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 Posted: Sat Jul 05, 2014 7:34 pm
The overpass, eternally dusted with glass, reeked of old memories and aching (irking) reminders of the wretched pit he now called home. Broken glass crunched underfoot, aglitter with jaundiced lamplight, while he walked to its apex just beyond a large intersection. Somewhere beyond the empty red light stood one of equal power to his own, one sporting an aura absent all festering Chaos that he knew so well. Somewhere beyond, it lingered.
Bischofite found little reason to approach the beacon of scathing auric energy - not when his visage proved unnerving even to his own kind. Instead he stepped atop the barrier lining the overpass, in a portion absent fencing, and stared down to the street below. A different culture blossomed here, one that grew in spite of (or because of?) the war. He remembered a glimpse, hardly more than a passing understanding, of its operation - various drivers racing on the streets, in times when the police worried far more about moving shadows or iniquitous soldiers, and sometimes the rarer few intentionally collided with each other. He found it enticing for the breath of a moment, but nothing more. Nothing further.
And now, somewhere in the dark, dark stretches of this so downtrodden street stood a knight. A knight he couldn't see.
I used to throw rocks at passing cars here, in the daytime when all the drivers retreated to their daily obligations. The normal populace crowded this area until they converted a highway into a parking lot. I remember... One particularly large rock cracked the windshield of a Lexus. Drawing a breath, the creature closed his eyes momentarily. I remember... Meeting Porsha here. Oh, how long it's been now... And there's still far more road to travel. The blacktop stretches for miles here, and the paint's faded to sun-scraped chips in intermittent succession.
I'll never know when I cross into the wrong lane. Perhaps that's the beauty of it.
"Knight," he announced to the empty street below, "I am not here on Negaverse business. Show yourself, so zat we may talk." Afterward he spread wings wide in an usher of gasps tinted with tone, as a means to easily identify himself among the yellowed sparks of light scattered through the area. His gaze fixed on the street below, scanning from one side to the next over dented fire hydrants, littered sidewalks and the occasional pair of headlights that darted beneath him.
"If you haf' conditions for a temporary truce, speak zem now."
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Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2014 3:46 pm
"I think 'not on Negaverse Business' makes decent grounds for a temporary truce, providing your personal business doesn't involve adding to your starseed or organ collections." Kairatos stepped out of hiding, though his fingers still rested lightly against the collection of rope and horn at his hip. Last time he remembered someone who looked anything like this it had been Tanzanite, and... things had not looked well for her when he had seen her the time after that. "Who the hell did you piss off?" he couldn't imagine doing it on purpose... well... no he guessed he could. Personally he didn't think he'd have ever done it, but he imagined it might have been a thing that happened to him, had he continued in that vein. For this guy... for this guy it was apparently far too late for there to be another path. "...Seriously, tell me this isn't what they're trying to sell people on now."
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Posted: Mon Jul 07, 2014 11:54 pm
Bischofite only smirked at the initial return. Dry, dark. Just how I like it. A proper start to this damnable conversation.
Very well, Knight, let's see what you have to offer.
"While my organ collaction is looking grim, I belief' it can wait for anozzer time. Firstly, I am Bischofite." As he introduced himself, he spread his hands from clasped together to outward, at the elbow - a lukewarm gesture. "While i am... Somewhat foreign to human customs zese days, I remember zat most like to know who zey are speaking to. I'f never much favored ze practice - as zey say, s**t is still s**t by any ozzer name. Or was it a rose? I forget." He spoke the final words with a margin more acidity than he intended.
Afterward he motioned to step off the overpass, presence immediately dissipating in a jarring and immediate transition from the height of the structure to the very base, where he then lingered in the middle of the road. Slowly he approached, tattered coat dragging along in a trawling of scattered road debris. "I could say I pissed off half ze Negaverse. In part, one of my allies contributed to ze ... affair in which it happened. But ultimately, my new appearance was no manufacturing of my superiors... If zat is what you're implying." He clapped his hands together again as he consciously tried to dissuade his natural reactions to produce tar when subjected to his own heated emotions. rage burned, festered, and his immediate reaction was to release it through tar.
"Ze story itself is... Of little consequence. You might'f remembered a blackout a couple monts' ago. Zat operation ended in ze reshaping of my body. Its details are not concerning, saf'e for two important contributors - ze first and most important of which being my personal youma at ze time. She remembered being human, and endeavored to revisit it more zan anysing else. In my blind trust of her research to assist me in fulfilling my intentions, I... Allowed her to trick me, and ultimately betray me. Additionally, a general - Avalon - provided ze means for her to enter my body by stabbing me srough ze chest." He gestured with both indexes toward the virulent scar standing exposed on his skin.
He seethed, but did so quietly, beyond the closed doors of gritted teeth and a countenance steeled by secondhand learning.
"If nossing else, I am now an example to my peers as a reason to avoid sinking too deeply about ze tasks we are assigned. Ze Negaverse does not value... sought. Even Zinkenite himself touts an intellectual appearance, but I am unequivocally convinced zat zere's not but s**t and piss between his ears.
"But zat is neizer here nor zere. I explained previously zat I came to you out of personal affairs, and I will explain why shortly. First, I want your name."
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Posted: Wed Jul 09, 2014 4:29 pm
"Well s**t..." He had wondered what had happened to Redline when he defected, but now he wasn't quite so sure he gave a s**t, and he almost reached out to assumptive prod at the virulent, strange scar, then dropped his hand. So... Bishophite was.... not.... a youma but was... almost... infected... by a Youma. "I know of Avalon, and I know Zinkenite." He added, distractedly. "...GK Funsize definitely never struck me as the type to like being questioned. Or think. He'd rather be surrounded by fauning idiots than admit he's not as smart as he wants to think he is." He noted thoughtfully, then shifted to a broad, bright grin. "But I didn't answer your question. I'm Kairatos. and Anyone who hates that tiny little hopped up s**t gets at least a little credit in my book." He answered. He was comparatively unrattled by the gesture of stepping off the overpass, blinking, but of all his memories he was born into a world of people who were no less remarkable. He was suddenly dying to ask if Bishophite had any idea of the state of his own star seed, but it seemed way too much to ask that it was actually only damaged, not... shattered the way he was pretty sure 'true' Youma were, but he wasn't sure if the man would know anyway. Should he tell Iris? Would she know? "Sorry. Blame it on a long history of being too impatient to be well mannered."
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Posted: Thu Jul 10, 2014 9:18 pm
How often had the knight confronted Zinkenite to know these portions of the man's personality? He expected his superior's blatant arrogance shone through at face value, in addition to his height. But to know his preference for company... Bischofite wagered such an observation required repeated meetings at least. "And how do you know Zinkenite? Has he tried to convert you?" Likely not, unless you kissed a** to escape with your life. And even then... Any lukewarm acceptance may convince him to corrupt. What am I talking about? The man never does anything.
The creature groaned, wrapping too-thin arms about a nigh nonexistent waist to ward off another hunger pain. Leaning over just so, he attempted to disguise the act as a stretch of the wings. I should be looking for grocery stores that I could steal from - this talk of purification... I wonder if it'll kill me due to my wasted state alone.
Bischofite's tired gaze fell on Kairatos' expressive features, studying the ease in which he exhibited such personality. "If credit buys me answers, zen I will take it." He offered no comment on the wait. "I am looking for some information on ze act called purification. I'f... a rudimentary understanding of it, zough I'f met wis' no actual Negaverse agents who underwent its process. Tell me - what do you know of purification? Additionally, what are its aftereffects once ze initial act is complete?"
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Posted: Fri Jul 11, 2014 5:15 am
He'd been bold in sharing his past identity so far, and to be fair... or at least to observe unfairness, it was at some part Bishophite's visible not human traits that gave him a moment's pause, sizing up Bishophite all over again. "You've met one now." He noted after the debate. Like he'd told Camelot, he might just as well be killed without having shared as with. "Up until New Years I went by Captain Realgar, one of Zinkenite's recruits. I got tired of walking around waiting for him to yank my leash so he could remind me how useless I was. I know it can be done... and... I know it will... remove part of your memories. But I have no idea if it would work on someone in your position. I know the person who might help you find out though. It won't work on your Youma... but... Goddamn you're going to be a first I think. I can ask around if you want, but I don't know we can make any promises other than that I know she would do her best." He glanced him over again, rocking back on his heels with a frown. The guy didn't look great, but he really wasn't sure how much of that was being much more up close and personal with his youma than he had apparently intended.
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:15 am
Bischofite blinked upon the revelation, for a moment questioning his ears for their sensory input. He remained silent for a time afterward, searching Kairatos' features for some fleeting sign of his old identity - a scrap of medal, fleck of corruption, hint of his old weapon until he realized the absolute folly of his pursuit. I've never even seen a knight of his type before - how do I expect to pick out the leftover Negaverse portions on something I've no experience seeing? As it is, purification might've burned out every last quark of Chaos from his body - I'd be searching for hours to find that fabled not-blue unicorn.
Outwardly, Bischofite appeared far more interested in Kairatos - his appearance, his transition, his potential troubles with settling into his new role. The creature advanced unbidden, both arms folded into tattered sleeves as a sheathe, and he paced one full revolution around the man to claim a more thorough visual. The colors of his uniform offered a darkness that he found at odds with most of the White Moon, yet his experience with knights offered little to go by. While the aura choked as all of their ilk did, Bischofite persevered through the aversion to etch all aspects of the knight to memory - even drawing close enough to catch a breath of scent.
"Captain Realgar," he echoed, mulling over the articulations in a slow, deliberate manner. I cannot recall meeting a captain of that name. I don't think I heard of him either. How long ago was it, then? Before I was drafted? Finally he drew away from near the knight's ear. "Is zat why you left Negaverse rank? Because Zinkenite is an oppressif', insufferable windbag? When had you purified? And by whom? How did your new allies receif' you? Are you still adjusting?" The questions followed in quick succession, mitigated only by his relatively even tone of voice. With wings closed, they offered no tagalong reiterations.
Reaching out finally, Bischofite plucked at a thick, roped portion of the net to get a feel for its material. Afterward that same picking motion drew out a tuft of hair between his fingers, a cut of leather from the knight's uniform. All offered tactile sensations ordinary, yet memorable. And while he spoke, his gaze trailed over the details composing the whole of the knight, lit by feverish curiosity. "It disappoints me zat you'd choose some trite custom as a marker for when to defect. You risked a lot for empty sentimentality." I wonder if your New Year's resolution was to forget half your life.
While it demanded a measure of self-control, Bischofite managed to wrench himself from his meticulous studies over the knight's existence before him. "Zatis an answer I'f heard frequently zese days - 'I don't know if it will work on you'. If nossing else, your lot is consistently candid wis' zeir lack of knowledge toward purification. I am starting to wonder if zis nebulous answer is meant as a deterrent - so zat my insipid presence won't mar zem somehow." And in regards to some... To say it hasn't already qualifies as a wholesale lie. "It doesn't matter. I will try it regardless. I don't care if I die."
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Posted: Sun Jul 13, 2014 8:41 am
"It was." His tone turned stiff, with an edge to it, and he watched Bishophite circle him with a cold confidence. Had the conversation turned... ugly... he seemed to feel he was prepared. "He recruited me and left me hang, more or less. Other captains were assigned to teams, I barely got so much as an introduction to the types of Youma, let alone any sort of responsibility to go with my title. At best he was tossing a bone to an angry dog." An dog still angry about this, to judge from the building snarl in his tone. "I figured I could either continue trying to make my mark when no one could be bothered to so much as recall my name, let alone my deeds, or I could find a new path. One where my future did not depend on the whims of a boy who could quote passages from The Five Rings but didn't know who I was and made it abundantly clear he didn't care. So I purified. And I didn't choose the date. The Princess did because she rather liked gesture. Don't mistake her for being a swooning thing full of sentimentality either. She'll thank you with a broken nose for your trouble, if you're lucky." He was fond of her, the fierce Senshi of Rainbows. In spite of his growls, he endured the examination with a stiff patience, like some great animal at show that could have turned in an instant, but chose not to. "I risked nothing of importance, and I gained everything. I kneel to no one, not even Iris, and I will not again. So far I have been met fairly, and with open arms. No one has turned me away. And if our answers are vague, it's because no one in your position has asked to be purified." He snapped back raising his chin slightly. "If you want to know the answer, we'll find out together. But if it's not what you want, it won't work, and we'll know nothing." He paused for a beat, narrowing his eyes in warning. "And if you turn on her for any reason, you'll be lucky if I get to you first." Because he'd be damn sure he died, if it killed him personally doing it. It had been fairly tempting, when Bishophite fingered his net, to use it to enforce his point, but he'd chosen to refrain. Better keep it a surprise in case he needed it. Aeeth The mighty silver back thumps his chest...
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:48 am
"Zat seems a commonplace practice." It spoke more to ineptitude on part of their superiors, and what few he met held little promise. Zinkenite - a megalomaniac with little regard for those who would challenge him. Laurelite - a prim and proper woman who held only a rudimentary understanding of human intricacy. Howlite - a leader with promise, yet no presence. But, he reasoned, these shortcomings can be corrected. New leaders may offer more to the group. And then what? The organization as a whole still offers no support to a true chaotic philosophy. Perhaps Realgar, too, tired of waiting for changes, Waiting for results that never came.
And to think Zinkenite once insisted that I've done nothing.
"Mmm," the creature offered a crooked smile. "You see, I find ze Negaverse more like... In ze Penal Colony. In order to learn, to fully digest one's nature, you must inscribe every last fleck of your will onto it directly. In blood. In bone, and deas', and wholesale destruction. Zat is, perhaps, ze only reason zose around me know my name or my deeds. Half measures... Zere's no place for zem in zis war. No room for chit-chat, for curtseys or truces. Diplomacy. And in zat, zere's an inherent implication zat one can inscribe such information from eizer side. Perhaps, one day, you'll haf' ze very chance to break his neck yourself." Though I suspect you've given up chance to get close to him for it by defecting.
I don't even know her name, yet you demand I discard specific deductions based on information that leads to those deductions. This isn't how you debate, this is how you demand. "If I am lucky," he echoed, the dregs of the smile lingering in his eyes. "I am already lucky, Kairatos."
Ah, and there's her name. Iris. I wonder... Does Hvergelmir know her as well? She referenced Camelot first and foremost. Is that faction preference for her, or does she lack any contact with this Iris?
"So purification works based on whim?" He cocked an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Corruption occurs srough dominating ozzers wis' will and pure power. And what is purification but catering to fancy, to feelings of a want to rid oneself of Chaos. Make no mistake, Kairatos, I desire nossing more zan to excise zis beast from my bones and return to a life twice shattered, but I find such finicky necessities appalling. I know not which is worse - kneeling to Zinkenite or receiving purification because my feelings were acceptable." He half-snarled into the remainder, folding his arms once more into his sleeves. "Is it not enough zat I would stake my life on it? Or should I drag down ozzers as well if it fails? Would zat cater to its demands, Kairatos? If so, how many would it take? Anozzer life, a dozen, a hundred? I can reap zose from Destiny City. It is not a difficult feat, nor a new one."
The whispers came in a rush, deliberate. "Iscariot." They echoed and interlaced, varied in tone and pace. They caused the creature's eyes to narrow, his eternal movements to cease.
It is not Avalon who qualifies for that name.
"Zere's no need for posturing, Kairatos. If I survif'e ze act, changed or not, I doubt I'll harbor much energy or inclination to attack her. Unless, of course, you just want to fight. I don't know if she is ze one zat Hvergelmir intends for me to meet, as she mentioned ze name of Camelot razzer zan Iris, but I won't arrif'e to ze affair alone. I'll haf' a civilian wis' me. If you need assurance, zen take him hostage. I'm certain he won't mind. It might even benefit him." A taloned finger touched to his chin, chasing along his jaw while he half-turned to regard the knight fully.
It's me.Ryuthulhu kairatos says rooooaaaarrrr
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Posted: Tue Jul 15, 2014 6:06 pm
"It's not about it being acceptable, you're not getting the idea. Corruption is easy, the way dropping a vase is easy. Purification is remaking the thing. You have to be willing to put in a greater effort. It's a lot harder to go into this bullshit war without Chaos blocking out the very parts of you that allow you to give a ******** in the first place. It's not the demands of Chaos, it's what you, personally, really want. The easy way, or the hard way." He raised an eyebrow and jerked his chin in Bishophite's direction. "You've done all the shattering you're going to get. Now the only question is if it's possible to put the pieces back together. And I don't do hostages. Never been my style. Pick Camelot if you want. He's a Knight in full plate. Or Pick Iris. She was there for me. Princess of Rainbows, but like I said, don't mistake her for the sentimental type over her sphere." He didn't like the threat to the civilians, but it was... well... he supposed he might have done the same had he been in Bishophite's position. For all he knew someone might have done it to him as an experiment. No one had ever seemed to see him as good for much else. "You wanna swap stories about who made the more badass agent we can save that for afterward.I just need to know who you want to be put in contact with. They're both decent people. Tin Man just didn't have it in him yet when I needed it done."
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Posted: Wed Jul 16, 2014 8:56 am
"I'f always favored ze harder sings. Ze torturous sings. Ze tasks zat demand a measure of self-loaz'ing." He eyed the knight sharply, countenance still stoic behind the mask. But when he mentioned personal want, a slow smile spread just beneath the long bone beak of the mask. What I personally want... Imagine that. A route that caters to the individual. "Not my feelings, zen - my convictions." I remember considering life in a pair of paths, soon after I found myself in this form. A path of brilliant greenery, and a path of barren hostility.
It seems that Order, that purification, is that barren hostility that I favored so.
"Rainbows..." He repeated, half-absent in the midst of thought. Shortly before my condemnation to this form, a rainbow cast overhead followed by a keen, systemic pain that nearly crippled me. I heard Malicious scream. Iris... Was that her power? "I don't sink I'll mistake her for much of anysing, Kairatos. I belief'... We'f already been acquainted once - Iris and I. I suspect zat I left an unfavorable impression." But he found more favor in going to the one he met in passing than the one he knew only as a nebulous name, attached to vague description. "I would prefer Iris."
I wonder if I would even remember being an agent afterward... Or if all memory of time spent with Quenton, of the myriad deaths coloring my life, of what few enjoyments I found in civilian life might fall away into the ether. A badass agent... how cute. "You're only putting it off because you're banking zat I forget my powered life," he shot back in jest, an accusatory finger gestured toward the knight. "Zen again, if I do, I am certain I can make up a few memories to draw comparisons against.
"You should get in contact wis' ze Cosmos page if you want to coordinate in arranging zis endeavor. Hvergelmir. She wears a long dress of ze night sky painted in white, gold addendums for a more ornate finish, eyes of Midas gold and white hair so unruly zat it basks atop her head. She sits in ze norzern park a few nights a week. Easy to find. Twice I'f discovered her sitting on ze same bench, nursing a book or a puzzle." Likely Hvergelmir would see the sense in accepting his help, if he so wanted to join what may amount to Bischofite's destruction. Kairatos matched his power in a sense, while Hvergelmir trailed hopelessly behind. While she placed an absurd amount of trust in the enemy, in the cosmos by refraining from attack, Kairatos never suffered that asinine conviction.
"And Kairatos..." He wrenched mask from face, splitting the gouts of tar that clung to his face paint and skin. "Call me Alois for zese rare times zat I do not come on Negaverse affairs. It's been too long now since I heard anyone call me Alois Scholz. I razzer miss ze name."
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Posted: Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:52 pm
"Fine, Alois then. I'll keep an eye out for your friend the Cosmos knight. Haven't met her, but i suppose I've never been marvelous at the whole social game." He hadn't been into it before he'd purified, there were few people he had met that had stuck him as tolerable, let alone pleasant.
"If I don't run into her, get her in touch with Iris."
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Posted: Wed Jul 23, 2014 5:59 pm
"I wonder just how much of zat is your fault," mused the creature. Turning back toward the overpass, he resumed his slow and purposeful gait, echoed by the trawling dregs of his coat. I wonder how many left Negaverse rank? How many still live following their treason? A dangerous path, surely, but often the one I seek. I wonder if Kairatos knows few, or no allies. Is the existence of a purified officer every bit as condemned as my own contorted visage? Perhaps in different ways - more tolerable ways.
I was never fond of people.
Half-turning toward the blonde, Bischofite watched him for a long moment before responding. Iris... The one who offered you a change of pace from goosestepping. It would not render us brothers. Yet, he cites that he is not the sentimental sort. "I will relay ze information should I meet her before she arranges ze process." The capitulation felt chalky against his tongue, a cyanide trace festering in his gut.
"Interesting as it is to look at a Negaverse officer no longer, I cannot linger for much time. Surely you know ze draw of a general's aura, by your side as well as my own - and to find me here chatting wis' some knight, who once knew zese same halls, zese same orders? Likely it will be ze end of us bos'." He smiled, all teeth and genuine mirth hedged feral expression. Spreading his clawed hands apart, the creature resumed walking slowly backward toward the looming shadow warping the overpass's considerably shorter frame. "If sings fall into place, we may meet again. And, perhaps, we might yet know each ozzer as somesing unlike enemies." Allies is too great an assumption - on both our parts.
"Try to stay alif'e until zen, Traitorous Captain Realgar," he finished with a smirk, offering a mock bow before his visage and aura dissipated entirely beneath the milky lamp light.
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