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 Posted: Fri Oct 05, 2012 10:59 pm
Anella Harwood had never considered herself a weak individual by any means. She had always been confident in herself and thought the media was a tad bit overrated when it came to crime reports. She had always been the sort to venture out at night, regardless of hour or location. Growing up in a cozy little town where nothing bad ever happened had, perhaps, sweetened her opinion of the world.
Anella had traveled the roads by herself in the late hours of the night on more than one occasion, but this was the first time she'd regretted it.
The weather was nice enough that she'd thought it would be totally fine to walk back instead of taking the bus. With all the recent showers, she was hesitant to take her bike out—and wasn't Fall the best time for admiring the leaves, anyway?
She should have taken a bus.
If she had, maybe she wouldn't be charging through town, trying to find somewhere safe to hide.
If it had been a single person chasing her, she might have stopped, stood her ground, and used her brute force to teach him a lesson.
But it wasn't a person chasing her, it was a god damned monster.
Easily twice her height, it was a hulking beast that looked like ManBearPig on steroids. Anella had not been prepared for anything of the sort; she had been tired from a long day of running around, and when she couldn't fight, she knew she had to run.
If it hadn't been for the trees and brush in the park, she wasn't sure if she'd ever put any distance between her and the weird a** monster. She charged into a clearing clutching her bag to her side. Her hair was a bit of a mess, leaves and twigs trying to cling to her locks.
It was when she spotted the oddly costumed female in front of her that she second guessed this being reality, but a roar from fairly close behind her told ******** it—she wasn't going to risk it. She kept running.
"You oughta run!" she commanded, hooking arms with the female as she darted by her. She didn't know why she was in the park wearing that strange outfit, but she wasn't going to let her become monster bait.
…Unless the monster got any closer, then she might have to push her down and keep on running.
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 10:37 pm
Caelian had been waiting for the youma. She felt it moving in her direction and was getting ready to figure out the very best way to dust the thing. She hadn’t been paying much attention to the sound of footsteps that were moving towards her along with the youma, but when she felt herself being jerked backwards, well. That was a shock to her system.
The Squire let out a yelp and stumbled slightly. “Let go! I’m going to fight it, just stay behind me, all right?” She pulled her arm away from the younger girl and stood up again, moving in front of her. “Just stay behind me. Please don’t run. If you run, I can’t guarantee that the youma won’t run after you, and I’d rather just have it in one place for me to take care of, if that’s all right.” She flashed a smile, then looked back, glaring at the approaching youma. “Come on you stupid monster. Come at me. I’m stronger now and I’m more than ready to take you on…”
She was stronger now. Much stronger than she had been…even if all she had was a powder puff…she had more skills to take care of the monsters, she had more confidence…much more confidence, and sometimes, that was really what mattered.
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Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 10:53 pm
Anella glanced to the woman, hesitated, and then stood behind her. "What are you talking about?" she asked, willing her voice to stay steady. She didn't like hiding—didn't like cowering behind someone else and depending on them for protection, but what else could she do? More than anything, she wanted to be out of here, now—and running seemed like the most sensible thing.
"Is that—you're want to fight that thing? You don't get it, it's huge! It's got huge teeth! Seriously, it could probably eat you in one bite, lady!"
It might have been a bit of a hyperbole—but judging by the shrill shriek of frustration the youma gave from just behind the line of trees, it was worth being scared of.
The bushes rustled—and then it emerged. It was a near human sized, bird like shape, with a sharp, spike-like tail and cat like legs. It had been running and slowed, lifting it's head curiously to examine the squire that stood between it and its prey.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 9:01 am
Caelian gulped. Well. The girl had been right…it was huge…and did have teeth. Hm. This could be interesting…and a bit of a disaster if she didn’t do something impressive. It was her job to protect civilians after all…and this was just one more nasty youma to turn to dust.
Though…it was at times like this that she wished she had something a bit more impressive than a powder puff to fight with. Sure, her puff had gotten bigger…but it was still completely useless…Ah well. There was no use trying to reason with anything. She had to just take charge.
“Keep behind me, girl okay? You’ll be safe, I’m going to make sure of it.” The squire moved towards the youma, powder puff extended, hoping to get some of the powder right in its ugly birdlike eyes. “Turn to dust quickly you awful youma!”
She stomped down hard on one of the creatures paw like feet with the heel of her shoe…that was one good thing about getting stronger. Her shoes could come down with a lot more force now.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:28 am
While Anella typically would have argued against being called 'girl', now didn't exactly seem to be the right time to make a big fuss about it. Especially now that the youma was reeling from Caelian's attack. It let another vicious shriek and twisted. Its eyes were closed, though that didn't last for long; it shook its head and swiped at the squire with its uninjured paw.
Caelian hadn't been its only target, however; it swiped at her and pounced at the unprotected woman behind her.
Anella had, in no way, been prepared for the headbutt she received; she was knocked to the ground and the creature moved to stand over her. She had screwed her eyes shut and groped for the nearest object, hoping for some last little help before this thing snapped her head off.
She'd thought she'd grabbed a rock, though the moment her fingers grazed the smooth glass surface, a rush of warmth flooded through her. It was comforting, in that moment of horror.
She didn't know exactly what had transpired—didn't realize that she wasn't wearing her clothes. A name flickered into her head, though she didn't have time to focus on that—not when she was staring up into the gaping maw of a creature already preparing for another strike.
The girl let out a harrowed screech and elbowed the youma's head as it jerked towards her. She tried to kick it from atop of her; she flailed wildly, intent on giving it a hell of a fight.
If not, at least she'd die trying.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:37 am
There wouldn’t be any dying tonight…not if Caelian had her way. Sure, she had a bit of a scratch on her arm now, but that wasn’t important…what was important was the fact that the youma did seem distracted…
She paused for a fraction of a second, then lifted her foot, coming down hard on the youma right at the back of its neck, hoping to sever whatever spine it had in its body. Clearly, this was a good plan, as the youma let out a terrible cry, then turned to dust.
The Squire let out a sigh of absolute relief then blinked. The girl was gone…an in her place was…well. What felt like a Page…and a pretty one at that…all of those pinks…
The woman knelt down. “Are you okay? The monster’s gone, just like I promised…” She was looking over her outfit, a smile growing as she saw the symbols. This was another Venus knight! How perfect was this! “You’re not hurt…are you?”
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 10:53 am
Letting out a sharp breath, the woman just stared up where the monster had been before deciding she could finally relax. She flopped backwards on the ground, closing her eyes and panting.
"Holy—holy hell," she managed to mutter, forcing her eyes to open. There were black spots speckling her vision—a side effect of breathing too quickly, she figured—but she looked at Caelian and felt a bit of relief. The monster was gone—somehow—and she was safe.
"What just—Wow. I'm okay," she insisted. "I mean, I don't think so. What just happened? What was that thing, how did you—?"
Her question were many, and none of them really well thought out. All she knew was that she had no idea what had happened and this was now, officially, the weirdest night of her life.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 11:00 am
Caelian just smiled at the woman, trying to give her at least a few seconds in which to catch her breath. When the questions started she gave a small nod. Yeah. She could remember when she had met her first youma…and when she had transformed…
And of course when she had bombarded Camelot with about a thousand questions as well. “Okay. Would you like me to go one at a time, or do you want to think about them and ask more specific ones?”
She focused on the first question and let out a sigh. “Well, it seems as though you were running from that youma—the monster that was chasing you, that’s what they’re called. They’re terrible creatures who will steal your energy if you don’t stop them quickly. I think that answers two of your questions right there, but elaborating on what happened…I dusted it, when you destroy a youma, it turns to dust. I had been here tracking it…and you led it right to me…so thank you.”
The squire looked the girl over again, wondering idly if she even realized that she had transformed. “I am a Squire of Venus…I’m here to protect the innocent and try to help fend off the people who are filled with chaos. My name is Caelian.”
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 11:17 am
The information was useful—and would serve her well in the future. Just as soon as she learned how to process it. She looked up at Caelian and forced herself to sit up. She still felt a little lightheaded, but if that thing was gone—if Caelian was sure it was gone…
"Okay, well. Because this doesn't sound like a bad dream. Nice to—"
She moved to extend her arm and froze when she noticed the weird attire she was in. Certainly she'd felt different—but, hell! That was an adrenaline rush, she thought! Near death experience making her feel weird and flighty!
"This is—and how did you. What is this?" she asked, shocked at her own appearance. She let out a started yelp as she tried to brush herself off—tried to figure out where her clothes had went. "Wait, I get the youma, I get you"—she didn't really; she was still trying to process all of it, "But how is—what is this!?"
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:11 pm
Caelian gave an apologetic smile. “From the looks of it…you’ve become a Venus Page…at least that’s what I’m getting from the symbols on you outfit…” She pointed to one of her own Venus symbols. “I’m going to really go out on a limb here and just guess that the shock of the attack and your panic brought your powers out…Do you know what your name is? It should have…”
She thought for a moment. “I know when I transformed for the first time…I just sort of knew my name…like…like it was a familiar thing and it was wonderful…I’m sure if you just think for a moment, you’ll know yours as well…”
The Squire continued to smile. “When you figured it out, I’ll do my best to explain what happened, okay? I most likely won’t be the best at it…but I’ll try.”
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:28 pm
A name? She knew her name, just not—
Oh.
Her name.
For the second time, the name flickered into her head—only this time, she was looking for it. This time she could focus on it. A sense of relief washed over her when she murmured, "Aventine."
It was an awkward moment, and then she shook her head, repeating the name. "Aventine? —Does that sound about right?"
What the hell did she know? She thought she'd just hit her head a little too hard or something. There was a lump in her throat and her heart was pounding—but it wasn't bad. She was overwhelmed—shaken, but comforted.
Aventine, of Venus.
It had a nice ring to it—it felt safe. It felt right.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 12:44 pm
Caelian stared at the girl...Aventine for a long moment, then hesitated before smiling broadly. “Well…It’s wonderful to meet you, Aventine…It really is…” She let out a little laugh then took Aventine’s hand, giving it a squeeze. “Now. Here’s the big question…do you know how to get yourself out of being a knight? It’s not too difficult…you just have to focus on your…your civilian side. Just concentrate hard on being…you again…and….”
She closed her eyes and the Caelian part of her melted away, leaving Bellatrix kneeling there, still grasping Aventine’s hand. “Go ahead and try, Aventine. It’s okay. Normally you wouldn’t want to go giving your civilian side away to people…but you and I. We’re both knights…and we’re both from Venus…and if I’m not mistaken…we’re both named for specific hills…”
She had done some research during a slow day at work…looking up just what Caelian was, and she had found that it was one of the seven hills of Rome…and she thought that Aventine might have been among these hills as well. That almost spoke of an even deeper connection, or something. She wasn’t quite sure.
“Anyway, go ahead and try to go back to normal.”
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:00 pm
Hills? Named for a Hill? Aventine nodded at the woman in front of her, surprised at the transition. "Civilian," she repeated, as if deeply processing the concept. She had just grasped the idea of Aventine, and now she was supposed to abandon it?
Okay.
Okay, she could do that. She couldn't very well be stuck like this forever, right?
She drew in a breath and closed her eyes—she imagined herself, just as she'd seen herself last in the mirror. Her heart was still pounding, and it was a bit more difficult to concentrate than she'd like to admit, but after a long moment of forced concentration, she slipped back into the civilian form she'd just been in.
"Oh!" she exclaimed when she opened her eyes and looked down at herself—already she was beaming. "Oh, I've got it! —Anella," she introduced, extending a hand to the woman in front of her. She was shaking, just a little bit, but she was trying to smile through it—trying to absorb all this information.
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:14 pm
Bellatrix nodded, still smiling. “Well. Welcome to the wonderful insane other world of Destiny City. I tell you, it only gets stranger. My name is Bellatrix. You got the hang of changing back into yourself pretty quick. I tell you, I had a pretty hard time with that myself. But...We all learn at our own pace, after all.”
She stood up and stretched, holding out a hand to Anella. “Come on, you should hurry and get home…even if you do have Aventine to power up into to protect yourself, I’m pretty sure you’re too stunned tonight to really do much good if you do get attacked. If you want, I’ll give you my phone number. If you need anything, even if it’s just someone to walk home with you or some training or something, I’ll be there for you, okay?”
She wanted to have someone there for her as well…so this bit of a noble sounding thing was just the smallest bit selfish. She was tired of fighting alone, and she had been working hard not to fight alone. Even if that meant she wasn’t out as much as she should have been. “Call me for anything, even if it isn’t related to…you know. Aventine. I’ve been doing this since January, so I think I have a pretty firm grasp on things…mostly.”
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Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2012 1:24 pm
Anella took Bellatrix's hand when it was offered and pulled herself to her feet. She had a hell of a lot to process out of this whole situation. "Since—since January, huh? Wow, that's a long time. Yeah, I'm, uhm. Gonna need to call you a little more after I can hear myself think, thanks."
She withdrew her phone after a few seconds of fumbling and then just handed it over. "Can you go ahead and put your name and number in? I'm…definitely not going to be able to remember it off the top of my head, sorry." She laughed, perhaps to hide her discomfort; she wasn't upset with Caelian—Bellatrix—whoever (and whatever) she was. This whole situation was just so above her that it was like trying to reach for the clouds.
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