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 Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 5:11 am
There were two things Jinxi were positive of:
People are scary when they're mad.
Her mom, in particular, was scary she's mad.
The girl barreled out of the way when a box brimming with receipts and pen was pitched in her direction; clattering against the wall and spinning its contents everywhere. "Ma, would you calm down?!" Jinxi cried as the woman scrambled to pick up something else. "T-the neighbor'sll will— AH!"
This time, it was the hairdryer from the bathroom. The plug whipped against her cheek, leaving a burning scratch beneath her glasses frame, as she skidded out the way once again. Sighing inwardly, Jinxi took this as a sign it was time to leave, so she grabbed at her hoodie on her rush to the apartment door and booked it before her mother could find something else to pick up.
Though spring, there was still a noticeable chill to D.C. late in the evening, so she quickly slipped on her red sweater and zipped it up. Shoving one hand into her pocket, she used the other to touch at the pained corner of her eye.
"S-stupid..." she muttered to no one in particular as she headed for the park. The only thing she could do now was wait out her mother's temper tantrum before it was safe to go home again. "Getting mad over something so stupid. I-it was just a few bucks, sheesh..."
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 7:21 am
This late in the evening was Aurostibite's preferred patrolling time. It wasn't exactly quiet out, but the twilight rush of people home from work and the dinner hour were long over, leaving a healthy buzz of voices and activity from the city and quiet outside of it, in the parks and on the streets.
The park was not his normal haunt, but at this time of day it was home to the more intimate gatherings. Couples out strolling, loners who wished for peace and quiet, people cutting across it to get places faster. Easier and more lucrative in terms of energy gathering and possibly even recruitment, if he found someone worthwhile.
Aurostibite's weapons were not summoned, nor was Behellagh, the peacock youma safely away in the Rift until he called for her. He'd spent the last hour instead carefully siphoning energy from a young man who was now weaving drunkenly back to his apartment, and a homeless girl who was sleeping soundly on a nearby bench.
He debated briefly changing the venue - perhaps a stroll down the main road would find more prospects - but a glimpse of pale hair and an angry, muttered voice caught his attention, Aurostibite slowing his steps. This part of the park was devoid of any people, except for himself and the figure, and he shifted through the trees, eyes narrowing slightly.
It was a young woman in a red sweater, a hand at her face, a pained expression on her face. She did not look as though she were meeting anyone, though he couldn't possibly be certain of that, and his judgement had been wrong before. But something about the body language indicated she was coming away, not towards.
And she looked...upset, maybe? Either way, his interest was piqued.
Aurostibite carefully calculated, waited, and then stepped out of the shadow of the trees, his demeanor calm and relaxed; just another person at the park. The timing was meant so that as he stepped out, his shoulder bumped hers, knocking gently together.
"I beg your pardon," he said immediately, stepping back swiftly. "I wasn't watching where I was going - are you all right?"
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Posted: Fri May 13, 2016 7:40 am
Jinxi's head remained bowed as she walked, her fingertips still pressed to the scar as if it was an anchor to her thoughts. Her mind was teetering between both great anger and sadness, it seems she couldn't deduce which was strongest, as she paced down that path in the park. When her shoulder bumped against Aurostibite's, it reeled her back to reality, and when she reflexively turned to him there was a lengthy moment of silence as she tried to figure out what she was supposed to do. Then she reasoned two things to herself:
Accidents are usually followed by an apology.
Accidental bodily contact was usually followed by an apology.
"Oh, uh, s-sorry!" the girl croaked out, dropping her hand from her face and into the unused pocket of her hoodie. "I-I wasn't looking where I was going and just... S-sorry! I-I'm okay, okie doke, yep..! Ahaha... Are you, um, okay?"
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Posted: Sat May 14, 2016 7:43 am
He watched her face shift, the expression changing from surprise to apology in a matter of seconds. Aurostibite's blue eyes swept over the pale hair, the round glasses - and, most notably, the scratch on her face, which looked recent and still reddened.
"I'm just fine," he reassured her, holding up a gloved hand to indicate this. "I was thinking about other things, I'm afraid; I didn't mean to run straight into you."
Aurostibite shifted his feet to regard her more carefully, dark hair in waves against his back.
"Are you - forgive me for being intrusive, but are you sure you're all right?" he asked, and he gestured at her face, a wary concern evident on his own. "Here, I believe I have...yes, here."
From a pocket of his coat, he produced an old fashioned handkerchief, a simple white square of fabric with a peacock blue stripe around the border, and offered it to her, Aurostibite giving a small nod.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2016 3:21 pm
"Oh, well. Okay. Then I should... be... going... now—"
Jinxi continued to walk, but when the man inquired again of her well-being, she gulped. It was clearly audible, like she was a cartoon character expecting the worse. Was it that evident? She glanced between the offered handkerchief and the man's face, confusion and guilt playing on her features, before Jinxi reached a hand out and barely grabbed at the corner of the cloth between forefinger and thumb. She turned it about twice in her own hands before pressing it to the wound on her face, her lips pursed.
"Ah, well, n-no?" Jinxi said, staring at the tips of her sneakers. "Yes and no? Or, well, um. Well. Let's just say my mom's a jerk. Like, all moms are jerks... Oh, wait. Wait. No, I'm not saying your mom's a jerk, but— Actually, let's start over. My mom's a jerk and she's the one that caused this." She indicated the scar. "That's all."
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 12:01 pm
He didn't seem to notice the way she gulped, and if he had, he made no indication of it. Aurostibite simply waited until the girl took the handkerchief from his fingers, hesitating before dabbing at her face. He didn't push her to speak, merely stood silently, letting her set the pace.
That was the important thing, after all.
Dark brows drew together, the concern on Aurostibite's face deepening.
"Your mother attacked you?" he said, gaze flickering over her injury again. "On purpose? Does she does this a lot?"
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 12:53 pm
Again, uncertainty played on Jinxi face. She never really went into details about this facet of her life beyond her mom being a jerk. How exactly to put it into words?
"Yes and no? Or, actually, what I, um, should say is that she doesn't outright attack me, it's more like she throws things. At me. So it's more like I am... in the way? E-either way, sometimes I'm not to blame, sometimes I am... This time is because I took a little money from her without asking, but it was only to buy something to eat. She's not the best cook, aha." She quickly waved her hand at the man before he thought of doing anything. "P-please don't contact the police of anything, it's really isn't that bad. Besides, they've already got their hands full with those terrorists and stuff. My dilemma is kinda petty in comparison, heh."
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 4:52 pm
His concern, which had started off as only a polite reason to speak to her, was now completely genuine. Aurostibite's brows were drawn together, his lips pressed into a grim line, and he could not help but think that if there was anyone who needed what he had to offer...
"That's still no reason for her to do such a thing," he said quietly, "You've got nothing to apologize for," and then was silent for a moment, considering.
"If there was a way to provide for yourself and to become stronger - I mean both physically and mentally - what would you say? The terrorists are a threat, certainly," he continued, Aurostibite's blue eyes glancing at the girl's face. "There are those of us who fight against them, to protect the Earth and its inhabitants."
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Posted: Mon May 23, 2016 8:43 pm
His offer sounded too good to be sure. "S-surely you're pulling my leg, or my arm, or however the saying goes," Jinxi said, slowly shaking her head with a knowing smile. "There's nothing like that... Sheesh, that's... That's like saying Bigfoot is real. I mean, even that's a maybe, but I can't believe it. I just can't."
"The terrorists have been making life, excuse me, s**t in this city for a while and it doesn't seem like... the problem's gonna stop anytime soon. And the police are always gonna run behind them, putting real crimes on the back burner." She dabbed at her scar as she said this, scowling. It was one of the reasons why she didn't go to the police about her mother. They really wouldn't listen to something as petty as her dilemma. "That's just the terrorists' prerogative, they're doing it for attention. And they're always gonna get it, simple as that."
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Posted: Fri May 27, 2016 9:12 pm
Aurostibite shook his head, causing the dark curls to ripple a little with the movement.
"I wouldn't do that," he promised. "I wouldn't say something that I didn't have the power to grant myself. Deception is a useful tool in some case, I would say, but this - and you - are not one of them. There are many things we can and can't do, however..."
He thought for a moment, considering what she was saying about the "terrorists," and his instincts were pushing him forward.
"I can help you," said Aurostibite. "I have the ability to do so; and to do something about the terrorists."
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 3:53 am
Jinxi's scowl dropped from her face then as she took on a suspicious look. Eyeing him behind her red frames, she pushed them higher up on the bridge of her nose, and said, "W-what exactly... are you getting at? Are you some kind of... charity worker?"
Thinking back on it now, the white-haired woman couldn't help but reason that to be the case. Why else would she have been approached? Maybe he was actually looking to help her? Provide some money for her and her ma?
However, her thoughts began to darken at something sinister. "O-or are you, like, a recruiter for a c-cult... or something? 'C-cause I'm not... There's no way I'm going to sacrifice live animals! But... Go on. How?"
Either way, Jinxi didn't outright deny him. If he could offer help, she was going to take it.
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 10:35 am
A slight smile tugged at his lips as Aurostibite shook his head.
"No," he said. "No, not a charity worker. Just someone who is trying to make the people of this world feel a little bit safer. And it's not a cult, either," he added, knowing how it sounded. "I realize that it involves a little bit of trust in telling you this, but I promise there is no sacrificing of animals involved, or exchanging of money or anything that would compromise your sense of worth."
He shifted his feet, Aurostibite regarding her with thought.
"My name is General Aurostibite," he said, "And I belong to an organization known as the Negaverse. We provide protection for Earth, and for the people who live on it. We give strength to those who need it and courage to those who feel they need more of it."
He lifted his head and smiled gently.
"I can give you that strength and that courage."
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Posted: Sun May 29, 2016 5:42 pm
Strength.
Courage.
Those were the trigger words for Jinxi. Strength and courage—two traits she lacked; two traits required to function in the real world; two traits required for normalcy. She cocked her chin up, giving General Aurostibite her full attention. A wind blew and it felt like it passed through her, the white-haired female feeling transparent before this man.
"I-I want it," Jinxi said, nodding her head several times eagerly. "Whatever it is, if it can help me, I... want it."
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Posted: Mon May 30, 2016 7:12 am
Her eagerness was pleasing to Aurostibite; wary suspicion had its merits, certainly, but so did a strong, passionate desire for more, for everything that he had to offer. And he knew, just from the little she'd told him, what there was at stake.
Aurostibite pushed some of his hair away from his face.
"I will warn you," he said, as he lifted his hand. "This will hurt. But push past the pain, and it will end very quickly. There is no pain that comes after this, it is only the initial part that hurts, but once the transformation is complete you will be renewed and whole and better."
And he pushed his hand into her chest without preamble and siphoned the Chaos around her starseed.
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Posted: Tue May 31, 2016 1:16 am
Pain ripped through her form, tearing her sensibilities asunder. Every nerve in her body screamed. It took everything within Jinxi not to cry out, biting down hard enough on her bottom lip to draw blood.
This pain is nothing, you've suffered worse, played through her mind like a mantra to help her through it, help her eke out what little strength she had against the infiltrator to her starseed.
Whenever it was through, Jinxi came to with some slight confusion, hesitance at this sudden newness invigorating the areas where pain once existed. Whatever memories of the last few moments and the speck of humanity Jinxi thought she had faded away like a dream.
The only thing to remain was simply, well...
Her.
"What... happened?" she said, glancing up to the general while wiping her chin. "Is it... Is it over?"
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