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 Posted: Sat Dec 25, 2021 7:58 pm
Quote: Prompt 2 (Paint the Night Sky): Destiny City has already had its fair share of snowfall but for the past week it’s just been constant. There hasn’t been a clear sky in days, and even when it’s not snowing it’s still too cloudy to see anything. Finally, one night, the clouds have finally thinned--only to reveal something more surprising than the suddenly good weather. A glorious display of colorful light dances over Destiny City. Auroras are uncommon in this area, but it’s something unique to see. Especially because it almost seems like the colors blend like watercolors, and look like they’re deliberately weaving around each other.
The lights were beautiful. Alkmene didn't consider himself to be particularly sentimental, but there was something arresting about the glow of the strange aurora in the air--and the way it reflected off the snow, casting the whole area in soft colors. A quiet sigh passed his lips, and he stared up. He wasn't paying attention to his surroundings, but he didn't feel like he needed to--he was on a secluded path, off from the main part of the park, and it was quiet and peaceful here. Just him and the trees.
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Posted: Wed Dec 29, 2021 10:50 pm
Michel had settled into a pretty standard protocol for dealing with the Negaverse.
As a Knight, his energy signature was too obvious. He didn’t have the opportunity to sneak up on them before they could teleport, or call for help. Like this, he was practically invisible.
Chilly winter nights made for perfect coverage; he dressed in nondescript clothes, usually black, and went about his business as if he were patrolling. Because, he was.
Dressed in black from nearly head to toe, Zac was hunting. Waterproof boots kept the cold out, and gloves kept the frostbite at bay. He had his hood up and wore a mask that covered from the nose down. He might have stuck out against the white of the snow, but in the shadow of the night it was easy to slip by unnoticed.
Especially when his target was staring up at the sky.
He walked quietly, until he was only a few yards away–and then he ran.
By the time he crossed half the distance between himself and the Senshi, he powered up.
Between one breath and the next he had a fistful of the Senshi’s hair in his left hand and yanked his head back so he could really see the sky. In his right hand, the cold metal of his clock hand dug into his neck.
The Senshi didn’t need to know that it wasn’t a blade, didn’t need to know that it was really ******** heavy to hold up like this. Michel’s adrenaline gave him all the strength he needed.
“Getting real tired of running into Corrupted Senshi like you. Does the Negaverse have anything other than Basic Senshi? They’re not even trying to protect you, are they? Or maybe you’ll surprise me. I’m looking for Lysithea. Do you know her?”
He didn’t want this Senshi to be comfortable. He wanted him to know how serious he was.
How angry he was.
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Posted: Thu Dec 30, 2021 7:14 pm
The aura bloomed, but Alkmene didn't have time to react--which he supposed was the point. He wasn't sure what was pressed against his neck, but it felt cold, and metal, and it made him tense up. It might be a knife, it might not be, but it was definitely somewhere thoroughly tender, and he was in very, very much danger.
Was there a way, he wondered, for him to get out of this, get enough distance to call Faustite for backup? Faustite at least would match the Knight in power. That would be much, much better, especially since he knew that while his magic would affect the Knight's, it wouldn't do anything about whatever metal object was pressed to his throat.
So, call for help as soon as he could, and as soon as he could be assured that he would survive doing so, because he was pretty sure Faustite would agree--especially of late--that Alkmene being alive was the much better option. Anyway, he needed to survive this because Faustite needed to know that someone on the other side was after Lysithea.
So, he needed to get into a position where he could be relatively assured he wouldn't get his throat slit while he called for help. And he also, he figured, needed to pretend he wasn't scared. Showing fear would be absolutely deadly in this situation, since it would hand someone who clearly had violence on the brain a free chance to....well, be violent with him. It might not make a difference, but he'd feel better about himself.
"If you want my help," he said, "this really isn't the way to ask for it."
Sarcasm. A little edge of wit. Make sure that he wasn't obviously sweating or afraid.
"Maybe I do know something. The name sounds familiar," he said. Feign a little ignorance, like he didn't know full well who she was. Like he didn't share a team with her. "Why don't we have a nice, civilized discussion, because honestly, before I let people pull my hair and drag me around, I usually expect them to buy me dinner."
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2022 5:38 am
“Oh, aren’t you cute,” Michel sneered. Venom dripped from every word, and he obviously wasn’t impressed.
“Here’s the thing. I’m not asking for help. You’re either going to tell me what you know, or I’m going to start pulling out handfuls of hair. Maybe I’ll break a few bones, maybe I’ll see how much I can get you to bleed before you start begging. I’m in a bad mood already, don’t give me a reason to take it out on you.”
Any more than he was already going to, at least.
For good measure, he yanked his head back further. The blade couldn’t cut, but he’d bruise if he could.
He’d do a lot more, too.
“If you know anything about her, start talking. Now.”
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Posted: Wed Jan 05, 2022 9:18 pm
"Thanks, I try," Alkmene said. His heart pounded in his chest, and he started turning over possibilities for how he might turn this situation just a little less hopeless.
His first thought was pretty stupid, but it was also the only idea he had.
"But I don't think I want to tell you anything," he said, and then he reached up, grabbing the metal thing pressed against his neck and yanking ti as hard as he could. Yeah, okay, he was risking ******** up his hair in the process, but he was pretty sure that whatever happened, he'd survive losing his hair.
And if he could just get out of this position, he could call Faustite, and they could get out of here.
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 9:36 am
Michel didn’t seem too disheartened by Alkmene’s efforts; using his weapon had been a scare tactic at best, and a frustrating one to maintain, anyway. While Alkmene might have dislodged it, it hadn’t been enough to completely remove it from Michel’s grip.
It was enough to piss Michel off, though.
He lifted Alkmene by the hair and dragged over the back of the bench, because he was done playing nicely.
“I guess I didn’t make myself clear. I’m not asking you,” he said.
He didn’t have a good grip on his weapon, but he had enough to channel his magic.
He wanted to beat the s**t out of this Senshi. But he had time to make him suffer.
“You don’t have to make it out of this alive. That’s up to me. If you need a little incentive to behave, I’m more than happy to remind you what’s at stake.”
Quote: His magic affects targets (at his discretion and not based on faction) within a ten foot radius. Targets caught in the magic are trapped in an illusion where they are forced to watch the world around them wither and die; in the illusion, any biological creature rapidly age until it dies, at which point it will appear to crumble and decay. Inorganic objects, such as buildings, will appear to dilapidate as the magic progresses. The magic appears in the target’s head rather than the environment; if someone leaves the radius the magic stops and if someone enters the radius they will be affected. This can cause a sense of fear or anxiety; the illusions may cause an extreme disconnect and be mentally jarring. The illusion may also make the target physically feel as though they are dying. The magic can be channeled for 45 seconds and there are no lingering effects unless the player wishes to have residual flashes or hallucinations of death and decay throughout the rest of the battle.
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Posted: Sun Jan 09, 2022 1:10 pm
Well, s**t. His efforts to escape were in vain, because the grip on his hair hadn't loosened at all, and he yelped in pain, dragged over the back of the bench and to the ground. His heart jolted in his chest, and panic set in--no longer did calling Faustite seem a valid out, because Faustite might not get here in time. And he certainly couldn't get a report to his General if he was <******** dead.
There was snow under his knees, instead of grass, but he could still see the encroaching decay on the trees around him, and watch them wither and shrivel and crumble, and with a tiny, desperate gasp, he called on his magic, because at least he could make this end faster, and whispered "Envious Whisper" under his breath--
And nothing happened. No flare of green sparkles on his fingers, no birst of ********, okay, maybe I do know, maybe I've seen her a couple times. She's an Eternal, right? Senshi of Unicorns?"
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 6:48 pm
Michel wanted to exhaust every last second of his magic. He wanted this guy to see the world die, wanted to see it rot around him. He wanted death to swallow him up, and–
He wasn’t going to get answers if he was dead. Satisfaction, sure, but not answers.
He stalled his magic when Alkmene started describing her. Michel’s heart skipped a beat because it was the first time he’d heard anything about her.
The Senshi bought himself a brief reprieve. Michel didn’t slam his fist into his face like he’d been dreaming of.
“Yeah, that’s her. Go on,” he said coldly; his hand had already balled at his side. “Tell me everything you know. Now.”
Alkmene had his attention, but Michel was already far more impatient than he had been a the beginning of this conversation.
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Posted: Mon Jan 10, 2022 11:12 pm
Alkmene knew that it was luck first and foremost that had brought him this breath of brief safety. Luck and the willingness to give over a certain amount of information, but he knew he had to be careful about how much he gave. How much he let anyone know about Lysithea.
He wasn't exactly out to ruin Faustite's plans, after all.
"I don't know much. But I've seen her," he said. Technically a lie, but. "There were a lot of corruptions that night on the hill, and a couple of them fell in my General's lap. She's one of them. I can't tell you much, but she's alive. Healthy. She's not being tortured, or anything, but I don't think she's getting out much."
All vague. All generalities. Nothing too specific--nothing about Faustite's deception to bind her to him. Hopefully not anything too treasonous. He'd tell Faustite the whole story later, anyway, once he'd survived this shitfest.
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 9:12 am
Fell into his General’s lap.
They had the same General. He had a direct tie to her. To Faustite. As if if he’d have let anyone else have her, Michel was sure of that.
“I see,” Michel said, but he didn’t seem happy. He was a starving man, fed a crumb and reminded of how hungry he was.
“That’s a good start. But I can see you’re the type of guy who needs a little motivation to get going. I’d say sorry, but.” He balled his hand into a fist and hit him, not as hard as he could but hard enough to drive home a point. “I’ve been trying to get in contact with him for a while. Let’s hope he cares about you a little more than the others. I might have to graduate to corpses to get a message across. I want her back. I don’t care how many of you I have to kill. Your General has the power to stop all of this. You can stop it.” He hit him, again.
“Tell me what he wants with her, tell me why her?”
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Posted: Wed Jan 12, 2022 7:00 pm
Ah. Well, s**t. Apparently Alkmene had decided incorrectly, because now there was more violence and a demand for more answers. But it was going to take more than a couple punches to get him to give in and crack--especially considering who Michel was demanding information on.
He wouldn't betray Faustite--wouldn't betray Eion--like ******** you," he spat, sharply, "Why would I know anything?"
He was moving fully into "lie his a** off" territory, but that was fine. He didn't exactly think that Faustite would care if someone on the other side thought he was a b*****d, especially someone who already seemed to have a pretty firm hateboner for him. So, okay. Lie.
"Faustite doesn't tell me s**t, he keeps me around because I've got nice legs, not because he respects my opinions on what he does or doesn't want from some Senshi. Ask him ********, yeah, Alkmene did sort of want to see that matchup. His money was on Faustite, and he was pretty sure he'd enjoy seeing this piece of s**t Knight roasted.
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Posted: Fri Jan 14, 2022 8:04 pm
“I’d love to,” Michel said, and hit him again, and again. He hit him like violence was a language that could be understood. “You think he’d come if I let you call him? Couldn’t trust that he wouldn’t bring an army. You’d need one to take me down. I know you all play dirty.”
They were always breaking rules, that’s how they got Lysithea.
“Why do you stick around if you’re nothing to him, huh? You mean to tell me you don’t know s**t about your General? He must be pretty ******** important if you’re gonna take a beating for him. Does he care about you as much as you care about him?”
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Posted: Tue Jan 18, 2022 7:33 pm
"I don't know," Alkmene gasped. Even if he did want to share, he wasn't entirely certain it would make the beating stop. His head was starting to spin, and he was half sure that something must have cracked by now. Certainly the pain made it seem that way. "Why don't you let me and we'll find out."
Faustite would come, or would teleport him out of there, either way, he was sure of that. If he trusted nothing else, he trusted that Faustite wouldn't leave him to die.
Still, he inhaled, and then coughed, because it hurt. He wished he had a weapon, anything would do, even those stupid clownshow weapons they gave Lieutenants. Wished he had magic like Lilith's that would make this Knight feel like his lungs were full of water. Wished and wished and wished.
Wishes weren't going to get him out of this.
"I'm not taking a beating for him, I'm telling you that I've got nothing to ******** tell you," he gasped. "You're the one that's decided there has to be some kind of deep relationship of trust for me to prefer working with him over taking my chances with some other stupid ******** with a fancy title and an overinflated ego."
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Posted: Fri Jan 21, 2022 8:45 pm
Michel clicked his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “See, I don’t believe you. And you’re not exactly the most charming Senshi I’ve ever met. I’m thinking you could use a few good knocks to that mouth of yours. But I don’t know if you’re clever enough to learn from this lesson. So.”
One more hit, and then he dropped Alkmene. Let him go. Brushed his hands over his uniform.
“I really ******** hate the Negaverse. You go back to your General, that you know nothing about, and you tell him I want Lysithea back. You make sure he knows I’m gonna start leaving corpses instead of warnings.”
His eyes were on Alkmene. “The only time I want to see you again is if you’re bringing me Lysithea. If I find you again and you don’t have her, I’m not going to let you walk away. So you tell Faustite he needs to figure out if she’s worth losing the rest of his team, because I’m going to find you, and I’m going to hunt you down, and I’m going to kill you. All of you, if that’s what it takes.”
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2022 7:10 pm
When Michel dropped him, Alkmene dropped himself. He didn't completely hit the gorund, but he propped himself up on his elbows, taking slow breaths to try and take stock of what was injured. He was pretty sure nothing was broken, but he was going to be a mess of bruises, he was pretty sure, and that would be fun.
"Fine, I'll tell him." Oh, Alkmene would absolutely be telling Faustite all about this. Make sure he knew every inch of this Knight's description, so he knew to keep Lysithea far away from Saturn Knights with massive clock-hand weapons.
He pushed himself to his feet, taking a shaky breath.
"Faustite will get your message. Now let me walk away."
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