Welcome to Gaia! ::

The teenage boy panted as he ran down the eerily empty street. He must have taken one too many hits of ecstasy, slammed back one too many shots at the club. That was the only explanation. He was just… hallucinating. He could not have possibly stumbled out and seen his roommate pressed up against a wall by some disco-haired dude in gold. Mostly because no one wore that much gold outside of 70s porno flicks. What he really, really could not have seen was the small glowing energy ball that was in one of the assailant's dusky hand, or the slightly larger glowy ball tucked into his sash….or the utter contempt in the golden eyes that slid towards him when he tried, in his slovenly way, to intervene.

Just in case this was all real though? He was hauling a** and making as much distance between himself and that scene as possible! (Paul had been late on the rent twice anyway, so abandoning him wasn’t all that hard. Sorry, Paul.) His bleary eyes scanned the area as he tried to remember where they had parked the car but he was just too impaired to get very far. Better just keep running then, running and hoping he found a cop. Going to jail was way, way better than whatever the other guy had planned!

General Serpentine pursued only after he securely tucked the smaller energy orb into his sash to join the first. He had wanted to make two of the same size, so that the offerings for himself and Buddingtonite would be equal. It looked like that was not in the plan tonight. The taciturn man was naturally suspicious of this… contest that had been posted on RiftNet, but his hands had been tied. His own pride and vanity spurred him to prove his natural superiority on a normal occasion; given he and his partner’s need to highlight their loyalty to the cause, he could not help but compete.

He did not crack his whip, not yet. There would be a time when the weapon would be needed, but at present it was more important to isolate the threat first. For the same reason, the general did not teleport. The target was too inebriated for subtlety. The fall of his boots behind the glitter-encrusted teen served just fine to corral - first to the left, then to the right. Away from the pulsing bass of the club, away from the areas where street lights were carefully maintained...out towards the train track, so wonderfully open and isolated. Soon enough, his prey would be caught.


[Note: This RP was originally started and meant to take place during the RiftNet Event. I thought I had created a thread but could not find it. Apologies if this is a duplicate.]

No matter how bleary eyed, the running teen recognized the train track. He and his old skate gang used to sneak in here and tag up the cars. The memory of the smell of spray paint did nothing to help his churning stomach. Neither did the fact that he knew that he was being lead to a dead end. There was no way out from the train yard except for the way from which he came. But what was he supposed to do - stop and end up like Paul? No thanks! His pulse reverberated in his throat along with rising bile, but he swallowed it down to keep running. The whip cracked through the the night air, leaving a red streak of pain across its victim’s back. The boy jack knifed and screamed, completely losing what little he had of his coordination and sprawling onto the gravel.

Serpentine sneered and did not take a second strike. His boots crunched across the distance between them. He just needed enough energy to add to the second orb so that they would be equal size. He could do it with little difficulty, now that he had the prey cornered. He grabbed hold of the boy’s arm and tugged him to a standing position. The sooner the draining was completed, the sooner he could return to his partner and report success. The sudden jerking motion, on top of his indulgences and the exertion he had been put through, promptly made the victim hurl all over the General.

Hot anger flooded through Serpentine. It didn’t matter that the soiled uniform would clean itself before he wore it again. It didn’t matter that there was no way to split a starseed on the Riftnet tally to share it with Buddingtonite. All that mattered was his own sense of satisfaction. He had come out intending only to drain energy, but that was no longer an option. For this disfigurement, and wasting his time… his prey would lose more than blood. The general would see to it. Once he peeled off his ruined sash to prevent further contamination.

Upon finding himself suddenly released, the teen made one more valiant effort towards the train yards. Crawling across the gravel, his gaze stretched out hopefully to the cars that lay ahead. Maybe he could hide behind or inside of one… maybe there was still a chance to get away!

The General had to take his time removing his soiled sash. He had to first unlock the belt, then unwrap the snakeskin component. Then the cream-colored sash could come off. If he was not careful, then the offending substance could leak onto his gloveless hands. Just as badly, he risked damaging the precious energy orbs that had been nestled inside the sash for safe keeping. He was a patient man, and the amount of time necessary bothered him not at all. Eventually, he was able to get the offending garment off and the energy orbs out, unharmed and untarnished. To keep them that way, he now transferred them momentarily to the ground. They would not remain there long.

The sounds of his prey screaming was what ultimately led him to look over. The teen was currently being mauled by a familiar blue-and-white paint cat. He would recognize her, and her distinctive bow, anywhere - though it had been some time since the two last met. He remembered the occasion well, the speech he had not expected, the exchange over the true ownership of his property… and the shared gesture between the two that they were both keeping an eye out for suspicious behavior from the other. Now, of course, he recognized a Guardian Cat when he felt one, but that had certainly not been true of their first encounter.

With the ragamuffin providing a distraction, Serpentine had time to indulge in the little touches. He looped his black snakewhip carefully around his forearm now that his usual sash position was unavailable thanks to this degenerate. He straightened his hat. He walked slowly around so that he was facing the teen’s front and not his back. He crouched down and stretched out his right hand to hover over the intended victim’s chest.

“Move.” It was a simple, crisp command. He could not do what needed doing if her fluffy body remained in his way. He gave her no thanks, currently, for her efforts. It was expected that any in the Negaverse would join a superior officer’s cause. And he was superior in ways that had nothing to do with rank.

… all the same, his bandaged left hand rose to keep a firm grip on his hat. He did not want a repeat theft like the last time he had met this particular painted cat.

It wasn’t fair. All he had wanted to do was go to the club, get a little buzz… then go home. Not see some golden creeper. Not be mauled by a cat. Not feel the intense pain of a hand sinking into his chest. Tears slid down the teenager’s face as he screamed, not even given enough time to beg for his life. With a twist and a pluck, the starseed escaped into the calloused hands of Serpentine. The bloodied meat puppet that had been shielding it lay motionless in the gravel. With that matter out of the way, the officer turned his attention to the painted cat who lingered near.

“Guardian.” He greeted her with the only title he knew to give. Their last encounter had not been conducive to introductions, particularly when the feline had seemed intent on not speaking after her initial words. Perhaps today she would tell him more. He closed his hand around the starseed to protect it as he pondered where to put it, now that his normal place had been taken from him. He rose from his crouched position, bandaged hand still on his hat until he felt confident she would not be able to simply leap up and snatch it.

He did not thank the Mauvian, for there was no thanks needed. She had simply done her duty. Though perhaps… there was something more he could give, something which, to him, had now become useless. It was only fair, and never let it be said that General Serpentine did not reward those who stood beside him. “Have you quotas as well?”

No sense in throwing away even a small energy orb if it was of no use to her, after all.

He bent to retrieve the energy orbs from their tiny, dusty nests of gravel. It would have been better if he could have given two energy orbs of the same size, but that was simply not as it was meant to be. Nor did he intend to give up the bigger prize to a cat, not when he already hunted for two. The General stared at the two in his hands, carefully judging their value.

If he had been closer to his apartment, Serpentine would have simply let the uniform melt away in its normal, shimmering shadow effect. He would much prefer his own attire at the moment, perfect and clean and lacking even the memory of vomit. His pants also had pockets which would have been better for safe keeping. But at this moment, he had to be in his attire, spoiled though it may have been. Everything had to be official.

“Then take the small one for RiftNet. The other and the starseed will go with me.” Some might point out that it did not matter who acquired the energy the Negaverse needed, but Serpentine was nothing if not just, in his queer fashion. She had come to his aid. She deserved reward.

Her gratitude and praise were balms over his wounded ego. It showed immediately in the straightening of his spine, the added puff to his chest. He was less excited about the physical attention around his boots. The splotchy blood made him shift his feet, the very image of a dog that didn’t want its paws to get wet.

This dog was also weighing how much her endeavors raised her above her earlier, poor decision to trifle. He had not been a General, then, but he had clearly been an officer. Surely she should have known that he was, from his Aura and his sheer stature. She also had some association with Senshi… and while he had come to accept those that devoted themselves to their cause, they were still beneath him. Even then, he had deserved her respect.

Probationary, then. He nodded in self-satisfaction at his impeccable sense of justice. “General Serpentine. And Rhys?” He looked straight down, his words firm. “The hat is mine.”