The weather was turning bitter again, but it was welcome- it kept his nerves numb, or distracted his mind from the fire of other wounds to the tingling burn in his fingers. He put his hands under his armpits as he walked. If Irene and Aquarius could carry satchels after transforming, it seemed a good leap of logic that maybe they could all put on coats and scarves over their uniforms.
It might want something large, but that was easy enough to manage at the sally or red,white and blue. It would make him less painfully obvious against the winter backdrop as well to wear a trench coat instead of bright white with jeweltone flowers all over. It might cut down on the ambient perfume as well. He increased his strides, hoping the exertion would help him feel warmer. It was getting to a less good section of town- a suburb of the metropolitan area that had once housed the assembly-line industrial poor. It had a little 7 block mainstreet, faced on both sides with long derelict storefronts that alternated boarded up or brim-filled with failed 'antique' store paraphernalia. The only living businesses were a sketchy gas station and a handful of single-front bars with dismal names- Pete's Place, The Divot, and Dilly's Hole. They were the sort where everyone stood and no stools could fit. The same sort that didn't close until six in the morning when its worst (or best?) patrons relented and went to work at a contractor's site.
He could feel a signature as soon as he came to the edge of the blocks. It made sense, with the winter chill and holidays, a neighborhood and businesses like this would be one of the only places to find a steady stream of available victims come much later in the evening. For now, things were just getting hopping.
He pulled his hands back down to be free for use and quickened from a trot to a run, using his eyes where the aura failed to be precise to pinpoint.
Bluefire Dragonz
LizzyMoo
pretty sure I remember you mentioned having quotes turned off, but I'll put this here anyway~
Posted: Wed Dec 25, 2013 9:15 pm
The only reason there hadn't been an out cry to bring the bouncers running from the bar was because the man who struggled to give voice to his pain couldn't force the sound out past the slender, crushing fingers around his throat. Big feet in worn out boots, crusted with grime and salt, kicked and dangled ineffectively above concrete of the alley, blood shot blue eyes bulging in their sockets. Ham-fisted hands clutched a slender wrist, but they could do nothing to remove the constriction.
The disconnect in this picture was the smaller woman that held the man up by his jowls, looking as though it took no effort at all. Clad in leather from neck to toes, she was sleek and deadly as she pressed herself against his squirming body.
"So you think you can just do what you want, you pig? That women are there to service your needs and little else? You are filth... less than filth. You are everything that is wrong with this world and everything I plan to cleanse it of." Cinnabar hissed into his gaping, red face, straight white teeth bared. Drawing her hand back, she punched forward and into his chest as he struggled to scream again, wrapping her hand around the starseed she could find after some scrabbling about.
Okay, so maybe she might have let her hand wiggle around longer than necessary, but this was a punishment. She wanted him to feel the pain of every woman he had ever abused, all the shame and helplessness he himself and brought... the same shame and helplessness she had felt, so long ago.
"At least you will do something right once you die... your energy will feed the Negaverse, make us stronger, and help me to find more of your kind to exterminate... you'll finally be useful." Then her hand jerked out and resting in her palm below curled fingers was a glowing white starseed, so innocently floating in her hand. The corpse she let fall, getting one last dig in by kicking him hard in the head. The skull split with a sickening sound, but it only made her smile. Even if someone got the starseed from her now, there was nothing to return it to.
There were talking sounds over the general muffled bar music behind closed doors and blacked out windows. Then wet, struggling noise. Thraen narrowed his focus on it, finding the source as it was stomped out sickly.
The glow of the starseed in the agent's hand was plain, as was the murder at her feet. "Slick, polished looks the arrogance that shines its own monument at the expense of others. Murder paints your sick soul." He slowed as he approached, hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. She felt a lieutenant, but that stomp looked far too used to violence for his comfort. "One chance- penitence and leaving your post beside vileness, or you will be executed for your myriad crimes."
The offer felt pointless, more and more, with every devotee of chaos that he met. The glee writ plain on her features was enough to tell of her enjoyment at her brokenness. Putting down mad dogs, except even dogs have compassion. These creatures become less and less human the more I see. Yet it must be a careful and deliberate choice, that they be at least accorded what they once were and no personal feeling of mine taint the process.
Bluefire Dragonz
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 10:06 pm
A voiced called out to her from the mouth of the alley and for a moment Cinnabar blinked in surprise, turning to see a figure in white with long, flower bedecked hair.
Senshi...
As soon as she realized what had found her, a wicked smile curled over her lips and the lieutenant turned with a hand on her hip, her body a deadly curve as she toyed with the starseed in her palm. Stupid man... she barely understood what he was talking about as he swooped in like an avenging angel. Something about murder and her soul, about penitence or being executed. What a blow hard.
"You know what? I think not." She said as she tossed the seed up and caught it again. "You can go preach to someone else, my deluded prince. Do I look like I really give two shits about that piece of trash? He deserves what he got... he would have raped me, given half a chance. But that wasn't why I killed him, that was just a bonus. He died to benefit me. And there is nothing you can do about it."
Someone with more sense might have been worried about their mismatched power levels. Someone else might have tried to run at this point... but Cinnabar was feeling brash. A little more bold than before. It was time to see what this power she had could really do, and what better way than a good fight?
Thraen gave a nod, unperturbed. Her explanation was about what was expected. "About his death, no. Your choice is made. As he is, so you shall be."
He started crossing first at a walk, slowly picking up to a jog, then into a sprint. He'd have her on speed, but he wasn't going to bank on much else. He feinted with his right hand, but aimed the real punch with his dominant, left hand.
Bluefire Dragonz
Posted: Fri Dec 27, 2013 10:58 pm
Was he kidding? Really? Did he come from some backwards place where people talked like that and thought attacking head on was the way to go?
Whatever. She could see him coming and he was obviously relying on brute force to win the day. Well, let him try then. She knew a thing or two about how to deal with attacks like those.
The dark haired woman took his feint and was ready for the other hand's strike, time seeming to slow as her brain and training kicked into high gear. Step, turn, grab, pull... his own momentum used against him to send him to the ground with a punishing blow to his ribs as reward.
Her cruel smile never wavered, though part of her was wondering now what to do with the starseed in her hand. She could drop it while they fought, but then she risked breaking it, or getting it stolen... or it might fade away now that its owner was gone. With it tucked in close to her chest, she was effectively one-handed, and that was going to be problematic.
He'd been hoping, in a small portion of his mind, that she wasn't going to be combat trained. As the ground met him, he considered that hope well shattered. His ribs hurt again, but the benefit of the early game was that adrenaline carried enough to keep moving. He sprung up to avoid ending up likewise head-stomped in case she got that idea in her head.
Don't stay laying down too long. Don't get discouraged. Keep her focused on the fight.
The senshi feinted again with punch while he swept the stepping leg at her knees.
Bluefire Dragonz
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 12:03 am
Oh, this was going to be fun...
She watched him, no, let him spring back up to his feet as she debated. It wouldn't be any fun if it were over too soon... And then her decision was made as he rushed her again, her hand flicking to the side to toss the star seed to the ground next to its former body. The winner could claim it when they were done and she fully intended to be that winner.
As he swung at her, she blocked the punch with her forearm to direct it to the side and then her hand twisted to lock tight around his wrist. She felt him sweeping at her feet through the arm she held and she took the opportunity to step on his knee and swing a leg up around his neck. Lurching forward, she used her weight to put him off balance and send both of them crashing to the ground. A twist on her part and his arm was yanked up harshly behind him, the pressure threatening to break it as she felt herself laughing out loud.
"Yes! Squirm, my prince. I wonder how much pressure it'll take to snap your arm." Cinnabar purred as she pushed and twisted, planting a wicked silver heel in between his shoulder blades.
I don't think any prince in his right mind would slum so far as to be yours
He was on his face, and the heel felt sharp against his old wounds, bringing less an acute as a dull throb of protest from his nerves. There wasn't time to think a lot about tactics with the situation as it was. Speed, such as it was, was proving no advantage at all, but it was of the essence.
I will not beg.
Nor would he squirm. His move was decisive, and as fast as he could make it- a shift of weight under her heel, letting it dig some while pulling his arm and pushing up all simultaneous. The angle sacrificed the shoulder joint in her hold, dislocating it, but it let him pull free completely and stumble at speed against the alley brick opposite. He looked back at her through some of his bangs, breathing stone even.
"About that much."
Bluefire Dragonz
Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2013 7:49 pm
Okay, so maybe she should have been expecting that... he was fanatical, but she hadn't thought he would deliberately injure himself to break free of her hold. When he pushed upwards with strength no human was capable of, it threw her off balance and she stumbled, the yank on his arm wrenching it from her grasp.
Cinnbar felt herself falling and she twisted as she landed, a hiss breaking free as she landed hard on her shoulder. Pain shot through her arm, but she rolled and tucked her feet under her, pushing to her feet in a relatively smooth motion. Sharp shoulders rolled to lessen the ache as the woman glared at her opponent.
"You're a fool." She barked out, laughing. "That might have saved you for now, but it won't work again." Despite the set back, she still felt confident. Thus far, he had done little to harm her and she had thrown him twice. Maybe Senshi weren't as tough as she'd been lead to believe... maybe she could bring in two starseeds this time, for double the reward. Standing lightly on the balls of her feet, she waited for him, knowing it wouldn't be long before he tried to rush her again... and she'd be ready.
One could not call Ellie Spectre's leisurely walking to be a "stroll." She just wasn't the sort to stroll.
Wander, perhaps.
Not stroll.
She had gone to visit Phil at his place. Her coworker had been a friend for a long time before he was even officially a coworker. It had been an odd mix of a The Fast and The Furious movie marathon and listening to the young man rant about needing to leave the city. She might have known that the particular threat that had startled him was now eliminated, but there was very little she could say to calm his nerves.
Not that she was ever good at that sort of thing.
The evening had no definite conclusion as to whether or not her friend would be staying, as as her feet pulled her forward through the city, she eventually found herself near what she could unfortunately call a familiar sight.
Perhaps others had noticed upon passing, but they probably had no ability to assist by any means.
Ellie, on the other hand, had every ability to assist.
Rather than wandering past the alleyway, she slid back, attempting to get a better idea as to what was going on.
If the senshi was fine on his own, she wouldn't intervene. At least, that's what she thought.
Posted: Sun Dec 29, 2013 7:37 pm
Since she was being so 'polite' in waiting on him, he took the opportunity to jam his arm hard against the wall, setting the joint back to rights. It shook his vision like a handheld camera, but the arm came back to a semblance of useable. It wasn't great, but it was enough for now.
How much easier to just stand there and wait, and defend the whole time. Not that this isn't much more than toying when it comes to skill at fighting. 'Super', Thraen, super duper. Who came up with the epithets? They're embarrassing compared to the reality.
The Senshi of Gardens took a deep breath and tried again, crossing the combat distance with all the speed he had, not bothering to feint this time since that would form too predictable a pattern. Just a regular punch.
A grin split Cinnabar's face as he slammed his dislocated shoulder back into place, giving him back his mobility. Not that it was going to do him any good... he was having a hard time before, having a half useable arm wasn't going to help. It made her feel strong, powerful... untouchable. Like she could win this with her eyes closed, or a hand behind her back. It made her cocky and probably far too proud of herself.
So when he came for her again, she wasn't maybe as prepared for it as she should have been. When he swung for her, she expected another feint, but the senshi surprised her when the blow clipped her jaw, making her stumble back. Cinnbar's grin widened, more of a snarl now, and a hand snapped out around his arm to grip him by that long, lovely hair... that useless hair that was nothing but a weakness in a fight, a place to do just what she was doing now. Pulling hard at it, she jerked him down by the sensitive scalp and drove a knee upwards towards his chest... maybe break some ribs, or at least knock the air out of him.
It was probably time to end this. She'd played with him long enough.
Ivynian
Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2014 4:06 pm
It was plain as day, having a very painful demonstration to drive it doubly home, why having long hair on a battlefield was a detriment. Having never been in any recess yard scuffles in his life, and somehow having avoided it before this lieutenant- Thraen hadn't given it much thought before. It had been one of the variety of features of ridiculous that just made up his uniform and his daily life. The front of his ribs did not thank him for his oversight and lack of closer attention to melee efficiency.
Hairband- my kingdom for a hairband.
But it was split milk, and he rolled with what little momentum her letting him broken-collapse afforded, as she no doubt prepared worse stroke to visit on him.
He had his knees and hands, "Thraen Annual Planting !" And out spread the carpet of colour and perfume.
Bluefire Dragonz
Got a PM from Lizzy saying to skip her post, so here goes.
Tier 1 magic: How it Works - Thraen folds his hands together like prayer, the opens hands and they are full of seeds. He blows over them, dispersing the seeds. Hundreds of flowers spring up, growing and blooming magically. Their scent causes those who stand near them to fall asleep. Range - The patch of flowers that grows is a 10 ft. radius around Thraen Duration - The flowers bloom in the post he casts them. If those in the flower bed or near it do not get at least 10 ft. away from the flowers, they fall asleep like Dorothy in Wizard of Oz. The sleep lasts for 15 seconds. The flowers last for 20 seconds. Damage Summary - This is not a damage magic. No damage occurs from the spell itself, nor is any intended. If the writer of someone being affected wants their character to fall to their knees and then flop over and take no harm at all, that is up to them. If the writer of someone being affected by this wants their character to fall over mid-run and skid to a stop with a broken nose, that is up to them. But there is no damage effect in the spell itself. Weaknesses - If someone doesn't stay near them long enough, they don't fall asleep. If people hold their breath, wear a breathing mask, or cover their mouth and nose with wet cloth can avoid the scent as well. Once a person has fallen asleep in one flower bed, they cannot be affected by that bed again. Only a separate bed would affect them. This is an AoE (area of Effect) spell that effects allies as well as enemies. Frequency of Usage - Twice a battle
The grin on Cinnabar's face faltered when a bed of flowers sudden spread below her booted feet, spreading in a widening circle around the senshi at it's heart.
"The ********?" She said as she took a step back, cast about in confusion. Was this senshi magic? She'd never actually faced any yet... which would turn out to be a weak excuse for why she hadn't reacted more strongly and perhaps saved herself.
The cloying scent of flowers filled her senses as Cinnabar sneezed, throwing an arm over her mouth and nose as her alarm grew. Too late, she found herself wondering what the real effect was and the answer came quickly as she felt her eyes grow heavy and sleepiness pull at her ******** b***h..." The lieutenant managed before her eyes slid closed. Whether she meant him or herself, it was hard to say. Both maybe. Her leather-clad body went limp and she crumpled to the ground, her face oddly peaceful for the amount of danger she was now in.
