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 Posted: Wed May 01, 2013 8:33 pm
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To say things weren't going so well would be an understatement.
Leda fought gallantly, bravely against her assailant. She performed with utmost prowess as she ducked attacks, countered some of her own, and rolled out of harm's way on numerous occasions. She would bide her time for what seemed like an eternity, waiting for the proper opening to use her attack. She only had one shot at it, and she felt the pressure to hold onto that single precious strike until the moment presented itself. She wanted a battle she could be proud of. She wanted to demonstrate to the world of the senshi that she could stand on her own two feet, that she could contribute to battle, and that she could assert herself in ways she never thought was possible.
She wanted the world to know that Leda, Senshi of Steam, was not to be trifled with by youma and Negaversers alike. She wanted them to tremble in fear of her, to avoid her energy signature like the plague. She knew that this battle would herald the coming of a streak of remarkable victories. It was the harbinger of her success. All she needed to do was dust this youma, and she would be on the path to greatness.
However, her success amounted to nothing more than a house of cards collapsing in on itself, she noticed, as the youma's swipe sent her stumbling backward and teetering on the edge of the building. No matter how hard she waved her arms in an attempt to build up a decent headwind and stay on the surface, her shoes slipped and she went tumbling down from the precipice along with her dreams of grandeur.
And her trip to the concrete below was unconscionably short.
Leda impacted the ground with a sickening thud, and her fall was only broken by stretching her hands toward the pavement. Still, her face wore a distinct impression of every imperfection in the sidewalk. Her legs splayed upward, nearly parallel to her head, as her spine arched in a painful U shape, supported only by the nearby dumpster that she narrowly avoided landing in. She was most certainly dizzied by the whole affair, to the point where she didn't recognize the familiar pair of shoes that stood nary a foot away.
When her vision came into focus despite her dizzying impact with the ground, she shifted her gaze upward and tried to wave. "Hi, Myrkviðr! Um... Can you help me up?" It was a despicable predicament she'd gotten herself into, but maybe the nonchalant page would be interested in lending a hand. However, she'd nearly gotten squished by a falling senshi, so perhaps she should simply apologize and leave it at that. "And, uh, sorry for almost... Landing on you. And stuff. I guess I'm not so good at this battling thing."
So much for trying to assert herself as a fierce fighter on the front of the Destiny City war. |
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 12:49 am
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Once her page companion assisted her to her feet, Leda dusted herself off and rubbed her painfully sore face. "Um, thanks!" She forced a cheerful smile, despite the road rash she wore like a badge of honor. Well, more like a badge of dishonor. "Um, maybe we should move..." She looked skyward, only to notice a sinister-looking shadowy dog staring back at her. "Like now." There was no time like the present to get out of the way of a hulking youma.
She usurped Myrk's hand without a second's hesitation and tugged her toward the far side of the alley, hoping to pull her out of the way of the youma's impending charge. "I'm really sorry!" She belted out during the transition; she didn't know if the iconoclastic page disliked being touched or not. Leda fully intended to avoid upsetting her new companion in the midst of battle, especially if they had to team up to defeat the monstrosity. It had already sent her tumbling off the edge of the building once; she didn't want it plowing into their faces from its vantage point two stories away. That'd just be adding insult to injury.
The youma eyed the two girls with insatiable hunger burning in its eyes. Its inky black body moved with animalistic grace as it padded along the edge of the precipice. With its unnaturally flexible feet splayed far apart, the beast let out a low roar. It warned them, and now it was going to devour them. It leapt expertly from its vantage point, and its whiplike legs absorbed the shock of the fall without even the slightest hitch. The monster's side now faced the girls, displaying a canine body that was unnaturally thin. Its ribs displayed prominently, and its stomach sunk in close to the spine. Even its legs, though quite unlike a normal dog's had that same atrociously starved look. With another rumbling growl, it turned to face them and ready another charge.
"Ooh, um..." Leda looked panicked. "What do we do? Should we like, run? Or um..." She glanced around for some kind of plan. They could hide in the dumpster, but that seemed like a moot choice since the youma would see them regardless. They could use trash can lids as shields, but she didn't know how well they stood up against otherworldly monster teeth. There was also the manhole covers in the ground, but between prying one up and tossing it, the youma would likely be upon them. She could fight, but she'd already learned through trial and error that she lacked all sense of soldierly instinct. Lastly, they could flee, but wouldn't the beast simply pursue them? Not only that, but if they managed to lose it, wouldn't it just turn on other civilians that lacked the means to defend themselves?
The choices piled up in Leda's mind, and she was resigned to indecision. She couldn't decide what to do. |
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 7:45 am
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The unsettled words, the nervous glance skyward, that was never a good sign. Myrkviðr drug her eyes up, the roof line interrupted by the tips of dark claws.
And here she was hoping to avoid running today.
There was not an ounce of resistance when Myrkviðr took to jogging after Leda. The youma moved with them.
"We should try not to--" piss it off. And now it was charging. ********, ********. The last three times she had been faced with a youma oriented death--Myrkviðr desperately wished that number was zero--someone at least somewhat capable had been there to save her. This time. . .
"Shut up and run," the brunette offered. Unlike her steampunk bearing counterpart, Myrkviðr had the entire ordeal down to a science. She tore past the garbage cans, grabbing a lid and putting a half-seconds force behind knocking the rest over.
She didn't stop to see if it toppled over or not.
Where were the open shops? Where was the door to run into?
"Go that way!" Myrkviðr shouted back, hand pointing in the opposite direction of the corner she turned around. Splitting up wasn't exactly the smartest of plans, but it was absolutely brilliant should the youma go after Leda. |
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Posted: Thu May 02, 2013 9:52 pm
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Leda froze for a moment after Myrk suggested running. Well, more like demanded running. Leda desperately wanted to prove herself as a proper senshi, but that opportunity seems to have long since vanished. She didn't want to disobey her companion and get herself hurt, but she also didn't want to appear weak and useless. However, a sneaking suspicion asserted that she was, in fact, weak and useless. This youma only proved it.
Leda turned tail and tried to run, although the trash cans the page tipped only served to entangle her and send her sprawling onto the concrete again. Maybe she shouldn't be running after that painful plummet to the pavement... Didn't look like she had a choice now. The youma would certainly be upon her if she clamored to her feet and tried to dart after the black-haired girl. But, what else could she do? Her attack was used already, and there wasn't anything nearby that served as a formidable weapon.
When the youma approached, in the midst her her scrambling to her feet, she did the only thing that instinctively came to mind: she kicked it in the face. It felt weird, as some of the youma's inky form gave way to her foot, and the kick nearly sent her off balance once more. After a quick recovery, she decided it was time to go.
She really didn't think youma took too kindly to being kicked in the face. This one didn't, at least, and she wanted to be long gone before it tried to return the favor.
"Wait for me!" She called after Myrkviðr, running drunkenly down the alley. She didn't feel so hot after eating pavement earlier. However, she drew to a stop when she'd heard the girl bark out orders to split off. "Um, should we really split up? I don't know if that's a good idea... I mean, what if it ca-"
The sound of a roar cut her off. Maybe it was time to go.
Without thinking, she sprinted after the page screaming. "It's gonna eat me!" Maybe that wasn't entirely true, but it seemed monstrous enough. Surely Myrkviðr had a plan to escape, right? |
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Posted: Fri May 03, 2013 6:30 am
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If Leda wanted to be the slower one of the two, that was fine with Myrkviðr. The youma just might eat someone, and Myrkviðr was sure when the points tallied up, they stacked up against Leda.
Damn.
The entire street was on lockdown as far as Myrkviðr could see ahead of her.
"Keep yelling like that, it's helping!" There didn't appear to be a hint of sarcasm in her voice. As long as her scared companion was screaming her ears off, Myrkviðr knew the youma hadn't reached her yet.
Bus.
Myrkviðr was overjoyed before she even realized why. It was an old, red double decker doing a practice run. There were maybe 5 people on board altogether. One of them was a guard armed with both an intimidating baton and a pistol. Gun or youma?
Guards could be reasoned with.
"Let's go!"
The brunette veered off course, into the street. The bus slowed. The people were clearly shouting at each other, having a brief, panicking argument about what to do. The driver, however, seemed to have made up their mind. |
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Posted: Sat May 04, 2013 10:03 am
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Yelling was working? DId yelling dissuade youma from attacking someone? Maybe the page was onto something.
Leda continued her wailing at the behest of her friend as she bumbled down the alley, towards the street. She tried everything she could think of - from calling it names to telling it that it had better things to do. She wasn't sure if youma could understand English at all, but if this one knew even an inkling of the language, it was sure to be livid.
And livid it was, its deep red eyes blazing angrily as it chased the girl down. It roared out an unearthly noise, somewhere within it a high-pitched shriek and a low gurgle. As that cacophony passed its jaws, it quickened its pace after the girl. She was now the sole target of its rage. It wouldn't rest until it was feeding off her starseed.
Slowly it dawned on her that her screaming, in fact, wasn't working. However, before she could ask her friend what she was doing wrong, she directed Leda's attention to an oversized double-decker bus that looked like an anachronism from London. "Oh, watch out!" She didn't want to see her friend splattered across the pavement, dead to a losing battle with a giant bus. On the other hand, she didn't want to meet the same fate due to a youma encounter gone sour.
The bus driver clearly saw her friend, evidenced by the way he swerved away from her as it slowed. Upon recognition that she was indeed a terrorist, and a few charged moments of discussing their options, the bus began barreling down the street, as if to flee the scene.
That's right, we're terrorists now, huh? The bus's motions cemented in her mind that she was the only force capable of stopping this youma. She needed to stand and fight, not run for cover. She turned to face the beast, and it leapt upon her, sending the both of them tumbling to the ground. Its attacks were akin to a dog mauling a trespassing assailant, And she pressed on the beasts inky neck to keep it from succeeding. With a well-aimed kick to its elongated body, she managed to startle it enough to throw it off of herself.
Leda scrambled to her feet afterward and took an awkward fighting stance. "I think I got this!" She called to her friend, who was probably running after that bus about now. |
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Posted: Sat May 11, 2013 12:05 pm
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Running wasn't getting her very far. Myrkviðr stopped, eyes trailing, longing after the fading exhaust. Unfortunately, someone had neglected to give her the 'outrun the bus' superpower.
Breathing coming in pants, she glanced over to where the youma's gnashing teeth were a few inches from sinking into soft, throaty flesh. Myrkviðr wasn't the type to play hero, didn't want to play hero, and was terribly thankful when a kick threw the beast aside and put Leda back on her feet.
Not that she'd admit to any momentary terror, or anything.
Some unearthly possession compelled her to stay. It would have been smarter to vacate--why weren't knights equipped with those shiny phones the Senshi had--and let fate pull its course.
"You'd better!" she called back, awkwardly and slowly shuffling herself back down the street for anything she might fend the beast off with, or a place to hide. The manhole covers were much too heavy for one person to lift, extra strength or no. |
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Posted: Mon May 13, 2013 10:21 pm
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Posted: Fri May 24, 2013 10:25 pm
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"I'm having a great time over here, actually!" Really, she wasn't. But, Myrkviðr was 100% percent convinced that she was having a much better time than over there with the spitting, hissing, disease-ridden inkwell of a beast.
There was a flaw in Lena's thinking: Myrkviðr absolutely could, and would, leave Lena there with that thing. It wasn't her fault the girl had a stroke of stupidity and decided fighting was a great idea.
"You are ******** crazy."
Lena didn't need protection, she needed therapy. The brunette coughed as her shoulder was grabbed, the rest of her outfit sliding over to cut off her air as Lena began to drag.
The brunette used everything in her power to try and wiggle out of Lena's grip, make a run for it. She made a mistake of glancing back, saw the gnashing teeth of the beast and felt a chill go down her spine.
If there was one thing Myrkviðr didn't need, it was a second order to duck. The brunette hit the earth, the youma spinning over the top of both of them.
Finding the way they'd come clear, Myrkviðr sprinted off in that direction. "Is there anything it can't do?" she hollered back.
Maybe it couldn't swim. The idea of jumping into the filthy water ditch that coursed through town was terrifying (and might end in drowning), but it might offer more chance than teeth and getting your throat ripped out.
Strickenized (( Sorry about the delay! Fodder-fight sounds great. ))
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 12:02 pm
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Her irritation at the page temporarily forgotten, Leda sprinted after her down the alleyway. "I don't know!" She called after the brunette, eager to lengthen the distance between her and the youma. Finally, as they rounded a corner, Leda managed to nearly trip over the page, and stumbled sideways in an attempt to stay upright.
Myrk might not be so lucky.
With a meager push, she forced Myrk ahead of her and continued into the street perpendicular to the alley, constantly glancing over her shoulder to determine the location of the vicious youma. It charged relentlessly; it seemed that with every meter of distance they crossed, the youma doubled it in stride. Maybe their fates were sealed that day.
"Keep going!" Leda yelled, hot on the page's tail. Maybe if they were lucky, they'd end up roadkill rather than a monster's dinner. What were the chances of that?
Apparently pretty good... for the youma.
It crossed into the street in its blind rage, skittering after the girls as fast as its bizarre form could afford, only to meet with the front grill of a Mac truck. No honking ensued, no screams of horror, no wretched shriek of pain. Only dust remained, coursing into the street and fizzling out in the air.
Finally Leda drew to a stop, unable to run any longer. She breathed heavily and doubled over in her tiredness. As she nervously glanced up to see if the youma was upon her yet, all she found was dust wafting in the breeze. "Um... Myrk? I think it's gone..."
So much for the excitement.
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 12:22 pm
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The nearby wall caught Myrkviðr. Blessed adrenaline kept back the anguish of skin scraping on concrete.
There was a hand on her again--Lena's--and the page barely stayed on her feet as she tripped, stumbled, managed to keep running again. Her lungs were searing.
No hesitation as they bolted across the busy main street. Myrkviðr was more than prepared to hop an oncoming vehicle.
The idea of slowing had not even occurred until Myrk? loud, full of air, reached her. It took conscious effort to slow down her feet, they were determined to keep running all on their own.
The page looked back, the billow of dust granting Lena a heroic halo. Myrkviðr coughed, slowed to a stop, and felt the dizziness take over her head.
Without caring that she was in the middle of a walkway, she sank onto her a**.
"Yeah," she muttered quietly. Cough. "They turn into dust like that." Had the youma hurt as the car had hit it? They felt pain; she'd seen them scream under the Senshi's grip. This time, it had been quiet.
"Well," she tried. Everything was just a little bit blurry.
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 12:33 pm
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Leda continued panting heavily. Her limbs felt thick with lead. A truck accomplished her good deed for the day, not her. Not Myrk. Just a truck.
"Um..." She huffed, and pulled herself upright. "Sorry about before..." Another heavy gasp of air. "I thought you were abandoning me." Leda didn't want to think ill of the page; Leda did, after all, nearly fall on top of her earlier and the brunette never gave her flack for it.
"At least now... we can live... to see each other again." Each breath punctuated her sentence prematurely.
And she desperately wanted a nap after this affair.
Brushing the youma dust off her outfit felt surreal. It felt like burial ashes, like she shrugged off the life of another without remorse. Maybe this called for a bath before she'd turn in for the day. Youma dust... even if they were monsters, something about it disturbed her.
"I should get going..." Slowly she trundled toward Myrkviðr and crouched down. "Thanks for your help, but I think I'm gonna get going... Ooh, my legs hurt so much." Then again, so did her face.
Finally she stood with a grunt and started hobbling her way down the sidewalk, in a fashion betraying her complete lack of energy. She waved lethargically to the page who still sat in the center of the pavement. |
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Posted: Sat May 25, 2013 12:41 pm
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