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 Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 7:55 pm
It was late. Late enough that the owner of the shop she had been browsing in had to inform her it was closing time, and considering this shop was in the district that catered more to vacationers and tourists then normal residence ( and thus, stayed open later the most stores ) was saying something. Somehow she had let time get away from her, but she wasn't terribly worried. She had walked here from her home, and this time she wasn't in an area of town were she was particularly worried about her safety.
Yes there was some vandalism problems, but really the shops were weren't the sort that looting would gain you much quick profit. It was mostly antique stores, an old fashion candy shop, there was a jewelry store, but it alone had a fairly hefty security system that deterred most would-be thieves.
She left, casting only one glance at the rather irritated store owner. Its not that Leroa's presence had bothered her, more of the fact that the girl and examined nearly ever item for sale in the store and ha-dent deemed any of it worth buying. Sure there were some pretty things, but you just couldn't stick some lace doilies on an old dresser and call it antique.
The shop owner practically slammed the door behind her as she left. Practically, but not quite. She grinned, more to herself then at the shop keeper, adjusting the ruffles of her skirts before turning to walk down the street, once again dressed like a porcelain doll, the click of her heels marking her passage as she walked from pool to pool of light left by the streetlamps.
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:13 pm
Luxor had his a** handed to him far too much in such a short few days. He was bruised and battered, exhausted and carrying the knowledge that he had nearly been killed twice in almost as many days. That was not a good track record to have.
So tonight, he thought he might patrol in a better area of town, hoping that the threats of public watches and constant patrols by the cops might deter the stronger members of the negaverse. If there were youma, too dumb to know where they were, he could probably handle it.
He really didn't want to have his starseed fondled again, or have anyone stab him.
His attention was actually on something much more mundane. There was a cat, it looked like, up at the top of a streetlamp. It was making sad sounds. It must have hopped up there from the nearby tree, but now couldn't figure out how to get back down. This seemed like something his speed, and he climbed up the pole carefully. Once he got close enough to it, the cat stared at him bitterly before leaping away from him far too graceful for someone who had ever been in trouble, landing lightly in the tree and scurrying away contemptuously.
It left Luxor reeling backwards, having tried to catch it in a moment of ill conceived chivalry to catch it when it was not falling, and he slid down the pole as his body pitched backwards. He was glad he had his feet around the pole itself, and he tightened his legs enough to only slide down most of the way, his head almost touching the ground from the strange angle he was now bent backwards from the pole. He reached his arms out and put his hands on the floor to support himself.
At least he was limber, from his tireless training in the circus trapeze. Upside down, it was difficult for him to recognize the person walking toward him. But he managed it.
"Oh. Hello." He deadpanned.
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:31 pm
Leora was just sort of standing there. She had been to far away to see the cat, the view obscured by some tree branches, coming into view just in time to see his spectacular performance. She clasped her hands behind her in a familiar gesture and gave him a nod of acknowledgement, a smile tugging at one of the corners of her lips.
" Hello there. " She tilted slightly, turning her head, and leaning forward. " Have you taken up street performance? " Her voice was filled with that dry humor again, making it unclear if she was teasing or if it was legitimate question. She probably wasn't quite sure herself.
She unclasped her hands and smoothed the folds of her dress over her knees, leaning down so she was more at an eye level with the upside down gladiator, her grin getting a bit more evident. " Sweetie, I know being a boy and all you probably don't keep this in mind, but remember you are wearing a skirt. " She quirked an eyebrow, her eyes flickering up, gravity oh so slowly taking its toll on the positioning of the white fabric.
" Unless that's what your going for... then Bravo " Not that she really minded. He was rather handsome, and she was an adult. All the more Stoic eye candy for her.
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 8:47 pm
Well, this was about seventeen kinds of awkward.
Luxor quickly decided that he had no choice. He could not save himself from embarrassment, as it was already too deep for him to even bother trying to dig his way out of any more. He let go with his legs and flopped down on the floor, immediately curling to the side and making sure his towel skirt thing was covering him properly.
Everything hurt, immediately. He was badly bruised, having taken a very serious beating between now and the last time he had seen Leora. Even his heightened healing had done very little for him yet. He groaned and rolled to sit up, looking up at her from his perch on the floor.
"I was trying to get a cat down... it turned out not to be in need of help," he said, his voice its usual calm, with a bit of tense pain peeking through. He looked at her in a bland, yet helpless kind of way. "I'm not a stripper."
Better clear that up now that he had a chance to. Because clearly that last little show would only have served to confuse things further. He was supposed to be a super hero of some kind, an honorable and chivalrous knight.
Not a stripper.
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:14 pm
Leora watched as he basically flopped to the concrete, biting her lip as he hit the ground. Hard. He groaned and she frowned, only now noticing the bruises that liberally peppered his body.
He sat up, the positioning putting him a bit closer to her, and she tucker her let her knees touch the concrete, sitting in a frothy puddle of lace skirts, watching him with a perplexed look on her face. " A cat? " She looked up at the lamp post... Yeah, that didnt sound to far fetched. There were a lot of apartments in the upper floors of the brick buildings of the shopping district, and decorative trees stretched their branches from windows to lamp posts. It would be very easy for a cat to venture to the lamp-posts.
" There are people you can call you know, to rescue cats. Like the fire department. " She actually blushed, a tiny bit, a mere tinting of the cheeks to a rosy pink. " Ahhh... Heard that did you. I said it more for the benefit of my family. Though I'm almost not used to seeing people in your particular... costume, accept for TV shows at like ceasars palace " She waved vaguely up and down at him.
He really did have a lot of bruises... And his stitches were angry and swollen, a couple of them poped and bleeding. Probably from twirling around on streetlamps rescuing cats. " What happened to taking it easy sense you were hurt? " She tilted her head " You look like you have flopped off of a couple dozen street lamps sense I have seen you... " She looked at the wound he had last time. Shaking her head she scooted a bit closer to him, reaching into the little draw string purse she had at her waist and pulled out a handkerchief, reaching out and dabbing at his stitches, scowling at them. Did he want to get an infection and die?
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 9:43 pm
He watched her as she moved closer to him. He had managed to keep his face angled away from her just so, so she didn't see the new injury he had to the side of his face, and the bruising and swelling that accompanied it. His ear and neck had the same kind of bruising as well, from a very bad fight he had gotten into.
And lost.
Soundly.
He tried not to think about it though, as it would only anger him. He didn't want her to see his temper, he found, as he had so far not scared her away somehow, despite his stoic and distant demeanor. He had no reason to purposefully run her off now that she had gotten by the worst of it.
Though he was sure she would catch on and stop being nice to him sooner rather than later. Most people did, because he could be a bit impossible sometimes. Why people like Eli and Zia stuck around he was not sure.
"I tried to stay out of trouble, but it seems to find me..." well, he'd followed a trail of unconscious bodies into a very obvious trap, but he didn't need to tell her that. "I'll have to take a rest now though...I have no real choice in the matter." If he tried to fight anyone else, he would really get himself killed. He had lucked out of two close calls.
"Uhm..." he remained very still as she made to tend to the injury. He'd done what he could for it, but obviously climbing poles was not good for him. "You don't have to... I'm alright."
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:02 pm
" So it would seem... " She said, listening to him. Trouble. Yeah it would seem a few buckets full of trouble had found him. She bit her lip, looking at one particular stitch who had apparently just given up the good fight. He would probably need to get it restitched, even if he said he was going to take a rest, he looked like he bat put through a blender full of rocks.
" You know, You may not be telling me everything. And that's just fine. But do me the courtesy of not treating me like I am an idiot. You are far from allright. " She dabbed at the wound, but it refused to stop its steady welling of droplets.
She shook her head and folded the handkerchief over, pressing it very lightly to his side. " Hold this " She said, her voice full of command, showing she was used to someone following a direction when she gave it. " And don't move from here "
She stood up, and turned in a swirl of lace skirt, marching over to the coffee shop were a barista was lazily sweeping up. She knocked on the glass and when he came curiously over and barged right in the ban just sort of looked befuddled, peering out at the knight sitting underneath a lamp post.
She came marching back out, with a tiny little box marked with a red cross, and a bad of ice, shrugging off the barista who stood in the doorway asking if they needed an ambulance, before shakeing his head and returning back into the shop to continue sweeping. heading right back over to him and settling back down in her puddle of skirts, looking like a lacy white lillypad of a gray pond of concrete, she cracked opened the box.
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Posted: Wed Aug 07, 2013 11:11 pm
"I can't explain too much to you... uhm."
He frowned as she handed him the handkerchief, looking down at it and then pressing it to his injury again. He tried to be gentle with it, as it was terribly painful when he put pressure on it and he did not want to upset it further. He imagined if he messed with it much more he'd never heal, and it likely would already be leaving a nice scar to remember it by.
He frowned as she moved away from him, watching the whole scene with the barista unfold. He had the feeling that this young woman was very good at getting anything she wanted, and did not take no for an answer. He did not bother trying to deny her, just letting her return with the first aid box and looking at her with his same placid, curious, and weary expression. He was patient as he lifted the cloth she had given him, looking at the injury and wincing.
"I'm sure I've interrupted you from something. I can tend to this myself if you want." His pride was already beaten down into a tiny, shivering pulp, but he was trying to salvage something of it, however fruitless that effort might be.
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:08 am
She settled back down to the ground, finding a small tube of something that she cracked open and gave a sniff to, making sure it was still good. She winked her nose and the heady medicinal smell and .
" I'm not asking you to explain. I figure if you feel the need to tell me, you will. But don't treat me like a child, or a moron. You haev been put through the wringer, and you have no business flipping up and down street lamps. No matter how many kittens are in dire need of rescue." A thread of wry humor was back in her voice. She carefully moved his hand away and checked the handkerchief. It had few spots of blood. They were small now but she was almost positive that they would grow substantially if not tended.
She wasn't really the nurturing or caring type... But she was deft of hand so more movements were efficient and gentle, if not necessarily professional.
She quirked a brow " I'm fairly sure you could, if you had to. But you shouldn't have to. " She slathered some of the medicine, which claimed to be an antiseptic and a mild pain reliever, onto a large bandage that she liberated from a paper wrapper. It unfolded to a large enough size that it covered the majority of the wound, but left enough folded cloth to keep a thick barrier against the outside world and its germs.
She pressed it carefully to the wound, and ripped off a few pieces of tape from the little roll in the box, carefully securing it in place. " One of the benefits of walking strangers home in the middle of the night through the rough part of town si they wont leave you bleeding in the street if they can help it. " After the bandage was secure, she picked up the little bag of ice. She had intended to ice a particularly large bruise, on his torso that was a rather unique shade of purple, and she sure hurt like all hell. But as he watched her she noticed the swelling on the side of his face.
With a sigh and a shake of her head, she ripped open another bandage, wrapping the lower part of the bad so the edges were blunted. Shaking her head she placed it carefully against the swelling. " The last cat you rescued must have been a tiger. " She said it in a droll manner, almost conversationally, once again, not really making it clear if she was joking or not.
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:29 am
Luxor watched her quietly, nodding his head slowly. He did not really have a choice in the matter, so he let her tend to him without further complaint, watching her efforts with the bandages and wincing a bit when she turned her attention to the injury on his head.
he must have looked like such a pathetic loser, and that was how he felt.
He had been utterly defeated by that Nega Lieutenant, and before that the General. Both had nearly killed him, and he had not been able to come close to the strength he wanted, he needed. He hated that, so much. He hated them both, as well as all the other agents of Chaos.
The fight had reduced him to begging for the life of a civilian, and while he had managed to somehow save that innocent, he had not been able to save his pride. He was left bleeding on the floor, and he wasn't sure he had been able to land even one punch, in all his blind rage. He had been thoroughly shamed, and he felt the weight of it as he watched her.
She was helping him, but he could not return the favor. What if she was in danger, and he could do nothing to save her? His power was not enough. His skills were not up to par. He needed to work harder, get stronger.
He realized he had been staring at her quietly, his expression absolutely unreadable. he was either thinking something profound, or not thinking anything at all. He blinked and a bit of focus came back to his eyes, though his face didn't shift much with the change.
"A lion, actually," he said flatly. "Thank you... for all this help. I will repay you somehow."
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:44 am
She sat there quietly, fiddling with the contents of the box, there was little else she could do, aside from some liquid that apparently was good for easing minor aches. She cracked open the bottle and poured some of it onto the clean side of the bloodied handkerchief, Carefully dabbing at a rather colorful, and probably painful bruise on his shoulder. It was practically eggplant colored...
She left him alone to his thoughts, at least what she hoped was his thoughts. Either that or maybe he had a worse head wound then she though, she glaces at his eyes for a few seconds of rather awkward intense direct eye contact, when in reality she was checking his pupils... Of course, it was night, so she couldn't really check if they were contracting or not. Its not like she toted around a flashlight or anything.
She grinned " Oh well, a lion. That makes all the difference. " She put a little bit more liquid on the fabric and dabbed at another rather impressive bruise. She tilted her head. " As much as I would love to have a impressive non-stripper like yourself in my debt, you don't have to do anything. You saved me from a situation I would rather not think about to much, the other week. Who knows what would have happen to me if you hadn't been there to walk me home. "
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Posted: Thu Aug 08, 2013 10:20 am
Luxor winced as she tended to his bruises, thinking that he really would have liked a shirt with his outfit. Maybe he could power up at home, then put on a shirt before he left: then no one would be subjected to seeing every bruise and cut he got while trying to fight Chaos.
As it stood, he was a walking billboard advertising how not to do it.
He watched her with that same depth of impossible patience on his face that he did not actually feel. He was not a patient sort, in fact, and he had a bad temper that got him into even worse situations. He just had trouble showing anything he felt or thought on his face.
"I'm supposed to be the one helping people, not the one being helped. I am in your debt... whether you want me to be or not," he said it blandly, but without any malice. He nodded his head seriously, as if sealing the deal. At length, he moved to get to his feet, leaning on the lamp post he had fallen from earlier.
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Posted: Fri Aug 09, 2013 11:53 pm
Leora finished dabbing some medication on the worst of the bruises, and turned to start packing away the supplies back into the neat little white box. She quirked a brow at his words " Is that so? Ah well superman, your missing your cape." She said, her voice laced with a note of dry humor that was easily missed.
She closed the lid to the box, fastening the little latch as he got up to stand and lean against the light post. She stayed kneeling there on the ground for a moment, surrounded by fluffy layers of her skirt, eying him speculatively with pink colored eyes. Clearly the guy had a super-hero complex. Or maybe it was just a severe case of chivalry. Either way, he clearly needed to find a better way of going about things then tumbling from light-posts.
" Fine then. " She picked up the little box and rose in a single graceful movement of a woman who wore a lot of lacy dresses. She walked over to the door were the barista was still cleaning up, and failing at his attempt to not look like he was watching them through the glass windows. She left it on the little table outside, knowing he was watching and would retrieve it, and turned back to her bruise splattered acquaintance. " You can walk me home then. "
She walked back over to him and slid her arm through his, a very formal and lady like gesture, a less fearful version of what she had done last time they met. Only this time it was also a tactful gesture letting the poor guy lean on her if he needed to. " Then we will be even. "
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:11 am
Luxor frowned at her thoughtfully, but was waiting for her while she went to return the first aid box to its rightful home. He could have tried to do the Batman thing and get out of there while her back was turned, but even if his body wasn't aching terribly he doubted he would feel inclined toward it.
He owed her enough to wait for her, and to walk her home properly. He had done it before, and it seemed right that he do it again. The last thing he wanted, after all, was to send her on her way after she had helped him out, and have her get in trouble while his back was turned.
True, he couldn't be there for her all the time, but he was there tonight, so he would play her bodyguard again.
He tried not to lean on her too much as they walked, and he was a bit slow as they went along. He couldn't help it, his injuries were catching up to him. He would need to take some time off, he was pushing himself too hard and at least some sense was settling to tell him that he was making a mistake by doing this.
If he was going to help people, he needed to be at his best.
He didn't say anything, but not because he didn't have anything to say. He was mostly just very bad at conversation, and without a specific topic dangling in front of him, he was at a loss for what to say. They must have looked like such a strange pair, but he found he was not really paying that too much mind. Let anyone that bothered to look their way think whatever they wanted.
Maybe it would give him something to talk about.
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Posted: Sat Aug 10, 2013 12:41 am
Leora walked at a lazy pace, letting him set the speed, not minding the pressure of him leaning on her. For all she knew the other night he very well could have saved her life. She would never know for sure, but she was grateful she didn't HAVE to know. So they walked in companionable silence for a while, Leora finding herself being relatively at ease with her oddly dressed companion. She wondered if he only had the one outfit.
Maybe he just had a surplus of leather belts. Or there was like a wholesale LARPing store she just wasn't aware of.
" So... ' She drolled after a while, their pace leading them to puddle after puddle of light left by the street-lights, " Professional kitten rescue pay well? " Once again not really clear if she was joking or not. She was hard put to place his age, but if she had to go out on a limb and guess he was probably a bit older then her, so probably not a DCU student like herself.
They probably did strike an off sight for others. Like a mus-matched pair of children's toy's tossed together. A little girls tea party doll lopped alongside a little boys gladiator action figure, strolling along the sidewalk.
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