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 Posted: Tue Oct 29, 2013 10:13 pm
It was just another ordinary evening at Maize Maizier. There were still a few signs of the attack a few months ago, but for the most part, everything had gone back to normal. The faded yellow awning had been replaced by a bright new one, with a scalloped edge. Lydia reached up and tapped it lightly as she left, waving to her fellow employees. That night she had gotten off a bit early, so that she could study for an exam. Which she would, when she got back to the dorm.
Taking a taxi was an option, but one she almost never took. Instead, she ducked into an alley, pulled out her henshin pen, and called out a familiar phrase. Moments later, Super Sailor Irene emerged, setting off towards Crystal Academy. She'd had a dry spell, but maybe that night she would strike it lucky and meet someone new.
Before she'd even walked a block, she had the feeling that someone was watching her. She looked around, but nobody seemed to be there, and she couldn't feel any auras. Another half-block, and the feeling grew even stronger. So much so that instead of turning the corner, she took three quick steps forward and turned around.
A fist pounded the wall of the building Irene had been standing in front of just a moment ago. White gloves flashed in front of her face. Long dark hair, worn in two braids, whipped in the wind. Gray heels clicked on the pavement, before one lifted up and slammed into Irene's knee, sending the senshi tumbling to the ground.
It was her. And yet, not her. Irene stared. "Who are you?"
"Who are you?" the other her replied, following her response with another kick that Irene barely managed to avoid. She was startled, and her knee was throbbing, and she had no idea what was going on. Not the ideal circumstances for a fight. Not that she particularly wanted to fight anyone. Especially not herself.
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Posted: Wed Oct 30, 2013 8:05 pm
Since he had encountered the Garden Senshi's odd colorless copy, Nysa had been patrolling more frequently in an effort to assist those in need. He oddly did not seem plagued by an doppelganger of his own, which led to the obvious question: Why did some people have a clone, and why did some lack a clone.
Certainly, he was grateful he did not have a murderous version of himself running around, but it was still a question he didn't have an answer for.
The energy of a super senshi was nearby as he patrolled from the rooftops, and soon enough he found himself practically flying in that direction. Did he know if the senshi was safe versus in danger? No, he was merely rushing in an effort to investigate.
Once he had arrived on the scene, he was glad he had rushed as he had. The familiar shade of gray covering one opponent from head-to-toe was enough reason for him to know another shade had been found.
If he pursued at that moment with his weapon, there was a good chance the real senshi would get cut. This was definitely not his intention. So rather than move forward with the Edge of the Tide extended to the fake, he dashed in quickly, the heel of his hand aiming to push the shade away while attempting to catch the real senshi in his other arm.
"...Normally I would not strike a lady, but I may need to make an exception in this case..."
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Posted: Sat Jan 25, 2014 8:00 pm
Irene trembled all over as she got to her feet. The other Irene watched her, an unfamiliar grin on its familiar face. This was really unnerving. Her first instinct was to run, but that would solve nothing. And even if she wanted to, her injured knee ensured she wouldn't be able to outrun anything faster than a turtle.
So she stood her ground. A mistake, since the copy took that as an opening. Irene put her hands up to block the incoming hit. The force was still enough to knock her backwards- directly into the arms of a knight behind her. When had he gotten there? She had been too preoccupied by the other her to notice anyone else nearby.
A closer look revealed that he was the same one to come to help when Maize Maizier had been attacked. Which made her briefly indignant that she'd needed his help again. This time, she was able to keep that thought to herself. He had helped, and she was trying to be more open now. "Thank you," she mumbled, doing her best to steady herself so she could stand on her own.
When he spoke, though, she looked back at him, upset. "Wait! We should see what she wants first." The days where she attacked first and asked questions later were gone. Irene was trying to make connections, but she wouldn't be able to do that if this guy skewered her copy! She turned back to the greyed-out girl, trying to look relaxed. "If you want something, please tell me what it is. I don't want to fight you."
"Fight you," the copy retorted, throwing a punch that Irene needed to duck to dodge. Talking first was proving to be more difficult than she'd expected!
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Posted: Fri Jan 31, 2014 7:15 pm
Nysa swiveled to try and move the real senshi to the side so he could free his arm of her weight. However, the copy was already lashing out, making the task quite difficult.
"...if I were to guess... it will be just like the other monochrome copy I encountered before... to destroy you, the one it is copying." So far Nysa had been fortunate to not have his own copy, but that did not mean he had not observed the situation.
With another attempted swivel-to-release, he once more lunged forward with the heel of his hand pushing at the gray senshi.
"...I am quite certain they are not of this world though..."
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Posted: Wed Apr 16, 2014 11:54 am
"You mean you've seen this before? When? What happened?" This was a totally new experience for Irene, and while she usually embraced change, there were exceptions. Like when the changes were trying to, as he put it, destroy her. "Why me? I haven't done anything to hurt anyone!" That wasn't strictly true. "Not lately, at least," she amended. If this was some kind of souped-up youma from back when she was trying to prove herself, why did it wait this long? Why did it look like her?
None of this made any sense.
The copy-Irene was fended off momentarily, and hung back, considering its options. Its target was in plain sight, but there was another obstacle making it hard to get to. Not that the copy had any problem breaking a few eggs to make an omelette. It had its mission, and nothing would stand in its way for long.
Quickly changing tactics, the copy lunged at the knight that stood in its way, horrifying its original. "Wait!" Irene called, too slow with her injuries to intercept the attack. "If you can talk, tell me why you're doing this! We shouldn't have to fight!"
"Have to fight," the copy snarled, aiming its elbows at Nysa's abdomen- a favorite move of Irene's.
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Posted: Thu Apr 17, 2014 8:59 am
Though the knight was not a natural born fighter, he still had rather excellent reflexes. With his left hand he slapped away the offending elbow while with his right hand he unsheathed his weapon. It was not so much that he wanted to stab the monochrome girl as it was that he wanted to mentally put himself in the game. It might have seemed odd to pull out the weapon with no intent to destroy (yet), but with all the years he had devoted to fencing, it made sense that it was like a switch that got turned on and off by the simple location of his weapon.
As such, he extended the weapon in an effort to put distance between himself and the murderous copy.
"...If my sources are correct... you went to the street fair for the eclipse? The participants of that event are the ones who are suffering from this dilemma. At least, that is if my sources are correct."
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Posted: Tue May 06, 2014 10:32 pm
It took a couple of hobbles, but Irene managed to get her foot to hold her weight without wincing. The knight seemed to be taking care of things- she would not begrudge him that, not now- but he wasn't making a great deal of sense. "Yes, I was there, but what sources? What is supposed to have happened?"
The double looked between the knight and its true target, momentarily uncertain. Its prey was weakened, but protected, and it wasn't sure how to proceed just yet.
"You speak as though this were some sort of ailment," Irene went on, trying to talk through her confusion. "Are you saying that this isn't real? It's some sort of illusion?" If that was the case, it was an illusion that packed a punch. Or in this case, a kick.
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2014 5:49 pm
The weapon remained pointed at the monochrome girl, and Nysa's sights remained upon her as he spoke to the real senshi.
"My sources are those who were suffering a similar problem. I know not the motives of these copies, but they seem rather intent upon damaging the originals."
With his free arm, he reached back, as if to signal for the Super Senshi to follow his movements as he soon began to circle the gray copy.
"...we were able to defeat the copies, and they vanished. So to answer your question, yes... they are an illusion."
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2014 9:19 pm
Something about this knight bugged her. He was so sure of himself, so smooth, so confident. These were traits she admired in others she knew, like Iris and Maia. So why did it bother her when someone else displayed the same things she liked in others, things she strived for herself?
Because he treated me like a child having a tantrum, Irene thought rebelliously. Never mind that at the time, she had been behaving like a child having a tantrum. She didn't like being belittled, even accidentally. And even though he was helping her now, it still felt like there was a trace of that condescension left. Like he was helping her because he didn't think she could handle the situation by herself.
"It's the most solid illusion I've ever encountered," she commented dryly. Though if he was to be believed, there was nothing stopping her from taking this apparition down. And even if he was a bit maddening, he had no reason to lie about something like this. Irene took another step forward, planning to disregard the knight's signal, only to wobble as her ankle protested. Maybe this time, it wouldn't hurt to accept a bit of help. She was trying to build bridges, after all.
Rather than charge head-on, Irene started to circle in the other direction, making her copy look back and forth between the knight and the senshi for a moment. If all of these illusions wanted to defeat their originals, she probably didn't have long before it came after her. So rather than attack, she clasped her hands together in front of her. "Irene's Peaceful Offering!"
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2014 10:46 pm
Clearly, his implied advisement had been ignored as the girl soon enough came into his line of vision. It made it far more difficult to defend her, though not impossible.
Her words reached his ear, a sign that she was using the magic she had mentioned to him at an earlier time.
In what seemed like a collected tone, he asked rather bluntly "Would you like me to end this, Miss Irene?"
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Posted: Wed May 07, 2014 11:03 pm
It was telling that Irene read the knight's movements as a signal to surround the target, rather than an invitation for protection. Though she was willing to accept his help, if begrudgingly, she had never considered letting him do all the work. She was, after all, a senshi. She had power, and it was her job to use it, to fight the things that threatened her and those around her. Retreat was not an option. Neither was hiding behind another, even if he was just a little bit stronger.
Yet there he was, asking if he should end it, as though he could have done it long ago, and only hadn't for her benefit. That was the sort of thing that made her want to hit him, and not her doppelganger. She opted instead for a cutting retort, which went unheard as the double let out a wild shriek and pounced. Irene disappeared under the weight of the supposed illusion, using all of her strength, and some she must have borrowed from somewhere else, to throw it off.
The double landed with a thud and a squeal. Irene panted, unable to attack further, and unwilling to admit that, even to an ally.
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Posted: Thu May 08, 2014 5:31 pm
The double had attacked and Irene was forced to the ground. She had not given him a response, but after she managed to free herself and push the monochrome being away, Nysa took a look over the Super Senshi.
She did not seem to have the upper hand if her were to guess by the manner she was breathing.
"I beg your pardon, but I shall have to cut in now..." he stated before he bound forward, weapon momentarily brought to his side. Once more he put himself between the real and the fake, but this time when he drew his weapon, he immediately thrust it swiftly towards the fake's neck with as much force as he could muster. His weapon truly wasn't designed for stabbing, so he had to find a weak spot to attack.
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Posted: Sat May 10, 2014 11:23 pm
Some senshi had protective uniforms, with metal plating or leather armor, or even a few extra layers of cloth. Irene was not one of those senshi. Her fuku was simple, elegant, and totally unsuited for combat. In a case like this, that was a blessing as well as a curse, since it left her clone as unprotected as she was. The thin gray ribbon around its neck did nothing to stop the sword from piercing through it, nor did its flailing arms or screeching, both of which stopped as the double froze, then flickered out of existence.
Irene was still out of breath. She patted the purse she wore, to make sure it was still with her. Her inhaler was in there, and her medicine, but she didn't want to use either in front of this knight. He would surely see them as signs of weakness.
"Cut in," she muttered. "As though this were a ball, and you merely borrowed my dance partner." She wasn't angry, not really. How could she be, when he had arguably saved her life? She was frustrated that his assistance had been needed, though, and she didn't like the way he had provided it. She had to work on her fighting skills (again), and he needed to work on his tact.
As is proving that at least one of them knew how to act, she drew herself up to her full height, then pinched the ends of her short skirt between her fingers and drew them out. One foot stepped back, her knees bent, and she curtsied in what she hoped was a gracious- and not begrudging- manner. "Thank you for your aid, sir knight. Your timing was most opportune."
Which wasn't much of a compliment, but she couldn't touch on his battle skills without feeling inferior, and though his manner had been polite, his speech needed some fine-tuning, as far as she was concerned.
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Posted: Thu May 15, 2014 8:39 pm
The convenient thing about this sort of enemy was that afterwards, all traces of the opponent vanished, leaving absolutely no mess upon his weapon. Since he didn't need to clean his weapon before putting it back to its sheath, it saved him approximately a few minutes.
The girl came forward and did something rather unexpected in this modern day and age. A curtsy. Raised in the sort of household he was, he could not help but smile in appreciation of the gesture.
"You are welcome, Miss Senshi. You may call me 'Nysa' if you would like." Folding his arm in front of his body, he dipped his upper body forward a bit for a slight bow. When he straightened up, his eyes seemed to move over her form diligently.
"Might I ask how you are holding up, Miss Senshi? Any lasting damage from... your copy?" As polite as he attempted to sound, genuine concern seemed to betray his manners for the moment.
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 12:05 pm
Well, at least he knew how to treat a lady. Which, Irene felt, was part of the problem. While she could appreciate gestures like bowing and voiced concerns, she didn't like presumptions that she needed a knight in shining armor to swoop in and save her. She wasn't some damsel in distress who couldn't take care of herself. Even when the enemy she was fighting was, in some way, herself. And she had needed some help. But he didn't have to just assume that she couldn't handle things!
This was really confusing. Irene didn't know whether she was supposed to feel indebted to this knight, or angry enough to sock him in his (admittedly pretty) face.
When in doubt, it was best to let etiquette take over. Rather than slapping him, she offered her hand for a handshake. "I would say it's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Nysa," she said evenly. Except it wasn't, not really, but she didn't say that. "Except I don't think this is the first time we've met." There was a bit of a challenge in her tone, as if she didn't approve of their last meeting, but she kept going quickly. "My name is Sailor Irene. And while I'm a bit sore, it's nothing I can't walk off." Or in the case of her ankle, soak in a hot bath when she got home.
"And you, Sir Nysa? I do hope I didn't cause you any undue harm." While she was still holding a bit of a grudge, Irene hated the idea of anyone getting hurt, especially on her behalf.
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