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 Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 10:18 pm
Why did Acubens keep coming back to this place. Even after so long, it still made her blush with anger. What did she keep hoping to find here? An answer? Some piece of the puzzle that was missing? Acubens didn’t even know, and yet she consistently went back to the alley where she was awoken as a senshi. It was warmer then. If not by much.
Acubens wrapped the shawl that she now wore tighter around her shoulders. It offered some reprieve from the cold. And any shelter was shelter and welcome.
Much had changed since that night. Well, much for Acubens. Her fuku no longer burner her skin. Her pen no longer laughed at her. She could look at herself in the mirror again – if only in hopes of finding Leto within its surface – and she was beginning to understand what she was. More than that, she was beginning to feel comfortable as she was. By no means had Acubens found her place but… she was starting to see where her first steps would lie.
And it was no thanks to that lanky cat that first woke her up and threw her into the way. Still, for all the rage that seemed to boil in her blood when she first looked back on that night… there was nothing now. She sighed and ran her hands along the brick wall of the building to her left. Nothing at all.
What an odd feeling, feeling nothing. Not satisfying nor upsetting. It was simply… empty.
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Posted: Tue Jan 10, 2012 8:54 pm
Laoise didn't reflect. Didn't obsess. Didn't throw temper tantrums, not really, and never dwelled. She didn't come back to this spot to hunt for a missing senshi, or to reflect on past mistakes -- mostly because, well, she was certain she hadn't made any. And perhaps she was right. Acubens viewed it as being tossed in the way of danger? Interesting, since Lee viewed it as saving her life in the face of a monster.
Neither here nor there, though. She did come back to the spot, but it was because of the Chinese restaurant around the corner. Several times a week they dumped uneaten dumplings out on he back stoop, and, well. Hunting was the act of kings. Foraging was only for dukes. Laoise could deal with that -- so long as no one saw.
They wouldn't tonight. She snuck in, claimed a couple as her prize, devoured them, and made off with one in her mouth, when the familiar prickle of senshi caught her attention. Still gripping pastry-and-meat in her mouth, feathers hanging wild around her neck, she poked her head around the corner to stare down the alley --
And froze. Oh, great. Well. At least the girl wasn't crying. She sniffed, sat, and stared, trying to decide if it was even worth her time.
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2012 8:44 pm
At the familiar prickle of order around her, Acubens looked up from her silent reverie, trying to pin point the exact location of the feeling. Senshi, knight... cat? Had Pippin found her? The idea of the adorable kitten coming to help her in her time of lonliness made Acubens grin, eager to see his letting tri-color face. But alas, she saw not paw nor tail of the little dear. Her face fell as she realized that he was nowhere near by. Oh, if only these sensationed varied from order member to order member. It would make her life so much easier.
Still, that didn't solve the riddle of who was so near.
Acubens turned in place several times, beaded braids clicking as she did so. Where was that feeling coming from? Her golden eyes lifted to the skies, looking for answers there.
It was on the way up that she noticed Laoise.
Oh dear.
Acubens cleared her throat, rubbing the back of her head nervously. Well... this was...
"Oh... sorry I... didn't really expect to see you here." Hoped to, but never expected. "I... I owe you an apology... for my behavior a while back." She offered a small smile, holding out her hand in offering. "Come on down and talk to me, maybe?"
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2012 9:04 am
Another sniff, at that, a tip of her head, eyes narrowed as she stared down at Acubens. The dumpling, still clutched between pointed teeth, was devoured in three quick bites to clear her mouth, to leave her more properly able to reply -- but she didn't. Not immediately. Instead, without looking away from the girl, she took a moment to lick her lips and groom the edges of her whiskers, tail twitching.
When she finally did speak, it was in that same barely-restrained tone, carefully cool so that anger wouldn't bubble over. "I don't know why you want to apologize to me. You should apologize to the person you mad an a** out of."
A beat. A moment to process. Then she leaned forward, slightly, to clarify. "...I mean yourself."
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2012 8:41 pm
At the chill of the cat's words, Acubens winced visibly. She tugged at her feathered bracers, finding them suddenly very interested. "I-I know... I mean... I understand." She suddenly regretted that her hair was no longer able to hide her blushing. Oh god, this was a horrible idea. Some people she could apologize to but... this cat? She clearly didn't even want an apology. Oh, what was she doign here? She hadn't even been prepared for an encounter with the cat. What was her name? If Acubens had ever been told, she ws in too much distress to file the name away for future use. Acubens should just turn around and walk away.
No. That was the child's way out. Acubens may not have been adult adult jsut then, but she knew how to beocme one. And this, she felt, was the first step.
"And... I guess... this is sort of the only way I can forgive myself for my behavior. By.., apologizing. You don't have to... you know... accept it, necessarily. I only ask that you... listen to me say that I'm sorry, which you have so..." Acubens trailed off, pulling a feather out of the bracers in her nervous twitching. She looked at it in confusion as it laid in her hands, not sure what to do with it. She only shrugged, and let it fall to the ground.
"I guess... with that out of the way... I'll be going... Enjoy your... dinner." Acubens offered Laoise a small smile, raising one shoulder to her ear in a sign of resignation. She turned and began to make her way for the opening of the alley, somehow hoping Laoise would stop her and talk to her some more.
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Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 9:24 am
Laoise watched the girl go with her mouth pressed into a line, tail tip thrashing and eyes narrowed. In all honesty, the best way to apologize to her wasn't a passive aggressive retreat. Hoping and praying that Lee would hunt her down to make small talk was...well. Was a bit delusional. Instead she sniffed, staying exactly where she was and watching the girl near the mouth of the alley, letting silence stretch out. Most of her wanted to leave at that, just move on and find a new protegee -- one that appreciated the gift she'd been given, who preferred to have the veil lifted from her eyes than to live in ignorance. One who wanted to learn, not sullenly stalk away. Someone with a hunter's spirit. Duty, though, made her fidget and sigh, speaking finally. No chase, but..."Are you at least doing your duty? I see you're in uniform. Does this mean you're defending instead of hiding in a hole somewhere?" sweeneys_revenge I'm marking this thread as 'inactive' in my list; if you tag, please let me know via quote?
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Posted: Tue Apr 03, 2012 10:15 am
and be blue Sorry, just recently got my muse back. Acubens wasn't sure what she expected. Laoise was the kind of cat who would just as soon let Acubens walk away as call her back and yell at her in Acubens' mind. So when she heard the first sounds coming from Laoise's lips, she stopped and stiffened, bracing herself for anything. And then there was... not exactly kindness... but not anger either. It caused her to stop and turn, pulling on her braids again. It took a moment to decide to turn all the way around, facing Laoise with not only her eyes, but her whole body. Opening herself up for whatever the cat would throw at her. "I'm... well, I'm trying. Doing the best I can with what I have." Which wasn't a lot, but somehow Acubens felt like adding that would tip Laoise delicately balanced scales when it came to her mood with Acubens, and turn her away. "I've needed help from time to time. I've met some other senshi... " She shrugged, pulling on one of the beads in her hair, twisting it around the braid. "I learned about teams and stuff... but... I dunno, 'M still a little... a lot... lost."
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 8:20 am
With some effort, Laoise forced her tail to obey the rest of her body, closing her eyes and counting to twenty-two before it managed to settle. The result was a perfectly still cat, only the wind ruffling feathers around her neck, one ear twitching very faintly as she heart someone walking in a nearby alley. Nothing they need worry about; she opened her eyes again and peered down at the girl.
"Are you asking for help?" Each word came out carefully pronounce, succinct -- this was Laoise fighting against the urge to be sharp, to say something sarcastic or cruel. She preened inwardly at how straightforward the question came out. It was positively kind.
Or so she thought.
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Posted: Mon Apr 09, 2012 2:42 pm
Acubens was close to pulling the braid out of her head. "It's be selfish of me to ask for help now, I think. After the way I treated you. After the way I acted." She forced herself to stop tugging on it, pushing it behind her head. "No, I'm not asking for help. I was just... talking. I actually found a cat who could deal wtih me. Pippin." Acubens grinned at the name. "He's a child, like me, so we can both deal with each other. You're more suited for adults, more mature senshi, while Pippin can act out and break down with me." Laoise's stillness unnerved the prehistoric senshi. She didn't know much about magical cats, but she knew a little bit about normal cats. And when they got still it was usually bad news. They were stalking. Hunting... was Acubens being hunted? The idea made Acubens take a step back. "I'm trying to be better. And to do so, I feel like I have to make amends with the people I've wronged." Or cat, in this case. "Maybe it's just a personal thing, I dunno."
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