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 Posted: Mon Dec 10, 2012 6:44 pm
After her encounter with Nickeline, Irene was feeling less than confident. Attacking actual people was hard. She hadn't enjoyed it when she'd had to fight Iris, though she'd thought that was because she liked Iris and didn't want to hurt her. And if she didn't want to hurt her, what was the point? She would never be able to win if she wasn't able to do what had to be done. Even against an enemy, she hadn't been able to do more than flail and talk and feel pity. At this rate she would never be able to prove herself.
No, that wasn't true. She just had to reassess the situation. Fighting humans was still difficult- Irene refused to call anything impossible, so difficult was as close as she got- but fighting youma was still totally doable. They were usually dumb, usually weak, and usually not particularly scary. Of course, she usually fought them in pairs. On her own, she had to admit that they were kind of scary. Which was all the more reason to fight them.
It didn't help that she'd been running into tough youma ever since she set out on her own. Irene told herself that this was a good thing. If she didn't fight strong enemies, she would never get strong herself. Those other two had stepped into her first battle, but this time she would do it. She would take down a youma all by herself. She was ready for this.
The youma had other plans, charging at Irene with its plated head and driving her into a pile of trash cans. She gasped and clutched her abdomen, wondering how Iris and Eunomia and everyone else made it look so easy. They could do this thing without breaking a sweat. And if they could, she could too. Once her lungs started working properly again.
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 5:53 pm
The burst of Chaos energy against the light of Order was enough to send Kallichore sprinting off her patrol route to investigate. Careening around chimneys and sliding down and across latticework, the eternal looked like a bat of hell. Or maybe an escaped mental patient. Either way, being an eternal had its benefits - she could cover quite a bit of ground in a very short timeframe. Closing the distance, the gray haired senshi was close enough to hear the impact of senshi-against-metal. It made her cringe. Did they need help? From above she dropped down between the senshi and the youma, turning to her side so she could see both just by turning her head. The youma snorted, backing up to give itself more distance to pick up speed and perform another charge. "Are you alright? Do you need help?" One eye on the youma. She'd charge it back if she needed to. Kallichore clenched her gloved hands into fists.
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Posted: Tue Dec 11, 2012 9:18 pm
It took much longer than she liked to be able to get to her feet again. In that time, Irene could feel the approach of someone powerful, but decided to ignore it. Aside from a little setback (ow) she was doing fine on her own. She had the youma (ouch) right where she wanted it. Sort of. As long as this other presence kept on going, there would be no problems.
But no, nothing ever went that smoothly. Once she was able to stand without supporting herself, she braced herself. Then she frowned when she found herself looking at another Eternal who saw fit to get between her and her target. Why did all of these strong fighters see her as nothing but a weakling? What did she have to do in order to prove to them that she could take care of herself?
"I'm fine." That probably would have sounded more convincing if her voice wasn't wavering, and the cough at the end probably didn't help either, but she was doing the best she could. Who cared how she sounded as long as she got the job done? "I can handle it on my own, really." And even if she couldn't, she wasn't about to admit it, to herself or to anyone else.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:13 pm
Kallichore wasn't sure she was buying it, but regarded the senshi in purple curiously and stepped to the side. The youma didn't even seem to notice and instead rallied for another charge at the girl. A starseed was much easier to pull from someone less experienced - Miss Purple was a much easier meal. The eternal kept her eyes glued to the youma in the meantime. "...please be careful." The eternal didn't want to steal any sort of glory from the other senshi - quite the opposite. All she cared about was that the girl remained safe and alive. The crashing sound of body and bone into metal was what drew her in the first place. The youma reared on its hind legs and charged full speed at Irene. Kallichore braced herself and watched, waiting. She wouldn't hesitate to step in if Irene's life was in danger.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 5:36 pm
Irene was surprised, pleasantly so, when the other senshi agreed to back off. She didn't leave, but that was okay. Maybe even better. If she had an audience for her first solo youma defeat, then the others would have to believe her. They would have to accept her.
To her credit, Irene did not get caught by the same trick twice. As the youma charged at her, she darted off to the side, wincing a little as her chest protested the sudden movement. Once it had passed her and rammed itself into the trash cans, she got behind it. It wouldn't be able to see her there, and the cans had probably dazed it a bit, so she should have a couple seconds to-
Before she could even come up with a plan, let alone execute it, the enraged youma kicked out with its hind legs. Caught in the stomach for the second time in as many minutes, Irene collapsed to the pavement, coughing up bile. Even she wasn't sure she'd be able to recover from a hit like that in time, but she was obviously trying, her arms shaking as they pushed her into a sitting position.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 7:27 pm
The sickening sound of hoof-to-flesh was enough to spur Kallichore into action despite Irene's previous assertions to be left alone. With a senshi prone on the ground, the eternal couldn't bring herself to leave. As the youma turned around it found a new target standing between it and its meal. The senshi in red peered over her shoulder to make sure Irene wasn't suffering from any broken bones or internal bleeding. The sailor fuku made them heartier, but not ridiculously so. "Are you alright? Don't push yourself." Staring back at the youma, the senshi of madness frowned. "If you feel strong enough, you can have the killing blow but I'm not letting it kill you." The youma roared, all the hairs on its back standing on end and vibrating with the force. A few moments later, it snorted and began its third charge. Kallichore was ready for it. A wispy magic surrounded the senshi, building up and arcing over her hands like waves of heat from a mirage. "Surge of the Maddened!" she cried, shooting the waves at the youma as it was quickly closing the distance between itself and the two starseeds in front of it. Engulfed by the attack, the youma's eyes went wide and it backed up, head swinging wildly from side to side. While it was distracted, the eternal turned and knelt by Irene. "Can you stand?" She held out a gloved hand in concern, hoping Irene would take it and be helped to her feet.
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Posted: Wed Dec 12, 2012 9:56 pm
No broken bones, as far as Irene could tell. Her ribs ached, but she could breathe without making them hurt worse. Or she would be able to if her lungs would work properly. She reached for the bag she had taken to carrying, remembering too late that she had left it behind that day. Not that it would make much difference, since having her chest assaulted by a monster wasn't the sort of thing that her inhaler could fix.
"I'm fine," she rasped, her voice a bit hoarse from coughing. She wiped her mouth on her gloved arm, knowing that if her parents saw her behavior they'd be horrified. "I'm fine. I'm fine." Her head was intact, the repetition mainly meant to assure herself that she was, in fact, fine. Bruised and sore and praying for a painkiller, but fine.
Why did all the other senshi get useful skills? Iris had her rainbows, the girl from the other night sang youma into a trance, and this one seemed to make it crazy. Whereas Irene got a pretty tree that helped you out if you weren't going to fight. Yes, she was supposedly the Senshi of Peace, but she wasn't feeling particularly peaceful. She wasn't sure she was even allowed to be peaceful, considering that her hometown was actually a war zone.
It took a couple of tries for her to stand this time, and in the end she did have to make use of the other senshi's hand, despite wanting to do it on her own. If she couldn't even stand up by herself, there was no way she would be able to fight by herself. And if she couldn't do that, what was the point of what she was doing? "I'm fine," she said one more time, for emphasis. "I can still fight."
If she could convince someone else that this was true, maybe she could then convince herself.
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 5:40 pm
She didn't believe Irene. Kallichore frowned at the senshi as she stood but decided to watch instead of lecture. Some senshi like Tsui or Acubens could pull out a victory at the last moment despite injuries but knowing when to quit was a virtue in and of itself. Did this senshi possess that virtue? It remained to be seen. Looking over at the youma, she started counting quietly. "If you feel up to it... you have... twenty seconds. It'll be distracted until the time is up." There were many things strewn about that could be utilized as a weapon - a piece of rebar, plywood, the tops of trash cans, rocks. "I admire your determination." she said quietly, stepping back to see if she could do what she said she could. The youma seemed fixated on something to its immediate left, something only it could see. It was growling and swiping drunkenly at whatever it was. It looked to be about knee height on Irene. The youma hissed and stumbled to the left, towards the pair of senshi. "I can incapacitate it again if you need me to."
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Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2012 8:09 pm
Determination Irene had in spades. Otherwise, she was sadly lacking in combat skills. She had neither strength nor stamina on her side. Strategy was important, but she was only capable of using the basics. She was reasonably agile, but no more so than any person who exercised regularly. Even her health wasn't on her side, though as long as this youma didn't start venting smoke or pollen, she would probably be okay. Eventually.
There was no time to rest and recuperate though, not if she wanted to finish this job. She had exactly twenty seconds. That tiny amount of time seemed to stretch out into eternity as she swayed on her feet, considering the options. The youma was still focused on something else, and was darting back and forth. An awful lot of movement considering it was batting at nothing.
A lightbulb went off in Irene's head. Ignoring the trash can lids that were everywhere, she instead zeroed in on one of the overturned cans, rolling it towards the youma with a shove. The can, which was mostly empty at this point and not very heavy, sped towards the frantic monster like a bowling ball, and Irene hoped it would have a similar effect. She didn't have enough fight left in her to get up close in personal with something more than twice her size.
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Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 7:12 pm
The youma was too busy concentrating one something only it could see when the trash can slammed into it, knocking it over with a grunt. It was somewhat like a turtle in that the youma was short and squat but heavily armored on its back. The trash can combined with the magic used on it was just enough. It flailed around, short and stumpy legs flailing around while fleshy underbelly was exposed. Kallichore watched with interest, counting down. "Five... four... three..." If need be, she'd be happy to hit it again. The eternal watched Irene closely. The youma was all but ready for the finishing blow. If anything the senshi was very resourceful. That was a respectable trait. One must do with what one had if magic wasn't available. They hadn't even introduced themselves yet. The magic was just about the wear off. The youma was still trying to right itself. There were a couple of extra weapons around and with the eternal standing by, Kallichore hoped this would end well and become a learning experience for both of them.
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Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2012 9:21 pm
It worked! Irene stared for a moment, not sure she could believe that she had come up with a plan, executed it, and all went well. For the moment, at least. The youma was indisposed, and now was her chance to do some real damage and impress this other senshi with her abilities.
This thought was so intoxicating that Irene ignored the other items scattered around and went straight for the youma herself, battering at it with her fists. Real warriors didn't need weapons, or so she believed after seeing Iris defeat youma without them. But her punches weren't nearly as powerful as Iris' even when she was at full strength, and now she was exhausted and barely on her feet.
The youma was able to feel each punch, and even though they didn't harm it much, it wasn't happy having someone pummeling its tender stomach. Irene continued to lay into it even after time expired, and was so engrossed in her task that the flailing leg caught her completely by surprise. It knocked her backwards, and while she managed to curl up in time to keep her head from cracking against the pavement, she would a sitting duck if it managed to right itself.
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 5:53 pm
Kallichore cursed under her breath when the youma knocked Irene back against the pavement. The eternal sprang into action, stopping between the senshi in purple and the youma who had just begun to roll over and right itself. This had gone on far too long. She certainly commended Irene for her extreme determination and effort - no one in their right mind could fault her for doing what she had. It was admirable to say the least. Calling up her eternal attack, the senshi of madness fully intended to end this quickly. "Glorious Crimson Mania!" Heat waves shot forth from her hands and into the youma who promptly had a shrieking seizure and began to slam its head into the pavement. Black tar seeped from the wounds Irene had given it and, coupled with the head trauma, the youma had essentially committed suicide in front of the two senshi. Before the monster's body began to still, Kallichore turned and knelt next to the fallen senshi. "Are you alright? Can you stand? We need to get you to a doctor right away..." The youma's last shriek was stifled by a cough and it suddenly stilled, body starting to dissipate and blow away in the wind.
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Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:51 pm
Once she had managed to get ahold of herself, Irene slowly uncurled, lying flat against the pavement, unmoving. Not because of the pain, though her tailbone had been jarred and her stomach felt like it had been pulverized, but because she had failed. She had been given a window of opportunity, and she had been so enthusiastic that she totally blew it. Any dreams of having this senshi provide a testimonial to her ability were totally shot. Despite her best efforts, she would have to wait until another chance to prove herself was presented to her. Which meant more patrolling alone, more throwing herself in harm's way, until the stars aligned and granted her the victory that she sought.
Irene was starting to get tired of this whole senshi thing. At times like this, it really didn't seem worth it. Or maybe she was the one who wasn't worth it.
The other senshi was trying to help her up or something. Irene tilted her head from side to side, which didn't help since it felt like her brain was sloshing around inside her skull. "I'm okay." That was a blatant lie, since she was neither physically or mentally okay, but the truth was even more painful than that. The suggestion of a doctor made her wheeze in a sort of chuckle. "No doctors. Don't need 'em." Also a lie, but Irene wasn't about to being her medical history into this discussion.
Slowly, wincing once or twice, she managed to push herself into a sitting position. Her body still worked, even though it was loudly protesting its treatment. "Why didn't it work?" She wasn't really speaking to the other senshi, nor was she expecting an answer. "Why does nothing I try ever work the way I want it to?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 5:40 pm
Kallichore sighed. "You can't always win by yourself, you know. And there's nothing wrong with that." She moved closer to Irene to pluck a few leaves from her hair and brush some of the dirt from her shoulders. This girl put far too much pressure on herself. "I couldn't kill anything on my own until Eternal, much as I hated it. I didn't want to work in a team for the longest time but... things have a way of changing your mind." Looking over the girl, the eternal shook her head. "There's no shame in admitting you're hurt. I'd rather you seek medical attention and get better and live to fight again." You're no use to anyone dead and you have a family. Friends. People who love you, people who look up to you. Why throw your life away like that? Doesn't it mean something to you? The eternal looked pensive for a moment and frowned. "Before we go any further, I should introduce myself. I'm Sailor Kallichore. Who might you be?"
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Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 9:09 pm
No, Irene couldn't win by herself, and that was her entire problem. "You did," she pointed out testily. "And Iris does all the time, and everyone else on my team can handle themselves in a fight except for me. Maybe ********* got the wrong person after all." And only just realized it recently. That might explain her refusal to help. There was no point in assisting the person who needed to be replaced by the real Sailor Irene.
But if that was the case, why didn't ********* take the pen back? Why was she still stuck being Irene?
The mention of medical attention made her shake her head again. "No doctors," she repeated. "Please. I've had a surfeit of medical attention as of late, and I can't tolerate anymore." Between her recovery from the ambush and the usual cold and flu season precautions, it felt like she hadn't gone a week without seeing a doctor. Besides, her injuries weren't that severe. Judging by the way she was feeling, she had a lovely selection of bruises and scrapes to add to her collection, but no broken bones or lacerations. Once her breathing settled down, she'd be fine, more or less.
Feeling the need to prove her relative wellness, if nothing else, Irene struggled to her feet. It took her a couple of tries, but she made it in the end, swaying slightly. "It's... a pleasure, Miss Kallichore." The circumstances themselves were hardly pleasurable, but her arrival had been quite fortuitous. "I am Sailor Irene." Normally she would have followed that up with her sphere or her team, but she was feeling rather disconnected from both of them, so she left it at that, offering a gloved hand in a rather belated greeting.
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