Ashley had heard mentions about the strangely garbed terrorists that apparently roamed the city - with Tag Swagger's show in particular often seeming to cover the white garbed terrorists - however it wasn't something that she thought would ever affect her.
She had picked Destiny City to study in part because Sovereign Heights had a good reputation and in part because it was so far away from the UK, although she had yet to find an alternative for biskies.
There had been other sweet treats however and some of the shops had ended up with write ups in her blog and she was hopeful that if she kept looking for long enough and hard enough that she would find something that she liked almost as much as her biskies...
And besides she liked being in the US and liked the fact that she could be just plain Ashley without being in the shadow of her clever older sister and cute little sister. All she had to do was to work hard and keep her grades up - and well she had never been shy about putting the effort into things.
It was why as it happened that she was out so late as she made her way back towards her student dorm, heels tapping smartly against the sidewalk.
She had no idea as she walked that tonight was would be any other than routine - had no idea just how much things were about to change.
xkuropeco
And start <3 As always lmk if I need to change anything, also linked the biskies shop link just in case you wanted a quick reference.
Posted: Sun Mar 27, 2016 6:34 pm
It was dark outside, but the darkness had never bothered Aurostibite. In fact, he thrived on it, and on the fact that it was his best source of cover, a strong advantage for those of the Negaverse. He couldn't hide his power signature, but it was easy to slip into the shadows and wrap them around himself when fighting; the White Moon stuck out like beacons, bright and white.
But he wasn't fighting at present. Aurostibite was watching, because there were always opportunities to be had when people were out late. Possible recruits, possible sources of energy. Youma to send off, starseeds to take; a veritable hot spot of things that he could be doing.
He was observing, now, a young woman walking alone down the road towards where Aurostibite remembered to be the dormitories. It was silly and downright reckless to be out by oneself; so either this young woman was powered already, or just ignorant.
Or perhaps confident in her abilities. Either way, Aurostibite thought it prudent to find out which.
He teleported down off of the building that he'd been standing on and on a low brick wall not far from where she'd soon be. Aurostibite seated himself, crossing one leg over the other, his dark hair falling down his back as he rested a gloved hand on the brick.
Ashley was unaware that she was being watched as she continued on her way homewards, thoughts drifting towards what she could perhaps have for dinner as she tried to think about what she had on hand in the kitchen.
She had just about come to the conclusion that it was late enough for her to be perfectly happy with a microwavable meal from the freezer and some tea when she heard the masculine voice coming from the direction of her left.
Her footsteps slowed, head turning leftwards automatically as her grey eyes tried to find the source.
She didn't have to look far, the source turning out to be a dark-haired man sitting casually on a wall just up ahead, one of his bangs dyed green and blue as street light glinted on metal medals - well okay what looked to be medals - pinned to his dark jacket.
"Good evening" there was an accent to her voice, a by-result of having grown up in the UK and the public school education she had undergone before her move here to study - as she continued to glance at him, in part curious and in part wary.
Ashley wasn't particularly worried however since she had a small can of Mace on her keyring - something she had quickly picked up after finding out that pepper spray wasn't illegal here the way that it was back home - and she had no qualms in using it to buy herself escape time in the event that things suddenly turned south.
xkuropeco
Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 6:55 am
He kept his posture relaxed, though not slouched or lazy; it was a careful balance of staying aware of his surroundings while not attempting to frighten off. Unlike many of the agents in the Negaverse, Aurostibite's tactics for recruitment tended to be quieter, more subtle; an art of persuasion, rather than intimidation.
He gave her a nod in greeting, his gaze quietly moving over her in a contemplative sort of way. Aurostibite's gloved fingers absently slid along the top of the brick wall, feeling the rough stone against his palm through the fabric of them.
"It's not safe to be out here this late at night," he said, after a moment. "Haven't you heard of the terrorists that are trying to take over the city?"
"Some" Ashley admitted. "Mr Swagger seems to cover them a lot in his show."
She shrugged a little - a quick movement of her shoulders as she continued "Although I doubt that they'd be interested in little me."
After all terrorists tended to cause the maximum chaos to the maximum amount of people - well at least from what she'd seen from news reports and in the papers they did - which meant one lone student making her way home was probably not going to be of great interest.
Besides it wasn't as if there were any terrorists in front of her - just the one lone man and whilst his outfit was a little unusual - it didn't exactly shout 'terrorist' to her.
She gave him a small polite smile, that was slightly on the fake side "Thank you for your concern however" because nice though it was it wasn't really needed..
And besides she wanted to get home - to her tea and to her 'I'm too lazy to try attempting cooking tonight' meal.
kuropeco
Posted: Mon Mar 28, 2016 3:25 pm
He'd heard of Tag Swagger's influence, though he'd never met the man before. It was to both Aurostibite's and the young woman's benefits, however, that she had heard of them; it saved him a little bit of trouble and perhaps could be used to his advantage.
He gave a nod now, his eyes narrowing slightly as he contemplated her. The smile she had offered did not quite reach her eyes, and Aurostibite wondered what it was that she was thinking.
He had to play this carefully through.
"They're interested in any they can lay their hands on," said Aurostibite, after a moment. "However, there are others who are more capable of handling them...you seem a rather capable young woman at first glance, aren't you? What would you do if you were going up against one of the terrorists?"
"They sound kind of odd for terrorists then" Ashley said and despite herself she found herself a little bit intrigued.
Just a teensy bit she told herself, because she really did want that planned cup of tea and 'I'm too lazy to try attempting cooking tonight' meal, however there was a spark of curiosity in her grey eyes that hadn't been there previously as she looked back at the man at the wall.
She contemplated his question for a moment with a thoughtful frown before saying "Honestly?" Her voice was calm and matter of fact "I'd try to go for the eyes" because after all that was why she'd picked up the Mace.
But after that however she'd make sure to run - because terrorists tended to have guns and worse and Ashley really didn't want to be on the wrong end of that.
kuropeco
Posted: Mon Apr 04, 2016 12:51 pm
The corners of his lips quirked up a little, in a slight smile.
"They are very odd indeed," said Aurostibite, and he was watching her carefully, his eyes narrowed slightly as he gauged her reactions. She was no shrinking wallflower; that would be good, seeing as how he would have preferred someone who was capable, even if they were inexperienced.
Her answer pleased him very much. Aurostibite remained sitting on the wall, kept his voice calm and quiet.
"A good strategy," he said, with an approving nod. "Most unfortunately, some of them have abilities beyond normal capabilities, which makes things a little difficult. However..."
His gaze met hers, level and careful.
"What about if you were given strength to be able to combat those abilities?"
"You know for a conversation that's supposed to be rhetorical that sounds awfully specific."
Or at least Ashley had been assuming that the conversation was rhetorical. Although it was starting to occur to her that man sitting on the wall seemed to be kind of knowledgeable about the terrorists...
Especially with that last part about abilities beyond normal capabilities.
"But I'm pretty sure that - difficult terrorists or not - that's why we have police" because Destiny City like the UK did have police.
"However" and as she spoke Ashley continued to stare at the man, her grey eyes staring levelly into his watchful blue "Of course I'd like to be stronger - doesn't everyone?"
kuropeco
Posted: Thu Apr 07, 2016 2:46 pm
His lips twitched in a vague approximation of a smile once more.
"It is more specific than I originally meant it to be," Aurostibite conceded, lifting his hands in a gesture of nonaggression before he lowered them back to the wall. He slid off of it easily, with grace, but remained close to it, reclining back against it with his hands still braced against the edge. "I mean you no harm, I promise."
His gaze flickered towards the young woman, quietly appraising.
"The police, as I've seen, are not enough," said Aurostibite quietly. "They are ignorant, as well-meaning as they can be. They have not the means to combat the terrorists, which is disappointing, but to be expected. They aren't up to par as they should be."
He lifted his chin and was silent for a moment, and then said, "But there are those that can combat them, and those that can give the strength to combat. I'm both the former and the latter in this respect, and you seem to have a particularly strong grasp of intelligence and capability."
He pushed himself away from the wall, Aurostibite standing a little straighter, though again, respectfully keeping his distance.
Ashley's grey eyes were thoughtful as she listened to the dark-haired man speak.
She believed him when he said that he didn't mean her harm - because to be honest they had been talking for a while and he hadn't tried to make any moves or done anything that had made her feel that she needed to resort to her can of mace.
And whilst she wasn't sure she completely believed what he seemed to be alluding to when he talked of having the strength to deal with the terrorists that Mr Tagger's shows kept talking about, the spark of inquisitive curiosity had been roused.
"Okay colour me suitably curious" she said at last, her words considering. "What would I need to do to get this strength?"
kuropeco
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 1:28 pm
She did not seem easily intimidated. He felt a certain sense of approval at this, and it was becoming clearer and clearer that he had made the right choice. Aurostibite felt relief and satisfaction sweep through him at her words.
"I won't lie," he said quietly, "The process is a bit...uncomfortable, even painful. I would give you energy, but it involves pushing it in, and that can be a little worrisome for some. However, rest assured, that it is temporary, lasting only a few seconds, after which the energy will take hold of you and you will become one of us."
He hesitated a moment, regarding her, and then held out a hand.
"But first," said Aurostibite, "Your name. I'm General Aurostibite."
"I'll deal" Ashley said at the other's mention of discomfort, because whilst she couldn't say that she exactly liked the idea, she figured that it was something she could put up with in favour of finding out just what the apparent strength that the other was offering was.
To be honest if Ashley had had any idea of just what the process entailed then she probably would have been disconcerted enough to change her mind.
However a little discomfort didn't really sound like anything to be particularly worried about - unpleasant yes but not worried - and so when the other held his hand she held out her own in turn, assuming that he wanted to shake hands, as she said simply but pleasantly "I'm Ashley - Ashley Williams."
kuropeco
Posted: Sat Apr 09, 2016 6:27 pm
An excellent response. Aurostibite was now one hundred percent convinced he had made the right decision in approaching this young woman. She had confidence without being expressly arrogant; capability, strength, and dedication, at least from what he could see.
He grasped her hand and gave it a small shake.
"A pleasure, Ashley," he said, with a nod, and then let go. Aurostibite was quiet for a moment, and then said, "If you're ready, then, I can start the process. It'll be over quickly, I promise you."
Her father was fond of saying that a hand shake could tell you a lot about a person and for a moment Ashley found herself wondering what he'd think of Aurostibite's handshake which had been firm but not crushing.
General Aurostibite she reminded herself and whilst he looked kind of young to be a General it kind of explained the medals - well at least it did so long as they were real and not say some sort of elaborate fancy dress.
It wasn't something she was going to ponder right now however, because now she had more important things to ponder and find out answers to.
"I'm ready General" she said simply with a small nod, unaware of how ironic the three simple words were as she waited to see what he would do next.
