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 Posted: Mon Apr 01, 2019 5:20 pm
Vitriol waited outside the massive doors of the Hall of Shadows for Mali. The man had not been to the Rift before due to the limitations of senshi being able to go in without an escort. Considering it was half-youma, entering the Rift had been easy for it and as such, it could go in without any difficulty. Even moreso, it tended to be not bothered as much as normal agents, being close the inhabitants anyways.. One more surge of Chaos and he'd be a full fledged member, not that it wanted that.
After the first patrol together, Mali and Vit had talked about the Rift and it wanted to help repay them for taking it out the last time. They set up a time, and now Vitriol waited for the other to show him the Rift for the first time.
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 5:45 pm
When it came to draining, exploring, and generally doing Nega-work, Mali did not enjoy doing it alone. He would, of course, and it happened more and more lately now that Nubi got herself a
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:06 pm
Another name. It was strange to have another.
All human names were gone from him. He had none.
Wolframite. The unearned. Tarnished yet prized.
Gevaudan. Traitor. The mistake.
Vitriol. The mask. It. The pit.
Viv. Vivre. What was this name? Expectation of joy. Strange.
"No. It wasn't long. I don't mind waiting." It said, waving slowly as Mali approached. The doors to the Rift were wide, massive, towering gaping maw to the pair of them. Wolframite had been here with a small handful when they first showed. Back with Tanzanite. Back when the Rift was unknown to them all.
And then the doors had opened.
It took a breath at the flash of memory, the surging then dying memories of a time and place it had wished to stay for a bit longer.
Turning, it smiled at the other and offered its hand. "They won't let you through the Hall of Shadows yourself. You'll need to stick close to me and they won't take you away. Are you ready?"
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:28 pm
"Still, it would be better of me to have shown up earlier.. But if you insist, then I suppose it's fine." There was no need to argue over whether or not he should have been more timely, after all, time was subjective, and there was no telling how much timed passed within Negaspace... Was that how life was for Vivre? Even if he was curious about it, Mali didn't ask, it wasn't the time to.
The door opened before them and it felt like gazing into nothingness past them. Were there moans in the air? Eyes that glowed yet seemed like nothing lined the walls, moving around hauntingly and focusing on him, and then nothing at all.
Terrifying, to say the least.
"Do you think they would truly take me away?" A sense of weariness was settling in the pit of his stomach, and he hesitated taking any step forward...
But that smile was too sweet to his cold heart, and the offered hand was gratefully taken. How strange it was, to have that paw overtake his own, but that firmness was enough to kinda wrangle his fears into check. and none-too-subtly, he drew in closer, allowing his arm to properly brush against the other's soft fur.
"I am ready... But I have to say, it's unsettling to imagine being drawn into one of these mirrors... Trapped there, forced to do nothing but watch and judge and draw more in... Or maybe they'd just tear me apart... I'd rather not find out though, so excuse me for my closeness..."
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:42 pm
"I never saw what they do, but a corrupt senshi is still a senshi, and the youma remember. This is there home and they'd still see you as a invader. Even in the Rift, the other youma and the more feral could take you. Tear you. They don't need to eat, but that doesn't mean they won't use their teeth." Then it would just be a warning to the other senshi. A cautionary tale at the expense of one foolish officer. A waste made into a valuable lesson to others.
Closing his claws about the hand, he first held it gently, enough to not dig too tightly but enough to react if he felt the other pulled away from him.
Lowering it down to the side, they started for the door, and then its grip tightened quickly. "It's not a mirror." Viv corrected.
"None of this is a mirror." It said, his voice a warning. Tone lowered from friendly down to almost a growl.
A breath out and just like a light-switch, its face relaxed. "Just don't think about it. You're safe with me. I'm one of them. Stay at close as you want. Don't leave my side at any point until we come back through the hallway and return back here again. Understand?"
And with that, it walked down with Mali into the hallway with the same confidence it had as walking anywhere else in the Negaverse. The Hall of shadows moved and in the dim purple glow somewhere far off and distance in the crystal walls, shadows moved. Gathered in large mobs they were dormant until they sensed them, and moving, they pressed against the walls, arms raised and pawing as they moaned and clawed against the surface. Others watched, staring pointedly at Mali, a few others at Viv, but none took anyone.
They continued walking. Viv said nothing, the grip on Mali's arm tighter now as it stared ahead, yellow eyes firm and set to the other side.
After a while, they stepped out and into the Rift. It stared back at where they came and back at Mali. "See. Nothing happened to you. Now we can walk a little easier here." It turned and headed down the path, hand lighter now in its own.
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 6:58 pm
”The way you speak of it, perhaps I truly shouldn’t be here... But I won’t turn back now.” What exactly did the youma remember? When they ruled this place? Had they ever? It seemed like there was far too much history that Mali simply did not know, and honestly didn’t really care to learn, not now with those trapped behind the glass wanting so badly to tear at him, as Vivre said.
As his companion’s grip tightened, it seemed as if he hit a soft spot... Or maybe he was just worried that the monsters would get them had he spoken anymore. It was hard to tell, the tone Viv had seeming threatening. It was unusual thinking that something so small and seemingly kind around him and his sister would have such a tone..
Warning or not, Mali did not speak again.
The hallways was all levels of disturbing to the Corrupt, those bodies seeming to rush against the walls and clawing at them with the intent to snatch one, or both, of them away. Yes, he drew closer to the half-youma. How could he not when he was reassured time and time again that such creatures would tear him apart given the chance. Mali valued his life far more than his own morbid curiosity and more than willingly clung to that offered arm.
It seemed natural to cast his gaze on the floor with each step, avoiding gazing too long at those that lied beyond the crystal. Staring too much would lead to him being drawn in, then forever trapped, something he certainly wasn’t ready to do.
Once they stepped out from those treacherous walls, he relax somewhat, the tension slipping from his shoulders and a heavy sigh leaving his lips.
“Thank you for your guidance... And.. I apologize for what I had said... Clearly I have upset you, so I am sorry... It’s already been such a trip, hasn’t it? I’ve already apologized twice. Rest easy, though, I have no intention on leaving your side while we’re here. My life is in your hands, as it were.”
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Posted: Wed Apr 03, 2019 7:47 pm
"You should be here. So you see. So you know." It said as they walked, hand in hand as it looked on ahead. The Rift did not have the same weather as the Castle and it's surrounding area. Still, the ruins littered the area and all about shapes moves. Small creatures of every shape and size darted between crumbling architecture while others, larger still, rustled in the caves and hollowed tunnels of the area. Larger shapes in the distance shifted.
"Why are you always so sorry? Don't worry about me. It's nothing." It dismissed his apology quickly, not looking Mali in the eye was they walked.
"Sometimes officers fight youma to bond with them." He said lapsing into a more formal, educational tone.
"Others are too strong willed to bother. Others too feral. You'll find every type of youma you can imagine probably. It's like a sad fairy tale."
It glanced back to Mali. "What do you think of them?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 6:03 am
Despite it's over all ominous appearence, now that they were outside of the Hall, Mali grew facinated with the surroundings. The eerie glow, the darkness that surrounded them, and even the storms in the distance drew him in, replacing that intial fear with curiosity. And Viv's hand in his certainly helped as well.
"Hmm... I think I'm always so sorry because when I am interested in someone, I'm always a little bit worried that I would say too much, or give someone that I actually care their opinion of a reason to dislike me. Normally, I couldn't care less but I am curious about you." Mali would associate his blathering with the huge swirling levels of Chaos around them. The youma that scurried around, and those bodies that continued to move just out of sight gave him the feeling that yes, he could be eaten at any moment, were their hands to separate. What was the point of holding back any honest thoughts that would haunt him should he never return to the surface?
"By some officers, I'm assuming that the Senshi are excluded. As you said the youma remember, so I doubt that I could mean anything to them besides a potential meal as I am now..." It was a sad thought that crossed his mind, especially when he thought on the idea of bonding with someone here, having that partner who would stick by his side in battle. Luckily for him he had 'Nubi, but even then that bond wasn't so strong as to never be broken.
Seemed like so far that being a Senshi in the Negaverse was a rather lonely experience. More experienced Corrupts would tell him of the days when they were treated as nearly subhuman, less trusted than the youma they worked with. And it honestly made sense, from the documentations he read from his tablet in his free time.
"My thoughts, you ask..." Mali tugged on Viv's paw, slowing their stride to a stop for a moment while he looked around at where they were again, considering the question. "I still have that nagging feeling that I do not belong here. I am a Corrupted Senshi. Had the White Moon offered me power first, I would have been an enemy. Even now, I feel eyes on me, perhaps some of them are filled with hatred that I don't quite understand the history of. No matter how much I try, I could not be someone who belongs here without someone like you, an officer, at my side."
Power was what Cavansite promised him when he was pulled into this world the night he nearly lost his life. And yes, power was something he received, but it wasn't the same as what that General had. Not that he had expected something that strong just.. Not this.
Not a Corrupt that barely had a place here. At least that's what it felt like at times.
"That's simply my own thoughts though. Even if I don't belong here, it's fascinating, and it's a shame that I could not bond with a full youma as well. I must ask though, would you ever bond with a full youma? Or do you see them too much as brothers-in-arms to bind them to you? ... Then again, if it's a 'personal' connection, it may extend far deeper than just 'co-workers' for lack of a better word... Maybe even friends, confidants, depending on whether or not they're feral.."
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 6:27 am
"You don't have to worry. Nothing you could say would keep me from being here or saving your life. You could say anything and I would have still taken you to the Rift. I am not so fragile to cry over such simple things. There are bigger things in the world that hurt much more than that." And it had felt so much in the 10 years that spanned the histories and names it had taken on.
With that in mind, it wouldn't out itself before the needs of the Negaverse. "I'm here to make sure we continue on in this war. A little disagreement wouldn't stop that." At least it said that. It knew it had made mistakes before when its emotions flared up. It had to keep them in check to be a better agent.
It did not move though as Mali stopped and waited for the corrupted senshi to bbeready to walk again.
"You belong. You might not be accepted by youma but as you raise in ranks then they will know you are an agent on their side. That is to be respected. To go against the natural order to do what is right. Don't be too concerned about how these youma regard you. You have agents and other senshi who do recognize you as well as the General Kings and Queens. That is something. As for the youma here, you can't please everyone."
And the youma did not need to be pleased. They needed to listen, obey, and serve. That was all.
"I will get a personal youma. It's tactical. It is good to have any advantage in a fight. I am not ready for one though. I need to consider my weaknesses first and see what partner might be best in helping me in that way. I do see them as agents too. Everyone should. Some might be feral but their starseeds were human. At the core of them they could be you or I. If I was given more chaos, I would be one too."
Could become one.
"What kind of full youma would you have gotten? How do you see them? Personal connection? A comrade to come when called? A confidant?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 7:44 am
"Thank you. It's been a year and then some since I've joined, and where am I now? No stronger than I was before. Nothing more to do than to get stronger, I suppose..." It didn't really do much to dwell on whether or not he belonged in the Rift. The clear cut answer was that he didn't, and there was no denying that fact no matter how much he could grow.
As another youma walked across their path, paying them no heed as it slowly rolled down into a chasm, Mali held back a half-snort, finding the way it moved amusing, but nothing he'd ever want as his own.
"That's a good way to view it, finding a counterbalance to fill in where you lack." Now that was something he didn't know, that the youma were once human. But it made sense... Especially since Viv was standing right before him, in his half-youma glory. Just a bit more...
The very thought was unpleasant.
"I am sentimental, I'd have to admit. I suppose it would be a personal connection, a companion rather than an asset or tool. One that didn't need to be the strongest or most cunning or adept at anything in particular. It would greatly depend on what the youma was looking for itself, so then that means it wouldn't be anything feral. Then again, they wouldn't need to speak either... A companion who I can rely on and maybe use for reconnaissance rather than all out attacks." A soft but bitter laugh left him, and he gently nudged Viv to continue onwards.
"Maybe that's why Senshi aren't allowed to have companions such as that. We're deemed soft or sentimental, and value life in everything. Atleast our White Moon counterparts are that way... It reminds me of the thought that humans are naturally pack animals and will bond with anything, even a roomba." It was a moment like this that made him wish he had not been awakened a senshi... He even remembered Cavansite thinking him a traitor immediately when his starseed didn't respond to her chaos.
"Never mind all that though, I am curious. Are we heading towards somewhere in particular or just going on a leisurely stroll? Either way, the lead is yours."
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 8:29 am
Sentimental. A companion. Yet still useful for a task.
"Some agents are sentimental too. They aren't different from you. You are both human. Both chaos." Why did he treat himself as something so separate from the rest. Then again. Helidor echoed the same sentimates. Was it very hard to be a senshi here?
"It sounds like the agents keep you separated from the rest."
Maybe Mali was a tool tool even if he was fully human.
"Oh. There isn't much in the Rift and we can't go to the towns. Some people come to fight youma to get a personal one but that is about the only reason anyone comes here." It explained. "Sometimes I just like wondering what I'll see."
It started to move again, walking them down the path before it spoke up again.
"How do the agents treat you? Treat senshi." It asked as they walked.
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 9:11 am
"No, that's not it exactly. I only have myself to blame for these feelings about my position as a senshi. I've not been treated cruely, nor have I even encountered many Agents besides those that you happen to see during large gatherings. I've read much of the dossier of our tasks, our enemies, and the word senshi shows up time and time again as something hated and a thing that should be eradicated. The moment I came in, it feels as if I'm standing on thin ice. An enemy turned ally could still turn out to be your enemy after all." He new damned well his thoughts and worries were all self inflicted, but to worry came so very naturally to him that he almost thought he carried such a burden of thought on himself purposely.
"It's boils down to an existential crisis really. If I am who I am, and it's only chaos that makes me different than the enemy, how is that enough to be accepted? If our thousands of youma cannot accept me as an ally, someone worthy of standing beside against the 'Senshi Threat', how do I know I won't share the same fate as being cannon fodder? The only answer I have is to get stronger..." It was a quiet thought towards the end, his gaze shifting from the area around them to Viv's hand that still held his own. Soft... Solid. and certainly something that swore not to let him go, at least within the Rift.
"One day this war will be over. No doubt, of course, the Negaverse will win, but then what happens to the Senshi? If we Corrupted ones are the last ones to exist, will our Queen pardon the sins of being born this way and allow us to remain, or are we the last part that needs to be removed? Will our dedication be enough to save us from eventual demise?" Question upon question came from Mali, none of which required an answer. Not once before had he said these questions out loud, and who know, maybe it was a horrible thing to say out loud.
Doubts had consequences. In all likelihood, the consequences of doubts within the Negaverse could lead to severe punishment, maybe even death.
"I say all this, but it doesn't change my goals or dedication. I won't shy away if it's my fate to end up that way for serving our queen, but I worry more for my sister.. Though clearly she is doing far better than I am in finding her place. She's fond of you too, I'm sure you noticed. The end of that night we all spent together had her come home, squealing, 'He's such a cutie! I hope he wants to hang out with us again, I'll make time always!' and what not. Even if I vanish to fill out a destiny of youma food or being a meat shield, I'm certain she'll find a way to continue on and make herself indispensable."
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:16 am
"You say you are already working to the future but it sounds like you already have decided on what is written on your tombstone." He pointed out as they slowly walked.
"It is not so quick to become a traitor. It is a slow progression. There will be signs. A corrupt might feel for the past. For their friends. Might wonder if things will be better on the other side. Being here with time will prove loyalty. Killing the senshi will show your alliance. But do not repeat what you worry about once the war is won and your thoughts of disposal. Anyone could try and hurt you for it " It glanced for only a second.
"If the war is won then they will know you were part of the victory and that at the last moment you did not switch sides. In the end it is the signature in you and your ability to take directions that might keep you safe." But he had seen loyalty punished. "But...I don't know either." It had seen a future dream that was bleak for everyone. Maybe it was a lie. Maybe it wasn't.
"Hopefully. Metallia and the Queen can be fickle. If it happens we are not worth the Chaos in us, then we will accept it. It's a trade for power. We get what is given and in turn are used until it is decided we are unworthy. Everyone can be judged. You are still a lieutenant. Once you become an eternal, they will have to respect you. If in the end the war is done and we are not needed, then we die together." Mali was sentimental after all. Maybe not dying alone would help.
"The difference from us and them is our ideals. Our desires. The power we assign to. Aside from that then you and them are no different. The Negaverse no different to knights. But these things have big influences. A agent might wonder how they are any different to a knight. A guardian cat of chaos to one of order. Thinking g about things without answers is exhausting."
He didn't want to think these things. It made him tired and cold. It made him lay in bed watching the storm out his window. Half youma. Youma. Human. Where did it start and end. What had changed?
"But do not think of them. Of purification. If it every does come across your mind. It is not as sweet as they say. It's a lie. It destroys a person. You will loose everything. It is a siren's song. It changes you to a stranger because it comes at a cost of tearing the person you are in half."
It looked over at Mali and lessened what had been a slow tightening squeeze. "You won't be youma food. Neither will your sister. Not if I'm around."
"You worry about her but - you envy her. She must worry about you too. What do you wish from you that you don't have?"
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 10:56 am
"I don't like to think about death, but I do. I think a long time ago I learned to not fear death. Nothing heroic or anything of the sort. You can't stop it from catching you eventually so what use is there to fear it? Maybe it is lying down and accepting what's written for me, but at this point, there's no reason to struggle against it."
"Not dying alone atleast seems pretty nice. Or dying in battle. Not just a pitiful little fizzle out. I appreciate the thoughts, I wouldn't have expected to find guardian in you, willing to protect me. Honestly, it's a first, I feel like I do all of the protecting... But death will come no matter what, so I'd rather focus on the here and now, with my hand in yours as we continue our little adventure." This whole conversation was draining, and it was his own fault for bringing it up. The tightening on his hand, and the warning about what purification did made Mali wonder... Perhaps Viv had lost someone to purification before... Seemed reasonable, and would explain his reaction.
There was so much they didn't know about one another, how much prying would be too much? There were questions there, right on the tip of his tongue, but he let them die there, unwilling to let the peace between them be muddled after only the second time they met.
"You caught me. You're right, I do envy her as much as I love her. You've met her, you've seen the clear differences between us. She's like a whirlwind, moving, ever changing, never letting anything bother her. To make up for it, I've become a rock. Maybe a better wording for it that she is a kite, flying around, grabbing attention, and I'm the fencepost she's tied to that keeps her from flying away. Responsibilities often lie on me for everything, and she can run wild, and has the personality to match and be loved by all. And she has the energy for it. I envy that freedom and ability... Though I wouldn't say I hate who I am... It's all very... Complicated." As his words trailed off once again, Mali gently pulled Vivre's paw to his chest, using one hand to hold it stead, the other to lightly pet at the back of it, lost in thought.
"... I'm sorry. I keep talking and talking about all that worries me. I'm sure if you let me keep going, your ears may fall off... But thank you for listening, nonetheless. It's been a long time since I could freely complain without being judged or teased about my shortcomings."
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Posted: Thu Apr 04, 2019 11:45 am
with my hand in yours..
It hadn't been focusing on it but when it was brought up it became conscious of it.
Mali wanted moments of joy. Maybe because he was sad and lonely. Felt separated from the heard and alienated for his magic and his doubts. Because he felt like a stone or fence post responsible for keeping others down but unable to move and progress. A stationary unchanging fixture that was less dazzling and eye-catching as his sister. Regardless of blood and love, jealousy was still evident. Want was still evident. Freedom was still evident
And what was its name then. Vive. Said in hopes to be given more joy. An expectation. A role. A duty. A wish.
"Cut her." It glanced at him. "Why be fixed to the spot for her sake? If she can do well enough when you die. If you believe that. Then stop being the stone. Let her loose to the winds. Let her get caught on a tree. Blown in a storm. Stricken my lightening. No one grows without being bruised."
It didn't look at him as his fur prickled at the touch of being held to a beating chest. The different in height was a bit awkward.
It said both ng in the matter. It was that it was here for.
"You can talk as much as you want. I don't mind. You can say anything to me. I won't ever meet anyone you know to share it even if I wanted . I don't remember having siblings so maybe I'm overstepping. I can't think of what being a brother is like but it seems silly to me. To think a grown woman who is tasked with killing can't handle herself on her own once in a while."
"If you had that freedom to be a kite. What would you want to do?"
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