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 Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:14 pm
Abandoned warehouse. 10:30pm. Bring *********. Please help me.
Hopefully Ellie would get his message in time. It was first thing in the morning after all. There’d be no way she could miss him unless she was purposefully ignoring him. Would she even do that? All signs pointed to unlikely though it didn't stop him from adding the little 'please' to his text just in case. He was desperate after all. The entire day went by slower than molasses. The idea that whatever this was could possibly end that night was keeping him antsy and kept him watching the clock whenever he could. It might have been worth his while to sleep through the day as well as he could if sleep wasn’t such a terrifying prospect. Sleep for Waylon was rarely peaceful and frequently interrupted by the lucid nightmare over and over again.
The warehouse in question was a fairly unassuming giant cube in the middle of the industrial district. The only thing that set it apart was the broken lock, the lack of cameras and the fact that the two trained there from time to time. A loud screeching sound echoed through the metal warehouse as he pushed the door open. Waylon quickly scanned the area to make sure no one was there before lifting himself to sit on an unused wooden palette.
10:20 pm
Now there was nothing left to do but wait.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:14 pm
Why couldn't Waylon have been more specific about the abandoned warehouse?!
Ellie had set out quite early, but that was mostly due to her usually tendency to be early rather than on time. Even with ********* on her shoulder and keeping vigilant it was tricky to locate which specific warehouse he meant.
The only thing that had managed to assist in the endeavor of finding the Waylon was the sound of a door as it was seemingly forced open.
It was only 10:23 pm when she followed suit and entered the space.
"...dude... I know we've trained 'ere before... but be more specific next time!" she snapped as she literally circled him in annoyance.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:15 pm
“Sorry. Haven’t been thinkin’ straight lately…” Waylon chuckled softly, shoving his phone back in his pocket as he slipped off the palette.
His gaze followed her circle though his eyes were fixed on the little cat on her shoulder. “You said you would help me so I'm akin' for help.” It had been awhile since they’d spoken about his problem only then it had been about his inability to grow stronger. Even after the mental breakdown he’d suffered following the nega incident that's all it had been. She’d said that he’d know what he was looking for. She said he’d find a way to power up. It wasn't hard to think the nightmares had something to do with it. The senshi moved a hand through his uneven bangs as he tried to gather his thoughts. How could he even begin explaining the situation? Would they understand? Would they just think he was losing his mind? It wasn't like it mattered at that point. All his progress would mean nothing if it wasn't dealt with.
He took a deep breath before continuing. “Ever since Iris and I went to that asteroid, somethin’s been after me. I don’t know what it is or why it’s there but I can’t get away from it. It's like it's chasin' me. I can't deal with it by myself. I don’t even know if it’s real or not.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:15 pm
"...understatement of the year..." Ellie said in an unimpressed tone until she received a n** to the ear to quiet her down.
"...yes, Waylon..." the manx said in a far more understanding tone before he proceeded to explain the scenario at his hand. However, the explanation from the boy seemed about as cluttered as unthought out as his text message which the blonde had just complained about. Her maw had opened up, about to try and offer a bit of consolation when the girl's hand came up in a gesture for silence from the Mauvian.
"...tell me what it is, Waylon..." she said in a serious tone, looking to the boy in a deeply concerned manner. She had asked him before what he had seen, and her teammate had not told her then. If it was still haunting him like this, she needed to know what it was they were dealing with.
"...I need you to tell me..." she said once more, her tone still wary.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:16 pm
The sudden change in tone sent him a few steps backward until the hit the stack of palettes he’d been sitting on. He leaned against it, casting his eyes downward as he fiddled with the ends of one of his braids.
“I-I don’t really know what it is.” How does one even describe a giant monster out of your nightmares? “All I know is that it tries to…eat me every time.” There was a pause was he cleared his throat, not even noticing as his braid began to unravel under his restless fingers. “It used to be predictable. It would happen when I slept and then go away. But now….” His hand shook as he delved into his pocket, pulling out his henshin pen. “After you had to save my a**, it got worse. I wasn’t asleep or anythin’. I don’t even remember hat happened. Bernard said the police found me in the park somewhere but I don’t even remember how I got there. I think bein’ Parthenope makes this thing stronger. Since you told me I couldn’ power up as punishment it hasn’ been able to come after me if ain’ sleepin’.”
The man looked up from both his pen and his braid, watching the pair through tired eyes. “If I can’t get it to go away, I don’t think I'm gonna last much longer like this…”
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:16 pm
The blonde's gold eyes narrowed as she listened, taking in his descriptions, every single word having a significance to her. She stepped forward, gradually moving a hand under the cat's belly and plucking her off her shoulder. A typical Ellie-move would have been to drop the cat to the floor, but this time she stopped at her friend's side and placed the cat on his shoulder.
"...W-what are you doing?" the cat asked before nudging against Waylon's cheek to comfort him. It sounded as if he had been through a lot already, and if his condition was getting worse, she was willing to stay where she was needed.
"...Yer suspension is temporarily lifted so we can deal with this sh*t, Waylon. I need ya t'power up immediately..."
From the pocket of her jacket, she pulled out her own pen, flashing it briefly in front of him. "...We're senshi! We face sh*t head-on!"
He needs to know...
"...whatever ya face... I'm here by yer side... let's f*ck some sh*t up, a*****e!"
With a brief grin, she soon enough called out her phrase, and with a flash of colored she was Sailor Iris.
The manx upon Waylon's shoulder nudged him before giving him a scratchy kiss on the cheek. "You can do this!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:17 pm
Waylon almost expected to be scolded in some way. Maybe he’d done something wrong in fighting whatever it was. Maybe it was evidence of how much he screwed up in his relatively short time being a senshi. ********* gentle weight on his shoulder made him think differently. He nuzzled against the little cat, taking whatever small amount of comfort he could from the action.
It had seemed like forever since he’d tried to power up. Ever since that night, the idea of being Parthenope was a terrifying prospect. Still, Iris and ********* seemed determine to help him. Waylon slowly and methodically went about rebraiding the last few inches of his hair. “I guess I don’ have a choice huh?” The man stared down at the pen, rolling it in his hands as a bunch of different reasons for why this wasn’t a good idea was going through his head. What if it actually got what it wanted? Whatever that even was.
“I’m not at my best and I’m not sure what this thing can really do or if I can even fight it.” There was another quick flash and Sailor Parthenope stood before her. “I don’ really know what I’m supposed to do…”
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:18 pm
As soon as her teammate had powered up, the eternal senshi stepped forward, planting a hand upon the shoulder which the cat was not resting on. Her grip was firm and purposeful. The look in her eyes, however, seemed to grow a bit more gentle than Parthenope was probably used to.
He probably wasn't familiar with her just yet.
"You need to live, Parthenope."
Her words seemed to have less edge or sting to them than Iris would usually have.
The Mauvian, however, had grown a bit more familiar with the changes of the senshi versus the princess, and soon enough she briefly offered a small bow of her head in respect.
Iris didn't buckle, even though what she was about to share with her teammate was difficult at best.
"If my own memory serves correctly... I'm certain you are remembering how you died over a thousand years ago. You, unfortunately, were one of the first to pass on during the Silver Millennium. It was an unexpected accident. Your people unearthed an ancient monster.... long thought to be extinct....and you were unfortunately the first thing it went after..."
The cat upon the boy's shoulder lifted her head, her eyes wide in horror as this version of Iris explained things so calmly. "...th-that's horrible!" she stammered out as she once more nuzzled the boy, certain that this would be a lot harder on him than it was even on her. Iris had divulged information about the Silver Millennium to the Mauvian before, but this was the first time she was hearing anything like this.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:18 pm
Parthenope barely noticed the change in personality even as she tried her best to explain what was happening. Died? Like actually died? How was that even possible? What ancient monster was she talking about? What the hell was a silver millennium? He leaned more heavily against the stack of palettes, trying to process all the information he’d been given.
“But…why now?” The senshi’s voice was clouded over by confusion and desperation. “Can this thing actually kill me? Is that what it’s tryin’ to do?!” Parth ran his hand through his bangs again, nearly dislodging the tiara from his forehead, fingers curling tightly in his brown locks. “What am I supposed to do? If this thing’s tryin’ to kill me then how am I supposed to fight it? What am I suppose to-“ His voice cut off with a loud gasp, gaze intently focused on the ground between them.
Drip
His eyes widened as a black puddle began to form beneath them.
Drip
Parthenope’s breathing came harder, a low whine accompanying each intake. He knew exactly what that was. Every drip of the black substance caused the puddle under them to bubble and curl in on itself before settling again. His eyes reluctantly followed the small drops until the source was glaringly obvious. The light fixture was running with it, black substance dimming the light for him and no one else. The small light flickered until it fizzled out as blackness started to fill the bulb itself.
Parthenope was flush against the palettes behind him, leaning away from Iris’ supportive hand. “Why is this happenin’ to me…”
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:19 pm
"I don't have a solid answer for the 'why' of all this." Parthenope's eyes had been darting about, and in an effort to calm him, the girl used her free hand to grab onto his chin and redirect his face towards hers.
"...what you need to do is to live... don't let a death in another lifetime control you in this one! You can learn much from the past, but you should never let the past control the present."
She released his chin and shoulder, turning away and distancing herself before turning back to face him. With her arms spread out, she boldly proclaimed "You are the Senshi of Tar, the chosen Senshi of the asteroid of Parthenope!"
Bringing her hands down, she seemed to settle back towards an opposite wall. "Now... it is time for you to show me what you can do!"
It was hard for the manx to stay nearly as calm as the eternal senshi when Parthenope seemed so distracted by things she couldn't even see. Her fur couldn't help but stand on end.
"...whatever it is you need to do... we... we will do it together, Parthenope. I won't leave your side!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:19 pm
He knew they couldn't see what was going on. He knew that this monster couldn't reach them. The senshi found it becoming harder and harder to focus as the darkness closed around them. It dripped from every crack in the ceiling, uneven fixture and dislodged tile. Almost like this thing was holding the very building they stood in together.
It had created a thin filmy layer over everything by the time Iris forced him to focus on her and only her. Live. That’s all he needed to do. Live. No. This wasn’t about living per say. It was about surviving. This monster wasn’t something he could overpower. It wasn’t something he could get through with sheer force. It was eternally trapped in his head, rooting around until it destroyed him from the inside out. Parthenope would be doomed if he let it get the best of him. Black swarmed around the trio until all light had been sucked from the room. Iris’ brightly colored skirts were grayed out. Only her gold hair and eyes stood out from the darkness, a beacon in an otherwise colorless world. It wasn’t long before space behind her became impossibly dark.
When Iris stepped away from him, he instinctively reached out to her, completely unsure of himself with his anchor to reality. The darkness took no time in swallowing her up and, just like that, the color had been completely snuffed out. “Iris?...” His voice was tiny and barely there. Even with ********* still perched on his shoulder, he couldn't help but fell an overwhelming since of loss. Some part in the back of his conscious, he knew she were there waiting in a completely empty room. He could even hear her talking. But she was still gone.
There was little time to dwell on it as the familiar rattle surrounded him. Instead of taking the time to manifest, the monster stood immediately before him. It was much large than it had been that night. Much larger than he had ever seen it but it still had those glaring white teeth. It regarded him for a moment, cocking it’s head before it dove down towards him. This was normally when he woke up but nothing was happening. He could have sworn he could even feel the small ghosts of breath on his skin. He was rooted to the spot even as he watched it’s maw part, lunging after him to swallow him whole. He had to do something. He had to run. He had to run. He couldn't just accept fate.
Parthenope let out a strained cry as he dove out of the way of the invisible yet all too real enemy, making sure to hold the cat close to him so she didn't get flung elsewhere. There was a spectacular eruption as the creature slammed into the black covered ground, melting into it before it’s head gruesomely started to rebuild itself out of the sticky mess.
“H-how am I supposed to fight it if it isn't real?”
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:20 pm
How did one coach a senshi that wasn't fighting a tangible enemy, but instead something completely unseen. Perhaps it was as Iris was implying, a figment of the boy's imagination. A Phobia that had grasped onto Parthenope's whole being? Was it even possible for a phobia to cripple someone in such a manner?
The manx seemed to get more attentive as Parthenope's eyes seemed to fixate upon an unseen nothing.
"...it isn't real..." she offered as a soft reminder before things suddenly got very bumpy for the little cat. Certainly, a dark gloved hand managed to keep her anchored, but she couldn't help but let out a surprised mini-yowl.
It wasn't easy to answer his question, because she really didn't know what could help. However, she mentally scrambled and soon enough blurted out something.
"If it isn't real, then the only thing making it stronger is you being afraid of it! Your fear is what is feeding it at this point!"
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:20 pm
”It’s kind of hard to not be afraid of it!” Parthenope looked to where the thing was writhing on the ground. It’s face was in shambles, trying to reconstruct what had been there before. One of it’s arms was jutting out at a strange angle in the ground before righting itself. It was on it’s feet before the rest of it’s face had manifested. It was and even more terrifying vision, jaw hanging unnaturally dislodged like a snake’s after a meal. It once again barreled towards him but the senshi was already back on his feet and scrambling away.
He could hear the rumble and rattle of the warehouse behind him as he rounded the corner. There was a loud wail as the monster slammed against the wall, once again losing it’s. Parthenope stopped at the opposite wall to watch as it once again tried to pull itself from the darkness. Something seemed off about it. No matter what happened, it always seemed to hold itself together like it was a solid mass at one point in time. This time it was trying to desperately to keep from tripping over itself. It’s was still full of it’s menacing teeth but they no longer were flush together. It’s jaw was stuck open, strands of black looking stretched and over extended. It lumbered towards him at barely a canter, having trouble keeping it’s feet from sticking and dissolving into the ground beneath it. Suddenly, it lunged towards him once again, sending him running farther
As they dodged it, he could see flickering throughout the warehouse. The lights were dripping again, clear of the black substance that rendered them useless before. “Iris said somethin’ about how I died right?” The creature further began to melt and it’s paw became trapped in the increasingly bubbling concoction underneath it.. The monster thrashed as it was unable to get out of the substance that was slowly wrapping itself around it's calf. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe that’s how I died. I jus’…stood there. Or maybe I didn’ have enough time to react…” For the first time, Parthenope took a step towards it. The inky puddle hardened under his feet, like the concrete was just millimeters beneath. “I'd be dead by now.”
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:21 pm
It might have seemed cruel that Iris just stood to the sidelines now as Parthenope essentially squirmed as he struggled to figure out what he was doing. Had it been more of the senshi personality showing through, she might have been amused with his actions, as a sort of stupid "performance piece." However, the one who was in control found far less amusement in the way her teammate carried on.
"You're better than this... you can do it..."
The poor cat had very little to offer at the moment, considering she was still at a complete loss for what she could do to help out in all of this. However, something more confident seem to be emerging from the senshi she was perched on. Had he actually stumbled upon what could be the key to fixing all of this?
Rather quickly, she told him in his ear "...hold me up over your chest, Parthenope!"
With that, she almost seemed to drop off his shoulder, expecting the boy to catch her small form easily.
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Posted: Sat Jun 14, 2014 10:21 pm
“I’m not dead. It doesn’ know what to do.” He would have smiled at the revelation if it wasn’t for the fact that this thing had been terrorizing him for the past few weeks. Parthenope was almost mesmerized by how the creature melted into the ground. It was clawing and biting at whatever was making it’s way up one of it’s legs. He might have smiled if the situation wasn’t so connected to his very being. The fear was still there, apprehension still clawing at him and adrenaline still coursing through his system. Nothing had really changed b the monster itself. The ceiling was leaking once again, raining down the black substance but, instead of pooling on the ground, it sizzled and dissolved into the bubbling pool. Everything started to grow bright until the creatures entire form was outlined. Large and hulking as always but he could see patches where parts of it’s body had started to melt away, showing large expanses of dark bone like surface.
He caught ********* as she slid from his shoulder, holding the cat in front of his chest as instructed. “What are you doin’ cat?”
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