even if her memory was too botchy to provide specific examples. She knew enough to know that Nemesis had learned how to use and execute the power if not quite perfectly, then damn well enough.
"Yes." She answered as she pushed herself back to her feet. She took her sweet time in stretching out her forearms, plucking at the metal grating beneath her feet with extended claws. Then she leaped down onto a nearby trashcan with a grace that belonged solely to felines and again down to the ground beside it. When she glanced back up at Nemesis this time it was from a much different, less appealing angle.
"You get to live, congratulations." She crossed the cracked asphalt like it was a bed of roses, swishing her fluffy tail behind her as she came to stand before the eternal. The calm expression on her face changed suddenly then, to something like impatience, or maybe annoyance.
"Do you know how long I've been looking for you, you brat?"
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 8:52 pm
"I was looking for something more grand, like a lifetime supply of Cap'n Crunch." Getting to live came with the job description of beating up youma. She wanted something at least a step above that. The sarcasm in her voice was heavy, and Nemesis adapted her usual attitude of being an entirely insufferable b***h. Her arms folded at her chest, gaze watching with vague interest as the cat hopped down on the cold concrete ground. Invidia had far more grace in her tail than Nemesis had in her entire body, but like hell she was going to admit that.
"What the ******** are you going on about. Have you been rolling around in a bed of catnip? Must have been, since you got yourself cornered by a weak a** youma." This cat seemed to know her, but Nemesis had never encountered a feline quite as annoying as this one. She took a few seconds to think, reaching into the back of her mind to try and draw out some latent memory of this mystery feline.
Nada. Zip. Cat was definitely ******** crazy.
"I know I'm getting pretty popular and all that good s**t, but not quite so much to warrant some random cat hunting me down." This made no sense to Nemesis, and she did not quite have the patience to figure it all out.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:03 pm
Invidia plopped herself down on the ground, pushing her paws together and sitting with all the regal grace a royal feline might. Her face, however, was not expressing the good will of a happy regent. It was that same annoyance that Invidia suspected many people had when talking to the young girl.
"You're quite the insufferable incarnation, aren't you?" Not that she could remember Nemesis ever being all peaches and sunshine, but what she wouldn't give for just a tiny bit of cooperation on this senshi's part.
With a sigh she reached up with a paw and batted lightly at the skull charm dangling from her pale ear.
"I am your mauvian ambassador, your guardian cat, whatever we're being called these days." She dropped her paw to the ground then and narrowed those eerily pale eyes on Nemesis. "And I wasn't cornered. You trying beating something so much bigger than you, precious, and we'll talk about it. Some of us don't have the luxury of being so tall all the time."
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:13 pm
The tick at the corner of her lip meant that Invidia's little verbal swipe at her did not go unnoticed, but she didn't feel like answering the damnable creature anyways. "Can I send you back and get a new one? Ooooh mighty Cosmos ~ Send a cat my way that isn't a complete b***h! Got none in stock? I'll take a guardian dog." It was a miracle that Nemesis ever got anyone to take her seriously. This was why she had never quite made a good leader. She needed someone who could take the cuss words and insults out of her speeches and present something more reasonable. Without such a person, though, no one listened to her because she managed to piss them off.
"I've beaten plenty of youma bigger than me. I guess that just makes me competent." She leered down at Invidia with a grin. Thank god the streets were empty, she was sure anyone would immediately send her to the looney bin for talking to a cat. Maybe, if she was lucky, she could take Invidia with her and they could suffer together.
"What's your name, anyways, 'mauvian ambassador'?" She supposed she could be at least a little bit friendly. Really, Nemesis could not help it that Invidia had a nasty attitude, and thus encouraged Nemesis' own nasty attitude. They could almost be two peas in a pod, and Nemesis would never admit it. "And I thought guardian cats were supposed to show up... sooner. I haven't needed any help in a long while."
She suddenly wished she had a giant red FAIL stamp to press to Invidia's forehead.
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:46 pm
Invidia's poker face seemed to be a little better than Nemesis'. That might just have been because it was much smaller and less ability to express a wide range of emotions, but that was beside the point. She just stared up at Nemesis with narrowed eyes, as if she were considering challenging her to a duel. In reality, she was actually trying to convince herself it would be a bad idea to laser beam her right in the face.
"Invidia, or Invy if you prefer for the convenience, which I think you probably will." She seemed to be replying to Nemesis' words selectively, which really just meant she was ignoring anything that was even remotely insulting. It probably wouldn't stop the girl but at least she wouldn't acknowledge such stupidity. Nevermind that Invidia herself had a nasty habit of being insulting - she was a wonderful hypocrite when she wanted to be.
"It's a long story. We aren't all born here like the rest of you reincarnations. Some of us have been asleep for a very, very long time. It's not really an exact science." She frowned a little at that and flicked her tail as a thought popped into her head. So much to do, so little time, so much already wasted. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to awaken you myself." And then there was the faintest glimmer of caring shining from those eerily pale eyes. She wasn't lying about having once belonged to Nemesis, the connection was clearly founded.
"Can we get out of this creepy alley, now? I'd like a nice couch to sleep on, if you don't mind. I've had it with rooftops."
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Posted: Fri Nov 11, 2011 9:56 pm
"Invy, like envy." Huh, leave it to Nemesis to point out something so glaringly obvious. But, she seemed pleased with herself for discovering the play of words. A wise person would let her have this victory, because shooting her down now meant she'd b***h for the rest of the night. Invidia's tactic of avoiding responding to Nemesis' insults were actually working in this situation. Nemesis was not in the mood to try and stab Invidia to death with insults. If they bounced off the cat's shoulders, who really gave a ********? It sounded like Nemesis would have plenty of time to drive a proper insult home.
"Damn, that must have been one heavy dose of anesthetic." It didn't seem plausible for someone to sleep that long, and what exactly would have triggered Invidia finally waking up? It certainly wasn't Nemesis showing up on the battlefield, because Invidia would have woken up a whole lot sooner. She'd make a point of questioning the cat on the finer details later. "Uh." For once, Nemesis was at a loss for words. It was as if she did not know how to handle a genuine and sincere emotion from anyone, especially a cat.
Her gaze darted to the side, and after a few moments she sighed. "It's cool. I took care of myself pretty well, irregardless of all the danger I threw myself into." Yes, she certainly felt a little awkward. Somehow, any doubt that the cat was telling the truth was eradicated. "Mmm, sure. Let's go."
A few seconds passed.
"Wait. You're not staying with me, are you?" She had a suspicion that Invidia was going to. Damn, her own cat was not going to like this. The not-talking one.
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Posted: Sat Nov 12, 2011 1:08 am
Invidia just let her have the victory, sparing little more than a smile and a nod for it.
She pushed herself to her feet promptly as Nemesis extended the invitation (or the invitation she had all but tricked out of her) and was already strutting her way triumphantly down the alley when the eternal finally realized what the cat was getting at.
"Well, of course I am. That's how this works." She considered mentioning something about the last time she'd stayed with Nemesis, but then.. that was all still rather fuzzy and she wasn't entirely sure what the girl knew even now. She wasn't going to open that barrel of monkeys until she had to, lest it blow up in her face.
"So lead the way."
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