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 Posted: Sun Jul 27, 2014 8:12 am
Patrolling came as a more comforting routine to haunting her apartment and looking for some obscure remedy for sleeplessness. It felt more productive than making the rounds around her cluttered table, counting her steps until she lost track, and glancing out her window every revolution to scan the sky for a thick black column. She disliked it, this dream, and it unnerved her all the more now that she turned to research on mass dreaming for answers.
So when she set out as always, finding her fuku just before the balcony and soon after meeting the street with heeled boots, she already found herself in a better mood.
Her route remained the same out of necessity - considering the toll that insomnia took on her mental faculties, Astarte was loathe to risk becoming hopelessly lost just to ensure that a new portion of the city was rid of youma or Chaos menace. Given her exposure to the city through various reports of hauntings, Astarte knew enough of the nearby cityscape that she could customize her route accordingly - and this time, she intended to swing through a portion of town littered with shops, from clothing stores to computer guts stores to candle and incense stores.
At least one of those sounded important to her, anyway.
Astarte lost track of just how long she spent plodding through her course beneath the moonlight, watching her steps on the dull, chipped sidewalk while she fell into routine paces. At one point she forgot that the sidewalk gave way to a crosswalk, and nearly snapped the heel of her boot off in a grated storm drain. Another time she stepped on a rolling, crumpled ball of paper and immediately darted into high alert, scanning around for enemies when the sole mischief maker lay beneath her boot. She felt silly, afterward, and cursed herself for it all the more.
Finally she approached the strip of shops, already exhausted and delirious from the month or more spent in the throes of insomnia. Rubbing at the dark circles besieging her eyes, Astarte tried to gather herself in a rare brush of second wind before she continued on her path. And while she hesitated, for that one breath, she felt the keen sensation of pins-and-needles iniquity at the nape of her neck - a lieutenant nearby, and it wasn't alone.
Newly motivated, Astarte dashed to the store fronts of multiple shops, cupping her hands to the glass to peer inside and try to catch sight of the assailants. Darting glances down the alleyways between offered no vantage point, either. "Show yourself!" She yelled to the atmosphere, hoping that a challenge might unveil the pair before she discovered the ends of their machinations.
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Posted: Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:33 pm
Sleeplessness was much the same reason Ash was out and about tonight, though in her case, the shadows of night were less unusual than for her First. She was a cat, after all.
The need to stretch her legs to clear the dregs of nightmare from her system had shifted into a need to find food, something that was forever a toll on Ash's good humor. Hunting was hard... more times than not, she failed at it completely and what little she could catch was not nearly enough to keep her well fed. That meant her options narrowed down to human-made food that couldn't run away and one of two options; steal, or beg. Begging took more time, but had less risk than attempting to steal. Her good looks made begging more successful, but with that always came the possibility that some well-meaning person would attempt to catch her to do the Right Thing and try to find her owner, or worse, take her to an animal shelter... And after the first few times, it ceased to be at all funny and simply became an annoying hassle.
This time fortune favored the guardian and a Chinese place had left their dumpster unattended... and its over full state meant that Ash didn't have to actually get inside of it to rip open one of the bags to find a veritable feast. She was never happen when she had to sacrifice her pristine coat to the hunt for food... And it was with her head in the bag that the Lieutenant found her, the tap of his boot on the pavement giving Ash just that half second of warning to dodge his reach when he made a dive at her with what appeared to be a burlap sack. The guardian let out an ear-splitting yowl of protest as she launched herself from the dumpster and went careening for the other end of the alley and the backs of the stores, but there was worse waiting in the shadows there, something Ash had not been able to sense with either that inner ear or a nose full of food smells.
The youma that lumbered out of the darkness was all teeth and terror, sending Ash into a skid as she scrambled back the way she had come and locking her firmly between bad and worse... The silver guardian made a dive for the underside of the dumpster, but burlap interposed itself between her and refuge as she shrieked again, claws lashing out to dangle in rough cloth. Belatedly, the cat attempted to summon her phone for a call for help, but being lifted up into the air to swing around in a sack pressed the phone to her side and made it near impossible to reach it from this position.
Desperately unhappy sounds filtered from the sack as the lieutenant laughed, pleased with his prize... at least until the youma that had followed the cat gave a menacing growl, approaching on twisted legs with a hungry look.
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Posted: Tue Aug 05, 2014 5:49 pm
While she heard the commotion, Astarte never stumbled upon the scene until nigh too late, when the lieutenant dressed in pressed lapels and an old-fashioned fedora angled his prize high in the sky. The senshi could only guess what remained inside - whether a legitimate cat, or a Guardian taken when caught unawares. "Oi, you," Astarte called, pointing toward the man with a nod of her head while she started to approach. "Dump out that sack and I might let you g-"
Cut off with a shriek, Astarte felt thick nails dig through her fuku with relative ease, rending part of her back while pressure and weight bowled her over. Now pressed to the floor, the senshi struggled to combat what strange creature sat atop her, constantly reaching back to fend off its claws or use her forearms as a more appropriate scratching post. However, her efforts amounted to nothing more than delaying the inevitable, and she knew it - in seconds, she steeled herself to roll on the creature, only to sustain a hefty strike to her face.
Bowled off the youma, Astarte rubbed at her smarting cheek before she got a good look at his weapon of choice - he swung that very burlap sack at her, intending to knock both his opponent and his catch into some form of unconsciousness.
This won't go well.
Luckily the youma took great interest in the lieutenant's prize, giving Astarte a margin of time to fire off an attack. "Astarte's Hate!" She called aloud, runs glowing red while what malice remained in the air soon collected into her palm. And before the lieutenant possessed wit to stop her, grey eyes dark with rage, Astarte struck her adversary with a dead-on beam of energy.
The lieutenant cried out, feeling the burn mixed with a seething will to do harm unto the one who struck him with such an attack. Dropping the sack, he first cradled the fresh burns before searching for a better weapon, finally settling on an old whiskey bottle left behind by vagrancy. While he called to the youma for assistance, it felt no need to heed his commands. Instead, the creature pursued the sack relentlessly, solely for its contents.
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Posted: Fri Aug 15, 2014 2:15 pm
Being tossed about in a sack was really not something Ash was pleased about. Hearing a youma growling in hunger for her while confined in the sack made everything an Nth degree worse and then feeling herself slammed into something round and hard was just icing on the proverbial cake. The guardian yelped as she was bounced about, smarting from the blow as she struggled to get her claws to do something useful to the stupid sack.
Suddenly, the world went a** over ears and she felt herself smack into what was undoubtedly the ground for its general downwards direction and generally large, solid feel... grabbing the opportunity, the burmilla wormed her way towards the opening and shoved her head out, greeted almost immediately with the snarling face of the youma she had been hearing.
"Back off, you a**-faced sack of dog crap!" She cursed as her forehead glowed, her face twisted in a feline hiss. The kitty modified kitty beam smacked the monster square in the face and it jerked back with a yowl of pain, claws scrabbling against the concrete as it tried to get to a safe distance to let its eyes recover from the scorching they'd received. Ash squirmed the rest of the way out of the sack and cast about desperately for the lieutenant that had been holding her just moments before... now several feel away and brandishing a glass bottle at a familiar sight.
Oh thank the computer gods.. Ash felt a wash of relief that one of her own was here now, already fighting the good fight with a will.
"Astarte!" The guardian called as she streaked for her First, darting like a silver flash between the officer's legs and around behind the relative safety of the senshi's. "Oh darling, you are a most lovely sight and you have the best timing ever!" She gushed, trying to stay out of the way of moving feet despite the urge to coil around them in loving adoration.
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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2014 8:01 pm
Astarte hardly heard the feline's screeching while she focused on the Negaverse agent before her, but enough of the abrasive phrase filtered through the cacophony to rouse a smirk on the demon's lips. Looks like Ash has a touch of sass to her. I like that.
Luckily Ash sought safety not long after - even as the Lieutenant chanced a grab at her, the feline managed enough agility to dart through the grasp. "Sit tight, Ash," she offered over her shoulder. "Expect a spot of roughness from here. Keep an eye on that youma for me while I deal with its good friend, here." Widening her stance, Astarte raised fists in a defensive position intended to fend off any pursuant attacks.
"Go back to where you belong, alien!" The Lieutenant baited harshly with a brandish. He hadn't yet advanced on the senshi or the cat, but the broken bottle loomed at arm's reach from him. And once he saw Astarte break for his elbow, the bottle swapped hands while he aimed a quick jab to the senshi's side. Broken glass cut through skin, edging bone before glancing off. A seething gasp stemmed from his mark, but nothing more to offer him the rare chance to gloat. The pair progressed in a fluid motion, a mix of assertiveness and reactivity while they bound together each movement in impromptu choreography to land strikes on their opposition.
It only met a shift when the youma joined, still bleary from the blast of beam.
"s**t!" Astarte cursed as claws struck across her back, leaving thick gashes through her fuku. The force of the attack thrust her toward the lieutenant, who offered remedy with a punch to the gut. Breathless and doubled over, Astarte gasped out a burst of power that may stave off the pair temporarily. "Astarte's Hate!" Came the words, and soon runes glowed red with the surge of power that pooled in one hand. Aiming quickly, she discharged the thin blast toward the lieutenant, scoring him only fleetingly across the shoulder.
Afterward, the rage burned in his eyes ever more. "Ash! A little backup here, please!" She called as she nursed the strike to her side. Backing up, she realized she had little chance to gain distance between the pair.
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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2014 5:14 pm
Lovely, lovely senshi... she could not have picked a better First if she had been purposely trying. The guardian darted back and forth in the safety of Astarte's shadow, making a low, burbling growl that threatened violence if either lieutenant or youma got too close. Sadly, neither seemed to care all that much about her threats... the youma still stalked her, though the officer had his attention on her partner now.
I hate this part... I'm no good at the fighting thing... Ash lamented as she hissed when the youma got too close, slashing at it with tiny, razor claws. Not that her tiny claws were going to do much to it... but maybe if its eyes got into reach she might give enough distraction by taking them out. The idea brought a fierce glint to green eyes and the cat dodge back and forth, her slender tail a bottle brush behind her.
The fight, for all that the pair set to with a will, did not seem to be going well and Ash's mind raced for a plan. They needed some advantage, or two against one and a... quarter? would end in forcing the senshi and cat to run for their lives. When her first called for her, Ash turned and leaped for her shoulder, paws braced against her chest as another glow gathered at the guardian's forehead and blasted from her star, smacking the youma in the face again for about as much result as last time.
Think, think, think Ash!
Then... light bulb. She could feel it, just there... and though it was the first time, like any other time the guardian let her instincts guide her and she reached... down, down into her First to touch that glowing warmth she felt with her mind. She pushed and warmth grew between them, power surging to fill the starseed.
"Now, quickly! Raise your pen and call 'Astarte Planet Power, Make-up!'" Ash hissed, her tail lashing to brush against her senshi's hair. She kept her claws from cutting into the skin under her paws, but only barely.
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Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:03 am
"That sounds a touch dangerous about now, wouldn't you say?" However, her incredulity paled in the face of two opponents, together far stronger than her. Ash herself lacked many a means to fight, amounting to the bulk of the work placed on Astarte... And given her condition, she needed all the help she could get. The burst of light stunning the youma helped, for as long as it lasted - either way, she still had to contend with a quickly advancing lieutenant who knew precisely where the stakes landed.
A sudden vibrance erupted within her, akin to only the most powerful of magics known through traditional channels. She gasped, almost apprehensive of following instruction if that blazing warmth faded, yet the consequences looked her in the eyes should she refrain. In echoing Ash's words, her world soon enveloped her in ribbon etched with ancient runes, symbols known only on her planet crawling up every portion of her to form cloth from sheer magic alone. And once those runes traced her face and shoulders, she was released from the fold renewed, every portion of her primed with potent power to contend with her now stunned enemy.
I wonder if he saw something he liked.
Wasting no time, Astarte sifted frantically through the dregs of knowledge settled at the bottom of her mind, aiming for any new scrap of magics available to her - with bodily damage as it was, she felt loathe to attempt combat as she would surely incur further injury. The lieutenant, however, seemed quite keen on this.
He shouted something about her starseed before he lunged toward her - she never quite caught the words - and with the sack extended, he aimed to blind her while he aimed for the kill shot. However, his movements seemingly slowed - had he lost agility or could her mind keep up at a far better pace? She didn't know right offhand, and didn't care. A deft backstep left some distance between them, enough to call out an attack she finally unearthed from the depths of her mind.
"Astarte's Sincerity in Spite!" She called, just as the youma regained its footing. With both advancing at a direct angle, she had a decent shot at it. With both palms raised, the red beams shot out of both, etching through the youma's skull before dusting it entirely. The lieutenant sustained the attack at nigh point blank, both burning him marginally and channeling enough malice into his soul that he now glared back at her in blind rage.
The stakes were raised, placing the guardian cat in further danger. "Get out of here, Ash!"
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Posted: Sat Aug 23, 2014 7:57 pm
Ash huffed as Astarte gave her lip, slapping a paw against her chest impatiently.
"Just do it!" She hissed impatiently, her ears laid back against her round little skull until the senshi beneath her did as she was told. The glow that surrounded Astarte brought a fierce satisfaction to the guardian on her shoulder and there was nothing but pride in her little kitty heart when her First revealed her new form.
Double horns. Runes tracing her skin in slips of black. A flower spreading wide where a bow used to be. Yes! Super Astarte dodged the attack by the officer, faster than she had been before and Ash had a glimmer of hope that they might just make it through this, reinforced when her new attack found its first use in dusting the youma and striking their enemy hard. A please growl wound its way from the guardian's throat and she gave the officer a threatening glare before she turned to jump from the senshi's shoulder into the safety of her shadow.
"I'm not leaving you, First!" Ash declared, though she did give the pair room to maneuver without her being under foot. "You can take him, I have faith in you."
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Posted: Sun Aug 31, 2014 9:01 pm
I can take him so long as you don't get your furry butt caught in a sack again, she thought to herself flippantly. However, it seemed her opponent found no interest in the cat anymore - he instead glowered so furiously toward the newly-minted super that Astarte wagered he succumbed to tunnel vision. Rather than using his bag, he forsook his weapon entirely to go at her swinging, wholly on the offensive as he employed every trick memorized straight out of WWE matches.
Luckily, Astarte managed some legitimate training - while not terribly fledged in offensive strategies, Astarte maintained enough nimbleness to dodge some of the onslaught until her injured side yearned for a pause in movement.
With her back now pressed to the brick wall, Astarte ducked another all-out lunge in her direction, listening with mild glee as the lieutenant yelped when his knuckles broke across the surface. Serves you right, she thought, just as she realized her vantage point for a crippling blow. A quick uppercut to the taint sent the lieutenant howling, which gave her just enough time to reel up her legs and kick him away. As she straightened, she realized that she inflicted significantly more damage than she would've wagered - even now, the man lay huddled on the floor, groaning over his injuries.
"Got a bit of a problem with animal abuse, eh?" Astarte stood slowly herself, with a hand cupped to the injury inflicted earlier. Blowing a few stray strands of hair from her eyes, she approached slowly and deliberately. Curiously enough, her chains rattled together as if to warn of her approach.
Finally she stopped just short of the man, who still roiled with rage at her feet. Almost immediately his remaining good hand shot out to grab her ankle and pull her off balance, but she managed just enough reflex time that he grabbed at her heel ineffectually. "For the love of Hell, he's certifiably rabid...
"Ash, I doubt he's going to just relent and toddle off on his own. I'm not terribly keen on sparing these buggers, but I don't know your stance on all that rot. You could stay and watch, or you could give me a damned good reason to let this one go. Your choice, kitten."
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Posted: Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:43 pm
The cat-growl that rolled from Ash faded to a burble as her first did her proud, reducing the Negaverser to pain-wracked rolling on the ground. The sight was a pleasant one and the guardian enjoyed it as she padded over to her senshi, her tail sweeping to brush the back of her skirts. Now that he wasn't a threat she felt far more confident in herself.
When Astarte asked Ash for her opinion, the cat tilted her head and slid a green-eyed glance from the senshi to her enemy and back up again. Her tail flicked in a feline version of a shrug as she pulled her haunches under her and sat down primly, offering a picture of nonchalance as she daintily groomed a paw. For a while she was silent, thinking on her response while appearing focused on her task. After a few moments, she gave her senshi a look as she dropped her paw.
"I think if you beat him hard enough, he'll change his mind. I'm not 'keen' on killing, but... in the end, it is your decision how you fight this war, Astarte. He would have had me corrupted, would have killed you, or gotten you corrupted too... you have to decide if you want to stoop to his tactics, or find your own. You've never much cared for when I make decisions for you, you know." She said. "I'm a guide, anyway, not a commander. You're the one who will do the deed. I'll stand by whatever you choose."
It was hard to say how she truly felt about this business, now that her life wasn't in immediate danger. Part of her was glad she didn't truly need to make the decision, because she was conflicted over a strong desire to spare his life and a sense of vindication in giving him what he would have given them if he'd had the chance. Something told her senshi were not made to be killers, but battle had a way of twisting things.
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Posted: Wed Sep 17, 2014 11:03 am
"Alright, Kitten, this might not turn out so pretty." She stooped slightly to seize the end of Ash's tail giving it a quick rub between thumb and finger before she straightened up. She approached the lieutenant, wincing slightly with the injury to her side. The steps came slow, deliberate, though not intimidating in their frequency or sound. And in her approach, she noted, the lieutenant himself exhibited no impulses toward escape.
It was eerie, she realized, and it settled into the back of her neck like a cold rag cast by the dead.
"Lieutenant," she started, bending at the waist to loom over him. Her earrings brushed against her cheeks, and the necklace hung about her neck swung in a pendulum motion. "I've got one question for you: are you going to keep draining energy, pulling starseeds, and making a nuisance of yourself?" She asked in her typical flippant tone, but the words carried a weight with them that she didn't particularly like.
Initially the man groaned, hatred still tainting his gaze. When he looked toward her, the sheer madness in his stare gave her an impression of inhumanity. Slowly he rolled onto his back, hands still cupped over his injuries, while he leveled a glare at her so acerbic with hate that she realized the true potency behind her sphere. Rather than dignifying her with a response, the man's lips worked furiously for a moment before he spat a thick glob of white spittle at her face.
Astarte recoiled, wholly disgusted by the feat. She seethed from such an act of petulant defiance, even as she furiously scrubbed the spit from her face. "Have it your way, then." The man didn't even bother to move while he regarded her with such a malicious stare, and she found no hesitation in snuffing out that spark of hate in his eye with the heel of her boot. He never offered scream, nor groan, nor writhe of pain to accompany the assault. She wasn't even sure he could fully feel it beyond all the derision. She wasn't about to ask, either.
When the deed was done, Astarte's legs shook. She knew with some certainty that it stemmed from the sheer exercise behind it all, that in combination with the adrenaline from fear she simply exhausted herself. However, she found no want or interest in pursuing those thoughts when she picked up Ash after she turned from the scene.
"Come on Ash, let's get out of here. I could use at least fifty hot showers about now." And probably just as many cups of tea to calm the nerves. "I'll make you supper if you care to stick around."
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