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 Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 5:56 pm
In the Water (8 ): The Destiny City Reservoir is open year round but without fail always gets the most attention in the summer. It's a nice escape from the big city; it’s a five minute drive outside of the Eastern side of town and features clear water and sandy beaches--although, the sand here is notorious for squeaking when you step on it. It’s a hot spot for all fun summer activities, but recently something strange has been happening under the water. Sometimes, people feel like something is grabbing their ankle, even if they are just wading in the shallow end. In the deeper parts of the water, it gets a little more intense: something has been said to grab onto ankles and pull. People have been warned about dangerous pranks, but so far no one has been caught. In the shallow end, anyone unfortunate enough to be targeted may feel themselves being knocked off their feet and tugged into the water; anyone in deep water may feel a firm grip on their ankle, tugging them lower and lower. Somehow, anyone it targets is freed--either by wriggling and fighting, or because someone intervenes and pulls the would-be victim up. No one has drowned in the lake. Yet. It's impossible to see who, or what, is doing this, but it usually gives up after one failed attempt. Usually. Imbrium had thought her ice wall was to be an effective deterrent. She had, perhaps foolishly, thought that by throwing it up without fear (she had looked very afraid, but Pythia was a strong proponent of faking it until she believed her own lies) that she could intimidate the ‘half water dragon’ into backing away and leaving her alone. Let her hunt down that creepy, redhead watching vanishing puddle all by her lonesome. And yet, no; the Chaos monster had no mind to leave her be. Imbrium was not to be having much luck with accomplishing her goals today, it seemed. The monster was glaring at her, and Pythia couldn’t hide the nervous swallow of her throat, still channeling her power. She didn’t flinch as the monster lifted a hand- not until sharp nails dug into the wall, tearing into it and dealing it a careless hunk of damage that went straight to the redhead’s spine. “Ah!” she could not have helped her noise of pain as a chunk of ice had been jerked from her barrier, and her teeth bared as the half youma stepped around the wall of ice, the Squire’s magic vanishing as its wielder lost her focus from surprise. Not that the wall would have been much help anyways, with them on the same side of it. “Try wha-“ Imbrium started, annoyed. And yet all too soon she knew. The Squire yelped as a watery body rushed at her, and her own form froze, halfway between turning tail and running, and throwing up her shield to try, once more, to channel her strength into an icy wall to stop the thing from capturing her. The half youma moved too quickly, and Imbrium had the worst possible reaction to alarm. She felt, her brain provided helpfully as time seemed to slow down (while Squire Imbrium valiantly shrieked and tried to bonk the un-bonkable with her shield), rather like one of those small goats. The ones that just kind of… fell over. Imbrium had never teleported before. And nor had she really had the opportunity to hold her breath. So when the world around her suddenly became pure liquid, Pythia squealed into the watery coffin, almost vomiting as it felt like the contents of her stomach teleported at a staggered timing compared to the stomach itself. Panic hit her, pure and simple, and the air gargled from her lungs at what would be a horrifying speed to her when she thought of it later. I’m under water, her brain said belatedly, Might want to… hold my breath.She couldn’t tell up from down in the darkness, but her body knew it; coming straight from the air the way they had there were pockets of air trapped under her skirt. Her eyes stung from the sudden water, and her lungs as well. And her nose. Everything. Her lungs itched to cough, itched to rid themselves of unpleasant pressure inside, and she reached for the direction everything told her was up, frantically twisting in the water. She was not a strong swimmer. Never had been. But she was not going to be defeated by a puddle with an over-blown sense of self. Red nails looked black in the darkness as white hands clawed desperately for the surface.
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Posted: Thu Jul 01, 2021 7:13 pm
One moment they were in a parking lot, surrounded by hot humid air polluted with the scent of damp asphalt and car oil, the next… they weren’t just at the reservoir but in it, below the surface where no screams could be heard. She had only wanted to scare the Squire, make her believe that she would dunk her under the water for throwing a wall up in her face. However, it seemed her own lack of experience teleporting with someone and depleted energy from using too much magic throughout the day had caused her to unintentionally take things a bit too far. Lavendulan was no murderer. Unlike some agents who indiscriminately killed anyone of the opposite faction or stole starseeds from civilians, she had made a promise to herself to live her life differently. Acting like the monster others perceived her to be was one thing; a swipe of a claw, a pointed glare with slitted pupils or a smile that promised nightmares for the next several days was usually enough to give someone reason to keep their distance. But for the few that refused to back away, it seemed like her youma nature had grown more aggressive since her recent promotion. Cool water wrapped her in a familiar comforting cocoon in a place where neither light nor sound could reach her. Laven’s eyes drifted closed as her body slowly sank towards the sandy bed below them. Here she could rest in silence while her prey slipped away. Careless... Ignorant... Reckless child... Keeper’s voice growled angrily and like a white hot lance, color burst into her unconscious mind. Marissa stood upon the golden shore, her light blue sundress shifting in the breeze as the Leviathan of the Deep Sea bared its teeth at her from where it stood several feet away. Water raced up and over its sharp claws where they curled angrily in the soft sand. I did not save you so you can die this way.“Save me?” Marissa took a step back in surprise. “You didn’t save me. You cursed me!” She threw her hand out to the side to emphasize the statement. Keeper fell silent, pupils fluctuating in size and shape as she studied the human before her. The two of them were on in the same but their natures occasionally opposed one another venomously. One part of her demanded she fight to survive, to overcome all obstacles and step out as the victor until she had nothing left to give. Meanwhile the other part still desired a passive approach, to shrug off threats and walk away. However, with the surge of chaos that Axinite had flooded into her starseed her humanity faltered more frequently and often found herself giving into her more youma desires. “I already drowned once, I can’t die that way again. A blessing courtesy of my savior ” She gestured rudely at the Leviathan, clearly having none of this internal bickering or debate. “The Squire will run away and we will rest here until I have enough energy to leave again.” Her aura would undoubtedly remain a beacon to those nearby but she doubted anyone would be willing to dive down to the bottom of the reservoir to kill her without proper swimming equipment. “I have no reason to be afraid!” I wouldn’t be so sure, Little Whelpling Keepers lips pulled into a wide toothy grin full of sharp teeth, yet its icy eyes held no humor. Instead there was a heavy weight to the Leviathan's gaze, You are not the most fearsome or dangerous creature in the sea, child. That was all the warning Marissa received before her more fearsome half lunged forward with sharp claws and teeth that could easily rend her flesh to shreds. However, instead of a sharp pain, Lavendulan felt a dull kick to her left leg and a shove of water that pushed against her side as the water beside her churned. The half-youma finally opened her eyes only to see the Squire hovering above, with her feet kicking hard enough to reach the surface before she ran out of air. It took a long moment for her to finally find enough strength to move again; her limbs were tired and ached like something fierce but the Captain forced herself to fight past the pain and fatigue, to swim upwards and grab hold of the Squires foot and push her upwards before the woman drowned as she once had. It was not a pleasant way to die, that much she could attest to.
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Posted: Fri Jul 02, 2021 10:26 pm
In the water, Imbrium couldn't see for sh*t. It was too dark, the reservoir was too deep, and she was panicking too much, the air in her lungs more precious than Rhodium right now. She kicked firmly and desperately, wishing that she, also, had the ability to teleport. Right now, she was so inclined to drop Ms. Puddle in a f*cking VOLCANO. Or in a walk-in freezer. Evaporate her or freeze her and then chisel a whole new person out of her. A hand grasping at one of her feet did not help any, until Imbrium realized she was somehow rising faster than she had been a moment before; she was rising, not being pulled backwards. Her hands broke the surface after what felt like an eternity, and sweet, sweet oxygen filled her screaming lungs. Her whole body ached, and at some point she had lost her buckler shield. Her vision was blurry, and she coughed, raising a hand to her eyes, trying to uncross her eyes and make out any identifying features. A rock, the shore, a floating ding-dong to rest and recover on? Anything? If that agent came at her now, she couldn't fight her off. That teleporting trick was bullsh*t.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 12:57 pm
“Stop-” Lavendulans’s head whipped to the side when water splashed into her face. Her lips pursed into a thin irritated line. No doubt the woman was pissed at her, and rightfully so, but right now neither of them really had much strength to fight, not when the Squire was more focused on keeping her head above water and she was trying to keep from passing out again. “You’re wasting energy…” A clawed hand firmly held onto the knight's shoulder while her other hand pressed against the woman’s lower back. “Just lean back and float. Contrary to popular belief I’m not going to drown you.” Drain her, maybe. It would make it significantly easier to drag the Squire to shore at least.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 6:12 pm
A raw voice told Imbrium to stop, and a clawed hand clamped down on one bare shoulder. "You-" Imbrium snarled at the half-youma, " I'm wasting energy?" her own voice was torn to shreds, her words interspersed with choking coughs. "Rich. Your body must not be the only thing water, but your whole brain. How was this a good idea?" Reaching out, Imbrium felt two tiny, solid somethings float into her grip; they seemed to be too small. Useless. Imbrium lay flat, since she couldn't really fight the other's strength, but she still managed to throw the object at Lavendulan. A crimson star charm. Go, weapon, go. Maybe hit her in her eye. The other (a Sapphire charm) was tucked into her bodice. She would keep it for a secondary projectile if she had to later. "In the movies when they come out to a deep pool of water, it's either a murder, a date, or a date that turns into a murder. If you weren't intending to drown me when you brought me here, then I have to rank it a 0 on the 10 scale for a date location."
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 7:42 pm
Undoubtedly annoyed, Lavendulan glared at the star charm that had been thrown at her head. It glanced off one of her horns and splashed beside her ear. However, rather than let it sink, she scooped it up and clipped it with the shadow pass gem on her belt. "I didn't mean to teleport us in the lake..." the half-youma let out an exasperated sigh just barely beneath the water, the sound of which resembled a child blowing air through a straw into a glass of milk at the dinner table. "I've never teleported anyone with me before." Admitting that out loud was a bit more painful than she expected. "We were supposed to be closer to shore, or above the water and fall into it... not so far deep." Then again, the location kind of made sense when she thought about how much time she had spent last year exploring the glow caves. She just was more familiar with the area down here than she was on the beach.
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Posted: Sat Jul 03, 2021 8:11 pm
Score! Imbrium couldn't see where she had hit, but there was a faint thump before the splash that indicated her projectile had made it into the water. "Oh, Puddle. I'm your first? I'm clutching my heart over here." She was not. "You might need to come to the reservoir more just to learn what it looks like. On rainy days, of course, so you don't evaporate into a cloud and rain on anyone else like you did this time." Lordy she was tired. And her eyes were finally starting to adjust to the darkness. "When we get back to shore I'm gonna teach you a lesson. Very tiredly, but a lesson will be had. First up: how to ask for directions."
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 12:10 am
Laven let out an undignified snort. “You really don’t know much about half youma do you?” Granted, the fear of evaporation was definitely real, especially when they had to face a dragon in the shadow realm; fire burst from chasms that ripped through the open area and as a water dragon, more or less, Laven worried that she’d turn to steam if she dared to use her magic. Fortunately, the closest she had come to anything remotely similar was dehydration; but that was something that could affect anyone, not just her. She was just about to start swimming towards shore with her reluctant charge in tow when the half-youma felt something wrap around her ankle. “What the-” Unlike a net that would just kind of hold her in place until she cut herself free, this thing held on with a vice-like grip and without warning pulled her underwater. Luckily, she had at least half a mind to let go of the Squire before she got pulled under too.
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Posted: Sun Jul 04, 2021 6:47 pm
"Would I have a reason to know about half-youma?" Imbrium countered. " I'm not one, I'm not dating one, and occasional impulses this evening aside I'm not big on the idea of murdering one. So not a lot of reason or opportunity to do the research." The Squire shifted in the water, intending to help Puddles drag her a** back to shore, when Puddles sort of... vanished. And not in the 'ooo, I turned to water, I'm scary' sort of way, but the like 'I just got yanked under the water by a shark' kind of way. "Oh no you don't!" Imbrium flailed in the water, turning her body so she could try and reach down; her legs kicked out desperately, seeking something (maybe Puddles' face or something?) so she would know where exactly to grab- her night vision was not the best. "Puddles! Puddles, you better not drown, I'm the only one who gets to kill you tonight. If you leave me out here to drown, I'll spend my entire afterlife haunting you!"
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Posted: Mon Jul 05, 2021 1:13 am
In a moment of sheer panic, the half-youma had actually forgotten she could breathe underwater and had held onto the gulp of air until dark spots started clouding her vision. Eventually, she finally let go of the breath she had been holding. Bubbles erupted and floated to the surface and within a few seconds, she could see again. Well at least see as far as someone could when they were underwater at night time with no lights nearby. At this point, she was probably a good ten feet below the surface, back where she had started after accidentally teleporting them into the reservoir. Lavandulan was exhausted and at this point pissed. With what strength she had, the half-youma kicked her foot hard and was rewarded with freedom. Whatever had grabbed her ankle had relinquished its hold. Good God... I'm too tired for this s**t. It took more effort than it should to finally reach the surface, but when she did, Lavendulan couldn't help but smirk. "You'll haunt me, huh? Don't tell me you were actually worried. Or were you just disappointed you might not get your chance to lecture me once we got to shore?" The Captian smirked. Although she was trying to lighten the mood, it was hard to hide her weary expression or forget to kick her feet while doggy paddling and dip below the water for a second. Talk about embarrassing...
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Posted: Tue Jul 06, 2021 8:21 pm
Puddles finally came up over the surface, and Imbrium paddled over to the half-youma, half-heartedly punching at an arm. "The latter, obviously. I've spent a good 30 seconds planning this lecture, and I deserve to have a breathing audience." Imbrium didn't move to help the half-youma, but she kept her body close to the other as they moved back to shore. It was a dangerous kind of close, but Pythia understood tired. And they were both feeling it. If she was supposed to be one of the 'good guys' then she couldn't just ditch even an enemy in the middle of an over-sized retention pond and struggle off herself. Probably. If Puddles was made of water, couldn't she just like... nap there until she wasn't tired anymore? Hmmm... It seemed like a small eternity before the Squire felt her feet touch the ground without her nose going under the surface; Imbrium slogged ashore with relief, checking to make sure her rival was following along. "Now," Imbrium said with exhausted gravity, "What have we learned about teleporting into the middle of a lake in the middle of the night?" Hopefully the answer would be a good one- Imbrium would hate to need to get in another argument before she rolled off to get something warm to eat and maybe go home and sleep for the next 6 weeks.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:36 am
Being a few inches shorter it took Lavendulan a few extra lazy kicks before her toes finally touched sand and she was able to stand up without her head bobbing underwater as she spoke. "You know," icy eyes glanced over at the Squire but there was no anger or look of intent behind them. "If I wasn't so exhausted right now, I'd probably have an annoyingly witty comeback." As it was, she couldn't even think of when her own birthday was let alone do the mental math to figure out her own age "I suppose next time I should remember to bring food with me because God bless... I'm exhausted." Micro jumps by herself were easy enough, but taking someone with her, especially to somewhere that wasn't even remotely close by, knocked her out for what felt like several minutes before finally coming to. Had they'd actually been on shore, Laven had no doubt in her mind that she'd be dead especially after pulling a stunt like that. As if right on queue, the half-youma's stomach growled angrily and she had to thank whatever forsake deity would listen that she was still half-submerged so the Squire wouldn't hear. "By the way, the name is Laven. Not Puddles." Although she supposed that nickname was far better than loch ness b***h as that one Senshi had called her before.
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 8:49 pm
"That," Imbrium corrected Laven tiredly, "is not the correct answer. You were supposed to say 'don't do it', not 'bring food.'" The squire looked at the half-submurged half-youma and half-heartedly threw a half-punch at her arm. "I'm sure next time we meet you can have that annoying comeback ready though." Her legs were shaking, and Imbrium groaned aloud. "Imbrium," she told the other, not sure if they had introduced themselves previously in the heat of... arguing. "And I'm gonna keep calling you Puddles. I don't just give nicknames to just anyone, it's a sign of affection." As if on queue, her stomach rolled, and a loud growl rose between them. Should she invite the other to go rob a convenience store with her? Nah, probably not the best idea to punch a dragon and then offer it a snack. "Well, it has been awful. I hope we don't meet again soon. I'm too tired for the full lecture, so I'm just going to go collapse at the nearest Waffle Hut or Demmy's or something and eat until I can make it home." A two-fingered salute was offered the Negaverse agent. "Thanks for not killing me."
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Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2021 9:25 pm
The corner of Laven's lips pulled into a tired half-smile. "Likewise," Imbrium she replied. Then, after the Squire's two-fingered salute, Lavendulan finally stepped onto that familiar dry squeaky sand. But before the flame-haired knight could turn to leave Lavendulan reached out to take hold of Imbrium's writs. There was no force behind the hold, just an unspoken plea to wait a moment. In her other hand, the half-youma summoned a small golden ball. "Don't tell anyone I gave you this." Nowhere near a full quota size but not something to turn your nose up at either, she placed the energy orb in the Squire's hand then let go of her wrist and stepped away. It was an apology of sorts, an olive branch maybe. Either way, Laven didn't wait for a response or give Imbrium a chance to argue and instead teleported back to the Dark Kingdom; back to her home, to her bed where she intended to sleep for the next week or until Wolframite came home again. Whichever happened first would be fine. "Imbrium..." she said the Squire's name out loud just one last time, committing it to memory before allowing herself to slip into an unconscious state and hopefully dream of absolutely nothing.
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