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 Posted: Sat May 31, 2014 6:37 pm
It seemed impossible that the city could be so quiet, and yet as Ganymede walked along the lonely cemetery path that lead to her father's grave the only sounds to greet her were the wind rustling through the trees and the scrape of her heels along the cobblestones.
The darkness seemed oppressive here, not due to any ghostly air one might imagine in such a place, but because the tall, old trees in this section had a way of stretching overhead and blocking out the moon with their thick branches and lush foliage. The ambient light from the surrounding city blotted out the stars, and the moon, though just days away from being full, provided no further assistance, hiding behind the branches which threw beams of haunting silver light in random patterns along the ground.
Ganymede was less bothered by the darkness and the late hour than she was by the aura that settled like an unpleasant weight upon her senses. She could not determine an exact location, but she knew that it was following her, had already gone beyond its reach only for it to creep back up on her again. The feel of it set her nerves on edge and sent a cold shiver down her spine.
Powerful. Malevolent. Surely it was no mere General.
From her pocket in subspace Ganymede summoned her Senshi phone. Her fingers flew across the keys in a brief, hasty message.Quote: Cemetery. GK following. Get Val.
But fear was a very powerful thing.
Ganymede came to a stop along the path, stubbornly swallowed through her fear and curled her fingers into her palms to steel her resolve as she called out, “With an aura like that there doesn't seem to be any point in hiding. Who are you and what do you want?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 04, 2014 4:38 pm
For only a second, there was silence. It was followed by slow clicks of another pair of heels a short distance down the cobblestone path from behind Ganymede. For a short moment, the shadows obscured her identity, but it didn't take long for what little light there was to grace her features. Laurelite's teal hair bobbed with each step, though she kept her fingers laced behind her. She did not appear to be armed, but considering the sheer power she radiated, it meant little. Especially when she could summon a weapon at any second. " With an aura like that, there doesn't seem to be any point in running," she replied, looking Ganymede down. She did not move in a way that indicated she was looking for trouble, and she kept a good few feet of distance. " My name is Laurelite, Senshi. I usually don't bother speaking with the enemy but there is something…interesting about you. I've never met a senshi that felt quite the same way. What have you done to yourself?" she asked, voice almost as friendly as the smile on her face.
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Posted: Thu Jun 05, 2014 1:17 pm
“I wasn't running.”
Not really. She'd just been walking. Purposefully.
Ganymede observed the General Queen but could place neither her name nor her face. That wasn't good. Upon sensing the aura she'd assumed it to be Zinkenite, whom she may not know through personal experience but who Valhalla had told her enough about to make her wary. This woman, on the other hand, was a complete unknown, and theoretically more dangerous because of it.
Something told her Val wouldn't be able to help her out of this one.
“I'm flattered,” Ganymede said.
She crossed her arms over her chest, putting most of her weight on one foot with her hip jutting out in what she hoped was a believable display of nonchalance.
“Unfortunately I have no idea what you're talking about, so I'm afraid you're just wasting your time,” she continued. “Go bother someone more worthy of your attention, Your Majesty. Madame Butterfly or Rainbow Bright, I'm sure they're out and about somewhere. Some no-name Eternal's not really much of a prize in comparison.”
It crossed her mind to attempt a bluff and play off of the weird feeling her aura had been projecting and pretend at more power than she truly had at her disposal in a show of intimidation, but claiming to be something she wasn't could just as easily backfire.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 4:49 pm
Laurelite's head tilted, just so slightly to the side and she looked Ganymede up and down. She seemed amused, though in the way one might be with a child. Ganymede might have been an eternal senshi, but Laurelite was not intimidated. " I don't really think that's up to you to decide," she replied, taking another step forward. Her movements were slow, but she did not seem to act in such a way out of trepidation. She was testing the waters. Playing with Ganymede. " Are you really going to tell me that you haven't noticed anything strange recently?" she continued. She took another step, as if she intended to circle the senshi. " Has no one else asked you about that fancy little energy signature of yours? Because, I will admit. I'm having a very hard time believing I'm the first one to notice. You don't think I'm a fool, do you?" She offered a faint gasp, as though understanding was setting in, and her expression changed; she almost seemed as though the thought pained her. Her smile faded and she seemed so much more serious. She stood still, obviously waiting for an answer.
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Posted: Tue Jun 17, 2014 1:58 pm
Ganymede grew progressively more uncomfortable by the play of expressions across Laurelite's face, but did her utmost to keep her discomfort to herself. A General Queen was the last person she wanted to show any kind of weakness to. She struggled to remain still as Laurelite began her slow circle, following the General Queen's movements with her eyes only.
The fascination with her aura was becoming concerning. Not that it hadn't been on Ganymede's mind enough recently, but that it had caught the attention of a General Queen seemed quite problematic. Why? she wondered. She felt no different. She'd noticed nothing about herself that would explain what everyone else was feeling from her, except for the light and mild explosion when Avalon had stuck her hand into her chest. Ganymede had chosen not to dwell on it, had put the memory aside as a fluke so as to go about her life normally.
But the situation she now found herself in wasn't a fluke. She was running out of options. There wasn't anything excessively predatory about Laurelite, not like some of her Generals, but that Ganymede had even become of interest was bad enough. She couldn't hope to defend herself if Laurelite chose to attack.
“Alright, you've got me,” Ganymede said with a dramatic roll of her eyes. Her voice was thick with sarcasm as she threw all caution to the wind. If Laurelite was going to play, Ganymede could play a game of her own. Whatever the General Queen intended, Ganymede didn't intend to make it easy for her.
“I didn't want to give myself away so soon but I guess I don't have a choice now, do I?” she continued. She shifted on her feet and uncrossed her arms as her mouth twitched into a smirk. If playing dumb wasn't going to work, she didn't have much to rely on but sass. “This pesky aura's too difficult to keep hidden. One of your Generals've already gotten a little too close for comfort. I suppose it was really only a matter of time before they ran crying to their superiors.
“It's me,” Ganymede announced, but her voice was bland and her expression was that of someone clearly bullshitting around, “the Moon Queen. I've come to take the Earth as my own. That's what this war is about, isn't it? World domination? About time I got this show on the road. Soon all of you will be under my rule, and there isn't a single thing you can do about it.”
Stupid, stupid, stupid, she thought. So much for not bluffing. Of course, with a General Queen staring her down she didn't have many more options than to go on the defensive or throw all caution to the wind. She didn't want to be defenseless. She didn't want to cower. Escape, yes, but cower? She was tired of appearing weak, tired of always being afraid. She was fed up with Chaos and the Negaverse and the fact that she always seemed to be two steps behind everyone else. The Negaverse had had their run of the city for too long. She was done putting up with it.
There was cold-blooded violence, which Ganymede still wanted absolutely no part of, and then there was doing what was necessary.
“Now bow,” she said, and her expression shifted. One moment the bluff was still on, and the very next she appeared far more serious, her face set with determination and aggression, the only real warning Laurelite would have. “Searing Passion!”The Space Cauldron The enemy is overcome by an unknown sense of desire which manifests itself in a physical heating of the body that grows progressively stronger throughout the duration of the attack, until the target feels as if they're burning up from the inside. The attack reaches its peak after about 45 seconds.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:38 pm
For a few seconds, Laurelite's face remained the same placid, calm expression—and then the effects of Ganymede's attack seemed to course through her. Her face flushed a shade of red and her smile faded, be it merely from the attack or because of the information Ganymede had offered, it was unclear. Laurelite wasn't playing anymore, though. " Moon Queen," she repeated, disdain heavy in her voice. She was shifting uncomfortably now, clenching her fists at her side and taking another step. She was trying to keep her breathing even, trying to keep her calm, but Ganymede's attack only seemed to be agitating her. She wasn't thinking as clearly as she should have been—and how could she with that burning. Was it the Moon Queen? She wasn't…as strong as what they had expected. She wasn't anything Laurelite had ever expected. But appearances could be deceiving. Moon Queen or not, she was going to die. " If you think you're clever, senshi, you've got another thing coming. I don't appreciate my time being wasted, and I think a punishment is quite appropriate. Moon Queen," she sneered, and held out her hand. In a burst of sparkling light, a long, hooked weapon appeared. Crystals dangled, clinking and chiming together as she drew the oversized scythe back. Laurelite needed no time to prepare herself or adjust to the heavy weapon; she charged towards Ganymede, swinging it in an arc towards the senshi. There was too much space here, but there were enough trees in the distance that Laurelite doubted the senshi would be able to maneuver away from her for long.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:56 pm
Ganymede hadn't expected the General Queen would take her seriously.
She knew who she was, and she knew who she wasn't, and she assumed any claim she might make to the contrary would be responded to with derisive scorn and the appropriate level of disbelief. Her claims were foolish at best and steeped in absurdity. There was nothing about her to prove them anything but false, and yet Laurelite looked at her with the sort of loathing Ganymede expected was reserved for those the Negaverse thought a true enemy. Gone was the General Queen's interest and cool, detached calm, replaced now with the darkness Ganymede had come to expect from those most lost to Chaos.
“Seriously, it was a joke!” she shrieked, her eyes wide at the sight of the hastily summoned weapon, dodging back as the General Queen came for her.
Her attack wasn't affecting Laurelite the way it affected others she'd used it on. Ganymede was growing accustomed to the screaming; she'd come to expect the reaction to the pain, knew what it felt like after her clone had used it on her and couldn't imagine how anyone could stand it. And yet Laurelite could still move, could still call a weapon into her grasp, could still approach as if she meant to attack.
And Ganymede had no doubt that she would. The minute Laurelite got close enough, she imagined she'd be in for pain equal to or worse than what she could cause herself.
Perhaps it was simply because Laurelite was a General Queen. Her initial appearance hadn't been entirely intimidating, but her aura spoke of a great power. She must be strong enough to withstand it. Either that or she had an impressive threshold for pain.
“The Moon Queen is dead!” Ganymede shouted. She tripped along the cobbled path, refusing to turn her back and run lest Laurelite catch her from behind, but making every effort to duck away. “You're all in a royal snit over a ghost! Don't you realize how incredibly stupid all of this is?! Or is your brain so muddled with evil you can't even think anymore?!”
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:25 pm
" I don't think joking is appropriate given your situation, senshi!" Laurelite crooned, though the heat was so near to driving her mad that all she could think about was how wonderful it would be once this senshi's spell was over. And what quicker way than to end her life? While outwardly Laurelite might not have been screaming or writhing, the evidence of the attack was clear in the way she moved and attacked. Her gestures were shaky; she trembled and moved as though trying to shake off waves of spiders crawling across her skin. Her lips were pursed and her eyes were focused only on Ganymede. She moved mechanically, as though she were tuning out thoughts, trying to block the burning sensation that had flooded her every nerve. Wielding her scythe as she ran after the senshi, she gripped it with both hands and swung wide—with too much strength. She was close to Ganymede but the arc of her blade had been a good few inches above Ganymede's head. Her sloppiness was a bit more evident when the swing continued beyond what she'd intended; the blade sliced through the trunk of one tree before imbedding itself in another. Laurelite skidded to a halt and, eyes wide, seemed surprised. And then angry. And then her face went blank again as she tugged against the scythe twice and, when it refused to budge, then planted her foot against the trunk and yanked. She freed her scythe only a second before the first tree toppled over. " If she is dead, then you can send her my regards," Laurelite called after the senshi; weapon in hand, she got a running start and—when the pain faded for a brief second, she had a burst of clarity. Running was entirely inferior when you could teleport. In a flash, Laurelite crossed the distance between her and the senshi and swung her blade again, this time with far more precision.
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Posted: Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:34 pm
Ganymede was all too aware of the danger she found herself in. It settled on her heavily, weighed her down as duty and guilt often did, sent shivers down her spine and dread into her soul. With her senses she tried to seek out any approaching power signatures, hopeful that her friends might soon arrive but terrified that they wouldn't, yet she felt nothing. In her efforts to avoid Laurelite's weapon, she could not determine if fear had addled her senses or if her friends were truly too far away to be of any assistance.
She watched, the expression on her face betraying the terror that clogged her throat and sent her hands trembling, as the blade of Laurelite's weapon cut through a tree with ease, sending it to the ground in a mighty crash that Ganymede could feel in vibrations through the Earth. Ganymede stepped back, her foot taking her off the cobbled path, but she knew not where to go from here.
“Wait,” she said. “Wait!”
But the General Queen would not wait. Of course she wouldn't. Ganymede would be stupid to expect it. No amount of distance she might put between them, no plaintive cries, no gestures of supplication would ease the situation. Laurelite would have her head, or her heart, or her starseed, or all three by the time this was over.
Ganymede had never placed much thought in what it might be like to die. Oh, she knew death, of course. It'd taken her father from her, after all, and she knew the danger the war brought into their lives made it increasingly likely that others would fall before the end. But though she'd acknowledged that she could be one of them, she hadn't given much consideration to what if. Perhaps that was arrogance, perhaps stupidity, or perhaps it was simply the coward's way. She didn't often put herself in situations in which death seemed immanent, and when she did she was far too focused on what actually occurred than on what could be.
Yet as the General Queen's scythe swung through the air, Ganymede saw death lurking ever closer.
She jerked back, fled from the path, stumbled through the trees in an attempt to distance herself from the inevitable, but Laurelite appeared before her anyway, with the ease of a power that put her so far above even an Eternal of two years. The scythe arced again, and this time there was no escape. Ganymede twisted to avoid it, but it bit through the back of her corset and dragged down, from shoulder downward to curve along her side as she spun.
Ganymede cried out and fell, writhing in the grass by the thick trunk of an old oak tree. Adrenaline was no balm for her pain, nor did it ease the heady sense of fear. Tears of pain, of frustration and regret sprung into her eyes, and as she crawled along the ground like the sniveling coward she'd always known herself to be, Ganymede sobbed raggedly. Her pride and bravado vanished. Neither had serve her well before, and neither would save her now.
A shaky hand clutched at her side to staunch what blood she could reach as Ganymede turned to look her death in the eye. Beneath her, under the hand that propped her up, she felt the hard, smooth stone plaque that marked her father's grave.
At least it would happen here, she thought.
She wasn't completely alone.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 4:37 pm
Any of the crazed gleam that had existed in Laurelite's eyes were gone the moment the scythe did any bit of damage to her senshi of target. The burning sensation waned, and her fingers wrapped tightly around her scythe. The smile was back on her face and she laughed, a soft, gentle laugh. " Oh, little senshi," she said, and almost seemed genuine. She took a few more steps towards Ganymede, but no longer did it seem like she was consumed with malice and rage. " Don't cry," she crooned. " Here." With a wave of her hand, she dismissed the scythe, though she continued to approach. Kneeling in front of Ganymede, she reached out her hand and brushed a thumb across her cheek to wipe away the tears. " You know, a lady shouldn't cry. You shouldn't let anyone see you like this. Friend or foe. You almost make me feel bad for killing you." Laurelite sighed, and then just smiled a little sweeter. " But then, I suppose I don't have to kill you, do I? I like that little spark in you. You talk a big talk, but you need to watch for biting off more than you can chew. Take a deep breath," she said, moving to wipe the other cheek. " I have something better in mind for you." She drew her hand away from Ganymede's face and for a moment looked as though she was going to stand. Instead, she plunged her hand into Ganymede's chest. Her fingers wrapped around the starseed and she gripped tightly, pushing a wave of chaos energy toward it.
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Posted: Sun Jun 29, 2014 6:18 pm
Ganymede cringed away from the tender touch and the sweet tone of Laurelite's voice. As blood seeped through the fingers Ganymede clutched to her side, the disappearance of the General Queen's weapon should have come as a relief. Instead her fear grew, for she knew instinctively where Laurelite's hand would go.
Her life as she'd always known it did not flash before her eyes the way she'd thought it might, and she found that she regretted that. If this was truly the end, whether by death or corruption, she would have liked to face her fate while lulled by pleasant memories. If she could only look into Chris's eyes the way she had that December night that now seemed to have been so long ago, or huddle in her mother's arms the way she used to as a child, or hear her father's voice, feel the comforting weight of his hand on her hair as he welcomed her into oblivion.
She didn't want to forget—not who she was, not how far she'd come, not those who meant the most to her. She didn't want to be Chris's heartache, or her mother's guilt, or her friends' cause for vengeance. She didn't want to face the world as something broken and manipulated. She didn't want to exist as an empty shell, would rather face death than give into the Chaos Laurelite forced into her.
And that was a sobering thought.
Suddenly Ganymede's focus narrowed and her face, previously overcome by terror and pain, smoothed into an eerie expression of calm. The chilling agony of Chaos in her chest dulled. She stared Laurelite in the eye with placid defiance, daring her to try while willing her to fail.
With an unusual clarity Ganymede said, “I would rather die.”
Then something inside of her broke open.
There came the flash of memories—her awakening, Elysion, her first meeting with Valhalla; summer camp, joining the Jovians, the hopelessness of the Surrounding; revealing her identity to Chris, surviving the ambush, destroying her clone; Benitoite reaching for Maia's starseed, then doing the same to Valhalla; Buddingtonite's malice, his agonized screams, the threat he posed to the smallest of them; Bischofite on the rooftop, Bischofite with a sword through his chest, Bischofite with wings sprouting from his back; Cyllene draped in black, Auriga in tears; the look on Avalon's face as she reached into Ganymede's chest, and the blinding light that forced her away.
Blue skies and sunshine. The distant, mournful whistle of a train. A loving hand against her face, fingers threading through her hair.
And the voices that rose up to whisper, 'Ganymede... Ganymede...'
A searing heat flooded her, not painful like her magic but just as powerful, fending off the chill of Chaos and replacing it with a euphoric sense of completeness. It began in the center of her chest and spread to cradle her rapidly beating heart, wending down her arms to pool in the palms of her hands. A golden light surrounded her, so bright she could no longer see Laurelite through it, and just when she thought it would burn her eyes and set her aflame it exploded from her in a forceful blast that sent Laurelite careening back, her hand singed and empty of Ganymede's starseed.
The light condensed until all that remained radiated from Ganymede's hands and forehead. She rose to her feet by her father's grave—whole and unbroken.
“I would rather die,” she said with firmness, and little trace of fear, for there was worse than death to fear in this war.
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Posted: Thu Jul 03, 2014 11:32 am
Laurelite's eyes widened, and in that instant—that brief instant, her eyes widened in fear. She was a General Queen. No senshi should have this effect on her. She did the research, she knew things about senshi that most senshi hadn't yet learned themselves. But nothing could have prepared her for this. Not even Metallia could have prepared her for this. She was oblivious to the tree she had crashed into, oblivious to the pain. Her eyes stung from the glow and her hand burned. She allowed a quick glance towards it and tensed when she saw the damage that had been done. The corruption had failed. Laurelite…had failed? Unacceptable. Absolutely unacceptable. She stood quickly, trembling with rage. She could not wield her weapon with her right hand in this condition, though Laurelite displayed no hesitation in summoning it to her left. " How dare you," she seethed. " What have you done?" If there could be no corruption, then there would be blood. She would have Ganymede's—all of it.
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 7:40 am
What remained of her tears had not entirely left her face, her cheeks still damp and her eyes burning, but no more fell to join them. Ganymede did not feel brave, or confident, for she knew she was still woefully outmatched against a General Queen, but a certain sense of calm overcame her. For the first time since her awakening, since the moment she'd felt her once normal life begin to crumble and fall away, Ganymede felt at peace with herself.
Whatever she might have wished for at the age of sixteen, whatever she might have ran from after, this was who she'd always been meant to be. In coming so close to losing that piece of herself, she found that she was finally able to embrace it fully. There was no single difference between herself and Ganymede, however much she might wish to keep those two halves of her life separate. She had not become anything more than what she'd already been that night she'd awakened; rather, it had allowed her to discover herself truly, in ways she likely would not have otherwise.
She continued to face Laurelite defiantly. Her hand dropped from her side, her fingers curling into her palms. Though her wound stung painfully, the sudden rush of adrenaline help to dull the burning ache. Her corset no longer sported the hideous gash, even if blood continued to stain the stark white fabric. Ganymede did not yet look down at herself to note the differences, but she instinctively knew that some change had come upon her.
“I haven't done anything,” she said.
Ganymede spat derisively. She would have liked to spit into Laurelite's face, and regretted not taking that chance when they'd both been upon the ground. Instead it landed by Laurelite's feet, somewhat less impactful than Ganymede would have preferred.
“Take a good look,” she jeered, and held her arms out as if to draw the General Queen's full attention, though she knew she already had it. “See what you've done. Look at how you've failed. Does it bother you, Your Majesty? Let it sink in and get used to it, because you'll never have me.”
Her voice remained thick with the emotions kept restrained just beneath the surface, but through it she laced all the anger and hostility she'd spent so long denying herself the right to feel.
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 9:28 pm
Laurelite's eyes narrowed. She might have seemed sweet on the outside, parading around with her kind little smile or her encouraging words. Her affinity for diplomacy betrayed the ferocity that festered within her. Beneath her calm exterior burned an unrelenting fire; Ganymede had the misfortune of stoking it. The General Queen did not flinch or pull away from the senshi, but she took a good, long look at everything Ganymede was. Every detail she could note, she memorized. This would be reported. They would have to investigate it. Whatever had happened, the senshi had found some new weapon, and whether or not it was something to be concerned of, Laurleite did not know. All she knew was that the only thing she wanted to do more than drag Ganymede down the Rift for some interrogation was to end this now and just kill her. Her silence was broken when she hissed, " You stupid little senshi." And then she laughed. Like little bells, her voice carried through the night. There was no cheer when the laughter faded; she continued, " I would have granted you mercy. There is no hope for you now." Raising her scythe, Laurelite made her intentions clear. The time for discussion was over, but she had one final message. When she spoke again, it almost didn't even sound like herself. Her voice was cold and hollow and dripping with hatred. " You die now."
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Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2014 2:19 pm
The panic Valhalla felt in that moment was the most overwhelming feeling he’d experienced in his life so far. The aura of a General Queen was frightening enough, but the thought of being too far away to stop the inevitable, to lose the other half of his life, being just close enough to witness, but not enough to do anything.
He knew the cemetery well, or at least more so than any other cemetery in the city. His feet flew down the path he’d taken many times before with Paris over the years, but the thought of her dying here… or worse… He couldn’t bear the thought, and it pushed him faster, with more determination than ever, because his own life depended on it. His and Ganymede’s lives were too intertwined, he was too dependant on her to even think about life without her.
Blinded to anyone and everything around him, Valhalla rushed towards the powerful auras, desperate to reach Ganymede in time. A sudden burst of light just over the hill, and a defiant voice he knew was Ganymede’s had him flying faster still, giving him a breath of hope. She was alive, and a hand flew to the pocket watch he kept tied to his belt, gripping it tightly.
“Kyrie, go!” he shouted; a shimmer of light and a ghostly form bursting from the watch itself. A giant eagle took shape overhead, the air around her crackling with electricity as she released a deafening screech to announce her own arrival and ire.
Valhalla wasn’t sure of her abilities or what she was capable of, as he’d met her only a few days ago, but that didn’t matter. He didn’t care what she did, as long as she did something.
As if anticipating his thoughts, the eagle flapped her wings to halt in midair over where Laurelite stood with her scythe raised. “Get her,” Valhalla hissed as he pushed himself over the hill, locking his eyes on the General Queen’s form. He was able to register that Ganymede was still standing, and so his focus shifted to the woman responsible for the blood curdling scream he’d heard in the distance only minutes prior.
There was no thunder to accompany any strike, but the crackling and popping of electricity was loud enough. A splintering bolt tore through the still air in search of the quickest route to the ground — a raised weapon would do just nicely.
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