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 Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2020 3:52 pm
Bundles into a winter coat, Bestla hardly looked like a senshi as she wandered through the city, pausing here and there to admire some early Christmas lights. She was enjoying the cold and solitude to a degree. Maybe because she didn't have to deal with people staring at her now scarred face and pale, blinded eye.
Frankly, she was tired of seeing people flinching away from her. Or (on only one rather memorable occasion) some dumb Karen bitching at her to cover her face so she didn't scare the kid who had his nose shoved into a DS and hadn't seen her anyway.
Growling irritably, the tall senshi told herself that such things would cease to bother her after a while. But such reasonable pep talks didn't stop her from pulling the hood of the coat further up or brushing her hair so her bangs hid that part of her face. Besides, she had more important things that the hurt fee-fees of a Karen to worry about Like fighting properly with no damned depth perception.
And the whole time she was out doing her duty, all she could think about was her planet and how very badly she wanted to be there rather than here. It was a craving that she was going to have to indulge in sooner or later. If nothing else, some time there to sit and think and work quietly would probably do her more good than all the therapy in Destiny City.
Sighing, she kicked out viciously, sending a small rock pinging off into the darkness. Then, because she couldn't ignore the chaotic aura anymore, she stood still and raised her face to the stars.
"Okay, I know you're there somewhere. So if you're feeling fiesty let me know now so we can get this over with, mmkay?"
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:10 pm
“Ok… and If I’m not feeling feisty?” He called back, rubbing at where the rock had pinged off his leg, not enough to illicit a curse but enough to irritate. He sighed and stepped out of the shadows, his uniform dark enough he must have blended well, his own scars old and drawn out by time, thumbs tucked into a wide sash. “Can we not just do a holiday shopping miracle where you either tell me why I should join you, or join the lists of people who remind me that I am human trash? I am sorta tired, and I already have one of you who wants to snap my neck.” He did have dark circles under his eyes, but he also had twin daggers tucked into his sash, ready to draw if he needed them. “I haven’t hurt any civilians, believe me, or don’t…and I dropped the ones I drained somewhere warm so they won’t have to be pried off park benches or concrete when the cold snap hits.” He paused then tipping his head at the fall of her hair, like he suspected something there but didn’t speak, just arched an eyebrow. “Or we can do whatever will make you feel better as long as I’m not dead at the end of it because I’d love to ask a few questions. Looking for someone, hurt a civ, kinda made me mad.” He shrugged again. DaisyMilk it's ok! It's been a crazy start to the month! - I hope this is ok!
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:30 pm
Keeping her face turned towards the sky, Bestla considered his words and found a tiny smile forming against her better judgement. She could appreciate the levels of 'oh ******** this' in the officer's voice and his scorn for holiday miracles spoke to her soul.
"I've never had much patience for holiday miracles myself, so I'd never try to push one onto anyone else. As far as you being trash," she paused and tilted her head so that she could turn to look at him, "I believe in waiting to pass too much judgement. As you're just standing there, not a lot to judge yet."
She noted the dark circles and narrowed her eyes in thought. Then, just as quickly, the went wide in quiet surprise. She wasn't used to any officer flat out admitting their misdeeds followed by explaining steps they took to keep an innocent alive. Just who was the guy?
"Can't say I'm a fan of the whole draining people, but props for doing what you can to keep them from further harm. So far, I'd have to say you're not at garbage levels yet. So, I'll propose a bargain. Tell me how many you've leeched off of and where you dropped them and I'll get as many as I can into some shelters I know of. Just in case the drainage triggered anything internal that should be looked at. In return, I'll answer whatever questions you have as long as the answers don't reveal personal information. Fair?"
Tucking her hands into the pockets of her coat, Bestla was very careful not to say anything regarding any senshi who'd wanted to kill this guy. And she was very curious to know more about someone who went around hurting civs. Granted, in her own experience, that usually wound up being an officer in the Negaverse. But she couldn't rule out just a plain ******** sick human either.
"I think I believe you," she finally said after a moment of hard staring. "There's an earnestness that I don't think anyone could fake. Especially given how you look as ******** tired as I feel."
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Posted: Sat Dec 05, 2020 4:47 pm
“There’s like... 3 of them tucked into the all night Laundry, I think the lady doing her actual laundry has stopped caring, but I figured they could get some coffee from that awful vending machine when they woke up tired.” He jerked a thumb down the street. “The shelters won’t have room this time of year especially, too cold, I’d be amazed if they have space on the best of days.” He scowled for a moment looking down the road and then glanced back. “You don’t think it actually ******** them up internally do you? Or do you mean like, did I let them smack off the pavement kinda damage?” “If you know a shelter that has space, I wanna hear it though... put that in the deal? I’m not dragging anyone who hasn’t got a roof over their head.” He pushed hair back out of his face and then exhaled. “Someone tossed a civ off the roof of that big hospital. I... overheard them talking. Dude was a doctor. People keep saying he tried to swan dive but, I overheard him saying that whoever did it called themselves ‘Parisite’, , but imma take special issue with that, cause... I didn’t do that.” “Though the last person I told that still tried to knock my teeth in.” He added.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 9:36 am
Blinking a little as the officer quickly and freely answered her questions, Bestla found herself more interested in this one. Anyone else she'd ever encountered would have attacked her. Or mocked their victims. This guy did neither and seemed genuinely concerned with not doing too much damage. What a pity we have to be on opposite sides, she thought a little wistfully.
"I know the place and you're right," she said with a tiny flash of a crooked grin, "I think that old woman stopped caring a long time ago. I wouldn't wish that coffee on my worst enemy though."
She thought for a moment before finally nodding agreeably.
"All right, that's fair enough. It's no big secret anyway and they'd probably like the press since they're still pretty small and new. But they have a trained nurse who checks over anyone who comes in. They took over an old office building off of Wesson and turned it into little dorms and as far as I know they should still have room for your three."
She sighed a little and without thinking brushed her hand through her hair, momentarily exposing her damaged eye.
"Truth? I don't know for sure but I like to be safe since a lot of homeless people tend to have underlying conditions and I'd hate to see you take the care you are to end up losing one to a weak heart no one knew about or the like. Or if they have to take something at a certain time but you didn't know and leeched from 'em. That sort of thing. You don't seem the type to let them crack their skulls on the pavement."
Then, it was her turn to keep up the bargain and she listened closely, wincing at the idea of a normal human body being flung from that height. More interesting was the officers reaction to what he'd overheard.
"All right then, Parisite, in the interests of keeping things fair, I'm Bestla and unfortunately framing people is something of a hobby on both our sides. If you say you didn't do it, I believe you. And some people on my side are a little trigger happy. Sometimes I'm one of them but that's neither here nor there. Other than this senshi who tried to end up, do you have any enemies at all you can think of? Anyone who may be jealous or resentful? As Parisite isn't an especially common name," she continued drily, "I have to think whoever did it has a definite grudge against you."
Whatever she'd been expecting to be asked, it wasn't anything like this. And that made this Parisite something of an interesting rarity.
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 1:07 pm
“s**t… good to know.” He murmured. “I still wouldn’t want to take that bed away, sometimes people need one fast, the people I’m grabbing all look like money at least.” He shrugged. “Like, the ones who think they’re perfect kinda.” He made a face, casting a brief look at the momentary reveal of her damaged eye, he didn’t at least, look at it with pity, but a sort of …well it might have been a look of respect? He absently rubbed at his own cheek before tearing his gaze away, not wanting to stare and be rude. “But, no… I know…” He sucked in a breath and let it out, slipping around whatever he might have just said. “I know streets can be hard on people. People get ignored or looked down on, they don’t need me making it harder.” He rubbed the back of his neck and gave a heavy sigh when she mentioned it might be someone with a grudge. “… Shouldn’t have known my name.” He mumbled. “I can only think of the one guy, but I didn’t do s**t to him, I mean, I guess I breathed in his direction. He absolutely took offense to that.” His eyes narrowed as his thoughts drifted to Gelria. “I mean, I might have done something -since- then but, to be fair he broke a dude’s neck.” He added. s**t…this whole Costume Bullshit is frustrating. I feel like it’s my fault the dude got hurt, but I don’t even know why. I haven’t even been at this that long!”
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:07 pm
More and more interesting. This guy simply did not talk or act like the typical officer.
"How on earth did the Negaverse manage to snap you up?" she asked, puzzlement clear on her face. "They don't deserve someone with the moral compass you seem to possess and they'll only end up ruining you the longer you stay."
This last sounded a little plaintive, but recalling his desire to not be preached at, she let the subject drop and instead focused on the matters at hand.
"If they look money, there's always dropping them off close to the hospital. Goodness knows I've taken a fair few uhh... donors tot he ER and always under the guise of a good, albeit concerned citizen. Fortunately or not, this city being what it is, they're kind of used to seeing the same few people dragging unconscious folk in."
Turning back to the matter of the false Parisite, she listened and seemed to consider his every word carefully.
"Do you think the senshi you mentioned before did this? I mean, I could see a corrupted senshi doing it maybe, but not one who wasn't corrupted."
The thought definitely turned her a little green. No senshi she knew would try to murder a civilian. No, she had to be misunderstanding things. But if he'd broken someone's neck...
"Okay, let's put that in the possibility list. What about people on your own side? Anyone jealous or just out to be a s**t? I'll be honest, some of the folks on your side seem a little, ah, deranged and ruthless. And someone on your side would account for your name being used."
She turned her head to gze sharply at him. Was he actually victim blaming and shaming himself?
"Okay, one thing. It is not your fault that someone else got hurt. Unless you specfically took action against them, no fault lies in you. You didn't cause the harm, this other person did. I do understand feeling like it's your fault, I do. But don't blame yourself for the actions of other people."
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:30 pm
“Uhhh…” He hesitated and rubbed the back of his neck. “…My…Boss wanted my take out?” He offered, and sounded, ridiculously serious about it. “She’s…nice? I mean, She’s helped me out of a spot or two…” He shrugged a little like maybe it would make up for his slightly silly recruitment. “I’d drop them at the hospital but, if someone is out to make me look like a s**t, they did that -at- a Hospital, I might get them killed trying to keep them safe.” He offered back. It wasn’t a bad idea to be fair, but he was a little worried about more people being thrown off rooftops with only his ‘name’ to follow them down. “I don’t know, I mean, he tried to strangle me when I was a lIeutenant, one of you lot saved me. He tried to do that to the new kid they assigned me to, and he wouldn’t hurt a fly I think. But… I don’t know a lot of people on my side of things. Just my Boss and…her Boss and barely him. But beyond that I’m not… really the kinda person you get jealous of.” He shook his head and stuffed his thumbs back into his sash. He flinched slightly at her scolding, and looked unconvinced but at least shrugged at it. “I guess? I mean, if they’re trying to get to me isn’t it… like, guilt by association?”
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 3:52 pm
"A fair point," she murmured. Well, at least for now, the money victims would have to stay in laundromats. And she would have to be okay with the in the grand scheme of things.
"So let's rule out your boss. I don't think many Generals would go out of their way to frame an underling since your success makes them look good with their bosses. Why undermine your own standing like that? As for you not being the type to illicit jealously, you don't know that. You could have gotten a good word from your boss that someone else thought they deserved more. Just because you don't know many people doesn't mean that someone might not have decided to latch onto a stupid grudge."
She was grasping at straws and she knew it. She was far more disturbed by the idea of a senshi actively throttling a baby officer.
"Okay, so this senshi who hates you, but doesn't, hopefully, know your name. Tell me about him. I'm not super well versed in who all is on my side, so I won't vouch for anyone I don't know. We can figure this out."
Rolling her eyes in exasperation, Bestla drew herself to her full 6'3" height and folded her arms across her chest.
"Not a bit of it. Someone seems out to really hurt you by nasty, underhanded means. That does not make any of it your fault. Every ounce of fault lands squarely on whoever is going around and chucking civs off of rooftops and using your name to do it. Christ on a cracker, it's not your direct or indirect actions responsible. You are literally being framed. Besides, blaming yourself wastes mental energy that you need to be able to navigate this mess."
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Posted: Sun Dec 06, 2020 4:49 pm
He leaned against a wall, careless about his impact with the cold brickwork and concrete. “The… Senshi smells like Cinnamon, blasted me with a face full of it. He uh…had a top hat?” He shrugged. “…And he might have a big cut on his arm now.” He held up his hands like he was bracing for impact after that admission. “But I don’t think he knows my name.” He added, shaking his head and staring down at his feet before gazing back up at her with a sigh. He wasn’t sure it wasn’t at least somewhat at his feet, but it wasn’t something he felt he could argue with her. he was still pretty glad she hadn’t clocked him one. “…I guess that’s fair. I need all the brain I can get for this one.” He grumbled. “UUUGH” he rubbed both hands over his face and sighed. “Fine, Let’s go with ‘not my fault’, but I still don’t get it. I… guess If I figure it out and we meet again I’ll let you know. If cinnamon-b*****d doesn't catch me first eh?” He laughed, dark humor in it. “Maybe if he is chucking people off of rooftops, he’ll try with me and my stupid pants can be a parachute.”
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:18 am
A senshi in a top hate that smelled of cinnamon. It wasn't much, but it was enough for now. She knew there were databases run by the cats. Surely one of them would have logged this guy somewhere in there.
"It's something to start on, at least," she muttered out loud. She dismissed the cut arm remark with a wave of her hand. Then, smiling a little nastily, purposely brushed her hair from her face, once again exposing her eye. "s**t happens. Won't say I wouldn't love to curb stomp the little b***h who managed this, but that's between me and her only. I won't interfere in someone else's mess unless requested."
Her expression faded into one of sympathetic understanding. It was hard sometimes to pull oneself out of the blame cycle. But he was trying and she would give him full props for that. And maybe his laugh wasn't exctly carefree and light, but he at least possessed a sense of humor.
"I know it's hard trying to figure out this mess. Right now I think we can agree to be polite and keep our eyes open, yeah? If I can find anything out, I'll do my best to get the information to you."
Hesitating for only a moment, Bestla gave herself a shake and stuck her hand out. If they had a truce, it was best to follow the forms, after all. And sometimes, a show of trust elicited further trust.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:26 am
“I mean…fair, I ran away from the b*****d who did this.” He shrugged and thumbed his cheek. “But I can see wanting to get a few good hits in for something like that.” He eyed her hand, and then cautiously jutted his in return. “Deal… “ He agreed. “So…. just in case I ever piss you off, do I get to ask what freaky sparkly magic s**t you do? Because I’m not sure you need magic, I think you could use my dang belt loop and chuck me into the stratosphere, but color me curious. I’m not saying hit me with it!” He raised a hand to ward it off. “At least not without knowing I won’t end up in the hospital… but uh… you guys do WIERD things.” DaisyMilk I offered a Yeet-ing this was the best I could think of XD
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 11:39 am
Shaking his hand firmly,Bestla wondered for a moment if she should be mean and increase the pressure of her grip. Then just as quickly discarded the idea. Parisite didn't deserve that level of assholery. Instead, she laughed a little and cupped her hand in front of her face, whispering as a tiny mound of glowing spores appeared. Then, making sure to point away from the officer, she blew gently and watched as a mailbox was covered and began to glow gently.
"If that were a person, they'd glow a bit and any bare skin would feel extra cold. Not exactly a devastating attack, all things considered. Personally, I prefer to rely on my fists."
Giving him a side-eyed glance and grin, Bestla said, "I doubt you'd reach the stratosphere. Next block over might be a possibility."
She ignored his claim that senshi did weird things, since she couldn't exactly argue with it. Instead, she kept smiling and shrugged.
"Everybody does weird things sometimes," she said, determined to get the last word in.
BlackSageTea It's all good! 
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 1:44 pm
“… Not going to lie, I did not expect that at ALL… You’re like, Buff Tinker-bell.” He arched his eyebrows. “…. also Please do not use that as an invitation to check the distance, It was been a HELL of a week and my day job has me on my feet too.” He added. “That’s a lot of not happy thoughts, pretty sure gravity and road rash would take over.” He moved closer to squint at the mailbox. “That's so cool… uh… pretend the pun was intended, ******** I sound dumb…s**t.” “Anyhow…” His ears felt warm for the blush that was starting there. “If I hear anything and I see you again, I’ll let you know. Stay uh…safe?” He said cautiously.
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Posted: Wed Dec 09, 2020 2:56 pm
Buff Tinkerbell. THat was one she had not heard before and she wasn't entirely sure if she should feel insulted or not. Still, it was enough to warrant a chuckle as she raised her hand to sketch out a salute.
"I'd only throw you if you tried attacking me. Or issued too many double dog dares."
Nodding, she acknowledged his words before shoving her hands back into her coat pockets. It was time to head home. Or hunt down a cat or two.
"Thanks! Try not to get tossed off of any rooftops before I see you again."
It was flippant, but Bestla meant it. She very much wanted Parisite to remain in the land of the living for a while.
BlackSageTea Aww, thanks! She's fun to play when I can get the right head space going
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