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 Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 9:48 pm
With her sinuses cleared it was easier to think, and the more Stormy thought the more distracted she grew. She pondered over Nevada and her problem with Tuck, over whether she ought to contact Miss Candace about runic weapon training now that she had recovered, whether she should try to socialize again or just do more of the workload Ami had left her, whether The Book of Pride should be used in her training session next time she found someone or if she ought to stop listening to its soothing whispers before she pulled a Ginny Weasley, whether she should just nap off the decision until later, whether she should just take a breath and ask Gale about that dinner he'd offered . . .
This was not her first time dating, so why was she acting like it was.
< < Let me cut your decisions down to one: stop obsessing. > >
The dracolich had not taken kindly to his wielder's newfound bubbly thoughts, especially since he had made his stance clear and she had chosen to ignore it: a mistake he would make clear to her soon enough once she stopped having these bursts of thought and went back to the schedule he had put out for her before that cruise ship nonsense had occurred.
But I can't! If it's bothering you, I can let you try out one of those weapon golems so you don't have to listen for a bit.
< < That would be wise. > >
Stormy hesitated after the decision was made. She'd said several times to Gale that she had wanted to meet Jinhai for a while, and if Thane was going to be out anyway . . .
< < I am not interested in socializing, > > Thane said pointedly.
Neither was I, but socializing helps. Maybe you can make a friend with Jinhai?
When all she got was a snort, she shrugged it off and snatched her phone off her bed.xkurotomato Text to Gale:Hey! Are you busy right now? I was going to try out the W type golems if you wanted to come with.
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Posted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 10:34 pm
Sitting in one of the Death offices, his feet propped up on the desk in front of him, Gale was in the midst of flipping absently through the tablet Mark had given him and trying to actually make sense of it.
<< Anything? >>
The dragon sounded pleasantly sleepy. Nope, Gale thought, pressing a button he hoped would work but definitely didn't. I suppose it's a bit like Mark, though. Maybe you've gotta shake it to make it work.
The only answer from that was an agreeing snort. Gale smiled, in spite of himself, and felt a buzzing noise from the inner pocket of his coat. Setting the tablet down, he reached into his jacket and pulled out his phone, eyeing it with probably more excitement than he should have.
It was from Stormy. He tried to ignore the stupidly pleased expression he was probably wearing and typed out a return message:Ol-j-man Text to Stormy:I can do that. I'm already near the Life Labs, so how about I go get Jinhai first and then meet you there in fifteen?
"I'm sure," said Gale mildly, double checking all of the parameters and marking things off on a clipboard he held in his hand, a pair of reading glasses on the end of his nose. He walked in a slow circle around Jinhai, every so often lifting an arm or tilting his head to try and examine certain aspects of the golem.
"It'll be fine," Gale said. "We'll be fine."
"It sounds less like you're trying to convince me, and more like you're trying to convince yourself," replied Jinhai dryly.
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 12:33 am
kurotomato Text to Gale:Great, see you then!
There was an edge there she couldn't quite make out.
I doubt you could; these golems aren't exactly made of steel.
< < I can promise I will try if my patience is tested. > >
That edged was sharp, she realized. It wasn't envy or jealousy, no, there was something far more complex than that going on with the dracolich. But Gale had answered and she had agreed, and she couldn't turn back now without raising his suspicions.
< < I see it now . . . Ah, it comes off you like a stench. Are you afraid of being alone with me, Hatchling? > >
Do you want me to be? she retorted with an unexpectedly defensive tone. Thane did not reply other than with the mental equivalent of a raised brow.
Giving Nevada a quick goodbye and a smile, Stormy pocketed her hands and headed out. She knew where the Life Labs were, and she knew the timeline was fifteen minutes, and she also knew that it certainly took less than that to reach it from her dorm. That did not stop her from taking her very sweet time arriving there, having used up about eight minutes alone to get ready mentally and physically and then meandering the rest of the way in a partial dreaming state--it calmed her down if nothing else, and Thane was silent the whole way over; perhaps to prepare himself as well.
It was odd to have space between them like that, but she was very good at filling her headspace with thoughts and noise.
She had not actually explored all of the Life Labs yet, and thus Stormy took extra time finding her way once she reached them. Thankfully Gale stood out amongst the white and gray--as did his partner. She paused at the sight of them, a smile creeping on her face as her doubts about this were, for the moment, chased away by wonder. "Coooool~" she cooed, remembering to walk again though more slowly now, almost reverent in her approach. "Super coooooool~ Ahhhh, you have a tail and horns and everything!"
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 7:09 am
"I hear footsteps," said Jinhai airily, twisting his tail out of Gale's reach, much to his annoyance.
"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious," he muttered, rolling his eyes, and pushed himself to his feet just as Stormy came walking in, the expression on Gale's face immediately brightening.
"Hey," he said, reaching out to take her hand and draw her nearer. He gave her fingers a reassuring squeeze and then gestured towards the dragon, still standing silently a few feet away, his tail now curled around his ankles, hands folded together in his sleeves.
Gale smiled a little. "Stormy, this is Jinhai," he said, and the dragon gave a low bow, his hair falling over his face. "Jinhai, this is...my girlfriend, Stormy."
The dragon's expression clearly said yes, thank you, I knew that already because I live inside your head, you prat, but Gale studiously ignored it, and Jinhai smiled at Stormy, reaching out to take her hand gently.
"A pleasure," he said. "I'm glad to be able to talk to you in person. Er, so to speak."
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 10:26 am
Boyfriend handholding and a dragon greeting her by the other -- eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee! "Buenas tardes~" Stormy greeted them both with a bright smile, remembering to squeeze Gale's hand in return before her attention went undivided upon his partner. "Ohmygosh it feels like real skin! So does that mean . . ."
Thus did Jinhai get patted and poked and hands gliding around his clothes, the Mist trainee making eager little noises with each discovery. "This is so cool," Stormy repeated with a squeak as she circled the dragon. "Ahhhhhh~" It was like they were literally living again! Or . . . unliving she supposed, when it was Thane's turn. Would he feel as real?
"You're cooler than I imagined, sir," she told Jinhai with a little bow, unsure exactly of how old he was--maybe he had the whole "looks like he's eighteen but really like a thousand years old" deal going. Then she glanced back to Gale, noticing what he had in his hands. "I didn't know you used reading glasses~ So what's with the clipboard? Are you taking data?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:25 pm
Gale gave a slightly worried glance at the dragon, wondering if all the attention would make him uncomfortable - but Jinhai took it all in stride, merely giving Stormy an amused look, his hands tucked together against the small of his back. He flicked his tail obediently, batting at Stormy's ankles, and Gale resisted a smile, letting them both get to know each other.
"Er," he said, considering he'd entirely forgotten about the glasses. He reached up and pulled them off, tucking them into the pocket of his coat. "Yes, well, I only wear them sometimes, mostly when I'm doing a lot of research at a time. And yes," he waved the clipboard around, smiling. "I like to see how Jinhai reacts to things, how the golem moves, talks, so on and so forth."
"Yes, he's quite irritating," said Jinhai mildly, and Gale gave him a Look, the dragon smiling serenely. Gale turned back to Stormy.
"What about you? Ready to meet Thane?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 1:52 pm
The gleeful sound she made when Jinhai's tail touched her ankles was probably something only dogs could hear. "Do you do this often? I wanna come!" Stormy insisted, finally stepping back from the dragon as her curiosity was sated--for now. It was very hard not to go and touch his horns again.
The energy behind her smile died at Gale's question, though she certainly left it up for his benefit. "Ah . . . Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe we should do this one at a time?" she suggested. "Just so I'm not overwhelmed or . . . something."
Pause.
"I'm actually not sure what sort of mood Thane's in right now," Stormy admitted. "He went kind of silent after I texted you, so . . . I think he's being grumpy honestly."
Another pause.
"So how does it feel, being in a golem?" she chirped to Jinhai, once again rather bright (and hopefully distracting). "Like a real body? Did you feel everything I touched? Oh! um, I hope I didn't do anything wrong or inappropriate or something . . ."
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 2:35 pm
Jinhai was enjoying the attention more than he would admit, Gale thought, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. The dragon was definitely one to preen, though it was in a more subtle manner than say, Marcus' weapon.
Birds of a feather, thought Gale, and sighed.
He could see the hesitation in Stormy's face, sense the anxiety, especially considering that her smile now seemed a little forced. Gale frowned slightly, but he didn't want to push it, instead stepping forward and lightly sliding his fingers through hers again.
"It's...almost real, I suppose," Jinhai was saying, the dragon slanting his head towards Stormy with a curious expression. "I feel as though I am real, and I breathe - but it's not real breathing, as this body has nothing inside of it but clay."
He smiled at her. "But no, you are quite fine. In fact, you're a great deal more pleasant than - "
"Jinhai."
" - my apologies, I merely enjoy teasing him."
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 3:01 pm
She hummed a little laugh, now able to see what Gale meant about how their relationship had been a little rough at first. "It's amazing how it doesn't feel like clay at all, though!" Stormy praised. "Now I'm super interested about this stuff...Maybe there's a way to make you guys a little tougher! Like for recons in Halloween, so there's two heads instead of one getting info. Or for battling and stuff." Or so that if something happened they wouldn't be so damaged as to cost them greatly..."But it's finally nice to meet you, Jinhai," she added belatedly and with another formal bow.
Her fingers curled around Gale's as she looked to him, this time her smile more apologetic. "I guess it's silly to be nervous about this, huh? I mean, he's my partner..." But she remembered what Tuck had said at that orientation meeting, about how some weapons were probably not a great idea to be given free movement due to their natures...But would she rather do this on her own, or with someone she trusted the first time?
< < Decide already. > >
"Mmm...So how do you do this anyway? Do I need to fill out forms or...?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 7:10 pm
"It feels real enough," said Gale, reaching out to pinch Jinhai's arm experimentally, as though to prove this, and the dragon gave him a mildly exasperated look, swatting at him with his tail. "And I haven't done much on the subject of weapon golems," Gale continued, setting the clipboard down and flicking his gaze across Jinhai's figure thoughtfully. "but I've put forward a proposal for horseman golems; it would be dead useful if we could manage to swing it."
Stormy bowing made Gale smile, Jinhai shaking his head. "No need to bow to me, I am quite at your mercy," he said easily, gesturing for her to straighten. "If anything, I should be giving you my thanks, considering you've managed to put up with Gale for this long, and even date him - "
"Yes, thank you," Gale interrupted, cheeks flushed, and Jinhai smirked at him.
"It's not nervous," said Gale, turning back to Stormy. "It's...well, okay, yes, it's pretty nervewracking, I was anxious when I met Jinhai, but there's a certain...I'm not sure how to put it...a certain relief, I suppose? Knowing that he exists, for real, I guess."
Gale cleared his throat, and squeezed her hand again. "It's a pod thing," he said. "You enter your information, step in, and a moment later, two step out, though your weapon leaves from a different pod. The Life Labs are always looking for volunteers so they can test the effects of the environment on certain golems."Ol-j-man YES THANK YOU GAIA FOR NOTIFYING ME
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 7:37 pm
"Horsemen golems? That'd be super useful," she agreed thoughtfully. Her own experience with them had been...mixed. Namely two for sure knew her face, and one of them even had her name if they remembered Regalia--Lifen, Thane reminded her, assuming she'd used the same name as well. "If there's any way I can help, let me know?" Stormy liked being part of projects, as she was currently adrift as far as her own path. It was why she had taken up Ami's offer for her specialization, even if it was grunt work and mostly thankless. Helping others maybe would one day lead to helping herself.
"Aww, be nice," she told Jinhai with a lighthearted look. "You put up with him longer than I have! But thank you for getting him to blush again, it's just the cutest thing~" This was totally helping, you see.
Okay, time to just...do this. Stalling wouldn't matter since they were already here. Stormy took Gale's words to heart and nodded, squeezing his hand just a bit with a smile. "Okay. Pod thing. Just, um...lead me over and we can do this."
Because knowing Stormy, something would happen on the way over and then she'd get horribly maimed again from accidentally brushing against a vial or something. This was her excuse to keep ahold of Gale's hand.
"It doesn't hurt, though, right?" she asked with mild concern. "Like...no machines in my head or anything?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 9:07 pm
"If we had horsemen golems, we might be able to infiltrate their lairs with more success," Gale muttered darkly, twisting the ring on his left hand out of habit. He gave Stormy a slightly wan smile. "I will, thank you, darling."
The term of affection had slipped out unintentionally, Gale clearing his throat awkwardly, his face reddening. "This way," he said, giving a small nod to Jinhai, who took the cue and slipped a few feet away, taking a seat in the nearest chair. Gale gestured towards Stormy and pulled her gently towards the pod, stopping right before.
"It won't hurt," he said gently. "I promise."
Leaning forward he kissed her forehead. "It'll be all right, okay?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 10:02 pm
Whoawhoawhoahithere. Stormy blinked owlishly at him with surprise at the endearment, feeling strange to be called as such. Every time she thought she had convinced herself she was in a relationship now, something else popped up that reminded her as sharply as snow to the face was cold. She felt quite the opposite of that, however, already feeling her cheeks sting as Gale led her away.
Her heart rate didn't exactly slow down as she settled into the pod, for all of his assurances that it would be painless. It wasn't that Stormy didn't believe him so much as the fact that the pod suddenly felt small and confining, and what if something went wrong, what if she got stuck in there and couldn't breathe, what if Thane--
But then Gale gave her one final reassurance and a kiss, and she took a deep breath as the pod closed. Just a few seconds, Stormy, nothing big . . .
Before she knew it, the door was opening again. With nerves making her shake a bit, she exited and lightly hugged herself as she became almost painfully aware of how empty her mind felt. Thane didn't often speak, but his presence had become a cold, spiny mound she had grown used to. Now it was like things were warming up a little too fast--or maybe that was still her nerves. "That wasn't so bad," she mumbled as she stepped towards Gale, though she stopped midstep when she turned her head and saw the dracolich.
Thane was tall, which was as no surprise to her given how large dragons were to begin with, but he seemed even taller by the mere fact that he was mostly bones: the vertebrae of his neck, his ribcage, his arms, and his feet were all exposed and blackened rather than the usual ivory; small cracks were evident here and there, though they didn't seem to affect his appearance of being rather solid in stance, nor any less bestial as his extremities tapered into talons and claws. He wore what looked like a mix between tattered robes and mismatched plate armor, with spiked gauntlets tied tight to his forearms and skull-like pauldrons upon his shoulders With most of his ribcage exposed it was easy to see the soft purple aura radiating from somewhere within it--it illuminated the chains that snaked in and around his collarbone as well.
Useless as they were, Thane shifted his webbed wings experimentally, followed by the bony tail that twitched almost like a cat's if cats had pointed protrusions at the ends. Two pairs of horns--one that twisted out behind his pointed ears and another that curled around them and jutted out with his jaw--framed Thane's face which, despite being only a cracked skull, seemed to have a fluidity to it that might let him make expressions rather than the static skeletal grin he currently wore. The eyes looked more like sockets than anything else, with just a small glow of purple in them to indicate where the dracolich was looking., easy to find under the shadow of his cowl.
At this point both pinpricks were directly at Stormy, who in turn was staring up at him with mixed feelings of wonder, fear, and just a hint of pride because he had chosen her. That guy.
"Um . . . nice to s-see you in person?" she began with a hesitant smile.
Thane made a rattling sound in his ribcage that was somewhere between wry amusement and a sigh, but did not speak just yet. Rather, those chips of color in his eyes flicked towards Gale with an appraising look as he continued to test the movements of his limbs, flexing the claws of one hand experimentally.
He perhaps might have been imagining what was lying between them as they closed into a fist.
"You're, um, about as big as I thought . . ." Stormy was floundering in the silence, nervous already about meeting her partner in person without having the embarrassment of looking like this with Gale in the room.
"Considering how often you imagine me as something else, I am surprised you would accept the real thing," the dracolich finally said in an oozing drawl, though his eyes did not leave Gale's form. Stormy winced just a bit at the accusation lying in between his words.
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Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2013 10:47 pm
Thane was enormous.
He really shouldn't have been surprised, Gale thought, but just the sheer mass of the dracolich was impressive, towering over him by a good several inches and making him feel suitably smaller in comparison. He was all sharp angles and bones and shredded cloth, the sound of clicking heard as his tail moved from side to side, the bones snapping against one another. Gale resisted the very strong urge to take a step back, instead holding his ground as he watched the dragon flex, learning how to move in a new, unfamiliar and familiar body.
Oy vey.
Jinhai was not currently in his head, but Gale could sense what the dragon was thinking anyway, and that was that Stormy had not exaggerated the scope of Thane's existence. Even just standing, he seemed to encompass the area around him without so much as moving a muscle (or a golem's clay arm, to be politically correct), the air suddenly feeling smaller, more dense, even with the lack of breath Thane was taking.
And he was looking at him.
Gale lifted his chin, keeping himself standing calmly where he was, though he felt oddly strained, oddly small in comparison to this giant. Thane could not hurt him without the golem's body melting, but it was the mere presence of him that seemed to distill the air in the room.
"Welcome to Deus," said Gale mildly, giving a sideways glance to Jinhai, who had not moved from the chair he was sitting in, though his tail had curled protectively around one of Gale's ankles. "I've heard talk of you from Stormy, so you know who I am already, but I'll introduce myself formally - my name is Gale Gentry, and this is Jinhai, my weapon."
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Posted: Fri Jun 28, 2013 2:44 am
Thane's silence was his pointed response.
She was suddenly quite sure that once again that this had been a bad idea. It didn't matter that in a golem he was more likely to injure himself than anything else, because whether it was in her mind or before her eyes, Thane had an impact on her, and for the first time it really showed. She did not have Gale's will power: she crumbled a bit and stepped behind the death hunter to be both closer to him and a little bit to have a buffer, still lightly hugging herself, still trying at that smile. "Um, how does it feel?" she asked.
"Different." The word felt rusty between his teeth, but it would do. Thane, having no need to blink, stared Gale down for another stretch of seconds, as relaxed as could be and yet able to give an air that was as tensed as a coiled snake--a feeling Stormy was very sensitive to. Guilt accompanied her sense of relief that she wasn't alone for this, and she was glad Thane couldn't be privy to that thought directly--even if her stance already gave it away.
The dracolich's jaw cracked as he opened it again. "Your supervision is no longer required, morsel," he rattled at Gale, completely ignoring Jinhai's presence. "I have no interest in your tests. Take your exits that I and mine may have a word."
Gale could probably hear the no coming off Stormy. She was wilting because she was right: Thane was grumpy indeed, even if his expression was hard to read for others.
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